Ducati’s Superleggera V4 Centenario Is Brand’s ‘Most Extreme’ Street Bike Ever
In 2024, the seventh-generation Ducati Panigale V4 debuted as the raciest steel-legal model ever offered by the performance motorcycle manufacturer, thanks to several evolutions including a double-sided swingarm.
While maybe not as aesthetically pleasing as the single-sided swing arm of previous Panigales, the extra traction afforded by the less rigid component is much appreciated on a two-wheeled missile that makes a maximum of 216 horsepower in a 1,103-cc “Desmosedici” V4 engine, which gets its name from the desmodromic valve-timing system first implemented by Ducati in the 1950s to achieve more uniform power delivery. Then came the race-homologated Panigale V4 R, which runs a smaller 998cc engine that meets World Superbike displacement limits while increasing power to a staggering 239 horsepower thanks to a screaming redline exceeding 16,000 rpm and a specialized race trim.
The Panigale V4 R will remain the hardest core series production Ducati available for its lifetime, but there is a crazier, centenary-celebrating bike from the Borgo Panigale-based brand that;s available to all but advisable for only the most seasoned superbike riders. Ducati itself describes the Superleggera V4 Centenario as its most extreme road-legal motorcycle ever, and Ducatisti already know that Superleggera—Italian for “superlight”—is reserved for the manufacturer’s most uninhibited creations. The term was coined with the 1199 Superleggera, the first motorcycle to feature a magnesium-alloy frame, swingarm, and wheels.
Over a decade later, that weight-saving philosophy has yielded a feathery monster in the Superleggera V4 Centenario, featuring an entirely carbon fiber chassis. The carbon front frame, for instance, weighs 17 percent less than the Panigale V4’s aluminum front frame. The Superleggera V4 Centenario is the world’s first road bike equipped with carbon-ceramic brake discs, which are build around a CSiC a carbon fiber-reinforced ceramic compound that maintains its efficiency even at very high temperatures Not only do the carbon discs shed nearly 2 pounds compared to metal discs, but their lower moment of inertia promises to improve agility.
The Superleggera V4 Centenario is also the world’s first roadbike to feature a pressurized Öhlins NPX 25/30 Carbon fork, which also improves agility and sheds pounds. The five-spoke wheels are almost 300 grams lighter than those of the already-slimmed-down Panigale V4 S Carbon, the front subframe weighs 200 grams less, and the rear monocoque weighs a full 3 pounds less. The fairing, mudguards, tank cover, rad-duct, sprocket cover, heel guards, steering splash guards, seat base, intake duct, license plate holder, and rear bank cover are all carbon fiber. The dieting measure goes so far as to affect the chain, which is the same DID ERV7 type used by Ducati Superbike Factory teams.
A reconfigured version of the Panigale V4’s 1,103-cc “Desmosedici” V4 employs titanium screws, connecting rods, and other components to save 8 pounds when compared to the engine on which its based. With the Akrapovič racing exhaust and Ducati Corse Performance oil, the engine will produce an ungodly 247 horsepower—an output that’s never been achieved by a homologated motorcycle, according to Ducati.
In its most aggressive spec, the Superleggera tips the scales at just 368 pounds, making it so much lighter than the 411-pound Panigale V4 R that it’s practically a different motorcycle. The only reason Ducati can even sell a bike this extreme in good conscious is because its loaded a comprehensive rider-aid suite, which includes traction control, slide control, wheelie control, launch control and engine brake control, which now features the Dynamic Engine Brake (DEB) function. This latest technological addition automatically optimizes engine braking and rear braking simultaneously to maximize available grip based on the load on the rear wheel. Ducati says DEB improves braking performance during corner entry by activating the rear brake even when the front brake is released, allowing less experienced riders to take tighter lines.
Limited to 500 examples, the Ducati Superleggera V4 Centenario sold out instantly despite its $165,000 price tag. Exactly 26 owners will have the opportunity to embark on a MotoGP Experience guided by Ducati instructors. For their sake, we hope it’s not their first time on a track.
