A former insurance agent, Simon (or 'Toad', as he prefers to be known) looked after the uploads at BikeSocial, before leaving to work on a more commercially-focussed website.
Ducati’s 2018 Panigale V4 and V4 S has arrived in UK dealerships starting from £19,250 and £23,895 respectively.
Using the hotly anticipated 1103cc, liquid cooled, Desmosedici Stradale 90-degree V4, making a whopping 211bhp at 13,000rpm, 500 of the motorcycles have already been sent to stores across Europe. Given that its kerb weight is 195kg (for the S and Speciale versions) the power-to-weight ratio is immense and the Borgo Panigale factory has been running at capacity to deliver more bikes to dealers across the world.
Ducati MotoGP racer and three-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo has also been to visit the production line to acquaint himself with the new flagship superbike of the Ducati range.
The Panigale V4 boast a host of MotoGP tech and uses a V4 engine that is said to be directly derived from the one that powered Lorenzo and his 2017 MotoGP championship runner-up team-mate, Andrea Dovisiozo, to one of the factories most successful seasons in recent years last time out.
The machine is laden with electronics, including riding modes, power modes, Bosch cornering ABS, Ducati Traction Control (DTC) EVO, Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) EVO, Ducati Slide Control (DSC), Engine Brake Control (EBC) EVO and auto tyre calibration.
The Panigale V4 and V4 S are both available to buy now, with a source from Ducati Coventry advising that they have sold some bikes already, after the launch event earlier this week. The V4 Speciale – which comes with GPS datalogger, lightweight Marchesini wheels and a host of other performance upgrades – should be available in April.
BikeSocial will be riding the new Panigale V4 at the press riding launch on Sunday and will be bringing you a full review.
For more information on the Ducati Panigale V4, click here.