In abid to keep at thesharp end of supernaked sales,BMW’sgiven its Sand M1000Rmodels some credible updates
Retro by name… ..................................60
We get better acquainted with Yamaha’s XSR900GP and Triumph’snow discontinued Speed Triple 1200RR.
Kawasaki ZX-10R Buyer’sGuide 54 Ever fancied a2006 ZX-10R?Well, before buying one,here’swhat you need to know Tenminutes with… Leon Haslam 76 He’sone of the UK’s best-known and experienced racers who’sstill putting it to the youngsters.Wecan up with him aheadofthe BSB season opener Project Corner:PetronasFP1 86 Ever wondered what it’slike to livewithan FP1? Paul tells all…
Alternatively,scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today.Wewill send it directly to you!
What’son the cards?
It’sbeen one of the busieststarts to a yearthat Ican remember,testing areal mixed bagofbikes allover the place. I’veprobably said it before, but launches are the icing on the cake,getting to clock miles for the first time,while taking in new sights, newcircuits, and meeting some of the most interesting folk in the industry who you’d otherwise not meet. Quite often, you get to learn all kinds of things about the bikes heading our way and the thinking behind the different manufacturers.A brand’sethos is what makes andshapesits line-up and the reason why most manufacturers have their own slant on things
That being the case,a chat witha good friend at Yamaha recently hammered home that as different as manufacturers are, they’resometimes overly attuned tosimilar thought patterns.Being less cryptic,the topic of interest was Yamaha’snew Y-AMT system –whichI tried on theMT-07 reviewed in this issue–that hit the scene last year,alongside BMW’sautobox and KTM’sequivalent system. Thedevelopment process was likely years in the making, yet all three brands delivered to the market within months of each other.Maybe they’d hadalook at Honda’spopular DCT system and decided they all wanted aslice ofthe action? Who knows?
Another thing that became apparent is that most brands aretoo big to make kneejerk decisions, as you’dexpect. Even if arival pullsanabsolute blinderand delivers abike that no one expected, it’snot likethey can just drop everything and go after it.At
least, not typically.It’sabig old boat they’ve got to steer,and everything must be heavily considered and proven beforeitgets anywherenear ashowroom. Without going into detail, it was genuinely surprising to learn how many models get dropped before clearing the final hurdles.Market trends and demands often rule things out too,right at the last minute
We areseeingmany moreaffordable,less exotic bikes hitting the market these days, which isfine,but it probably means bikes like the M1000R and StreetfighterV4that Big Mac’sridden this month aregoing to be less common overthe nextfew years.I hope not, but it’sapossibility.Arguably,a big reason for their release in 2025 is driven by legislation, owing to the demands of Euro5+. In abid to
make everything kitten-friendly,bikes are having to jump through morehoops than ever,which can bring about some serious headaches for manufacturers, especially when it comes to delivering the goods while keeping prices low.Onthe flipside,it’salso what’sdriving people to think outside thebox and deliverproducts they might have otherwise never considered
To round off on apositive note,it’sbeen along time since there’sbeen somany sportsbikes on the cards, which is never a bad thing, and now summer’snearly here, I’m gagging to get stuck in andbecome better acquainted withthem
Enjoy the mag,
Some things arebetterlef t behind,but Fast Bike s isn’tone of them... trustus. Fora start , we’d miss you, butit’dalso mean you’dmis sout on awhole
load of news,reviews,tech, talksand insightintopioneering protagonist s. Just thinkabout theroad trips, theproject bike builds –and allthe excuseswe throwinwiththem. We want you on this ride,and we want your stories, your inputand guidance, so don’t be astranger! Check outthe cracking dealswe’ve got here andlet’s getyou settled into anotherseasonof thegoodstuff from the UK’s leadingsport sbike magazine.
DUCATI TRICOLORE ITALIA
They do like a‘limited-edition special’ at the Ducati factory–and we like ‘em too.This is the Panigale V4 STricoloreItalia, unveiled at the Italian ‘Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy’ by Ducati boss Claudio Domenicali and Ducati racing guru Gigi Dall’Igna, alongside the government minister AdolfoUrso.And it’sacracker
Limited to just 163 bikes,the paint scheme is areplica of the factory bike raced at Mugello last season, the ‘Azzuri’ blue celebrating the Italian national sports teams.The team scored a one-two on thepodium at that race,and the 163 number refers to Pecco Bagnais’s‘1’ position and’63’ race number.A little clumsy,wesay,but there ye go.They’re essentially all sold out now anyway,apparently
The spec is dominated by af ew key chassis mo ds.T he bike is based on the 2025 Pa nigale V4 Sw ith the 216bhp 1103cc D esmosedici Stradale V4 engine (thoug hi t’se quipped with ad ry clutc hk it her e), revamped frame and dual-sided swi ngar m. The Tr icolor es ticks with
the s tock bike ’s sem i-active Öhlins el ectroni c Smart EC3.0 suspens ion front and rear,b ut th er est of the running ge ar is uprated wi th so me prope rs aucy parts.T hat star ts wi th a brace of five -spoke ca rbon-fibre whe el s, ho mologated for two-up road us e, and sa vi ng ne arly ak ilogram of uns prung, rotati ng mass (t he very worst kind of mas s!). Ducati says t hese speed up the st eering nicely and wi ll gi ve an overall performance boos ta ll- round.
