With its all-new 2025 Panigale V2 and Streetfighter V2 models, as just unveiled in the cavernous halls of the Milan Fiero at EICMA, Ducati seems to be ‘playing’ with us once again. ‘Playing’ with our preconceptions of what traditional Ducati V-twin sportsters should be, that is…

After all, with both based around an all-new motor which, although still a traditional Ducati V-twin, does without other conventions such as Desmodromic valves and big power (with only 118bhp it’s a full 35bhp down on the outgoing Superquadro), while at the same time also abandoning other Bologna ‘signatures’ such as the single-sided swing arm introduced on the iconic 1994 916, you could be forgiven for thinking ‘Has Ducati lost its mind?’

Well, personally, having gorged on as much info about the new bikes as possible, revisited other recent trends not only at Ducati but in motorcycling in general, learnt that the new Panigale V2 replaces, not only the old one but the more ‘street’ SuperSport 950 (below) as well, and spent a little time digesting the whole thing, I have to say: I think not – in fact, they might actually have pulled a masterstroke in delivering what could be the most exciting street sportsters of 2025.

Here’s why: First, Ducati has plenty of ‘previous’ when it comes to flipping preconceptions on their heads. Remember the mould-breaking 2012 1199 Panigale which binned the traditional trellis frame for an alloy monocoque and introduced the super short-stroke, overquare Superquaddro?

Or how about its 2018 Panigale V4S, which ditched its ‘V-twin superbike’ signature? Or the first Multistrada V4 in 2021 whose Granturismo version of the four-cylinder motor binned Ducati’s ‘sacred’ Desmos for valve springs? Or even the all-new 937 Monster of the same year which completely rewrote the roadster’s template of air-cooled, trellis-framed V-twin for one with liquid-cooling and a beam frame?

All have proved big successes for the Bologna brand – the Multistrada so much so that it’s now Ducati’s best-selling bike. So maybe the boffins there know what they’re doing, after all.

Second, Ducati’s deliberately changed approach, with its new Panigale and Streetfighter V2, to deliver what it claims is “more fun on the road and in everyday use,” is not without precedent, either.

In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re in the midst of an age when a new attitude to ‘road sportsters’ has begun to bear fruit. After years of tiny, revvy supersports 600s and expensive, 200bhp+ superbikes which largely seem irrelevant on the road, new, more affordable, more usable street sports bikes are starting to appear.

First there was the likes of Aprilia’s 2021 RS660 twin and Yamaha’s 2022 MT-07-derived R7, both with under 100bhp and prices £10K or less. Last year came Triumph’s Daytona 660 and Suzuki’s GSX-8R. While next already promises Yamaha’s mouth-wateringly new, MT-09-derived R9 (below), with a weight of 195kg, no doubt gorgeous yet comfortable real-world handling, great looks and equally ‘real world’ price of just £12,250.

The mention of the R9 is particularly appropriate here, especially in the context of those who may be moaning about the new Ducati’s power loss. Yes, the new Panigale and Streetfighter V2s produce ‘just’ 120bhp (or 125bhp in race-piped S form). But that’s still usefully more than the R9 while, being a V-twin, it’s likely to be just as charismatic as the Yamaha triple and almost certain to be even more flexible and, er, ‘grunty’, too. More ‘road relevant’, in other words. No wonder there’s no more need for the SuperSport 950…

But best of all, by ditching the Desmos (done on its Gransturismo V4, Ducati claimed, to make it lighter, more compact and cheaper to build), the new V-twin is also significantly lighter than the old (both new models are getting on for 20 kilos less than their predecessors) AND, as almost without precedent, over £2000 cheaper than the previous incarnations, too.

The result, in the new Panigale V2’s case, should not only be more fun, easier to ride and cheaper, but, compared to the Yamaha R9, has more power, and less weight, yet now costs less than £3k more as well.

Suddenly the R9 isn’t alone nor shining quite so brightly. Still think Ducati has got it wrong?