Dropped into my local Triumph shop to pick up a new helmet and winter gloves, and was treated to a test ride of the new Ducati Streetfighter.  The motorcycle is essentially the 1098, stripped for the city of farings and with a very aggressive headlight/instrument cluster that sits very low and gives the bike a nasty, scrappy look that reminds me of the MV Augusta Brutale…but meaner.

The saddle is hard, like most of the Ducati sportbikes, but there is supposedly a gel seat being made for the Streetfighter.  That said, it was comfortable enough for a 20 minute jaunt through the twisties along the Manzano Mountains.  Like all Ducatis, the gearing is long and the bike is deceptive in its power.  You feel like you’re barely cracking the throttle, but the tach is reading 6000 at 55mph in second gear…but you’d swear you were only doing 30.  Fortunately, there were no police on the stretch of street I was on when I first took the machine out.

Passing is effortless.  Snap the throttle and hang on for your life.  This bike is fast — slam the breath out of you fast.  I got the Streetfighter up over 110 in forth gear in a second or two and was getting pushed backward in the saddle by the airflow over the bike.  Maneuverability is unbelievably snappy and controllable, and reminds me of the Triumph Street Triple — the Ducati is super-light, and I could steer with a little pressure from my middle fingers.  It’s like riding a cloud, and the Ducati does exactly what you want it to, no more, no less, and right away.  The brakes are very strong and there’s not a lot of play or curve to them.  And they stop the Streetfighter hard.  Stopping distance is easily on par with my Speed Triples 110 feet for a 60-0 stop.

Sound on the stock pipes is a bit peculiar:  the bike growls/purrs like a cougar, but the pitch is higher than I expected for a big bore sportbike.  The bike is powerful, but has a definite feminine quality to it.

I highly recommend trying a ride for the sportbike enthusiasts out there.  It’s a hell of a ride.