V4 as a daily bike?

I am considering buying a V4 for my daily commuter. Does anyone have an opinion on this bike for daily use? Also will I regret not getting the "S" or is it overkill for the street?

jayers said:

I am considering buying a V4 for my daily commuter. Does anyone have an opinion on this bike for daily use? Also will I regret not getting the "S" or is it overkill for the street?

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I daily ride mine sometimes. Probably depends on how much of your commute is on open roads vs. light to light. But I would say the biggest question you have to ask yourself is how often are you going to be stuck in traffic? If it's at all often, then don't do it. If not, go for it.

Thanks for your reply. 30 minute commute in Los Angeles. Mostly freeway, carpool lanes and lane splitting.

jayers said:

Thanks for your reply. 30 minute commute in Los Angeles. Mostly freeway, carpool lanes and lane splitting.

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I'd do it in your situation. If the traffic is moving you're good, and if it gets really slow you can safely and legally lane split.

I use mine as a daily commuter also. Mornings are fun since I have to get to work at 6:30am and barely any traffic on the highways. 40 minute ride to work. After work traffic is a different story. If you're getting the heatwave that we got, here in MO, then sitting in traffic is the worst. But, for the ride, I put it in my customized street mode (With wet type settings; lower engine power) to cut down on the jerkiness when idling in 1st and 2nd gear.
Got my V4 in June now I have close to 1700 miles.
I had the 1299S so, IMO, the S wouldn't be beneficial for daily commuting; which is why I got the base V4. Had no need for the S extra's in my daily commuting. If you have the money to spend.. get the S just to make us base V4 owners feel bad.
If you're going to put the bike on the track; definitely get the S.
All my opinion. Others may have a different opinion.
Just change your grips to add to your comfort of daily commuting.

Great advise. Thank you apeluv !!

I think sport bikes are the best for lane splitting especially in Los Angeles freeways. The narrow profile is perfect for that.

I took the factory mirrors off and installed CRG Hindsight LS mirror on the left side and have no problems lane splitting here. The folding feature is a big plus. The roads are much narrower in Santiago than Los Angeles.

Can I get some honest answers on the engine heat? I know its a lot of money and nobody wants to say that they are unhappy with their V4's, but whats the honest truth on the heat? I'm thinking about selling my supersport (which has heat in traffic) to step up to more power / more sporty ride, but I do a lot of weekend blasts on the street, not the track. I dont really commute, maybe on Fridays in the summer for 30 minutes or so.

spinkick said:

Can I get some honest answers on the engine heat? I know its a lot of money and nobody wants to say that they are unhappy with their V4's, but whats the honest truth on the heat? I'm thinking about selling my supersport (which has heat in traffic) to step up to more power / more sporty ride, but I do a lot of weekend blasts on the street, not the track. I dont really commute, maybe on Fridays in the summer for 30 minutes or so.

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More power will probably mean more heat.

I have the Akrapovic full exhaust and noticed my right hamstring was getting toasty after being stuck behind cars for a decent amount of time. The heat slowly dissipated after I got past the vehicles. I am a weekend warrior too and the heat that I experienced is not an issue for me.

The Avidmoto said:

More power will probably mean more heat.

I have the Akrapovic full exhaust and noticed my right hamstring was getting toasty after being stuck behind cars for a decent amount of time. The heat slowly dissipated after I got past the vehicles. I am a weekend warrior too and the heat that I experienced is not an issue for me.

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Yeah, I fully expect that, its physics after all. Its pretty amazing they can keep it cool at all with the power on tap. I wonder if the heat would be worse with someone without the full exhaust which I assume flows air much better.

spinkick said:

Yeah, I fully expect that, its physics after all. Its pretty amazing they can keep it cool at all with the power on tap. I wonder if the heat would be worse with someone without the full exhaust which I assume flows air much better.

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I would think so since the Akra is titanium which sheds heat faster than steel.

