Ducati Streetfighter V4 Review: Firing on all cylinders

There aren’t too many petrol cars in India that produce 200 hp. One of the cars that does is the Mahindra XUV700, which weighs two tonnes and still accelerates at a rate of knots. Now, just try and imagine a petrol engine making 208 hp – on a motorcycle weighing 199 kg.

Outrageous doesn’t even begin to describe the Ducati Streetfighter V4, and (not surprisingly) it’s the world’s most powerful production naked bike, with a power-to-weight ratio of 1,045 hp per tonne, which is just off the charts. You need some serious family-jewel fortitude to ride a bike like this, and in all honesty, I don’t possess enough of said quality to do so at the bike’s limit. That didn’t stop me from having a go at it anyway, and here’s what I found out.

Ducati isn’t messing around with this machine, and that begins with the way it looks – which is, frankly, like it’s planning your demise. It’s a series of angry-looking edges, slashes and lines, all coming together furiously in a compact package that isn’t much bigger than many 400cc machines. Its Transformer-like design is ultra-aggressive, and if you stare at those slim headlights, you can feel the bike staring back at you. Subtle this thing is not.

Power-packed engine

Firing up the engine further emphasises its extreme nature. Ideally you should do this in an open, unpopulated area so that you don’t scare unsuspecting bystanders half to death – the Streetfighter's BS6-compliant V4 engine is ridiculously loud (in a very good way, I hasten to add).

Another great place to do would be a tunnel, so that you can grin maniacally as the brutal exhaust note reverberates all around you. This bike sounds like it’s spoiling for a fight from the get-go, and that aspect of it sets you on edge even before you’ve settled in its seat.

Once you do, it’s crucial that you know how to select its riding modes via its TFT screen and the buttons on the handlebar. If you’re new to machines this powerful, Street mode is the one to go with; here, the electronics restrict peak power to 155 hp, which makes the bike much more manageable to ride (in all conditions, not just in traffic).

The Streetfighter is almost docile in this mode, and the electronics really work superbly to keep you right side up; mind you, a mere twist of the right wrist and you’ll blast off the line anyway, Street mode or not. I tell you, the noise this bike makes at full throttle is quite insane – it’s much more ‘refined’ than previous Ducatis I’ve ridden (which tended to sound like they were gargling ball bearings), but it still makes a hair-raising racket.

That isn’t the half of it. Find a long and empty enough stretch of road, switch to Sport mode and prepare for all hell to break loose. All 208 thundering hp are now at your disposal, and when you pin the throttle, the acceleration is nothing short of blinding.

It’s really warp-speed stuff, and you need to lean right over the handlebar to cut as much of the wind blast as you can as the Streetfighter shreds its way towards the horizon. If you manage to look at the TFT screen, you’ll likely be shocked when you realise that you seem close to breaking the sound barrier – and the bike still has plenty in reserve. To be exact, 14,500 rpm is the engine’s limit, and I have no qualms in stating that I didn’t have the guts to push the bike that far; my self-preservation instincts kicked in when I saw the speedometer flashing northwards of 230 kph, and I backed off.

There’s so much power and torque coming out of the 1,103cc V4 engine that I was expecting the front wheel to reach for the sky every time I gave it some gas, but thankfully that wasn’t the case. There’s wheelie-control hard at work here, which lets you shift rapidly through the gears without fear of falling over backwards; there’s also a counter-rotating crankshaft in the engine that helps to control wheelies, as well as other electronic nannies like engine brake control, traction control, slide control and launch control.

It’s difficult to put into words just how well the Streetfighter handles. It has an advanced suspension that is electronically controlled, which means that the damping is modulated depending on which riding mode you’re in as well as the condition of the road. You can feel it tightening or softening up below you, and although its default nature is stiff and sporty, it’s never bad enough to rattle your teeth; you do need to be gentle over bad roads, of course, because the ground clearance is quite low. In corners, the bike is laser-sharp and feels like it’s been glued to the ground, which is very confidence-inspiring.

It rides on Pirelli Rosso Corsa 2 tyres which are supremely grippy, and the cutting-edge Brembo brakes are far and away the finest you’re ever likely to experience. I can guarantee you that you’ll never exploit the Streetfighter’s full handling limit, unless you’re a really experienced rider flogging the bike around a racetrack.

Although you can ride it in city traffic, the Streetfighter is best used out on the open road. It has a tall seating position, a rather stiff clutch and a big turning circle, plus it emits a lot of heat, despite its cylinder-deactivation system cutting off the rear cylinders when the bike is idling; these aren’t ideal in slow-moving conditions.

In open riding conditions, the bike is a joy to ride and will thrill and scare you in equal measure. It’ll also lead to some awkward conversations with your bank manager, since riding it hard will give you fuel efficiency figures of around 8 kpl. Said manager will also raise an eyebrow at the Streetfighter’s Rs 23 lakh ex-showroom price (for the V4 S version; the standard one costs Rs 20 lakh). Of course, if you can afford it you’ll be able to tell them to mind their own business, because for the money you’ll have the most hardcore street bike in the country. Whether you’ll be able to fully handle it is another question.