Ducati Streetfighter 848's first ride

Knee-sliders have a very short life span. Especially when the combination is a lethal one, consisting of a brand new race track laced with virgin asphalt and a powerful, beautifully engineered motorcycle. I’d be stupid if I said I didn’t know that. But while I have experienced the latter on several occasions, a combination of the two was just a dream. And the dream couldn’t have turned into reality in grander fashion than to experience a spanking new race track in Italy astride a spanking new Ducati. The occasion? The launch of the new Ducati Streetfighter 848. I have ridden several Ducatis, but the Streetfighter eluded me until now. And arguably it is the Ducati I have wanted to ride having heard about its aggressiveness and maniacal power delivery. Launched about two years ago, the Streetfighter was a stripped version of the 1098 Superbike, with a minimal yet aggressive styling package, and even won several awards for its styling. But contrary to popular belief, sport nakeds are not just superbikes stripped of their body work. Several changes are incorporated to bring about the much needed change in its character. Sport nakeds boast of strong initial and mid range punch, which is their core strength. As a result, the Streetfighter turned out to be one of the most aggressive nakeds from Ducati, and given its raw pulling power was a beast only experienced riders could tame. The 1098 was also famous for being a bit too hair trigger, extremely highly strung and in that sense unforgiving. The bike was thrilling to no end given the chassis, the 1098 derived engine and had loads of torque everywhere, but was too hot to handle given its uncompromising nature, and had non-extreme riders ask for more usability.
 
Enter the ‘new’ Streetfighter 848. The 848 is the first model from Ducati’s 2012 line-up, and resembles its larger sibling in form, but has been tweaked to improve on its functionality and make it more practical. The styling package remains identical to ensure the smaller Streetfighter retains its identity and does not lose the visual aggressiveness. As a result I found myself facing the same compact front end as on the Streetfighter 1098. With its compact headlight and comparatively broad body the motorcycle gives the appearance of a muscular hunk with a broad torso in a crouch. The clocks are tiny and sit atop the headlight, but provide loads of information. The chiseled fuel tank along with Ducati’s trademark exposed trellis frame looks delicious. The chassis geometry has been derived from the 848 (as in the smaller version of the 1098 superbike) so as to keep the bike’s agility and light feel intact. At the same time, the vertically stacked twin end cans and exposed ten-spoke rear alloy lend a touch of class.

The Streetfighter 848 uses the 848 EVO sportsbike’s 849cc 90-degree V-twin engine, which is a smaller version of Ducati’s Testastretta 11 degree engine seen on the Multistrada and Diavel. 11 degrees in this case is the valve overlap. This in simpler words is that period of the combustion cycle when the inlet and exhaust valves both are open at the same time. On the 848 EVO this engine makes 140PS, but for the 848 Streetfighter it has been tuned to boost initial and mid range grunt to make it more street-friendly, and produces 132PS at 10,000rpm. Torque is down as well from the 848 EVO’s 98Nm to 93.5Nm at 9500rpm. Apart from being an untamed beast, the bigger Streetfighter was also accused of being rather uncomfortable by many riders. Ducati have taken care of this by softening the suspension, even as equipment remains top notch, and the 848 boasts of Marzocchi 43mm fully adjustable forks upfront and a fully adjustable Sachs monoshock at the rear. The riding position has also been revised, and the handlebar is now placed 20mm higher than the Streetfighter 1098. All these changes are aimed at making the Streetfighter more accessible and less intimidating, crucial to bring more customers into the Ducati experience.

We were taken to the Autodromo di Modena, an all-new race track on the outskirts of Modena city, where we were to experience the bike, apart from riding on road. According to our batches, I was to ride the bike on road first, and I must add here that the route chalked out by Ducati was a something hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts would dream of riding on. We were to ride up into the hills of Maranello, and even pass the legendary Ferrari factory and the Fiorano test track – these are also the roads where Ferrari tests its cars. As I started riding I found the Streetfighter 848’s power delivery to be friendly and linear, perfect for the road. Once we hit the highway the Streetfighter got a chance to stretch its legs, and here all that was required to pass cars and trucks was a twist of the throttle. Cruising at 120kmph was no problem on the Streetfighter, but as is the case with most nakeds, after 130kmph the windblast makes you want to slow down.

