Would you choose a V4R or SP2 for trackday use?

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The NHTSA bulletin describes racing as such;

“exclusive Racing use of the motorcycle (i.e. sports competitions and not amateur use)”

The race maintenance schedule does not apply to track day riders. Unless you’re Andrea Iannone sitting on the sidelines for 4 years.

No track day riders are going through pistons every couple thousand KM
 
The NHTSA bulletin describes racing as such;

“exclusive Racing use of the motorcycle (i.e. sports competitions and not amateur use)”

The race maintenance schedule does not apply to track day riders. Unless you’re Andrea Iannone sitting on the sidelines for 4 years.

No track day riders are going through pistons every couple thousand KM

I agree that it shouldn’t be necessary but I wondered from a warranty perspective. I expect you could happily follow the standard maintenance recommendations and never have a problem and I get the feeling that much of this is preventative rather than necessary.

I’m aware of that bulletin but was a bit confused by the owner manual seeming to state something different:

“This scheduled maintenance chart is designed for a road use of the Panigale V4R. If it is used on the track, even if not during sport competitions, all parts of the motorcycle are more stressed so the routine maintenance operations must be carried out more frequently than indicated”.

Not the first time I’ve seen contradictory stuff though and some might be lost in translation. ‘More frequently’ isn’t necessary saying to follow the ‘race’ maintenance schedule either.
 
The NHTSA bulletin describes racing as such;

“exclusive Racing use of the motorcycle (i.e. sports competitions and not amateur use)”

The race maintenance schedule does not apply to track day riders. Unless you’re Andrea Iannone sitting on the sidelines for 4 years.

No track day riders are going through pistons every couple thousand KM

No one cares what nhtsa says on this side of the pond mate
 
Something silly about that response.

Where did I complain that I cannot afford the bills? I was simply asking what they are likely to be as they might happen twice as often.

Maybe it’s a language thing but hopefully that clears things up for you. :rolleyes:

Oh, and I’m not from an Eastern block country - I live in the Czech Republic but I’m not Czech. Assumptions…

V4R is much better then SP2 mate
 
V4R is much better then SP2 mate

It’s looking like I’ll probably give it a go.

I need to have a chat with the local dealer and see if they are going to offer the same deal that I’m being offered by other authorised dealers as it would save me buggering about with import, registration, paying VAT twice and waiting for a refund, plus several hours of van driving each way… tedious stuff. Unlikely based on past history with them but worth asking.
 
I feel that this is just a dick swinging post. Starts out as a “discussion” and then turns into “I’m such baller to lose money on the SP2 and buy an R.” So weird…

YMMV w the race maintenance schedule. As we’ve seen, engine failures on track bikes are a thing as they get long in the tooth. I’d theorize Craig’s engine grenaded earlier than most trackday bikes because you’re able to wring the throttle on COTA’s long straights. The more RPMs you use the shorter the engine life.
 
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What I don't understand is the piston replacement requirement. I'd have to see them. The rev limit is higher than the twins but the stroke is shorter so the piston speeds at max power are similar. If the nickasil is wearing the pistons out then I'd be looking for a different piston. I'd be more concerned with valve train life.
 
What I don't understand is the piston replacement requirement. I'd have to see them. The rev limit is higher than the twins but the stroke is shorter so the piston speeds at max power are similar. If the nickasil is wearing the pistons out then I'd be looking for a different piston. I'd be more concerned with valve train life.

Maybe the wrist pins wear or fatigue? Or as the bearings wear you get a little piston slap?
 
@spooky

I owned s1000rr and m1000rr. So i will say my opinion base on my experience of the bmws. I believe the difference in feeling would be similar due to the special engine components in the m1000rr and v4r.
The engine would feel much smoother linear and easier to ride. Less wellies. Full throttle easier. Probably for track use v4r is better.
In general I like to feel the torque so I would prefer the v4sp2 than the v4r.
 
Maybe the wrist pins wear or fatigue? Or as the bearings wear you get a little piston slap?
Slap is from too much piston to wall clearance (skirt wear typically causes slap but these probably cold slap anyway you just can't hear it above the rest of the clatter). If the skirt is wearing too fast you can change alloys (but Ducati would have already picked something appropriate one hopes). If the pin bores are properly oiled they don't wear very fast. And the pins themselves are probably something like H11 which is some seriously hard stuff. Just seems like pretty short life. I wonder if Andy has pictures of the replaced parts from his rebuild.
 
No offense intended but no pragmatic enthusiast would pick an SP2 period.

SP2 is a bling/“collector?” bike.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, when I came back to biking last year after 25 or so years away they had a new SP2 in it’s crate at my local dealer and nothing else available, so I could take the SP2 or wait until winter. I liked the look of the SP2 and my nostalgic memories of Ducati had a dry clutch sound in them, the carbon wheels looked amazing and so I got it. If they’d had a base or S then I probably wouldn’t have got the SP2 (probably the S as I thought I was going to mostly ride it on road). At that time I had no idea I would only want to ride it on track. I’d never been on track on a bike and thought I’d eventually try it on track. I did that once and lost interest in riding it on the road. I’ve got a SportClassic for the road and it’s perfect for that.

In defence of the SP2, if you like the options that are fitted then it makes sense and you certainly aren’t able to buy those wheels (that I don’t use) at WRS (or even from Ducati unless you own the SP/SP2 or Superleggera and need a replacement). If you were happy to use the carbon wheels on track and you could stomach the replacement cost for them then I think the SP2 is a fine choice. The dynamic suspension can be set to fixed as well.

I think it’s a great bike. 🤷‍♂️

I don’t think it’s a collectible bike though and I don’t see it being spoken of in hushed tones and selling for big bucks in the future - maybe it will lose money at a slower rate. It’s not really important. Numbering bikes that are not limited production is bloody silly in my opinion.

It's not even a collector bike as it's just v4 with upgrades that you buy at omniaracing it or wrs.
Not the wheels though. But I agree - I don’t think it’s particularly collectible.

What spooky was hoping to hear was “yeah, it’s a great idea to move to an R as a track bike even though you don’t have the skills or talent to exploit it. Also buying an SP2 was such a great idea and no way lose your shirt on selling it”
Nope, I wasn’t hoping to hear anything. I don’t have the skills or talent to [fully] exploit a base. I’d suggest that you don’t either. So what? It’s a tired and worn out argument.

Buying the SP2 was a good idea and I’ve enjoyed it. I wouldn’t be changing it if I didn’t fancy experiencing the R while I can and I won’t lose my shirt on selling it. We might have different ideas on what ‘losing your shirt’ means and I suspect we are working on different budgets and/or priorities, which is fine. Here’s a funny thing - when I buy a new vehicle and then sell it at a later date I sort of know and expect that it’s going to sell for less than I paid. If I’m ok with that then you certainly don’t need to worry yourself about it. 👍 Sometimes you seem overly concerned with how other people spend their money. It’s not something you should openly express. Maybe try to avoid making every second post personal?

Just get another bike for track and keep the SP in the office next to the wheels

I could but I don’t see the SP2 gaining any value and I don’t really need a bike as decoration. I’ve also no interest in riding it on the road. It makes no sense to me to have two V4 Panigale.
 
Thanks @Chriss and I think you are probably right and the extra torque is useful. I fancy experiencing the R while I can though and some significant discounts becoming available has persuaded me to do it now rather than later (and I’m not young enough to defer the experience to a later date). 🤣
 
Sometimes you seem overly concerned with how other people spend their money. It’s not something you should openly express.
You literally asked a forum if you should sell your SP2 and buy an R...

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