Streetfighter V4S test: the Ducati roadster ready for take off
We are in the year 2020 and the flying motorcycles still do not circulate by the thousands over our helmets, but some motorcycles are similar to fighter planes … This is the case of the Ducati Streetfighter V4S equipped with small fins. MNC takes control: test !
Streetfighter V4S test page 2: The roadster from Mars
The Streetfighter lives up to its name. Athletic appearance, resounding voice, red color: everything matches! This motorcycle looks like a gladiator and would make a great mount for the god of warriors in Roman mythology. The god Mars, yes, who gave his name to the planet on which this Ducati seems to be able to catapult its pilot…
And yet, the first turns of the wheel go smoothly. It must be said that Site took care to select the wisest driving mode ("Street") and to set the engine to "Low", which restricts its power to 115 hp (14 hp more than the first S4 all the same) and greatly tempers his character.
The V4 "Desmosidici Stradale" is surprisingly flexible: you drive in third, or even fourth gear in town without playing with the clutch. The final drive ratio of the roadster, much shorter than that of the original Panigale (one tooth less at the pinion, one more at the crown) is a precious ally in this exercise..
In fourth at 3000 rpm, the V4 purrs while the bike trots at 50 km / h. Big advantage in this specific situation: between 50 and 55 km / h, the noisy 4-cylinder is muted. We move around without disturbing other road or sidewalk users. After 55 km / h on the other hand, the din is back.
Another advantage that greatly simplifies the task of the engine: the extreme lightness of this Streetfighter! The Italians are right to communicate on the dry weight of their new machine (178 kg), because the Journal moto du Net really has the impression that its Italian companion weighs less than the 199 kg all full facts announced on the technical sheet ( on next page) !
The grip is obvious thanks to the lightness of the front axle. At low speed, the Ohlins electronic damper does not interfere with the steering in any way. The only regret at this stage: the turning radius is too large to maneuver effectively in traffic jams or to park in the micro-parking spaces allocated to motorized two-wheelers..
The somewhat hard clutch does not tire the left forearm, because its use is limited to stops and restarts! Whether in a busy city center or on a fluid highway, on a cool road or on a rough circuit, the quick-shifter is formidable in efficiency and ease of up and down gears..
Also excellently well calibrated, the wireless throttle perfectly conveys the pilot’s wishes. The discovery of the Streetfighter V4 is very smooth. A little too much !? After all, customers of maxi-sports maxiroadsters are looking for thrills … Let them be reassured immediately: they will be served !
MNC selects the "Medium" engine mode, chosen by Ducati for the "Street" and "Sport" driving modes. If changing the engine mode requires entering the onboard computer submenus, juggling between the driving modes is done with a long key on the left stalk and a simple throttle cut is enough to validate your choice..
A surprisingly livable Ducati
By using the "Street" mode by default, the flexibility and the docility of the engine remain appreciable but the times become much more exciting! Between 3000 and 6000 rpm already, automobiles and the vast majority of two or three-wheelers quickly disappear in the retro.
On the Streetfighter V4S that MNC is testing, it is also possible to play with the suspensions – electronic! – without taking out his toolbox or his notebook. Rather than leaving the hand to the Ohlins control unit and its "Dynamic" mode, the Journal moto du Net decides to set its own values of expansion and compression.
Accessing the settings of the NIX30 fork and the TTX36 shock absorber is very simple … provided that you have been careful during the demonstration by the press manager or the Ducati salesperson! The menu navigation is quickly integrated and the inscriptions on the screen are always easy to understand.
To cross Versailles and its cobbled streets, Site places the sliders of its suspensions three-quarters to the left (Soft) and effectively gains in comfort. For motorcycle-work-sleep trips, future owners can even open everything fully.
Under his brute air thick sophisticated hides a maxibienveillant maxiroadster. However, two flicks on the left stalk are enough to select "Sport" or "Track" modes. They then give all its meaning to the name "Streetfighter"…
Robust under 7000 rpm, the V4 still gains strength by exceeding 7000 rpm. It is certainly no coincidence that it is from this speed that the white tachometer turns orange! Accelerations are increased tenfold and it becomes unreasonable to pull the reports: from the second, the bike flirts with 200 km / h…
The "Track" mode provides additional tone to the Streetfighter V4 thanks to the instant response of the ride-by-wire system. It would also improve the performance of the motorcycle by reducing the intervention of many electronic assistance. But that, only the trackers could notice it…
"According to our engineers, for example, the electronics allow the rear wheel to drift slightly when re-accelerating to turn as quickly as possible and allow the bike to be straightened out sooner", details the Ducati West Europe press manager who, like MNC, does not did not try to verify their statements on the open road !
Decked out with the latest "Evo2" electronics update for the 2020 Panigale V4 (derived from World Superbike’s V4R), the new Streetfighter is above all and paradoxically very safe on the road. In "Street" and "Sport" modes, the two wheels never take off from the ground.
When accelerating, the front axle thus retains its steering function: this simplifies the task and secures the pilot when embarking on slow and winding sections, such as the "17T" well known to Ile-de-France bikers … We can therefore weld between two bends without fear of going off the road. Too easy ?
A definitely alive roadster !
