1098 or RSV??? (oh! and hello to all, newbee here)

+1 on the roasted chestnuts. the heat only becomes an issue when in stop and go, and is much more pronounced if wearing jeans. not too bad with leathers on (still hot) but you can really feel it if you're doing errands around town when in jeans. not sure about the others but your legs (right more than left) really do start to feel the heat.

ducati over aprilia all day long, but make no mistake, they're both wonderful machines.
 
It's a fair debate and question for anyone considering a new ride. I think first you need to evaluate what you plan to do with it. Everyday commuter? Trackdays? Serious racing? etc. That will help anyone decide what aspects of a purchase are the most relevant. From my own experience on an '04 RSV-R I would say it's a reliable motorcycle and can be as sexy as about anything. I did not ride mine on the street and the few issues I had with it are only racing-related. I won the CCS-FL and CCS-SE region Expert SuperTwins championships handily that season (2004) including a 4th at Daytona in Feb/Mar on only my second race weekend with the bike (still had stock gearing and chain!). I beat a lot of Ducatis all year long. I got beat by Ducatis all year long too. However, in the end I finished a complete weekend ahead of the entire field in points due to consistency. I made every race of the year, I never had a technical problem, I never crashed out or had any sort of DNF...additionally I made the podium every single race except the first race of the season. So, can an RSV-R (not even a Factory) be a bad bike? Absolutely not. Is it all things? Same answer, absolutely not. Would I do it again on the same bike? Probably not. Why? Well...I have come to believe that the bike was never intended to be a true racebike. The factory never raced the bike in a major series. They didn't even homologate the bike because they knew they were not competitive and didn't want to be made a fool of. I personally argued with the folks at Aprilia at the time to at least give me the chance and/or the choice to race it in AMA. They were adamant about not homologating the machine. Anyway, regardless of all that, even if I was just going to go club racing I still would now choose a Ducati. The Aprilia just doesn't have the available upgrades or go fast stuff. The RSV is so limiting that you can't even tune the fuel injection. Yes, you can change the map. But we only had one choice of mapping. Is that really tuning? No. I just got sick of getting beat by guys with deep pockets on Ducatis with unlimited potential. I would ride my ass off...late breaking, aggressive passing, high corner speeds, etc. First time we hit a long straight those big budget guys would just motor away. That being said, some of those Ducs broke every other weekend. At least one would break per weekend. Serious enough problems that it would be a DNF or a DNS. So, back to the original question of Duc vs. Aprilia? Today I would buy the Duc to race with and/or street ride. Back in 2004 I would have bought the 999 to race and the RSV for the street. You need to figure what your purpose is and your budget.
 
23six - thank you for your response. you are right in the fact that it is very important as to what i am going to do with the bike: i will use it to commute several times a month. i may go to the track 2-3 times a YEAR. I will 2 up with my wife a few times a month (we have several friends that also have bikes and we are looking forward to some motorcycle dates)...
that all being said i am looking at 2 bikes but the factory (red lion) seems to be the one i am leaning towards (b/c it will be more comfortable for my wife...we will travel 150+ miles by heading up to raleigh, nc (round trip))...the other bike is the 1098 which is very sexy but may not be as comfortable for my wife. i want the bike that is going to be the most reliable (knowing that regardless of which bike i get, i will be doing WHATEVER upkeep) i don't mind doing upkeep...but if that upkeep becomes a suprise to many times i am going to be pissed...
peace
and thank you

edit: just out of curosity, why today would you pick the duc over the rsv (for the street)?
thanks brother
 
Doc, I'm currently in your position of deciding between an RSV or 1098, but I think I am going to go with the 1098 since it has the upper hand in terms of power. Although after brief rides of both the RSV seems to be the better everyday rider. I'm willing to sacrifice comfort for power and precision. The KTM RC8 might be an interesting alternative if it makes it to the US.
 
