New Panigale V4 is ugly?

spooky said:

That is comparing a base road bike to a very well specified track bike though.

The base Honda with a full Akrapovic works out around €14,000 less than the V4 with a full Akrapovic, which does make you think.

Want versus need I guess.

Click to expand...

The full HRC Race ECU and wiring harness is another 5k. But it opens up 28 to 30 more HP on the fireblade with class leading intuitive trackside adjustment to EVERYTHING.

Rearset are $600 versus $1900 for it, full tintanium race exhausts are $2500 versus $7500.

Suter racing slipper clutch is $959 versus $3500

Wheels are $3000 versus $5000.

Comes with the same NPX forks as the V4R but electronically controlled, has StylemaR calipers OEM.

On and on.

Steven31371 said:

Comes with the same NPX forks as the V4R but electronically controlled

Click to expand...

Honda NPX w SmartEC3 use spool valves for controlling damping. Allegedly this lets the system adjust quicker. New Ohlins electronic suspension is better than manual stuff for the trackday rider

SuperDomestique said:

New Ohlins electronic suspension is better than manual stuff for the trackday rider

Click to expand...

must be true then cos you said it!

andyb said:

must be true then cos you said it!

Click to expand...

Have you tried the new Ohlins EC2 or 3? Because if you haven't, practical experience should tell you to shut the .... up. I've used both (and therefore have practical experience) and prefer the electronic stuff over manual

Actually SD MIGHT be right here…was talking to RoadracerX about it at length…the electronic adjuster stuff he said use to be inconsistent as the bike heated up…so it might react differently on corner entry on the 10th lap versus the 1st…but he THINKS the spool drive stuff might correct that. Needs to be tested more thoroughly though in the real world. On paper it’s great, needs more real world vetting from fast riders

POTENTIALLY some pretty cool stuff.

Steven31371 said:

Actually SD MIGHT be right here…was talking to RoadracerX about it at length…the electronic adjuster stuff he said use to be inconsistent as the bike heated up…so it might react differently on corner entry on the 10th lap versus the 1st…but he THINKS the spool drive stuff might correct that. Needs to be tested more thoroughly though.

Click to expand...

I don't think the 25 V4S NPX has this spool valve design. There's no mention of it in the marketing material. I think this is Honda only.

I'm going to be putting a deposit on an SP soon

Could just buy fork caps as well, would then turn it into manual NPX.

Or just put DES into fixed suspension mode.

"The way it works is through Öhlins’ fancy Objective Base Tuning Interface, or OBTi. The system facilitates suspension adjustments that take braking, weight transfer, and acceleration into account. Inspired by MotoGP’s rear ride height devices, the system improves cornering grip as well as optimizes traction both under heavy braking and acceleration. More specifically, OBTi tunes weight transfer during acceleration by lowering the bike’s center of gravity. This enhances traction at the rear wheel while also preventing wheelies. Meanwhile, updated algorithms can also adjust suspension settings according to rider weight, suggesting preload and optimizing damping for improved performance."

From my understanding EC2 doesn't fine-tune itself on the fly. It's more on-off and is event based (braking, mid-corner, acceleration) using the IMU. For example, if you're braking it adjusts the damping to the setting you initially set in the dash. This will then automatically change when the IMU thinks your mid-corner and again for acceleration. There's no adapting.

EC3 seems to be a more weight-based version of EC2. From Ohlins: "The updated algorithms are also capable of adjusting to rider weight input to provide suggested pre-load and optimizing damping levels." It's still event based but basically re-valves the suspension according to your weight so the dynamic settings are more inline with expectations. Since, I'm lighter than average, I've had to dial out pretty much all braking support to use all the travel.

Steven31371 said:

The full HRC Race ECU and wiring harness is another 5k. But it opens up 28 to 30 more HP on the fireblade with class leading intuitive trackside adjustment to EVERYTHING.

Rearset are $600 versus $1900 for it, full tintanium race exhausts are $2500 versus $7500.

Suter racing slipper clutch is $959 versus $3500

Wheels are $3000 versus $5000.

Comes with the same NPX forks as the V4R but electronically controlled, has StylemaR calipers OEM.

On and on.

Click to expand...

Where are you getting prices on the HRC stuff?

bp_SFV4 said:

Where are you getting prices on the HRC stuff?

Click to expand...

Here’s one reference:

Im not sure that the HRC Racing ECU will work with the Ohlins EC3…I think it’s a cool technology but I’ll probably go to a manual setup anyway.

SuperDomestique said:

I don't think the 25 V4S NPX has this spool valve design. There's no mention of it in the marketing material. I think this is Honda only.

I'm going to be putting a deposit on an SP soon

Click to expand...

Good…. Feck off!

Yeah it’s that good all the race series of any description all swear by it and use it!

The race series ECU’s are much more advanced, you can control engine braking by corner etc.

andyb said:

Yeah it’s that good all the race series of any description all swear by it and use it!

Click to expand...

BSB Superstock uses it. They were 2/3/4/7/8/9/10 in the 2024 championship. Also won the 2023 championship.

Most superbike series mandate a 3rd party ECU. This is common knowledge

Steven31371 said:

Im not sure that the HRC Racing ECU will work with the Ohlins EC3…I think it’s a cool technology but I’ll probably go to a manual setup anyway.

Click to expand...

Keep it simple. No need for a kit ECU for track day riding.

I put a deposit on one just now, January arrival.

SuperDomestique said:

Keep it simple. No need for a kit ECU for track day riding.

Click to expand...

And sure there is…let’s start with that it adds 28 to 30hp across most of the rev range…plus adjustability like throttle response control by gear that lets you soften the throttle in 2nd gear for smoothness coming of apex’s and have a more aggressive throttle response in 3 through 6 while ripping down a straight etc.

And before you say, I don’t need the extra 30 hp across the rev range. Remember, I already have 130 hp scalpel. The reason I want a liter bike in my deck is because of the power.

I’m pretty sensitive to changes on the bike, and that HRC Race ECU has tons of intuitive to use adjustments while trackside without having to be a tech to use it.

Steven31371 said:

I put a deposit on one just now, January arrival.


And sure there is…let’s start with that it adds 28 to 30hp across most of the rev range…plus adjustability like throttle response control by gear that lets you soften the throttle in 2nd gear for smoothness coming of apex’s and have a more aggressive throttle response in 3 through 6 while ripping down a straight etc.

And before you say, I don’t need the extra 30 hp across the rev range. Remember, I already have 130 hp scalpel. The reason I want a liter bike in my deck is because of the power.

I’m pretty sensitive to changes on the bike, and that HRC Race ECU has tons of intuitive to use adjustments while trackside without having to be a tech to use it.

Click to expand...

Looking forward to reading what you think of it on track when it comes