2011 Ducati Streetfighter Review

Staying true to the 2010 Streetfighter, the 2011 is practically the same as a Ducati 1098 Superbike. The Streetfighter is built with a longer chassis designed for comfort and has the side panels removed for a more aesthetically pleasing design. This bike is stripped to its bare essentials to hold true to the enthusiast's favorite, an extremely naked bike. It uses the same liquid-cooled, 1099-cc, L-Twin engine found in the 2008 Ducati 1098 with a reworked intake and cooling system. This monster also uses the huge 4.09-inch bore and 2.55-inch stroke found in its 1098 counterpart. The Streetfighter has a 25.6-degree rake, producing a much less aggressive steering curve than the 1098. It also has a longer swingarm than the 1098 with a wheelbase of 58.1 inches. Many enthusiasts agree that this bike handles like a dream. Since the Streetfighter was designed to be a naked bike, stripped of its side panels, Ducati engineers really had to focus on the layout of the wiring and the cooling system to hide the mess of wires that would normally appear behind the side panels of a typical sports bike. To help achieve these aesthetics, they gave the Streetfighter twin curved back radiators, one on top of the other, with a heat exchanger below the bottom radiator. The six-speed transmission and the rest of the powertrain system is also the exact same as the 1098.

The bike comes in two models, the Base 848 and the S model. The chassis is made of a black steel-trellis frame, with the S model painted bronze. The 848 comes with graphite grey 10-spoke Marchesini aluminum alloy wheels, the S model is a step up from the 848 equipped with a lighter bronze five-spoke forged aluminum Marchesini wheels and also had the Showa suspension (found on the 848) replaced with adjustable Öhlins front and rear suspension components. With a powerful 155-hp engine and its huge big bore, 85 lb-ft of torque, and a curb weight of only 373 pounds, this bike has the raw power of a racing bike and is lethal on the streets. The long gearing of the transmission allows this bike to reach phenomenal speeds above 170 mph. It runs a quarter mile in 10.81 seconds at 129.7 mph and reaches zero to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds.

This bike looks just as scary as it rides, a true Streetfighter that allows the rider to sit in a more comfortable upright position. This bike has very few controls or instruments, and has a single bright headlight leaving the front end with a bare essential look. The dual exhaust is stacked on the right leaving the tail wide open. This is an enthusiast bike for riders who are looking for the absolute extreme in power, while sacrificing the comfort of a heavier, smoother ride.