The grayish-white early morning coastal cloud cover is in the very last stages of burning off as I begin my ascent towards the top of the world. Vague, almost irrational rays of light slash through what little misty haze remains as the asphalt begins to bend and warp its way around the miniscule valley floor. Seconds later the last vestiges of mankind disappear behind me and with them all the concerns of the ordinary world. Quickly I drop the bike down a gear and the engine howls with approval as it prepares for battle.
Ahead lies an onslaught of corners. A sportbikes’ paradise. The collection of curves so fierce that even the massive Roman Legions themselves couldn’t take them down. Yet the 1098 offers no sense of hesitation. No worry. No fear. It knows it was built to conquer these kinds of enemies.
Seconds later the first wave hits and the bike fights back. Ducking deeply into the apex, entrenching itself on its own perfect line, before roaring out the other side, unscathed. Ready for more action.
Shooting down the short straight, the tach rises rapidly as the scenery on either side becomes a blur of reality. Snapping back the clutch mere millimeters, I blip the throttle, and bring the bike down a gear. It growls and I swear I can see it bare its teeth once more.
Halfway up the canyon walls the curves briefly retreat before mounting a faster, tighter, more vicious counter offensive that offers even more resistance. The 1098 takes a deep breath and smiles. It’s an evil grin that seems to ask, “is this the best you’ve got?”
With a chuckle, the bike hits its stride and then suddenly a whirlwind of motion moves forward in a flash as the bike engages once more.
What had been fast becomes faster. What was fluid becomes even smoother. The revs rise and fall quicker. The brakes bite just a bit more. And the bike flicks back and forth with an awesome display of prowess that is as stark as it is rapid. Carving its way through the heart of the enemy one by one.
A minute later its over – for now – and I’m looking down at the valley floor from the top of the mountain astonished. I absolutely can’t fathom what I just experienced. It’s a mixture of excessive, thrilling, almost effervescent excitement and sheer undeterred moto-rage rolled into one. The farthest reaches of the passion that is riding. It’s in that moment that it dawns on me that I’ve been so entranced by the ride, so tempted by the bike, so focused, that my mouth is completely dry - and still hanging wide open in shock.
To say that a 1098 holds the power to take your breath away isn’t an accurate statement at all. It does more then that. Much more. It ceases all unnecessary human functions there by bringing your level of humanity down to the barest of primal responses. Your survival depending completely on what has been programmed into your DNA after millions of year of evolution. All other responses can’t help but stand in awe of what this bike can do. What it was meant to do.
After two days of riding the 1098S I keep thinking that Ducati should feel very proud of themselves, they really got it right this time. So right in fact that you quickly move past the point of asking if the 1098 is a great bike and instead you find yourself wondering if this is the bike that can transcend its own generation. If this is the bike that will define the next ten years of motorcycling. It’s a lofty question no doubt and one that doesn’t have an easy answer today, or tonight, or tomorrow for that matter, but it certainly seems in the realm of possibility. And I suspect for Ducati that’s close enough for now.
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Did you go up Stunt? Those backgrounds look familiar.
Yep that’s Stunt Road…0ood eye!
wow i’m gonna get one and i’m gonna move to cali. i live in IL and it sucks for riding
Ooof another passage of gushing love written by a 1098 owner..
You’re the first to claim he could actually read the tach though, so your whole story is suspect.
Sorry to bum you out, but I don’t find the tach that hard to read… It’s not as easy going as an analog tach, but then I’m a child of the digital generation…
Not bummed. Was looking for an honest review of the new bike from a former 999 owner, what’s better, what’s worse, where did Ducati shave off $3K. (Hint: the tach) Instead got the usual flowery prose.. sans content. My mistake. “Digital Generation” Bwa..hahahahahaha.
I’ve been trying to work on my thoughts about the bike - i.e. 999 vs. 1098 - but unfortunately been a bit busy as of late.
Hopefully later in the week I’ll get the post I’ve been working on up online. The bottom line however isn’t all that shocking: the 1098 is a better bike. Forgetting the design for a moment, the bike feels more evolutionary then revolutionary. The engine clearly feels more powerful and it terms of handling its a giant leap forward (lighter, easier to turn in, less physically demanding). But when I get off the 1098 and jump on a 999 I don’t feel like I’ve gone from the grestest sportsbike in the world to the worst. It’s much more subtile imho.
Things I’m not so hot about are the functionality of the fairing design (there are way to many cheap fasteners holding the bottom piece on, it’s a bitch to remove and the bolts give you no assurance that you’ve tightened them enough), the fact that the bike stalls at stops for no reason, the lack of adjustable footpegs.
Well a newly found friend with a 1098s and I (999r)were buzzing about the Oregon coastal mountain range and PCH yesterday. You may be surprised to know there really isnt that much between them and especially in a straight line. Its nice to have real comp rides to put things back in perspective than just read numbers on a page and think that the wheel has been reinvented.