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!).
With the top-range Ducati Streetfighter now getting a bit more grunt between the rider’s legs, this opens enough of a gap in the line to bring in a lower-level model, thus the 2012 Ducati Streetfighter 848. Expected to use a de-tuned Superbike 848 EVO motor (so, does that make it just an 848 motor?), Ducati wants to capitalize on the HUGE sales success the Superbike 848 & 848 EVO have been for the company, and add another model that could be an entry point into the brand for new riders.
Perhaps disappointing is the news that both bikes will remain true to the current Streetfighter aesthetic, thus this is more of an update than a pair of completely brand new motorcycles, which isn’t all that surprising really as the jump Superbike 1098 to the Superbike 1198 didn’t involved an outward makeovers. Ducati has been holding off on the new Streetfighter 1198 & Streetfighter 848 until the debut of the 2012 Ducati Superbike 1199, which is slated for release in November. Perhaps not wanting that motorcycle to overshadow its naked siblings, Ducati for whatever reason has scheduled the Streetfighters’ release for before the EICMA show in Milan.
Source: Bothan Spies; Photo: © 2011 Scott Jones Photography – All Rights Reserved
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