The suspension at both ends worked well to soak in whatever little undulations Italy’s roads had to offer, but I am quite certain the same set up will feel stiffer on our roads. As we entered Maranello, the twisties began, something I was waiting for. We soon passed the Ferrari factory, and I was really hoping I could stop and take the standard touristy photograph. But unfortunately our ride was planned without any photo ops, which meant I could only absorb the beauty of the countryside very quickly even as the bike flowed through the corners. The Streetfighter was more than happy approaching corners and being flicked from left to right to left, even allowing mid-corner changes without throwing tantrums. Initially getting used to riding on the ‘right’ side of the road felt a bit odd, but once I got past that mental block, I had a blast riding through the innumerable uphill and downhill sections the roads offered. Adding to the party was the linear power delivery, allowing me to exit corners without shifting down each time, except whenever the revs dropped below 2500rpm where the bike seemed to feel sluggish. The only problem was around right handed corners, since each time I placed the ball of my right foot on the peg to lean into the corner, the exhaust shield fouled with my boots. I found this a bit odd, since it was surprising on Ducati’s part to have overlooked the fact. Despite the fact that I had done close to 100km, I was feeling as fresh as I was when I started off a couple of hours back apart from my wrists feeling slightly loaded.
 



Post lunch I was waiting for my track session, and I was informed that the track was a rather tight one, with several slow corners, and just a couple of fast ones. The Autodromo di Modena as I mentioned is a brand new race track, which boasts of eight right hand and three left hand corners. The total track length is 2km, and has a 477m long main straight. As I set out I soaked in the details of the corners, and realised most of the corners were slow, and at best I would be able to use second or third gear. Twisting the throttle upwards of 2500rpm almost anywhere in the powerband produced smile-inducing results, and every time I whacked the throttle open in second at the corner exit, the Streetfighter 848’s front wheel was ready to come up without any effort. Corner exits are where V-twin engines are best enjoyed, and given its crisp throttle response the 848 was perfectly suited to the tight corners. Its light and nimble feel which I had experienced on the road earlier in the day became even more prominent on the track, and coupled with the crisp throttle response and superb grip from the tyres made for a highly engaging experience. The 848 wears high-spec Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa tyres specially developed for it. The front end is shod with a 120/70 R17 tyre, whereas the rear end uses a 180/60 R17 one. In the Streetfighter 848’s case, the rear tyre’s aspect ratio has been raised to 60 from the conventional 55 in the interest of rider comfort and better damping. The Streetfighter 848 also features the same eight level traction control unit seen on Ducati’s flagship superbike – the 1198SP as standard, which with the grippy rubber boosted my confidence levels enormously.   

Some of the tighter corners at the track required the brakes to be trailed deep into the corner, and the 848 had no trouble with that. As is the case with other Ducatis, the 848’s brakes felt great to use, and helped me slow down perfectly, corner after corner. The 848 boasts top spec Brembos, and uses two 320mm radially mounted discs upfront which are held by 4-piston callipers wearing soft feel sintered pads. Despite a full session on the super-tight track there were no signs of brake fade, something I found very impressive. The brakes weren’t super sharp as is the case with most big bikes these days, but feel and braking power were more than enough; in fact good enough to make stoppies seem like cake walk. Wheelies weren’t difficult at all either, and the 848 delighted me each time I attempted to lift the front wheel off tarmac, allowing me to pop wheelies each time I chopped the throttle and whacked it open.
 
The bike has been launched internationally, and has priced it at around Rs 7.75 lakh. The Ducati Streetfighter 848 price in India will be around Rs 11.5 lakh. Ducati should be bringing it to India very soon where it will be pitted against the Honda CB1000R and the Yamaha FZ1. It seems almost obvious that the Honda and Yamaha will both enjoy a price advantage over the Streetfighter 848 when the bike is launched. But at the same time, it can be safely said that the Ducati feels a lot more premium than the two, and boasts of higher equipment levels. And yes, I am waiting for it to be launched in India armed with a brand new set of knee sliders.