Living with the V4 - post your experiences

Hi there,
I'm in the market for a new bike, I've had RSV4, Tuono and currently riding 2016 R1.

I don't commute, I ride weekends and trips away but I do a bunch of KM a year, 20,000KM plus...

So , Tell me your experiences with the V4 in that sort of riding, this would be my first ducati , I'm tossing up between this and the New bmw, but the thing I have enjoyed with the R1 is the character the engine has, its as close to the V4 from the RSV as a Japanese bike has !

Current bike pictured...

Purchased a V4 base May of 2018 and have 15K miles on it. Ride weekends and trips as well. Zero problems other than recalls. Love the bike so much I purchased a 2019 V4S and use it for track.

Nice R1, If I really didn't want a Ducati I would have purchased the R1 or RSV4 or even kept my Tuono to be perfectly honest.
If you're not going to use your V4 for the occasional track day don't bother. Francesca (my V4S) loves to be set free on the track. This bike is overkill but I love it. I run Pirelli Slicks with tire warmers so the bike and tire combination keep me out of trouble. I took her to three track days last year. This is the fastest bike I have ever ridden. Sadly the stock (ohlins) suspension is just not sorted. The static sag is a compromise which should not be the case for a $27,000 motorcycle. Its probably great for a guy or gal that weights 160lbs wet. Not for a guy that weights 190lbs with gear.
If you like to do your own maintenance Ducati will do everything in their power limit your options. It's really sad that I cannot reset the first service light myself and the annual light myself. A MX manual has finally managed to find its way to the interweb. That's being said my local bike shop has been great. They've taken care of most recalls and technical service bulletins (First year release).
As for street riding she's actually pretty comfortable. I run the dynamic suspension in the street mode which softens up the ride. My primary complaints are the excessive engine heat, the ...... F**king mirrors very poor quality and the rear fender does nothing to prevent rocks from hitting the tail section. My brake light is already cracked. I have called Ducati, completed two surveys and brought the last two complaints up to my local dealer. I broke a mirror when I hit it with my hand can you believe that crap. I they don't fold either.
I'll say this Ducati, owners are part of the problem, especially when it comes to the mirrors. Ducati has been selling ...... mirrors for years. We've allowed this to occur. If more owners would complain something might change. I'm sure I'll piss someone off with this comment. Ducati designed this bike for the race track. Then came back to reality and said we need to put lights and mirrors on this thing.
Sorry, I've gone on a rant. Seriously, I love Francesca she is hands down the best bike I have ever ridden. She's a pretty comfortable street bike. I'm 5'11". I use an SWMOTECH tank bag on the street. Stock windscreen provides nice protection.

carlpretzel said:

Nice R1,
If you're not going to use your V4 for the occasional track day don't bother.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info , I hear you re: track days etc We have Phillip island near by so I get there when I can.

Mirrors:I'm used to the REALLY bad ones from the Aprilia
Suspension: I'm thinking I'd get the base model and fit it out with Mechanical Ohlins (I had ohlins on the Rsv, and I have K-tech on the R1.

Hands down best bike Ducati has released to date. I had an 1199S with Rapid Bike piggy back ECU and the V4S is way faster. Mirrors went in the trash and I picked up some CRG bar end mirrors. Shift Tech carbon case guards and that's all for now. The folks at Boulder Motorsports told me they would help sort out the CEL when you move to a slip on without the valve, or they could do longer cables?

The stock exhaust doesn't sound half bad, I might keep that for a while as even Arrow Slip-ons are $1500 USD

This bike has more room than the outgoing Panigale, and I am 6'5 and its enjoyable, at least more so than the older bike.

The fuel economy is lousy though. light came on yesterday at 121 miles, and I filled her up with 2.8 gallons! Not good, all the while the MPG reading is 54 MPG?

Where in aus are you?

Love the bag on the r1 lol that is great.

Hi from a fellow aus rider


If we're in the same state i'd happily let you take my 1299 for a burn, but you're after a v4... Apparently they're more comfortable than mine.

007 said:

Where in aus are you?

Love the bag on the r1 lol that is great.

Hi from a fellow aus rider

Click to expand...

Im in melbourne , all the bikes get a Ventura rack to ruin them.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

stuh said:

Im in melbourne , all the bikes get a Ventura rack to ruin them.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Ahahaha thats great!

Me too brother.

