Comparison Test: 2010 Ducati 1198S vs KTM RC8R - Tale of Two Cities

Of course our two protagonists are the Ducati 1198S and KTM RC8R. The established king of V-twin performance, Ducati have a long history in building championship-winning machinery with its signature L-twin desmodromic engine and trellis frame combination.

With a bold company motto like "Ready To Race" it's clear KTM's ultimate goal would be to race on the world level. When the original RC8 was introduced we became huge fans of the bike's handling, but there was one glaring bit of information that left us scratching our heads: the 1148cc engine. A year after it was released in Europe the 1200cc RC8R made its U.S. debut and after Troy "Trizzle" Siahaan got his first ride taste at the intro in Laguna Seca, we knew what we had to do next.

So let's see: two European sportbikes, both V-twins, both 1200cc, and both hover around the $20,000 mark ($21,795 for the Ducati, $19,998 for the KTM). With stats like that the only thing left to do is pit them against each other. And so we did.

On paper the numbers look almost identical: both have nearly the same wheelbase (56.3 inches), both have equal trail figures (3.8 inches) and both even come standard with Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP tires. But there's more to these bikes than meets the eye. For starters, the KTM actually has slightly less displacement than the Ducati-1195cc vs. 1198cc-but made more peak horsepower on our dyno than the 1198S (151.1 compared to 145.1). Look at the dyno chart elsewhere in this story and you'll see a glaring figure: the 1198S makes substantially more torque much sooner in the rev range and continues building steadily, in the usable portion of the powerband that 95-percent of riders will be spending most of their time.

To this end the KTM was a welcome surprise. We don't say this often for full-fledged sportbikes, but seating position was noticeably more comfortable than its Italian counterpart; clip-ons are positioned higher, while the seat and pegs felt lower as well. This is due to the adjustable saddle and rearset positions. Foot pegs have a "high" and "low" setting, and the saddle is able to be positioned in four different ways. Unlike the 1198's unforgiving clutch and tall first gear, the RC8R's short gearing helps it leap off the line and its silky smooth gearbox requires no effort to change up or down. And while it doesn't have the bottom-end torque the Ducati has, its engine spins much quicker compared to the tractor-like 90-degree twin of the 1198S. This is all well and good except for the overly sensitive throttle, something we've experienced on R model KTM's in the past. Strangely, Siahaan didn't experience this at the Laguna Seca intro.

Other than that, the KTM's engine won over the testers as its quick-revving nature required all of our testers to keep the engine spinning to have the most fun. Its nimble handling allowed us to put the bike anywhere we wanted, and drive out of turns was strong, assuming one was in the right gear to keep the bike in the powerband.

Bringing both bikes to a halt are a pair of Brembo four-piston calipers, each radially mounted. The Ducati's clamp on 330mm discs, while the KTM's rotors are 10mm smaller in diameter. While it may be nitpicking, none of the testers could come to a unanimous agreement on stopping power as some felt the Ducati was noticeably stronger, while others couldn't tell a difference. Either way, both units bring the bikes to a halt quickly with good feel.

It didn't take long on the jaunt home through highways and city streets-where a majority of owners will spend their time with these bikes-aboard the 1198S before joints started to ache and backs started to hurt. Not that the RC8R was immune to these issues, it just didn't occur until much later. As if that wasn't enough, at anything slower than hyperdrive the heat radiating from the 1198's underseat exhaust cooks your buns in no time. Mirrors on both bikes are practically useless and we've become harsh critics of the LCD gauge clusters as they are hard to read and display too much information at one time; none of which, mind you, includes a gear indicator. Throw in the hassle involved in trying to manipulate the different functions and one might be inclined to ride another motorcycle altogether. If we had our druthers we'd have an analog tachometer square in the center of the display. Everything else would be forced to fit around it.

After our street testing the KTM started to win us over simply because of its comfortable seating position. Despite a twitchy throttle and stiff rear suspension, it was able to hang with the Ducati in the tight stuff, and it's also easier to live with on a day-to-day basis.

It's under power that the Ducati trumps the KTM. With its broad torque curve the 1198S drives out of corners with fervor and leaves the RC8R behind. The KTM, meanwhile, needs to be spinning quickly to take advantage of the peak horsepower advantage up high. "The KTM lacks the torque of the Ducati, but pulls very hard in the upper rpm range..." wrote racecar-team-manager-turned-motorcycle-racer John Olsen. The result is a bike that takes the most skilled of riders in order to fully realize its potential.

