Driving report: Ducati Aachen Streetfighter

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Driving report: Ducati Aachen Streetfighter

Driving report: Ducati Aachen Streetfighter

Ducati Aachen tuned a streetfighter

Wide handlebars, powerful engine. Ducati’s Streetfighter comes across as very self-confident as standard. Ducati Aachen took the street fighter to its chest and awakened hidden potential.

Pain. In the neck. Ouch. A tuned naked bike like this takes a lot of strength on the racetrack. Especially since Matthias Muller from Ducati Aachen put a lot of effort into putting the pilot’s power reserves to the test.

D.he tuner took Ducati’s muscle man bike, the Streetfighter, to his chest and pimped the Italian, who is already strong as a bear, for optimal country road performance and occasional trips to the racetrack – that’s the plan.

Tuning
In order to unlock the full potential of the fighter, the Aachen-based tuner went to great lengths: on the engine side, Muller reduced the flywheel mass, adjusted the timing and installed a Power Commander, a kit control unit and a Termignoni ABE system to optimize the air-gas mixture plus sports air filter from Ducati’s performance catalog.

Ducati Aachen used the Power Commander as a trick to improve the start and response of the Streetfighter in the lower speed range, which was not possible due to problems with the lambda probe with the kit control unit alone.

Muller also used a combination of several elements for the fork. For example, Andreani and Ohlins’ innards work in the Ducati fork, while a TTX strut from Ohlins collects the uneven ground at the back. In order to underline the country road character of the motorcycle, the Aacheners tuned their fighter on the Nordschleife.

Ducati man Muller only intervened discreetly in the standard, already very aggressive and bite-proof brake system and only replaced the front brake discs with stylish wave discs from Braking. He preferred to invest the budget saved in this way in sleek Marchesini magnesium wheels, the elaborate paintwork and a carbon swing arm cover.

A two-way adjustable Ducati performance footrest system and a tubular handlebar, which is especially low for use on the racetrack, put the pilot in an attacking position.

Driving impression


The combination of chic cladding and high-quality parts makes the Streefighter from Aachen look very classy.

Let’s get into battle! Already in the first lap it is noticeable that the well-intentioned idea with the deep racetrack handlebars is of little use in practice. In spite of the strongly front-oriented, low crouched seating position, the pilot hangs on the handlebars like a gymnast on the bar for lack of wind protection in the parabolic. Ouch. There it is again, the neck pain. In addition, when fighting the air masses, the driver uses the wide handlebars to constantly induce unrest into the motorcycle.

The characteristics of the tuned Testastretta compensate for the physical exertion. The two-cylinder hangs very directly on the gas, reacts aggressively to the slightest plucking of the gas handle and pulls the pilot’s arms out, accompanied by a beguiling sound. No wonder: the Streetfighter pushes more than 100 Nm of torque over almost the entire engine speed range. The only small downer of the impressive Ducati drive concerns the automatic gearshift. He reacts somewhat unwillingly to one or the other gear change request.

In the braking zone, the Streetfighter rewards the stamina of the pilot with a splendid bite and great dosage with little hand strength. Despite the mass gathered at the front including the driver, the stern remains stable even with hard anchoring.

At the entrance to the bend, the positive side of the wide handlebars becomes apparent: A minimal steering impulse is enough and the 186 kilogram naked bike greedily folds into a lean angle. In the curve, however, the fighter lacks stability. There is a lot of unrest in the motorcycle, especially on bumps.

With this it is over again at the corner exit. The Ohlins shock absorber braces itself firmly and stably against the acceleration forces and reliably informs the pilot about the grip of the rear tire. The fork also responds well and, despite the nervous basic character of the streetfighter, gives the feeling of having everything under control at all times.

With a happy grin, the pilot takes off his helmet at the end of the turn. For the fun potential of this street fighter from Ducati Aachen, you willingly accept neck pain.

Data


Drawing: archive

The performance diagram of the Streetfighter.

At 4000 rpm, the Streetfighter’s Testastretta presses 100 Nm of torque on the test stand roller. Clean! The performance curve is also convincing and climbs to 162 hp at 9800 rpm without any drops.

Weight: 186 kg
Front / back: 51.4 / 48.6%
power: 162 hp
price: 24,000 euros


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Matthias Muller from Ducati Aachen.

Matthias Muller
Ducati Aachen
Neuenhofstrasse 140, 52078 Aachen
Tel .: 0241/900 600
www.moll-automobile.de

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