As the last, possibly, of Ducati’s V-twin sports bikes, the 2020 Ducati Panigale V2 will likely be in Malaysia by mid-year, likely at the end of June. This was hinted to paultan.org by an unnamed source in the Malaysian Ducati distributor, Naza, and pricing is said to be in negotiation to keep it around the RM120,000 or below mark.

While the pricing for what is essentially a middleweight sports machine might give pause to many, it should be noted several things are counting against the price of the Panigale V2 being affordable in Malaysia. Chief amongst these are the current poor rate of exchange for the Ringgit as well as the V2 coming in as a CBU model and not from Ducati’s assembly facility in Rayong, Thailand.

Shown to the world at the Ducati World Premiere 2020 in Rimini, Italy last October, the Panigale V2 replaces the Panigale 959 in the manufacturer’s sports bike lineup. Although using the same Superquadro engine, give or take, as the Panigale 959, the Panigale V2 puts out 155 hp at 10,750 rpm and 104 Nm of torque at 9,000 rpm.

This compares against the 214 hp at 13,000 rpm and 124 Nm of torque at 10,000 rpm of the Panigale V4 S, Ducati’s top-range superbike, which is priced in Malaysia at RM172,900, with the base model V4 not being available locally for the 2019 model year. However, a lot of the riding suite and electronics have been transferred over to the Panigale V2 from the V4, making it, in Ducati CEO Claudio Domeniciali’s words, “much easier to ride.”

Styling for the Panigale V2 also follows cues from its larger sibling, with the huge intake nostrils and two-part fairing carried over, as well as the LED lighting. Rider comfort is given more than lip service with the seat foam 5 mm thicker than the Panigale 959 and the seat itself 20 mm longer in length.

The single-sided swingarm makes a welcome return to the Panigale V2, as much a design trademark of Ducati’s modern superbikes from the days of the 916 as it is a reflection of Ducati’s positioning of its bikes as premium products. Braking on the Panigale V2 is done with Brembo M4-32 Monoblocs and suspension is by Showa in front and Sachs at the back.

We, like many other Malaysian sports bike riders, are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Panigale V2. What does now matter is, will the price be kept to a relatively reasonable level or will the vagaries of economic pressure put the Panigale V2 out of reach of many Malaysian riders?

-paultan