So here is a review I wrote on a car forum...
Where do I start. I guess first of all, for those who don't know, I picked up a Ducati Streetfighter today. I currently have a Monster 1100 that I bought a couple of months back (in May from memory).
Yesterday I saw the bike for the first time. It looks really aggressive, but isn't "pretty" like the Monster is imo. It sure looks fast though, even just standing still. So after the usual paper signing and going through the basics, we rolled the bike out of the showroom ready for me to ride off. Sitting on the bike, you realise how small it really is, and how light it is. The sound is similar to the Monster, but with less of a bark. Think 993 vs 997 with PSE. There is just that extra bark with the air-cooled engines. Ergonomically you seem to lean forward quite a bit. Not uncomfortably so, and can be adjusted by sitting with balls on the tank. I prefer to ride with a gap between the tank and my balls so I have to lean forward a bit more. Taking off, immediately I realise how much easier this is to ride than the Monster. It doesn't mind low revs unlike the Monster, and require much less riding of clutch to get moving at low speed. Part of this is probably also because the clutch engages properly, unlike in the Monster where the engagement point is right at the end of the clutch release. It is also a very smooth engine map, much more so than the Monster. And immediately I also realise how much more responsive the throttle is even at 10kmh. It's like pressing the "M" button on a M3. Nice.
I had to slow down and stop at the first set of traffic light. The brakes! Wow! It is the most powerful bike brakes I have ever experienced. Incredible! It definitely requires a squeeze job if you don't want to be thrown off the bike eveytime you brake. When the light turned green, I gave it some throttle after a gentle take off. Fark me dead, this thing has POWAH! I am obviously running the bike in and restricting myself to 6000rpm (went to 7000rpm once today - naughty!), but really, it has so much torque and power low done that I didn't once feel like I needed to go above it. Of course I haven't hit the open road yet.
I rode to the freeway to get myself to the closest twisties (Yarra Blvd). On the freeway, it has so much power that it is so nice to just drop back and then open her up! I wished I could take it to the 10,000rpm redline just to see what it was like! I have been complaining about the lack of top end power in the Monster, well, complaint no more! It is just plain awesome when you open the throttle. The sensation is probably aided by the lack of fairing, but make no mistake, this is an insanely quick bike. Nice.
Got to the twisties, went around it once just reasonably gently to strip off the silicon layer on the tyres. First impression is that it is more communicative, and turns in very quick. Steering probably not as quick as the Monster but it is more stable once in the turns. On my return run, I cranked it up a bit more. Man, this bike has so much more talent than I could ever dish out to it. It just eggs you to give it more all the time as it does everything so easily.
So in conclusion, you could say that I love this bike. Should have just waited for this in the first place. Now I have a dilemma. I don't think I will be riding the Monster much if at all! Should have traded it in, now it's too late..
