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Discussion starter · #201 ·
I could list several points that I don’t concur with in the vid immediately above, but would rather just say: different strokes for different folks. The new V2 seems perfect for the kind of riding this gentleman does. 😊

And also, would suggest, ride one for yourself; would love to see your comments about it!!!
 
As promised: Here is my report on the 2025 V2S
Panigale V2. That is... Yes. Interesting. But from the beginning.

On Monday afternoon I took my Supersport 950 to Ducati Aschaffenburg for a Desmo service. I was curious to see what I'd get. Maybe the Multistrada V4 or a Diavel? Or maybe the Streetfighter V2?

‘You can take the Panigale V2S with you.’ Whew. That thing. It looks so uncomfortable and mimimimi. Never mind, can't help it. They probably haven't prepared anything else. So off we go.
I sit on it and oops, my bum is way up and the handlebars are way down. Or are they not? It actually somehow feels... OK?! The position isn't that bad after all. Even when stationary, you notice that it's lighter. Curb weight 191 kg, dry weight 176 kg. Ready to ride, at least 24 kg less than my Supersport.

On the way home, I took a small 20 km diversions, but with 35°C in the shade and appropriate clothing consisting of a mesh jacket, motorbike jeans and short summer gloves, I didn't want to do any big country road experiments. So that had to wait until Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday were also too hot for me.
As the forecast for Wednesday afternoon was 38°C and I really didn't feel like travelling out of Frankfurt on the A3 to Aschaffenburg in the evening traffic, I took a day off on Thursday and hoped for a change in the weather, which came.

So Iset off shortly after 8 o'clock in the morning to make the Taunus unsafe. And I have to say: yeah, you can do it. The Pani is really fun. It is very light-footed and stable enough to maintain the line you are aiming for at all times, but at the same time agile enough that you can still make course corrections at any time without any problems. It always does exactly what you want it to do. In my opinion, there is really no reason to criticise the chassis. But with the expensive Swedish gold in the form of Öhlins, you can kind of expect that (does Öhlins still count as Swedish gold after they were taken over by Brembo from Italy?).

The brakes are also beyond reproach with the radially bolted M50 monobloc callipers and 320 twin discs at the front.

But the real star of the show is the engine. Even though I was still thinking at the presentation: "Boo! Less displacement than before!". You don't notice the missing cubic centimetres at any point, at least compared to the Supersport (the Baby-Pani has 47 cm³ less). On the contrary. I would love to have the engine in my Supersport. Ducati has somehow managed to make the engine run so smoothly that I could imagine having a V2 again. Actually, I didn't want another one after the Supersport.

The engine can be driven at a constant speed of 50 km/h even in fourth gear at 2500 rpm, and even there it picks up the throttle cleanly if you accelerate gently. However, if you open up the throttle at these revs, it lapses into a brief staccato until approx. 3500 - 4000 revs are reached. But it's certainly suitable for urban driving.

In general: in town centres. I have never ridden a Ducati that is so wonderfully unobtrusive in terms of sound. As long as you're travelling at city speed, you hear almost nothing from the engine. The wind noise is definitely louder. When accelerating, there is a brief throaty growl from the airbox, but as soon as the target speed is reached, there is relative silence :love:. Even at country road speeds. But don't worry, the engine can do otherwise. Big praise to the sound engineers at Ducati, even though the V2S we tested was fitted with Termignoni slip-ons (see picture above).

Once you leave the town sign behind you and cock the petcock, the storm breaks loose. The Pani shoots to the rev limiter with V2 hammers and the QS reliably shoots into the next gear. When changing from 1 to 2 and 2 to 3, the front wheel becomes very light, even if you put pressure on the wheel from the position. The V2 has its wheelie control for a reason. And the traction control also reports its activity when the throttle is applied at an angle. Why actually? I don't ride that well either. Ah, level 5, level 3 is quiet. But maybe I'd better slow down again. The Pani does tempt you to drive a little faster than you normally do.

What else is there to report?

The display is easy to read and offers several different layouts, each with differently prioritised information.

