Ducati 998 S 2004 — Specifications

Is it possible for a machine to become a legend before even being removed from the catalog? That is precisely the case with this Ducati 998 S Final Edition, a farewell orchestrated that already smelled of a museum in 2004. Here, you are not buying a simple motorcycle, but a piece of history, the final chapter of a lineage born with the 916. The price, 19995 euros at the time, was already a ticket to the pantheon, a sum justified by its status as an immediate collector's item.

Beneath its unchanging bodywork, inherited from the 916, beats the heart of the beast: the 998 cc Testastretta, a L-twin that delivers 136 roaring horsepower at 10000 rpm. The mechanics are pure, brutal, old-school. The steel trellis frame, a Ducati signature, confines this fury with surgical precision, while the Öhlins suspension, standard on this S version, transforms every turn into a straight line. With 187 kg dry weight, it is dense, concentrated, and its torque of 101 Nm presses you against the tank from 8000 rpm. It is a track weapon that still outpaces many modern machines with its pure engagement.

But this Final Edition, sometimes abbreviated FE by initiates, mainly plays the emotion card. The decorations are not insignificant: Italian flag on the seat, silver plate on the fork stem, laurels of victory and mention of the eight world titles on the tank. It is a strong, almost melancholic tribute to the brand's glory in Superbike. For the rider, the experience is sensory and demanding. The 790 mm seat asserts its authority, the riding position is committed, and the 17-liter tank reminds you that this machine is made for mountain passes, not traffic jams.

Today, searching for a used Ducati 998 S, and particularly this Final Edition, is like a treasure hunt. It is a motorcycle for the enlightened collector, for those who understand the mechanical grammar of a bygone era. Compared to its Japanese rivals of the time, more versatile and sometimes more powerful, the 998 S embraces its role as a mechanical sculpture with a fiery temperament. Its impressive technical specifications, with its 4-piston caliper braking and 190 rear tire, appeal to the intellect, but it is its soul that seduces the heart.

So, what is the current price of a Ducati 998 S? It is negotiated well above its original value, depending on the condition and history of each machine. It is the safe investment of an icon, the last incarnation of a silhouette that changed the world of motorcycling. We don't recommend it, we respect it. It is not a means of transportation, but a museum piece that starts with the kick, or rather, the electric starter, to transport you straight back to the 2000s, when emotion took precedence over electronics.