Streetfighter
CYCLE WORLD TEST
STREETFIGHTER
Ducati gives us what we want in a naked superbike
MARK HOYER
THIS MOTORCYCLE IS ABOUT AS SUBTLE AS A brass-knuckled right hook—only it's time to update the knuckles to something more appropriate, like forged aluminum or carbon-fiber with chrome-moly inserts. Because just like the classic knuckle augmentation, the silhouette of Ducati's latest hi-po naked bike is familiar, yet a closer look reveals a serious departure from the Monster S4RS it replaces.
Much like the styling has been sharpened and honed, so has the overall sporting character of Ducati's flagship stripped Superbike. And once you are in the saddle, there is no mistaking this sporting tool's main mission: seriously fast fun!
Cycle World was fortunate enough to land a pre-production Streetfighter S here in the States to run through our full test ing regimen as well as have Assistant Editor Mark Cernicky attend the track-only world press launch at Race Resort Ascari in Spain, giving us the full road-and-track treatment.
First things first. Ducati deserves credit here for giving us what we want in this type of machine, which is very nearly a bare-skinned repli-racer. They don't "tune for torque." They don't cheap out on suspension. They don't even concede much to practicality if it gets too much in the way of perfor mance. They just keep the aggressive sporting essence and give us an in-command, street-sensible riding position that's not afraid to admit that Monza's Parabolica isn't one of the corners on our ride to work.
Of course, if you happened to wander onto Monza, you'd still be able to attack it with near-supersport aggression. For even though the riding position is relaxed from that of the 1098 Superbike, it is still sporting-forward and with pegs fairly high-thankfully, the torso is just upright enough that windblast at speed counters gravity.
An odd sensation once you are saddled up is that the front end is so abbreviated it's like there is no motorcycle out there. You feel as though your hands are in front of the axle, if not the entire wheel. You feel like you are flying.
It's because you are. Our U.S. testbike was a very early pre-production prototype delivered with just 50 miles on the clock. We really did our best to break it in kindly before rev ving the piss out of it on the dyno and at the dragstrip, but, for God's sake, man, how much restraint can they expect us to show?!
The Streettighter's 1099cc Testastretta Evoluzione mill delivers everything we've always loved about Ducati V Twins. It is easy to sort of "Monster around" between 4000 and 7000 rpm, digging the torque of the engine. You can zip along on a winding road and never leave this range, with enough power to settle the chassis at the apex and exit smartly, short-shifting through the slick six-speed gearbox. But if you rev beyond 7 grand, the engine goes through a wicked transformation that turns it into a kind of MotoGP like two-cylinder, with a basso-profundo thunder that sounds so fast it makes your eardrums blur, especially by the time you hit the 10,700-rpm rev-limiter. Italians just know how to pummel every last bit of soul out of every molecule of gasoline.
On song, few engines sound this good and run so nicely. At lower revs on the street, though, fueling-at least on this pre-prod unit-was often a bit abrupt when re-opening the throttle both in traffic and when trying to settle the bike for a corner. There was also a bit of an off-idle lull at smaller throttle openings after leaving stops. We're interested to try a full-production unit when this 2010 model becomes avail able later this summer.
While the engine is in principle identical to the 1098's (down to nearly identical horsepower and torque numbers), the cases are now manufactured using a vacuum die-cast process (as used on the current 1198) that allows for finer thickness control, leading to a weight reduction of 6.5 pounds. The dry clutch gets a new-design magnesium cover (it mutes the clatter of the plates pretty well), while cam-belt covers are carbon-fiber on the S-model (plastic on the standard version) and fea ture a cooling-air inlet at the front with a vent at the rear. The engine weight reduc tion continues Ducati's recent trend of focusing on this element of its machines, and the Streetfighter S had an impres sively light 411-pound dry weight on the CW scales.
