Is The New 2020 Ducati Superleggera V4 Worth €100,000?

A couple of weeks ago Ducati announced their ultimate motorcycle, the limited edition Superleggera V4. This run of 500 bikes takes the Panigale platform to the extreme with their most powerful ever engine, top tier tech, loads of carbon and of course some massive winglets. But it all comes at a price, 100,000 euros to be exact, which is equivalent to about For the same money you could buy two of their top spec Panigale V4Rs or four of the base spec Panigale V4. In fact Ducati's most affordable model is the Scrambler Icon Dark which starts at £7,595. You could buy 11 of those and if you ever crashed one, you could just leave it at the side of the road and get a fresh one out of the garage. Whichever way you look at it, £84,000 is a lot of money, far more than most of us could ever dream of spending on what's essentially a mode of transport. But then again when you look at the imagery they've released, it is pretty damn special bordering on a piece of art. So in today's video we'll take a look at the ins and outs of it and try to figure out if it's worth it. But before we get underway, if you're new around these parts and you want to see more of the latest motorcycle news, reviews and vlogs from yours truly, then please do remember to hit subscribe. But let's start with the engine. The Superleggera uses the R variant of their Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine which has a smaller capacity than the standard V4 at 998cc as opposed to 1,103 bringing it within the world's superbike displacement limits. But owing to lighter internal components, revised cam profiles and better air intake efficiency, it revs up higher, redlining at 16,500rpm rather than the 14,000rpm of the 1,100rpm V4. In the Panigale V4 R this engine is good for 221hp but in the Superleggera it's capable of 3 more at 224 owing to the road-legal Akrapovic exhaust and if fitted with the titanium track only system it can generate an incredible 234hp. But not only is the Superleggera their most powerful Panigale, it's also their lightest as you can probably guess from the name. The engine is already 2.8kg lighter than the stock V4 but Ducati also claim that it's the world's only street-legal motorcycle with the entire load-bearing structure of the chassis made from composite material. That's to say that the frame, subframe, swingarm and wheels are all carbon made by American carbon specialist V4 Evo. The result is a 6kg reduction in weight. The fairing is also carbon moulded into a shape that's more aerodynamic than even Ducati's MotoGP bikes. But it's those whopping great bi-plane winglets that draw the eye and they're capable of 50kg of downforce at about 170mph which is 20kg more downforce than the winglets on the Panigale V4 and V4 R. They say that this improves acceleration by helping to keep the front end down although I'm not sure that's really an issue at 170mph. That's got me wondering what the downforce figures are like at typical corner exit speeds which is where their effect would be most greatly appreciated but it's not something that Ducati disclosed. There are also changes to the chassis dimensions in the form of a longer swingarm to suit track riding conditions. Ducati say this leads to faster leaning down into corners, sharper lines riding out of bends and unparalleled deceleration power which I think translates to braking. Electronics have also had a track biased upgrade with 5 extra fully customisable riding modes in order to dial in your exact settings for certain tracks and conditions. There's also an improved lap timer which remembers your 5 favourite circuits. Equipment is absolutely top spec too with Brembo Stylema R brake calipers that are exclusive to the Superleggera V4 and a lighter Ohlins fork and shock with the shock having MotoGP derived valves to improve damping response. There are a few finishing touches such as the fancy paint job, machined aluminium radiator cap and a numbered key, frame and yoke. All of the lightweight componentry means that the total weight of the Superleggera comes in at 159kg which gives it a power to weight ratio of 1.41 and Ducati say that's a record breaking figure for a road legal sports bike. The track kit we've already mentioned not only boosts power but it also brings the weight down to 152.2kg which means it has an even more impressive power to weight of 1.54. For a bit of context, an average bike like the Yamaha MT-07 which has decent street performance, has a claimed peak power of 74hp and a segment leading dry