Let me tell ya straight up – this whole Panigale 1199 versus V4 top speed showdown had me itching to find out for weeks. Seein’ folks argue online about which one’s faster, hell, I figured why not shut the laptop and go check myself?
The Setup Was Anything But Fancy
Grabbed my tools first thing Saturday morning: the trusty 2014 Panigale 1199 S, my buddy’s newer Panigale V4 S, and a decent speed reader. Yeah, proper radar gear would’ve been nice, but this old-school kit? She’s never lied to me.
Pulled both bikes onto this dead-straight, deserted service road outside town. Flat asphalt? Check. Zero traffic? Thank god. Did the basics:
- Filled both tanks to the brim
- Checked tyre pressures
- Made sure neither had any engine modes kickin’ in to hold ’em back
- Brought a camera mount to strap onto my helmet
“Perfect conditions?” Hell no. Bit windy, actually. But good enough.
The Actual Shootout
Took the 1199 out first. That old L-twin engine woke up angry like always. Rolled on the throttle real smooth past 6,000 rpm… then just buried it. You feel this one – the vibration through the handlebars, the sheer pull slamming you back. Saw the speed reader climbing: 180km/h… 220… 260… Creeping up past 290. My neck felt like it was gonna snap off. Flat out, tucked right in – 304km/h (189mph). Took aaaaaages to get those last few clicks. Backed off, hands kinda shaky. Classic 1199.
Swapped to the V4 right after. Felt different immediately. Smoother launch, maybe? Not that gut-punch torque at first, but then… holy crap. Once that V4 spun past 10,000 rpm? Felt like a damn rocket just kicked in. Didn’t fight the wind as much somehow. Speedo shot up almost too fast – saw 280km/h way quicker than on the 1199. Got her wound out proper, pushing… pushing… 316km/h (196mph) flashed on the reader. Clear as day. She was still pulling hard when I had to finally ease off.
So Which One’s Actually Quicker?
No contest under these conditions. V4 wins.
Felt it in my bones. Saw it on the reader. 316km/h versus 304km/h. That’s real world, tarmac-and-wind messiness.
Why?
- That V4 engine just revs higher and smoother. Way less effort reaching those top numbers. Rushed through 280km/h like the 1199 struggled through 250.
- The 1199 felt brawnier low down – meaner. But past 240km/h? The V4 didn’t care. Like slicing air instead of punching it.
- Smoothness matters. High speed? Brutal. Less vibration lets you focus more, push harder.
Disappointed? Nah. Respect both machines. The old 1199? She’s raw power, muscle. Feels dangerous – in a good way. That shove is addictive. But pound for pound, eyeball-drying speed? The V4’s newer tech just does it better. More machine, less fight.
And yeah, my ears were ringing all night. Totally worth it.