Feel free to pm me if you ever wanna go for a ride.

So... My story so far...
I am still breaking in the engine. I have now 850km, only 150km to go fo first service.
Till 550km, no problems...
Then the fuel light started to blink. I found no explanation in the manual, but I didn't see any problem in it as well..
Yesterday, at 800km, the bike would not start. It turned for 2 seconds below 1000rpm and shut down. I waited 5 minutes and then it would start. But suddenly, the light "motor diagnostics" turns on. I shutted the motor down and waited again for 5 minutes.
I restarted, the light was gone.
When going home, I felt as if I had no grip at the rear tyre. As if it made small steps sideways during accelaration.

Now, I am scared to take corners and I want to take the bike as quickly as possible to the dealer

where did you purchase your bike?
Where are you from?

realnuts said:

So... My story so far...
I am still breaking in the engine. I have now 850km, only 150km to go fo first service.
Till 550km, no problems...
Then the fuel light started to blink. I found no explanation in the manual, but I didn't see any problem in it as well..
Yesterday, at 800km, the bike would not start. It turned for 2 seconds below 1000rpm and shut down. I waited 5 minutes and then it would start. But suddenly, the light "motor diagnostics" turns on. I shutted the motor down and waited again for 5 minutes.
I restarted, the light was gone.
When going home, I felt as if I had no grip at the rear tyre. As if it made small steps sideways during accelaration.

Now, I am scared to take corners and I want to take the bike as quickly as possible to the dealer

Click to expand...

I use the V4 for commuting (sorry) after 20 years of R1. Its approx. 190 km way and forth.
Now I have 3000km, first maintenance is done and now I'm riding always in SPORT mode, even in rain. I was a little bit afraid regarding the tires in wet conditions, but they did just fine, I was really surprised.
After 45 minutes, I have my right hand "sleeping". Is it due to vibrations, due to my nerves in my wrist,...? I don't know. I didn't have this on all my R1's, but hey, I'm getting older ...
The engine brake is not what I expected. In 6th gear and above 7000 RPM and you close suddenly the throttle, it's like the V4 slides a little bit through and then (after 200 meters) you feel the engine brake working and then it brakes (slows down) significantly. Maybe I have to reset the EBC and put it on 1 or 0.
Sometimes in the morning I feel that the battery is a little weak, it seems to have difficulties to engage and to have ignition.
I also adjusted the high beam in height in order to be seen by the cars.
I also have the full AKRA exhaust and my average consumption lays around 7 liters/100 km.

alainV4 said:

I use the V4 for commuting (sorry) after 20 years of R1. Its approx. 190 km way and forth.
Now I have 3000km, first maintenance is done and now I'm riding always in SPORT mode, even in rain. I was a little bit afraid regarding the tires in wet conditions, but they did just fine, I was really surprised.
After 45 minutes, I have my right hand "sleeping". Is it due to vibrations, due to my nerves in my wrist,...? I don't know. I didn't have this on all my R1's, but hey, I'm getting older ...
The engine brake is not what I expected. In 6th gear and above 7000 RPM and you close suddenly the throttle, it's like the V4 slides a little bit through and then (after 200 meters) you feel the engine brake working and then it brakes (slows down) significantly. Maybe I have to reset the EBC and put it on 1 or 0.
Sometimes in the morning I feel that the battery is a little weak, it seems to have difficulties to engage and to have ignition.
I also adjusted the high beam in height in order to be seen by the cars.
I also have the full AKRA exhaust and my average consumption lays around 7 liters/100 km.

Click to expand...

Ducati Herzele, very pleased with Jackie and his team! I would recommend everybody to buy there
I am still below 6000rpm, and i do not have problems with my wrists. One day, i did 430km, no problems at all.
Do you fuel 98 or 95? I know the 98 gives problems for cold start. I always fuel 95.
My average consumption is 4,5 l/100km. Probably because I have to stay below 6000rpm. I've read other experiences here and above 3000rpm, the bike should be smooth.
Engine braking on 2 is as if you would have no braking from the engine at all. So, the sliding through the first moment is normal. It should be different in 1 or OFF. Maximum engine braking is when it is turned to OFF.

So far, I only used "street"
Maybe I should put it in "sport", but I was thinking, as lang as I am below 6000rpm, why bother changing settings

After riding various big bikes (R1, GSX's, TLR's etc) for many years I've come from a 1199S to the V4S and hands down it is the best motorcycle I have owned.

