Ducati 1098
DUCATI 1098
LONG-TERM WRAP-UP
SUPER. BIKE.
DEEP INSIDE, WE ALL KNOW WE are not Troy Bayliss. Except for Troy, of course... So the idea of a nearly race-ready streetbike like the Ducati 1098 can be interpreted as a funny choice for us mere mortals.
Actually, it’s not funny at all, just fun, even in real life. Our yellow standard model came to us in August, 2007, and it got put into immediate day-to-day service. Early trips included a freeway drone out to Las Vegas (“Better than a coach airline seat,” said Executive Editor Mark Hoyer) and a 550-mile all-backroad round-trip ride to Santa Barbara from our Newport Beach offices.
The 1098 is comfortable enough for freeway riding, but the rider, and the bike, are much happier tearing up winding roads or burning around a racetrack. “The 1098 reluctantly complies with street riding but doesn’t really like halfmeasures,” said Hoyer. “The bike feels bound up when you’re cruising corners at a 7/ioths pace and only starts to feel free and wonderful when you charge hard into a corner, flick it in deep and really get on the gas coming out.”
Of the issues we tried to address, controlling exhaust heat was top priority. We fitted a Termignoni full exhaust ($3146, including performance air filter and ECU; www.ducati.com) but not before treating the system to a Velvet Black ceramic coating ($225; wuw. speciaIizedcoating.com) to help reduce radiant heat. The coating held up well cosmetically, and the 1098 was indeed lower-temperature (but never cool!) for the rider.
Even better were the power increase and sound from those dual carbon-fiber silencers. Stock output at the beginning of the test was 141 horsepower. Piped and after 9880 miles, the engine produced 147 hp (with 82 foot-pounds of torque). The bark from those Termi cans was awesome but loud. Unfortunately, supplied “db killer” quiet inserts also killed 9 hp when installed. As a compromise, we ground off the blind end caps on the inserts’ tubes to free up flow but still reduce noise. Results were good: In “stealth mode,” peak output was 145 hp and 81 ft.-lb. of torque.
We didn’t like the stock mirrors much, so we fitted longer Ducati mounts ($51 ; standard on 2010 Superbike models), but they really didn’t improve the rear view much.
After about 5000 miles, the stock clutch had become grabby and screechy under heavy launch loads, so we used that as an excuse to upgrade to an EVR slipper unit ($1400; www.advanced
My 1098 runs flawlessly. I’ve had no mechanical issues. Acceleration and handling are out of this world, and the number of heads that it turns is well worth the asking price.
John Bickle Scottsdale, Arizona
Love this bike! Fast as hell, handles great, looks fantastic and zero mechanical issues.
I just wish Ducati would do something about the seat angle so I wouldn’t slide forward so hard when squeezing the Brembo Monoblocs!
-Elton Anglada Philadelphia, Pennsylvania motorsports.com). The Italian piece is beautiftilly made and engages better than stock while offering the track-ready slipper action we were after.
Our only functional issue was an occasional fast idle of 2000 rpm or so, engine hot or cold. The mixture and butterflies were synched and reset, which reduced the frequency of the problem but didn’t eliminate it. Our bike was subject to one recall-a hot stalling issue associated with the stock ECU-but because we’d done the Termi setup with a new brain, it was “fixed” in that way.
The 7500-mile service was a bit pricey at $729, but it did wonders for running quality. Both the mechanic who performed the service (Spectrum Motorsports; www. spectrum-motor sports.com) and the shop that handled tire changes (Machi Motorcycles; www.machlca.com) commented on how smoothly our long-term tester ran compared to the many others they had worked on.
Quotes from the logbook
Blake Conner This 1098 would definitely fill a spot in my dream garage. Of all the Ducatis we’ve recently tested, this one runs best: excellent fueling, awesome bottom-end-to-midrange power and a booming sound.
Mark Cernicky Our long-termer looks great, even in not-so-Ducati yellow. Crisp, snappy power and twin-cylinder tractability make the 1098 awesome to ride. After three hours in the saddle, though...
Mark Hoyer With restraint, I was able to eke out 43 mpg. Giving in to temptation dropped mileage to the low 30s. No problem at a track day, but less than 100 miles before the fuel light comes on? Sheesh!
This is one of the most amazing motorcycles I have ever ridden. It is not just the act of riding; it is the feeling while riding it. This motorcycle will stay with me. -Keith Graham, Cabot, Arkansas
Actually, “smoothly” is a good descriptor of how our time with the 1098 went overall. Yes, it is a hard-edged racer-replica, but the rewards were that it was awesome on the track, thrilling on the street and just livable enough to make a good daily rider. Turns out, even we mortals can enjoy a superbike for the street.
SPECIFICATIONS
$14,995
