1098s or 1198s? Purchase Advice

Breathe man.

Do the 1198.

You can always add any exhaust you want later.

You can have the suspension adjusted for you, and what riding style you have.

It's a newer bike over the 1098.

The 1198 sticker looks cooler than the 1098 sticker.

All the cool kids have one.....

markgrise said:

I'm having second thoughts on the 1198S. I can pick up a 1198s for 11k with 4500mi, and it's all stock. Or, I can try to find a 1098 for 7500k with termi's.

Since it's not likely I'll ever take it to a track, is the extra $ worth it for normal street riding, or is it exclusivity and bragging rights. Don't get me wrong, I really want the 1198s, but an extra $3,500 and the added 1-2k for a full term exhaust is making me question my needs.

Thanks for all the advice. I'm torn.

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In your financial calculations, don't forget to leave some slack for the money you'll have to spend to achieve the Legendary Ducati Handling you probably assume you'll get by virtue of purchasing a Ducati. The 1x98s in fact come equipped with Notoriously Bad Ducati Handling from the factory, primarily due to the large offset of the triple trees, which provide nowhere near enough trail in the front end. Trail is the single most important parameter in delivering good steering feel, and a triple tree change is required to get the correct amount. The 'correct amount' is the topic of some debate, with recommendations running from lower offset triples in the range of 25 to 30 mm, but as far as I'm aware no one has argued that the stock triples provide it. I mentioned in a previous post that this change results in a huge improvement; the logically equivalent statement is that the stock triples are a huge handicap and give the bike a solid 'medicore turd' rating in the handling department. Wonder if that will generate some comment! And this is not just a matter of a few hundredths on the track; the bike is an awkward partner even at sane street speeds. If you care to look, you'll find threads along the lines of 'should i push on the inside bar, pull on the outside bar, step on the outside peg, dangle my inside leg, or hold my mouth like this to get it to do what i want'. And you'll probably want to change both the springs and valving at both ends if you buy a stock bike, a relatively minor issue compared to the dysfunctional triples. The good news is that when it's right, it's really right; your inputs always seem to be exactly the right amount, it rails through turns and still adjusts line easily, which the Pilot 3s I currently have mounted seem especially good at. Years ago I rode a friend's 200x Yam R1; he'd replaced the forks and shocks with Ohlins, but it was otherwise stock. Its handling was unquestionably better than my then stock 1098. Looked like no one else was going to tell you, so I thought I would.