Why is it special?
Some bikes are simply on another level. Another level in terms of looks, price, performance and desirability. That's the only way to describe the audacious Ducati Superleggera V4, which I was lucky enough to sample for the first time a few years back. In 2020 my mate bought one, ran it in, and then ever so kindly handed me the keys so I could bounce its valves off the limiter on road and track. It remains one of the most highly-prized, pleasurable and unforgettable two-wheeled riding experiences I've ever had. But even before I'd hopped aboard and sampled its performance-fuelled delights, I was hooked, line and sinker, by the utter beauty and engineering prowess of this unique machine. Allow me to start by throwing a few figures your way, not leastmad thing is that with the factory Akrapovic exhaust slotted into places, you can knock a load more kilos from that figure. By doing so, you'll also crank the ludicrous stock 221bhp output up to an unholy, arm-wrenching 234bhp. As production bikes go, the only thing to rival its plethora of ponies is the since-evolved V4R, which was also the donor motorcycle that shared its class-leading GP-derived engine with the SL in the first place, seeing a redline of 16,000revs on the taps and a tantalising 116Nm of torque to back things up, ensuring that you win every time you set off from the traffic lights. Power is something this special specimen is not lacking in, but perhaps the biggest hook is the look. It's easy to forget that just a few years ago, wings were the exclusive preserve of pukka racing machines, and by that, I mean the ones we'd see at MotoGP. In fact, the carbon, bi-plane beauties you see on this bike were so advanced that they got banned from MotoGP competition when the double skin rule came into play, meaning that these unmissable protrusions actually created better downforce than those sported on Ducati's GP racer of the same year. Crazy, eh.
