Back-to-back - Ducati on track
Naked or Fairing? Twin or four? Tester Tim takes Bologna's best on back-to-back dates at Sydney Motor Sports Park
Words and Photos: Tim Warren
If you can't find the motorbike you want to ride in this country? Find a country that has them. I've been waiting to review Ducati Streetfighters and Panigales S-versions forever. New Zealand is a small market, we don't have press bikes available for these hottest versions. I did the only logical thing: plan to visit Australia. And where do you evaluate four of the most powerful, incredible machines in the world? I had to have a track.
I took the short flight from Auckland to Sydney, checking into the rather excellent Moxy airport hotel. An early night beckoned with the weather forecast promising a perfect day of clear skies and cool air. Sunday dawned as good as promised; I was up at the crack of it for the hour drive to Sydney Motorsports Park. It coincided with a classic car show, and so I spent a good 25 minutes in nose to tail traffic where the average age of the cars was older than me. Soon I left the traffic and turned into the garages to meet the team who look after the Ducati press bikes.
Melbourne based MEGA runs ‘RideDays’ at both Sydney Motorsports park and the iconic Phillip Island track. These are substantial events open to any-brand. The open track from 9 till 5, bike and gear rental, marshals, photographers, 15 to 20 bikes in each session across four speed groups mean that anyone with any bike can have an experience that will up their skills.
I rode 15 minute sessions on both V2S and V4S Streetfighters, then both V2S and V4S Panigales. Starting in the medium group, I moved to the slow. I was riding the fastest bikes on the track, but there was no way I would compromise myself or the gorgeous Italian machinery. To make sure I still ‘felt’ fast, I rode without earplugs to get a good sense of the Desmodromic ‘music’.
Before I start on the ride report, let me tell you why the Streetfighter appealed so much. We all know the Panigale is the ultimate track bike and as such would be imperious. But in creating the Streetfighter, Ducati took the Panigale, removed fairing and added and added an easier handlebar. Naked bikes are just fun, I couldn't wait to try them out. There’s plenty of commonality across all four bikes, like Brembo brakes, quick shifters and electronics, yet I was here to look for differences!
This was the first ride that day. As I started I noted the reasonable riding position. You don't feel too bent up and out of shape. However at track speed there is no escaping from the wind on a naked bike, so you get a substantial amount of buffeting. It actually makes a perfect street bike. The handling was superb, the braking is breath-taking - delivering progressive high-feel arresting power. So much so I overbraked every corner. It's a great looking bike. Gorgeous in red, and in any color. The gear box needed quite deliberate inputs. And I did miss a couple and found neutral hard to find when it was cold. It's got that fabulous twin sound - you can just listen to it all day - redline is 10,750 and I did not trouble it often. It has such a wide power band that it's very forgiving on gear selection. Whatever you select, it just winks and lets you get away with it, whatever you do. It’s wildly fun and easy to say that it's up there with the best bikes that I've ever ridden. But I’d only just begun.
I came into this thinking that the Streetfighter versions would be very similar. Wrong. V4S is a step up; a sublime bike while retaining that rough and ready ‘Streetable’, fairing free design. Despite the name, everything changes on the V4 edition, the capacity, cylinders, suspension - It's automated and computer controlled. It's faster yet smoother delivery of power. If the V2 seemed a tad raucous, the V4 was intense yet smoother, despite the increase in power. This is a race machine without fairing.
Is the smaller sibling in the Panigale range and shares the running gear of the Streetfighter V2S.. It was an expected blend between the different systems. I really appreciated the extra wind protection. I did notice the increase in weight up front on the bike however that was not a problem. I felt up to speed on this bike quicker than the SFV2S. On track you're going faster than you can on the road and it oozes ‘race bike’, and the seating position is a little tighter, yet a good position for my 176cm frame and leaves plenty of control for the bike. It was impressive all round: high capacity, great handling, overall, a great bike without being too intimidating.
Don’t imagine that the step between the different bikes is even. The Panigale V4S is a different machine altogether. It genuinely challenged me. The riding position is the most compressed, but you immediately forget about that when you mount it. It feels tall, yet has the optimum position for control of what is probably the wildest production bikes you can get. The suspension is surprisingly comfortable and supple enabling maximum mechanical grip while delivering feedback about the surface. Throttle response and braking is somehow powerful yet nuanced. Despite the fact systems are shared with the sibling bikes, this has the absolute maximum setting possible on every aspect. The throttle response is so savage, at almost any RPM, that out of the four bikes, on this I had to really gently nurse the roll-on throttle out of a corner. The brakes stopped you on a dime with no fuss.
The Panigales feature front aero to keep you planted at any speed. All of these bikes can go very fast, but my point today was not to search for top speed. I kept it to circa 230 kilometres an hour on the straight. However, there's no doubt that with a seasoned (braver) rider, these all push a lot higher.
Don’t forget the rubber! The Pirelli Diabolo Rosso IV tires were fitted across the range. An impressive road legal choice for the best combination of grip plus the ability to last savage track sessions. They are worked all day hard by people trying to maximise every corner and they're shedding rubber all the time so grip spectacular and stopping performance was extraordinary. At no stage did I ever feel the tires lose traction. Rosso is standard on the Streetfighters, while the Panigales ship with SuperCorsa - a slightly more aggressive option.
I came in with high expectations, and all of them were exceeded by each bike.
The surprise was the difference in character between each. They very much justify their existence despite similarities on paper. So I have a good problem: How to choose?! Here is my summary:
There's no question that the Panigale V4S is the choice for a track weapon. It's the fastest and most capable, and looks it.
Streetfighter V4S is the street king, combining characteristics of the different bikes. Sensational looks, unreasonably capable, bragging rights. It's a total package.
Panigale V2S with its extra wind protection is a great choice if you value open road protection.
The Streetfighter V2S occupies a special space. In many ways, it's the most raw, a wildness you expect from a street bike.
Both V2s are lower, so more accessible for shorter riders.
It’s a hard choice. A friend of mine has two Ducatis. Now I completely understand why. I walk to my garage. I’m sure I have space for a couple…
Streetfighter | V2S | V4S |
Displacement | 890 | 1,103 cc |
Power | 88 kW (120 hp) @ 10,750 | 157 kW (214 hp) @ 13,500 |
Torque | 93 Nm @ 8,250 | 120 Nm @ 11,250 |
Wet weight no fuel | 175 kg | 189 Kg |
Seat height | 838 mm | 845 mm |
Panigale | V2S | V4S |
Displacement | 890 | 1,103 |
Power | 88 kW (120 hp) @ 10,750 | 159 kW (216 hp) @ 13,500 |
Torque | 93 Nm @ 8,250 | 121 Nm @ 11,250 |
Wet weight no fuel | 176 Kg | 187 Kg |
Seat height | 837 mm | 850 mm |
Sydney Side
Sydney makes a great weekend destination. I stayed at the Moxy Hotel because it’s walking distance from the Airport and they had parking for the car I was reviewing! The city is friendly and easy to get around, and there is a fabulous Motor Sports tradition in Australia. I’ve been to MotoGP and F1 in Melbourne, next on my radar is Bathurst - the ultimate Aussie road race!
Resources
Australian Track Days
Sydney https://www.smsprd.com/
Phillip Island https://www.phillipislandridedays.com.au/
The Ducatis
The Rubber
SuperCorsa
