Anyone get their V4S to the track yet?

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I had the opportunity to ride the V4 in Aragon two days ago and take the opportunity to post my impressions. It was my friends bike, who was friendly enough to lend it to me for 5 laps. Therefore, I didn't go too hard in order not to crash it.

Coming from my V2 1199R Superstock bike, the V4 is so much more nimble at turning, it feels like a bicycle! Also the flick from left to right is mentally fast and razor sharp. With the current suspension set up it's already pretty stable at braking. Without floating brake disks, turn in on braking is a bit harder and the bike to prone to "stand up".

The engine is a beast and the power is scary (226hp at the crank at the moment, bit over 200hp at the wheel). I have never experienced anything like it before. The way this bike pulls from 250 to 300 kph is out of this world! It just wouldn't stop accelerating! I easily reached 300kph at the end of the back straight, even though I didn't have the balls to fully open the throttle in 2nd and 3rd gear and lost quite a bit at the beginning of the straight coming out of the tight 2nd gear left corner. It's basically impossible to keep the front wheel on the ground in gears 1-3. The engine runs a lot smoother then the V2, but apart from this, sounds and feels very much like a V-twin still, but with less engine braking.

The bike was built by Barni Racing in Italy. They are currently testing in the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV). Two of their mechanics were with us on track and were dialing in the suspension and bike geometry. They tried quite a bit over the curse of three days and found a good set up at the end. Ivan Goy and Luca Confort will test/confirm the set up in Mugello this week. Also the electronics are not yet fully adjusted and reliable. The engine with the current tune (Akrapovic exhaust with standard up-map from Ducati) is too aggressive, anti-wheely control not reliably working and the quick shifter only works in lower revs when downshifting. Bit of work to do still for Ducati.

Some minor problems to be sorted out. But the bike has loads of potential! I think I'll have to get one next year. :D
 
Phil1199 said:
I had the opportunity to ride the V4 in Aragon two days ago and take the opportunity to post my impressions. It was my friends bike, who was friendly enough to lend it to me for 5 laps. Therefore, I didn't go too hard in order not to crash it.

Coming from my V2 1199R Superstock bike, the V4 is so much more nimble at turning, it feels like a bicycle! Also the flick from left to right is mentally fast and razor sharp. With the current suspension set up it's already pretty stable at braking. Without floating brake disks, turn in on braking is a bit harder and the bike to prone to "stand up".

The engine is a beast and the power is scary (226hp at the crank at the moment, bit over 200hp at the wheel). I have never experienced anything like it before. The way this bike pulls from 250 to 300 kph is out of this world! It just wouldn't stop accelerating! I easily reached 300kph at the end of the back straight, even though I didn't have the balls to fully open the throttle in 2nd and 3rd gear and lost quite a bit at the beginning of the straight coming out of the tight 2nd gear left corner. It's basically impossible to keep the front wheel on the ground in gears 1-3. The engine runs a lot smoother then the V2, but apart from this, sounds and feels very much like a V-twin still, but with less engine braking.

The bike was built by Barni Racing in Italy. They are currently testing in the Italian Superbike Championship (CIV). Two of their mechanics were with us on track and were dialing in the suspension and bike geometry. They tried quite a bit over the curse of three days and found a good set up at the end. Ivan Goy and Luca Confort will test/confirm the set up in Mugello this week. Also the electronics are not yet fully adjusted and reliable. The engine with the current tune (Akrapovic exhaust with standard up-map from Ducati) is too aggressive, anti-wheely control not reliably working and the quick shifter only works in lower revs when downshifting. Bit of work to do still for Ducati.

Some minor problems to be sorted out. But the bike has loads of potential! I think I'll have to get one next year. :D
Click to expand...
Great review Phil , I'm starting to build my V4S for racing so thanks for the heads up on the few things you talked about
 
Hatchet said:
Great review Phil , I'm starting to build my V4S for racing so thanks for the heads up on the few things you talked about
Click to expand...

Happy to help. A harder spring will be a good investment. And you will have to lift the back quite a bit (3-5cm) plus lower the front to stop the bike's back from pumping at corner exit under hard acceleration. Same problems the 1199 had in the beginning of its evolution.
 
Phil1199 said:
Happy to help. A harder spring will be a good investment. And you will have to lift the back quite a bit (3-5cm) plus lower the front to stop the bike's back from pumping at corner exit under hard acceleration. Same problems the 1199 had in the beginning of its evolution.
Click to expand...