While the engine character is essen tially all 1098, the chassis is fundamen tally different, with changes focused on the more street-oriented intent of this bike. Rake is therefore relaxed from the Superbike's 24.5 degrees to 25.6. The sin gle-sided swingarm is 1.4 inches longer (added at the pivot end) and trail is 4.5 inches, a .7-inch increase. With the geom etry and swingarm changes, wheelbase grew 1.6 inches to 57.9 inches. A shorter fuel tank (but with increased, 4.4-gallon capacity) allows the rider to be closer to the handlebar.
S-model upgrades replace standard-model Showa suspen sion with Öhlins units front and rear. The lower triple-clamp is huge and features three pinch bolts a side. The upper clamp has a forged bar mount that sits in vibration-damp ing rubber to isolate the tapered aluminum handlebar. There definitely is less vibration at the grips than on the 1098.
The new switchgear is tight and tidy, with pods slightly smaller than those of your average motorcycle. On the left, the rider controls the data screen with three buttons. On our S-model, this included Ducati Traction Control and a data acquisition system. (The latter is a base-model option, but DTC is not.) Ducati is quite proud of the "weapon-like trig ger catch" kill-switch on the right that shifts down over the starter button like a sort of safety. It is pretty cool.
Overall comfort is quite good, with the decently padded seat working in conjunction with lower pegs and higher, closer bar to make this a livable daily mount. Suspension tune is taut but not harsh, so that rolling along the freeway at the end of a long day's ride is reasonably comfortable. As is the case with most Ducatis, steering lock is somewhat limited, making U-turns and such a bit of a pain. And while it is super nice that the exhaust pipes have been moved from beneath the seat and therefore no longer cook your ass like on the superbike, the width of the side-mounted system interferes with your right heel, forcing your ankle to an awkward angle if you ride on the balls of your feet. Also, the lack of wind protection-a simple fact with this class of bike-wears out neck muscles when cruising at high speed.
But, hey, while high-speed cruising is fine, what we're really after here is lean angle, the very glory of motorcycle riding. Cernicky was stoked with the Streetfighter S at the track, lauding the incredible Brembo monobloc brakes and awesome level of front-end feel. "I could really sense front traction in some of the faster corners that allowed me to find the limit and even exceed it without negative consequence," he said, noting that in the higher-speed sections (100 mph plus), the width of the bars and the out-in-the-breeze nature of the riding position made it difficult to keep unwanted input from affecting steering. Back home and on the street, this wasn't an issue.
As for the engine: "Power was really smooth and predict able, and after playing with the S-model's traction control, I settled on level 3 because it allowed me to steer the bike with the throttle while still keeping wheelspin in check."
Uh, also not an issue back home on the street! But it was very surprising the degree to which DTC would intervene during aggressive street riding. The system works by reduc ing power output in two stages after comparing front and rear wheel speeds and measuring the throttle opening and lean angle. The initial cut is through ignition retard, indicat ed to the rider by red lights flickering on the upper corners of the compact dash. If that isn't enough to control wheel spin, the system then begins to cut fuel delivery, signified by a center-mounted red light on the dash.
On level 8-the system's maximum setting-power is quite attenuated at the apex while the bike is significantly leaned over. As lean angle decreases, power tapers back in smooth ly as the meat of the rear tire is reached. Reducing DTC to level 6 allows more power through but there is still a surpris ing amount of red-light flickering. Down to level 4 and the lights would flicker but power reduction isn't felt. Even on level 1, aggro street riding could induce a brief flicker of red, but there was no detectable power-reducing action tak ing place. The fuel cut was never invoked during street rid ing, even on level 8. Big kudos to Ducati for giving us fancy electronics that really work.
There are no electronic enhancements augmenting the front wheel's interaction with the pavement, but feedback is so high that you don't feel it would ever be necessary. Same from the Brembo brakes. Feel is awesome and power is incredible. In fact, sensitivity of these brakes borders on abrupt. As Cernicky noted at the track, great for all-out laptime-focused work, but on the street they do force the rider to be very precise in application. Couple this with a slight delay during street corner entry for the chassis to settle at your requested lean angle (a little tight on the non-adjust able steering damper rate, perhaps?) and the Streetfighter S takes an extra dose of concentration to enter turns with total smoothness.
