With the latest reveal of the seventh technology 2025 Ducati Panigale V4S, the Italian bike maker’s halo superbike, purists and aficionados had been elevating Cain about its swingarm. Gone is the single-sided swingarm that turned a signature of Ducati superbike design in fashionable occasions, changed by a traditional double-sided unit.
Howls had been heard throughout the Web, with keyboard warriors pounding their keyboards, foaming on the mouth. “That’s not a Panigale!” and “if I wished a Japanese trying bike I’d have purchased one!” had been amongst brickbats learn on display proper after the launch.
Right here’s the factor, the writer was proper there when the brand new Panigale V4S was launched in Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli throughout World Ducati Week 2024. As in, sitting in a second row seat after being greeted by Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali, and him whispering in my ear, “I feel you’ll like what we’ve got right here at this time.”
You don’t get a greater introduction to a model new superbike than that. Proper after the curtain was raised on the Panigale V4S and Claudio kissed the tank, that double-sided swingarm was observed by chosen media.
There’s something that must be remembered. The unique single-sided swingarm for Ducati first made its look on the 1994 Ducati 916. There was Honda’s Professional-Arm used the RC-series and VFR street bikes as nicely, and it ought to be famous the explanation the single-sided swingarm existed then was for speedy tyre altering throughout endurance racing.
Endurance bike racing going by-the-by, Ducati retained the single-sided swingarm as a signature for its top-of-the-line superbikes. Starting with the 916, by the 996/998, adopted by the “fashionable” Panigales proper as much as the sixth technology Panigale V4, Ducati all the time had the single-sided swingarm.
The exception was the Pierre Terblanche designed 999 however within the phrases of Ducati take a look at rider Allesandro Valia in a personal dialog with the writer, “we don’t discuss in regards to the 999.” Nonetheless, from an engineering perspective, the single-sided swingarm is flawed.
Extra weight, extra value, tougher to provide for less than the additional benefit of simpler wheel modifications and the sexiest rear finish since Jennifer Lopez, to not point out the weirdness of getting your suspension geometry change each time you regulate the chain. So, why did the boys from Borgo Panigale elect to go for a double-sided swingarm for the seventh technology Panigale?
First off, throughout the technical presentation of the brand new Panigale V4S, Guilio Fabbri, the Ducati challenge lead, stated each swingarm configurations had been tried. Throughout testing, it was discovered the double-sided unit was stronger whereas offering extra suggestions to the rider.
By the numbers, the brand new swingarm is 37% much less stiff laterally whereas being lighter by 2.7 kg. This solid alloy unit options aid holes within the swingarm physique.
If you happen to look at the swingarm intently, you possibly can see the place the load paths and stresses are, supplying you with an thought of how a lot engineering has gone into it. For these asking, “how can a much less stiff swingarm be higher?” the reply is, simply since you’re driving a quick bike, doesn’t imply the body and suspension needs to be stiff and unyielding.
Within the case of the Panigale V4S, the body is intentionally designed with a specific amount of flex to offer suggestions to the rider, working at the side of the body and suspension. Contemplating the most recent Ducati superbike was developed with enter from the agency’s present crop of MotoGP and WSBK riders, we’re fairly certain they know what they’re doing.
There are two important stresses appearing on the swingarm in any bike – lateral and torsional. For torsional stress, that is represented by a twisting movement that desires to flip the wheel over.
As may be anticipated, that is lower than very best for the bike’s dealing with and most Malaysian riders first encounter this driving a kapchai and feeling the body and swingarm flex and wallow when taking a nook at pace.
Lateral stress, then again, is the wheel wanting to maneuver sideways within the swingarm. An excessive amount of sideways motion makes the bike really feel unstable in corners or in a straight line for that matter, and too little makes the rear finish of the bike really feel harsh and “lifeless”.
Readers of paultan.org who trip high-end carbon-fibre bicycle frames may have skilled this when deciding on frames for particular kinds of driving. A climbing body with extraordinarily stiff rear stays is nice for switch of energy to the rear wheel, however may be harsh and unyielding when cruising at faster speeds on the flats.
The identical applies to the much less laterally stiff swingarm on the Panigale V4, the designed quantity of flex permitting the bike to trace true within the nook whereas offering suggestions to the rider. Moreover, the Panigale V4s’ suspension software program is designed to work with the swingarm (and body) to offer what Ducati says is a greater dealing with and simpler to trip superbike.
Different design modifications within the swingarm embody one piece chain adjusters to hurry up the method of reinstalling the rear wheel. The swingarm cutouts additional scale back weight and add a singular contact to the design of the Panigale V4S.
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