Ducati has released pricing and power specs for the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 here in the US, and the fighter’d version of the Superbike 848 is interestingly priced at $12,995 MSRP, the same price as the Superbike 848 EVO “Dark” or $1,000 less than the colored Superbike 848 EVOs, which retail for $13,995. Making 8hp less than the current Superbike 848 EVO, the Ducati Streetfighter 848’s motor makes 132hp and 69 lbs•ft of torque on Ducati’s dynos, just 23hp shy of the current Streetfighter 1098. Additionally, the Ducati Streetfighter 848 will tip the scales at 373 lbs dry (439 lbs wet), the same weight figure quoted for the current Ducati Streetfighter 1098.
As we stated when the Ducati Streetfighter 848 first broke cover, the positioning on the smaller Streetfighter was going to be critical and difficult for Ducati. The Bologna brand not only has to balance the the Streetfighter 848 against the Superbike 848 EVO, but also against the Monster 1100 EVO as well, which retails for $11,995. With the Streetfighter 848 getting lower-spec suspension and brakes compared to the Superbike 848 EVO (along with a presumably smaller airbox resulting in less power), Ducati seems to be hoping that the standard traction control on the SF848 will help distinguish the Streetfighter from its Superbike compatriot, which has no Ducati Traction Control (DTC) option.
The Monster 1100 EVO of course comes with DTC, but its less powerful air-cooled motor, and less aggressive styling presumably suit a different buyer as well. The same can also be said between the Streetfighter series and the Superbike series, as the two bikes tout different purposes of riding, and generally attract riders of differing two-wheeled aspirations. All of this of course makes a three-way titter-totter, which Ducati hopes it has evenly balanced between the three models.
Perhaps more interesting than Ducati pinning its hopes on leveling the seesaw wtih the Streetfighter 848’s traction control system, is what we have yet to see from the Italy. Gearing up for the EICMA show in Milan, A&R knows for certain that there are still some tricks left in Ducati’s bag, especially when it comes to the larger Ducati Streetfighter and the Ducati Superbike 848 EVO. With the way the Euro is performing in the currency markets, especially against the dollar, we wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some price adjustments as well from the Italian company as well. Stay tuned.
Source: Ducati
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