It’s weird to think of it now, but the first Ducati Streetfighter wasn’t really a big hit in the market. Launched back in 2009 with a massive 1,099cc V-twin Testastretta motor, superbike chassis and aggressive styling, it was discontinued four years later, with a smaller 849cc version hanging around a couple of years longer.
But from 2013-2020, the Bologna firm left the supernaked sector largely untroubled – if you wanted an Italian streetfighter back then, you had to buy an Aprilia Tuono (or crash your Panigale then repair it with a Chinese LED headlight and some duct tape).
We got a new V4 Streetfighter in 2020 of course, and since then Ducati’s hypernaked (one louder than a supernaked) range has extended out to a V2 version, base and S formats, and even some super-trick special limited editions.
And now for 2025 we get the next-generation Streetfighter V4, with the dual-sided swingarm off the new Panigale V4, and an even more insane powerplant, basically identical to the Panigale motor.
Peak power is now a wild 214bhp at 13,500rpm, a couple of ponies down on the superbike because of intake differences, and torque is 12.2kg/m at 11,250rpm from the 1,103cc V4 Desmosedici Stradale engine. Mad.
The madness continues elsewhere: the new V4S weighs just 189kg ready to ride, without fuel. That lets the firm claim a heady power-to-weight ratio of 1.13bhp/kg which is frankly hilarious even nowadays.
The rest of the bike has been brought even closer to the superbike as well, with Ducati claiming that the chassis and electronics packages are both as close to the Panigale as makes no odds.
That means a new main frame which is lighter (3.47kg in weight compared to the previous 4.42) and has had the stiffness tweaked, plus the new double-sided Ducati Hollow Symmetrical Swingarm, which is claimed to improve traction when exiting corners.
The swingarm offers a reduction in lateral stiffness (-43% compared to the single-sided swingarm of the previous model) and an overall lightening of the swingarm-forged rear wheel assembly by 2.9kg.
The Streetfighter V4 S also gets posh forged aluminium wheels with five tangential spokes, inspired by those of the DesmosediciGP which weigh just 2.95/4.15kg front/rear (the base V4 makes do with cheaper cast aluminium rims).
Design-wise, there’s updated bodywork with tweaked lines, though it’s instantly recognisable as a Streetfighter. There’s a new LED headlamp and reshaped 16-litre fuel tank, narrower at the rear to improve riding position, and more space for the rider. The aerodynamic ‘Biplane’ wings have also been modified for 2025, with even more downforce – 17kg at 168mph, if you’re counting…
The Streetfighter V4S gets the same third-generation electronically controlled Öhlins NIX/TTX suspension as the Panigale, with wider adjustment, allowing the use of more comfy calibrations for road use or more aggressive settings for use on the race track.
At the same time, the increased speed of the EC3.0 hydraulic valves is claimed to offer a more precise and accurate response across all the different riding scenarios.
Compared to the Panigale V4 though, the rear suspension linkage has been made more progressive to offer greater comfort on the road, which is further increased thanks to a new “Cruise Detection” strategy.
The latter softens the suspension when it detects a constant pace, such as on motorway transfers, significantly increasing rider comfort – a pretty smart use of the technology.
Like the new Ducati Panigale V4, the Streetfighter V4 also gets the latest Brembo Hypure front brake calipers which are lighter by 60 grams per pair compared to the Stylema calipers and offer higher performance. The Hypures also disperse heat generated by braking more effectively, offering more consistent performance especially on track.
The Race eCBS cornering ABS setup, developed by Ducati in collaboration with Bosch, is now able to activate and modulate the rear brake, limiting load transfers and improving the stability of the bike in the braking phase both in road and track use, even when the rider only applies the front brake.
The system, which offers five levels against the three of the previous Streetfighter model, intervenes in a similar way to professional riders at the lowest levels, reserved for track use, while improving safety and stability at the higher levels, designed for road use.
And that’s just one part of a complete package of electronic controls: Ducati Traction Control DVO, Ducati Slide Control, Ducati Wheelie Control DVO, Ducati Power Launch DVO, Engine Brake Control and Ducati Quick Shift 2.0.
