Ducati V4S Streetfighter

An unfaired bike with 208bhp? Aerodynamic wings? Superbikespec brakes and suspension? Are they mental? Well, yes, actually, we have to consider the possibility that they are. Ducati’s basically taken the engine and chassis from its incredible Panigale V4 1,103cc superbike, and transmogrified it into the craziest naked bike out there – the new V4 Streetfighter.

The foundations should be familiar by now: the Desmosedici Stradale engine, based on the V4 design used in MotoGP and the limited edition road-going Desmosedici. It’s got a huge 81mm bore and super-short stroke, plus sky-high compression ratio, giving it massive power potential in faired superbike form.

Here though, it’s had a slight retune to make it more suitable for the naked form. Unlike many naked bike tweaks though, this one is arguably even crazier than the original. The peak power is cut down a little, from 215-ish bhp to 208bhp, but revised mapping and lowered gearing mean it actually has more rear-wheel thrust at certain points than the superbike.

The engine is bolted into the same minimalist frame design as the Panigale, with single-sided swingarm and your choice of suspension (electronic Öhlins on the S version, Showa forks and Sachs shock on the base bike). Brakes are the same Brembo Stylema Monobloc calipers up front as seen on the Panigale, and the overall weight is a touch under 200kg ready to ride – pretty impressive stuff.

Ducati has, of course, given the Streetfighter all the electronic bells and whistles straight out of the top drawer. There’s wheelie control, traction control, launch control, all adjustable and switchable, as well as cornering ABS, slide control(!) and an up/ down quickshifter. If you plump for the ‘S’ version, you get electronically controlled semiactive Öhlins suspension, with the latest EC 2.0 software, which is super-easy to adjust for your precise set up demands. You can select power modes to suit your mood and the conditions, and it’s all easily controlled via slick switchgear and a gorgeous colour LCD dashboard. Behind all this kit lies a six-axis IMU unit watching over you, like a Bosch-branded guardian angel.

But Ducati’s added a ‘passive’ guardian angel too, in the form of a pair of aerodynamic wings either side. Dubbed ‘biplane’ wings, they’re needed because of the lack of bodywork on the naked Streetfighter. So where the V4R (and the 2020 V4S) Panigale get away with one wing each side, the naked bike needs two. Their function is pretty straightforward: they add downforce to the front end at speed, to reduce wheelie tendencies, help with initial braking force, and add stability at high speeds. The quoted figure is 28kg at 170-odd mph, and while it’s fair to say you won’t be doing that speed very often, there will be a boost to stability at lower speeds, too.

As with the Panigale, the V4 Streetfighter comes in base and ‘S’ variants, with the ‘S’ getting electronic Öhlins suspension and forged Marchesini rims, for an extra £2,200. Drool over it in the showrooms in early spring.