Thanks Phil1199
If you have other info I would appreciate it, I'm trying to get my V4S ready for racing
 
I'm looking at the PRE schedule I thinking about a trackday at VIR in June. Your rear tire has similar wear to mine after Barber. I used 25 cold. I got my chart from the Pirelli tire vendor last year after a purchase of some sticky SuperCorsa SC-1s. My chart say 29/25. I don't use tire warmers.
 
Just did another track day with TPM @ VIR. Thinking about getting 2nd set of wheels to run diablo superbike slicks.

Obligatory photo:

A47I7171.JPG
 
Last edited:
Great photos! I'm registered with P.R.E. VIR south on June 15th and Sportbike tracktime at Road Atlanta August 4th.
 
maslov said:
3e661c689029bca4cf740379bdf5cebb.jpg


Here's the guide for anyone interested


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

It doesn't mention the 200/60 Supercorsa v3?

Anyone got any official numbers from Pirelli?
I've been using 29 cold on the road - at the Isle of Man TT last week and it was working really well on the unrestricted mountain circuit! I was really pushing it! :D
 
I used 32 front 27 rear yesterday at VIR south. I don't use warmers. I measured them after each session. Looks like I'm in the range for DOT tires.
 
Just sharing a bit of footage I took at Cadwell a few weeks back!
Was a Monday track evening and first time on track with the v4s and first time this year! (Since last September IIRC) so I'm a bit rusty and learning the bike!
Just to emphasise again It's a LOT Different to the 1299!

[youtube]7kxAeO0yYoY[/youtube]

Only a 1.40 flat, on out the box settings and just riding it for fun, will get it tweaked and set up how I like it eventually!
Plenty of time to be found :)

The bike is a missile when pushing it and really does take a bit of wrestling!
Love the bike though!

[youtube]tIIWvKCJ0_s[/youtube]

Making my way through a bit of traffic :)

On track I'm using 36 front (hot) and 26 rear (hot)
On road I'm using 32 front (cold) and still working out the right pressure for road! 30 cold is too high, dropped 28 and still too high! Going to 24 next.
 
The bike is really moving around underneath you!! I do believe you would be lapping me. I love that track!! Been watching BSB racing on you tube for years at Cadwell. Question, were you using the wheelie control over the hill?
 
First thing I did when collecting the bike from the showroom was turn off wheelie control permanently! :)
 
I did Auto Club Speedway at Fontana, CA last Friday, Fasttrack Riders Level 3/Fast group, and it was an awesome and pleasing experience.

Some background:
I've been there four times on my previous bike---a 2014 Monster 1200S that I modified more and more for track use. I always ran Intermediate group and my best time was 1:48.4. I felt like I could corner it okay and brake it very well. My top speed on the main straight was an indicated 158 mph.

And now the report:
I signed up again for Intermediate group but that got bought out by Susuki and other test teams, so I moved to Fast group and though it was a little intimidating at first, it turned out to be a perfect fit.

I have a V4S with 1,100 miles on it (600 baby miles) and very lightly worn stock Sueprcorsa SPs. Modifications include mirror and tail garage removal, charcoal canister removal, and addition of throttle spacers. The bike has all current recalls and updates and I'd say it runs like a champ. I weigh 173 lbs naked and decided, after some spirited test runs on the street, to run custom fixed suspension, up a few clicks on front and rear compression and rebound. I didn't adjust preload and somehow, it all felt pretty well dialed in.
DTC = 4
DWC = 4
Engine high
Engine braking = 1
Font/rear = 33/26 PSI cold

The bike is FAST! I hadn't been to the track in 5 months and within my first session, going easy to familiarize myself, I nipped my previous best time, on horsepower alone. I was now routinely hitting high 170s on the main straight and exceeded 180 several times throughout the day. My new top indicated speed was 185. And I dropped my PR by 6.7 seconds, to 1:41.7. I was pretty happy with that.

I spent most of the first and second sessions rewiring my brain as far as braking markers go. On every straight I was going WAY faster than usual, but the brakes are also very very good and I found that my braking was done 50 and sometimes 100 meters too early. Wow. I chiseled that down over the sessions, but still have plenty of braking fat to lose. The rear got light a bunch of times under heaviest braking, but it all felt stable and fun.

The knee was dragging all over the place when on my previous bike it was a rare thing and only on my best corners. The bike has wonderful steering feel and it leans over very far if you want it to. My corner speed was definitely up everywhere.

The acceleration out of corners was outrageous. With DWC = 4, and my throttle style, I was getting routine small wheelies in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and the front end was light I'm sure in 4th when I was really trying to get max drive onto the main straight. The bike accelerates so hard and the front gets so light that it became unsettled a few times and I got some wobbles, but the steering damper played its part well. I'll dial that up a few clicks for next time"¦ and adjust my style to be smoother on the throttle. I want to "carry speed" instead of "forcing speed."