Bolted to the front carbonhoop is apair of ginormous BremboT-Drivefinned discs, 338.5mm wideand 6.2mm thick, whichare just aboutthe biggest youcan practically fit ontoa 17in rim. These monster discs are clamped by Brembo’sposhest newroad calipers,the GP4 Sport Productionbillet monobloc designs,with titanium-finish nickel plating, cooling finsand sweet carbon air cooling ducts.Add an MCS 19.21 master cylinder with remote adjuster and you have asuperbike-spec stoppingpackage that’salso road-homologated.
The wheels and brakes are the big story but, of course,the Tricolore Italia is also festooned with cool cosmeticadd-ons.There’sasilkscreen graphic of the Mugello track alongside the limited-edition numbering on the top yokein case you get lost halfway round. The keyisa special design withthe serial number added on an aluminium plate.The 17-litre aluminium fuel tank is signedbyFrancesco Pecco Bagnaia (with apermanent marker,weimagine). The seat is a special Alcantarapart, you get the optional GPS sensor pre-fitted, and there’sa race windscreen fitted, plus lashings of carbon fibre: front and rear mudguard, chainguard, heel guards, swingarm cover,exhaust heat shield, vented dry clutch cover and alternator cover.Finally,the trappings of specialness continue with aone-off start-up animation on the LCD dash, special wooden transport crate,bespoke bike cover and anice certificatefor the downstairs toilet wall. Theprice for all thislovelystuff? Aniceround £75,000.
Keep an eye on ouronlinechannels –Facebook,Twitter,and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) –for news as it happens
DUCATIDESMO450MX
We don’t generally focus on pure off-road kit like the mentalmodern motocross machines,but we’ll make an exception for this –the new Ducati Desmo450 MX. It’sbeen racing in the various MXGP series for awhile now in prototype form but is now available to buy.It’s ahandsome beast, though the nature of aMXrace bike means it looks fairly similar to the rest of the sector: single-cylinder lump,twin spar aluminium frame,long-travel fully-adjustable Showa suspension with 49mm USD front forks and rear monoshock and around afoot of wheel travel.
Most of the special Ducati features are inside the engine and electronics.The new 449.6cc singlecylinder engine features desmodromic valves,asthe name suggests,and it makes aheady 63.5bhp to 9400rpm, matching the legendary 500 two-stroke motors of old. The price for that (and the 11,900rpm redline) is abusy maintenance schedule: oil and filter at 15 hours,new piston at 45 hours,with avalve
DUCATINORTH LONDON
clearance check while you’re in there, anda full engine rebuild at 90 hours.That sounds mad to aroad rider,but it isn’t really unusual on aMXracebike.Bore and stroke is 96x62.1mm, 40mm intake valves are titanium with 33mm steel sodium-cooled exhaust valves,compressionratio is 13.5:1, there’sa44mm Mikuni throttle bodywith Keihin injectorand a five-speed gearbox.
Ducati says it’sgiven theDesmo450 MX aunique electronics package with an IMU-assisted traction controlset-up,easily bypassed by dipping theclutch when you want to freely spin it up,and two power modes.There’salso adjustable engine brakecontrol, launch controland an up-only quickshifter as stock. Brembo brakes,Galfer discs,Pirelli ScorpionMX32 tyres,Takasago Excel wheels anda DID chain rounds off thespeclist, and it weighs104.8kgwet without fuel in the 7.2-litre tank.Priced at £11,245, the Desmo450 MX is on sale now.
Ducati’sback in the northern homecounties, with anew Ducati North Londondealership in Watford. Opened last month by atop doubleact, BSB star Leon Haslam and brilliant TV presenter Grace Webb,the new dealership replaces theold LindHarley-Davidson store in Watford’s Trade City estate andcarries thefullrange of Ducati and Scrambler models, as well as kit, accessories and parts.It’s also got afullfactoryservice department which, since it’sa new location, should have plentyofbookings available at the moment. More info: www.lind.co.uk/ducati
BMWR12 G/ S
It might look like atool from the 1980s,but that’s purely intentional. This is the 2025 BMW R12G/S, and it’sdesigned to evoke thespirit of the first Bavarian production enduro machine –the R80 G/S –while incorporating the best of the firm’s modern tech.