We've lived with the similar brakes on our 1098 long-term testbike over the past two years, and you do get used to how they work, adjusting your style accordingly. On the chassis side, we'd like to try an adjustable steering damper with a lower rate to see if that would allow finer steering control in less-than-full-race street riding where you aren't flicking right onto your knee at every turn.
From the apex on, the chassis settles into the rock-solid stability we've always loved from Ducatis, and the bike fin ishes the turn in a dead-neutral manner without trying to rur wide, even with aggressive throttle application. Once you get into your rhythm, riding this red rocket on winding back roads is absolute glory.
What is so nice about the Streetfighter is that Ducati essen tially has addressed most of the things that make the harderedged Superbike a little annoying to live with on a day-to-day basis. The exhaust pipes are no longer under your tuckus, fuel range is extended from 100 miles to more like 140 before the reserve tripmeter activates. The seat has thicker padding, and the riding position is much more sensible while still being aggressive. Even though the chassis geometry has been relaxed, steering is actually lighter-feeling because of the bar width. Heck, even the headlight is actually good, which is a big departure from the poor illumination of the 1098.
All that being said, the Streetfighter S will still never be mistaken for a sensible commuter bike, especially not with its $18,995 asking price ($14,995 for the base model). And you wouldn't want it to be. Because even though the Parbolica isn't on your daily commute, if you ever happen across it, you'll be ready.
EDITORS' NOTES
OH, HOW I WISH I COULD FLY, BUT I AM just a regular guy. At least when I get the chance to go toe-to-toe with a bike like the Streetfighter S, its knockout punch makes me feel like I am airborne.
I was the lucky one riding the Streetfighter S in Spain at Race Resort Ascari. The track features a long lap with a great mix of fast and slow corners, making it the perfect place to wing around ona rare bird like this.
The wide handbar made the bike feel like a 1098 super moto. But as much as I wanted to pitch it into corners in brake-slide hacker style, the chassis did the right thing and kept the wheels in line, even without a slipper clutch. It was better to just go in braking hard and letting the front wheel talk to you, giving you the kind of feedback Ducati is so good at building into its bikes. The only thing better was exiting on the throttle, front wheel in the air, wonder ing if I just hit it a little harder, would the S actually fly? I would like to keep trying! -Mark Cernicky, Associate
IT'S CERTAINLY TRUE THAT BEAUTY LIES in the eye of the beholder, and you don't need me to tell you what to make of the Streetfighter's styling. That being said, I must say that, to my mind, this is the most attractive naked perfor mance bike I've laid eyes on.
That doesWt mean she is without her flaws. Perhaps most glaring are the yrnmetrical ergonomics I experienced due to the exhaust plumbing just aft the right-side footrest. I found it more than just a little annoying that the heel of my right foot was splayed outward at an awkward angle. A long day in the saddle might leave a guy partially pigeon toed!
f can understand such lopsided logic on, say,a mile dirttracker or the steed ridden by the late Dale Evans. What I don't understand is why there appears to be more than ample clearance between the backside of the pipe and the tire to have allowed this Duc a more tidy tailpipe tuck. -Don Canet, Road Test Editor
AFrER TAKING Thi oui~ DUCATI 1098 LONGterm testbike, I had the same elation as that of a new owner, anticipating count less track days and long, sporting street rides on our screaming yellow flyer.
But as with many working Joes, dreams of playing Superbike Racer at Laguna Seca give way to the far more frequent reality of commuting. On the 1098, the underseat exhaust pipes were annoyingly hot when rattling through traffic, and while the riding position is far from being a rack-like torture device, the idea of a Superbike for the street was better than the real ity a lot of the time. Yes, the high points were high when I did get track time or a fun backroad run, but after 10,000 miles, I wish we'd had a crack at the Streetfighter S. It deliv ers similar performance but with a riding position that strikes a great balance between bombing the Corkscrew and droning along in the carpool lane. It's hard to call a $19K naked bike practical, but maybe we can soften the sticker shock with a bright yellow trade-in... -Mark Hoyer, Executive Editor
DUCATI STREETFIGHTER
$18,995
