2008 Ducati 848 - Mossy rides

Words/pics by: Chris Moss/Mike Weston

It’s a case of being the ‘same but different’ when you’re passing judgment on Ducati’s new 848 superbike and making the inevitable comparisons with its bigger brother, the fabulous 1098.

The evaluation’s the same when you’re considering the huge emotive appeal of the 848. Its sexy style and reputation have the same immediate and profound impact as the 1098’s. But it’s a different outcome when you’re assessing the engine and chassis performance of the two bikes. And the overall verdict on the 848 is, in some circumstances at least, that less is more.

Any bike test is always preceded by some anticipation. And although assessments should never be made before the bike’s actually been sampled, developing some preconceived views is hard to avoid. My predictions suggested I could well be bit disappointed by the smaller Ducati sibling.

I’m sure that was partly down to the fact that the 1098 is such an astonishing bike. With mountains of power and torque, amply contained by a brilliant chassis, for the 848 to get even close to that combination would be, in my book, simply impossible. My feeling was that I was going to think the smaller version would be a bit flat and lame. For what must be the millionth time though, I have to admit that I was wrong, very wrong. The 848 is every bit as remarkable as the 1098, it just reaches its similarly high score via different maths.

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Crafted in that same stylish and purposeful way, the Ducati inspires you from the first view of its fantastic lines. It seems almost sacrilegious for it not to be painted in the trademark red, but pearlescent white still satisfies the retinas very nicely. Its country of origin is never in doubt and those speedy shapes and curves couldn’t hail from anywhere other than Italy. Add that Ducati badge and all that it stands for, and the 848 gets the very best vote of approval even before you’ve got on it. This bike has presence.

Fire the Duke into life and its appeal rises still further. There’s nothing quite like the rumble and roar from a Ducati V-twin and its exhausts to get the pulse racing. And it’s seducers of this sort that separate the bikes built in Bologna from the rest. Many Japanese bikes have amazing performance, but they just don’t have the ability to thrill you in the same way as Ducati sportsbikes can even before you ride them. Just seeing and hearing them is often enough to get your juices flowing.

It wasn’t exactly summer-like on the day I got to ride the 848, and if I’m honest, until I wheeled it out of the van and got its pistons pumping some unleaded through its bores I wasn’t too thrilled by the prospect of riding it. But the way the bike can bring you back to life in the face of adversity is one of its many special powers. Get its Marchesini wheels turning and the persuasion gets stronger.

One of the key dynamic differences between this bike and its famous brother can be noticed within yards. The feel of the 848’s steering is so much lighter. OK, there are five less kilos to be hauled around, which must have some slight bearing on the matter. But the main reason the baby Duke can be man-handled with distinctly less effort is a combination of not having a steering damper, and its narrower section rear tyre.

Those features give the Ducati such an appreciably easier feel, you’d be forgiven for thinking the geometry of the bike must be completely different to the 1098’s. It’s not, but it certainly seems that way. It’s a welcome bonus and something that made me feel more even more at home on the 848 from the word go.