I reckon most riders would agree that Ducati is one of the most special motorcycle brands in history. You don't usually buy a Ducati for practical reasons—it's a treat. Although all have that je ne sais quoi, there are levels to the Ducati motorcycle hierarchy. God-tier is reserved for Superleggras, and all signs point to getting the fourth-ever iteration of the Sperleggera on March 26.
For those who don't know, the Superleggera is historically a super-limited, hyper-light—"superleggery translates to 'super light—, beyond-premium version of whatever flagship superbike Ducati has at the time. Right now, it's the Panigale V4, which is already a thing to behold. Previous Superleggeras have had WorldSBK-spec components on them. When this model drops, I've no doubt it'll be the pinnacle of production superbike performance. And it will drop.
Ducati recently posted a short but to-the-point video on social media. The teaser shows a black anodised top clamp getting a fresh laser engraving. At the end, the top clamp reads 'SUPERLEGERA V4 CENTENAIRO', and the post caption states, "One name. One hundred years in the making. Superleggera V4 Centenario March 26th 2026."
Usually, we're graced with a Superleggera at the end or start of a new superbike platform, like at the end of the 1199 in 2014 or at the end of the big V-twin era with the 1299 Superleggera in 2017. The current V4 platform isn't going anywhere anytime soon, which is why we haven't had a new Superleggera since 2020. Luckily, this year Ducati celebrates its 100th anniversary, and given the etching on the top clamp, it seems extremely likely that's why we're getting one right now.
Bear in mind, every Superleggera essentially becomes the most coveted 2-wheeled machine on the planet when it launches. But given that it's Ducati's 100th anniversary, is it possible that the brand has found an extra, extra mile and gone there? This is probably a good time to let you know that Ducati has only ever made 500 Superleggeras every time it drops a new version, and the last time the U.S. got one in 2020, its base MSRP was $100,000. But maybe if Ryan Wedding gets out, he can hook you up.