weight of 164kg but that's still just 0.45hp per kilogram so 1.54 is just ridiculous. And it shows in the lap times, piloted by a Ducati tester and fitted with the track exhaust and slick tyres, they report that it can do a lap of Mugello in under 2 seconds slower than the full race spec Panigale V4 RSBK that they use in the Italian Superbike Championships ridden by Michele Pirro. But the problem with lap times is that you need the same track, rider and conditions to make a comparison. Ducati have made a big deal of both the power and the weight so the power to weight ratio is the easiest thing for us to compare against other models and see how good that £84k price tag looks starting with the rest of the Panigale range. In terms of price, the Panigale V2 starts at £15k, the V4 at £20k, the V4S at £25k and the V4R at £35k so it's quite a leap up to the £84k for the Superleggera. In terms of power, the V2 does 155bhp, the V4 and V4S make 214bhp, the V4R 221bhp and then 234bhp for the Superleggera with the track kit. I couldn't get an exact price for it but let's assume it adds a good few grand to the asking price. And in weight, all of the other bikes come in at roughly 175kg but the Superleggera drops more than 20kg in its track spec. So when you look at the power to weight ratios, it's quite a jump from the 0.88 of the V2 right up to the 1.54 for the Superleggera. That's not far off double but to be fair, the V4 and V4S look quite good value at 20 and 25g with a power to weight ratio of 1.22. Interestingly the specs for their Desmosedici GP Moto GP bike show that it weighs more at 157kg dry but they state that the peak power is over 250hp, perhaps keen to keep the true figure a secret. Taking 250kg as a minimum, that would still give it a power to weight ratio of at least 1.59. Still, the Superleggera isn't that far off. But Ducati aren't the only company to release a bike on the brink of Moto GP performance. Honda unveiled their RC213VS in 2015 and it's basically their V4 powered Moto GP bike with lights and mirrors to make it road legal. In its road going form, it produces 159hp and weighs 170kg dry but fit the optional sports kit which includes a track ready ECU, exhaust, brake pads, quick shifter, data logger and much much more and you'll shed 10kg and gain 56hp to give it 160kg weight and 215hp peak. All of this talk of power to weight is of course a bit reductionist. Honda built this machine to handle and the reviews say that it does exactly that with many journalists calling it the best bike they've ever ridden. But at 137,000lbs it makes the Superleggera look like a snip with a power to weight ratio of just 1.34. Then there's Kawasaki's Ninja H2R. It's RRP for 2020 is a mere 48,000lbs and with Ram Air, Kawasaki claim that it can make an insane 326hp. Now unfortunately I couldn't find a dry weight for this bike to compare but it's 216kg curb weight i.e. including oil, coolant and fuel would give it a ratio of 1.51 which is pretty damn close to the Superleggera V4. I couldn't find Kawasaki's exact definition of what their curb weight includes but the H2R would only need to drop a handful of kilograms to beat the Superleggera so in reality it's probably the quicker bike in a straight line. But ultimately most of these bikes won't be bought for riding, be that on the track or the road. For many they'll be collectors items and that got me wondering, do bikes like these actually appreciate in value and therefore make a worthwhile investment? There are plenty of H2Rs for sale on MCN's used bike site and they're around the 35-40,000lbs The last generation of Superleggeras were built on the 1299 V-Twin platform and now seem to range from between £60,000 and £70,000 on Autotrader so again about £10k down on their asking price of £72,000. The RC213VS however was built in such small numbers, 250 were planned but I'm not sure they were all produced and as such when one went on sale in 2018 at Craig's Honda in Shipley, they listed it at £220,000 which is £83k more than the original asking price. That's quite a return assuming they managed to flog it. So there you have it, the H2R looks like it'll be the quickest in a straight line but as an investment the RC213VS is the king. Personally though I think I'd probably take the Superleggera. What do you guys reckon? Is the Superleggera worth it or would you rather take the 11 scramblers I mentioned at the top? Let me know what you think in the comments below and if you're new here and you want to see more videos like this, hit subscribe and I'll catch you next time.