Hi Doc: It might be easier for me to say the reason I would not have purchased the Duc in 2004 as a commuter is because of the maintenance issue. For one thing, in my area I didn't and still don't trust any Ducati dealers. At the time I had a great relationship with the "local" Aprilia dealer (45 minute drive). My opinion of Ducati bikes in the past has been that they are the Italian racing Harley. Now, before you guys want to flame me understand that I'm only referring to reliability and nothing else. Also understand that I've been a racer through and through since 1996. Meaning I stopped my street riding mid-'96. There was a time in my life when I only owned bikes and have ridden several years as a bike-owner-only (no cars at all). I actually rode my first bike (1990 FZR600) from South Florida to San Francisco in November of 1990. I started racing in 1992 and gave up street riding as my main source of transportation in 1996. Anyway, as a racer I always loved the Ducatis and was impressed by their performance. I also noticed that you needed a lot of money to keep them competitive and reliable. I watched those same Ducs break more than any other modern sportbike at the track. So, in 2004 when I finally bought my first Italian 4-stroke (I did have one of the Cup bikes in 2000) I chose the RSV-R because of a good dealer relationship and the reliability of the Aprilia. Also, if you can remember, Ducati went through so many major changes and troubled financial times through a lot of those years and Aprilia seemed to be only growing. As a final note, the 999 was still an evolution of the 851 turned 888 turned 916 turned 955 turned...you get the idea. The more that engine was pushed and developed the more likely to break on the track. Now, I realize that the bike and powerplant is/was awesome in the right hands with the right budget. All I had on my side was riding ability and determination to ride around my setup problems. I had virtually no budget for big mods or blown motors. So...for my needs the RSV-R was the best choice and proved itself as a multi-Championship winner the year I raced it as described in my earlier post.

Now, fast forward to today and why I would consider a 1098. First off, I no longer have the same relationship with an Aprilia dealer as I don't think they are even in business anymore (website is down). So, any dealer preference is irrelevant at this point. Also, the tides may have turned for Aprilia being on the up-and-coming stage. They have been sold and have been facing changes and unknown possibilities for the US market. Maybe they will be great, maybe they will leave, I don't know. I have also heard that the Rotax engine they use may go away and with it the parts and support, I don't konw. As for the 1098, it seems Ducati have upped their game when it comes to reliability and maintenance. Last year all the Ducatis had little hang-tags on the showroom bikes claiming half the maintenance compared to the past. I think as a company they have recognized the public perception of many people and that they needed to make a change in their product to change what people think in the court of public opinion. I believe it has worked when you consider in our falling economy Ducati has reported record gains for 2007 when all the other brands are struggling to maintain numbers they've always had in previous years. Every dealer I know has told me they are down down down from last year (I don't "know" any Ducati dealers except for Duc Pond because I used to race in the Mid-Atlantic region and know/trust Donnie Unger very well). I haven't asked any Ducati dealers their numbers but I think they are generally up since the 1098 came out, new maintenance costs cut in half and now the release of the 848.

So...for your purposes...I think you will be OK either way. Understand this about performance...you will NEVER use the performance of your bike on the street compared to the track. If you think you do, you are wrong. I'm not trying to give anyone a hard time or call out any fast street riders or claim I'm the fastest guy out there on the track (I am not even close, I currently don't even race or own a bike). What I am trying to say is that if you want to compare performance numbers side by side with any bike (of similar caliber) that it doesn't really matter for the street. That doesn't mean you can do with a Gold Wing what you can do with an R6. It means if you are debating between an RSV or 1098 that you should really focus on what you will be using it for the most and what is most important to you when you are riding it. If all you care about is the HP number (even if you never utilize it) then you will want the 1098. If you care about riding with your wife/spouse/girlfriend/domestic partner than the RSV is probably a better choice. Make no mistake, you can carve a canyon any day of the week on either bike. But don't get caught up with the spec sheet. Ride each of them if you can and follow your needs. If you follow your heart you may or may not make the right choice in the long run. Marriages fail every day (speaking of choices made from the heart). Still, I think that no matter which bike you choose you will have made a good decision for you. They both rock. For me, today...it's the Duc. But I'm not gonna ride on the street anyway.
 
Wow, nice to be appreciated...I hope it helps. I genuinely try to post valuable contributions while understanding my opinion isn't the only opinion. Let us know what you end up buying.
 
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