Ducati had every right to crow, with the 1098 representing the road equivalent of the bike Troy Bayliss took to World Championship winning status.

Get aboard a 1098S and twist the throttle with a little enthusiasm and you’ll be prepared to start believing some of the hype.

There’s no doubt it’s an impressive bit of kit, backing up the maker’s claim that, at the time, it was the most powerful V-twin road bike ever. Not only does it have grunt, but it can underpin its performance with some tidy handling.

UNDER THE PAINT

Launched in 2007, the 1098S will be, for many of us mere mortals, as close as we’ll get to a pukka superbike. The model was a critical one for the firm, since the 999 series failed to light a fire under the customer base in the same way the earlier (and beautiful) 916 series did.

With the 1098 we saw the return of some important visuals, such as a variant on the slightly angry horizontal twin-lamp snout, dual under-seat exhausts and a single-side rear swingarm. This design is much closer to the original 916, which was always going to be a hard act to follow.

However, it was in the powerplant that that real action is happening. The S is significantly more powerful than the previous range-topping 999R, through a variety of means. Bore and stroke are lifted, while the cylinder heads are redesigned to allow for narrower valve angles and a more direct path for the fuel charge into the combustion chamber. Semi-elliptic throttle bodies claim a massive 30 per cent lift in airflow over conventional items. In addition, some 5kg has been lopped off the engine weight.

While the engine is the same for the S and the ‘cooking’ version of the 1098, the chassis sports some upgraded goodies. You score top-line Ohlins suspension at both ends: the 43mm FG511 fork up front and 46PRC rear monoshock, both of which are fully adjustable. That lot is held off the ground by lighter than stock Marchesini forged wheels, which look great and weigh a claimed 1.8kg less than the stockers. The front sports a carbon fibre guard.

A final bit of tinsel for this particular Christmas tree is the Ducati Data Analysis dash, which is derived from the GP7 Desmosedici MotoGP bike. It flashes up SBK 1098 on start-up and runs a digital readout for everything. The usual tacho/speedo set is there, plus fuel, temp and so on. Its party trick is it can provide you with detailed lap data.

FRENETIC

So, you start a big V-twin and get a nice, lazy beat from the engine, right? Not in a million years. On this toy, you can feel your pulse jump as the thing bursts into life with what, for the uninitiated, will be some mildly alarming cackles, rattles and general thumping around. Ducati’s performance bikes have long had a tendency to snap and snarl when woken, and this one continues the tradition.

The ride position is head down and bum up, with a fairly high seat. It is, however, slim, with well-located controls, belying the fact you’re on an 1100 – it feels tall but sylph-like.

First impressions are going to depend completely on where you ride it. If it’s in traffic, there’s a good chance you’ll end up hating it. The Ducati simply isn’t happy in stop-go snarls, mixing it with the tin-tops, and will let you know all about it. The ride position is wrong for this kind of task, while you rarely get a chance to let the engine and chassis work hard enough to make any sense of what they’re capable of.

Fuelling at low revs is a little uneven, while the suspension really isn’t getting into the swing of things at typical metro speeds.

Get it out onto a clear bit of tar, however, and the whole new ball game. The engine truly lights up in the midrange and loves to be revved. The 160hp claim becomes entirely believable, with good flexibility for playing through a set of turns. Keep it above 3500rpm, and you’ll be impressed with the precise throttle response.

The chassis chimes in with firm but really well-sorted suspension. It gets better as the speeds creep up, with the front end in particular delivering a very good sense of what was going on underneath you (the lighter wheels no doubt help here), while offering pretty decent compliance over the odd ripple or pothole. We had a little play with the adjustment, and found it really worked, probably offering far more options than any of us will ever need.

Steering is quick. The initial turn-in is very fast – surprisingly so at first – but is predictable with a little experience. Once heeled over, it holds its line nicely and you’re left with the option of changing line mid-corner without hassle.

As a package, it’s a far less stressful machine to ride in a sports environment than in traffic. In fact, you’d be signing up for track days at every opportunity, as they’d be about the only chance you’d get to truly explore its considerable potential.

CHEQUE OUT

So is it perfect? No, not really, but it’s fair to say that the designers never intended it to be. It dislikes traffic, and the fuel range (15.5lt at around 15km/lt) is hardly going to win any touring friends. There’s no doubt it can and will commute and tour, but there is far better kit for either task, and much more capable all-rounders even in the Ducati catalogue.

But if your idea of a good time is throwing it on a trailer and heading for the nearest track day, or even a gentler cruise through some twisties to a favoured café, you’ll have a ball.

The cruncher for many will be whether this version is worth the $5000 leap in price from the stocker – also a very capable bit of kit. It’s certainly debatable, but I lean towards the theory that if you want something exotic with a really serious performance bent, this fits the bill. So try very hard not to think about what you’re writing as you fill out the cheque.

What the hell, any reservations you may have had will disappear the first time you fling it into turn one at Phillip Island…

LOOKS DO MATTER

Ducati received a very harsh lesson on how important looks are to the success of a motorcycle, with the predecessors to the 1098 series.

The all-time winner was the 916 of 1995, which had some timeless lines that still make it look fresh today. It was penned by Massimo Tamburini, who went on to draw the MV Agusta F4.

While the motors were upgraded over time, the styling didn’t get its first major rework until the release of the 999 of 2002. This one, designed by Pierre Terblanche, was hailed for its technical prowess, including a huge reduction in the number of parts. However, it was very controversial in the looks department and it struggled in the showrooms.

While Terblanche is highly regarded in the industry, it’s interesting to see Ducati head back to 916 looks for its 1098 series.

Spex

DUCATI 1098S

ENGINE

Type: Liquid-cooled, desmodromic, DOHC, eight-valve V-twin

Bore and stroke: 104mm x 64.7mm

Displacement: 1099cc

Compression ratio: 12.5:1

Fuel system: Marelli electronic fuel-injection

TRANSMISSION

Type: Six-speed, constant mesh, dry clutch

Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR

Frame type: Steel trellis

Front suspension: Ohlins 43mm, fully adjustable

Rear suspension: Ohlins monoshock, fully adjustable

Front brakes: Twin 330 discs with four-piston Brembo calipers

Rear brake: Single 245mm disc with twin-piston Brembo caliper

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES

Dry weight: 171kg

Seat height: 820mm

Fuel capacity: 15.5 litres

PERFORMANCE

Max power: 119.3kW (160hp) at 9750rpm

Max torque: 12.5kg-m at 8000rpm

OTHER STUFF

Price when new: $31,490 plus ORC

Test bike supplied by:
NF Importers

Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres