Every time one thinks that the Abu Dhabi police has reached the pinnacle of the best police fleet in the world, they further extend the benchmark by a mile. Needless to say, we have had our share of surprises with the R8s and Huracans and Nissan GTRs that the authorities have incorporated in their fleet.
However, this time around, the Abu Dhabi police has not added a car but a bike or rather 8 of them. And not any of them but the insane track weapon, the Ducati Panigale V4R.
The regular V4, if you can call it regular that is, was already one of the most powerful production motorcycles in the world and the R version takes it even further. And surprisingly, it has a smaller 998cc engine which still has a V4 layout, as the name of the motorcycle suggests, but now it is making a mind-boggling 221 hp. And, if you put the Akrapovic exhaust on it, that goes up to 234 hp. And to keep all of this power on the tarmac and not have the motorcycle take off into the air, Ducati has given the V4R some aggressive aero kit. This includes the inclusion of World Superbike Racing style carbon-fibre wings. And the new fairing has air extractors in them to let the heat out of the engine when on a track. Other changes include the new mechanical Ohlins suspension which replaces the electronically adjustable ones from the V4S, a pit-lane limiter and an adjustable swing-arm. And all of this in a motorcycle that weighs 165.5 Kilos with the Akrapovic exhaust. Now, how intense is that?
And let’s not forget, it has extensive electronic rider aids like Cornering ABS, Traction Control, Wheelie Control, slide control and a bi-directional quick-shifter, all of which is lean sensitive. That’s not it, there’s also adjustable engine brake control, riding modes and auto tyre calibration.