Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Ducati 1098 in MCN again

[Rod]

Thought I might post this up for anyone who has not yet read this week's MCN. Text and pictures from this week's copy follow, so blame them for any inaccuracies!!

MCN has caught Ducati’s new 1098 superbike entering the factory gates after
being tested out on the roads of Bologna.
Our new pictures reveal how the company is reverting to trademark styling cues from the much-loved 916 for the new machine, including the two oval under-seat exhaust cans and tail lights mounted in the tail unit instead of on the numberplate bracket, as found on the less-celebrated 999.
Although the bike is still heavily disguised with gaffa tape and foam pads, the new pictures reveal the bike is virtually complete, with final fairing design in place.
Compared to the smooth-flanked 999, the new 1098 has several air outlets in the fairing sides, hinting at the extra power and heat created by the bigger 1099cc engine – which is believed to make 160bhp. And while lower-spec Ducatis have switched to wet clutches, the new superbike clearly still
has a dry one.
Don’t be fooled by Ducati’s tiny chief test rider, Andrea Forni. He makes the bike look enormous, but in reality it’s smaller than the 999 it replaces.
The chassis is derived from the 999’s, with thicker tubing for extra rigidity.
Suspension changes include the new single-sided swingarm, which shows off the rear Marchesini wheel, and black titanium nitride-coated forks fitted with Brembo radial calipers gripping 330mm discs.
This prototype is fitted with sticky 190mm-wide Pirelli Dragon Supercorsa
Pro tyres. The production machines are likely to come with the same rubber.
High-spec forks and brakes suggest this prototype is the 1098S, which is expected to cost around £14,000. There will also be a cheaper non-S version at around £11,500.
The homologation special “R” version, the basis of theWorld Superbike machine, isexpected to be held back until the 2008 to coincide with WSB rule changes which willraise the capacity limit for twins.