2009–2011 · Supersport · Buyer's Guide
Thunder, Beauty, No Apologies
The 1198 is built around one idea: a 1198 cc 90° V-twin doing all the talking. It makes 169 hp at 9,750 rpm and 97 lb-ft at 8,000, and it hands that over in the long, heavy shoves a big twin does better than anything else. Around it sits a chassis with no interest in your comfort. 432 lb wet, a 330 mm front brake, fully adjustable suspension at both ends, a steering damper as standard. No ride modes, no ABS, no quickshifter, and traction control was an option rather than a given. The bike answers directly to your right wrist.
This is a machine for fast, flowing roads and track sessions, ridden by someone who already knows what they are doing. It holds up better than its reputation suggests, but the ownership list is real. The plastic tank can swell on ethanol-blended pump gas until the panels no longer fit, the radiator can crack at its upper left mounting point, and the fuel pump relay can quit without warning. 2009 1198 and 1198 S models carry a recall (NHTSA 09V170000) for a fuel line fitting at the injector that can warp and leak, so confirm that work was done. At 27 mpg from a 4.1 gal tank, plan your stops.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 169 hp (124 kW) @ 9,750 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 97 lb-ft (131 Nm) @ 8,000 rpm |
| Displacement | 1198 cc |
| Engine | 90° V-twin |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 330 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 190/55-17 |
| Seat height | 32.3 in (820 mm) |
| Wet weight | 432 lb (196 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.1 gal (15.5 L) |
| Top speed | 185 mph (298 km/h) |
| Fuel economy | 27 mpg (US) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Safety
Hit the starter and the character shows up before you have moved an inch. Big pistons, a low uneven idle, a shake you feel through the tank and the pegs, and an exhaust note that stays in your head long after you park it. Sit on it and the intent is obvious: a 32.3 in seat, low bars, and a lot of your weight going through your wrists at walking pace. Five minutes in traffic feels like work. Find a road with some rhythm and the whole bike rearranges itself. The vibration hardens into a pulse in your palms, the front tire keeps talking to you through the bars, and lean angle stops being a topic at all. You will run out of nerve long before anything solid touches the road. It asks to be ridden hard and it is honest about that from the first mile.
None of what follows is my own verdict on the bike. It is what has come back to me over the years from pit-lane conversations at track days, owners who get talking at bike nights, and riders who write in directly about what living with a 1198 is actually like. The pattern is steady: strong affection, held alongside a short list of things owners simply work around.
Set the mechanical talk aside and the thing riders raise unprompted is the shape. They call it exotic in a way few machines manage, and they point at the low silhouette and the single-sided swingarm while they say it. A lot of owners tell me that on its own is the reason the bike never went up for sale.
Among riders using one on the road, heat is the complaint that keeps surfacing. They describe real warmth off the big twin landing on their legs, and they are specific that stop-start traffic is where it stops being a quirk and starts being the reason they take a different route home.
Fuel line leak at injector connection
A recall (NHTSA campaign 09V170000) affects 2009 1198 and 1198 S models where the plastic fuel line fitting at the injector can warp or crack, causing a fuel leak and fire risk.
Expanding/ swelling fuel tank (ethanol damage)
The plastic fuel tank can deform and swell when exposed to ethanol-blended fuels, leading to difficulty fitting body panels and eventually requiring replacement.
Leaking radiator (top left mounting point)
A reasonably common failure where the radiator develops a crack or leak at the upper left hard mounting bracket, often requiring radiator replacement or welding.
Fuel pump relay failure
The fuel pump relay is known to be a weak point and can fail without warning, leaving the rider stranded. Many owners replace it preventatively every service.
Exhaust heat shield bolts loosening
The bolts securing the exhaust heat shield tend to vibrate loose, sometimes causing the shield to fall off. Loctite is a common fix.
Where this Ducati 1198 pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Top speed
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the 1198 is actually built for.
On Angeles Crest this bike is exactly where it wants to be: stable, precise, and endlessly patient with lean angle. Accept that the ride out through LA traffic is the price you pay for it.
Made for Angeles Crest Highway · Coronado Trail / US 191 · Highway 1 / Big Sur
A serious track tool if you can set it up and ride it cleanly. There is no ABS and traction control was optional, so nothing electronic is covering for a rough throttle hand.
Made for Barber Motorsports Park · WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca · Circuit of the Americas
Best on the fast, flowing stretches of Cherohala and the Blue Ridge, where its stability pays off. The slow, tight hairpins on the Dragon will work your wrists hard.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2007–2008
160 Horses of Pure Sound
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Ducati 1198. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2012–2013
Italian V-Twin, Full Attack
Successor · 2012–2014
Beauty That Bites Back
Competitor · 2010–2011
Orange Precision With A Bite
Roughly $1,400 cheaper used than this bike at 15 yr
Competitor · 2010–2013
Italian V4 Turns In First
Roughly $2,700 cheaper used than this bike at 15 yr
Competitor · 2010–2013
The V4 With No Safety Net
Roughly $2,200 cheaper used than this bike at 15 yr
Competitor · 2009–2011
The Crossplane Traction Machine
Same Platform · 2010–2011
Italian Thunder, Surgical Precision
Roughly $1,900 pricier used than this bike at 15 yr
Similar Character · 2005–2006
Italian Steel, Brembo Soul