I LOOK AFTER THEM
Iain Rhodes of RPM bikes (www.rpmbikes.co.uk, 01604 583350), an independent with lots of history and experience with 1198s, gave us his views.
“The 1198 doesn’t really have any known problems, and as long as it’s serviced and looked after properly, it’s unlikely to give trouble. All my customers are typically over 50 and really care for their Ducatis. They’re usually not their only bikes, and never get ridden in poor weather or for day to day stuff like commuting. Quite a few I see are used for trackdays. They’re strong enough to take the thrashing, though I would change the engine oil every other trackday. I advise doing it every 3000 miles of road use, and if you don’t get to clock that up, then every year without fail. I use fully synthetic 10/60w ENI oil.
“Many 1198s spend much of the year unused and it’s very important to do this properly. Ideally you’d park your bike in a dry, well-ventilated garage connected to a trickle charger. The battery is quite small and doesn’t need to lose much power to create starting issues. Speaking of which, don’t fire the bike up and only run it for a short time when it’s parked up. All you’re doing is generating moisture, which corrodes the internals and contaminates the oil. The engine only gets up to full temperature if you take it for a ride for at least half and hour. The Öhlins fork seals are prone to failing if left to dry out or if the bike is strapped down too firmly.
“Home maintenance isn’t too difficult if you’re competent. But the bodywork is fiddly to get off, and once you’re inside the engine you need special tools to do the work properly. Service history is important though sticking to the schedule isn’t quite as crucial as it was for the 916-based range. Valves clearance don’t always need adjusting, though if several of the 16 shims do need to be changed, it can start getting expensive. You can risk leaving the belts in place for longer than the recommended two years, but it’s a risk that can prove costly. The 1198 is the last of the line before the Panigales came along, and could well become a collector’s bike.”