When I say best I am talking about everything from fit to performance. I'm 6ft 1 and 90kgs and it is extremely comfortable to ride.

It is as fast as you want it to be but will cruise just as well. The only issue I, and most have, is the heat on my inner thighs.

I do agree with what others have said though, the mirrors are crap (I replaced mine with a set of folding moto science units) and the fuel consumption is very ordinary but I have never bought a bike or car base on fuel consumption.

It is a beast!

HFW003 said:

After riding various big bikes (R1, GSX's, TLR's etc) for many years I've come from a 1199S to the V4S and hands down it is the best motorcycle I have owned.

When I say best I am talking about everything from fit to performance. I'm 6ft 1 and 90kgs and it is extremely comfortable to ride.

It is as fast as you want it to be but will cruise just as well. The only issue I, and most have, is the heat on my inner thighs.

I do agree with what others have said though, the mirrors are crap (I replaced mine with a set of folding moto science units) and the fuel consumption is very ordinary but I have never bought a bike or car base on fuel consumption.

It is a beast!

Click to expand...

What are your thoughts on the Moro science mirrors?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Motzarelli said:

What are your thoughts on the Moro science mirrors?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

As far as quality goes they are par with OEM, read into that what you will

The most important thing for me was the ability to fold, which they do.

As far as being able to see in them, they do not vibrate at all which is a bonus but as with any sports bike I've owned you still need to move your arm to see in them.

Hope that helps

H

HFW003 said:

As far as quality goes they are par with OEM, read into that what you will



The most important thing for me was the ability to fold, which they do.



As far as being able to see in them, they do not vibrate at all which is a bonus but as with any sports bike I've owned you still need to move your arm to see in them.



Hope that helps



H

Click to expand...

Thanks. Sounds like what I need and the quality from the pics was not high end so thanks for confirming that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love my 2018 S1000RR, but I am absolutely infatuated with my V4 Speciale... The BMW is fast, the V4 is crazy fast.. both bikes currently at about 3000 miles trouble free.

So, I returned after 4 days and 2200km in the French, Italian, Swiss and Austrian Alps.
It was great! No rain, beautiful locations and some very nice asphalt! Everybody stayed up, no crashes, lots of good food, good stories, ... I wish I was still there!

But how was the V4?
Well... On one side, it was superb, fantastic and breathtaking. The grip, the endless ground clearance, the sound, the looks (a lot of thumbs up from other riders and drivers!), the power, ... I love it!
On the other side, there were some remarks as well.
While I did a lot of kilometers with the bike, I had no problems with my back, legs, knees, ... But my wrists hurt like hell! I wish the clip ons would have been adjustable. Some wider clip ons could have been a relief! Even now, I still feel the pain in my wrists.
Day 2, when we went really pushing in the mountains, I had some brake fading! I could feel the lever getting softer and I had to push the brake lever further to have the same braking pressure. Unbelievable... For this amount of money, I expect better brakes!
My BMW K1300R from 2013 has better brakes.

Another issue was a false neutral between 5th and 6th gear. I've had this 3 times. I use the quick shifter all the time. Other gear changes had no problems.

So, all in all, I still love this bike, but things could have been better

I had S1000R before buying a 2017 Tuono 1100 Fac. Ever since getting a Tuono, which I use for daily commute of 60 miles, mostly (currently bike has 16000 miles), I became a massive fan of a V4 layout. The noise, its power characteristics, lack of BMW buzz vibration and something intangible is what I love about V4 engines.

I added 2018 Duc V4S to my stable mainly for weekend rides and track. It is a technological marvel from top to bottom, hands down. Performance is on a whole different level and electronics, particularly properly exploited on the track are superb. Wheelie control, for example, is phenomenal. I just can't stop doing wheelies on this thing, Aprilia's system is not even close in terms of its performance. This is my first Ducati and I can't recommend this machine enough. Some folks report issues, but mine has been trouble free (7000 miles), some things can be upgraded, especially for the track, but overall package is awesome.

So far I did 11 track days on my V4S, and let me tell you I have not been passed once on any of the straights

Since you ride supersports already, no reasons to discuss comfort.

oh, and I envy your location. I visited Western Australia twice and once stayed in Perth for 2 months as a short work assignment. So beautiful.. and Phillip Island.. your traffic laws though, holy crap