2009 Ducati Streetfighter – Full Details And Hi Res Photos
The 2009 Ducati Streetfighter on sale in UK Dealers by April
Living up to its name, there was little doubt that the Ducati Streetfighter would score a round one knock-out when it entered the ring for the first time at the 2008 EICMA Show in Milan. Making an immediate impact on the international press and the public, it was nominated “most beautiful bike in show” and raised the bar for extreme nakeds by creating a new point of reference in the market.
The Superbike soul of the Ducati Streetfighter combines aggressiveness with the refined elegance of a naked and just one look at the bike provokes an intense rush of adrenaline and excitement. Stripped to the bare essentials, its combination of state-of-the-art race technology, skeletal styling and contemporary design takes Ducati’s big naked concept to the very top of the fighter food chain.
The true Ducati spirit is captured by an incredibly powerful Desmodromic L-Twin 1098 “Testastretta Evoluzione” engine producing 155hp with an incredibly wide spread of power thanks to 85lb-ft (11.7kgm) of torque. The Streetfighter’s power and precision is further maximised by weighing in at just 368lb (167kg) (S version) and further benefits from technology derived directly from Ducati’s MotoGP and Superbike projects. Ducati Traction Control and Data Analysis, racing-style braking system, fully adjustable suspension and forged wheels all come as standard equipment on the ‘S’ to complete the battle-ready package.
As orders from all over the world flood into Ducati’s factory in Bologna, the Streetfighter and Streetfighter S models go into production.
Streetfighter made good
The Streetfighter culture was born on the backstreets of Northern Europe during the late 70s and 80s. If the Café racer movement had taken traditional bikes and transformed them to establish out-and-out sport bikes, then Streetfighters were definitely anti-establishment. They evolved by removing the fairings from sport bikes, fitting higher bars and customising to create high-performance, over-the-top nakeds. Now, Ducati have taken that concept and applied their own Italian sophistication to a stunning, factory-prepared Streetfighter.
The Ducati Streetfighter is equipped with everything that made the Superbike a legend: Awesome L-Twin muscle with brutal, big-bore torque, thoroughbred chassis technology, beautiful single-sided swingarm, planet-stopping Monobloc brakes and pure, sophisticated class.
While the tank and seat shapes leave no doubt as to the Streetfighter’s roots, it is the upright and commanding riding position that really starts to shape the character of this ultimate naked. New, minimalistic controls, instrumentation and headlight design leave the front looking clean and mean, while twin-stacked right-side mufflers at the rear leave the tail-end high and sharp. No other Ducati has ever achieved such an aggressive stance while providing a comfortable, empowering, controllable and enjoyable ride.
Ducati’s ‘S’ treatment of the Streetfighter takes its sophistication way off the scale. Superbike spec Öhlins suspension front and rear with lightweight forged Marchesini wheels add street credibility when in town and that all-important ‘feel’ when exploring the Streetfighter’s sports soul.
Add the awesome street-going Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Data Analysis as standard equipment and it’s clear that the Streetfighter S is not just muscle – it’s intelligent too.
Lifestyle
Ducati’s Streetfighter project was inevitable. The passion to build the most successful Superbikes ever, mixed with the desire to create iconic, naked motorcycles was a rush of adrenaline just waiting to happen. Who else would create a bike for out-and-out purists to celebrate naked power in all its forms? A bike with muscle-engine performance, aggressive chassis engineering and intelligent electronics all laid bare to appreciate, respect and enjoy? Ducati build bikes for enthusiasts – for bikers who appreciate the details that come together to make an awesome bike, for perfectionists who instantly recognise excellence when they see it.
Ducati motorcycles aren’t just a means of transport, they enable a lifestyle that sets their rider apart from the rest of the world. They’re an extension of character and the ultimate personal statement. The Streetfighter is built with pure Ducati passion and it’s ready to impress, whatever the lifestyle. If you’re riding downtown, the Streetfighter is sure to make the coolest arrival. If you’re out of town carving a line through the curves there’ll be nothing more exciting than the Streetfighter.
Ducati have captured the essence of all motorcycle lifestyles with the Streetfighter and it now takes ownership of the naked category. It’ll be a tough act to follow so get ready for Desmo domination.
