Ducati Streetfighter V2 (2022) road and track review

THE sub-150bhp naked bike market is a fairly busy little place at the moment. At one end you have bikes like the Street Triple RS, while at the other you have a higher spec or more powerful machines like the Yamaha MT-10 or GSX-S1000. Launching itself headfirst into the heart of this battle is the new for 2022 Ducati Streetfighter V2.

It’s an interesting prospect in the market, with bang on the money power output, top-class (if not top-spec) hardware, and a bucket load of zeros and ones borrowed from its bigger sibling, the Streetfighter V4. And while we are on that subject; the bike I’m here to ride in Spain feels like a V4 Streetfighter for the masses.

It’s got all the feel, looks and even noise of the V4, without the headline-grabbing and intimidating power output or the price! The most important new model from Ducati in the last couple of years then? You betcha!

Ducati Streetfighter V2 price and colours

The new V2 is £14,995 in the UK on the road making it about four and a half to five grand less than the V4. That puts it right in the mix with things like the MT-10 and GSX-S1000, while it could also potentially steal some sales from the smaller crop of middleweight nakeds in the process.

As it stands the Streetfighter V2 is only available in Rosso Red, although you can bet your bottom dollar that a black or grey machine is waiting in the wings for an unveiling in mid-2022.

Ducati Streetfighter V2 equipment

As standard, the V2 gets an up and down shifter and blipper, and the standard rubber is from Pirelli in the form of Diablo Rosso IV hoops. The electronics set-up is basically lifted from the V4, meaning you have all the road and track riding bells and whistles you’ll ever need.

It has cornering ABS, traction control (lean-sensitive), wheelie control, slide control, rear lift detection… the list is seemingly endless. It’s all incorporated in neat little TFT, and like most modern, high-tech Ducatis, a series of pictures on the dash helps you to understand how the change will affect the bike.

For the road ride, I kept the bike in the dedicated road setting, meaning ABS and traction control that aired on the side of caution rather than performance. For the track riding on the Monteblanco circuit, I was running Sport mode – the spiciest of the three riding modes.

Ducati Streetfighter V2 engine and gearbox

The 955cc Superquadro engine in the V2 is the very same unit that's found in the Panigale V2 (as is much of the bike) although it is down on power slightly when compared to that model – lack of frontal air scoops being pointed at as the reason.

With 148bhp on tap and 75lb-ft of torque though, you are right in the fun zone of road riding, and even on the wide expanses of the Monteblanco circuit the bike still felt good.

For this year the Superquadro engine is refined at speed although it still has that clatter-and-bang character around town as it grumbles from A to B.

Pointing its joker-face towards the hills north of Seville though and the little Ducati begins to make much more sense. It feels eager and rev-hungry, with more than enough grunt down low to let you get away with shoddy downshifts - and it has a beautifully tuned exhaust note. I’m not sure how Ducati have got this thing through Euro5, as even on the standard exhaust, get it above 6,000rpm it just sings.

The higher we go, the more twisty it becomes, and the one fly in the ointment of the road ride appears. The initial throttle movement, just in the first half a degree or so feels clumsy. It has me introducing some back brake during hairpins to help smooth out the experience. It’s not a massive problem, and I’m sure you’d learn to live with it over time.

One very positive point of note on the road ride was the gearbox. Not only can you find neutral – It's only taken Ducati 95-years to nail it! – the quickshifter is a dream to use. Up and down shifts are met by nicely matched revs regardless of road speed, and even with a trailing throttle, you can shift up and down smoothly. It really worked very well. On the road at least.

When we took to the circuit in the afternoon, I started to have some problems. In Sport mode the shifter setting is obviously more aggressive, forgoing comfort in the pursuit of outright performance. This made the lever feel a bit more belligerent, and on a couple of occasions, my tiddly size 7.5 feet would need two bites of the cherry to get the gear to stick. It wasn’t happening every corner of every lap, but once or twice a session I’d be swearing inside my helmet.

Ducati Streetfighter V2 Suspension, brakes and handling.

One of the most notable points of the new Streetfighter it in the way the bike handles. With Panigale-derived chassis components it’d be easy to assume that the V2 would handle just like its faired sibling. That’s not the case though. Bespoke settings for the Show Big Piston Forks and Sachs shock make the bike much more compliant, easy-going, and (dare I say it) enjoyable to ride.

Add into the mix wide bars, a relaxed riding position, and ample seat and you have a motorcycle that’ll make many a 1,000cc ‘super naked’ looking rather cumbersome.

The morning of the press test was chilly for the first 40 minutes or so, and the V2s agility combined with cold tyres nearly caught me out on a couple of occasions. After about an hour of twisties though and with temperature in the high teens, it all begins to click into place.

The Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV hoops don’t heat up as quickly as some other rubber on the market, but they have been chosen to perform a task for a wide variety of riders. You sometimes ride on a press launch and advise people to ditch the stock rubber before they’ve left the dealership – that’s not the case here.

Out on the track, the same tyre performed very well, with stability under braking being a strong point. You could hammer on the Brembo M4 calipers with all your might, ABS lights flashing like mad, and still sweep to the apex with ease. Ducati’s engineers had made some sensible tweaks for the track riding – suspension and tyre pressures only – although you get the feeling the story wouldn’t have been much different had they left it on the stock road adjustment.

Ducati Streetfighter V2 comfort

The V2 is in some ways a weird bike. It looks fairly diminutive in the flesh, without looking any less muscular than the V4. But despite its small silhouette it still feels roomy, with space on the seat for you to move about whether you’re looking for cornering performance or simply for relaxation.

The overall comfort of the bike didn’t jump out as being unfavourable in any way. The seat could be softer – couldn’t they all?! – but the small tweaks made to the lower body ergonomics and those new handlebars make enough of a difference to ensure you feel at home.

What we like about the Ducati Streetfighter V2

• Handling puts much more expensive bikes to shame
• Engine performance and character
• Comfort
• Quickshifter (on the road at least) is very good

What we didn’t like about the Ducati Streetfighter V2

• Snatchy throttle at low speed
• Lefthand switchgear is a bit of a stetch
• The mirrors are great – for looking at your elbows

Ducati Streetfighter V2 verdict

The new Streetfighter V2 might be a bike built around the age-old supersport to naked bike concept, but it delivers a very different riding experience. With 150bhp on tap and a £14,995 price tag, it’s easy to bundle this in the less premium of the 1,000cc super naked pack. I’m pretty sure if you were to back-to-back test it against them though, and it will likely eat them for breakfast.

It’s got very good hardware in the form of suspension and brakes from some of the best in the business. Add to that an electronics system that is usually kept busy taming the 200+ bhp Streetfighter V4 and you have one seriously potent machine to throw into your garage.

It might not be as playful as something like an MT-10, or offer the value for money that comes from owning a GSX-S1000. But if you can get over that, and the inevitable ‘oh, but it’s only the V2 not the V4’ snipes at the local bike meet, there’s very little to dislike about Bologna’s latest offering.

For more information, head to: www.ducati.com

Ducati Streetfighter V2 specs