DUCATI STREETFIGHTER 1100S (2009 - 2012) Review

At a glance

Owners' reliability rating: 4.8 out of 5 (4.8/5)
Annual servicing cost: £150
Power: 155 bhp
Seat height: Medium (33.1 in / 840 mm)
Weight: Low (368 lbs / 167 kg)

Overall rating

Next up: Ride & brakes
4 out of 5 (4/5)

The Ducati Streetfighter looks like a crashed 1098 superbike but packs so much presence and attitude it works standing still. 
Ducati claim it’s the lightest bike in the class, at 167kg (17kg lighter than the S4Rs it replaces) and it’s also the most powerful Ducati naked bike ever made.
It’s a liquid-cooled, 155bhp V-twin bruiser that uses a hybrid 1098/1198 motor, a modified frame for more stability and a slightly longer swingarm. Think of it a cross between a big supermoto and a Monster and you’ll be on the right track.
The S version rated here gets better front and rear Ohlins suspension, traction control and data analysis built-in. But you wouldn't miss these features on the road, so the standard version would be our choice. 

Video: Ducati Streetfighter first ride

Ride quality & brakes

Next up: Engine
4 out of 5 (4/5)

The chassis is good, letting you get into a corner hot, using the fiercest road bike brakes in production to get the front-end nailed to the track, giving it a chance to overcome the slight pogo suspension before you dial in maximum lean. Which on the track means dragging the oil/water cooler on both sides, though if you did this on the road you deserve to make friends with whatever hedge you find yourself nestled in next. But while the chassis is good, the engine is a bit of a let-down.
Say the name Streetfighter and you expect it to fight its way off a low-speed turn, wheel in the air, struggling for grip. But it’s all a bit too EU-sanitised.  It’s noisy alright, with bigger bore pipes than the 1098, and it’s just 5bhp down on that bike thanks to a more restrictive air assembly, but it just hasn’t got the bottom end bite to match its name. The anti-spin traction control numbs the fun (it is adjustable), and the engine just doesn’t bite off the bottom the way you’d dream a 1098 motor would.

Engine

Next up: Reliability
4 out of 5 (4/5)

It’s definitely not the low-down grunt fiend we all expected, but is a very capable motorcycle that makes a Honda CB1000R look like a soft lad’s bike and would give a Speed Triple a run for its money. It hasn’t got the grunt off the bottom end to match a KTM, but at higher revs the Ducati will undoubtedly clear off.
On the throttle the fuelling is perfect. Clean delivery, no hesitations, and every millimetre of twist being dialled into the rear tyre. But it takes a bit of revving, and that’s a real surprise. Maximum torque is at 9500rpm, the same place that it makes maximum power, which means you have to rev it to really ride it. On the road, that won’t be much of a problem, but why Ducati didn’t change the power characteristics beats me. One theory is that the bike would almost be too grunty and then it would run wide in corners, the other is the cost associated with redeveloping the engine from scratch. There’s plenty of power available from 7000rpm but it’s in a much narrower window than you would expect with a bike of this kind, eventually bouncing off the limiter at 10,250rpm in a blur of LED dash. 

Reliability & build quality

Next up: Value
3 out of 5 (3/5)

It’s well made and uses some of the best quality components fitted to a naked bike. It’s the pimp daddy of naked bikes with stuff that wouldn’t look out of place coming out of a BSB paddock. Lashings of carbon fibre, Ohlins suspension, Marchesini wheels, full race-spec Brembo brakes and that deep red paint all look like a bike that will last the distance. What we’re not so sure about is the unfinished look with pipes and wires sticking out and a it looks like it could be a nightmare to clean.

Value vs rivals

Next up: Equipment
2 out of 5 (2/5)

It’s a mental road bike but perhaps just a bit too mad for most of the time. But if you want a sports bike but don’t want to feel like you’re riding everywhere at 130mph this could be the bike, as by that speed it’s tearing your lid off. If money was no object though we’d have one of these every time. But more realistically we'd buy the standard bike and go through the parts catalogue. Find a Ducati Streetfighter S for sale.

Equipment

3 out of 5 (3/5)

This bike is all about attitude and it has tons of it. We still can’t get away from the fact that it looks like a 1098 that has been crashed and squashed. But spend some time with it, look past the ugly black rubber pipes and see the thing as a whole and it starts to make sense. Take in the stance, the Audi-style LED headlight (a first for the motorcycle world), the bronze frame and wheels (the standard bike has a black frame), those fat twin exhausts and the most incredible brakes yet fitted to a road bike – the 1098-spec Monobloc four-piston Brembo calipers.

Specs

Engine size 1099cc
Engine type L-Twin cylinder, 8 valve Desmodromic
Frame type Tubular steel trellis
Fuel capacity 16.5 litres
Seat height 840mm
Bike weight 167kg
Front suspension Fully-adjustable
Rear suspension Fully-adjustable
Front brake 2 x 330mm discs
Rear brake 245mm disc
Front tyre size 120/70 ZR17
Rear tyre size 190/55 ZR17

Mpg, costs & insurance

Average fuel consumption 36 mpg
Annual road tax £117
Annual service cost £150
New price -
Used price -
Insurance group -
How much to insure?
Warranty term Two year unlimited mileage

Top speed & performance

Max power 155 bhp
Max torque 85 ft-lb
Top speed 154 mph
1/4 mile acceleration -
Tank range 158 miles

Model history & versions

Model history

All-new model for 2009.

