2010 Ducati StreetfighterSoul of a Superbike, Attitude of a fighter !
Living up to its name, there was little doubt that the Ducati Streetfighter would score a round one knock-out when it entered the ring for the first time at the 2008 EICMA Show in Milan. Making an immediate impact on the international press and the public, it was nominated “most beautiful bike in show” and raised the bar for extreme nakeds by creating a new point of reference in the market.
The Superbike soul of the Ducati Streetfighter combines aggressiveness with the refined elegance of a naked and just one look at the bike provokes an intense rush of adrenaline and excitement. Stripped to the bare essentials, its combination of state-of-the-art race technology, skeletal styling and contemporary design takes Ducati’s big naked concept to the very top of the fighter food chain.
The true Ducati spirit is captured by an incredibly powerful Desmodromic L-Twin 1098 “Testastretta Evoluzione” engine producing 155hp with an incredibly wide spread of power thanks to 85lb-ft (11.7kgm) of torque. The Streetfighter’s power and precision is further maximised by weighing in at just 368lb (167kg) (S version) and further benefits from technology derived directly from Ducati’s MotoGP and Superbike projects. Ducati Traction Control and Data Analysis, racing-style braking system, fully adjustable suspension and forged wheels all come as standard equipment on the ‘S’ to complete the battle-ready package.
As orders from all over the world flood into Ducati’s factory in Bologna, the Streetfighter and Streetfighter S models go into production.
Streetfighter made good
The Streetfighter culture was born on the backstreets of Northern Europe during the late 70s and 80s. If the Café racer movement had taken traditional bikes and transformed them to establish out-and-out sport bikes, then Streetfighters were definitely anti-establishment. They evolved by removing the fairings from sport bikes, fitting higher bars and customising to create high-performance, over-the-top nakeds. Now, Ducati have taken that concept and applied their own Italian sophistication to a stunning, factory-prepared Streetfighter.
The Ducati Streetfighter is equipped with everything that made the Superbike a legend: Awesome L-Twin muscle with brutal, big-bore torque, thoroughbred chassis technology, beautiful single-sided swingarm, planet-stopping Monobloc brakes and pure, sophisticated class.
While the tank and seat shapes leave no doubt as to the Streetfighter’s roots, it is the upright and commanding riding position that really starts to shape the character of this ultimate naked. New, minimalistic controls, instrumentation and headlight design leave the front looking clean and mean, while twin-stacked right-side mufflers at the rear leave the tail-end high and sharp. No other Ducati has ever achieved such an aggressive stance while providing a comfortable, empowering, controllable and enjoyable ride.
Ducati’s ‘S’ treatment of the Streetfighter takes its sophistication way off the scale. Superbike spec Öhlins suspension front and rear with lightweight forged Marchesini wheels add street credibility when in town and that all-important ‘feel’ when exploring the Streetfighter’s sports soul.
Add the awesome street-going Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Data Analysis as standard equipment and it’s clear that the Streetfighter S is not just muscle – it’s intelligent too.