By Zaihan Mohd Yusof

DUCATI has kicked into a higher gear with its recent introduction of the Street Fighter.

Like the iconic Ducati Monster, the 1099cc Street Fighter is also a naked bike.

Without a fairing, it proudly exposes a beefy, liquid- cooled, V-twin engine.

Yet, there is a difference.

At 155hp, the Street Fighter is all muscle.

It has a heavier dose of power and performance than the Monster.

Judging by impressed looks at the Street Fighter's Asia unveiling at Zouk in late April, Ducati may have just won more hearts to its camp, pants down.

At the launch, we asked Ducati's Asia-Pacific region manager Andrea Baldi why the company thought the world was ready for the Street Fighter.

Said Mr Baldi, who is based in Shanghai, China: "Ducati's Street Fighter project was inevitable.

"The passion to build the most successful Superbikes ever, mixed with the desire to create iconic, naked motorcycles was just a natural instinct."

In Europe, the trend of stripping a sport bike to its basic form has gained popularity.

Ducati thought with such a following, the time was ripe to produce a street-legal naked bike with a dash of Italian sophistication.

Having scored well in the World Superbikes and MotoGP championships, Ducati's Street Fighter naturally features technology gained from the marque's experience in racing.

Functions like the Ducati Traction Control and Data analysis (on the S version only) improve track riding skills.

You could say that the Street Fighter is a stripped-down version of the brand's 1198 Superbike.

It retains the chassis and engine of the 1198 Superbike.

Racing-derived

Everything else has been designed specifically for the 167kg Street Fighter.

Added MrBaldi: "Everything is new, compact, essential, elegant, but unmistakably racing-derived. The Street Fighter's power-to-weight ratio is the highest in the naked segment.

"The front fairing, the headlamp, and the air intakes are a new interpretation of the 1198 aesthetic."

At a glance, the riding posture on the Street Fighter looks more forgiving than the 1198's "knees in the ears" riding position.

Higher handler bars reduce wrist fatigue, while side-mounted dual exhaust pipes and carbon fibre components add a touch of elegance to the Street Fighter.

Should a lesser rider be foolish enough to mount a duel, the Italian bike would be ready.

Its unmistakable golden Ohlins fork tubes and chunky Brembo Monobloc callipers scream to challengers that it's potent.

So,do not even try.

Looks aside, will riders with deep pockets bite the Italian bait and own Street Fighters?

Ducati seems to think so.

Without giving numbers, Mr Baldi said that "sales in the Asian countries are significantly growing for three years".

So much so that Ducati has established an office in Shanghai to improve company support to local distributors.

He added: "I have no doubts that the refined Asian riders will be very impressed by the Street Fighter. We expect to retail around 1,000 units in 2009 in the Asia Pacific area."

Yet, to the uninitiated, the Street Fighter may resemble an overpriced piece of artwork.

The S version, packed with all the choice gadgets, costs about $42,000, while the cheaper standard version is $34,800 (machine price only).

zaihan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The New Paper.