Now,let’snot rewrite history: the boxer GSis a legendary piece of kit now,but back in 1980 an off-road GS was the choice of BMW obsessives,weirdos,freaks,and factory racers (sometimes all at the same time). Normal folk wanting some muddy fun generally plumped for something far less chonky and slow than the
50bhp/186kg shaft-drive (SHAFT DRIVE!) flat-twin Beemer.Nevertheless,itbegan ploughing out its now-massive aniche (orrut) in the market, which hastaken us to thecurrent sales behemoth that is the BMW GS range. Well done, all.
This latest offeringisaretro scrambler, somewhat in the mould of the Ducati DesertX and Triumph Scrambler 1200 andbased onthe Munichfirm’s latest R12 retro foundations.That means aEuro5+-compliant rejig of the oldoil/air cooled 1200 Boxer motor (instead of thelatest water-cooled lump) with DOHC four-valve heads, ride-by-wire fuel injectionand a109bhppeak power output. The chassis is based around a steel frame with long-travel suspension:proper 45mm USD frontforks instead of afunny front end and the de rigeur Paralever rear monoshock shaft-drive swingarm. Both endsare fully adjustable,whichhints at amoreserious off-road package than thefirm’s last retro scrambler design, the RnineT Urban G/S Further underliningthe dirty ambition are the wheels,a proper 21in front rim, with 17in rear,and an optional 18in
fitment for thetrue hardcore.Wire cross-spoked rims are agiven,and while it comes with broadly road-biased rubber, you’ll not struggle to spoon proper knobbliesonthere should ye fancy it. Having said all that, it does have the same weight problems as in 1980; the R12 G/S weighs 229kg ready-to-ride
It’s2025, so we must havemore electronic stuff than theskip outside aTesla dealership, therefore theR12 ECU containsthreeriding modes(rain, road and enduro)asstandard and dynamic traction control (DTC), whichcan be switched offfor off-road use, with the optional enduro pro package addinganextradirt mode Youalso get enginebrake control(MSR), as well asBMW Motorrad ABS Pro,keyless ignition, a new roundspeedo/display unit with the option of amicro TFT colour LCD dash, up/down quickshifter andtyre pressure monitorsystem. BMW’susual spendy-but-temptingaccessories list includes an emergency call telematics function, Headlight Pro adaptive lights and more Aslick package then –but as with Ducati’s DesertX, the styling is what makesthisbike:we thinkitlooks pretty smart, with the right mix of oldand new.The black base colour is okay,the white/red/blueretro Motorsport scheme much better,but it’sthe sand-brown colours that really rock, with red highlights and scarlet frame.The stainless high-level pipe is nicely proportioned, while theround LED headlight and trimheadlight nacelle round the perky stance up atreat. We are keen to have aspinonone as soon as we can –expect it to hit theUKinthe summer, priced from £14,420.
TRIUMPHENDUROBIK ES LAUNCHED NORT ON KRAZ YHORSE DE ALER
Triumph’smotocrossrange is well underwaynow,with some success,and theHinckley outfit is flat-out expanding its off-road line-up like agood ‘un. The Enduro sector is the obvious next step: detune the single-cylinder motors on the 250 and 450 MX bikes abit, add asilencer,lights and basic road gearand sellthemtothe hardcore enduro and trailriding brigade.
And here they are –the Triumph TF250-E and TF450-E.The 250makesa decent 41.5bhp with therorty 450 putting outasolid 58bhp,with lightweightspine-type aluminium frames and anew Enduro-specpackage of running gear.Suspensionis byKYB,with Brembo brakes,DID rims and Michelin tyres,while asolid electronics package includes dual engine maps traction control, launch control,and quickshifter. Both bikes are in dealers about now costing from £9795for the 250 and from £10,395 for the 450.
