It’s a Streetfighting chameleon…
Streetfighter V4 S can be whatever you want it to be
Being able to change the way your bike rides and feels at the touch of a button is pretty common nowadays, thanks to the spread of modern electronics. But it really hit home just how many bikes in one my Streetfighter V4 S can be when I rode back from a Ducati trackday at Donington.
Hours earlier the suspension had been stiff, the power razor sharp and the rider aids wound down. For six glorious sessions (and two tanks of fuel) the Streetfighter was a full-on superbike, albeit a naked one that was trying to separate my head from my shoulders every time we ripped down back straight at 160mph. But for that slow, serene journey home you always have when you’ve blown your trackday beans, the Ducati was now soft, cuddly and easy.
It wasn’t that long ago that if you wanted to alter your engine mapping, you’d have to visit a dyno and to adjust the suspension you’d need spanners, a screwdriver and half an idea of what you’re doing. But on the multi-adjustable Streetfigther, all it takes is to scroll through the dash menus to transform it from everyday roadster to ludicrously fast superbike. It even has an onboard lap timer, so you don’t have to buy one of those, either.
Then there’s the tyres. It comes from the dealer on Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa IIs, which are faultless, but I’ve gone even stickier with Super Corsa SPs. Again, all it takes is the simple act of letting air out of them and suddenly they’re road tyres that think they’re race rubber. 2000 miles later they’re still going strong. I started my Donington day in Race mode. The way the power is delivered and how the suspension and electronics work is a marked difference to the more genteel Street and Sport, but the suspension is still a little soft for this track on grippy rubber. The wheelie control is also too intrusive out of the slower corners, stifling acceleration and the ABS pulses into Redgate, Goddards and the Melbourne Loop. As the sessions unwind it’s just a case of diving back into the set-up menus to fine-tune the damping and electronics to let the Streetfighter shine. Being a naked that sits you some way from the front wheel the Ducti isn’t as sharp into corners as a race rep with clip-ons, but it doesn’t hang about. Do the wings work? Well, the Streetfighter barely wheelies over the lump in the back straight, letting you hold full throttle, so you’d have to say yes. And then it’s time to head home, slip it back into Street mode and pump up the tyres, like nothing ever happened.