The quick shifter worked perfectly all day---and, in fact, 100% perfect ever since I bought the bike. I've heard the issues and feel lucky not to be affected. The auto-blipping downshifts are so confidence inspiring during heavy braking and really help cut time I think. I shifted into neutral twice throughout the day, but am pretty certain it was user error. One must be deliberate and sure with shifting, I know, and I was probably trying to be too quick and stab at it.

The bike seemed to use about 1.5 gallons per 20 -minute session. It was sunny and temps got to 85 degrees F, and my engine temp was rock steady at 3 bars the whole day. I was worried that it might get too hot, but it was always steady in the green.

The track is heavy on the left side of the tire and by the early afternoon, my left side was done, and in the 85 degree sun, things felt greasy. Traction control was kicking in more and more and I was getting more rear tire spin and slides. A couple big ones actually but I just stayed on the throttle and rode it out like a pro, haha. Super fun!!

Back to throttle style, I was really trying to pin it entering the main straight, but this bike has so much power that you really cannot pin it everywhere you'd like. In the afternoon session on a greasy worn rear tire, I was lifting the front, wobbling and unsettled in 3rd and broke the rear loose in 4th"¦ in a straight line! Everything recovered fine but I have gained a bunch of respect for a bike of this power. It's a wild, wild animal and I think a smoother throttle style is advised and what I'll be adjusting to.

Level 3 was great as I was almost never held up and had many laps of clear riding. I was passed a few times each session, but didn't feel too out of place. I was experimenting with a low entry into turn 1, but that never panned out and I was pretty slow through there. Some of my lines need work and there is plenty of fat left to lose.

The bike is beautiful and everybody in the paddock loved it and wanted to chat about it. It was a good day. The bike is so good that it feels like cheating.:)

And now the issue:
I experienced a new issue that I hadn't before. In 3rd and 4th gear under heavy throttle on the straights, at like 10k+ RPMs, the engine cut power for a split second, unexpectedly and for no discernable reason. This was not DTC or DWC or the rev limiter kicking in, but it felt like there was a fueling hiccup. This definitely unsettled me and the bike somewhat, but fortunately I had no incidents. These came in small flurries over a single lap in my 3rd session, so I aborted and pulled into the pits. I was low on gas (about 1.5 gallons in the tank) and refilled. I also turned off then on again the DQS. And all was fine for sessions 4 and 5, but on the first straight in session 6 (again, low on gas), it happened again and I aborted the day, displeased. The bike is now at the shop and the tech spit balled that it may be related to the inline valve on the vacuum line that used to go to the removed charcoal canister, or an issue with the fuel tank, or who knows what. They are currently investigating. I'm hoping it'll be an obvious cause and robust fix. Otherwise, the bike performed flawlessness and has outrageous performance.

Videos:
My second session, building to a decent time. I'm following my brother early for easy warm -up laps, as we don't currently use tire warmers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIvbxtKNi34


My brother's cam and some neat editing. He was there on his 2017 BMW S1000RR with full Akro system and Stage 1 BrenTune. His bike is FAST too! He hit 189 indicated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3pby07fh0
 
Had my Speciale at Laguna Seca last Saturday. I didn't make any changes to the bike (I know) except put an SC1 slick on the rear.

I have not been on that track for about 3 years. I was able to run some laps in the mid to high 130's without pushing it to hard so very impressed. I have been doing track days for 13 years and ride in the advanced group. I am not the youngest guy at 55 but try to keep in shape.

The bike is in now to get exhaust installed. I will be going to a track that I ride often on 9/3 so that will be a real test.
 
jbraslins said:
Just did another track day with TPM @ VIR. Thinking about getting 2nd set of wheels to run diablo superbike slicks.

Obligatory photo:

A47I7171.JPG
Click to expand...



Awesome pic.
Do you have your brake light taped up and if so why is that?


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Motzarelli said:
Do you have your brake light taped up and if so why is that?
Click to expand...

Most track day organizations here in USA require you to tape up all lights (if not removed completely).

Main reason is to avoid glass/plastic shards being scattered all over the race track in case of a crash. It's also considered a distraction for other riders, esp if bright, and these LED tail lights are.
 
jbraslins said:
Most track day organizations here in USA require you to tape up all lights (if not removed completely).



Main reason is to avoid glass/plastic shards being scattered all over the race track in case of a crash. It's also considered a distraction for other riders, esp if bright, and these LED tail lights are.
Click to expand...



All makes sense


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