Why do certain passages of music make our heart sing, whereas others move us to tears? I don’t know the answer, I am just posing the question. In the same way, I have often wondered why it is that certain motorcycle engines stir the emotions so. The face of my dear old dad lights up when he describes the song of a Norton as it soars up a hill and crests a rise. And the burble of V-twins touches my heart in a way that the soft putter of singles, the sweet whine of triples or the unmitigated howl of fours never does.
This is particularly true when I’m on the Streetfighter 848. You wind off the throttle coming into a bend and the soaring hymn of acceleration becomes a gurgling, burping symphony of satisfaction, as if the bike is contentedly digesting the long straight it has just devoured.
This machine’s existence is a consequence of the fact that while Ducati has barely put a foot wrong in the past three years, with the stonking Multistrada, Diavel and Panigale, it didn’t get it quite right with the Streetfighter 1098 in 2008.
Owners complained that the bike was raw, uncompromising, expensive and twitchy, and sales were disappointing, so Ducati went back to the drawing board and stole ideas from its other models to create a new version.
The Streetfighter 848 has a smaller engine, borrowed from the Multistrada and Diavel, and low-down torque for smoother low-speed riding. It has the looks and traction control of the Streetfighter 1098 S, plus a great set of rear-view mirrors.
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The suspension has been softened, the wheelbase slightly lengthened, the handlebars raised for a less aggressive riding position, while a new rear tyre gives more grip and better ride quality. Last but not least, the price is pegged below the psychologically important 10 grand mark.
Does all this lead to an anodyne machine? Does it hell. Start the engine, and it barks into life with urgency. The engine pulls sweet and smooth from 2000rpm as you snick through the six-speed box all the way to maximum power at 10,000rpm, after which not one but three red lights on the dash tell you to desist from cruelty to engines.
Braking, thanks to twin Brembo discs at the front, is powerful but predictable: good thing too, since there’s no antilock braking or slipper clutch to help forgive ham-fisted attempts to wind off speed. Handling is as smooth and unflustered as the rest of the bike, adding up to a tidy package of user-friendly grunt.
Will riders buy it? Good question. It’s cheaper than the excellent 848 Evo, but still more than £1,000 in excess of the Triumph Street Triple — the bestselling bike in the naked class. For many it may come down to a question of taste: do they prefer the burble of the Italian V-twin, or the purr of the Hinckley bike?
Oh, and I take back what I said about the mirrors. On closer examination, they’re only really useful for admiring yourself in. But then, they are Italian.