How Fast Is The Ducati Panigale V4, And Is It Even Street Legal?

Ducati is a brand synonymous with the term "superbike," known for consistently improving on its legacy of fast, high-performance motorcycles that are equal parts luxury and aggression. This includes the Panigale V4, which is revving into 2025 with even more features, an upgraded design, and more power. While this may mean faster speeds, how does that affect the legality of riding this beast through the streets or highways with regular traffic?

The 2025 Ducati Panigale V4 has a 1103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine that's actually the same as its predecessor, but it now has new camshafts for more valve lift and updated variable-length intake horns to further spread torque. Now, the Panigale V4 has a torque peak of 11,250 RPM, reaches 216 HP, and maxes out at 13,500 RPM. Does this mean it's any faster than previous years? Surprisingly, not really, which means it's also still legal to ride in the streets.

The 2025 Ducati Panigale V4 S shoots from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 189 miles per hour, according to recorded track laps. This makes it one of the fastest superbikes out there, putting it at the same top speed as race cars like the Continental GT3-R, BMW M8 Competition, Levante Trofeo, and the Ferrari 288 GTO. SlashGear reported the 2024 Ducati Panigale V4 also reached around 186 miles per hour. 

The Ducati Panigale V4 is incredibly fast due to a number of reasons, like being extremely lightweight at 421 pounds, its aerodynamic design, an improved cooling system, a frame built to absorb bumps and provide better grip, a lithium battery, and forged aluminum wheels. All this will cost you around $33,800 at the time of writing. Not everyone likes Ducati's increasing prices or new design, but the new look — including the updated swingarm — is all about handling and performance. 

With its face-melting top speeds on the track and aggressive, otherworldly design changes, does the Ducati Panigale V4 belong on the road? The Panigale V4 is completely street-legal, but that shouldn't be too surprising. Even Ducati's much more powerful Superleggera is street-legal, and it can reach speeds of 190 miles per hour. 

Motorcycles are street-legal as long as they meet safety and emissions requirements. This means operational headlights, brake lights, turn signals, rearview mirrors, and a muffler and full exhaust system. The Panigale V4 passes all of these when it's standard stock, although Ducati does offer two track-only Akrapovic exhaust systems that push the bike to 228 HP if high-mounted and 224 HP if belly-mounted. You can stick to the street-legal Akrapovic belly exhaust, of course, if you want to remain within the confines of the law while on the road. 

As long as you're not going over the speed limit, driving a Ducati Panigale V4 to work, the gym, or a paint and sip is completely legal.