Longterm Test: 2010 Ducati Streetfighter

If you ride a Ducati people will give you a thumbs-up and "nice bike," on a daily basis. I never thought it would be this frequent, but people know Ducati as "the Ferrari of motorcycles," and recently this street cred rang true more than you'd ever imagine.

While stuck in traffic next to a giant SUV I noticed the rear window roll down; inside a little boy was waving and pointing at my Streetfighter. After a few seconds of the kid smiling and pointing I shut the bike off so I could hear what the little dude was yelling. Low and behold, I heard "Ducati, Duuuucati."

Wow. The kid couldn't have been older than five or six and he already wanted a Duc! That's when I knew the Italian line of thoroughbreds has truly transcended the realm of motorcycles. Perhaps they're right-maybe it is a lifestyle brand?

Ducati fanfare aside, I've been enjoying the Duc a lot and slowly getting to know its idiosyncrasies. While I haven't spent as much time joy riding as I'd like this month, I was able to squeeze a few stints of the scenic and fantastically twisty Mulholland Drive into my daily commute. I've also been averaging 39 mpg-how's that for having your cake and eating it too?

I've grown to dislike the factory handlebar. It's a bit low and slopes downward at the ends for a combo that is all together bad, not to mention its grey finish sticks out like a sore thumb. To remedy my quibbles I went for a Renthal Fatbar since its black finish looks great on the Duc and raises the bars another inch for a better riding position. The fact it's made of lightweight aluminum and has the cool "Fatbar" logo and white Renthal lettering makes it all the better for some eye candy when parked at the local coffee shop.

Speaking of eye candy, I decided to take the Streetfighter to the next level with some subtle bling in the form of Rizoma cam-belt covers. These trick bits are made from black anodized aluminum and take the term "trick" to the next level because they also have clear windows to let the world see the cam gears and belts whirling away inside.

There are so many cool mods for the Duc it's hard to choose what to do next.

Coming next month:
Carbon fiber enters the mix.