Road: Nothing special. A relatively normal display.

Road Pro: Here is an entertaining illustration of the power currently in use (the two circles on the left)

Race: Everything you need on the track. Only recommended to a limited extent for the road, as the speed is only displayed in a small box in the bottom corner. On the other hand, you can adjust the electronic assistants while driving using the control pad, which is not possible in the other two modes.

Speaking of the directional pad and menu navigation. At first, it seems a little awkward to use, but once you do it, everything is actually fairly intuitive and the information is where you would expect it to be.

It is a little annoying that the indicator switch is quite small and is hidden under the control pad above the horn. But in :italia: the horn perhaps has more priority than the indicator.

The picture also shows the cruise control, which is fitted as standard, but if you want to use it, you have to pay a hefty €269 to have it activated. Outrageous. The same applies to the Turn by Turn navigation, even if it's not quite as expensive at €60. Unfortunately, Ducati has probably copied BMW here. In my opinion, both should be included in the price of at least €18,890, at least for the ‘S’. :rolleyes:Incidentally, neither was active on the demonstrator, so I can't say anything about it.

By the way, the Panigale's wind protection is quite comfortable and is better at motorway speeds than my Supersport. Even at 220 km/h it is still quite stable and you can easily fold behind the effective area of the windscreen.

After driving a total of 339 kilometres with the Pani, I also have to revise my initial impression of it being ‘uncomfortable’. Even after about 260 kilometres at a stretch, it is not uncomfortable. I have slightly more pressure on my wrists than with the Supersport, but that's it. Even the seat, which was initially perceived as hard as a board and rather sparsely padded, is actually okay. Knee angle is also pretty endurable.

The tank holds 15 litres, which would be a bit too small for me. But the consumption of the Pani puts this into perspective. I filled it up once yesterday (it was only 3/4 full when I got it), and then drove 183 km before the next refuelling stop. I got a modest 8.01 litres in the tank. That corresponds to an average consumption of 4.38 litres on the country road without being slow. Although 183 kilometres is not a huge database, the trend is clear. However, the motorway section at 200+ kmh was not included in the tank filling. Because then such values would be absurdly low. Incidentally, Ducati itself specifies 5.3 litres, but in real terms I also ride my Supersport about 0.7 litres below the factory specification.

One point of criticism is the finish and feel. The triple clamp in particular no longer looks as high-quality as it did on the 2024 Pani V2. On the 2025 model, for example, the die-cast seam is still clearly visible.

Here are a few more pictures and then we come to the Tl;dr.


What was good, what wasn't:

+++++++++++++ The engine
  • great handlich
  • Quiet when you want it to be
  • Roars when you want it to
  • More comfortable than expected
  • Relatively economical
  • Good wind protection
  • the engine
  • looks very good

  • brazen pricing policy
  • expensive
  • looks a bit cheap here and there, or less high-quality than its predecessor.
  • indicator switch very fiddly

Conclusion:

Unfortunately great, despite all the criticisms. If I had the budget, I'd put the Baby-Pani in the garage and look for a nicer triple clamp ;) However, I would then need a second bike for longer tours, as the Pani is great for a day on the country road, but is rather unsuitable for trips lasting several days.
 
So, are you tempted?
To trade my Supersport for it? No, not really. I need a luggage option.
What would've tempted me as a upgrade, would've been if THAT engine had 1050ish cc with the corresponding power.
But with similar power to the SS it would just be a sidestep in my opinion. An expensive one at that.
 
To trade my Supersport for it? No, not really. I need a luggage option.
What would've tempted me as a upgrade, would've been if THAT engine had 1050ish cc with the corresponding power.
But with similar power to the SS it would just be a sidestep in my opinion. An expensive one at that.
Agree, the 955 was in the same category as the Supersport, 1200 air cooled Bandit, although a bit heavier than the Duc. The 1050 definitely upped the HP.

Actually the 955 Daytona reminded me quite a bit of the SS, although heavier. Similar riding position and power with sporty body work.
 
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