Other versions

Cheaper Streetfighter version also available without the datalogger and traction control. Also uses cheaper suspension and wheels.

Owners' reviews for the DUCATI STREETFIGHTER 1100S (2009 - 2012)

4 owners have reviewed their DUCATI STREETFIGHTER 1100S (2009 - 2012) and rated it in a number of areas. Read what they have to say and what they like and dislike about the bike below.

Review your DUCATI STREETFIGHTER 1100S (2009 - 2012)

Summary of owners' reviews

Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 (4.5/5)
Ride quality & brakes: 4.5 out of 5 (4.5/5)
Engine: 4.2 out of 5 (4.2/5)
Reliability & build quality: 4.8 out of 5 (4.8/5)
Value vs rivals: 3.5 out of 5 (3.5/5)
Equipment: 4 out of 5 (4/5)
Annual servicing cost: £150
4 out of 5 A complete bonkers hooligan with a higher P/W Ratio than a Bugatti!
25 July 2022 by HeavyBerry

Version: S

Year: 2011

Annual servicing cost: £150

My pet name for the bike is Sid - as in Vicious. Acceleration is blistering and addictive and it handles literally like it is on rails, thanks to that top spec suspension and ultra light Marchesini wheels. Buy it for performance, attitude and presence. Don't buy it for practicality, comfort or a relaxing ride.

Ride quality & brakes 4 out of 5

Uncomfortable, scary, viscious. My example has no pillion seat or pegs but its not a bike that I'd be comfortable taking my nearest and dearest on the back of anyway. I have a custom seat so the legs become the limiting factor rather than the butt. Still ready for a stretch after about 90 mins.

Engine 5 out of 5

A true fire breathing beast. In stock config it is 155Bhp & 167kg. Thats a significantly higher power to weight ratio than a Bugatti Chiron! My particular example has a custom exhaust with a 162 Bhp map. Both improve the low down torque with a theoretical sacrifice on top end but as its a naked, anything over legal speeds, especially sustained high speed, is, shall we say, rather quite uncomfortable. If looked after properly it is so sorted mechanically as to be virtually bomb proof.

Reliability & build quality 5 out of 5

Build quality is excellent. Paint nice and think finish superb. The days when Ducati made the best looking bike you ever pushed are long gone. No problems with mine, but it has main dealer FSH and only just under 4k on the clock. It only goes out in guaranteed dry conditions and gets a thorough clean and lube afterwards.

Value vs rivals 4 out of 5

Watch out for any examples without a service history and check that the Desmo Service has been done at least once - AGE as well as mileage count towards the due date! Sometimes overlooked because it is expensive.

Equipment 3 out of 5

the LED is nice and clear though becoming a little dated now. The traction control system really helps to tame the beast (unless you turn it off). The datalogger is a bit gimmicky frankly (it isn't really a track bike TBF). BUT... no gear indicator and no fuel gauge are the bike's two major let downs.

5 out of 5 Little beast
23 November 2019 by Graham

Year: 2010

I’ve been riding motorbikes for 30 years, changing every couple of years because I’m always seeking something better. I’m in love with this one, the engine, the lightweight, the looks, the small size, the sound, the gnarly engine, and it’s a Ducati :-)

Ride quality & brakes 4 out of 5

Rear shock a bit stiff for 75kg rider so a lot of rider movement on poor surface roads. Backing off the rear preload to minimum has improved. Rock steady in a bend, even when bumpy, and the S wheels mean initial turn in is quick, but takes a little effort to then steer tighter.

Engine 4 out of 5

I don’t understand MCN comments about lack of bottom end power but my bike was purchased with Ducati Performance ECU and Termignonis so I guess this is the difference. Its a beast of an engine that’s exciting but doesn’t like town speeds.

Reliability & build quality 5 out of 5
Value vs rivals 3 out of 5

Belt change every 2 years, longer on the later 848 model.

Equipment 4 out of 5

I’ve got the S model, gorgeous red with gold frame, Ohlins and Marcesni wheels. ABS would have been nice for the UK winter. I’ve fitted Oxford hot grips which are great.

5 out of 5 The Naked Nutter
15 May 2012 by peteoconnor

What a totally bonkers motorcycle, can't believe how much fun it is to ride AND has a 7500mile service interval! If you are gonna go naked, get the big guns out :D

Ride quality & brakes 5 out of 5
Engine 5 out of 5
Reliability & build quality 5 out of 5
Value vs rivals 4 out of 5
Equipment 5 out of 5
4 out of 5 a lotta fun
29 June 2009 by lucas66

great bike and extremly comfortable riding position, goes quick very fast but runs out revs just when it gets fun. also feels a little heavy but great for long trips.....

Ride quality & brakes 5 out of 5
Engine 3 out of 5
Reliability & build quality 4 out of 5
Value vs rivals 3 out of 5
Equipment 4 out of 5
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