"Spanish bombs in Andalucía, oh mi corazon." – The Clash, Spanish Bombs
With apologies to one of the greatest bands ever, this time around in Andalucía it was an Italian bombshell that was stealing hearts. Ducati's new Superbike-based Streetfighter truly is the bomb.
Unlike nearly every naked bike we can think of, Ducati has created a stripped-down, super-sporting roadster without excuses – no tuning for torque, and no dumbed-down suspension.
The Streetfighter's engine is ripped nearly unchanged from the 1098 sportbike, differing only in shorter intake tracts that knock off a scant 5 hp. The result is a claimed 155 hp at 9500 rpm, aided by a midrange-inducing exhaust valve. The use of the 1198's Vacural cast-aluminum crankcase shaves nearly 7 pounds from the engine.
"It's like 100 liters of adrenaline," Giulio Malagoli, the Streetfighter's project leader, told
Motorcycle.com about his latest creation. Malagoli is also the inspired mind behind the recently launched Monster 696 and 1100 air-cooled models. The new Streetfighter is now the most radical of Ducati's naked bikes, replacing the discontinued Monster S4RS that measures up 25 hp short of the SF's 1099cc Testastretta Evoluzione powerplant.
More:
2009 Ducati Streetfighter Review on Motorcycle.com
