2025 Ducati Panigale V2 S Review | Motorcycle Test

2025 Ducati Panigale V2 S Review

Normally, when a motorcycle journalist says a bike has lost horsepower it’s a tragedy. Tears are shed. Forums erupt in outrage. But Ducati? Ducati does things differently.

Enter the 2025 Ducati Panigale V2 S. Yes, it’s down a whopping 35 horsepower from last year’s V2. Yes, Ducati shrank the engine from 955 cc to 890 cc. And yes, the iconic Desmodromic valves have been swapped for variable valve timing. Somewhere, an internet commenter is furiously typing, “Ducati is ruined!”

And yet… just ride it. Because along with that power loss comes an astonishing 16.7 kg weight drop. Ducati claims the V2 S now weighs 173 kg dry. Fill up the 15-litre tank and with running fluids, and you’re looking at around 184 kg, ready to rock. That’s featherweight territory. We didn’t have a set of scales to compare them back to back, but the bike certainly feels light and playful.

But weight isn’t the only talking point. Ducati also gave it a skinny monocoque frame and higher-set clip-on handlebars that sit flush with the top triple clamp. The result? An almost nakedbike-style riding position that won’t leave you feeling like you did twelve rounds with Mike Tyson after a track day.

Compared to the Panigale V4 S I rode in Italy last year—a bike that treated my body like a chew toy—the V2 S feels like a playful, lightweight dream. It’s still fast, still a Ducati, but now with a touch of mercy. Who knew losing horsepower could feel like such a win?

Make no mistake, the new Panigale is still very much a red-blooded Ducati sportbike, it’s just that it’s more your friend now than your sparing partner. The aim of the design game was to enhance the old bike’s famous agility but also to make it more approachable for the majority of riders out there, most of whom will not be taking this particular Panigale to the track.

This is the first time that Ducati has developed the superport machine as its own entity, rather than just being a scaled back version of the big bike. That’s quite something, given the mid-size Ducati can trace its heritage way back to the 748 of 1994.

The all-new 890 cc motor is going to be one of the brand’s most utilised powerplants as it will see duty in this Panigale V2 and V2 S, the upcoming Streetfighter V2, the Multistrada we just tested and another bike Ducati teased me with at the Spanish launch (personally I think it starts with Mon and ends in ster).

At 54 kg, itself representing a nine kilogram weight reduction, the new L-twin makes 70 percent of its torque at 3000 rpm, and this increases to 80 percent from 4000 rpm to its 11,000 rpm limiter. From the handlebars it feels unlike any Ducati L-twin I’ve yet ridden.

We tested the Panigale V2 S around the brand new Circuito de Sevilla in southern Spain, with its many undulations and low rpm corner exits, matched to a very long front and back straight, and the motor’s personality is almost in defiance of all those that came before it.

That massive expanse of torque means you can hold gears longer and you don’t get that big torque thrust at 7000 rpm that was the old motor’s trademark. The new motor is smoother in its delivery of speed but it also feels a bit flat. That’s mainly due to its size (955 cc to 890 cc will do that), but it builds speed very deceptively, helped in no small part but that beautiful chassis that has shades of 250GP snappiness about it.

To prove the point, Ducati’s test rider Alessandro Valia did a 1:48 lap time on a production-ready 2025 Panigale V2 S fitted with slicks at Circuito de Sevilla, while the WorldSSP team was also there with a proper kitted 2024 Panigale V2 and could only manage a 1:46. That shows just how damn good Valia is but also the potential of the new V2 S.

To get the most out of the V2 S on track, you don’t go hunting for the redline. Seat of the pants shifting saw me barely scratching the reds of the digital tach, as I found it much more beneficial to just throw another gear at it and keep the motor in its torquey happy place.

Ducati claims 69 lb-ft of torque measured at 8250 rpm, which is a lot lower than the redline at 11,000 rpm. This is thus a new direction for a Ducati supersport motor—high revs are no longer the be all and end all, which will doubtless translate into a more enjoyable streetbike.

Our testbike at Sevilla was outfitted with Pirelli slicks in the 190-section rear tyre, so the same rubber that’s been used in WorldSSP for the past few seasons, and I have to say it was almost too much grip for the bike’s 120 hp. I say almost, you can never have too much grip, but the Italian tire made it almost impossible to light up the traction control even when it was reduced to level one.

