Show stoppers | Ducati eCBS system for the 2025 Panigale V4 will teach you to brake like the pros

The 2025 Ducati Panigale V4 will be the first sportsbike to feature the Bologna brand’s innovative safety and performance inspired Race eCBS dual braking system. 

Made possible by a sophisticated ECU that now monitors four pressure sensors, rather than a single sensor as the previous Panigale did, the system has been developed in conjunction with technology giants, Bosch. 

After the rider applies the front brake, the system autonomously activates the rear brake and then maintains rear caliper bite, even after the front brake has been released – mimicking the way MotoGP and WSBK riders use the technique to alter a bike’s line when cornering – providing, Ducati claim, safety and stability benefits on both track and road. 

MCN spoke exclusively with Ducati Test Rider, Alessandro Valia, who came up with the idea for the system. He said: “We implemented a front-to-rear braking strategy that works depending on the angle and on the load on the rear. 

“We would like to give our customers the possibility to increase their skills. Professional riders usually use the rear brake a lot, but amateurs typically don’t.  

“So, we invented, together with Bosch, a new system that puts braking effort on the rear when you brake with the front,” he continued.

“To offer customers a higher-level experience, we have a special functionality called ‘Post Run’,” Valia added. “Usually after a professional rider releases the front brake in a corner, they keep braking with the rear to make the bike close the line, so when the rider releases the front, there is an intervention that makes the bike turn. 

“It’s a strategy aimed at amateur riders to give them access to another level of riding.” 

Optional intervention

Race eCBS ranges from track modes to road-specific settings. The system uses algorithms linked to front brake application to determine the level of rear brake intervention needed for any given situation. The rider can naturally manage the rear brake (overriding the system intervention) by simply applying the pedal. 

There are seven levels within the eCBS system – one to five are for track use, six and seven for the road. Combined braking is active within modes one to three in Track and Track Plus settings, although this can be deactivated in modes two to four, allowing the rear brake to be used as normal. Level five enables a ‘slide by brake’ function, for those wishing to back the bike into turns, just like the MotoGP gods can.  

Track riders will benefit most from eCBS Level one. In this setting ABS is reduced to a minimum and the combined braking function operates to the Track Plus algorithm, applying the rear brake right up to the apex of each corner, as per MotoGP and WSBK, to tighten the bike’s line through the turn.

Furthermore, the system works in right handers, where it’s sometimes hard or impossible to operate the rear brake pedal with the bike leant right over (racers often use a thumb-operated rear brake to compensate for this).  

For those with a less aggressive style, Level three promotes a smoother transition through turns with a greater level of ABS than in Level one and a reduction in rear brake intervention. Ducati say road riders will feel the benefit in levels six (dry roads) and seven (wet).