Fighter S

Robarano

Robarano

2 time 'Bike of the Month' winner.
Subscriber
I used to have one but never told anyone or showed it to anybody. 👀

I suppose now is as good a time as any to reveal it. 🏍️

IMG_4688.webp
 
In many ways, the 848 was the better bike.
Not better than my 1098 because isn't standard, so it's ace. It's broken but it's ace.
 
Wazzaduke33 said:
One bike I’ve not had that the V2 Streetfighter 1098. Talk to me about them, have I missed out ?
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Yes and no, considering you're coming from a Superduke. A standard SF won't compete with a standard SDR, never mind a sorted gen 1 like yours. SFs need fettling. OE suspension on the standard model isn't great and needs upgrading, but it's easy with lots of options. The fueling is often poor so they benefit from remapping and the standard exhaust system with the cat in the cans is very restrictive and sounds asthmatic. The Termi full system costs more than the Akra system for the Superduke, but it needs it, especially if you're going to splash out £400 odd on a remap. And while you're doing that, it pays to bin the exhaust servo. But the ECU can be fully overwritten so there is lots of scope to get the best out of them.

The airbox is smaller than that on the 1098 SBK to accommodate the naked styling, and the intake ducts are shorter for the same reason, and these two things combined lopped about 10bhp off the SBK's power. An oversize carbon airbox is available but eye-wateringly expensive. It's on my to-do list..
On the other hand they are easily tweaked and are a performance fettlers dream and they look epic when blinged. The standard engine has tons more to give. Had mine blue-printed and tuned which made a massive difference and there's plenty more to come. A £1500 Ohlins and K-Tech suspension upgrade transformed the handling and liberated the fabled Ducati handling that manages to be both steadfast holding a line and wuick to change direction at the same time.

Compared to your Superduke, a SF feels smaller, lighter with a markedly more aggressive riding position. It very much more like a sportsbike than the SDR. You sit on top of it with your chin feeling like it's over the front tyre. Get them sorted and SFs are a dream scratching and hooning bike.
Even my fettled one doesn't have the midrange fury of a Superduke but it has a stratospheric top-end and an immense bottom end straight off the throttle. I've never ridden a bike that wheelies so easily from no revs.

I'm not sure I want mine as my only supernaked now I've had the so-easy-to-live-with Superduke, but on the right day a sorted 1098 SF is a glorious thing of a kind that they just don't make anymore.

Get them right and they're a durable, well engineered old school, analogue ,muscle bike with massive character and presence and a sound like nothing on earth. But getting them right can be expensive.
Personally I'm glad I bought the standard model not the S because the TC on the S is pretty primitive and would be a major intrusion on mine and it is fabulous to have a big gnarly naked with no electronic aids whatsoever, no even ABS, and the immediacy of an unrationed cable throttle that feels like it's connected directly to the rear tyre.
 
Gimlet said:
Yes and no, considering you're coming from a Superduke. A standard SF won't compete with a standard SDR, never mind a sorted gen 1 like yours. SFs need fettling. OE suspension on the standard model isn't great and needs upgrading, but it's easy with lots of options. The fueling is often poor so they benefit from remapping and the standard exhaust system with the cat in the cans is very restrictive and sounds asthmatic. The Termi full system costs more than the Akra system for the Superduke, but it needs it, especially if you're going to splash out £400 odd on a remap. And while you're doing that, it pays to bin the exhaust servo. But the ECU can be fully overwritten so there is lots of scope to get the best out of them.

The airbox is smaller than that on the 1098 SBK to accommodate the naked styling, and the intake ducts are shorter for the same reason, and these two things combined lopped about 10bhp off the SBK's power. An oversize carbon airbox is available but eye-wateringly expensive. It's on my to-do list..
On the other hand they are easily tweaked and are a performance fettlers dream and they look epic when blinged. The standard engine has tons more to give. Had mine blue-printed and tuned which made a massive difference and there's plenty more to come. A £1500 Ohlins and K-Tech suspension upgrade transformed the handling and liberated the fabled Ducati handling that manages to be both steadfast holding a line and wuick to change direction at the same time.

Compared to your Superduke, a SF feels smaller, lighter with a markedly more aggressive riding position. It very much more like a sportsbike than the SDR. You sit on top of it with your chin feeling like it's over the front tyre. Get them sorted and SFs are a dream scratching and hooning bike.
Even my fettled one doesn't have the midrange fury of a Superduke but it has a stratospheric top-end and an immense bottom end straight off the throttle. I've never ridden a bike that wheelies so easily from no revs.

I'm not sure I want mine as my only supernaked now I've had the so-easy-to-live-with Superduke, but on the right day a sorted 1098 SF is a glorious thing of a kind that they just don't make anymore.

Get them right and they're a durable, well engineered old school, analogue ,muscle bike with massive character and presence and a sound like nothing on earth. But getting them right can be expensive.
Personally I'm glad I bought the standard model not the S because the TC on the S is pretty primitive and would be a major intrusion on mine and it is fabulous to have a big gnarly naked with no electronic aids whatsoever, no even ABS, and the immediacy of an unrationed cable throttle that feels like it's connected directly to the rear tyre.
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Well written Jim. (y)

You need to get yours done. :love:
 
I’ve got a 2009 S model in black with Ohlins (2nd owner from new and ashamed to say 7000 miles on the clock) and agree with the above. If you dont spend time getting the suspension working properly it’s a horrible bike. harsh hard suspension capable of throwing you out the seat easily with poor turning and the ability to scare you silly. But so was my 749S until I got that sorted.
It came with the Termi end cans, race ECU and performance air filters ,
Standard factory setting are harsh, clutch is stupidly heavy.
but spend some time setting the suspension up, get it to use its full movement and not just 10MM of movement and move the levers and foot pegs to fit you and it’s the most characterful, rare, and bonkers beast of a bike you will ever have the joy of riding.
even when it’s working well it’s a handful and needs to be ridden carefully, but its a proper head turner even when it’s parked up.
there seems to be loads of them that got the accessories catalogue thrown at them, some for the better, some for the worse, ( think it’s cause you’ve got to be a bit mad to buy one anyway.)
my mates got a bmw hp2 and thought it was rare but there are more of them than there are SF,s.
future classic........in a weird, hope you know what you’re doing kind of bike and no way as easy to ride compared to an RG1200 / Fireblade etc.
but that’s why I bought it...............................
 
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