There’s something poetic about speed in silence. No barriers. No crowds. Just endless salt plains stretching till the horizon and a red machine humming beneath you like it’s breathing with the Earth. That’s how I met the new 2025 Ducati Panigale V2 – not on a racetrack, not on a twisting mountain pass, but in the white, glistening vastness of the Rann of Kutch. This place, with its shimmering mirages, dry heat, and salty crust under wheel, might seem an unlikely testing ground. But it’s also perfect. With long flat stretches and sudden unpredictable undulations, the Rann forces a rider to dance delicately with the machine – to feel its heart, its pulse. And that’s exactly what I wanted with Ducati’s latest supersport evolution – a stripped-down, lighter, more liveable Panigale.

The New V2 Without Desmodromic

Let’s start with the sacrilege, or so I thought. Ducati without desmodromic valve actuation? It’s like taking the soul out of a symphony, isn’t it? Well… no. Riding the Panigale V2 across the Rann’s baked, cracked earth, I realized something: this engine is different – but not soulless. The all-new Euro 5+ compliant 90° V-twin, now with 890 cc displacement and a conventional spring-valve system, feels surprisingly alive. It’s smoother across the rev range, more accessible in its torque curve, and, dare I say it, a better companion for those of us who want to ride hard but also ride far. The biggest gain? Reduced maintenance. Valve checks only after 30,000 km, oil every 15,000. On a Ducati! That’s huge. And at 54.4 kg, this engine is 9.4 kilos lighter than the old Superquadro. You can feel it immediately in transitions, even on this flatland. That feathery front-end dance? It’s real. No desmo? No problem.

17 Kilograms Lighter and 35 HP Less

Yes, on paper, the V2 loses 35 horsepower compared to the previous version. You’d expect that to hurt. But it doesn’t. Why? Because Ducati didn’t just trim power – they cut fat. This bike, in S trim, weighs just 176 kg dry. That’s 17 kg lighter, and every gram counts. While pinning the throttle along a bone-dry salt path, I didn’t miss the extra power. What I felt instead was the immediate response, the sharpened reflexes, and the way the V2 seemed to anticipate my inputs before I made them. Torque is still respectable at 93 Nm, peaking at 8,250 rpm, and the bike doesn’t wheeze at the top either. It’s got legs till 11,500 rpm, and the way it stretches out in fifth gear, screaming past 230 km/h without a hiccup, had me grinning under my helmet.

 If Performance Is Everything, Then It Will Be Difficult

Ducati hasn’t built this bike to dominate spec sheets. It’s been built for the real world. And this is where the Rann taught me a lesson. Out there, your lap time means nothing. What matters is whether you can slide, flick, brake, and carve with confidence. The Panigale V2 lets you do all that – even with 120 horsepower. The wide powerband (80% torque between 4,000–11,000 rpm) makes upshifts less urgent and downshifts less punishing. A missed gear doesn’t ruin the rhythm. It’s forgiving, and that’s performance in its truest sense. New Chassis and Powerful Suspension The new aluminum monocoque chassis is a work of minimalist art. Just 4 kg, it uses the engine as a stressed member and angles it 20° rearward. This isn’t just about saving weight – it’s about distributing it better.

What I found was precision.

The suspension, especially on this S version with Öhlins front and rear (NIX30 fork, TTX36 shock), soaks up roughness without ever going vague. When the Rann’s salt crust would give way to soft sand or a hidden rut, the bike held its composure. The wheelbase is relatively long at 1,465 mm, but the steep rake and tight trail figures give the Panigale nimbleness. It doesn’t turn in like a nervous animal – it flows, like water over rocks.

New, Relaxed Seating Position

Thank you, Ducati, for finally listening to your long-legged fans. The new Panigale V2 has a seat height of 837 mm, and while that might sound tall, it’s beautifully sculpted. The bars are 6 cm higher and closer, and the footpegs are lower – all of which means I could ride for over 150 km in one sitting, across brutal heat and blinding glare, without fatigue. The seat? Firm but padded right. The tank cutouts? Just perfect for thigh grip during spirited riding. At one point, riding into a headwind, chin on tank, I noticed how naturally the ergonomics tuck you into a racing crouch – and yet, when upright, it’s still comfortable.

The Single-Sided Swing Arm Is History

Gone. Replaced with a dual-sided aluminum swingarm that looks clean and performs better. The engineering reason is valid – modern tires require higher rigidity, and this layout delivers. Visually, it tightens the Panigale’s lines, especially paired with the 6-spoke cast aluminum wheels. And on the Rann’s shimmering surface, that silhouette cut a profile as seductive as any Ducati I’ve ridden.

Comfortable Racing

Let’s be honest. Racing and comfort don’t usually mix. But here? I was shifting up at full tilt using the new Quickshifter 2.0, braking into hairpins, flicking the V2 from one side to another, all while staying surprisingly comfortable. The wide torque spread lets you stay in second or third for most corners, and the bike never bucks or stalls. It’s almost too easy. But that just means you push harder. I clocked a GPS-verified 237 km/h on a flat stretch – and still had a feeling of total control.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the New Automatic Gearshift

The new gearbox sensor, mounted directly inside the transmission, works without an external force sensor. Shifts are crisp, and the electronics do a fine job syncing revs. Only catch? You have to be deliberate. Lazy toe movement leads to half-shifts or unwanted delays. It took me an hour to retrain muscle memory. But once I did, I stopped thinking about it. Just click-click-click through the gears. Flawless, mostly.

Playful Lightness

This is where the new V2 really shines. On loose gravel patches, the front wheel feels communicative. On tighter turns, the weight (or lack thereof) makes corrections almost instinctive. The Rann, with its unpredictable grip, is the perfect place to test this. Light, flickable, confidence-inspiring – I haven’t felt this kind of control since the 899 Panigale.

Electronics Like the Big

Everything the Panigale V4 has, this has. Bosch IMU with 6-axis magic: traction control, wheelie control, cornering ABS, engine brake control, ride modes (Race, Sport, Road, Wet), all adjustable through the crisp 5″ TFT screen. Race mode plus ABS set to 1 gives you deep trail braking into sketchy corners with zero drama. The lap timer? Pure gold. Tracked every corner I railed and every mistake I made.

The V2 Sound

Ducati’s twin-pipe exhaust is bold, under-seat, and full of character. It’s not loud – it’s rich. It hums at idle, barks at midrange, and screams at the redline. It’s not the 1299’s fury, but it’s damn close.And if you opt for the Termignoni system, you unlock 6 extra horsepower and even more decibels.

Elegance Without Winglets

No wings. No gimmicks. Just raw lines, Ducati Red, and purposeful stance. It looks cleaner than the V4. More grown-up. The fairing integrates cooling ducts seamlessly, and the windshield actually deflects air well at speed. I crouched behind it on a 200+ km/h run and felt tucked-in, calm, composed.

Conclusion

Is it still a Panigale? Absolutely – just a smarter one. Ducati has taken the soul of its race-winning twin and made it accessible, agile, and rideable. Whether you’re blasting down backroads or threading through technical racetracks – or like me, chasing the horizon across the Rann of Kutch – the new Panigale V2 delivers an experience that’s raw, refined, and uniquely Ducati. It may not have the outrageous power figures of the V4, but it doesn’t need them. Sometimes, less truly is more.