Norton Motorcycles has anew dealer in London. Krazy Horse in Kensington will be stockingthe Solihull firm’smachinery,with afull servicing, spares andaccessories
service in the heart of the metropolis.The showroom is in the old Bristol Cars HQ on Kensington High Street: www.krazyhorse.co.uk
MORBIDELLI T100 2V X
Remember Morbidelli? It started out as ageneral manufacturing company before moving into Grand Prix bike racing in the late 1960s.The Italian firm had some impressiveresults,winning three 125GPand one 250GP titles in the 1970s,but had little impact on the roadbike sector, apart from an abortive attempt at aV8sport-tourer in the mid 1990s
The brand has since been resurrected by Chinese firm Qianjiang and is producing some interesting machines –like this new T100 adventure tourer.It’sabudget bike,priced about £8k, built around aunique V-twin engine.The 997cc unit hasaweird 80-degreeV-angle with SOHC four-valve headsand puts out aslightly-underwhelming 88.5bhp to 7500rpm. It lives in asteel tube cradle frame,with decent running gear: KYB fully-adjustable suspension, J.Juan brakes with Bosch ABS Pro,and Pirelli Scorpion Rally STR rubber in 120/70 19 front and 170/60 17 rear sizes.The wet weight is abit of adisappointment;265kgwet is going to hold it back onthe performancefront, you’dimagine
There are two versions of the T100, the 2V with cast aluminium road wheels,and the 2VX, with wire-spoked off-road-style rims (though they both have the same 19in front wheel and identical tyre sizes).
We are leaving thebest till last, though. The T100s are priced to sell at just £7999 for the 2V or £8199 for the 2VX Moreinfo from UK importer MotoGB at www.motogb.co.uk
CL ASSICT WO-STROK EENGINES BY STAN STEPHENS
Legendary engine tuner
Stan Stephens has released a new book, so we asked him all about it.
Here’swhat he told us…
“When Iwas alad, my two favourite books were The Motorcyclist’sWorkshop by Torrens and Tuning for Speed by Phil Irving, and Istill have them. They formed the basisfor my knowledge as amechanic and engine tuner, knowledgetowhich Ihave been adding for the last 60 years
“For many years Ihave wanted to
write asimilar type of book. Iwrote my autobiography,The Mechanic WhoGot Lucky,which Ienjoyed writing, and many people enjoyed reading butI wanted to write abook that would help the reader gain knowledge from. Ihave recently retired, and Ithought that at 80 years old, it was the righttime to write that book beforeitwas too late!
“From 2010 to 2017, Iwrote monthly articles in Classic MotorcycleMechanics magazine, based on the two-stroke engines that Ihappened to be workingonat that time.I passed on my knowledge andexperience and took photos of theengines and parts.I went through the detective work andfault diagnosis,the strippingand
rebuilding, theengine tuningand advice and tips.
“This book will be gold dust for two-stroke enthusiasts and mechanics
Ihave put them in groups of firstly the tuningarticles,thenthe engine rebuilds, then some interesting articles andlastly some general workshop jobs.There are 250 A4 pages with 85 separate articles and hundreds of photos
“Thanks to Dandy Booksfor its help with the set-up and printing of this book. It also publishesmy autobiography and sells themboth on its website –Ihope you buy it and enjoy it!”
More info: www.dandybooksellers.com
RSTATTHE IOM
TopBritish leathers firm RST Moto is ramping up its presence at the Isle of Man TT for 2025. The company is taking the full race department to the middle of the Irish Seafor thefirst time,giving more racers the chance to sample itsfull-factory custom race suit fitting and design service rightinthe TT Paddock.
Forthe duration of the 2025 TT (Monday,May 26-Saturday,June 7),the RST Race Department truck will be locatednear the main grandstand, next to the RST shop,and riders can book atwo-hour fitting appointment with RST’sin-house race team and designers
There are tw oe xclusiv ef ully - custom suit options :a limited-edi tion 2025 RST xI OM TT s uit wi th TT branding and ap ersonalised name badge, or af ull-c ustom bespoke suit, complete with in te grated In&Motio na ir bag.P rices ra nge from £1499 to £2199, more info at the online booking pag e: http s://rstmot o. as.me
BMWF 900R CUPEXTENDED
BMW’ssigned up to run its F900 RCup BSB support series for another two years.The naked roadster one-make championship will run till the end of 2027, with the German firm continuing to support it with subsidised bikes and parts,including alow-interest 9.9% finance dealupto60months on an F900 Rrace bike
Scott Grimsdall, BMW UK’shead of marketing and PR, said: “The series continuestogain momentum as we enter thethirdseasonin the UK. We are very pleased to commit to the future runningofthis championship until the end of the 2027 season, so
riders can prepare andcompete accordingly
“Alongside the updatedbike for 2025,the introduction of aBMW Motorrad Financial Services finance package nowoffers potential riders the opportunity to secure their bike and spread the cost over atime periodthat suits them.”
FIGHT
FORMUL A
If youthought this bikewas audacious before, the2025-specStreetfighter V4Shas justblown the ceiling of of thesector…unapologetically.
