[Yves_atlanta]

All,

Greetings from Central Oregon.

Finally got to 'meet' my 1198R which had been delivered at my vacation property about a month ago.
Below are my initial impressions after living with it for 1 day. The benchmark is several generations of other Ducatis and an MV Agusta F4 312R which is my 'go to' bike. The MV has an X-Bikes tune (Microtech) + RG3 pipes.
The 1198R has an EVO pipe coupled to Microtech ECU + a whole bunch of other stuff.

Anyhow, here we go :

+ Beautiful bike, just gorgeous
+ Planted feeling, great corner speed
+ Comfortable ergonomics (compared to the MV), I think I could tour on this all day
+ Great Torque, can ride it in any gear
- The rev limiter warning lights do not work as intented, it takes a fraction of a second to blow through all 3 of them
- Top-end not as violent as the MV
- What is wrong with Dzus fasteners for an R bike ? Took me quite some time to get to the battery/ECU
- Why on earth is the ECU placed below the battery ? Tail section would have been nice, esp. for hooking up to laptop

Questions :
- Anybody put Dzus on an 1198 ?
- What am I missing re the ECU ? How do I make access more convenient ?
Thanks

 

[xracer]

Why would you want to make access more convenient? Once it's tuned it's tuned.
The Microtec has a long interface lead, cable tie it to the frame or some other bit near where you can gain access to it, for whatever reason. Dzus fasteners? Lack of them is a mild inconvenience for a road bike but a major one if an extra 2-3 minutes is precious to you.

 

[johnnie27]

Screw the bike , that view , that driveway wow,stunning


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[jwm2k3]

Looks like it has 848 wheels.....where are the lightweight March's?

 

[Namor]

Here's to the most underwhelming review of one of the most remarkable bikes Ducati ever produced.

 

[flynbulldog]

Looks like it has 848 wheels.....where are the lightweight March's?

I think you are wrong there, those look like forged aftermarket Marchesini M10RS Corse forged Magnesium wheels
Stunning Bike! and wow those wheels are spectacular - I'd love a set for my bike (in gold)

 

[Yves_atlanta]

I think you are wrong there, those look like forged aftermarket Marchesini M10RS Corse forged Magnesium wheels
Stunning Bike! and wow those wheels are spectacular - I'd love a set for my bike (in gold)

Correct.

Sorry if I gave the impression of a lukewarm review. I was so exited about the bike I immediately hopped on it the day after a 20 hour international commute. Also - roads are getting tricky over here, it's freezing every night, so I can't perform a good test.

The bike will move to Fort Worth, TX in January when I start my next assignment. Will also take my MV along and leave the 998 FE and 999S here in Oregon.

I was able to get into the Microtec by now - which gives me some level of comfort. From what I understand the DTC settings have to be changed even after swapping tires, so I do not want to ignore the importance of this.

Thanks about the comments on my driveway. Its half a mile and I can do 0 to 60s on the initial stretch from the gate

 

[jwm2k3]

I missed buying one by about 30 minutes.

Had to settle for an 1198S Corse

Beautiful bike! Enjoy!

 

[jwm2k3]

What's the story on the front nose fairing? Is that aftermarket plastics? The factory piece is red all the way to the top.

 

[xracer]

What's the story on the front nose fairing? Is that aftermarket plastics? The factory piece is red all the way to the top.

Top looks to be carbon with the lower half painted.

 

[Namor]

I was giving you a hard time for fun, but mostly, b/c if I worked for you I would not pipe up like I did. The risk would be too great. Someone had to do it.

 

[WickedMoto]

Tough Crowd... The bike, and the property is absolutely stunning!

 

[WickedMoto]

Tough Crowd... The bike, and the property is absolutely stunning!