Ducati News Today

Although US Ducati fans must wait until May for the first deliveries of the highly anticipated Streetfighter, European deliveries have already begun. Today, ducatinewstoday speaks with Angelo Kouvaras as he shares his early ride impressions on his brand new Ducati Streetfighter S, the first example to be delivered in Greece.

Angelo Kouvaras lives in Athens, Greece and was bitten by the motorcycling bug many years ago when he first sat astride two wheels at the age of 12 on a 50cc Benelli. Since that time he has owned a succession of predominantly Japanese sportbikes such as the Kawasaki ZX-R750, Suzuki GSX-R1000 and Honda CBR600 before he fell in love with the Ducati Hypermotard in 2007.
His passion for Ducati began as he purchased a red Hypermotard S and proceeded to “do all the mods” adding racing cams, lightened flywheel, steering damper and a full termignoni exhaust system along with the usual alloy nuts, bolts, gilles lever and assorted carbon fiber pieces.

Angelo secretly coveted a 1098 but realized that wasn’t the style of bike for riding to work so when he first heard that the Streetfighter, essentially a naked 1098, was to be released he was immediately interested. After placing a 1,000 Euro deposit he received his bike, a black Streetfighter S, last week on April 16th after a van rolled up to his local dealership and deposited the first 3 machines in the country. Angelo’s bike was the first to be delivered in Greece.

ducatinewstoday asked Angelo to share his impressions of the bike as a new owner and he was eager to share his experiences of the bike with us to whet our appetites for the real thing!!

[ducatinewstoday] How does the Streetfighter look in the flesh compared to your expectations from only seeing photos?

When i first saw the early sketches I didn’t like it and seeing the first few pictures didn’t impress me either. The launch reports from Ascari and the onboard videos did it for me. I must say I had my doubts about not seeing the bike first but it was love at first sight because the bike looks so much better up close!!!!!!!!!!!

[ducatinewstoday] What is the riding position like?

I went for my first ride the next day because the weather was bad (raining and cold) when I first picked it up. I rode for about 100 kms (60 miles) and the bike felt really good with a comfortable all around riding position. The reach to the bars was perfect for me but I think I will need adjustable rearsets because my knees are bending a little more than I would like them to. I’m 1.80m (5′11″) tall and I can put my foot down easily enough but it is not completely flat on the ground.

[ducatinewstoday] Some of the launch reports were almost disappointed in the performance especially in the lower rev range. How are you finding the overall performance?

The Streetfighter S has the best power and the best brakes I’ve ever experienced on a bike. I rode on both the open road and the twisties. At 160kph (100mph) the wind noise and buffeting was quite bad but you expect that with a naked bike. The gearbox is precise and easy to shift for a open class bike. On tight mountain roads the bike scared me the first day by sliding a little and it took me some time to adjust to the new geometry. The handling is razor sharp and changing directions is easy and fast.

[ducatinewstoday] Did you try the Ducati Traction Control (DTC)?

I haven’t used the DTC so far as I want to have a chance to get used to the bike and get a feeling for it before I start pushing further.

[ducatinewstoday] What impresses you most about the bike so far?

The best thing for me is the stability and the brakes and also the power coming out of corners is impressive!

[ducatinewstoday] What are you least happy with? Do you plan any modifications?

I don’t like the cheap plastic parts as I paid a lot of money for my S. I have already ordered the full termi system and I’m anxiously waiting for it !!!

[ducatinewstoday] Any final comments to share with your fellow Ducatisti?

Overall the bike exceeded my expectations and I dare to say it is the best bike I’ve ever owned so far!!

Thanks Angelo for sharing, I’m sure many of us can’t wait to savour the delights of the Ducati Streetfighter for ourselves!

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