[Porschefire]

Originally Posted by Veelubai

With so much praise on the original streetfighter, you have missed a simple fact - However original you claim the OG Streetfighter to be, it is exactly a 1198 without the fairing, the tank, side profile, tail etc are all 1198. The only unique bit is the headlight. But the SF should obviously be expected to be a Panigale V4 without fairing. So the new SF is as it is supposed to be.

You are absolutely right, Veelubai. I completely agree with you. Based on your points, I can't help but think how much better then the 1198 was in terms of design than the latest Panigale V4! The proportions, the body work, the trellis frame and everything else screamed Italian exotica! No wonder the SF based on the 1198 looked absolutely drool!

No offence to the the fans but the Ducatis of late have wandered away from their away signature designs, especially the Panigale V4 which has gotten more BMW-ish or dare I say, Japanese! The Streetfighter V4 suffers due to this. The headlight, as Neil pointed out, makes the whole bike like an Italian Z1000 and that makes the SF V4 design more yesterday than current!

Originally Posted by Veelubai

Looks are definitely subjective but performance figures arent. The more, the better & I think Ducati have made a mental package with the new SF. As for a unique design, maybe let's wait for a whole new Ducati model

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

In light of this, to me, it would have made all the sense in the world for Ducati to give the Streetfighter the show to match the go.

IMHO, a Ducati with all show and no go may work in the market but vice-versa is a big no-no!

[alphadog]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Haha you are in a minority indeed.

Just look at this beauty. Looks so raw and purposeful.

And i wont even get started on Panigale V4 ..... best looking sportsbike by far - its got the absolute perfect lines.

PS: Kawasaki ZH2 is absolutely garbage looking.

Totally agree with the above.

What a beauty it is!. The Panigale V4 is such a beautiful piece of art in that perfect red colour and this naked one looks superb.

Beauty, as they say, lies in the eyes of the beholder. It is very subjective. But, I am sure the people who do not like the looks will be a minority. The old Streetfighter in my opinion looks very busy, almost feels like a monstrosity (pun intended). Whereas this new streetfighter looks clean and sleek, Sugomi inspired design or otherwise. The ZH2 on the other hand looks down right ugly and its an abomination. What a shame!. They could have atleast made it sort of similar to the erstwhile Z1000.

I get flutters in my tummy and big grin plastered on my face every time I ride my 125 bhp, 200 kg, Z900. I can only imagine, I might squeal like a starstruck teenage girl if I get to ride those 200 Bhps, on a 178 kg body.

All said and done, Ducati sports bikes are real eye candy but I am afraid the same cannot be said about their naked bikes. But this one, beats that trend.

Cheerio!

[ethanhunt123]

So the Streetfighter V4 gets voted as the Most beautiful bike of EICMA 2019. And some here thought it didnt look good

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

So the Streetfighter V4 gets voted as the Most beautiful bike of EICMA 2019. And some here thought it didnt look good

Z1000 was a stunner ever since it came out. Although the design is old now, the similar Streetfighter looks very good in Ducati flair and colours. I so wish Kawasaki hadn't done the ZH2 and just put that motor in the Z1000 instead!

That said - most beautiful bike? When the Superveloce was launched? Superveloce is a true Italian beauty - so unique, so beautiful and so timeless!

Even among naked bikes, the Brutale 1000RR was a lot better than the Ducati in my personal opinion, though the Ducati wasn't too bad in itself. When comparing the two, the silver gaudy finish of the lines around the radiator, the brownish engine parts and chunky silver silencer takes away from the otherwise beautiful top design of the Ducati.

Anyways, historically Ducati has almost always won this award in their home show - even with the Supersport and Scrambler. Favourite with the home crowd for sure, no doubt helped by some of their other beautiful designs. The older Panigale designs were the best ever!

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Anyways, historically Ducati has almost always won this award in their home show - even with the Supersport and Scrambler. Favourite with the home crowd for sure, no doubt helped by some of their other beautiful designs. The older Panigale designs were the best ever!

Do I smell sour grapes ?

Jokes aside - Streetfighter isn’t as striking as the Panigale’s - but it’s a bloody good looking bike. And the Brutale/Superveloce are not new - infact didn’t one of them win this award last year ?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Do I smell sour grapes ?

Jokes aside - Streetfighter isn’t as striking as the Panigale’s - but it’s a bloody good looking bike. And the Brutale/Superveloce are not new - infact didn’t one of them win this award last year ?

Yes. A lot, quite a lot in fact, ever since the Fireblade sneaked up and stole the show.

Anyways, my comments about the Street Fighter V4 looking like the Kawasaki Z1000 date back to initial spy images itself. Infact, the spy pictures look ditto copy, but thankfully the production motorcycles just look similar.

Superveloce was a concept last year. Production version was launched at EICMA, while bookings for a limited edition of 300 units was opened two months back.

Is it only for new bikes launched at EICMA? Technically even the Street Fighter V4 was launched ahead of EICMA, not at EICMA.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Yes. A lot, quite a lot in fact, ever since the Fireblade sneaked up and stole the show.

You mean a so so looking bike which isn’t even the most powerful in its class The only place where Fireblade stole the show was in Honda fanboi’s hearts

BTW Brutale Serie Oro already win the award last year - and its a fine looking bike indeed.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Anyways, historically Ducati has almost always won this award in their home show - even with the Supersport and Scrambler. Favourite with the home crowd for sure, no doubt helped by some of their other beautiful designs. The older Panigale designs were the best ever!