Imagine if therewas abikethata bang-average fast grouptrackdayrider could taketowithin 10%ofalap time set by that very bike’slead test rider.Not onlythat, but to do so at atrack that our trackdayrider hasnever seen before,and which is notoriouslytechnical and diffcult to learn… in just six 20-minute sessions compared to the test rider’shundreds of laps thereovermanyyears. Well, there’sno need to imagine it, because the track was the Andalucia circuit, the test rider was Ducati’s AllesandroValia, the trackdayrider was… me –and the bikeisthe 2025 Ducati Streetfghter V4S.
The Andalucia circuit is 5Km long andhas 19 turns, of which 10 areblind. Valia has led the development on everyroadDucati since 2007,was Italian Superstock Champion in 2002,fnished 12th in aWSB which included Bayliss,Corser,Haga, Bostromand Edwards to name just afew,and canstill set lap times on road bikes that would qualify on theback of aWSB grid at somecircuits.Meanwhile,at the time of writing, I’m 52 yearsold,have a middle age spread,and Iamwell past my prime when it comes to goingfor alap time, unlikethe Streetfghter V4, which is the absolute pinnacle of productionmotorcycle engineering on everysingle level. This coming together of mediocrityonmy part and excellence on Ducati’skind of feels likethe moment I’ve beenwaitingfor since the electronic genie waslet out of the bottle back in 2010 when rider aids became as much apart of motorcycle architecture as suspension and brakes.I’venot ridden the newPanigale V4, butonthe basis that the newStreetfghter V4 is 95% Panigale, everything that follows from atech point of view, at least, can almost certainly be applied to the Panigale.The pointI’m leadingupto is that the packaging and integration ofthe latest electronicsfoundonthe Streetfghter V4 aresogood that not only does it feel like we’ve arrived at apointwhere electronicsno longer feel supplementarytoa bike,but they
are utterly and totally integrated in sucha waythat my opening statement stands as a bona fde fact, and alot –but not all–ofthat is down to thesheer wizardryofthe bike’s electronicsystems.
Now, let’spause for amoment and tackle what you’reprobably thinking, which is probably something along the lines of, “Great, another mega bikethat’scloser to being avideo game than amotorbike, what’s sogreat about that? Iwant my biketofeel likea proper bike” or my personal favourite, “It’sall pointless because it’stoo muchfor the road, youcan’t use anyofthat in real life.” Here’sthe thing –this daywas always going to come.Ashuman beings,weare programmedtoevolve, so when electronics on motorbikes arrived in 2010,theyhave since then been on apath to this point, when their integration and refnement isso comprehensivethat it feels likewe’ve gone full circle.Their greatest trick is that the bikenow feels analogue again, almost old-school. The other beneft of this new eraofsophistication is that if and when youdiveinand makeany adjustments, theyreally do change the bikes dynamics with such ahigh levelofrefnement that thefriendly modes don’t feel any‘lesser’ and the ‘manly’ race modesdon’t just feel likeaharder-to-ride version of the bike… and this is genuine progress
Having waxedlyrical about the electronics, Imust takeamoment to emphasise that the Streetfghter is NOTa one-trick ponywith next-levelelectronics that lets yougomuchfaster than your natural talent would normally allow. Farfrom it. Ducati hasgone all high-tech with the chassis too, applying principles lifted directly from theracetrack, and muchtoits credit–and to the outrage of purists –has put function over form in doing so.Never afraid to shyawayfromthe big calls to respectfully leave traditionand heritage in the past, Ducati hasa historyofputting performance above all else until it feels its rinsed every
You’ll save afortune on fronttyres...
last drop of advantage from anygiven concept –iconic or otherwise –and moving on to the next platform.
The trellis frame went in 2012, and the V-twin engine went in 2018, both of which form ahuge part of Ducati DNA,and in 2025, the most visual and thereforearguably the most divisivechange to the superbikehappened –the single-sided swingarm went… for good, this time.The 999 was too much too soon, but nowDucati is in a different place and unapologetic whenitcomes to the prioritiesfor its superbikeand therefore supernaked.
