Motorcycle specifications Ducati1098 R 2008 Passport to another dimension

ladies and gentlemen, Ducati welcomes you aboard its new machine. During the ride, we advise you to question everything you've learned, and to seriously hang on to the handlebars of this new missile. We remind you that access to the 1098 R will only be granted on presentation of a large cheque, a very serious technical background and a "très grosses c....... power" card. Ducati and its racing department wish you a pleasant journey into the Superbike dimension.

that was the elegant version a charming Ducati Airlines stewardess might serve you. A more realistic version would be: "Oh my! This 1098 R is going to kick some serious ass...!"
Yes, it is. The R isn't a racing version of the 1098, but a big, ultra Superbike modification, with a power-to-weight ratio that will blow you away.
As usual with the R versions of Bologna's hypersports bikes, we find an inverted Öhlins fork, with (since the 1098) Brembo monobloc radial brake calipers backed up by 330 mm brake tracks, as well as a shock absorber from the same manufacturer, but an exclusive model called TTXr. This suspension component benefits directly from öhlins' MotoGP experience.

where the R version will leave more than a few people scratching their heads is in the profound modifications to the Testastretta Evoluzione twin. From its name, you'd have thought it was a 1098 cm3 rumbling through the tubular trellis??? Not so. Ducati intends to take full advantage of the new 2008 Superbike regulations. The result: a 2 mm increase in bore, a 67.9 mm increase in stroke, and the twin-cylinder swells to 1198 cm3. And the racing department hasn't done things by halves. The 1098 R's boiler uses the same components that will be used for SBK's 1098 F08 race version. The titanium valves have a diameter of 44.3 mm at the intake and 36.2 mm at the exhaust. Every effort has been made to save weight wherever possible. For example, the cylinder head covers are made of magnesium, the pistons are 130 grams lighter than in the standard 1098, and carbon elements can be found around the periphery of the engine. As a result, we've saved 3.5 kg on the twin, and 6.5 kg compared with the 999 R berlingot.
Well, that's all well and good... But what's the big crazy?
That's right: 180 hp for 165 kg! This sporty machine, available from your local Ducati dealer, belches out as much power as Fogarty's official 996 RS world champion in 1999. Not only has the Ducati become the lightest hypersport ever, it's now also the most powerful (the displacement helps a lot). Torque now peaks at 13.7 mkg. Suffice it to say that on the track, the competition is going to start worrying a lot.

And to analyze all this, the R is equipped with the DDA (Ducati Data Analyser) data acquisition system, enabling you to analyze your track performance on a PC, as on the S version (and as an option on the standard).

by dint of putting racing bits and pieces inside, Ducati has succeeded in offering a real Superbike machine in series production. After all, the factory already sells a production MotoGP bike, the Desmocedici RR. And with the world championship title in the bag, the "Corsica" department is not about to rest on its laurels.

m.B - manufacturer's photos