Looks good Jimmy the hat! Now for the annoying questions - > Are the OEM rear indicators bigger than the front ones? Those front ones don't look too bad to me. > How much of a pain in the arse was it to fit the tailtidy? > I presume, with the rear seat cowl fitted and the rider's seat being bolted down, there's nowhere to put a pair of sunglasses etc? > And, shitty road conditions aside, how did she feel out there on the road!!
Frustratingly, this bike still isn’t on any insurance databases, so quotes are getting a bit daft. Who are you insured with?
No problem with the questions. OEM Rear indicators are the same as the front. The main reason I changed them is that I did not want to have to take the tail tidy apart if I decided to upgrade in the future. If you did want to swap indicators at a later date you have to dismantle the entire thing. The tail tidy is a bit of pain! On the original hanger I could not get one of the bolts undone to split the case and access a piece of wiring loom I needed. Ended up drilling it out. Did not expect that on a brand new bike. The Evotech tail tidy is excellent quality but it takes a while to assemble, there are many parts and each bolt is a slightly different size. I sat at my dining table for an hour putting it together. The number plate light is supplied with 2 bullet connectors which connect to the Ducati specific loom supplied with kit. I did not trust the connectors so I soldered over the top of them. The final faff is stuffing all the wires into the seat unit. Took a picture of the space in the seat cowl. It's a maybe for glasses........... Now I have done 198 miles. The bike seems to have a huge amount of mechanical grip. Chicken strips almost gone. Did not slide once. Its glued to the road. It is also super stable. No bar wiggles at all. It handles brilliantly. I road 80 miles in Sport mode, and 120 in road. Much as I initially dismissed road mode I found it great in the rubbish conditions yesterday. Running in is a real tease. At 6k the the rev counter glows amber and the engine smooths out. Then you have to change up! You can tell its going to delicious above that. I rode for about 4 hours straight and it was comfy. Nothing ached, wrists were fine, I found I didn't end up shagging the tank like my last bike! Really appreciated the heated grips although I wish the texture was more rubbery, they are kind of hard. The fuel light came on at 92 miles and I was annoyed. It then went off after 0.5 miles, I filled up at 102 miles and put 12 litres in. The dash said I averaged 49 mpg. Not sure why the light came on, hopefully its not broken. Worked out all the menus, seems easy enough to use. The suspension is good. As noted above its a lot more composed than my old bike, I did find it slightly harsh though. Maybe its my weight, I am 70kg with my gear on. I am not too sure how you adjust the front forks, the handle bars seem to be in the way, but I didn't look closely. When I first read the initial reviews I thought the road based pads were going to be crap, but I have changed my mind. Brakes are great. Even the back brake works for now. Clutch is nice too, light with good feel. I did have a few jerky throttle moments in town, might have been cold and tired or just the nature of a big V twin. Turning circle is just about acceptable. Every time you turn the bike off and on it defaults to displaying the total mileage. I wish it would stay on Trip 1. I am only interested in total mileage once a year! My old bike was the same. Heated grips retain there last setting though. At one point the road was closed and I sat checking the map with the engine running. It got to 103 degrees and I did not notice any heat. It was only 7 degrees and I was freezing.
Yeah they gave me a quote yesterday, but had to refer to the underwriters. The bike still isn’t listed on any databases/ online companies yet, so I feel that they’re taking advantage. Especially as I can insure a SFV4S for about £250 a year cheaper via comparethemarket.
Great review Jimmy the hat. Much appreciated. Can't wait for mine to arrive, but that's still a few months away. Just bought a pair of Rizoma Spy R 80 bar end mirrors to go with my Evotech tail tidy & rad guards. Might buy the seat cowl next if I can sneak the invoice past my wife!
For those that have ordered the rear seat cowl, I watched a YouTube vid yesterday, and they said to double check the part number when ordering for the SF, as the Panigale V2 cowl as the Ducati decal in silver, whereas the only difference with the SF V2 cowl is that the letter is in black to match the tank decal - there's one letter different in the part number apparently.
I can see the appeal for bar end mirrors! I'm sure the months will fly by. Can't offer any advice for sneaking invoices past the wife, maybe ask a mate to order it for you!
Mine does not have any decals on. Maybe its a late addition. The bike in this review does not have any. https://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/ducati/2022-ducati-streetfighter-v2-review-first-ride.html
I asked my dealer to check, and they just called to say same, 'no decal at all' - hahahaha. Sorry about that folks, as you were
I wonder if (read: suspect) Ducati stopped putting the decal on to simplify their SKUs I'm fine with or without it, I would have been less fine with a mismatch. Here's the section of the vid that started it all
Yeah I was expecting them to be expensive, but was surprised they don't even list the V2 Streetfighter yet.
My bike has arrived at the dealer, and is being prepped - yay! However, I won't get it until the 22nd as I need to wait for it to be PPF'd.
Also I think there is a review in MCN, V2SF v Aprilia v MV. It part of the subscription so I do not have a copy. Wondered if anyone had access.