Superbike fans and speed freaks, rejoice: Ducati has unveiled the Superleggera V4. It is, as Ducati puts it, the “most powerful and technologically advanced” production bike the company has ever produced.
The Superleggera V4s the world’s only motorcycle with a carbon fiber chassis, swingarm and wheels. Ducati will make a limited run of just 500 individually-numbered bikes.
This bike has a power-to-weight ratio that stupefies: 1.41 horsepower per kilogram in street-legal spec, which can be bumped up to 1.54 by using the included racing kit. It puts out 234 horsepower in race mode, and weighs just 336 pounds unladen. To put that in perspective, that’d be the equivalent of a Mazda MX-5 Miata packing 1,628 horsepower.
Another point of context: the Superleggera V4 lapped the legendary Mugello circuit in 1:52:45. That’s less than two seconds off the time of the Panigale V4 R SBK that won the Italian Motorspeed Championship.
Drivers may choose from three performance modes: Race A, Race B, and Sport. There are also five customizable drive modes for everyday riding. The bike also comes with the SBK Experience, which lets buyers ride the Panigale V4 R around the test track at Mugello. (30 buyers can opt for the MotoGP experience as well, in which they can ride the Desmosedici GP 20 bike used for MotoGP racing.)
Because you can’t ride the Superleggera V4 wearing just any old thing, you can also buy an exclusive Superleggera V4 Dainese leather suit with an integrated airbag, as well as a carbon fiber Aria helmet.
Ducati will begin delivering five bikes per day in June 2020. No word yet on pricing, though Ride Apart suggests it will cost $100,000 — about $70,000 more than 2019’s Panigale V4S. That said, if you need something a bit more affordable, Ducati just added two new Pro models to its Scrambler lineup.
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