Ducati unveils the 1098 - the fastest Ducati ever

UPDATED IMAGE LIBRARY November 15, 2006 In announcing the new Ducati 1098 at EICMA, the Italian company emphasised that performance was THE priority in every step of the bike’s development. Every system, every detail and every component has been studied and pared down to its essence and performance increased to the maximum. If it didn’t make the 1098 lighter, faster or deliver quicker lap times, it wasn’t considered. This latest incarnation of the Ducati V-twin which has dominated superbike racing for two decades produces 160hp and 12.5kgm of torque on the road. The 1098 (it’s actually 1099cc, so maybe there’s another iteration yet to unfold), will be the most powerful naturally-aspirated roadgoing twin-cylinder motorcycle available with the highest torque-to-weight ratio of any sport bike. The 381 pound weight makes it the lightest of any of the superbikes in roadgoing form and with a styling reminiscent of the 916, here’s hoping it fronts the grid in 2008. Borrowing heavily from the company’s MotoGP and Superbike technology , the 1098 is quite simply the lightest, best stopping and fastest Ducati in history. Full details inside.

The following is Ducati’s official release – their words not ours – it’s all there so …

The 1098 is the lightest, fastest stopping, quickest lapping Ducati in history. For the first time Ducati MotoGP and World Superbike technology have been combined to create a premier street bike. The results are stunning.

The look and stance of the 1098 were designed by the combination of race track technology, track-derived components and Ducati heritage. The 1098’s striking aerodynamic shape naturally embraces its riding position, configured by our racers and test riders for optimum speed and agility. The racing spirit takes form. Thanks to the forward thinking design and changeability of most components, the 1098 can quickly be transformed into a real race bike.

The 1098 immediately strikes you with its purposeful, no-nonsense attitude. Performance is first and foremost in every detail.

Trademark Ducati features like the high tail section and compact front-end meld with twin under-seat silencers and single-sided swingarm to express its aerodynamics and agility. Add the new Testastretta Evoluzione engine at the heart of the machine and you get an all-out performance Ducati Superbike that seems to be moving fast, even when at rest.

The 1098 introduces a number of ‘firsts’ for Ducati and production sport bike design. The 1098 is the first production motorcycle to have the amazing stopping power of Brembo Monobloc brakes, the first to have a data acquisition system integrated as standard equipment and the first to use an ingenious construction method for its weight-saving single-sided swingarm. More ‘firsts’ for a road-going Ducati include the direct application of MotoGP technology, like the power producing GP6-derived elliptical throttle bodies and the use of the information-rich instrumentation originally developed for the new Desmosedici GP7.

The 1098 has the soul of a race bike, pure and simple. The riding position encourages the rider to mould to the sleek lines of the tank and seat: man and machine are made one. It transmits the quality and character of contact between road surface and tyre, it signals the way the chassis will react next and responds instinctively to rider commands.

Satisfying all the senses, the throaty roar of the twin under-seat exhausts are synchronized with the howl of the elliptical throttle bodies providing a fitting fanfare for the new 1098 Testastretta Evoluzione engine. The huge 104mm bore and all-new cylinder head design unite to produce an awesome 160hp and an arm-wrenching 90+ lb-fts of torque. Developed together with Ducati Corse, the 1098 is a masterpiece of incredible performance and innovation.

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