Having owned a both a Panigale 899 and a Panigale V2 previously, I have a real soft spot for the baby Panigale platform, and I've always found it an easier bike to ride hard and enjoy than the V4 when riding on the road. So, turning that glorious 955cc engine and monocoque chassis into a Streetfighter sounds like a recipe for an incredible road bike, doesn’t it?
Yes, yes it does! The Streetfighter V2 shares much of the same engine, chassis and tech platform as the Panigale V2, although it isn’t quite the same, besides the obvious alterations to a naked machine. As far as the figures go, thanks to some intake changes it makes 2bhp less, at 153bhp, and 2lb-ft less torque at 75lb-ft. Ducati have also fitted it with shorter gearing, to give the Streetfighter a little more urgency under acceleration. Other changes from the Panigale include a slightly longer swingarm for a bit more stability, a wider sub-frame, bigger seat and the supernaked bars. And, of course, the lack of bodywork.
But you do get the same adjustable Showa suspension, albeit with slightly softer, road based settings, Brembo brakes with slightly softer brake pads than the Panigale and then sticky Pirelli rubber, to seal the handling package. Electronically, the Streetfighter V2 comes equipped with a full six-axis IMU, which powers near enough all the rider aids under the sun, alongside a quickshifter and autoblipper as standard. This is fed through a TFT dash.
At over £15k, it’s a lot of cash, but it’s a lot of bike too – especially when you consider that it’s almost £5000 cheaper than the base level Streetfigher V4. But, how does it compare?
In all honesty, I adore the Streetfighter V2’s appearance. It's aggressive, it’s bold, and it's everything I look for in a naked bike, although if I'm honest, although I would've liked a little less plastic, and a little more carbon for the price – and no, I don’t fancy adding on some wings for a whopping £1000 price tag as an extra either. Saying that though, it still looks smart enough up close in the cockpit, as although it’s a tad small the dash is easy to use and the riding position is really nice and roomy, with those big, wide ‘bars offering a nice, upright riding position. It’s worth mentioning though that while it’s roomy, the seat height is fairly hefty if you're on the shorter side of the spectrum.
But it’s the riding experience where the Streetfighter V2 really does excel. At slow speeds, it's incredibly quiet, smooth and easy to navigate; in fact, due to some wizardry from Bologna (and a little butterfly in the exhaust), it's actually quieter pootling along at 3000rpm than it is at tickover, which makes it a pleasure to roll around at slow speeds. But when it’s singing, that V-twin engine is still an incredibly potent bit of kit, offering up the perfect amount of power to have fun with, without having to reach insane, licence losing speeds before the thrills arrive – and thanks to that wide spread of torque, it feels perfect to unleash on the open road, even if you’re a gear or two too high.
As much as the engine is incredible, it’s the handling where the Streetfighter V2 really earns its stripes. Like with nearly every modern Ducati, they just create magic in the corners; those Brembos offer an incredible amount of stopping power and everything just works so well, from the suspension to the chassis to those grippy Pirellis. Even with the more road-biased settings in the suspension, it doesn’t feel far off what I’d expect from its bigger, more expensive V4 brother, even if I do like to have some electronic adjustability from the suspension.
As far as its rivals go, it’s easy to stick the Streetfighter V2 in the upper-middleweight naked category, alongside the 890 Duke, MT-09SP or the Street Triple RS, yet after racking up the miles I can safely say that it sits higher up. As a package, it feels bigger and more complete, like a full-blown range topping machine and actually quite a bit more grown up, whereas the other machines tend to be more playful, and a little less refined. If you want a hooligan machine to just go nuts on then I would opt for something else, but for something that can be a hooligan (albeit not as happily) on occasion, while offering that little more in terms of style and substance, this is the tool for the job.
But there are some drawbacks; for starters, it will set you back £15,195. That is a lot of money whichever way you spin it, especially as it’s missing a few bits - the two big things for me are a lack of cruise control, and heated grips. For the money, I would’ve liked cruise control as standard and I'm a big fan of heated grips too - I like to wear the thinnest, raciest gloves for feel so a bit of warmth from the bars goes a long way. It doesn’t have launch control either, although I couldn’t really care less about that.
But then again, it’s not a big price to pay considering that it's got that special, Ducati zest about it; I couldn’t help but smile every time I cast my gaze on the Streetfighter’s aggressive face, staring at me when I opened the garage door. Like many other machines before it from Bologna, the attention it gets when riding through town is something special that instils a great feeling. Something only a big red Ducati can do.
Conclusion
Overall, the Streetfighter V2 is a great machine. If you class it in the upper-middleweight class it doesn’t quite do it justice, as in reality the V2 feels just a nip below the incredible V4 Streetfighter, but with almost a five grand saving. It's every bit as much bike as you'll ever need on the road, and in all honesty, as you ride it closer to its limits, it's more fun too.
