2009 Ducati Fighter armed with 1098 power
Update: We've gotten our hands on all the official info and images ahead of what's now called the Ducati Streetfighter ahead of its official unveiling. Click here to see it.Thanks to information from a company insider, we can exclusively reveal that Ducati will be launching an all-new 1098-powered naked streetfighter at the EICMA show in November. The 2009 Ducati Fighter was presented to dealers last week to "stunned silence to the point of awkwardness." There's apparently a lot of confusion as to where the Fighter will fit in the Ducati lineup as it will be priced above the 2009 Ducati Monster 1100's $12,000 and closer to the Ducati 1198's $16,495. While the pricing has yet to be finalized, the Fighter is estimated to be in the $14-15,000 range.
The Aprilia Tuono, MV Agusta Brutale 1078RR, Benelli TnT rival will be powered by the outgoing 1099cc water-cooled V-twin from the 1098. That model is being replaced with the larger capacity 1198 for 2009. The Fighter will use a smaller airbox than the donor bike, so will make a little less than that model's 160bhp and 90.4lb/ft of torque.
The Fighter will use a steel trellis frame, as on the 1098, but will have a much more upright riding position. It uses a 1098-style tailpiece, but with dual stacked exhausts mounted on one side, shotgun-style.
We expect lower-gearing for punchier acceleration, making the Fighter a much more suitable bike for city riding than the 1098, but it should retain that model's fully-adjustable USD forks and Showa monoshock for excellent handling. We don't know if the Fighter uses a single-sided swingarm.
The Fighter marks a shift in thinking for Ducati's naked range. The Monster will now use air-cooled engines only (the water-cooled engines won't fit in the new frame) and will remain relatively affordable. The high-end segment of the naked market will now be solely covered by the Fighter.
This marks the third new Ducati model that we've been able to exclusively unveil in the last two weeks. In case you haven't already seen it, make sure you check out our coverage of the 2009 Ducati 1198; 2009 Ducati Monster 1100 and 1100S; and our by-the-numbers comparison of the 1198 with the rest of the 2009 superbikes.
The Fighter will be launched at EICMA on November 4th or 5th. We'll bring you official info and images then.
Wes Siler. September 26, 2008 — Permalink
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For those looking for pictures, my guess is this concept is going to replicate the look of the "Ducati 1098 Fighter" identified in Ducati's Desmoblog this past July.
See http://blog.ducati.com/post/216/compiti-per-le-vacanze#more
Gabriele Del Torchio's post shows a picture of a stripped down 1098 with shotgun exhausts, single sided swing arm, the 1098's back end and a monster-like front light and windscreen.
The post indicates that this was originally a third party concept; however, it explicitly solicits comments on the design.
Yeah, we purposefully didn't want to use a third-party image as they're based on speculation. The Fighter is a real bike, it exists and we'll most likely catch a glimpse of it some time before November 4th.
I think its a great idea. Its not the sort of bike that will sell huge numbers in the states right away. But that can change.
I'm seeing more and more streetfighters (dukes, triples, tuonos, z1000s etc) all the time here in SF.
Who trusts dealers anyway?
Oooh. An "insider" at Ducati. It's stories like this that are gonna win you guys a lot of fans.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks ep, and as always, if anyone comes across anything they think we should cover, please email us.
Huh. One could speculate the name "Fighter" kinda takes the wind from the sails of a struggling boutique builder y'all may know of.
Sails, what sales? If anyone thinks Ducati has ever looked towards the South for inspiration for vehicular nomenclature, design or engineering, they should be given the cap and sent to the corner.
ha! agreed. but, my implication may have been more about a soon-to-be-hyped prototype from the company with no sails and less about nomenclature borrowing by the company with huge record-setting sails. Er...something like that.