Ducati Streetfighter V4 is a 208PS monster!

The Ducati Streetfighter V4 has finally broken cover. And as we told you earlier, the bike is a 208PS behemoth. Powered by the Ducati Panigale V4's motor, which saw the debut of Ducati's first production V4 engine – a radical departure from the V-twins the brand is known for – the Streetfighter V4 is now officially one of the most powerful naked motorcycles on the planet. The bike was unveiled in production form at the 2019 Ducati World Premiere today, where the Italian bike maker showcased a slew of motorcycles for 2020. Apart from the Streetfighter V4, the manufacturer also showcased the 2020 Ducati Panigale V4 range, the Ducati Multistrada 1260 GT and Ducati Panigale V2 though expectedly V4 naked was the showstopper.

The 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4 is one of the most powerful motorcycles on the planet and one of the only naked ones to breach the 200PS mark

But before everything else, we just have to talk about the bike's official specifications. The 1,103cc, liquid-cooled V4 motor from the Panigale has been tuned to offer 208PS at 12,750rpm and 123Nm at 11,500rpm in this guise, among the highest for a production sport naked in the world. The Streetfighter V4's dry weight is a scant 180kg (standard) and 178kg (S version). Kerb weight of the standard version is thus 201kg while the S version weighs just 199kg wet. That's a power to weight ratio of 1045PS/tonne!

The 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4 is ultra-compact in size and ultra-light too - the S version's kerb weight is just 199kg

With Ducati having shown the bike in prototype form already, earlier this year at the 2019 Pikes Peak Hill Climb in the USA, there was little to guess in terms of the design. The Streetfighter V4 is ultra-compact for a full-blown sport naked and visually, it simply belies the manic performance its engine packs in. It gets the trademark 'eyebrows' LED strip above the full-LED headlamp unit, seen first on the Ducati SuperSport. More importantly, the Streetfighter V4 gets a set of winglets on each side, dubbed the biplane wings, only seen on the Panigale V4 R previously. Ducati claims the winglets enhance performance on track by way of stabilising the motorcycle, thereby reducing intervention from the electronics and also allowing the rider to brake late.

The 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4 gets biplane wings on either side, seen previously on the Ducati Panigale V4

The rearview mirrors are chunky units that look similar to the ones seen on the Ducati Diavel 1260 and complement the bike's aggressive stance well. The handlebar is a taller, wider unit meant to offer more comfortable ergonomics than the Panigale V4 along with the revised footpegs, which are less-aggressively positioned rear sets. The instrument cluster is a 5 inch, full TFT display just like the Panigale V4's with a large circular tachometer on the right hand side and a digital readout for the speedometer on the left, along with other readouts. A steering damper is on offer as standard.

Expectedly the Streetfighter V4 borrows the Panigale V4's chassis too and is thus extremely compact in size, as it uses the engine as a part of the chassis, with the subframe bolted onto the engine directly. Of course it gets a single-sided swingarm as well, to add to its alluring design. And while the standard version uses 43mm Showa upside down forks and a Sachs monoshock at the rear (both fully adjustable), the S version gets top of the line semi-active, electronically damped suspension at both ends – performing duty at the front are 43mm Ohlins NIX30 upside down forks, while the rear end is suspended on an Ohlins TTX36 monoshock. The S also gets lighter, forged wheels from Marchesini which have helped make it 2kg lighter.

The higher-specced 2020 Ducati gets semi-active, electronically damped suspension at both ends including Ohlins upside down forks at the front and an Ohlins monoshock at the rear

There's top drawer electronics as well. The Streetfighter V4 gets a 6-axis IMU as standard along with switchable riding modes (Race, Sport and Street), latest generation cornering ABS, Ducati Traction Control EVO 2, Ducati Slide Control, Ducati Wheelie Control EVO, Ducati Power Launch, Ducati Quick Shift (up and down), Engine Brake Control EVO, all controlled quickly via switches on the handlebar. Clearly, Ducati has upped its electronics game yet again and set new benchmarks by offering the best tech there is. Needless to say, the Streetfighter V4 is yet another reflection of Ducati's prowess in making some of the most exhilarating performance motorcycles on the planet and as has been the case for a really long time now, the Streetfighter V4 also reflects the Italian bike maker's immense success in the top echelons of motorcycle racing globally, including MotoGP and WSBK both.

With its performance and equipment list, the 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4 promises to take the performance motorcycle game to a whole new level

It's pretty obvious that action in the performance motorcycle wars has moved from the litre-class superbike arena to the litre-class sport naked arena now. The Ducati Streetfighter V4 is the second mind-numbingly powerful naked to get unveiled today, as the supercharged Kawasaki Z H2 was unveiled hours ago at the Tokyo Motor Show! The performance motorcycle world is just going nuts, clearly.