METHODICAL MADNESS

The new Streetfighter V4 S never overwhelms you. And perhaps that's exactly the problem

- By Manaal Mahatme Photographs Kaizad Adil Darukhanawala

The most unsettling thing about DC's Joker was never the chaos but the calm behind it.

Nothing he did was rushed or accidental. Every pause, every smile, every moment of restraint was deliberate. From a distance, it looked like madness. Up close, it was precision masked by that maniacal grin. By the time the laughter arrived, the ground had already shifted.

That was the feeling the 2025 Ducati Streetfighter V4 S gave me before I even started it.

The place was quiet, the sun low enough to stretch shadows across the tarmac. The Ducati stood there, red and immaculate, its sharp LED DRLs fixed in that now-familiar grin. It was the Italian marque itself who drew the comparison with the fictional character first. Standing there alone, it didn't look playful or provocative. It seemed patient. Like it had time.

I stopped a few steps short. Normally, a motorcycle like this triggers an instinctive smile. This time, my throat tightened instead, my heart skipped a beat, and on a cool winter evening, a streak of cold sweat ran down my back. Nothing had even happened yet. But that was the point.

This is the closest the Streetfighter has ever been to the Panigale it's derived from. The same 1103cc Desmosedici Stradale V4 sits at its core, producing 211 bhp and 12.26 kgm. The difference is what's missing — no fairings, no wind protection... actually, no attempt to soften the experience. And yet, the amber traction light flickered often, I reminded myself I'd ridden faster motorcycles, in safer places. I'd ridden this engine in full Panigale V4 S form on a MotoGP circuit, where 250-plus kmph felt almost routine. There, the aerodynamics did half the work, the downforce pinned the bike down, and violence arrived wrapped in discipline. Here, there was nothing between me and my determination.