DUCATI STREETFIGHTER V2

The smaller Streetfighter makes a mark, just like its ballistic elder sibling

- ABHAY VERMA

Throwing back to 2010, when I was a fledgling journalist and had scared myself silly on Ducati's original Streetfighter. The bike was nothing short of being a mad, rabid beast with its kind of performance, courtesy of the 1098 superbike-derived engine, not to forget the fact that electronic rider aids for motorcycles were in their infancy back then. That meant you were pretty much on your own every time you opened the throttle wide - it was a litre-class machine with over 150PS on tap and a kerb weight well under 200kg.

Lunacy at its Italian best! A year later, in 2011, I was in Italy to sample the smaller, less powerful but highly potent Streetfighter 848 and came back impressed.

And when Ducati revived the Streetfighter name with the Panigale's V4 engine, I was smitten instantly. It was love at first ride and I don't need to tell you how the Streetfighter V4 has established its supremacy in the hallowed supernaked segment as a lethally powerful, mind numbingly quick motorcycle. It was obvious, the follow-up act to this mental supernaked would be a less powerful Streetfighter using the Panigale V2's engine and chassis, as was the case with the original Streetfighter and the 848 derived from the 848 supersports machine. Say hello to the Streetfighter V2. It looks deceptively identical to its elder sibling but is a very different motorcycle. Does it enthuse, entertain and scare you in similar fashion though? That's a question that begged to be answered as I swung a leg over.