Ducati unveils Streetfighter V4 and Streetfighter V4 S at World Premiere

The Ducati World Premiere coincided with the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show, and the bikes that everybody's been waiting for has finally been completely unveiled, the Streefighter V4 and Streetfighter V4 S.

We got glimpses of a pretty heavily camouflaged prototype Streetfighter V4 at Pikes Peak. Essentially, the Streetfighter is a Panigale V4, but in its naked form. So, obviously no body panels and wider handlebars. But the design language is truly Ducati, big bulky tank, short pillion seat so that no one is tempted to actually sit on it and the engine left out to be showcased to the world.

What's more is that the bosses at Ducati say that the design has been inspired by another, more controversial favourite character, The Joker. This makes the bike quite menacing when looked at head on.

What the Streetfighter also gets are the biplane wings designed to generate downforce at the higher speeds that the bike is capable of. Ducati says this is as much as 28 kg at speeds of 270 km/h. The wings also help with stability while braking and cornering, thereby reducing the need for electronic intervention.

The engine too has been lifted straight off the Panigale V4. Of course it has been tuned slightly differently to suit a naked bike. That means, the 1,103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 engine is capable of delivering 208 PS of maximum power at 12,750 rpm and 123 Nm of peak torque at 11,500 rpm. Now, Ducati wants you to ride this bike like a maniac and is also willing to offer an Akrapovic full exhaust system that bumps up the figures even more to 220 PS and 130 Nm.

Suspension on the V4 comes via 43 mm Showa big piston forks up front and a Sachs monoshock at the rear, both fully adjustable. The V4 S on the other hand gets semi-active and electronically damped suspension both at the front on the 43 mm Ohlins NIX30 USD forks and at the back on Sachs monoshocks.

Getting down to electronics, the Streetfighter gets the whole suite of rider assists from the Panigale. This includes switchable riding modes Ducati Quick Shift, Ducati Launch Control, Engine Brake Control EVO and a six-axis IMU to allow for cornering ABS, Ducati Traction Control EVO 2, Ducati Slide Control and Ducati Wheelie Control.

I suppose it's enough to say that the performance and thrill we expected mainly from litre-class sport bikes is now moving to the litre-class nakeds too. At the Tokyo Motor Show, on the same day, Kawasaki also launched their super-naked, the Z H2 and this will directly rival the Streetfighter V4.