Ducati Panigale V2 (2025 - ) review

The Panigale V2 is one of those bikes that looks almost as good with the bodywork removed, the small box-section frame bolting directly to the engine, which itself acts as a stressed member and carries the new rear double-sided swingarm and rear subframe for the seat. The 890cc 90-degree twin at the heart of it is all new , and gets a fraction more power, lighter internals and revised gearing over the Multistrada V2 it launched with. Fully clothed, the Panigale V2’s clean lines look fast even when standing still, the underseat exhausts giving it a racy stance even if the bars are now yoke-mounted and higher for a slightly more all-round vibe. While power is down weight has also been slashed to the tune of around 17kg, the bike’s structure and stiffness all tuned to make maximum benefit of this new-found athleticism. In an intriguing consequence of this move away from outright power you can even have the new V2 in restricted A2-licence trim, even if this means starting from a reduced 95 horsepower rather than the full 120 horsepower to comply. Still, it opens up Panigale ownership to a whole new crowd.

If you think a new Panigale means the kind of bum in the air, chin on the tank contortions you’d expect of a hardcore race rep ready yourself for a pleasant surprise. True, it’s still a decidedly sporty riding position. But the bars are a decent width, and positioned in line with the top yoke for a relatively usable stance. Sportier clip-ons are available as an option. Pegs are tall and set back, but again not so much that your six-foot tester felt too scrunched up and we managed some long days in the saddle without having to be lifted off at the end, wrists aching and neck cricked. Slim and easy to shuffle around on, if you favour a more dynamic riding style and throwing shapes for the corners the V2 encourages you to do so but, overall, for such a serious bike it’s a surprisingly comfortable one to just cover miles with.

Nobody (bar masochists or show-offs) buys a Panigale for touring or commuting but this new V2 might actually be the closest yet for such use, even if it’s a bit precious and fancy for the daily grind. The clutch is also surprisingly heavy in stop-start traffic while on warmer days your crotch’s proximity to the rear cylinder can have your nether regions sizzling. As for pillions where the standard V2 gets a nominal two-seat arrangement the S tested here swaps the second perch for a small storage compartment sufficient to carry your keys, wallet and a disc lock. Which is handy if you’re dressing the part in your leather onesie and lacking in pockets. Worth noting, meanwhile, we were caught out a couple of times at the fuel gauge’s habit of suddenly dropping from half full to reserve in the blink of an eye, and the sense you’d be pushing your luck going much further than 120 miles between fills.

Launching a new Panigale with over 30 horsepower less than the one it replaces is a brave move, but there is method to the apparent madness. For starters it comes with a diet more or less equalising the power to weight ratio, the new bike mere tenths slower on a lap than the previous V2 in the hands of Ducati’s testers. And with its lighter internals the new 890cc twin feels properly feisty, with a flat torque curve, impressive flexibility and enthusiasm to rev to its 11,350rpm redline. Dropping desmodromic valve actuation is another emotional leap for Ducati purists, but the angry rasp on acceleration and gurgling overrun should drown most doubts, the quickshifter so slick gearchanges come with little more than a twitch of your big toe. With less outright performance and weight to work against the brakes are, meanwhile, beyond reproach, the skinny lever meaning you can modulate the bite of the radial-mount Brembo front calipers with real finesse. ABS is adjustable and configurable to the various different riding modes, too. Overall, while you might notice the loss of horsepower on the track for the road the balance feels absolutely brilliant, the fact you can use more of the performance more of the time way more relevant to the kind of pace most riders can realistically use.

There’s clever engineering in the frame and new double-sided swingarm tuning the chassis for stiffness where it’s needed and targeted flex where it can benefit ride and handling. Whether anyone but the real raceheads chasing tenths on the track will notice is another matter but the loss of around 17kg over the previous V2 is much more significant, and explains the bike’s playfulness and agility. Where the standard V2 gets fully adjustable Marzocchi forks and side-mounted Kayaba shock the S tested here gains blingier Öhlins equivalents and a lithium-ion battery contributing to a 3kg saving over the standard bike and wet weight (before fuel) of just 176kg. Whether it’s the placebo effect of the gold anodising or quality of the Öhlins damping, the S simply glides over the tarmac, the Panigale walking the line between the pointiness purists will appreciate and the user-friendliness to reassure newcomers who might be riding one for the first time. As with all modern Ducatis, there’s tons of configurable rider tech to support you, none of which intrudes on the enjoyment. Sport and Race are there if you want them but we enjoyed the (slightly) less urgent throttle response of Road for most of our riding, the V2’s agility and punch an addictive combination on any set of twisties.

Well, it’s obviously not cheap to buy and the bottom-line price is only a starting point for further additions from the expansive range of options and accessories. But you’d expect nothing less. Insurance is likely to be chunky as well, and ridden as intended you’ll drain the 15-litre tank faster than that first post-ride bottle of Peroni. But it’s a Ducati, so none of this will come as a surprise. And, to be fair, you get what you pay for…

This is an all-new engine generation and a brand-new bike, so we’ll have to see how things play out. But this new twin will be at the heart of the range for some years to come, and Ducati will have invested heavily in making sure it is dependable. Given the stereotypes of flaky Italian reliability are long a thing of the past we’d have confidence it will prove to be so.

Nothing out of the ordinary warranty-wise, the Panigale coming with the usual two-year unlimited mileage cover you’d expect. Service intervals are a generous 9,000 miles, which will be more than most owners will be doing in a year given the nature of the bike. These alternate with the more involved valve clearance check at 18,000 miles.

If you take the view you’re paying for the quality of the engineering in the engine, frame and tech you’ll feel a little more pragmatic about needing to pay extra to enable the cruise control. Though for the sake of a couple of hundred quid it remains an annoyance you have to do so on a bike of this level, especially given the switches are already there on the bars. Few complaints about the fundamentals, though, these including the latest rider assistance tech to control wheelies, wheel slip, ABS, engine braking and, on the S, Ducati Power Launch. All are individually configurable in any of the riding modes as well, meaning along with the suspension adjustment there are many and various ways to tune your Panigale to your tastes and riding style. In this sense it feels like you’re getting a direct tech transfer from racing, which on a bike like this is part of the fun. Meanwhile, if you want your new V2 snazzier, sportier or more expensive there are many and various ways of doing so within the configurator, including track-only exhausts to unleash a bit more power, carbon trimmings, adjustable pegs, a steering damper and more besides.

A lesson in the difference between on-paper performance and what matters in the real-world, there will still be some keyboard warriors saying this new, more accessible Panigale is a sell-out and they’d be faster on a ‘proper’ V2. Leave them to it and salute Ducati’s boldness in building a bike whose speed comes from less weight and sharper handling, not more power. And one that is both more accommodating of those for whom a Panigale might previously have looked too hardcore and scary but also has the focus to delight those with the experience to appreciate its abilities.