DUCATI’S new 1198S isn’t the first bike with traction control, but it is the first mainstream model Ducati has fitted with the safety device. It might look essentially the same as the 1098S but it has more capacity, and therefore more horsepower and torque. Is it substantially better than the outgoing 1098S? I don’t think so, but it is one hell of a machine.

Just so we don’t get mixed up, there is the standard 1198 with Showa suspension and no traction control. Then we have the 1198S with Ohlins suspension and Ducati Traction Control (DTC). Lastly we have the top of the range 1098R – already 1200cc – which has a different type of traction control when the race track only exhaust was fitted.
There are other detail differences like wheel shapes and the like, but overall it’s hard to tell one from the other at a glance unless you are familiar with the product.

The Australian launch was planned for Eastern Creek but it was washed out. That would have enabled us to ride the standard and S models. I’d already tested the 1098R at Phillip Island over 12 months ago, but amazingly the test is still burned into my brain, it’s that good a bike.

1198S on the road

I can see why the Ducati importers hold launches for their superbikes at the race tracks. You have to be on the right type of road to appreciate these bikes. I’ve ridden plenty of 1098s and none of them are happy in traffic. The 1198 is no different, hunting on the throttle like a dog on a leash. Does this make it a bad bike? Far from, it’s just that they are hard work in heavy traffic. The riding position is severe, the mirrors give you a wonderful view of your elbows, even with the optional 30mm extensions, and your arse gets hot. Get an open road and crack the throttle and all the unhappiness disappears. You have to expect that when a bike is punching out such high horsepower levels there have to be compromises.

Around town the riding position is wrist breaking, bum aching and neck straining. One thing I noticed, and which I liked was the seat to footpeg distance. There seemed more room than a 1098. Regular Cycle Torque tester Billy Newton recently sold his 1098S for a 1098R but the ‘S’ had brackets which dropped the ’pegs around an inch, not much you might think but it definitely made the bike nicer to ride. It felt as though the 1198 ’pegs were in a similar position. All it needs are ’bars an inch higher and a taller screen. You can get aftermarket ’bars and these would be the first thing on my list to buy, and would make an awesome bike into a much better one, with more leverage on the handlebars and less wind hitting the body.

Wow, this bike is fast, there is so much torque available off the bottom that you need to be careful twisting the throttle hard out of tight corners. The front will launch into the air in the first couple of gears with only the slightest provocation. Compared to the 1098, the 1198 has around 10 more ponies more (125kW at 9,500rpm – 131Nm at 8000rpm) and although it feels stronger it hardly makes the 1098 a wimp.

Even though the engine will rev out to 13,000rpm there’s no need to hold gears, the six speed gearbox is so easy to use you can shift at will, using the torque to punt you out of a turn rather than have the big twin revving its proverbials off. There never seems to be a major hit of power anywhere, it’s everywhere

At speed on an open winding road the bike is in its element, soaking up bumps and feeling ultra sure-footed in bends, basically regardless of the speed. How do even the best riders on the road outride a bike like this? Regardless of how fast I was going or the type of roads I encountered I couldn’t fault the suspension, never feeling the need to even look at its adjustments. Same goes for the Brembo brakes, the big four-piston monobloc calipers washing off speed with the slightest of lever touches.

Safety first

I’ll be the first to admit I forgot to check if the DTC was on for my first ride. It was only when I got back that the question was asked. Navigating the dash – which incidentally has bigger numbers than the 1098 and is easier to read at a quick glance – via the left toggle switch is easy when you know how. I quickly realised the DTC was engaged when I was riding the bike, and at its most potent level, 8.

When I rode the 1098R at the track the traction control made its presence known aggressively, by cutting fuel delivery. The 1198S does it by altering spark progressively up to a point where if you are going really crazy with the throttle, fuel is cut also. How do you know if it’s working? There are four big red lights on the dash. The first light comes on if the DTC reduced spark, the second light if more spark is cut, the third light the same, and the fourth – biggest – light is illuminated if fuel is cut. I didn’t notice any of this when I was riding the bike at speed, but then at those speeds I was also looking at where I was being propelled at a great rate of knots.

Thinking back I remembered a few times when I cracked the throttle open hard and the bike didn’t accelerate like I expected. I thought I was in too high a gear and just continued on without much thought. Could the DTC be that good, I thought? So I tried the bike with DTC turned on and off, and at different levels. When set at the highest level you could notice one or two of the lights coming on every now and then and you could also feel the slightest of power loss from the bike, if you were looking for it. In reality I don’t think I could push the 1198S hard enough on the street for the DTC to really kick in hard. On the track it would be very handy, in the rain it could save your life.

Final thoughts

Ducati’s 1198S really is a special machine. It may be hard to live with day to day and is a budget busting $33,990 + ORC but it will reward you with one of the most thrilling riding experiences you could ever imagine. It is as simple as th

Technical

While the 90-degree twin might look much the same as the 1098 there are a few differences. Besides the extra 100cc the Desmodromically actuated inlet and exhaust valves are slightly bigger, the gearbox ratios and gear sizes have been revamped, bigger throttle bodies and stronger crankcases to handle the extra grunt.

On the chassis side the trellis frame is essentially the same as before, as are the 43mm titanium nitrided fully adjustable Ohlins forks and Ohlins rear shock, also fully adjustable as you would expect. An Ohlins steering damper comes standard also.
New MotoGP derived seven spoke Marchesini wheels grace the bike.
The dash looks like it’s straight off the Desmosedici racer, but has stuff Casey doesn’t need, like trip meters, fuel reserve and the like. But it also has a lap timer, clock and air and engine temperatures.
Besides the DTC, which uses sensors on the front and rear wheels to see if you are about to crash or not, there is also a Ducati Data Analyser (DDA) which allows you to download loads of info from the bike. Things like lap times, engine revs and distance travelled are just the start. The system has 4MB of info storage and it comes with software and retrieval equipment, so it’s a simple matter of downloading your info which goes onto an easy to read graph. Probably not necessary for the road but track junkies will find it handy.
Dry weight of the 1198S is 169kg, it has a two year unlimited kilometre warranty and you can get the bike in red or black.