Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1496288
RIDE REVIEW I 2023 DUCATI STREETFIGHTER V4 S P100 Like the Panigale, the Street- fighter V4 S now has torque me- tering for each individual gear, with first gear's torque delivery metered the most, while every proceeding gear gradually gives the rider more and more torque. Previously, the torque metering was done in gear groups (first and second, third and fourth, and fifth and sixth). I will be honest and say I didn't feel the difference as I'm not good enough to really tell, espe - cially without riding the old bike and this new one back to back. What I can tell you is power de - livery in all but the highest power mode is exceptionally smooth, especially when you consider the amount of power on tap, and it gets gradually more violent the higher up the scale you go. When you hit Full power mode, mind you, things really start to happen. It's not that you're getting more overall power, as the 208 horsepower is the same across all riding modes bar the Wet mode, it's that the throttle response in Full means you really do get all the desmo motor can throw at the rear tire. The Streetfighter V4 S turns from a, dare I say, doc - ile beast, into a raging bull. The electronic suspension gets stiffer, the ride more taut and focused as you throw gears at it via what I feel is the best quickshifter on need a strong steering damper. Yes, it has to be softer at high speed, otherwise you have a weave effect. The Streetfighter, we keep the same soft spring as the pervious model. This is a matter of comfort on road. Having a comfortable bike of this type on road is not easy. On that note, it comes with a very comfortable seat! The seat is 60mm thick. I made a very strong fight for this with the design department. Consider a Multistrada has 70mm, and the Panigale is around 30mm. But with this, you can really ride all the day. You cannot really go full touring, it's not that kind of bike, but you can ride all day, enjoy the bike, and feel comfortable. Was there ever any thought of putting cruise control on the Streetfighter? It was not in our plan. Of course, if we want, it's not hard to do it. I think a bike of this nature should have cruise control. It is a street bike. The guys that are going for these things are predominantly going to be street riders, that can occasionally go to the track. I just think for a bike of this price quality, putting cruise con- trol on it shouldn't be a problem. We always have strong discus- sions about this. Honestly, my opinion, but this is my opinion, not the company's opinion. I don't like cruise control. Of course, in the car. I never use it. I use many other elec- tronic devices, but cruise control is something that I don't like because I need an active driving. I don't want to relax. The good thing about cruise control, at least for me, especially when you go through tunnels and you have lots of speed cameras, and you just find the speed. That's correct. But one problem could be the lever. You need some buttons to manage it. We decided to focus on the track experience, so we have different buttons and switches. If you look at Multistrada, it's dedicated to the cruise control. Tell us about the gas tank design. Yes, the tank is different. It's not exactly the Panigale tank, but it's more or less the same. The fuel is held not just in the main tank but un- der the seat. I think biggest improve- ment with the tank is you have more support when you're braking, but especially in the wind. The previous tank, we had some problems with it. Now there is nothing. So, you always have a clean, soft edges.