NAKED SPORTSBIKE OF THE YEAR
Out of all the bikes on the test, the Ducati has by far the highest spec in terms of its componentry, engine tech and pedigree, and I'll get straight to the point that it feels like it does too. Everything about it is so highly refined and so thoroughly sorted that it really does feel special. It's not just how the bike feels underneath you that just oozes quality, there's also a theatre and drama that comes with riding the Streetfighter that you simply don't get with the others – which adds to the overall effect of making every ride on it, no matter how mundane, feel like an occasion.
The Streetfighter's DNA is pure Panigale, which in turn exists to win Superbike Championships, be they domestic or world. Therefore, it's no surprise that the Streetfighter has a performance envelope unlike the other bikes here, and which on the road last year produced levels of frustration in all of us that we couldn't ignore. By being so closely related to the Panigale, the Streetfighter also needs to be ridden hard, and revved to get to itsits best. To put it bluntly, we felt it was too track-focused, and as a consequence, sort of missed the point of a naked bike. As the sum of all of its parts, the Streetfighter really did blow our minds, but we felt that it missed the brief.
