Go ahead, get a 1098! Make sure it already has the recall mods for electrical system overheating! And be prepared to ride your Super Hawk a lot, while your Duck is in the shop.

I've got a duc, a 93 900-ss (Red, full fairing). Great bike, a lot of fun, but not half the bike a VTR is (I've got both)
If you are going to be riding on the road, there is nothing a 1098 can do your Superhawk couldn't do if modified in a few areas.
And why the hell would you take a chance on balling up such an expensive and exotic bike like the 1098 at the track?. The smaller (893 or sopmething) Duc superbike is a much better deal and a better road bike. It'll still spend a lot more time in the shop than your superhawk.

<i>I got to see a 1098 up close last night and talk to the owner for a while. Had the 109 dB race exhaust and chip for it.</i>

The test bikes Duc sent out had the exhaust and the chip because without it, the O2 sensor causes the bike to run lean and overheats the electrical system. There's been a recall. And the 1098 has been superceded by this year's 1198.

For road use, I'd take a lightly modified Hawk over a Duc Superbike anyday! I like to ride 'em, not spend money about them and worry about them.

But it's your money.

I may be, I admit, somewhat cynical. Here in Warshington State, the spped limits are ridiculously low, and the roads heavily patrolled. A guy could go out on the backroads, what's left of them after all this developement, early on a week-end morning, but then if you crash, you're on your own, down a ravine, and they dig you out next spring.

The Duc 848 seems like a good deal, if you don't mind paying for some very expensive maintenance, and worrying whether the shop can do it right.

And I'll tell you a secret I learned from riding my 93 900-ss. If it says "Ducati" and has a fairing, lots of people come over and tell me how fast that bike is! I can't convince them it's not! I say look: air-cooled! Look: carbs! But they won't believe me! They all tell me how fast it is, but they won't believe the guy who owns it, when he tells them it goes about 130, tops.
And even that bike, one of Ducati's best product, needed new carbs (41mm flat-slides) and different gearing before it would run in a satisfying way.

A Duc makes a great second bike, tho.

"A Ducati is.... well, a Ducati. There's just something about one."

I'll tell you a secret. A Ducati is a motorcycle, built by a relatively small Italian manufacturer, who has made some real dogs in the past, and still has trouble producing a fault-free bike.

It's a funny thing, since Ducati won WSB and started selling the 916 than 996, than 999, than 1098 than 1198, I see a couple after they come out, usually on the Puget Sound Ferry, cause the guy is on the way to Seattle Ducati for service. Than I never see them again. Where did they all go?

I have several friends who have owned Ducatis over the years, and none who have stuck with them.. eventually they all swapped to a Japanese bike that ran every time they turned it on and cost half as much to own.

or this 410 CI V-Twin
http://www.leonhardtweb.de/

I'll keep my 93 SS-900 until I die, that was, in terms of enjoyment/reliability/fun/modifying, the best product Ducati ever made. And there are still plenty around, too. I've seen those with 51mm Mikuni flat-slides for racing and straight exhaust, what a noise. Since the 904 engine was used in Monsters, too, there are lot's of those for rebuilding and modifying.
And it was a very handsome bike, so handsome my wife made me buy it!

Amen.

yup, the ducatis are special and exotic. the maintenance adds to that. second bike, yes.

so, today i went to the dealer again. they have two 08s that they want 17500cad(list is 20k). they are taking an 08 with 4000kms on trade. i had my hopes up that they'd be able to sell it to me for $14k or under. no sir, $16500 is the asking price. deal died right there and the salesman knew it. my heart rate went from 125 to flat line in that split second. total loss of interest and it was written on my face and in my body language.

so, let me look at the shiny side of the coin. i'll sell my gixxer and keep my eyes out for another bike. i have my hawk and there's no rush for a second bike. perhaps i will get something that i won't have to(as someone else said) worry about. that's the way i am with my hawk. i ride it.

bike show in a week.

perhaps a duc in the future.

oh yeah, my gf was sincerely disappointed for me. what a woman! she's a saint!

