Now, we all know the Panigale V4R is fast, really fast. But let’s be honest, on a public road trying to top out a V4R is dangerous and darn right irresponsible. Plus, I wouldn’t do well in prison, I’m too skinny.
Luckily, there’s a magical place called Bruntingthorpe, in Leicestershire, where all the 221 ponies that exist within the magical Desmosedici Stradale 90° power unit can be unleashed. Throttle pinned.
Here’s how we got on:
Data is king. So, to be sure about the kinds of speeds we were hitting on the V4R, we strapped a V-Box Sport data logger to the rear of the bike and recorded 0-60, 30-70, 50-70 and 60-130mph times. The duct tape is for 5 extra horsepower…
The first speed run of the day results are as follows:
0-60 = 3.72 seconds
30-70 = 2.28 seconds
50-70 = 1.11 seconds
60-130 = 5.81 seconds
Top speed = 173.7mph (V-box Data)
Best Run of the day:
0-60 = 3.22 seconds
30-70 = 2.18 seconds
50-70 = 1.08 seconds
60-130 = 5.61 seconds
Top speed = 181.7mph (V-box Data)
Needless to say, the acceleration of the V4R is relentless - with the motor seemingly never hitting the 16,500rpm redline!
Best high-speed run of the day data.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have the full 2.5-mile runway to play on, we still had just over a mile though. And we certainly we made the most of it, with Toad clocking an indicated top speed of ---, which means he was doing over 183mph on the dash. A glitch in the matrix type sh*t!
However, Although the dash indicated speeds of over 183mph the GPS data logger recorded a speed of around 181.7mph - which is still pretty good going.
Ok, it could go faster on a longer airstrip, but just look at those acceleration figures - absolutely ferocious y’all!
Also, a big thank you to the Lightning Preservation Group for letting us film the V4R under the English Electric Lightning’s wing.