Just my 2c but S is a better commuter as suspension can be made plusher. Std is better track bike if only used on track. Set it up and go blast.
Suppose if u only commute, the same can be said of Std. Set up comfortable and leave .
YMMV

Temp issues

Base with akra. The one single really annoying thing w. The bike is the heat when stuck in traffic. No problem above 80km/h but below is murder. Luckily we have 4 proper seasons so spring and autumn the additional heating of the privates will most likely be welcomed. During summertime however I would avoid slow traffic at all costs. The fairing, tank subframe, seat construction is very confined, not allowing for free convection to offer much, heat removal so only speed helps. Dont even think of the silly adhesive heatshields they sell. Too thin, too high conductivity, too low heat capacity, and the reflective alu foil makes no difference at these low temps when the air below is stagnant as it will be more or less in traffic. Radiation isnt the problem. Wont work, unless you respond well to placebo effects. Refitting the seat with a proper insulation material might reduce temp. Of the seat a bit but the tank, and gas in it will slowly heat up and be a really nice heat sink, the surface can only bee temporarily cooled by convection. So spead up, spread your legs, stand on the pegs for instant releaf but it is hot and will be no matter what you do part from installing some trick fan in there somewhere to ensure circulation

I have both. The supersport is hot, but slightly better after the full akra install. Note that the full akra for the Supersport has stainless piping.

The v4 is hotter. Even after full akra install (titanium piping), it didn't change the heat one bit.

For what it's worth, I can ride the supersport in traffic with mild discomfort due to heat. If I ride the v4 in the same conditions, I'd be losing a piece of skin in my inner thigh even under jeans (true story).

Great input from all. Did the rear cylinder deactivation I heard Ducati put in place do anything for the heat? Man, if they could just cool these bikes somehow, it seems like itd be even more of a home run; but I doubt that have trouble selling these beauties at all, anyway. Dating a supermodel isnt easy on the privates, after all

Nitrouz said:

I have both. The supersport is hot, but slightly better after the full akra install. Note that the full akra for the Supersport has stainless piping.

The v4 is hotter. Even after full akra install (titanium piping), it didn't change the heat one bit.

For what it's worth, I can ride the supersport in traffic with mild discomfort due to heat. If I ride the v4 in the same conditions, I'd be losing a piece of skin in my inner thigh even under jeans (true story).

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I second this. My V4S runs hot! I've learned the hard way to wait until mid-evening to ride it during the summer in North Texas. I had to shamelessly rub Aloe Vera on my inner thighs the other day for mild burn marks. I was wearing jeans....

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sprinter12 said:

I second this. My V4S runs hot! I've learned the hard way to wait until mid-evening to ride it during the summer in North Texas. I had to shamelessly rub Aloe Vera on my inner thighs the other day for mild burn marks. I was wearing jeans....

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Holy crap

sprinter12 said:

I second this. My V4S runs hot! I've learned the hard way to wait until mid-evening to ride it during the summer in North Texas. I had to shamelessly rub Aloe Vera on my inner thighs the other day for mild burn marks. I was wearing jeans....

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No shame buddy. I had to take my girl's aloe Vera too for my thighs.

For what is worth, I am enjoying my Tuono so much more for street riding than My Pani V4! I think Panigale for daily riding is not the first choice. You can deal with the heat (I had my tailor add ironing board cloth to the area of inner thighs 3 layers of it!). you can deal with aggressive riding position and pressure on your arms. You can deal with stiff shift shaft return spring. You can deal with grabby on/off clutch. You can deal with some buzziness and lack of clear view in the mirrors.

But what is not ideal is engine characteristics, very wide rpm range and tall gearing in lower gears. Bike doesn't like to be ridden slow and have lots of engine brake. It's ideal rpm band is when you are flying, which is not very often in city traffic. It has some torque down low, but dude try a Tuono, it wants to rip your arms off on every start at traffic light. engine is buttery smooth, shifting is a breeze, no pain on your wrists, very little engine brake, no jerkiness at slow speeds, clutch action is progressive and easy. You feel relaxed and ready to strike at every opportunity just by twisting the throttle. The image in the mirrors is freaking HD, no buzz and perfect exhaust note.

Panigale exists for one reason only to be on the race track and maybe some spirited riding in the twisties, but it sucks in the city IMO. The only way I would own just Panigale for daily riding is if I wanted to have the latest and greatest track weapon and could not afford two bikes.

I ride 1000 miles per month, and commute 60 miles a day in .... HOuston traffic and stupid heat.

My 2 cents

spinkick said:

Can I get some honest answers on the engine heat? I know its a lot of money and nobody wants to say that they are unhappy with their V4's, but whats the honest truth on the heat? I'm thinking about selling my supersport (which has heat in traffic) to step up to more power / more sporty ride, but I do a lot of weekend blasts on the street, not the track. I dont really commute, maybe on Fridays in the summer for 30 minutes or so.

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The heat is pretty massive bro it will burn your thighs red. is just one of the joys of owning a Panigale. See my post above. Once I "modified" my summer mesh BMW pants, I can tolerate it.