FIRST RIDE: DU CAT I STREET FIGHTER V 4
A V4 Panigale with no fairing. Because a 200bhp naked is a good idea.
Imagine a Ducati Panigale V4 S superbike with straight ’bars and nothing taken away except the fairing. With 205bhp pushing 199kg, fuelled, you’d expect scariness. And, yes, the new Streetfighter V4 S can provoke palpitations. But, unless you’re really brutal, it’s surprisingly docile. In fact, even with all its electronic assistance turned off it doesn’t become the psycho you’d expect.
This is nothing to do with the bi-plane wings sticking out of the sides – their magic powers don’t kick in until you’re going really fast. Instead, the Streetfighter’s stability comes from a wheelbase that’s nudged along by 16mm compared with the Panigale, and from its Motogp engine cunning. In most bikes the crank rotates in the same direction as the wheels, in Ducati’s 1103cc V4 the crank spins backwards magically pushing the front down under acceleration and cancelling out the gyro effect from the wheels, making the bike easier to turn. Its effect also stops the nose running wide when you crack the throttle mid-bend, as well as pulling the rear down under hard braking.
It sounds and acts like a big Bologna V-twin, right down to its low-rev clatter. That’s partly the twinpulse firing order which groups power strokes close together helping the tyre regain traction between ‘bangs’. Ducati have pumped-up the midrange compared with the Panigale – 70% of the V4’s torque is delivered between 4000 and 9000rpm – at the expense of 6bhp sliced from the top end. You never need to rev the Streetfighter to cover ground quickly and you can take corners a gear higher than you would on any other four-cylinder machine.
For just pottering around it’s calm and refined with the fuelling bordering on perfection, and it’ll do 40-odd to a gallon. Unlike the superbike the exhaust doesn’t boil your undercarriage and there’s legroom aplenty. Thanks to its roomier, more generouslypadded seat the Streetfighter has the kind of long-range comfort sportsbike owners dream about.
Position-wise you’re pitched slightly forward and the ’pegs are rear-set for ground clearance, but you’re not dangled over the front, clocks under your chin, as on the old V-twin Streetfighter. The riding position now has more of a Monster feel to it and the composed chassis makes this feel like a more friendly, socially responsible Streetfighter than the V-twin version. Don’t worry, it’s a crazed lunatic at heart.
In full attack mode it’s a warbling, bass-laden treat for the lug holes. And it’s ludicrously fast, although falls foul of a 27mpg thirst when ridden hard – a tankful is gone in 95 miles. With the wheelie control turned off you can tease-up monster monos, though of course all the lean-sensitive rider aids (borrowed from the Panigale V4 S) are about facilitating insanely fast progress. The electronics quickly trample on anything the engine, chassis and Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II tyres can’t handle.
Sat high and back from the front end, the Ducati isn’t as sure-footed as a nose-down superbike but its limit is impossible to reach on the road. Its party piece is railing elegantly through fast sweeps and punishing braking zones, with the added advantage of wide bars giving greater low-speed agility than any sportsbike. It’s hard to hang on, but for as long as you can manage to the Streetfighter is electrifying. Finish is flawless and the bike is dotted with the right labels to satisfy brand snobs. There’s also the data-rich Motogp-style colour dash from the latest Panigale, with shrouds to hide the wiring. But for twenty grand it seems a bit of a swizz having plastic and not carbon for the wings, hugger, front mudguard and exhaust cover. Ducati want you to raid the accessory catalogue for carbon extras.
If you can’t quite stretch to the full £20+ grand there’s a base version for £17,741 on the road, with lower-spec suspension and wheels. But if you’re going to spend that much you might as well go the whole hog; the fancier S is only £15 a month more on PCP finance.
‘What we have here is a friendly, more caring, socially responsible Streetfighter. But still a crazed lunatic at heart’