For a first real effort, the RC8R is a brilliant attempt to dethrone the king. But in comparison, riding around the track on the Ducati just comes naturally. Confidence moves up a point each time you flick it in a turn and the confidence from the front end inspires you to lean over more and more. Get on the gas too soon and the Ducati Traction Control chimes in and keeps things in check. All the years that Ducati spent perfecting the V-twin superbike shone through when riding the 1198S. All the testers were easily in agreement here: for the ultimate V-twin track weapon, the Ducati is the way to go.

Aftermath
In all of our tests we have to pick a winner, and yet each bike won an individual category. If you're like most people and ride mainly on the street, then the KTM might be the bike for you. If you don't mind a little punishment in order to enjoy the twisty bits, then the Ducati is the way to go. Make no mistake, we were thoroughly impressed with KTM's first serious effort in the superbike V-twin category, but in the end the scoresheet doesn't lie; after adding up the subjective scores the Ducati 1198S gets our pick, if only just.

Roll-Ons Ducati 1198S 60-80 mph/2.68 sec.; 80-100 mph/3.28 sec. KTM RC8R 60-80 mph/2.61 sec.; 80-100 mph/2.77 sec.

The long Sweeper turn (segment 3) generally gives a picture of a motorcycle's outright cornering capability, as the bike is leaned over on the edge of the tire for an extended period of time. Here, the KTM posted an 11.777-second segment time compared with the Ducati's 11.848-second time. And in the turn that we consider an overall judge of a motorcycle's handling-Sunset (section 1 on diagram)-the Ducati has a slightly quicker segment time, 6.437 seconds compared with 6.530 seconds for the KTM. In the objective terms of the Racepak G2X, there's not much between these two bikes at Buttonwillow.

Given that both bikes on one level share similar characteristics, digging a little deeper really details the unique nuances between the 1198S and RC8R. The RC8R likes its revs kept high to utilize its peak power, while the Ducati's torque pulls it out of any situation. The tall-riding RC8R transitioned well and it had very light steering. Couple this with a slightly out of phase suspension and the RC8R was a bit unstable on the entry to dynamic corners. The 1198S took a little more work, but was as steady as a rock once in the corner.

While I really, really liked both bikes, to me this test came down to refinement. As amazing as the RC8R is, the refinement and sorted package of the 1198S gives it a slight nod.

I will always be a fan of the V-twin configuration, and I'm blown away at KTM's youthful jab at the almighty Italian icon. But as much as I enjoyed the KTM's rev-hungry motor, it's clear that future refinement is still going to be needed. The RC8R has what it takes for most of its customers needs, but at mach-plus, the KTM is clearly a step below the Ducati.

Although the Ducati is left staggered-but still standing-by the comfort and prowess of the Austrian upstart, the Desmo's world-class racing development speaks for itself. The 1198 series has shown what Ducati can bring to the street, and the S model displays this performance heritage with its Öhlins suspension that makes all the difference in putting that performance to the ground. Riding the Ducati hard is practically intuitive, with front-end feedback that inspires supreme confidence-an attribute that is truly the golden key to any rider of high performance motorcycles. This alone gives "The Big Red One" an overall edge.

It was a different story on the track though. The KTM never inspired the same kind of confidence in me as it did on the street. In contrast, the Ducati's refinement in comparison to its Austrian counterpart was just staggering. But I can't help but feel that with a little more time I could make the RC8R work for me. Plus-call me crazy-but I kinda like the way the KTM looks. So despite the score sheets and the advice from my colleagues, if I were to pick one I think I'd keep the RC8R in my garage.

That said, the roles were completely reversed on the track. The RC8R's lack of torque compared to the Ducati (which incidentally had WAY more torque than our previous 1198 standard model-perhaps a result of the newer Marelli ECU and more accurate mapping?) really showed on the fast and flowing pavement of a racing circuit, forcing you to keep the KTM's throttle pinned. Meanwhile, the Ducati's combination of strong motor and excellent chassis let it go much quicker with far less effort.

Even though you're forking out a little more coin, I'd go with the 1198S.