2009–2011 · Hyper Naked · Buyer's Guide
Superbike Soul, Clothes Off
Ducati took a superbike, pulled the bodywork off and left the hard parts in plain sight. The 1099 cc Testastretta Evoluzione L-twin makes 154 hp and 88 lb-ft, both peaking at 9,500 rpm, hung in a trellis frame with fully adjustable suspension at each end, a steering damper and a slipper clutch as standard equipment. Wet weight is 439 lb with 4.4 gal aboard. Nothing on this bike is decorative. It sits at the sharp end of the hyper naked class, far closer to a race-bred twin with handlebars than to any easygoing roadster.
This one rewards a rider who already knows what they want from a motorcycle. The chassis is set up to carve, the low-rev stomp means you live in the middle of the tach instead of chasing the redline, and the design has aged better than most of what shared showroom floors with it. The caveats are honest ones. Emissions-lean fueling leaves a hesitation near 3,500 rpm until you remap it, ABS was never fitted to this model, traction control was an option rather than standard kit, and the 33.1 in seat asks something of shorter legs at every stop.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 154 hp (113 kW) @ 9,500 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 88 lb-ft (119 Nm) @ 9,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 1099 cc |
| Engine | L-twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 330 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 190/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 58.1 in (1475 mm) |
| Seat height | 33.1 in (840 mm) |
| Wet weight | 439 lb (199 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.4 gal (16.5 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Drivetrain
Safety
Hit the starter and the whole bike rocks on its mounts. At idle the L-twin thuds up through the trellis and into the pegs, and at part throttle the exhaust note is the reason people turn around in a canyon pullout to watch you go by. You sit tall and forward, wide bars in your hands, wrists carrying some weight, knees locked into a narrow tank. For a liter machine it feels slim, and the 439 lb stops mattering the second it rolls. At real road pace the 58.1 in wheelbase holds a line without arguing, yet the thing still changes direction on a small input from your shoulders. Ground clearance is not what runs out first. After an hour the pulse through the bars and the seat is still with you, part of the deal rather than a fault, and you climb off wide awake.
This isn't my riding impression. It's what owners have told me over the years: pit-lane small talk, parking-lot conversations, and the notes riders send me directly. The accounts on this Streetfighter line up unusually well, with the praise aimed at three things and the criticism at everything around them.
Owners start with the L-twin, every time: torque that seems to be there wherever they ask for it, a sound they bring up unprompted, a top end that keeps pulling. The chassis is close behind. Riders on the base bike and on the S both describe a frame and fully adjustable suspension that hold a line and steer accurately. Brakes come up in the same breath, credited with stopping power that stays consistent.
The complaints are just as steady. The riding position leads: it suits sporty riding, and owners say distance is where it stops working. In town a smaller group reports a lumpy idle, a dry clutch that grabs, and heat that builds when the bike isn't moving. Cost closes it out: what one costs to buy, and what the desmo service every 15,000 miles costs to keep up.
Fuel line recall (potential leak)
Incorrectly fitted fuel line to an injector could cause fuel leak and fire hazard. Affected early 2010 models.
Fuelling flat spot at mid-range
A lean fuelling flat spot around 3,500 rpm due to emission regulations causes hesitation. Resolved with ECU remap or fuel module.
Where this Ducati Streetfighter pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Streetfighter is actually built for.
For Angeles Crest weekends this is close to ideal: light-feeling, sporty in the chassis, and strong from low revs so you drive out of tight corners instead of downshifting twice.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
The lean clearance and adjustable suspension give you plenty to work with on a trackday. Just plan around no ABS, traction control only if the bike was optioned with it, and a fueling remap.
Made for Barber Motorsports Park · WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca · Circuit of the Americas
Tight, repeating East Coast corners suit it. Feedback is honest, direction changes take little effort, and the low-end pull means you can hold one gear through a whole sequence of turns.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
