Ducati Streetfighter

OVERVIEW
Ducati claims it has vaulted to the top of the nakedbike fighter food chain with the release of its bold Streetfighter – a new point of reference for the segment if you will.

There is no doubt the machine is impossibly beautiful, which is probably why it was voted the most stunning bike at last year’s EICMA show in Milan, which guaranteed that it made an immediate impact on the press and public alike.

Looks aside, the Streetfighter now ensures that Ducati has all its nakedbike bases covered. While the Streetfighter takes care of the performance and brilliant technology ‘wing’, the Monster (in both 696 and 1110cc guises) is at the other end of the spectrum with its air-cooled two-valve engine and a level of minimal simplicity. And there’s a fair price gap too.

It’s been a deliberate move by Ducati to create such an obvious level of disparity, and one that may work in its favour. There are no blurred lines, and sometimes that’s the way people like it.

The Streetfighter is powered by Ducati’s 1099cc liquid-cooled L-twin superbike engine, and it probably goes without saying that it’s the most powerful nakedbike in the Italian’s marque’s decorated history.

In line with Ducati’s normal model nomenclature, there are two versions of the Streetfighter: the, err, Streetfighter and up-spec Streetfighter S.

“Until Streetfighter, a rider wanting real superbike performance needed to also live with the uncompromising, and often impractical sports bike riding position,” said Warren Lee, the general manager of NF Importers, the Australian Ducati importer. “Streetfighter isn’t simply a stripped down or naked 1098, it is a completely new motorcycle designed from the ground up to perform and function as a high powered, high performance Ducati naked motorcycle.

”With the incredible performance of today’s Ducati superbike engines, the move with Monster to its origins and the creation of Streetfighter was inevitable,” added Lee.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
The performance claims are identical for both the Streetfighter and Streetfighter S (155hp and 115Nm, both at 9500rpm), but the Showa suspension and 10-spoke cast wheels on the Streetfighter are replaced by Ohlins suspension and forged five-spoke Marchesini wheels on the Streetfighter S, which also has a carbon-fibre front fender and cam-belt covers.

But just back to the engine for a moment. The original 1099cc engine, as found in the 1098 and 1098S, produced its peak torque (123Nm) at 8000rpm, which has now (surprisingly) been increased to 9500rpm in Streetfighter guise, feeding into twin stainless-steel mufflers.

It’s not a massive issue, but is incongruous to how most manufacturers treat their superbike engines when they are slotted into nakedbike offerings, where refrains such as “retuned for more mid-range performance” are regularly trotted out.

Still, Ducati reckons it has broken the mould with the thoroughbred Streetfighter, and this is certainly one nakedbike which pushes all the right buttons on a race track – as borne out with an afternoon’s riding at Eastern Creek during the Australian press launch.

Meanwhile, the gear ratios on the 1098 and Streetfighter are identical, as well as the same primary and final drive.

Following the lead of Ducati’s 1198S Superbike, Streetfighter S is the world’s first nakedbike to boast competition-level eight-mode traction control as standard.

Also standard on Streetfighter S (optional on Streetfighter) is Ducati Data Acquisition (DDA), allowing track-focused riders to download and analyse several streams of performance data.

The adoption of a vacuum die-cast process to form the crankcases on the Streetfighter is the main reason why it’s a claimed 4kg (169 to 173) lighter than the original 1098, and that gap is also evident in S mode (167 to 171). The die-cast process lops 3kg off the engine in one fell swoop.

The rake on the Streetfighter is 25.6 degrees, compared to the more aggressive 24.5 stance on the superbike. The Streetfighter also has a 35mm longer swingarm and a 45mm longer wheelbase.

Both the Streetfighter and S use Brembo monobloc alloy brakes which, as you’d expect, pack a massive punch. Absolutely brilliant.

The Streetfighter has tapered, aluminium bars with a savvy level of compromise: without the forward race-crouch intensity of the superbike, but with enough weight bias to still know that you’re on something more extreme than a GT1000.

The switches and buttons all make sense, and there is a new feature called a “Trigger catch” which slides down to cover the starter button when activating the kill switch.

The instrumentation cluster is digital with the usual array of features and warning lights, and management of Ducati Data Analyser (DDA). I left DDA alone at Eastern Creek, but the lap timer got a fair workout.

There is an LED tail light, and the front also has “two evil eye strips” of LED positioning lights. The mirrors are adjustable by moving the glass, rather than the stalks, and a rear hugger is fitted as standard.

