Ducati Streetfighter 848

Want my advice? If you’ve just shelled out $18,990 on a Ducati Streetfighter 848, take a good, long, hard look before you ride off on it. Drink in the details of the single-sided swingarm, the flow of the dual-can exhausts and even the shine of the blood-red paintwork. Because once you’re onboard, you can see nothing of the bike.

That’s right, looking ahead, the chinbar of your helmet covers the minimal frontal aspect of the bike, meaning the view ahead is just road and horizon. That makes it one of the most raw travel experiences there is. No front guard in view, no clocks blocking out the tarmac and no half-fairing screen offering a Perspex-rippled vista. Like a boxer stepping into the ring with just gloves and shorts on, Ducati’s fighter leaves nothing to the imagination. It’s a great feeling and one of the purest moments you’ll ever have on a bike.

But is it a real fighter, a scrapper, urban brawler? After having various Ducati V-twins between my pins in recent months, the pre-Evo 848 engine sounds less aggressive than the bigger, newer engines of the Hyperstrada, Multistrada and Panigale. The thump, thump, thump offered at start-up sounds less metallic than the new brace of twins. So maybe more of a lover than a fighter?

The clutch is pretty weighty but the action is firm and fine. The 848 engine revs up in a predictable fashion, unencumbered by switchable electronic ignition maps. Yup, this fighter’s got only one punch and there’s no horseshoes hidden in its gloves…

But sometimes it’s good to step back a bit. Electronics controlling the engine and suspension is the future direction of high-end bikes, and will become an increasing feature across the whole Ducati range. But that doesn’t mean that bikes that don’t offer that electron magic have become obsolete overnight.

With 132 horses controlled by a good, old-fashioned steel cable to the throttle, the action is smooth and precise at every step of the way. The engine’s slightly vibey across the range, but that adds to the bike’s character rather than becomes uncomfortable over distance.

The gearbox is slick and the ratios good for city traffic fisticuffs and highway slogfests. In sixth, 110km/h comes up with barely 4000rpm on the digital bar scale. Obviously, with no wind protection offered from the front of the bike, constant high-speed travel on the Streetfighter will leave you with a neck like an NRL player.

With a shortish wheelbase (1475mm), the bike’s all action when it comes to the ducking and diving needed to keep it out of trouble. You can really ride the front wheel into corners, that feeling highlighted by the lack of plastic and metal in front of the headstock.

At the back, the 60-series profile Pirelli tyre helps that nimble turn-in feel.

Ducati’s love affair with Brembo's monobloc caliper continues with the dual set-up on the 848. Combined with a Brembo master cylinder, the system works very well on this package, offering great retardation from high speed and not the slightest hint of grab when slowing to a complete stop.

Overall, the 188kg (claimed ready to ride aside from fuel) has a well-balance, light feel to it. It’s also got that fun factor, too.

From the saddle, it’s clear the Streetfighter has been designed to fit a wide range of rider. The back of the 16.5-litre plastic fuel tank allows you to lock into the ride, while the lack of any fairing means that even the longest-legged rider’s knees have no edges to hit into. The silver bars aren’t as wide or as high as you might initially expect, but this makes flowing through stationary traffic clean and precise. The mirrors are decent, although affected more from the engine’s vibration than the rider ever is.

Style-wise, the bright white LED lower section of the headlight assembly looks a bit add-on when compared to the more creamy light of the main section and the dual cans hark back to the Monster S4 era (and the best thing is that this exhaust set-up doesn’t want to heat your meat...). The 848 has a very sleek, strong silhouette. Low at the front, higher at the back, it looks like a fighter going forward for the killer punch. Pow, pow.

However, after a week on test, the overriding feeling of the Streetfighter 848 is that it’s keener on making you happy than trying to wrestle you into submission. It fits well, has a sharp front feel, a measured engine, daylong comfort and a great style. It might not offer the killer blow of larger streetfighter-style machines, but it does more than enough to be mentioned on the main billing.