Hi, Way back in November, I posted a thread to say hello, and that I was thinking what to get. As a recap, my last bike was a Monster 1100S, but that was 2 years ago. A bit later, I asked for some advice on the same 1098 I'd mentioned in the previous thread. Anyway, as that thread says, I went ahead and bought that bike, but I left it with the dealer over Winter, and only picked it up yesterday... Just 150 miles in, and my first impressions are that it is brilliant!. This is the first time I've bought a used bike, and my only previous experience of a sports bike was 30 miles on a Suzuki 600 loaner. So, in buying this bike, and riding it for the first time, I felt the same trepidation I felt when I bought my first proper bike (which was a new Monster 620) - would it be too much? ...and what would be wrong with this dodgy Italian [used] bike? :wink: Fortunately, the weather was perfect yesterday when I collected the bike, but the bike was also on new tyres. The dealer gave me plenty of good advice about taking it easy and what would be different from my previous Monsters - mostly a poor turning circle (and he was very right to do so). Riding it out of town, it immediately felt comfortable and reassuringly familiar. The amount of brake dive did nearly catch me out when I was a bit clumsy with the front brake, but no big drama. However, this also caught me out later in the day, on my second ride out when starting on cold tyres. Pulling out of a junction, I had to stop quickly and I braked too hard, and the front tyre slid, just a bit of leg strain - but I caught it - phew! I'd had my 1100S switch to a 14T front sprocket as it just wasn't happy trundling at 30mph, but I actually find the 1098 easier to keep at a constant low speed - maybe there's less torque than the lower geared 1100S at the same speed? Very early days, but so far, it's run perfectly, and the only problem I've found it a bit of peeling lacquer on a fairing edge - it really is like I've bought a new bike, and I think I've bought a peach of a bike - very happy. I've been taking it very easy as I get used to the bike, and mostly stayed under 5-6K revs, and found the performance pretty similar to my big Monster. I did venture a little higher in the rev range once today, and felt the front go a little light (...but not lift). I'll get a bit more familiar with the bike before exploring further... Position-wise, it definitely puts strain on wrists and forearms after about 50 miles - I'm hoping that will get easier as I build the necessary strength, but that could be too hopeful When it gets too much, I just pull over and get the blood flowing again. The bike is definitely 'an event', more so than the Monsters (which I loved), but [so far!] I'm very glad I've added this bike to my biking experience. I did consider an 899, but the [open] dry clutch and single sided swing-arm are definitely must-haves for a Ducati - they should do a Panigale 'classic', and the 899 should definitely have a SSS. After 3 Monsters, I'm not mad about the new 1200 either - maybe a test ride would change my mind. Anyway, thanks for the advice and encouragement to get this bike
Wear well..you can get rider from the US if you want to raise the bars. But if you plan on a trackday, it may impeed progress while leaning. The harder you rise, the easier it is on the wrists. Fab bike, happy miles on it.
:biggrin:1098 fabulous bike. I went from a 996s to 1098s and although I had ridden a 1098 on track it didnt do a thing for me. Perhaps that was because I was a bit worried about dropping it. ONce I owned it then you really got to see how much different it really was:smile: You do right to ease yourself into riding it. In any event rusty riders coming out of winter still take a few miles to bed in again, add new tyres a whole heap of power difference and then.....well you can imagine. Once you do have the opportunity to open her up, you will quickly bounce of the limiter in a similar way to inline fours but with the big Duke boom:biggrin: Be safe and enjoy a fabulous bike.
The wrists thing: well, at legal speeds, there isn't a whole lot you can do about it, unless on a twisty road. You do really have to be going fast enough to have the wind resistance balance the weight on your wrists. Tends to happen at about 70 mph plus. At 100 mph, it's super comfortable. Creeping around in traffic at 50 mph is bound to hurt your wrists, no matter how much exercise you do. But it is clear that the more you ride, the more the requisite muscle strength increases.
Looks fine. Pay no attention. The only mods to really make are nice black exhaust cans (carbon?) and replace naffo plastic bits with carbon. That's it. No need to go overboard on mods. They don't really make the bike look that much better, add nothing much to resale values and cost a fortune. Save cash on bits and spend it riding the thing. Your aim should be to put a million miles on it and totally shag it out. That's what it was built for. Track days also highly recommended.
I have a DP carbon open clutch cover and pressure plate. I also want to swap out the large flank of blank plastic that is the exhaust heat shield thingy.
I would swap the carbon clutch cover for something more substantial. If the bike ever goes down on the clutch side at any speed it will destroy the clutch with a carbon cover. Plenty of choice out there. DUCATI 1098 GIAMOTO BILLET ALUMINIUM CLUTCH COVER. | eBay
Oh and very nice bike. Take it easy to you get used to it and the weather warms up. There is hopefully a long summer ahead.
+1 on ditching the carbon clutch cover... I nearly learned the hard way, they provide no protection for the clutch at all if you have an off... Plenty of nice looking billet units out there... That would be my recommendation... Take it to a track day; even if you don't put it on the track yourself, it will be worth £40 to get the suspension set up for you. Propper Suspension setup; something I don't think many people do only once... All the best Bob
I should know the answer to this myself, I know, but is the suspension adjustable on a vanilla 1098 (i.e. not fancy Ohlins)?
It's not as vanilla as all that. Hardly a Honda Deauville (or Doh!ville) Of course you can fiddle with the 1098 suspension - and there will be plenty of latitude to fuck it up if you turn everything the wrong way. Best thing is to invest a little with a specialist who will set the sag for your weight and adjust the suspension for you taking into account your usage and riding style. But it's probably not that bad out of the box. I've never played with my 999 suspension, but it could no doubt be tweaked to be even better. To be honest, I've never had any complaints with it.