The Streetfighter has a beautiful, well-sculptured and uncluttered look, and the low-slung front end only adds to its menacing appeal. The Italian two-wheeler faces a number of competitors in the cut-throat nakedbike market, ranging from four-cylinder (MV Agusta F4 Brutale, Honda CB1000R and Yamaha FZ1) machines, through to Triumph’s Speed Triple and the twin-cylinder KTM Super Duke.

Price (before statutory and dealer charges) is $24,990 for the Streetfighter and $30,990 for the Streetfighter S.

Colours are red or pearl-white over black/graphite for the Streetfighter, and midnight-black over bronze for the Streetfighter S.

ON THE ROAD AND TRACK
The Streetfighter media launch was split in two: a half-day road ride into the Blue Mountains, followed by an afternoon at Eastern Creek, in the company of Troy Bayliss no less.

Bayliss is a roving ambassador for Ducati these days, and it was only fitting that the man who has got the most out of the L-twin engine – a world superbike title in 2008 – was on location to see how the donk performs in naked guise.

To be honest, I didn’t feel that comfortable on the road ride at first, which was confirmed when I was all over the shop as we traversed a set of twisties during a photographic session.

The gearing felt all wrong and the suspension a bit stodgy. It just felt like we were strange bedfellows.

However, a mere five hours later I was inseparable from the machine, so much so that I completely missed a black flag at  Eastern Creek to return to the pits when the zipper on my leathers – already on the way out – decided to end its feeble existence once and for all.

A few minutes later and, with a borrowed pair of leathers, I was back out on the circuit, piling on the laps until the airport shuttle couldn’t wait any longer.

What an intoxicating ride. It’s pure muscle, but with all the technological smarts from the Ducati superbike. Nakedbikes have always been generous souls in letting riders explore their limits – well at least it feels like that – but the  Streetfighter takes that level of authority to the a new height with features such as traction control (for the S anyway).

The engine and gearbox, as you’d expect, are stellar performers. The bike really starts to hum at about 5000rpm, and then hits the rev limiter at about 10,500rpm.

In between, the short-stroke engine is a powerhouse, although I certainly didn’t lose too much ground when I short-shifted between turns two and three and let the revs drop well below 5000.

The engine  is simply all class, and remains composed on the overrun and when pushing hard through the gearbox. And there's no top end terror that most people can't do a thing with, like some of its 4-cylinder rivals.

At my level of riding, I struggled to pick the difference between the Streetfighter and Streetfighter S, so my personal choice would be the standard model. I did find myself gravitating more towards the S at the end of the day, but that was more a function of ‘play time’ with the traction control rather than anything else.

I’ve already touched on the strong brakes, but the Streetfighter also maintains a vice-like grip on the tarmac, with changes of direction a cinch and stability underpinning the whole operation.

And I’m not telling porkies about change of direction, as I must have traversed every possible line of Eastern Creek in my pursuit of excellence. And I can also vouch for the Streetfighter’s dirt track prowess after one particular sphincter-puckering moment.

If the Streetfighter is Ducati’s take on bringing together the ‘bare essentials’, it’s done a stellar job. This is the Ducati lifestyle that appeals most to me, and I’m sure it will for many others.

For more information on Ducati, including the location of your nearest dealer, click here.

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed, constant mesh
Final drive: Chain
Clutch: Dry

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Tubular steel trellis
Front suspension: Showa USD fork, fully adjustable, 127mm travel (Ohlins USD fork with TiN, fully adjustable, 120mm travel)
Rear suspension: Showa monoshock, fully adjustable, 127mm travel (Ohlins monoshock, fully adjustable, 127mm travel)
Front brakes: Twin 330mm discs with four-piston, radial-mount, Brembo monobloc calipers
Rear brake: Single 245mm disc with twin-piston caliper
Wheels: 10-spoke in cast light alloy (5-spoke in forged light alloy)
Tyres: Pirelli Diablo Corsa III – 120/70-17, 190/55-17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed dry weight: 169kg (167kg)
Seat height: 840mm
Fuel capacity: 16.5lt
Wheelbase: 1475mm
Rake: 25.6 degrees

PERFORMANCE
Claimed max power: 155hp at 9500rpm
Claimed max torque: 115Nm at 9500rpm

OTHER STUFF
Price: $24,990* ($30,990*)
Testbike supplied by: NF Importers
Warranty: 24 months/unlimited km

*Manufacturer's recommended price before statutory and dealer delivery charges