Ducati Streetfighter V4 S (2025 – ) review

The Streetfighter has always been a pretty extreme machine and, like the latest Panigale V4 on which it is based, has evolved into a 200-plus horsepower techfest laden with the latest electronics and gizmos. Now it’s gained its biggest upgrade so far with an updated engine even closer in design to that in the Panigale, a lighter and stiffer chassis with slightly more stable geometry, a new twin-sided swingarm, revised bodywork and a revised riding position. There’s even the addition of ‘aero’ winglets, upgraded electronics and a new TFT dash. Whether the £25,000 price for this S version and its 214 horsepower make any rational sense when the much cheaper Streetfighter V2 offers much of the same in a more manageable package is up to you!

The updates are not all about performance. The new Streetfighter V4’s riding position has also been relaxed with the intention of being more comfortable, too. Compared to the previous Streetfighter V4 the bend of the handlebar has been moved back to bring your hands 10mm closer to your body while the footpegs are lower, further forward and also 10mm inward. The seat is also wider and longer, and the tank more aggressively scalloped to help you mould yourself to the bike more effectively. The result is still an aggressive, sporting roadster, but is less extreme, especially for larger riders and as versatile as any bike of this type. As such, it’s great around town or on Sunday blasts, a bit demanding for pillions and inevitably limited on longer runs, having no weather protection or luggage capacity.

Although still very much a high-end super naked, the revisions to the new Streetfighter V4 S, and particularly its more relaxed riding position, better dash and further improved electronics make it more practical than previously. If only subtly. As a result, extreme performance potential aside, the Streetfighter V4 S can also be relatively docile around town, is decently comfortable (at least for shorter periods) and could even be used as a commuter. Assuming you’re comfortable leaving such a snazzy and valuable machine parked up in town. All of which adds up to … a not very practical bike at all, really! But it’s more usable than the Panigale V4 S it shares much of its tech and spirit with, especially when you tick boxes for options like heated grips and cruise.

Now we’re talking. Although the old Streetfighter V4 was in no way lacking the switch to the full superbike Stradale V4 engine with 214 horsepower at 13,500rpm and 120Nm at 11,250rpm is heart and soul of this upgrade. This can be boosted even higher with the accessory track-only Akrapovič racing exhaust, which boosts peak power to 226 horsepower. In short the Streetfighter V4 has never been so powerful and, thanks to weight savings with the new swingarm, brakes and more it also boasts a class-leading power to weight ratio. The result, in simple terms, is mind-bendingly explosive across the rev spectrum, lunging towards the horizon and devouring gears as fast as you can feed the ultra-slick quickshifter. Few road bikes of modern times are as fearsome – or impressive, its V4 effectively conjuring images of MotoGP hysteria when you try to use it to the full if sounding a little flat when you can’t. Its electronics are just as impressive – as is the new dash. With a myriad of customisable modes and interventions it all does a brilliant job of keeping you alive if with the unintended consequence of leaving you feeling a little unworthy! Brembo’s latest Monobloc Hypure four-piston calipers are more powerful and stay cooler for longer, helped by dinner-plate sized 330mm discs up front and immaculate cornering ABS.

If the Streetfighter V4 S’s engine and performance are enough to leave you in awe the updated chassis impresses for being so capable it leaves virtually no sensation at all. Which is, perhaps, the point. Ducati’s intent was to make it more road relevant and capable. The result, with some hefty chassis tweaks, reduced weight and the latest Öhlins EC3.0 semi-active suspension, is more composed, comfortable and confidence inspiring. To put some numbers to it the new front frame actually has a claimed 39 per cent reduction in lateral stiffness to aid feel, the lighter double-sided swingarm saving weight and also with a targeted 37 per cent more lateral flex. The steering geometry has also been tweaked, with half a degree more rake and another millimetre of trail. All of that, allied to the roomier riding position, improved suspension and new, more efficient wings (which can’t help but remind of Baron von Richtofen’s Fokker Triplane) add up to a street sportster so capable and effective for fast riding it’s pretty much beyond criticism. The ride is firm but sublime, stability and steering utterly neutral and instinctive and, with more speed, you honestly can feel the aero driving the Streetfighter into the road. It’s as impressive as it is sometimes daunting!

Running a premium, high-performance Ducati like the Streetfighter V4 S is never going to be cheap it’s worth pointing out there are even more expensive options in the SP2 and V4 Supreme versions as well! It won’t stop with purchase or finance costs either, the immense performance likely chewing through tyres, brakes, chains and so on while insurance and servicing won’t be cheap either. Not that anyone would have expected any different!

Long gone are the days of dodgy wiring, unreliability, short service routines and poor durability. In their place have come long service intervals and impeccable quality and sophistication. True, this Streetfighter V4 S is effectively a new model with even more performance so it’s difficult to be certain at this stage about likely reliability. But on recent evidence we have no concerns.

All Ducati motorcycles come with at least a two-year warranty and roadside assistance package. At time of purchase, this can also be extended to four years under Ducati’s Ever Red extended warranty scheme. Servicing-wise, the new Streetfighter V4 S maintenance intervals are annually or every 12,000km (7,500 miles) with major valve clearance and timing belt checks required every 15,000 miles or two years. Fluid changes (fork oil, coolant, brake and clutch fluid) are also recommended every three years or 22,500 miles.

Although a naked sports machine everywhere you look on the Streetfighter V4 S there’s the highest-spec componentry and cycle parts. The electronics are also absolutely mind-blowing, with four rider modes, launch control, wheelie control, cornering ABS and traction control and even a Ducati Vehicle Observer predicting the operation of the systems, too. The new, larger, 6.9-inch TFT dash is super sophisticated, too, and impresses particularly with its custom views depending on riding mode selected. There are even new LED lights all round. In terms of the wider motorcycling panoply the Streetfighter isn’t perfect, of course. There’s little weather protection, no luggage, less pillion consideration and even things like cruise control and heated grips are cost options. But, for what it’s setting out to be, it has everything.

The answer is very simple, and yet, oddly, also somehow not… If you want the most powerful, sophisticated, effective, alluring and simply mind-blowing super-naked around, this is probably it. But even at this price it’s not the fanciest Streetfighter V4 you can get, given the existence of the SP2 and V4 Supreme. If you want the ultimate in performance and bragging rights then it makes some sense, still, but for those with a grip on reality the new Streetfighter V2 is arguably just as sophisticated, has more relevant performance for the road and costs a whole lot less. And might actually be all the Streetfighter anyone actually needs!