Take control
The Streetfighter riding position is empowering. The lightweight aluminium, tapered bars are higher than on a Superbike, but still flat enough to ride hard, so machine control is enhanced and the relationship with the front-end remains intact. Considerable study on seat, footpeg and handlebar position has maximised comfort without losing the feeling that you’re aboard an extreme naked Ducati.
Showing attention to detail typical of all new Ducatis, the handlebars are gripped by beautifully shaped clamps that flow sleekly into the bar-risers. Even the switchgear has been revised to represent minimalism at its best. The slim-line bodies house easy-to-use switches and buttons with new features like the unique weapons-like ‘trigger catch’ that slides down to cover the starter button when activating the kill-switch. Symmetrically-mounted remote brake and clutch reservoirs are small, low and compact and feed slim, radial master-cylinders by Brembo to complete the clean and uncluttered controls arrangement.
The Streetfighter’s instrumentation continues that same clean look with a new compact shape that blends into the aggressive line of the headlight. Information additional to the default read-outs is managed from the left-hand handlebar-mounted switch gear, allowing the rider to scroll through and select from various menus. The display presents rpm and speed, with the former displayed across the screen in a progressive bar graph. Additionally, the instruments display lap times, DTC status and level selected (if activated on Streetfighter S) time, air temperature, coolant temperature, battery voltage, two trips and a trip that automatically starts as the fuel system goes onto reserve. Warning lights illuminate to signify neutral, turn signals, high beam, rev-limit, low oil pressure, fuel reserve, DTC intervention (if activated on Streetfighter S) and scheduled maintenance. The instrument display is also used as the control panels for the DDA and DTC systems as well as listing lap times recorded by using the high-beam flash button as a stopwatch.
A chassis born to fight
At 169kg (373lb) dry weight for the Streetfighter and 167kg (368lb) for the Streetfighter S, both come to the fight with the highest power-to-weight ratio in their class and the need for rock-solid handling and well-planted front-ends to match. A purpose-built Trellis frame takes care of business at the front-end by using 25.6° of rake compared to the Superbike’s 24.5°, and a 35mm longer single-sided swingarm at the rear ensures the Streetfighter’s acceleration need never be compromised. The longer, beautifully created aluminium swingarm follows the same dual construction detail as the Superbike models and is anodised finished in black.
The lower triple-clamp also gets more muscle development. Formed in a strength-enhancing gull-wing shape for even more rigidity, it maintains a vice-like grip on the fork legs, giving a precise and solid feeling through the bars on fast direction changes.
The revised rake, longer wheelbase and cross-mounted steering damper ensure stability even under the extreme acceleration of Ducati’s incredible L-Twin torque.
Suspension
The Streetfighter is armed with fully adjustable 43mm Showa forks up front and a fully adjustable Showa monoshock at the rear, giving the bike high performance agility and the rider absolute ‘feel’ and confidence from sure-footed handling.
The forks feature a natural chrome slider finish and radial mounts for the brake calipers and are fully adjustable in spring preload as well as compression and rebound damping. On the rear, the single Showa unit operates through a progressive linkage and is also fully adjustable in spring preload and damping, both in compression and rebound.
The Streetfighter S pushes the spec way up with 43mm Superbike-spec Öhlins forks that have sliders treated in low-friction TiN. Fully adjustable in spring preload and precisely adjustable in compression and rebound damping, they ensure ‘S’ feeling and finesse when the fight gets rough.
Taking care of the rear of the ‘S’ is a single high-spec Öhlins unit fully adjustable in spring preload with full adjustment and highly engineered control of compression and rebound damping. The unit is also fitted with a ride enhancing top-out spring which helps maintain rear tyre contact under extreme conditions.
Important attention to performance detail is inherited from its Superbike bloodline with both the Streetfighter and Streetfighter S having rear ride-height adjusters that allow fine correction after setting personalised spring preload.
Wheels
New style 10-spoke wheels in lightweight aluminium keep the overall motorcycle weight down and maintain an all-important control on unsprung weight. This weight is made up of all the components between the suspension and the road and consists of wheels, tyres, brake discs and calipers etc, but when rotating at high speed, it is the wheels that store most of the kinetic energy and offer the most resistance when steering, accelerating or braking. Their weight saving, therefore, is a serious contribution to both the handling and the performance of the bike and the Streefighter pulls out all the stops to be the best.
