2020 DUCATI STREETFIGHTER V4 S vs KAWASAKI Z H2
C O M PA R I S O N
P64
increases so fast it's hard for your
brain to keep up. Second, third,
fourth, fifth gears are thrown at
the machine in a frantic left foot
dance with the Kawasaki, where-
as the Ducati is a, dare we say
it, a more sedate ride—which is a
daft statement, I admit, consider-
ing how brain-meltingly fast the
red bike is.
At low speed, the Ducati has
better manners with a nicer throt-
tle response, but the Kawasaki's
low-down torque is more buxom,
and for a motorcycle that acceler-
ates as hard as the Kawasaki, it's
a relatively pleasant beast to ride
around town, the supercharger's
noise more a purr than a rattle.
On the other hand, the Ducati
is a nicer ride at traffic speed.
As the Ducati loves to get revs
thrown at it, the power below
7000 rpm could be called unin-
timidating/soft, although there's
plenty there when you need to
crack the throttle in almost any
gear and scare pedestrians with
that mighty V4 roar.
It's difficult to find a weak spot
in the Ducati's arsenal, simply
because the Bologna engineers
have done such a good job
mapping the throttle response
that you're lured into a somewhat
false sense of security. With
the Kawasaki, you've got the
supercharge rattle to accom-
modate you—you know the bike
is just waiting to be unleashed.
For those with four-wheel expe-
rience, the Kawasaki is like a
Brembo/Brembo brake setup on the Ducati trumped the Nissin/Brembo combination of the Kawasaki.
(Right) No cruise control on the $24K Ducati is not a good thing.