Since the new concept Ducati motorcycles displayed at EICMA were far from pleasing to everyone (except the fawning local automobile media), naturally the award for the best looking Ducati at EICMA had to go to the red Z1000 with fins errr Ducati Superfighter. To be fair though, this is a ugly friend effect 101 trick where you surround yourself with not so attractive companions to boost your own attractiveness.

Dont believe me? These are the two concepts that Ducati showcased at EICMA.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Since the new concept Ducati motorcycles displayed at EICMA were far from pleasing to everyone (except the fawning local automobile media), naturally the award for the best looking Ducati at EICMA had to go to the red Z1000 with fins errr Ducati Superfighter. To be fair though, this is a ugly friend effect 101 trick where you surround yourself with not so attractive companions to boost your own attractiveness.

I can sense some more envy in this comment. Here is the some not so local media "Fawning" over the Ducati concepts as you say -

Cycleworld - https://www.cycleworld.com/top-conce...at-eicma-2019/

Forbes - https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanca.../#1ae329554ded

Motorcycle.com - https://www.motorcycle.com/mini-feat...-concepts.html

I guess if you your favourite designs cant win a award - just keep creating noise about partiality / match fixing / design inspiration etc to calm yourself

[neil.jericho]

Well, the verdict is in. Key takeaways
- Versatile and very capable.
- Too highly priced (for the UK market).
- Very un-Ducati-ish motorcycle. Seems to be missing the special Ducati sauce.
- Teutonic. It could be the S1000R (sacrilege for the fans of Ducati, I know )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeNaFrCqQV8

[Odeen12]

Late to the party, but i'd even agree the motorcycle is not as good looking. I am sure it must be a riot to ride but i don't know, from a cosmetic POV it does lack appeal.

Also i think when you plonk something as absurd as a 208BHP street fighter, you are going for bonkers and to make a statement. Then in that case why not make a good looking one?

MV does get a lot flack for reliability and rightly so i guess. But when it comes to design and sheer artistic interpretation of a what a motorcycle can be, they are never short of a bloody renaissance.

I love the their Dragsters and now this 207BHP Rush is something you, your kid, your grand son / daughter and so on would admire.







I know it's a limited edition motorcycle or super expensive, but to just highlight the design philosophy behind this is sheer madness.

You see this and then the V4 streetfighter and suddenly the latter feels Vanilla!!

[neil.jericho]

Another very insightful video from the boys at 44 Teeth, this time with the dyno results of the Streetfighter. The comparison with the (cheaper) Tuono is quite interesting and they do pose a good question with regard to, in the real world, does a street bike need to rev all the way to near 15,000 rpm? Has the race between manufacturers to win the spec sheet battles made some of the power delivery on the Streetfighter pointless?

The Streetfighter does showcase an interesting dichotomy, albeit a puzzling one when you think about it. Its versatile and usable and toned down from the usual Ducati standards and expectations, but it has a whole lot of power left in the top end which is unusable on most public roads. I look forward to the comparison videos later in the year from the different international journos to see how it actually stacks up against the Tuono and SuperDuke.

44 Teeth

[neil.jericho]

The first of the long awaited comparison videos between the Ducati Streetfighter V4S and the Kawasaki ZH2 is out. The video isnt too technical and has offers good insights.

- Though the ZH2 was criticized for being much heavier and with less power output (~ 10 HP), in the real world the supercharger on the Kawasaki makes the Ducati feel slow. Just goes to show we shouldnt live our lives on paper specs.
- Ducati has the edge in the handling department.
- Kawasaki ZH2 comes with features like cruise control while the Ducati Streetfighter V4S doesnt. (Other reviewers have pointed out that even the V4S doesnt get fancy carbon parts which it should given its lofty pricing)
- Massive difference in price, the ZH2 is $ 17,000 and the Streetfighter V4S is $ 24,000. That is an eye wateringly 41% more expensive for a bike that is slower on the road!

Cycle World

[neil.jericho]

My Youtube suggestions are now littered with Ducati Streetfighter review videos, so here is another one, this time from Visordown.

They dont seem to be too enamoured by the motorcycle
- Too much power for a street bike and engine starts going at 7 - 8,000 RPM. This output can be used only on a race track and beats the point of it being a street bike. This mirrors the 44 teeth dyno test video feedback.
- This particular bike was shod with lower spec tires, we will have to see if the actual delivery bikes come with the same Rosso II tires or more modern and grippier tires.
- Visordown would pick a base Panigale V4 or Yamaha R1M for the same money over the Streetfighter.

I am guessing that maybe the inevitable Streetfighter V2 might be a better package overall that the V4S?

Visordown

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

- Though the ZH2 was criticized for being much heavier and with less power output (~ 10 HP), in the real world the supercharger on the Kawasaki makes the Ducati feel slow. Just goes to show we shouldnt live our lives on paper specs.

Same case with the H2 as well. It doesn't have a huge advantage on paper - but all the reviewers say they were mind blown by the power delivery.

If only the ZH2 at least looked neutral! Can't believe they couldn't take inspiration from the outgoing Z1000 which aged so well, that even Ducati was inspired.

Overall, both these nakeds seem to be just paper flagships. Way too much machine for anyone to use out on the streets!