Ducati 1198 S Corse Special Edition 2010 — Specifications

When Bologna decides to plant one foot in two worlds at once, the result is a machine that refuses to choose between track and road. The Ducati 1198 S Corse Special Edition of 2010 is exactly that proposition: offering the prestige of a homologated Superbike to a rider who will never compete in the World Superbike Championship, but who wants that sensation on every Sunday ride.

The 1198 cc Testastretta 11° twin produces 170 horsepower at 9,750 rpm and 131.5 Nm at 8,000 rpm. The 10 horsepower deficit compared to the 1198 R impresses or disappoints depending on your perspective, but above all it confirms that Ducati knew how to calibrate this edition to stay on the right line. Dry weight sits at 168 kg, a lightness that only makes sense alongside fully adjustable 43 mm Öhlins forks with TiN treatment and an Öhlins monoshock with return spring, backed by an asymmetric single-sided aluminum swingarm. The drivetrain belongs to a competition-derived machine, not a roadster dressed up in sportswear.

Against an Aprilia RSV4 Factory or a BMW S1000RR from the same era, the Corse plays a different card. It doesn't chase horsepower figures as a sales argument — it bets on the coherence of the package: radial monobloc Brembo braking, Ducati Traction Control, ALS 450 tubular trellis frame, 18-liter factory-style aluminum fuel tank. All of this for a theoretical top speed of 300 km/h that few buyers will ever see on a speedometer. The 820 mm seat height and typically sport riding position close the door to beginner riders and urban commuters. That is not a criticism — it is simply a clear delimitation of the intended audience: the experienced rider who wants a high-level supersport without shouldering the extreme constraints of a pure track machine.

The Corse red livery mirrors that of the 1198 R and its competition logo, inevitably creating a deliberate visual confusion. It is clever marketing — sometimes too clever — as the buyer must remain aware of the real differences: no full carbon fairing, no race kit supplied with the motorcycle. These are concessions that justify a price of €24,990, several thousand euros below the R, yet that price still positions this as an exceptional machine in a segment where the competition shows no mercy.

What Ducati achieves with the 1198 S Corse Special Edition is selling a compromise that doesn't feel like a compromise. The engine is serious enough, the running gear noble enough, the frame rigid enough that the rider never feels they purchased a watered-down version. The 12.7:1 compression ratio, 106 mm bore and 67.9 mm stroke tell the story of a high-revving engine, not a touring unit in disguise. For the enthusiast who knows what they are looking for and can work within the inherent limitations of an Italian supersport of this generation — maintenance load included — the Corse edition remains a proposition that is difficult to ignore.