Is the 1098 more fun?

DesiDude said:

This is a question I have been asking myself for the last few rides on my 1199. I had a 1098 with the Ducati quick throttle, slipper clutch and Leo Vince system prior to buying the 1199, and had the 1098 for 5 years. Loved the 1098 but fancied the latest Ducati being a total Ducati fan so put my deposit down about 18 months before it was due for delivery and had one of the first 1199's on the road.

It now has just over 1300 miles on it and I am not convinced that the 1098 isnt a better bike! The 1098 had loads of proper old school v-twin character and thats was I love about Ducatis. It had real low down punch and surge of torque that meant on the road you just short shifted through the box with the big booming sound track.

The 1199 isnt quite the same, it needs revs and doesnt have that low down kick. It also isnt as comfortable, for me, as the 1199 is much heavier on the wrists than the 1098 and regardless of throttle mode it hasnt got the same feel through the throttle as the 1098. I think it might be that the throttle needs a little more weight to it. Or it could be the "race" seat that I have fitted putting me a little taller than I was before.

I think I need to play with the suspension, for the badly surfaced roads in the south east of England the suspension in Sport is a little too harsh. Probably needs a couple of clicks taken off the compression damping to make it a little better.

I also think the gearing needs dropped, one tooth off the front sprocket should do it. The 1199 is the first bike that I actively need to use 1st gear on, anything up to around 25 mph needs first whereas the 1098 just immediately short shifted into 2nd.

I think the bike needs a few more miles, and needs a couple of tweaks here and there but as things stand I am starting to have rose tinted images of the 1098 which unfortunately was sold a couple of months before the 1199 arrived.

Perhaps the perfect bike for the road is the 1199 with the 1098 engine? Or perhaps I am just an old school V Twin fan that needs to realise the world has moved on.

Am I alone?

Click to expand...

doctorj said:

I raced the 1098 and 1198 in full race trim and they where very difficult to ride, it was hard to put down a fast lap on tracks with any sharp turns. Even after sorting all the geometry and suspension issues. The problem was TOO MUCH torque down low, you had to short shift the bike and hang on for dear life trying to keep the front end down and accelerate...

That being said, it is much easier to go MUCH faster on the 1199 because the power is more balanced, not to mention Ducati has addressed most geometry issues.

So if you want a fun street bike you are probably right, not sure why someone would want one of these for the street altogether. but if your desire is to do track days or race this panigale is MUCH MUCH better.

Click to expand...