1098 vs 848 ... Oh the dilemma

H

hotelfordogs111

New member
I am in the process of acquiring another Ducati ... I will be choosing between the 848 and 1098 (I already have a S2R1K and needed to balance with a sport bike!). My intention is to use this next bike for the track after a while.

Any thoughts/advice/opinions on both bikes incl. pros/cons (and of course pros and cons of wet vs dry clutch) would be appreciated.

Looking forward to your valuable insights.

The Fox
 
Fox,

Since your intention is to track the bike, IMO that should be a major factor in your decision making process. Where do you intend to track it? Is it a short, tight track? If so, I'd go with the slightly lighter, more agile, 848. If, on the other hand, the bike will be on a long track, with big sweepers and long straights, then I'd go with 1098, 'cause, like they say at the drag strip, "there's no substitue for cubic inch!"

As for the wet vs. dry clutch thing, that's a question of esthetics. Both designs function well. But the dry clutch looks and sounds way cooler! Unlike a wet clutch, (which is sealed), you can open up a dry clutch, install costly and mechanically irrelevant clutch bling, and feel special while people admire the spinning, whirring colored parts. And when the ignorant masses politely point out to you that there's a horrible death rattle eminating from your beautiful Italian(?) motorcycle, you can smile to yourself, secure in the knowledge that you belong to the exclusive club that is "Ducati"!

Elton
 
The 1098s has better suspension and lighter wheels than the 848. So the a models is only 5 pounds heavier and has less unsprung weight so it should do as good on a tight track as the lil bro does. And another vote for the dry clutch. You will love either bike have fun deciding
 
The 848 is 12 lbs lighter than a base 1098 and about 10 lbs lighter than a 1098s. The forged wheels on the 1098s are only about 1 lb lighter than the cast wheels on the base and since the 848 has a 180/55 on a 5.5" rim it probably weighs in less than the 190/55 on a 6" rim on the 1098s.

As for the suspension,you can spend $1000 on RaceTech components for the 848 and have much better suspension than you get on the 1098s.
 
I will begin by saying that I have not ridden the 848 so this opinion is based on discussions with people who have ridden both and in whom I trust their opinion.

They all have stated that the 848 would be an awsome track bike. It is quicker from side to side and points into a turn quicker. This is all do to reduced overall weight. The engine is extremely smooth and responsive and the suspension works very well. The only issue at this point is the lack of stopping power do to the differnce in brakes, but if you have not ridden the 1098 you probably would know.

I hope to verify this myself next weekend. I hope this helps.
 
the 848 weighs 370, 1098s 377, and 1098 382. the 1098s wheels weigh over 4 pounds less than the standard model. thats alot of static weight at speed. not sure the weight difference of the machined 848 wheels and the machined 1098 but im going to bet its not much. so the 1098s ways 7 pounds more with less weight in motion sounds like a fair trade to me not to mention power to weight ratios
 
I have both in my garage right now. The 848 feels much like the 1098. Brakes and suspension are very close. It has less rotating mass and is more flickable than a stock 1098 but my 1098 is no longer stock so it is a close call. I would say that on a tight track like Streets of Willow, I would be just as fast on the 848 as I would on the 1098. The only downside for short guys like me is that the non-adjustable rear link is taller than the one on the 1098 in it's lowest position. But that is easily solved.
 
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