Used Deal of the Week: Bargain £6k Ducati Streetfighter 848

Recently, we revisited the Ducati Streetfighter V2 in the UK, having previously experienced the bike at its international launch in Spain. Our British stint merely cemented our opinion that the ‘baby’ Streetfighter makes more sense than the bonkers fast V4, while still being outrageously fast on the road.

Our advice would be to buy one, especially as it might not be around for much longer - given that the Panigale V2 it’s based on will soon bow out, the SV2 might not be far behind. The problem is, at a cost of over £16,000, it’ll be beyond the means of many. Going used will save you a bit, but Ducati residuals are strong, so the emphasis here is on ‘a bit’.

One option is to go much further back - two generations of Ducati models, in fact. There was no Streetfighter version of the short-lived 899 and the 959, so what we’re looking at here is the Streetfighter 848.

That means it’s a far less sophisticated bike with no ABS or fancy six-axis IMU, but you do at least get an eight-stage traction control system. What you also get is one hell of an engine - an 849cc ‘Testastretta’ 90-degree V-twin (‘L-twin’ in Ducati press release speak) pumping out 132bhp. 

That’s a good chunk less than the 153bhp put out by the current Streetfighter V2, but still enough for the Streetfighter 848 to feel bloody quick. If you want to match the SV2’s output there’s always the 1198 to consider, which also makes over 150bhp, but you’ll end up paying more for a bike that’s less manageable on the road.

You can bag a Streetfighter 848 for as little as £4,000. This one for sale at KC Superbikes is a bit more than that at £5,995, but the 2014 bike looks like a sound example. It’s done under 20,000, which is perfectly acceptable considering the age, and it comes with service history.

You also get some nice accessories including an R&G tail tidy, ASV levers, new mirrors and radiator guards. And finally, it's fitted with the all-important Termignoni exhaust.

Tempted?