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Ducati 1198S (2008-Current)

Detail	Value
New price	£14,750
Engine size	1198cc
Power	168bhp
Top speed	185mph
Insurance group	17

	MCN ratings	Owners' ratings
Overall
Engine
Ride & Handling
Equipment
Quality & Reliability
Value

MCN overall verdict

Nobody else has a 168bhp V-twin on its books, complete with traction control, Ohlins suspension, data-recording etc, and if they did it’d probably cost more than the £14,750 Ducati 1198S. And there’s a good chance it wouldn’t have the same devastating performance all wrapped up in a chassis that has more character than Lord Of the Rings’ Gandalf. This is truly one of those motorcycles that everybody should be allowed to ride once in their life for the experience of riding the best V-twin ever made.

MCN rating
Owners' rating

Figures are just figures even when Ducati claim 168bhp, but whatever figure we find smearing the rear Pirelli tyre, rest assured this engine is one serious powerhouse. Torque alone gets the Ducati 1198S shifting the earth backwards on its axis, and then the power takes over to make point-to-point roads seem like a Scalextric course.
The gearbox is sweeter than sugared almonds, and the lump doesn’t vibrate anywhere near as bad as you would think a mighty V-twin should.

MCN rating
Owners' rating

Since the original 1098, all of Ducati’s superbike range now feels more Japanese to ride – plenty of room behind the bars, standard seat-to-bar-to-peg dimensions etc. This bike is designed for fast flowing corners and consequently struggles to stay on line in the tightest of tight corners, but as the ride height and suspension are fully adjustable it just needs time and care to get the ride geared towards the rider.

MCN rating
Owners' rating

For your money you get Ohlins road and track forks and rear shock (choice), a traction control system that is 8-way level adjustable (brilliant), facility to record, download and replay throttle postion, speed, gear, traction control activity and so on. There’s a lot to be said for the race-spec Brembo front brakes and it would be all good.

MCN rating
Owners' rating

Several centuries of V-twin production should mean Ducati has reliability issues well and truly tucked in the rafters. Obviously the bike has a serious amount of electronic aids, but even so electrics are not a big issue with Ducati since a revamp of its working methods over the past four years.

MCN rating
Owners' rating

Considering the 2009 1198S is essentially the £24,000 2008 homologation special Ducati 1098R but with a price tag of just under 15-grand, it’s a bargain. The standard 1198 with out all the gizmos is over £11k, so think how much more it (or any modern bike come to that) would cost to get it to the same spec.

Insurance group: 17

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2006: the 999 series is reinvented to the all new stunning 1098 range.
2006: 1098 base model, 160bhp
2006: 1098S, 160bhp, Ohlins suspension, datalog facility
2008:1098R, race-ready special, sand cast engine cases, titanium conrods,180bhp, Ohlins suspension, race exhaust and modified ECU supplied
2008: 1098 Tricolour, 160bhp, red/white/green paint, gold frame, race exhaust and modified ECU supplied

There is a base level version imaginatively entitled 1198. It has the same engine and output figures, but no traction control, datalog, Ohlins suspension and fancy MotoGP replica wheels. A great bike in itself all the same.

Specifications

Top speed	185mph
1/4-mile acceleration	9.75 secs
Power	168bhp
Torque	97ftlb
Weight	169kg
Seat height	820mm
Fuel capacity	15.5 litres
Average fuel consumption	mpg
Tank range	miles
Insurance group	17

Engine size	1198cc
Engine specification	Liquid-cooled, 8v Desmodromic, 90° V-twin four-stroke. Six gears
Frame	Tubular steel trellis
Front suspension adjustment	Rebound and compression damping,
Rear suspension adjustment	Rebound and compression damping, spring preload
Front brakes	2 x 330 discs with 4-piston Mononbloc calipers
Rear brake	245mm disc with two-piston caliper
Front tyre size	120/70 x 17
Rear tyre size	190/55 x 17