Performance above all else,and it’sall very well having 214bhp from your V4 crossplane counterrotating crank engine if youcan’t getit down to the tarmac.Electronicswill do their bit, but theycan only work with the levels of grip and contact that the chassisgives them, so while there’snoquestion that Ducati hastaken abig step with its latest electronicspackage,it’salso performed amajor shift in concept withthe chassis on the Streetfghter and hasgone down the same fexi-frame road by using the exact same frame and swingarmasthe Panigale V4
The‘front frame’ is 40% less stiff laterally than the previous model and 17% lighter, which arehuge numbers, and not just little tweaks. Much chassis design nowadays is being infuenced by the extragrip tyres produce,and the high anglesoflean made possible by them, which –asisoften the case –while good for going through acorner quicker,thereisa compromise.The laws of physicsstate that the higher the angle of lean, the less load is transferred through the suspension –inthis case, the forks– and insteadmoreload is taken through the steering yoke and headstock. Consequently,ifyou can get the level of lateral (side-to-side) fexinthe frame,yokes,and headstock just right, the negativeeffect of the suspension not working at lean can be compensated for and grip can be exploited at high lean anglesinstead of the tyrerunning out of compliance.
It’sthe same storyatthe rear and the new double-sided swingarm. The number-one downside of asingle swingarm is that due to having to bear all the loads,thatarm hastobe especially strong, which means… stiff and consequently heavy,sothere’snot much lateral fexAND there’saload of excess unsprung weight which hasaneffect on the movement of the rear shock. By switching to adouble-sided swingarm, Ducati hasreduced the lateral stiffness by 43% and got rid of 2.9kgof unsprung weight from the rear alone.These numbersare massive, the sort which put clear daylight between the 2025Streetfghter and the previous model. The swingarm is identicaltothe Panigale’s, so shorter than the previous Streetfghter V4’ssingle-sided unit, but since
THE ‘FRONT FRAME’ IS 40% LESS STIFF LATERALLY THAN THE PREVIOUSMODEL AND 17% LIGHTER, WHICH ARE HUGE NUMBERS, AND NOT JUST LITTLE TWEAKS.
the Streetfghter doesneed to have moreofa comfort element to it than the Panigale,the rear linkage is moreprogressivethan the Panigale’sfor asofter initial part ofthe stroke and thefront forkshave an extra5mm of travel, along with slightly lazier steering geometrythan the Panigale,which is whythe Streetfghter hasan11mm longer wheelbase.
True to Ducati’sself-proclaimed ‘Fight Formula,’the engine is also the sameasthe Panigale’s, not awatered-downversion,soit’s the full 214bhp as standard, which can be boosted to afrankly mind-blowing 226bhp with the addition of thefull titanium exhaust
system. It’sreally justacademic as the engine is so excessiveinits normal state that Ican’t think of areasonwhy you’d spend the £8000 on adding another 12bhp to your 214bhp, other than the noiseofaV4through arace system is about as good as it gets,and you’d defnitely notice the 6.6kgweight saving.
However,frst, second, and sixth gear ratios areshorter than the Panigale’sjust to really pep up that 200bhp in the lowergears, plus the frontsprocket hasatooth less and the rear
sprocket hasatooth more, which actually all makes alot of sense.WhereaPanigale’smain priority in life is breaking lap records ultimately,anaked bikedoesnot have this burden to bear –but it doeshavetobefun, which is wherethe previous Streetfghter came up short when we did our supernakeds group test. Brilliant in everyway but atad too serious was the conclusion we arrived at, so learning that not justthe fnal drivehas been shortened and the frst twocogs in the gear boxhavealso been made shorter doesgivehope that the Streetfghter hasdeveloped afun side to its personality on the road.
There’salso anew set of wings which have been developed by Ducati Corse,and which Ducati claimsnow makes an astonishing 45kg of downforce at 270kph (167mph), which is nearly TWObags of cement sitting on the top yoke,and also 17kgmorethan last year’s Streetfghter.For reference –and only because Ihad the notestohand –the newmassive wings on the 2025BMW S1000RR produce just 23kgat300kph, which probably says more about the intended use of each bikethan it doesabout BMW and Ducati’srespectiveaero designers.