The DQS 2.0 system uses a strategy based solely on the gear drum angular position sensor, thus being able to use a gearshift rod without microswitches and therefore offering the rider a more direct feeling with reduced travel.
A new 6.9” dashboard with 8:3 “aspect ratio” offers maximum readability and is perfectly integrated into the line of the new Streetfighter. The protective glass uses Optical Bonding technology, to guarantee optimal readability on a black background even during the day.
That new dash also has a new interface, which offers different viewing modes for use on the road or on the track, “combining completeness and readability of the information in the first case, or instead supporting the rider in the search for maximum performance in the second”.
The display automatically changes its layout, moving the columns and redistributing the spaces, to offer maximum visibility to the functions that are being used at the moment, such as the navigator.
Similarly, by selecting the Views mode, the left column gains space by moving the rev counter to the right and compressing the right column, to display the different functions available, including the TPMS, instantaneous torque and power delivered, lateral and longitudinal acceleration values, instantaneous lean angles and action on the throttle and brake.
Ducati also says the Road Infomode has very clean graphics, with great emphasis on the circular rev counter, placed in the centre and with the indication of the engaged gear inside. The left side of the screen is reserved for the settings, the navigator, if installed, the music player, the management of the smartphone and accessory heated grips, and the different functions available for each of these features.
On the right side are the indications of speed, time, water temperature and cruise control, if enabled.
Track mode, activated by default in the Race Riding Mode, is designed to give maximum emphasis to the most relevant information in circuit riding.
The rev counter is positioned at the top of the screen, with a scale compressed up to 9,000 rpm, while in the centre the rider finds the indication of the gear engaged, and on the right the levels set for the electronic controls (modifiable via the right rocker) and their activation.
In the left column is the lap timer display, which by mounting the DDL accessory or via the GPS module is able to show lap time with different split times, lap number and the indication of the improvement in absolute terms or in reference to the session using the same colour codes – white, grey, orange, red – used in MotoGP.
The new Streetfighter V4 will be on sale in March 2025, with a fairly steep price – £22,895 for the base V4 with mechanical Showa/Sachs suspension, lead/acid battery and cast wheels, and £24,995 for the V4S with Öhlins semi-active suspension, lithium battery and forged wheels. More info: www.ducati.com
TECH HIGHLIGHTS
Streetfighter V4 S
- Colour
o Ducati Red with Urban Grey frame, black rims and matt black front mudguard
- Main standard features
o Desmosedici Stradale engine, 1,103 cc
o Maximum power of 214 hp at 13,500 rpm
o Maximum torque of 12.2 Kgm at 11,250 rpm
o Kerb weight without fuel: 189 Kg
o “Front Frame”
o 16-litre aluminium tank
o Ducati Electronic Suspension (DES) 3.0
o Öhlins NIX-30 fork with Öhlins Smart EC 3.0 control system
o Öhlins TTX 36 shock absorber with Öhlins Smart EC 3.0 control system
o Öhlins steering damper with Öhlins Smart EC 3.0 control system
o Forged aluminium rims
o Lithium battery
o Braking system with Brembo Hypure™ monobloc calipers
o Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV Corsa tyres with 200/60 rear
o Biplane configuration wings and integrated design
o Latest-generation electronics package with 6-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (6D IMU): Race eCBS with cornering functionality; Ducati Traction Control (DTC) DVO; Ducati Slide Control (DSC); Ducati Wheelie Control (DWC) DVO; Ducati Power Launch (DPL) DVO; Ducati Quick Shift (DQS) 2.0; Engine Brake Control (EBC), Ducati Vehicle Observer (DVO)
o Quick level change buttons
o New 6.9” full-TFT dashboard with 8:3 aspect ratio
o Riding Modes (Race, Sport, Road, Wet)
o Full-LED headlight with DRL
o Single-seater configuration (accessory passenger kit)
o Provision for Ducati Data Logger (DDL) and Ducati Multimedia System (DMS)
Streetfighter V4
- Same standard equipment as Streetfighter V4 S except
o Kerb weight without fuel: 191 kg
o 43 mm Showa Big Piston Fork (BPF), fully adjustable
o Sachs monoshock, fully adjustable
o Sachs steering damper
o Five-spoke light alloy wheels
o Lead-acid battery