By Pete Brissette
Mixing the Ducati 1198S in with a group of inline-Fours that share unprecedented similarities can be a touchy issue.
The Duc is pure racetrack sex. And for that it suffers and excels.
“When I first saw the Ducati in the flesh, I must admit to being a little wowed by the beauty of her,” commented Speed Kelly. “Like some runway supermodel dressed in high-couture fashion, it’s for sure the looker of the bunch. As my mates would say back home in Olde Blighty; "It's the dog's bollocks, innit mate!"
On the subject of the delectable 90-degree V-Twin… the power, oh baby, the power! Even the CBR’s mighty midrange is no match for the 1198 and its omnipotent 86.7 ft-lbs of torque. “If you’ve always wanted a bike that would perform effortless second-gear wheelies, this is your steed,” said Duke.
This huge amount of torque stretches out to a very healthy 150.4 hp at 9700 rpm, slightly more than a couple of our four-cylinder literbikes which were often left behind at corner exits! Of course, DTC (Ducati Traction Control) played a big part in this, and it’s one more reason the S model is out of place in this group.
The 1198S comes equipped with the high-end Ohlins suspension, well-sorted traction control and lightweight forged-aluminum Marchesini wheels that lessen steering effort, but even the base 1198 models have some of the best bike brakes on Earth. The radial-mount monoblock Brembos are frighteningly proficient at their task; only the Honda came within a stone’s throw of Brembo performance. Toss in some carbon treats to complete the pricey S package.
Developed from the World Championship-winning 1098R, it’s no surprise the stunning Ducati can find its way around a racetrack with few issues. But this titan of the track can lose much of its appeal when ridden on the street, save for its awesome noises and its sultry appearance.
Its seating position puts the rider in a very aggressive stance with lots of stress on hands and wrists. Speaking of hands, attempting a turn at full-lock results in hands being squeezed against the upper portion of the windscreen-supporting bodywork. Not good. Furthermore, the clutch is a little grabby, the tranny is rather notchy compared to the Japanese entrants, the fueling can feel abrupt from closed-to-open throttle, its mirrors are nearly useless, and its instruments are difficult to read.
Our 1198S test unit arrived with the springs in its race-bred Ohlins suspension set for someone resembling John Goodman. Instead of wrenching on preload adjusters to set the proper sag for our lighter weights, a lack of time forced us to just jump on the thing and ride it on the street as is. A similar story was seen at Willow – we were so focused on adequately evaluating the literbikes that the Duc sadly was largely neglected, including its suspension.
When Kevin and Steve were able to take it out for a few laps, they found the Ducati difficult to ride with its little to no rear suspension sag. However, I wasn’t as bothered by this issue, and my time aboard the Duc at Willow Springs instantly reminded me of how unflinchingly stable and responsive it was during my time at the bike’s world press launch in Portimao, Portugal.
The bike worked fairly well for me, but I couldn’t deny some of the harshness the guys lamented. Still, I find this a neat example of how set-up between riders yields such varied experiences.
I’m convinced that with equal resources of time and expertise for set-up, the Duc would’ve left the Four from Japan crying in their Asahi beer. But, with several thousand dollars worth of extra goodies, it damn well better be the best!
Source :http://motorcycle.com
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