The Streetfighter S reduces weight even further by using Y-shaped, 5-spoke wheels by Marchesini, forged and then machined in lightweight aluminium.
The Streetfighter wheels are finished in graphite grey and the ‘S’ in bronze with both models rolling out on Pirelli Diablo Corse III tyres.
Brakes
Both the Streetfighter and Streetfighter S use Brembo’s powerful Monobloc caliper race technology. Machined from a single piece of alloy, the calipers achieve higher rigidity and resistance to distortion during extreme braking. The result not only delivers planet-stopping brake power, but also gives an enhanced and precise ‘feel’ at the brake lever. The twin Monobloc calipers each have four 34mm pistons that grip huge 330mm discs to achieve their spectacular performance. The weight of the discs has been kept to a minimum by using racing-style narrow braking surfaces.
Power house
The world-beating 1098 Testastretta Evoluzione needs little introduction. Debuting in 2007, it went on to form the basis of a motor that powered Ducati to Superstock and Superbike World titles that left the competition stunned. Now, its massive bore, short stroke and incredible torque powers Ducati’s most extreme naked and the results are equally as stunning.
Producing a ballistic 85lb-ft (11.7kgm) of torque and 155hp (114kW), the Streetfighter’s awesome 1098 power house fears nothing of the naked sports competition. The L-Twin, Testastretta Evoluzione engine gives both the best power-to-weight and the best torque-to-weight ratios in its class.
New features include enhanced detailing on the cam belt covers and the magnesium dry clutch cover as well as a new black finish for the main outer casings and carbon-grey finish for the crankcases, which employ the same weight-saving technology used for the 1198.
The vacuum die-cast process used to make the crankcases ensures consistent and precise wall thickness and increased strength from absolute material purity while reducing weight an incredible 3kg (6.5lb) compared to those of the 1098 Superbike engine.
Using the Testastretta narrow valve angle, super-straight intake ducts and specially shaped combustion chambers, the Desmodromic motor continues to breathe through MotoGP-derived elliptical throttle bodies and four large diameter valves per cylinder to achieve its incredible spread of torque.
A high performance six-speed box and racing-style dry clutch makes sure the transmission package delivers 155hp as efficiently as possible.
The Streetfighter’s power house is protected by twin coolant radiators, carefully curved in pure naked style for optimum performance and engineering beauty. The upper radiator is assisted by lightweight, high flow electric fan assemblies while the lower sits in the front of the belly pan, which also houses a highly efficient oil heat exchanger.
Cannon-style mufflers
The massive Streetfighter 2-1-2 exhaust system is made from weight-saving 1mm thick steel and flows from 58mm to 63.5mm diameter pipes. The system uses two lambda probes to ensure precise fuel mapping for optimum performance and an electronic valve in the mid-section to achieve a wide spread of power.
The cannon-style, vertically stacked mufflers sport the same finishes as the Superbike family: Brushed steel for the Streetfighter and black brushed steel for the Streetfighter S, both delivering the famous Ducati L-Twin sound synonymous with raw, Desmo power.
Lighting
The new aggressive looking headlight is the ‘face’ of the Streetfighter and it leaves little doubt as to its character. While the main lighting source and multi-reflector design provides powerful illumination to cut through the night, its two evil eye strips of LED positioning lights give a striking and unmistakable identity to the bike.
Keeping design matters clean and stylish, the directional indicators remain unobtrusive with clear lenses and coloured bulbs, while the LED rear light is integral to the shape of the tailpiece, providing unobscured illumination while maintaining the smooth and elegant look to the high and sharp rear-end.
Naked detail
More attention to detail than ever before has gone into creating the Ducati Streetfighter. Repositioning many of the components usually hidden by bodywork and continuing to keep them out of sight was a major challenge for the design and engineering teams, but they’ve pulled it off with impressive results. Add to this details such as the perfectly formed passenger seat cover, a rear hugger fitted as standard equipment and the pre-minimalised licence plate holder, and it’s plain to see that Ducati have gone that extra step to achieve the highest level of finish.
2009 Ducati Streetfighter S
Ducati’s ‘S’ treatment of the Streetfighter pushes its tech spec to the red line. Öhlins suspension front and rear and lightweight Marchesini forged wheels stack up serious credibility, while the front fender and cambelt covers in super-light carbon fibre help reduce the dry weight to an extreme 167kg (368lb).
