Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 1198 / 1098 / 848 > Calling 1198s Riders

[Foxy]

I've got a 1098R, if it helps here is what I have found with DTC.

Levels 7 & 8 are pointless, 6 might have some value in monsoon/icy conditions.
I was out in January with the air temp showing 1 degree celcius, I still found level 5 too intrusive.

Finally even on level 5, if you drive (hard) out of a corner or away from a set of lights that has ripples in the surface of the tarmac then the DTC chimes in like a plug cap fell off !

For 99% of my road riding, level 2 is perfect. Yesterday I was out for a good blast and found level 2 only very occasionally chiming in (big lean angles, and big drive).

On the 1098R the DTC first starts to retard the ignition before it cuts the spark, so the power softens first then it chops a cylinder. This is different to the 1198S.

DTC was and still is a true revelation (ignoring the nanny settings), I do believe every sportsbike should have something similar fitted.

Foxy

[nelly]

Level 4 is a "suggested" one for every day riding. the levels above that are really down to style and progress being made.
It was made quite clear that different riding styles benefit different levels when we were given the low down at the factory. trial and error to find your best selection is the suggestion.
I think at level 8, the DTC is almost pre-empting wheel slip and acts accordingly......

[Foxy]

Originally Posted by nelly

Level 4 is a "suggested" one for every day riding. the levels above that are really down to style and progress being made.
It was made quite clear that different riding styles benefit different levels when we were given the low down at the factory. trial and error to find your best selection is the suggestion.
I think at level 8, the DTC is almost pre-empting wheel slip and acts accordingly......

Level 4 would be appropriate if they made a yellow 1198, but for quicker bikes 2/3 is perfect

[NormanBurrows]

Thanks Jools and Foxy. I am generally very happy with it. I'm off up Shap now intending to switch in level 5 as recommended. DTC off is OK but the throttle response is very sharp it might save my bacon on diesel etc. By coincidence, the dealer phoned a few moments ago and confirmed that they found it too intrusive.
Sincere thanks again chaps. Much appreciated.

[newbie02]

I've now got 1100 miles on my 1198S,first service done and opened it up for the first time (above 7000rpm) yesterday.

Animal is a good description (I owned an 04 ZX10 for 3 years and an 08 ZX10 for a year and I don't think even these bikes compare !).

I had 'issues' with DTC up until the first service - as already said,anything above setting 4 is pointless on a dry road.

I'm not a wheely freak but a bike with this much poke and so little weight (even at running in revs) does lift the front under brisk acceleration - even with DTC on level 3 it was cutting the motor and slamming the front down with little in the way of height with the front wheel - had a few nasty bollox/tank interfaces - almost snapping my wrists was when I decided something needed doing.

At the first service the mechanic checked for fault codes (both on the main ECU and the DTC ecu) but no faults appeared - a quick call to Ducati UK revealed nothing so I was advised to try the bike with DTC off - if the fault re-appeared then that ruled out DTC.

But,after the service the fault disappeared - no problems with level 3 (unless the road conditions were a little ****).

I've also got that annoying fueling problem around 3500 rpm - easily sorthed by running at 4000 rpm but that's not really the point.

When funds recover a PC V and a dyno run should sort it out.


The comments about the handling not being as good as a 996 are a little puzzling - I owned a 996S a while back and just couldn't get on with the heavy steering - on track it was very hard work - mucking about with ride height did little to help - the 1198 feels far better,quicker to turn in whilst still holding a fairly tight line .

I read the TWO article 1198S -v- 09 R1 - Rob Hoyles was the rider (no slouch !) - the R1 was damned with feint praise whilst the Duc won the plaudits - just one mans opinion but the 1198S IS the best bike i've ever ridden/owned and i've been through a few.

Roll on the first trackday in May...

I haven't fiddled with suspension adjustment yet - thinking about getting Colin from 100% Suspension to sort it out (he did my ZX10 and transformed it) - the rear feels fine with my (ample) weight aboard but the front does have a small amount of understeer.


Oh aye,first time i've used these new Pirelli SP's - they feel great and warm up far quicker than the SC pro's i'm used to - grip doesn't seem an issue.

[james81273]

yep.. I tried it as i mentioned earlier and ill be buggered!!. What i thought was a fueling issue almost disappeared both straight line and slow mini roundabout cornering letting it linger at 3000 rpm to 4200rpm. I dropped it down from 8 to 6 now going to 4 tomorrow to test it further. Nice quick fix, the membership to Ducati Sporting Club and everyones help over the years has saved me once again. bloody fantastic . thanks to everyone!!!!!

Wheelie issues i havent had with the DTC on 8 and i was UFO spotting for a short while from the lights. weird ill try on tomorrows run ..thanks again

[duc daz]

All this talk about 1198 being a better bike than the 1098-R1-Zx10-fire blade etc is rubbish in my eyes unless your a British super bike rider then you would notice..OK there are subtle differences but they are not miles apart from each other..every rider has different expectations .so no two riders are the same,And to compare bikes on our British roads is near impossible.....

[newbie02]

Well,taking your argument to it's logical conclusion we should all be riding 50cc scooters as we can't match 125 laptimes at Mallory...

[duc daz]

Originally Posted by newbie02

Well,taking your argument to it's logical conclusion we should all be riding 50cc scooters as we can't match 125 laptimes at Mallory...

newbie..I don't think youve grasped what im trying to say..

[NormanBurrows]

Did another 130 miles last night on DTC L4 and all is well. I'm kind of glad Newbie says it's a bit of an animal cos, er, it is. It doesn't intimidate me but it does show up my riding. Gonna have to sharpen up this year or I'll be back to novice group.