Joined Apr 2012
572 Posts | 554+
Irvine, CA
After months of waiting followed by the week-long delay I was taken aback when I saw what Ducati is releasing for the NEW V4R for 2023.
I can't imagine this newer bike being any faster around a race track in the hands of a skilled rider.
Some ergo and electronic refinements may make the bike a little easier to ride for more than 15 minutes at a time but the real weakness of the current V4R (2019 to date) is the over-heating issue. Did anyone notice during the WDW 2022 Race of Champions that Ducati shortened the exhibition race from 12 to 8 laps? Why?? It was a warm weekend in Misano and the bikes were over-heating and despite Z04 pads and T-Drive rotors the MotoGp guys were running into braking issues!
My guess is the new V4R isn't any faster around a track than the 2019 V4R set up the same way. Ducati said they lengthened the fork to 125 mm, but every 2019 V4R fork I have measured already has 125 mm of travel.....maybe they meant to say it will now be 130 mm? Either way the fork CAN be shortened or lengthened as can the shock and the swingarm pivot can also be changed, so why the change now? I have contacts at Ducati Corse and they told me -3 was the best swingarm position they tested but these days everyone seems excited about anti-squat, lol. What seems odd to me, as a suspension engineer, is how they went from a 105 N/m to 80 N/m shock spring, raised the swingarm pivot from -3 to +1 position which raises the pivot 2.8 mm and forward 4 mm and lengthened the shock from 312 mm to 316 mm. As a consequence Ducati claims these changes raise the rear of the bike by 20 mm for better turn in. Those changes alone WILL NOT raise the rear that much WITHOUT changing the linkage pull rods. So I am wondering if the linkage pull rods have been shortened 2-3 mm which would help raise the rear of the bike relative to the front and putting the linkage in a flatter part of the ratio....they don't need to worry about bottoming out since no passenger but that spring is VERY light.
I like the V4 Superleggera dash that shows which rider mode is activated, however, this is really only useful in post-ride videos as I don't look at the dash when I am riding on track. The tank and seat changes help with longer stints but are likely to be difficult to really feel.
The slipper clutch has reduced weight, consequently the same weight reduction as installing the magnesium rims versus stockers. This can help with fatigue and side-side transitions but won't be night and day. A better quick shifter, ok? Better cooling, what does that really mean? If I bought one and it still ran as hot as my 2019 I would be irritated and mark my words, it probably will.
Like many of you, I was expecting some significant changes and 6.5 more hp comes with an asterisks * special oil is responsible for 3.5 of those and I bet another 1-2 come from the longer under-seat 7K Akrapovic exhaust compared to the 5K Akrapovic exhaust most people installed on they 2019 V4R.
+1 mm intake valve lift, shorter velocity stacks and the surface treatment of the connecting rods are the only REAL changes which contribute to 1-2 hp which no one can feel. Where is the seamless gearbox? Where is the double-sided swingarm? And for all that they raised the price 5K!
I DO have one on order, I had put my name down well over a year ago but I'm not sure I'll go through with it.
Curious to hear what others are thinking?
One upside to the new V4R....given the price increase the existing V4R out there for sale are probably worth a little bit more!
I can't imagine this newer bike being any faster around a race track in the hands of a skilled rider.
Some ergo and electronic refinements may make the bike a little easier to ride for more than 15 minutes at a time but the real weakness of the current V4R (2019 to date) is the over-heating issue. Did anyone notice during the WDW 2022 Race of Champions that Ducati shortened the exhibition race from 12 to 8 laps? Why?? It was a warm weekend in Misano and the bikes were over-heating and despite Z04 pads and T-Drive rotors the MotoGp guys were running into braking issues!
My guess is the new V4R isn't any faster around a track than the 2019 V4R set up the same way. Ducati said they lengthened the fork to 125 mm, but every 2019 V4R fork I have measured already has 125 mm of travel.....maybe they meant to say it will now be 130 mm? Either way the fork CAN be shortened or lengthened as can the shock and the swingarm pivot can also be changed, so why the change now? I have contacts at Ducati Corse and they told me -3 was the best swingarm position they tested but these days everyone seems excited about anti-squat, lol. What seems odd to me, as a suspension engineer, is how they went from a 105 N/m to 80 N/m shock spring, raised the swingarm pivot from -3 to +1 position which raises the pivot 2.8 mm and forward 4 mm and lengthened the shock from 312 mm to 316 mm. As a consequence Ducati claims these changes raise the rear of the bike by 20 mm for better turn in. Those changes alone WILL NOT raise the rear that much WITHOUT changing the linkage pull rods. So I am wondering if the linkage pull rods have been shortened 2-3 mm which would help raise the rear of the bike relative to the front and putting the linkage in a flatter part of the ratio....they don't need to worry about bottoming out since no passenger but that spring is VERY light.
I like the V4 Superleggera dash that shows which rider mode is activated, however, this is really only useful in post-ride videos as I don't look at the dash when I am riding on track. The tank and seat changes help with longer stints but are likely to be difficult to really feel.
The slipper clutch has reduced weight, consequently the same weight reduction as installing the magnesium rims versus stockers. This can help with fatigue and side-side transitions but won't be night and day. A better quick shifter, ok? Better cooling, what does that really mean? If I bought one and it still ran as hot as my 2019 I would be irritated and mark my words, it probably will.
Like many of you, I was expecting some significant changes and 6.5 more hp comes with an asterisks * special oil is responsible for 3.5 of those and I bet another 1-2 come from the longer under-seat 7K Akrapovic exhaust compared to the 5K Akrapovic exhaust most people installed on they 2019 V4R.
+1 mm intake valve lift, shorter velocity stacks and the surface treatment of the connecting rods are the only REAL changes which contribute to 1-2 hp which no one can feel. Where is the seamless gearbox? Where is the double-sided swingarm? And for all that they raised the price 5K!
I DO have one on order, I had put my name down well over a year ago but I'm not sure I'll go through with it.
Curious to hear what others are thinking?
One upside to the new V4R....given the price increase the existing V4R out there for sale are probably worth a little bit more!
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