When braking, in addition to the ABS which ensures that the front does not slip away when the right lever is too hard, the system takes care to regulate the hydraulic pressure so that the rear wheel remains riveted to the ground, while by continuing to slow down hard, very hard. The rear axle never goes off-center, even stealthily.
To avoid untimely locking of the rear wheel during downshifts – too – fast, the engine torque is also automatically smoothed on the first two gears, a little less on the next two and much less on the last two.
The rear wheel anti-lift function disappears by engaging the "Track" mode, to the delight of fans of "stopping" in the pit lane. As for the pros of the comma in pin entry, they can deactivate the rear wheel ABS. However, it is impossible to disconnect the front.
In this Track configuration take off, the front wheel can shed in a progressive and reduced manner. However, it is possible to remove the "wheelie" control and / or the traction control. The Streetfighter then becomes damn fiery … Attention !
If at 270 km / h (!) The fins guarantee – according to the learned calculations of engineers from Bologna – a significant additional load of 14 kg on the front wheel, at a more reasonable speed – say 80 km / h, for example – the position of the rider on his motorcycle remains predominant.
To limit the kicks of the Streetfighter V4, you should not hesitate to cling to the handlebars and place yourself as close as possible to your tank. This is where the saddle tilted forward takes on its full meaning and the presence of the Ohlins electronic steering damper reassures in the event of disturbances..
A very good dose of electronics
The automatic management of the Swedish suspensions makes the Streetfighter very sharp and solid on its supports. A good point for "Sport" and "Track" modes, but Site would have liked them to be more flexible in "Street" mode.
The suspensions provide a lot of information to the pilot: from the slightest imperfection in the tarmac which shakes the handlebars to the coarse fitting softened by the heavy sun at the end of May, which momentarily makes the otherwise imperturbable Diablo Rosso 3 slide..
The fork perfectly accepts loads which can be extremely heavy thanks to the Brembo Stylema calipers – the M50s must have been too weak for the taste of the Ducati developer riders … – which pinch the two 330 mm discs at the front. Fortunately, the dosage is just as satisfying.
The 2020 Streetfighter also benefits from a very good rear brake: in town, you can be content to quietly slow down the bike and stop it exactly where you want it. It will also certainly delight pilots who use it on the road or on the track, in particular to correct their trajectories..
Le Journal moto du Net was frankly less convinced by the mechanical noises emanating from the engine, which are partially filtered on the Panigale thanks to its fairing. We are not too worried, however: Ducati provides for the first service after 12,000 km (or 12 months) and valve clearance check after 24,000 km.
On the way back, Site notes a clear improvement compared to the previous Streetfighter "V2": the handlebars of the V4 do not vibrate! Stalled at 130 km / h on the last report, we hardly perceive that microvibrations at the level of the footrests, but nothing irritating.
More disabling, however, the heat released by the V4 is pressed against the legs of the pilot by the fans. When stopped and when the engine temperature exceeds 75 ° C, the two rear cylinders are deactivated to limit the overheating of the mill – and that of the "miller", which is not likely to fall asleep despite a slight torpor…
Grill red while waiting for the green light…
In this beautiful late afternoon, the outside temperature reached "only" 25 ° C but the sun is strong. Bearable on the road, the warmth lurks as soon as you wait at the red light. Better to perch on the top of the saddle and keep your thighs away from the cylinder heads, isolated by a too basic plastic casing..
If "our" Streetfighter V4S benefits from magnificent parts, including the Marchesini forged aluminum rims sublimely highlighted at the rear by the single-sided swingarm and the low and short exhaust, Site notes some perfectible finishing points.
On the right side of the engine, for example, a thermal tape and an electrical terminal that were probably not visible on the Panigale would deserve to be more carefully camouflaged on this "naked" version. Likewise, the lug on the side stand – very useful! – is screwed rather than integrated into the base. It is more practical to replace it in case of breakage or wear … but less pretty !
From a general point of view, Italian design always hits the mark … Sorry, the Italian style of French designers still hits the mark: Damien Basset had taken a bite of the Streetfighter "V2" – he works today for Peugeot Motocycles and its parent company Mahindra – and Jeremy Farraud designed the "V4". cock-a-doodle Doo !
The people in charge of the Bologna brand are counting on their beautiful bike to steal sales from a beast: the which allows KTM to dominate the segment of maxiroadsters maxisportifs in France for several years, but offers a look less refined than the Ducati, no ?
From a dynamic point of view it is certain, the Streetfighter V4 will be sufficiently muscular and sophisticated to be opposed to its main Austrian rival, but also to its cousin of Noale, the Aprilia. It should also be able to resist attacks from future novelties, such as the replacement whisper of the or the next generation of .
Site regrets two things when it comes to returning the key to "its" Streetfighter V4S. On the one hand, the fact that a single color – red, ma que! – either offered on this new Ducati maxiroadster, without distinction between the standard model and its S version. More original or elaborate decorations will perhaps arrive in 2021, in order to revive interest and sales in the second year ?!
On the other hand and above all, the first Streetfighter cost 14,990 euros when it was released in 2009. In 2020, the "straightforward" V4 version is priced at 19,999 euros, while the top-of-the-range V4S version climbs to 22,999 euros. Both more affordable and more sensational on the handlebars, Ducati’s ultimate roadster is less and less affordable…
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