Confident contender – Supreme fighter
The Streetfighter 848 delivers pure motorcycle enjoyment with the sophisticated combination of a brand new and brilliantly engineered 848 Testastretta 11° engine and the enhanced geometry of a frame that ensures optimum agility with confidence-inspiring “feel”. With user-friendliness now enriched by a smooth and flexible power delivery, revised ergonomics and DTC, Ducati’s unique fighter style is set to create more excitement than ever.
The Ducati Streetfighter scored a round one knock-out when it entered the ring for the first time at the Milan show back in November 2008. Its supreme elegance stole the ‘Most Beautiful Bike’ award and raised the bar for extreme nakeds. Its asphalt-ripping reputation became the desire of sport naked connoisseurs throughout the world and the Streetfighter 848 now widens that desire with sophistication and everyday accessibility.
The 848 Testastretta 11° engine is a masterpiece of Desmodromic engineering. 132hp and an exhilarating 69lb-ft of torque is delivered with silky smooth precision by using innovative cam timing solutions proven on the now legendary Multistrada and Diavel power plants. The new engine lives and breathes Streetfighterstyle excitement, while revised chassis ergonomics and race-derived, eight-level electronic Ducati Traction Control ensure enhanced rider comfort and a confident ride.
The new fighter weighs in at a dry 169kg (373lb) dressed in red with a red frame for Ducati traditionalists, while yellow makes a comeback and the stunning dark stealth scheme underlines the Streetfighter’s aggressive image, both with frames finished in racing black.
With the exciting new Streetfighter 848, Ducati have combined state-of-the-art technology, skeletal styling and contemporary design to create authentic Italian performance at its very best.
Streetfighter reborn
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 sportbikes, 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. Ducati took 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, racebred 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. 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.
Add the awesome street-going Ducati Traction Control as standard equipment and Ducati Data Analysisready electronics and it’s clear that the Streetfighter 848 perfectly balances the essential DNA of an exciting naked motorcycle with the latest race-derived electronic technology.
Ducati passion
Ducati’s original Streetfighter project was inevitable. The passion to build the most successful Superbikes ever, mixed with the desire to create iconic, naked motorcycles was a rush of adrenaline just waiting to happen. Who else would create a bike for out-and-out purists to celebrate naked power in all its forms? A bike with muscle-engine performance, aggressive chassis engineering and intelligent electronics all laid bare to appreciate, respect and enjoy? Ducati build bikes for enthusiasts – for bikers who appreciate the details that come together to make an awesome bike, for perfectionists who instantly recognise excellence when they see it.
Ducati motorcycles are not just a means of transport, they are the realisation of dreams that set their riders apart from the rest of the world. They are an extension of character and the ultimate personal statement. The Streetfighter is built with pure Ducati passion and it’s ready to impress.
Naked Ducati detail
More attention to detail than ever before went into creating the Ducati Streetfighter. Repositioning many of the components usually hidden by bodywork and continuing to keep them out of sight was a major challenge for the design and engineering teams, but they pulled it off with impressive results. Add details such as the perfectly formed passenger seat cover, a rear hugger fitted as standard equipment and the pre-minimalised licence plate holder, and it’s plain to see that Ducati have gone that extra step to achieve the highest level of finish.
Take control
The Streetfighter 848 riding position is now even more empowering, with 20mm higher handlebars enhancing the overall ergonomic triangle and 10mm wider foot-pegs each side improving foot positioning. This continuous study on seat, footpeg and handlebar relationship has maximised comfort without losing the desired feeling of an extreme naked Ducati.
Showing attention to detail typical of all new Ducatis, the handlebars are gripped by beautifully shaped clamps that flow sleekly into the bar-risers. Even the switchgear presents minimalism at its best. The slimline bodies house easy-to-use switches and buttons and feature a unique weapons-like ‘trigger catch’ that slides down to cover the starter button when activating the kill-switch. Symmetrically mounted, remote brake and clutch reservoirs are small, low and compact and feed slim, radial master-cylinders with adjustable levers by Brembo to complete the clean and uncluttered controls arrangement.
The Streetfighter’s instrumentation continues that same clean look with a compact shape that blends into the aggressive line of the headlight. Information additional to the default read-outs is managed from the lefthand handlebar-mounted switch gear, allowing the rider to scroll through and select from various menus. The display presents rpm and speed, with the former displayed across the screen in a progressive bar graph. Additionally, the instruments display DTC status and level selected, lap times, time, air temperature, coolant temperature, battery voltage, two trips and a trip that automatically starts as the fuel system goes onto reserve. Warning lights illuminate to signify neutral, turn signals, high beam, rev-limit, low oil pressure, fuel reserve, DTC intervention and scheduled maintenance.
The instrument display can also be used to manage Ducati Traction Control settings, list lap times recorded by using the high-beam flash button as a stopwatch and additionally as a control panel for the activation of the Ducati Data Analyser (DDA) system, which is available as an accessory from Ducati Performance. The Streetfighter 848 has been built ‘system-ready’ for the data acquisition kit, which consists of a special DDA software and memory key that slots into a plug under the seat. The same plug also doubles as the connection for a handy battery charger also available as an accessory from Ducati Performance.