The electronics are so beautifully mapped on the V2 S that you really don’t notice them in action. Try as I might, I could only get the TC to light by being really crack-handed while leaned right over, which, again, is a testament to the balance of the chassis.

Ducati has fitted the quick-shifter inside the gearbox on the new Panigale V2 S, and this was a cause for concern among some testers with somewhat erratic performance. A few of the riders suffered issues in which the bike would misfire on wide-open upshifts, with Ducati saying the that if the gears haven’t spliced correctly, it will cut ignition momentarily to allow the cogs to mesh and to protect the insides of the engine (like not smashing valves into pistons).

After the first day of testing (I rode on day two), Ducati rechecked the gear position record of each bike, a procedure done on every Ducati produced at the end of the production line, and the problem was largely eradicated, although I must be honest and say I never had quick-shift problems, only when I got lazy and left my foot hovering near the lever did I have a couple of issues, but that was rider error. However, it is something to be aware of.

The L-twin/gearbox combination doesn’t love high rpm down-shifts, so you have to take your time to initially slow the bike, then select your gears in time for the tip in point of the upcoming corner. Take your time in braking, keep the back shifts clean and smooth, and everything will be fine.

Ok, ok, time to talk about the chassis. Ducati’s new aluminium monocoque weighs just 4 kg and as before uses the engine as a stressed member, and mates to a structural plastic front subframe and a rear sub-frame made from cast aluminum—not steel trellis as has traditionally been the case.

Also of note is the very pretty double-sided swingarm (yes, I am a convert of this piece now, even though I loved the look of the single arm). The hollow double-sided arm allows more lateral flex to give greater feel on the side of the tire, which lets you screw the power on harder and with greater confidence.

Ducati’s actually steepened the steering head slightly but more importantly it’s almost an inch longer in wheelbase, which aides cornering and especially braking stability.

Brembo’s M50 calipers accompany the Ohlins front-end, those calipers first seeing the light of day on the 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R, and they are vicious in their ability to haul you up from speed very, very quickly.

Two fingers at best are all you need to stop from high speed with lots of feel from the Brembo radial master-cylinder. Not really surprising, given Ducati sportbikes usually come with serious stoppers.

Get your braking done, and it really is up to you how late you turn into the corner, because although there is that extra wheelbase length, the new Panigale is so incredibly agile that there’s a touch of nervousness to it.

You can put it almost anywhere you want in the corner and change your mind/line nearly as quickly. Again, it’s a combination of the chassis, engine and electronics all working together, as lightweight and lower horsepower (not to mention the inertia associated with it) makes placing the bike where you want on track incredibly easy.

Speaking of electronics, you’ve got the plethora of rider aids via the six-axis IMU like lean angle sensitive traction and wheelie control, ABS and engine braking, but this system has been around for a long time now and is the really the least interesting thing on the bike.

There’s four riding modes of Race, Sport, Road and Wet, each sub-menu independently variable, three power modes in High, Medium and 95 hp Low, plus three different faces for the new five-inch dash in Road, Road Pro, and Track. There’s also cruise control that can be added as an optional extra.

Ergonomics-wise, there really is no comparison with the old Panigale. Those higher-set handlebars, reshaped gas tank and revised seat (albeit the same height as before) make for a far more comfortable ride. The handlebars remind me of the position of my Isle of Man TT BMW, almost like a motocrosser, which gives fantastic leverage even if aerodynamically they’re probably not ideal.

One area of note is the new bodywork has these sneaky little cutouts that help channel cooling air around the rider’s legs, so the dreaded super-hot Ducati L-twin is now almost a thing of the past.

Heat gets extracted and forced away from the rider, and its effectiveness only dawned on me after my fifth session in Spain. If you’ve ever ridden a 1299 Panigale L-twin, you’d be amazed these bikes were made by the same people.

The 2025 Ducati Panigale V2 S is indeed a massive sidestep from almost all the sportbikes created in Borgo Panigale. As the supersport class changes from being as hard-edged as possible to one that is now more inclusive of all riders, Ducati has hit first and hit hard.

The 2025 Panigale V2 models are slated to hit Australian dealership in April with the V2 priced from $24,500 ride away, and the V2 S at $26,800 ride away.

2025 Ducati Panigale V2 S Specifications

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