When it comes to sportsbikes, there’s absolutely no denying that Ducati’s Panigale is one of the sharpest tools in the shed. Last year, they gave it a whole host of improvements (you can check out our test here), but apparently that wasn’t enough – so they’ve done a little more tweaking for the 2023 model.
For starters, although they did some work on the gearbox for the ’22 Panigale, they’ve done a little more electronically, to really perfect the process – although in all honesty, it was already one of the best systems on the market. Ducati say that now the quickshifter is smoother on shorter shifts, thanks to a change that means the injection isn’t cut on a partial throttle, while some other tweaks have made it slightly smoother at full throttle too.
They’ve also gifted the latest Panigale V4 with their Ducati Engine Control Evo 2 software, which essentially alters the ferocity of the engine braking. This system has three different levels, with different calibration in each gear for the ultimate control on backshifts. Basically, the way this new system works is that it gives you less engine braking in a straight line but more on the side of the tyre, where you can’t rely heavily on the brakes by sensing the pressure on the rear wheel. This will, in essence, keep the wheels more in line under incredibly hard braking if you don’t want to be backing your V4 in. Alongside this, the ride-by-wire throttle and rraction control system has also been recalibrated ever-so-slightly.
But the nicest touch of them all? Well, they’ve tried to cool it down, with some changes to the cooling fan strategy on the new machine as well, which is a nice touch. If you’ve bought last year’s machine though, don’t fret as not only does Ducati’s 2023 Panigale V4 range get the electronics improvements above, but they can also be applied to the 2022 model with just a simple software upgrade.
