SHOOTOUT
P84
2013 MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTBIKE SHOOTOUT PART II
5 TH
2
T
he Ducati 848 EVO SE
stands apart in the Supersport field with its growling
L-twin and namesake displacement – the largest in class. Making its debut as a 2008 model,
Ducati freshened up the 848 with
an up-spec EVO version for 2011.
This year a Special Edition 848
EVO arrives, the SE earned via
an up-spec Ohlins shock replacing the standard Showa unit. The
EVO SE also sources a 0.7-gallon larger aluminum tank and
makes use of the marque's electronics package featuring Ducati
Traction Control (DTC) and Ducati Quick Shift (DQS). It's a racy
platform that delivers track-worthy performance, but how does it
hold up as a street bike?
The EVO-spec Testastretta
Twin turns the dyno drum to
121.27 horsepower and 62.67 lbft torque. The torque figure is in a
league of its own in this comparison, with the hp reading topping
all save the higher-revving GSXR750. The Ducati's power stands
out, but not for the better.
