It was a tense moment as the jurors sat down to score the sportsbikes they had just ridden at the Buddh International Circuit. The two-wheeler jurors rode the Triumph Tiger Sport 660, Suzuki Katana and the two Ducatis – Streetfighter V2 and the Panigale V4 S to determine which motorcycle deserves to win the category. A disclaimer here, that the Ducati Multistrada V2 and the 2023 BMW S 1000 RR did not make it to the jury round, which means they were disqualified from the nominations, making it easier for two motorcycles from Borgo Panigale. There was yet another twist in the tale though. As luck would have it, Ducati India sent us a restricted model of the mad and mental Panigale V4 S, which meant, we weren’t able to test it the way we would have liked.
So, the battle was then between the three models – Tiger Sport 660, Katana and the Streetfighter V2. The Suzuki Katana and the Streetfighter V2 were ridden hard and fast, with the jurors making the most of two sharp, sexy and capable sportbikes that had raw, unbridled power to offer. In the end, it was the Ducati Streetfighter V2 which impressed the jurors with its features, performance, handling and the value for money that it offered to its customers along with the versatility helping it win the Sportsbike of the year at the 2023 car&bike awards.
The Streetfighter V2 gets the 955 cc Superquadro engine, making 153 bhp at 10,750 rpm along with peak torque of 101.4 Nm at 9,000 rpm. The engine is paired to a 6-speed gearbox. The motorcycles gets a number of electronic rider aids such as – ABS, traction control, cornering ABS, wheelie control, engine braking control and so on.
