This Friday is looking to be full of videos and teasers, as Ducati has its own announcement that will be coming forthwith on Wednesday next week. Enlisting the help of three-time World Superbike Champion Troy Bayliss, the Australian motorcycle racer teased on YouTube today that he’s seen some interesting things at the Ducati factory, with promises of more to be revealed on the company’s video channel in the coming days. What those interesting things could be however is up for speculation.
Spending some time at Borgo Panigale factory during the San Marino GP race week, Ducati Corse rider Nicky Hayden couldn’t help but tease the upcoming 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848 that was “spied” testing last month. With this photo and tweet, Hayden affirms the news we broke in July, and with the message “Coming soon… #ducati #droppingonmonday” we can infer that Ducati will be taking the wraps off the Streetfighter 848 on Monday next week.
With an alleged screen capture posted to the Ducati.ms web forum, a tidal wave of sloppy journalism took off as the news spread that Ducati had unknowingly slipped the debut of the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 1198 ahead of schedule. Though the larger-displacement SF is expected to break cover this month, some unscrupulous person put together a photoshoped screen capture of the Streetfigther S engine details list from Ducati.com, and swapped out the Streetfighter S name for “Ducati Streetfighter EVO SP” in the fading to black background image.
With some typos in the copy, and the use non-conforming use of Ducati’s “EVO” & “SP” nomenclature, the porported screen capture is a bit dubious to begin with, and should have tipped off enthusiasts that were quick to give it authenticity. Another red flag was the quoted 170hp figure, the exact same power output as the Superbike 1198. With the Streetfighter’s more restrictive air intake and smaller airbox, like the 1098cc version, comparable Superbike level power figures will not be achievable. Then of course there’s the whole issue regarding the fact that the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 1198 will use the Testastretta 11° motor, found currently on the Multistrada 1200 and Diavel, instead of the higher-maintenance 1198cc Superbike lump.
Yelling at the top of our lungs words like “Scoop!” and “Exlclusive!” or the now more trendy “OMGLOLWTFBBQ” really isn’t our style, and let’s be honest, anyone with half a latte for a brain who had been paying attention to Ducati’s line-up the past few years could easily predict the Italian company’s next move with the Streetfighter line. That being said, we’ve gotten details from several highly credible sources that Ducati will debut to the public two new Streetfighters in September.
Replacing the Streetfighter 1098 is the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 1198, which as the name suggests, will get a 100cc displacement increase (full disclosure: an example of this motorcycle sits in my garage (said bike is shown above from a cool light-painting photo shoot that Scott Jones did), thus making me forever biased towards the original liquid-cooled v-twin wheelie monster from Bologna).
The catch however is that the new motor will not come from the leftover Superbike 1198 mills, and instead Ducati is using the Testastretta 11° motor (as seen in the Multistrada 1200 and Diavel) in the new Streetfighter 1198, meaning the motorcycle will by pass the bi-yearly Ducati tax (a valve job around here is roughly $1,000), and instead get hit with a perhaps more yearly 15,000 mile valve adjustment intervals (thank you Jesus!).