2025 Ducati Streetfighter V2 S Review

Ducati’s new Streetfighter V2 S completes the full Panigale/Streetfighter model revamping for model year 2025. We headed to Spain for a quick spin.

Photography by Alex Photo

Ducati’s middleweight Streetfighter has always struggled for attention in the shadow of its mighty V4 brother. The V4 is one of the most imposing, limelight-hogging machines in Ducati’s lineup of overtly extroverted motorcycles, while the little brother V2 has sat quietly in the corner, appealing more to those who really knew what they wanted from a street bike than those who are distracted by flashy lights and high horsepower.

The V2’s ambiguous personality is something Ducati is trying desperately to change and is part of a four-bike revamp in the Panigale V4/Streetfighter V4, and Panigale V2/Streetfighter V2 for the 2025 model year.

The Streetfighter V2 range, as usual, is two bikes strong in the base V2 and the V2 S we tested here. The only difference between the two is the base model’s Marzocchi fork and Kayaba shock, lead-acid battery, and dual-seat setup that translates into a six-pound heavier overall weight of 392 pounds without fuel. The V2 S, on the other hand, gets Ohlins suspension front and rear, a lithium-ion battery, and a single seat. Oh, and a price tag of $17,995, $3K up on the base model.

The Panigale V2 S and Streetfighter V2 S share roughly 90 percent of the exact same architecture in terms of engine and monocoque chassis. The main difference is that the Streetfighter gets a 30mm longer swingarm to make it more balanced and stable on the street.

Aside from the swingarm and the lack of bodywork and fitment of the Streetfighter’s trademark high handlebar, which is now 30mm wider than in 2024, the two bikes are pretty much identical. But compared to the outgoing 955cc SF, it’s a world apart.

The all-new monocoque chassis, which has the engine mounted as a stressed member, resides in the V2 S, as does the double-sided hollow swingarm—the first time a double-sided arm has been used on the little Streetfighter.

Both units offer a serious reduction in rigidity to make the SF a friendlier proposition for riders of every skill set, not just those who aim to break Super Hooligan lap records. “Friendlier” translates to “feel”—the more you feel the bike working underneath you, the more you’re likely to explore the upper echelons of its performance realm. It’s why Moto2 bikes are stiff as nails and superbikes are big and flexy. It takes a certain rider to get the most from a Moto2 bike, while a broader range of riders can ride a superbike quickly and safely.

Ducati’s mantra for the new Streetfighter V2 S is less weight, more agility. And slower. Don’t forget that part. The company’s media brass mentioned at the press launch in Spain that the 955cc machine was encroaching too much on the V4 in terms of outright performance, so they decided to further separate the two, mainly by chopping the nuts off the 955, not so much the V4.

The new V2’s motor thus measures 890cc, and you get 33 horsepower less for your money with peak power now measured at 120 horsepower at 10,750 rpm, while torque is taken at 69 lb-ft at 8250 rpm. At 120 pounds, itself representing a 20-pound weight reduction, the new L-twin that’s been rotated 20 degrees rearwards in the chassis makes 70 percent of its torque at 3000 rpm, and this increases to 80 percent from 4000 rpm to its 11,000 rpm limiter. In other words, this is a much better street engine than it was previously.

Desmodromic valve actuation is gone as well in favor of traditional springs with Ducati’s new Intake Variable Timing (IVT) system that electronically adjusts the intake valve timing to optimize performance across all rpm ranges.

It works using an actuator on the intake camshaft so the system can shift valve timing by up to 52 degrees and adjust valve overlap based on engine speed and throttle input.

Ducati is using the IVT system to try to attain the best of both worlds—a smoother low-rpm torque delivery while still retaining the Desmo system’s top-end power.

In practice, Ducati has certainly smoothed out low-rpm performance, but it’s still a little rough if you get exceptionally lazy and try to make the engine take off from 1500 rpm or so in third and fourth gear. This is still a performance L-twin, don’t forget, and hasn’t at all been messed with since coming from the Panigale.

Get the motor clear of the sub-2500-3000 rpm mark, and you’re on your way. Torque is bountiful and plentiful, and relatively wide gear ratios allow you to hold third and fourth gears in the twisties while still having decent performance on tap.

There are four modes of Wet, Road, Sport and Race, all with the usual levels of gradually decreased electronic intervention (also, Wet mode gives you 95 horsepower and a softer throttle response). Jack the electronics into Race mode so you’re as close to fully unmasking the engine as you can get, and you’ll find some seriously sprightly performance, one that makes you question whether you really need to join the d***-swinging party and go all in on a 200-horsepower V4.

From 5000 rpm to 9000 rpm in second, third, and fourth gears, you can have a right ol’ time, surfing up and down the rev range while lofting the front wheel high up in the first of those two gears mentioned.

Ducati fitted its in-gearbox Ducati Quick Shift 2.0 system, the same as on the Panigale, and while I didn’t miss any shifts, the system wasn’t as nice as I remembered on the Panigale that I tested a few weeks ago. I put this down to the fact the Streetfighter test was all on road. I was running a traditional one down/five up road pattern gearshift, as opposed to the one up/five down race pattern shift, and the fact that the shifts were not, as they were on track with the Panigale, usually done with a wide-open throttle.

That tells me the shifts were good but not great, so Ducati will need to work on this area as they refine the 2.0 system for street use.

The other half of the new Streetfighter V2 S equation is how it handles, and for that, Ducati gets about as close to full marks as I can give it.

There’s a claimed 33 pounds less on this model compared to the 955 Streetfighter, which has left more of an impression on me than the new motor. Put simply, this is probably the easiest sporty Ducati to ride I’ve sampled, maybe ever. It’s almost Japanese in how it goes about the business of getting through twisties, being exceptionally light on its feet in direction changes, and with braking stability and force that belies its size.

The slightly revised ergos with that 30mm wider handlebar put the rider in the near-perfect attack naked-bike riding position. The Öhlins NIX30 fork and shock have been used so extensively on so many previous bikes that I can’t pretend to tell you anything new about them, other than to say they work and work well, but the way the whole package gels together is a true step forward for Ducati.

The ride is more interconnected than before. It feels like each segment of the machine is talking more clearly to the next, from the way the power is fed to the tire, to how the chassis talks to the rider while it’s cranked over, to the greater ease of use with regard to the new five-inch dash and switchblock.

Braking stability and power are exceptional on the Streetfighter V2 S. Brembo’s over decade-old four-piston M50 calipers haul the Streetfighter V2 S up incredibly quickly, while the Öhlins take care of everything once that lever is released and the fork begins its rebound circuit.

Compared to the old 955, the V2 S is so much easier and more comfortable to ride at a brisk pace. Ducati also eliminates much of the dreaded heat from its L-twin engine, which is infamous for making longer days in the saddle not such a chore.

In terms of electronics, there’s the usual spread of four riding modes, three power modes, cornering ABS, traction control, wheelie control, engine-brake control and the quickshifter, but there’s also the power launch and the pit-lane speed limiter, the latter two options are standard for the V2 S but accessories for the base model. There’s not much to talk about here, as this electronics suite has been on the Streetfighter range for what feels like eons.

However, no version of the Streetfighter comes standard with cruise control, turn-by-turn navigation, tire pressure monitoring, or a USB port. You’ll sadly have to shell out some extra cash in the accessory catalog for those.

Regardless, Ducati has done a fine job on the new Streetfighter. It is vastly different from the outgoing model in pretty much every way, but—at least from a pure street test perspective—those changes have made it a better machine that is more accessible to a broader range of riders. CN

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