They really are in demand...same story around here. I actually was tempted myself on the link below, but now it is pending sale, so the temptation is gone. I think they are the nicest Ducati out there.
http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/992117817.html

Finedawg, it's a sign from above! Sell the Gixxer to some kid, but make sure he has a helmet...LOL! Forget about the Duc till you're ready to pay cash for it and self insure...

Start modding the hawk...you have no idea the potential untill you start upgrades...RC

if you get a duc go with a 999 its right with the 1098 on riding. and was faster in track testing than 1098s great all around bike friend got one last year rode it fell inlove

it is hard to dismiss or control your passion. but if its a new lust, usually it will pass. If for the past 10 years you've been secretly wanting a ducati that is a differnt story - go get one - the urge isn't going away anytime soon - and they are great bikes and works of art. And like dating any high maintenance beauty it will either cure you of it or sell you further on the virtues. The resale is good, you won't lose much. and if the current price is too high, just wait a bit longer - prices are gradually dropping as the new 1100 comes out and the economy goes worse there will be better deals.

If your just bored and sick of winter and the suzuki, and looking for a little strange, then just wait till spring, you'll probably forget all about it. Get a new 1000RR, or ZX10.

im going to chime in with a +1 on the ducati.

since the introduction of the testastretta motors, ducatis have made leaps and bounds as far as reliability goes, and i feel its definitely true that the used market for ducati is amazing. you dont get many dumb ass squids screwing them up. for the most part, ducatis are well pampered. the specs on the 1098 and 1198 are a bit ridiculous if you honestly think about it. 160hp and 90(!)lb-ft of torque for the 1098/s and 170hp and 97(!!) lb-ft torque for the 1198/s. Granted, those are manufacturer ratings, but still, the manufacturer rating for the superhawk was like 110hp and 70 lb-ft of torque. look at the rc51 @ 130hp and 71 lb-ft torque. I'm telling you from experience, the torque on my rc is ridiculous compared to my hawk. yes, i have to spin it up just a little more, but at the same time, it spins up way faster than the hawk. it's utterly ridiculous, so much so its hard for my to imagine 90+ lb-ft torque!

anyways, 999's can be had for cheap now, and theyre not quite as powerful as the 1098/1198, and they DEFINITELY dont look as good. i personally do like the 999/749, but most people dont. i still prefer the 848/1098/1198 though...

oh and the sound. desmodromic valves sound NOTHING and i repeat NOTHING like a standard spring valve vtwin. cant forget the dry clutch of the 1098/1198 either. all adds to the character of the duc--all business.

obviously the reliability probably wont be like honda, but i dont think you'll really see issues until a few years down the line if at all. hondas just keep running.

anyways i know this is moot post since its already been decided, but i dont think i can hold back my opinion for the new generation of ducs, having been brought up on twins, and continue to own twins...

saw 916 and monster way back and have openly lusted for them ever since. love at 1st sight.
i dont have the same lust for the 999.
there won't be a bank loan or debt to get the bike.
used ducatis are ok because they are taken care of. i always bought new gixxers because the kids abuse them and used ones werent all that much cheaper.

the local dealer is making me an offer on his left over 1098. i am having a hard time resisting...

also, i found a 2001 rc51 in great shape for a steal of a deal.

pros and cons to each...

I saw one crash this last summer. It left lots of expensive pieces all over the place. Ride careful!

There is nothing that compares to a Ducati. My riding buddy has 2, 851 and 998. But I love the feel and look (and riding position) of my SuperHawk.

If I could afford a second bike in addition to my VTR, I'd go for a Gixer 750.

What about a Duc 848?? I think i would get one of these. $13-14 grand instead of $17-$20 Grand.

http://www.ducati-sportbikes.com/gal...+848+white.jpg
http://produccionescta.diinoweb.com/...ati_848_12.jpg

the deal offered on the 1098 is GOOD

What do you think about the 2009 R1. They are really ugly, but I hear it is a absolute BEAST..... Great low end grunt like our beloved hawks, but with a crazy top end rush like your gixxer. All of the reviews and test rides say that it is just a crazzzzzy fast machine throughout all of the rpm range.

