Ducati’s mental naked motorcycle, the Streetfighter V4, has received a set of updates for 2023, aimed at making the bike more capable than it ever was. To the uninitiated, the Ducati Streetfighter V4 is in essence, a Panigale V4, minus the fairing, committed riding position and the same peak power outputs. Nevertheless, the bike still remains a 200hp+ machine, and it goes without saying that its performance is not to be underestimated.
2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4/V4 S: design
Taking a leaf out of the updates to the 2023 Panigale V4 R, the updated Streetfighter V4 gets a 17-litre fuel tank (up from 16 litres), and Ducati says it's been designed to offer better support to the rider while cornering and braking.
The bodywork, however, is largely the same as the 2023 Streetfighter V4, although the new Grey Nero paintwork makes the bike look rather fetching, as does the Red paintwork.
2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4/V4 S: electronics
A major chunk of the updates have been made to the electronics package of the Streetfighter V4. There are now five ride modes – Full, High, Medium, Low and Wet. Full, as the name suggests, offers maximum performance from the Desmosedici Stradale V4, with the sharpest throttle response, except when the bike is in first gear. The High and Medium modes are revised for 2023, while Low mode chops power from 208hp to 165hp, while also softening the throttle response significantly. For 2023, Ducati has also introduced a new ‘Wet’ mode, making it easier to ride the bike on rain-soaked, low-grip surfaces.
There’s a new ‘Track Evo’ display layout that is inspired by the Ducati MotoGP machine and shows all the relevant information you’d want while riding this bike around a race track.
Other electronic updates include new software for the Ducati Quick Shifter (DQS) to smoothen the gearshifts. The software for the radiator fan operation has also been tweaked to ensure the bike runs cooler while being ridden at slow speeds, say in traffic.
2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4/ V4 S: chassis
While the main chassis has been carried forward from the previous model, there’s a notable tweak in the form of a 4mm higher swingarm pivot point. This, in turn, improves anti-squat, allowing the rider to lay the power down while exiting a corner. The raised swingarm pivot point shifts the weight forward, and that helps in situations where the rider is entering a corner.
Besides the swingarm pivot point tweak, the rest of the bike is the same when it comes to suspension components used. The V4 S and V4 SP2, like before, get the Ohlins Smart EC 2.0 electronic suspension.
Another area where the V4 and V4 S differ is in their wet weights with the base model tipping the scales at 201.5kg while the S comes in at 197.5kg. Part of the reason behind the S’ lower weight is that it has forged Marchesinis, and for 2023, the S gets a lithium-ion battery as standard (previously exclusive to the SP2), which alone shaves 1.7kg.
2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP2
The Streetfighter V4 SP2 is 1kg lighter than the V4 S, at 196.5kg. This was achieved by using carbon fibre rims that are 1.4kg lighter than the V4 S’ rims. Speaking of rims, they are shod with Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa IV tyres, irrespective of the model. In addition, the extra money that the SP2 commands over the lower variants gets you carbon winglets and mudguard, dry clutch and Brembo Stylema R brakes.
2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4: potent naked machine
What has remained unchanged is the ballistic Desmosedici Stradale engine that makes 208hp and propels the Streetfighter to some serious triple digit speeds. Helping the bike stop are the same, brilliant Brembo Stylemas (R on the SP 2) that were on last year’s bike.
2023 Ducati Streetfighter V4: India launch
Ducati India is expected to launch the updated Panigale V4/ V4 S in India in the coming months. As for the SP 2 variant, there is no word yet, but it is likely that a few units will be allocated for India.