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The hunk from Italy

Deadly combination Of art and technology

As the covers come off, I feel a shiver from my nose to my toes. Gorgeous yellow, reminiscent of sun-kissed mustard fields, drapes the taut bodywork. My eyes trail lasciviously over the details, taking in the Brembo monobloc brakes, Marchesini wheels, the trellis frame and the single-sided swingarm.

Climbing aboard and backing it out of its den, I punch the starter button. There is a slight delay while the electronic engine management scrolls through multiple checks, before the starter motor whirs and the engine barks to life. It settles to a rough idle, and there is plenty of mechanical clatter from the desmodromic valves (no springs; the valves are opened and shut by gears). At idle, it sounds like marbles in a blender.

I gingerly select first gear, and it slots home with a clunk. The clutch is heavy, as it would be. With 12.5 kgm of torque being fed through a dry, multi-plate arrangement, it is your first tactile warning of just what a beast this is.

As I emerge into the inky predawn, it is a surreal moment. Is it just some rapid-eye movement, or is this for real?

I turn the corner. Street dog alert! A bunch of strays size up the yellow 1098 as it barrels towards them. But the gruff L-twin roar takes the fight out of them and they scamper for cover as I zip past.

I give it some stick. Response is electric. This is the most responsive motorcycle I’ve ridden to date. The 1098 boasts the highest torque-to-weight ratio of any production V-twin yet, and it shows. As the revs rise, the exhaust note overpowers the mechanical symphony of the valvetrain between my legs. The forward weight bias comes into play when I get on the throttle, but the chassis is so beautifully balanced, that although the nose goes light and the front wheel is regularly six inches off the ground in the first two gears, it never seems intimidating. The 1098 paints the town yellow. The horizon melts into life, a dawn heralded by the evocative duet of the Testastretta Evoluzione’s pistons. I’m living in Technicolor.

I stop for a moment, taking in the menacing nose, the ready-for-battle headlights and airbox intakes, and the exquisitely crafted rear. It smells of hot metal and high-octane exhaust. This bike is a living thing.

The 1098’s brakes work brilliantly with its Pirelli Dragon SuperCorsa Pro tyres and it slows, stops, and steers like nothing else I’ve ridden before. But this is a bike which must be ridden with authority. It hates being ridden timidly; it practically throws a tantrum.

In town, there is a lumpiness to it that ebbs as speed builds. The 1098 has a top-heavy feel and the steering is retarded at walking pace. But pick your line, scout ahead and it is surprisingly capable at tacking a course. That evil face and oh-my-god exhaust note part traffic like a mercury-tipped bullet. Windows scroll down, jaws drop and beautiful women ogle appreciatively at traffic lights.

As early morning melds into rush hour, the Ducati beats a stiff espresso for the ultimate wake-up call.

There are irritants though. U-turns on the 1098 are infuriating; there is no steering lock to talk about. Turn right, and your right thumb is trapped by the tank, while the fingers of your left argue with the screen. Ten minutes in traffic and the clutch makes you wince. The heat from the engine turns the insides of your thighs to tenderloin. But who cares? It’s a Ducati; it wouldn’t be otherwise.

The 1098 is a bike with that indefinable ‘X-factor’, a love child of art and technology.

It costs an eye-watering Rs 26 lakh, and if anything, the surreal price just adds to its aura.

I’ve just struck an item off my list of things to do before I die.

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