1098 Delivery Party

February 9th, I had the opportunity to attend an event celebrating the arrival of the first Ducati 1098 to Ducati Seattle. It is actually a 1098S, and the new owner was there to twist the throttle for all of us to hear. David Roosevelt, Owner of Ducati Seattle, puts on a great party with food from Outback Steakhouse and champagne (for this IS a celebration). There was a great display of Superbike history, from the 851 and 888, to the Original, the Classic: 916, and forward to the 996, 998, and 999. With minimal ceremony, a bike tech rolled the new 1098S out onto the sidewalk and pressed the starter...

I must say, here, that there is no sound like the beautiful symphony that comes from a dry-clutched Ducati motorcycle - a symphony with one section: Percussion. Regardless of exhaust choices, the Ducati L-Twin engine puts forth a low, musical energy liken to the combination of base and tomtom drums. Switch out that stock exhaust for some sweet Termignoni carbon fiber cans, and the bass drum/tomtom duet is joined by kettle drums - the sound is just deeper, fuller, and puts forth an expansive range. You feel it in your chest. It makes my wife, a dedicated Ducatista, swoon. At the other end of the percussion section, holding its own rhythm, is the sweet 'tang, tang' of the dry clutch; a holdover from Ducati's racing roots. From the factory, the dry clutch is muted behind a solid steel clutch cover. But, as so many of us do, replace that with an aftermarket open cover, and you've just turned your Clutch Section up to '11'. Sitting in neutral, you are treated with the sharp rimshots of a snare drum. Engage the clutch and that snare is joined by an equally sharp set of cymbals. Ah, heaven!

But, I digress. The 1098S, with Termignoni carbon fiber slip-ons, delivered as only Ducati can...that beautiful pompone sound. The owner stepped up and twisted the throttle several times. There are only two words I can use to describe it: crisp and musical. The clutch was understated; give it a few thousand miles, they get louder with age. Back inside, it was easy to look the bike over and see the roots of its design. As a nod to Sr. Massimo Tamburini, and The Classic 916, Ducati returned to dual horizontal headlights and a side-by-side exhuast. The single-side swingarm, as well, harkens back to 1994, when the 916 was released on the motorcycle world. In keeping with the advances brought forth with the Art Deco-inspired 999, the 1098 bares crisp lines, modern features, and pragmatic accoutrements. In all, something for every dedicated Ducatista.

Once again, Ducati has set the bar a notch higher. In a small factory, outside of Bologna, where craftsmanship takes precedence over production, a small Italian manufacturer does battle with the motorcycle 'Big 3': Yamaha, Honda, & Suzuki. Taking the World Superbike Championship in 2006, and making it to the top 10 in the MotoGP Premier Class for the past four years, Ducati is definitely giving the rest of the world a run for its money. And, now, the 1098 hits the world stage. Weighing in at 377-lbs. and producing 160-hp with 90 ft-lbs of torque, the 1098 puts the 'Super' in Superbike. I will leave you to calculate the power-to-weight ratios.