1098 is an awesome bike but a torture rack to ride on the street. Have you thought of a Daytona 675? While "only" a middleweight, it is quite torquey and real hoot to ride (plus it`s quite a bit more comfy than the Duc to ride).

My best friend crashed his 1098 right in front of me last fall. It was sickening. Those Pirelli tires and super-powerful brakes have been the cause of a bunch of crashes. The tires are almost a race compound, in cold weather they take a long time to warm up and until they do they are very slippery. Combine that with tremendous braking power and it's a recipe for disaster in the cold months. That's basically what happened to him, at least from what I could tell.

You're right - if your going to rip it a new one this is the ultimate mile. $26k plus fees.

The new R1 sounds pretty amazing. If I were in the market for a new liter bike, that would be in the running for sure. How about an Aprilia RSV4?

One is for show and one is for go...it becomes a question of who you're trying to impress? I'd buy the RC and pay for slicks and track days with the left over cash you saved from Duc insurance, Duc maintainance and Duc pymts:)
RC

lots of good comments.

the duc is a sexy machine and it's more comfy than my gixxer. the gixxer's seat is the worst. it's too narrow. i bought a corbin and still aweful. 1098's seat is wider.

i want two bikes - one for relaxed casual riding with a bit of an edge. the hawk fits the bill to a T. second bike is for a bit more excitement, and performance.

my gf is taking the riding course this spring. if she decides riding is for her we'll already have two bikes. when we both ride she can take the hawk. when i ride solo i will pick the hawk or the 1098(or rc51).

i want power. my hawk is for relaxed riding and the gixxer is for a bit more "fun", although i'm getting old and it doesn't take much to get my heart pounding.

i am nervous the rc51 won't have enough power. the duc might not cut it either. but like i said, my priorities are changing and performance is becoming lees important.

i love the easy maintenance of the rc51. lower costs are good. if i drop the 1098 i will want to shoot myself. i don't have to handle the rc51 with golden gloves.

the r1's cross plane deal is interesting.

I've had a very expensive garage queen. I didn't ride it much and when I sold it I lost my ass. The 1098 will probably have the same results, except you will ride it more which will increase the expense much more. If money is no object get it. But for us real world riders who would rather ride more with less maintenance hassles, and have money left over for trackdays and tires, the RC would be the perfect choice. You could easily dump a few grand into one to get more power (some say ~150 with moderate modifications) and you're still at half the price of the Duc.

Not sure what kind of land speed records you are trying to surpass, but the RC has more than enough power for the street, improve YOUR skills and smoking all your friends will not be a problem. They are almost as exotic as Duc's too. I ride with a lot of people and in the last 8 years have only ever ridden once with another RC51. I've ridden with a few Duc's though (ST4, Monster, Hypermotard, 998).

Damn, its still a tough decision though. F*ck it, you only live once, go big or go home. Sell it in a year, then get a RC51. Ever consider a KTM RC8? More rare than a Duc.
Attachment 29736

If you want sick power then the 2009 BMW K 1300 S comes to mind:

http://www.motorcycle.com/specs/bmw/.../k/1300-s.html

hate bmws. my close friend has a k1300s, it's ok but not my cup of tea. that same friend just traded his wife's f800s in for a monster 1100S.

so, the latest. went to the duc shop. got a copy of ducati's official service schedule and the dealer's schedule. i haven't had a chance to look at it closely yet. discussed the 1098 and told the salesman that i really want a used one at a good deal. let someone else take the depreciation hit.

as i was walking out the door i saw a used and scratched monster 695, 2007. i immediately thought about my gf getting that!

while i was at the shop the rc51 guy called me. we spoke of his bike in detail. he is 10 hours away so i told him i need full disclosure before i go get the bike. he swears the bike is mint and only has a scratch on the swing arm from the stand. he is emailing me more pics and info tonight. it's WAY cheaper than the 1098 and it's where i'm leaning.