But the ‘S’ sophistication doesn’t end there. Awesome street-going Ducati Traction Control and Ducati Data Analysis are standard issue, making it clear that the Streetfighter S is not all muscle – it’s intelligent too.
Intelligent muscle
For the first time ever on a naked sport bike, Ducati introduce their awesome Ducati Traction Control (DTC) system on the Streetfighter S as standard equipment.
Accessible from the left-hand switchgear and displayed on the digital instrumentation, the system offers a choice of eight profiles, or ‘sensitivity levels’, each one programmed with a wheel-spin tolerance matched to progressive riding levels of skill, graded from one to eight.
While level eight administers a confidence-building, high level of interaction from the system by activating upon the slightest amount of wheel-spin, level one offers a much higher tolerance, resulting in less intervention for highly competent riders.
Once the level is selected and DTC activated, both are displayed on the Streetfighter instrumentation. The system then analyses data sent from front and rear wheel speed sensors to detect wheel-spin. Should the system recognise a wheel-spin above a certain threshold the DTC ECU instantly evaluates the many possible wheel-spin scenarios before administering two types of interaction in varying amounts.
DTC is able to sense the exact use that the Streetfighter is being put to. From slow mid-corner acceleration with considerable vehicle inclination to high speed corner exits while almost upright, DTC is intelligent enough to react according to each and every situation. It’s even smart enough to not intervene if you decide to perform a burnout or a wheelie.
The first ‘soft’ stage of system interaction is executed by high speed software that instantly makes electronic adjustment to the ignition timing by administering varying amounts of retardation to reduce the engine’s torque output.
During this initial stage of DTC interaction, both outer warning lights on the Streetfighter instruments – normally used to signify over-rev – illuminate to signify that DTC is being applied.
If the DTC software detects that the first ‘soft’ stage of system interaction is inadequate to control the wheel-spin, it continues to administer ignition retardation and instructs the engine ECU to initiate a pattern of constantly increasing injection cuts until, if necessary, full injection cut. During this second stage of system interaction, both outer and central warning lights fully illuminate to signify that DTC has also initiated injection cuts.
After either stage one (ignition retardation) or stage two (pattern of injection cuts or full cut), the system incrementally returns to the original ignition and injection mapping as the wheel speeds approach equalisation. This carefully programmed return to full power delivery is the real key to DTC’s smooth and efficient operation.
In developing its World Championship-winning traction control system for road use, Ducati continue to demonstrate their strategy of transferring technologies from their race bikes into the production environment, and show how solutions developed for performance on the track can be applied to enhance safety on the road.
Information is power
The Ducati Data Analyser (DDA) – complete with PC software, a USB-ready data retrieval card and instructions – evaluates the performances of the Streetfighter and its rider, and provides a graphic presentation of data from various channels of information. The DDA is available for the Streetfighter from Ducati Performance, and is supplied as standard equipment on the Streetfighter S.
Normally only available on race bikes, DDA records numerous channels of data including throttle opening, vehicle speed, engine rpm, engine temperature, distance travelled, laps and lap times. The system also automatically calculates engine rpm and vehicle speed data, enabling gear selection as an extra channel of information. A channel of data is also dedicated to recording the DTC index, which can then be viewed as a graphic trace that shows the amount of DTC interaction during wheel-spin. At the end of a ride or track session, 4mb of data can be downloaded to a PC ready to compare, analyse and get an inside view on the performance of the rider and Streetfighter.
Data can be analysed in graphic form with options to zoom into detail of specific sections. Dragging a trace along a timeline to reveal individual values of the above-listed channels enables the user to analyse performance in the same way that data technicians can in factory teams.
Streetfighter colours
While the Streetfighter looks stunning in either red or sophisticated pearl white set against a black frame and subtle graphite grey 10-spoke wheels, the Streetfighter S positively seduces in red and menaces in midnight black with carbon fibre front fender and cambelt covers contrasting superbly against the bronze finish of the frame and Y-shaped, 5-spoke wheels.
| Model | Tank | Frame | Wheels |
| Streetfighter | Red | Racing Black | Graphite Grey |
| Pearl White | Racing Black | Graphite Grey | |
| Streetfighter S | Red | Bronze | Bronze |
| Midnight Black | Bronze | Bronze |