Yamaha R1 owner's first experience riding a Ducati Panigale V4

I didn't feel scared riding the Panigale, but the R1 still scares me to date. 4 years in and still that feeling? I'm glad.

BHPian krishnaprasadgg recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A few days back marked the 4th anniversary of making the R1 my own. While the feeling of owning my dream big has mostly sunk in. There are still fleeting moments where I wonder how, a couple of years back all this felt unachievable.

So considered marking the 4th year of ownership with a solo short ride. I Rode until Thrissur and coincidentally ran into a couple of friends who were also about on their Sunday rides.

As luck would have it got the chance to experience the Panigale V4 for the first time. This is my first outing with a V4 configuration engine and if my love for cross-plane engines is to go by on paper (and through countless YouTube videos) I was sure I would love it and of course, I loved it.

The most obvious part for me was how light and tiny these new bikes have become. Maneuverability once on the move is just you think and the bike will react level of responsibility. Loved it!

The bike just masks speed on a level that was alien to me to date, don't get me wrong, the R1 is blisteringly fast but after getting used to riding litre-class vehicles you come to learn that the R1 provides a sense of drama throughout the rpm range, while the newer bikes hide speed very very well, by taking you to unmentionable speeds like its cruising at 100kmph on the highway without the rider even realizing this, the thrill of being on a fire breathing dragon makes you forget some basic survival instincts I tell ya, that's what I felt different in the newer gen 10R how amazingly well they masked the speed, the V4 was on a different league with this, rock-solid stability maybe that's the wing in action(?), I'm not sure I am skilled enough to accurately chalk it to that, but sure did feel like it.

The next part was brakes, Oh man how I love some aggressive and super responsive brakes on the bikes I ride and this has been the best so far! Now I realize my hunt for a similar braking performance on the R1 will continue for years to come.

Now, about the drama part I mentioned about the R1, I think I can explain it a bit further, the R1 is as raw as it can be with only a rudimentary TCS system to call for electronic assists, while the Panigale gets anything and everything under the sun that you could imagine, maybe that's why the bike makes you feel like a riding God when you are on the bike in motion.

Funnily enough, I didn't feel scared riding the Panigale, but the R1 still scares me to date. 4 years in and still that feeling? I'm glad, I would credit that feeling of being responsible for me still being around kicking, because if not these machines are so easy to make you feel you can do no wrong and all that power on your right wrist can corrupt your mind very easily. And for that, I'm grateful to the R1 for being my guardian angel of sorts by keeping me in line. Hoping for many many more years of good times with the R1.

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