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For riders eager for a naked performance bike powerful enough to blow them straight off the back of the motorcycle, Ducati has consummated the deal by officially unveiling its Streetfighter V4 at its Ducati World Premiere 2020 event in Italy in front of media and dealers, with the show streaming online to a global audience.
In what is now an annual tradition, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali unveiled the new model line for 2020, highlighted by the Streetfighter V4, which Ducati says will make 208 horsepower at 12,750 rpm and weighs 391 pounds dry. Unlike the Panigale, the Streetfighter has no fairing, but it does have wings. Or "aerofoils," to use Ducati's more precise term.
In fact, you get twice as many wings with a Streetfighter than you do with a Panigale, two per side. Domenicali said those winglets create 28 kilograms of downforce at 270 kph (62 pounds at 168 mph) to keep the front wheel from floating. The Streetfighter also gets the inertial measurement unit and lean-angle-sensitive traction control and ABS and other electronic rider aids from the Panigale line, to help you keep things under control if you decide to test the aerodynamic effect of the wings at 168 mph. The Streetfighter's version of the 1,103 cc Desmosedici Stradale engine from the Panigale V4 is tuned to provide more midrange torque.
Ducati did not immediately provide U.S. prices, but the Streetfighter V4 will cost 19,990 Euros in Italy and the V4 S with Öhlins suspension is priced at 22,990 Euros in Italy. When we get U.S. MSRPs, we'll update.
More Panigales earn their wings, too
The street-going Panigale V4 and V4 S also get wings for 2020, matching the race-homologated V4 R. On the Panigales, the wings provide 30 kilograms of downforce at 270 kph (66 pounds at 168 mph). Other changes include reduced stiffness in both the frame and the springs to make the bikes easier to ride and a refined traction control that Ducati says keeps rear wheel slip in a narrower range. Domenicali said that test rider and occasional MotoGP wildcard entry Michele Pirro lapped just 3.3 seconds slower on a V4 S than he did on a race-equipped Superbike in an Italian Superbike race. Prices in Italy are 23,490 Euros for the V4 and 28,790 Euros for the V4 S.
The bigger news in the Panigale line is the revised "middleweight" model (if we can call a 995 cc a middleweight, now). Gone is the Panigale 959 name, replaced by the Panigale V2, which fits more smoothly with the Panigale V4 naming. The V2 gets a 995 cc version of the Superquadro V-twin engine that produces a claimed maximum 155 horsepower at 10,750 rpm. While we're calling this literbike a "middleweight," I'll also note that Domenical said the V2 was more appropriate for younger riders.
"It's a wonderful way, in my opinion, to dive into the world of a Supersport bike," Domenicali said. And while 155 horsepower is not exactly beginner bike territory, I suppose he's correct if the other option is a V4 that costs north of $20,000.
The Panigale gets the improved electronic aids found on the V4 and V4 S but it does not get wings (keep trying, little guy, you'll earn 'em). Of course that could be an attraction to riders who don't want the aerodynamic appendages.
In other news...
Ducati toned down the theatrics for the fifth year of the Ducati World Premiere webcast. No World Superbike or MotoGP racers waddling onto the stage in their race leathers, no oddly dressed Italian models, not even a quick interview with a designer or engineer. Just Domenicali on stage, introducing the new models. You can watch the entire presentation below.
Other news included a new Multistrada 1260 S Grand Tour, a new top-of-the-line Multi to help celebrate the model passing 100,000 units in sales. Features range from the locking panniers to Öhlins suspension to a keyless electronic fuel cap, and it's priced at 25,690 Euros in Italy.
There's also a new Scrambler Icon Dark, a basic Icon model using the 800 cc Scrambler engine, but still featuring cornering ABS, despite the lower price of 8,390 Euros in Italy.
Ducati is also expanding its e-bike line. After starting with the MIG-RR mountain bike, Ducati is adding three new models for 2020: a MIG-RR Limited Edition, with just 50 to be sold worldwide, at a cost that exceeds the price of the Scrambler Icon Dark just mentioned; a MIG-S that's a bit more affordable than the original MIG-RR; and a new city bike, labeled as part of the Scrambler line, priced lowest among Ducati's e-bikes at 3,699 Euros.
