Obviously, the front end confidence carries over to the rest of the track as well, but nowhere is it more important than in these two turns.
The firmer settings give the rider more braking support, especially in the bottom half of the stroke, to tighten the line, hit the Turn 6 apex, and fire the bike out. Having to brake while leaned over is a scary proposition to begin with, and while the S feels relatively stable going in, the SP delivers so much more confidence to charge into the complex at a higher rate, then get on the brakes with more lean. You charge through the right-hand Turn 5 and start using the brakes after the apex to set up for the tight right at Turn 6. With an overall stiffer setup, the SP really stands out in the Turn 5-6 complex at Cremona. The other difference you especially notice when riding the S and SP back-to-back comes from the suspension. It hasn’t, but with less rotating mass to turn, you feel the SP leap out of corners with greater authority compared to the aluminum wheels on the S model. Coming off the corner and giving it the berries, it feels as though the 1103cc V4 of the SP suddenly found a few more horses. The real surprise was feeling the difference in acceleration between the forged S wheels and the carbon SP’s. On the SP, the carbon wheels make a noticeable difference in how easy the bike can change directions. The shock goes from an 80 N/mm spring to 85 N/mm and also receives identical valving with the Panigale. 8.5 N/mm), less spring preload (from 11mm to 6mm) different fork oil level, and different shim stacks, making it identical with the Panigale. Specifically, the fork, while externally the same between both models, now gets stiffer springs (10 N/mm vs. With the SP, adopting the Panigale suspension firmly plants it (get it?) as a track weapon. This meant suspension settings leaning on the softer side for the Streetfighter. Traditionally, the Streetfighter served the role as the road-oriented sportbike while the Panigale was track-focused. Both front and rear now wear the same electronic Öhlins pieces as the MY2021 Panigale V4. Less known is a small but significant change in the Streetfighter SP suspension. They shave off 3 lbs compared to the forged aluminum wheels on the Streetfighter V4S, and even if you’ve been living under a rock, the handling advantages of carbon wheels (or light wheels in general) are very well known. The clackety-clack of a dry clutch is quintessential Ducati, and hearing it again on the Streetfighter SP just seems… right.ĭucatisti rejoice – the dry clutch is back.īesides the brushed aluminum tank in place of the bright red one, another obvious difference is the carbon fiber wheels – the same ones you’ll find on the Panigale V4 SP2. Ostensibly, the dry clutch provides better power transfer, but let’s not overlook the fact that it’s there because no Ducati sportbike is quite right without a dry clutch. With a claimed 208 horsepower on tap, the 1103cc, twin-pulse, counter-rotating V4 is left alone – except for one thing: an STM dry clutch. It all starts, of course, with the Streetfighter V4S, a favorite among the staff. Hence, the 2022 Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP was born. If it’s good enough for the Panigale, then let’s do it to the Streetfighter. Then, when Borgo Panigale decided to up the ante and revive the SP – or Sport Production – name for the Panigale V4 SP2, on went the carbon fiber wheels, STM dry clutch, Brembo Stylema R calipers, and a host of other small changes to make it even more track-focused. The SP version is simply solidifying the Streetfighter’s popularity. With this newfound piggy bank and inspiration, more people flocked to the Ducati Panigale V4S than ever before (Ducati’s single best-selling model that year).ĭucati has a hit on its hands with the Streetfighter V4S. I guess a couple years being locked down forced people to save up some money, while simultaneously inspiring those people to live for today, since who knows what might end the world tomorrow. Wouldn’t you know it, 2021 proved to be Ducati’s best sales year ever, despite a global pandemic. The dry clutch is heavier? Oh, the irony.You’re going to wish you had wind protection at 175 mph.One of our favorite thrill rides is even better.Panigale V4 suspension adds cruical support when riding hard.Carbon wheels up the SF’s performance dramatically.Why not, then, give the Streetfighter the SP treatment? It was an obvious, and wonderful, move that sees the Streetfighter more track-focused than ever. When you’re hot, you’re hot, and Ducati’s seeing the Panigale flying out of dealerships – especially the SP2.
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