The BMW hastobeslipperywhereasthe Streetfghter doesn’t, and since downforce is only possible by creating drag,the superbike must have abalance between sacrifcing too much drag for downforce it probably doesn’t need. In the case of anaked bikecapable of
As sweetinthe cornersas it is gassingout of them
doing 170mph,there’sastrongcasefor lots and lots of downforceatthe front, given how much lift and thereforepotentialfor instability there is on anaked bikeatthose kindsof speeds.For me,the main pointofinterestis just howintricate the art of aerodynamics is, and howsuch apparently dainty wings as found on the Streetfghter can produce signifcantly moreload than the gigantic ones found on the BMW
The chassis components areasyou’d expect on a£25,000 bike,and all out ofthe top drawer. Suspension is the latest ÖhlinsEC3.0 electronic system which, as well as having different software, also hasdifferenthardware in the form of aspoolvalveinternally to make the necessarydampingadjustments faster and thereforemorefrequently and more accurately Forksare NiX30spec,and the rear shock is a TTX36 unit, all of which arethe best and highest spec you’ll fnd on anyproduction bike. The base Streetfghter gets Showaatthe frontand Sachsatthe rear.The same Brembo Hypurecallipersasused on the Panigale areon the Streetfghter but with different pads. The Hypurecallipersare lighter than theprevious Stylemasthat were the go-to callipersfor high-endbikes, and since the brakecallipers areclassed as unsprung weight, anyweight saving in this area is themostusefulofall. Speaking of weight, not so much in the weight-saving contextbut in aredistribution context, moreofthe tank’s16litres of fuel is nowunder the seat than ever before. Ducati wouldn’t sayhow much, but since fuel weighs approximately 0.75kgper litre, even if just one litreextrahas been movedtounder the seat,
that would be in playwhen it comes to chassis dynamics.
And so to the electronics. The phrase ‘dripping in tech’ hasneverbeen more appropriate given that the Streetfghter has literally every single adjustable toyinthe box as part of its menu, so we’retalking about ABS including asnazzy race system that applies the rear brakefor youoncorner entry, traction control, slide control, engine brakeand wheelie control, none of which really need any explanation. However,the introduction of a newtype of system, the likes of which has neverbeen seen beforeonaproduction bike, makes its debut, known as Ducati Vehicle Observer(DVO).Ittook me awhiletoget my head round howitworksand what it does, partially because it’ssocomplexthat inevitably Ineeded more information to understand it, which is when Iran into the secondproblem Ducati is quite secretiveonthe nitty gritty about howitworksbecause it’sdeveloped entirely by Ducati Corse as part of its MotoGP programme–development that is stillongoing. But here’smyunderstanding…
The Streetfghter –and anybikethat has rider aids –operatesits rider aids system by the ECU gathering information from sensorsall over the bike, whether it be the IMU,wheel speeds,throttle position, gear,revs and so on, and makes ajudgement on whether any interventionisneeded to correct behaviour that’sout of place,such as excessiverear wheel speed or asudden change in the steering angle.The intervention will be to cut
WHERE APANIGALE ULTIMATELY
ITSMAIN PRIORITY
powereither via the ignition or fuel injection, or both. This is howall rider aid systems operate and is entirely responsiveinsomuch as it watches, and if it spots something, thenit reacts
The DVOhas its ownECU which has literally millionsofscenariosgathered from MotoGPback as far as when CaseyStoner rode for Ducati. The DVOECU piggybacksthe bike’s main ECU and monitorsit, PLUS all the same channels that the main ECU doesand compares what’sgoing on to its MotoGPderived algorithmstogiveitabig head-start on the decision-making process.Effectively,it’s marking the ECU’shomework beforeany action is taken and offering preloaded solutions. The result is that the intervention of one of the rider aids will at worstbereduced to just the tiniest tickle in the background beforethe event hasevenoccurred, which
HAS BREAKING LAP RECORDS AS
IN LIFE, A NAKED BIKE DOES NOT HAVE THIS BURDEN TO BEAR.
It’s practicallyaPanigale withoutclothes... which definitelyisn’t abad thing.
youwon’t notice due to the DVOECU spotting adeveloping scenario and telling theECU to makeapreventativeadjustment to theignition or fuel. By intervening earlier and faster,the levelofintervention is much, much smaller and thereforesmoother than anormalsystem –tothe point that it can be classed as predictiverather than reactive… predictive in so much as the DVOECU is comparing datato pre-loaded scenariosand thusisable to spot the signsofaproblem developing, whereasa normal ECU-based rider aid system –which theStreetfghter also has–onlykicksin after the scenario hasstarted to escalate It’shugely complicated, and I’ve done my best to describe it based on what informationI could tease out of the Ducati people given their understandable reluctance,but the stand-out points on the DVOsystem is that whena manufacturer trots out stuff like‘this is technology from our race team,’ I’m alwaysa bit sceptical that it’sjust marketing guff.Inthis case,the contents of the DVOECU have actually been created by Stoner,Rossi,Hayden, Dovizioso, Lorenzo, Bagnaia and, ofcourse, Marquez, among others. The DVOsystem represents asignifcant advancement in motorcycle rider aid systemsinso much as by becoming apredictivesystem instead ofa responsiveone,the levels of refnementand usabilityofthe system becomes even greater than before. This is genuinely cutting-edge, and Ican’t denythat on track,when Iknew which wayIwas supposed to be going,I believe that in particular the DVOsystem and newfexi-chassis arewhy Iwas able to getup
THE CHASSIS COMPONENTS
ARE AS YOU’D EXPECT ON A £25,000 BIKE, AND ALL OUT OF THE TOP DRAWER.
to speed so quicklyand withoutfeeling likeI wassitting on top of adigitally castrated masterpiece.Which brings me back to the start of thisreport…
I’m going to come straight out and freely admitthat Ibarely scratched the surfaceofthe Streetfghter V4, inpart due to the fact we had six sessions on track and the frst twowere spent literally asking myself if it wasleft, right, or straight after the blind crest, leaving no precious brain space for the bike. All Ican tell youisthat we started in sport mode,which had the engine set to ‘medium,’and after the second session Iwas ready for morebut wasn’t really surewhat Imeant by more. Iwent to
race mode,which stiffened the suspension up and put the engine into ‘high,’and that was everything Iwanted, even though Ididn’t knowexactly what Iwanted. In ‘medium,’the peak poweristhe same 214bhp youget in race mode,but the throttle is made to feel longer and softer,and torque is reduced signifcantly in the frst three gears. In ‘high,’you geta shorter,quicker action throttle and only avery small amount of torque trimmedout of the frst three gears, and in ‘full’ powermode,the torque is only slightly trimmed in frst gear only,with second and thirdgetting everything. What Ican tell youisthat in ‘high,’the bike felt completely different through the frst part of corner exit, with much moreurgencybut without losing anyprecision or feeling likea passenger.Itonly really occurred to me towardsthe end of the sessionthatinthe absence of anynoticeable electronic intervention, Iwas getting greedier and greedier with the throttle,only to notice the
Anylower andthose wingsw ill be taking abattering
light fashing on the dashboardinthe corner of my eye confrmingthatthings were,infact, busyinthe background. There’sacorneron the lap which is second gear at the apex that gradually opensand plungesdownhill. By the time youfnish the corner,you’re well into fourth gear and have accelerated to that point mostly on the side of the tyre.
Iwas made to feel very oldbyCarl Stevens, formerly of this parish, when he described howhetacklesthat section –byjust mashing the throttle open fullyand letting thebikedo the rest. Ijust can’t bring myself to do that. I prefer to wind the throttle on progressively and trytostayjust on theright side of intervention without triggering it,enjoying acceleratingas hardasIcan through second,thirdand fourth gear on thesideofthe tyre,and asking my brain and right hand to search out the grip with only the tiniest ficker of the traction controllight every nowand then
There’sanother section that involves pulling thebikefromthe right side of the track across to the left side whileacceleratingfat-out in fourth gear.There’sa crestthrowninfor good measurehalfway down the straight at thepoint ofmaximum effort on the handlebarsthat makesthe Streetfghter wheelie. Theantiwheelie deals with it as you’d except by reigning in the powerenoughtoget thefront tyre back on the deck. However,due to the effort going through the handlebars, actually letting it wheelie abit longer and lowermade the transition smoother to set up for thenext corner once I’d switched it off altogether
And herein liesone of the Streetfghter’s manystrokes of genius.Bypressinga few buttons, it can be transformed and explored dependingonyourmood or what you’re doing with it. Want to chase lap times? No problem. Want to takeiteasy?Noproblem. Thenthere’s the chassis.Bythe time the sixth session was done,Iwas in no doubt that my brain wasn’t playing tricksonmeand that thenew fexi-chassis was indeed massively different
BY PRESSING A FEW BUTTONS, THE BIKE CAN BE TRANSFORMED AND EXPLORED DEPENDING ON YOUR MOOD OR WHAT YOU’RE DOING WITH IT.
Bigdep ar ture forDuc atitobin themuch- loved andiconic single -sided sw ingarm,but needs must,and thegrippro ducedbya reductionof stif fnes sby4 3% will be significant,not to mentionthe reductionofunsprungmas sby 17%.
FR AM E
Lifted straig ht from thePanigale, which meansit’s17% lighterand has4 0% less laterals tiffness co mp ared to last year ’s bike.Reducinglateral stif fnes s co mp ensatesfor thesuspensionnot work ingathig hleanangles.
WING S
45kg of downforceat167mphisas tupendousamountof downforce, butthens ois167mphonanaked bike,and giventhatnakedsdon’t like goingathig hspeeds, it ’s probabl yac as eofneedingittokeepthe bike pointing in a straig ht line
EN GINE
214bhp from theshowroo m, and2 26bhpw ithan £80 00 titanium race system.It’ssimpl ya masterpieceofengineering.Has ashorter first, second andsix th gear co mp ared to the Panigale,but otherw is eidentic al
