Ducati 998 S FINAL EDITION 2004 — Specifications

When a motorcycle becomes legend, you have to know how to take your final bow with flair. In 2004, Ducati chose to close the chapter opened by Tamburini's 916 with this Ducati 998 S Final Edition, a limited series available only by special order. Ten years of Superbike dominance, eight world titles, 115 victories. The track record speaks for itself, and Bologna wanted to engrave those numbers in metal rather than let its queen fade away in silence.

On the cosmetic side, this ultimate iteration doesn't settle for a simple commemorative sticker. A silver plate stamped on the fork yoke, the Italian tricolore embroidered on the seat flanks, victory laurels recalled on the 17-liter tank. Every detail tells a piece of World Championship history. This is far from a mere marketing exercise: Ducati created a genuine collector's item here, priced at a nonetheless steep 19,995 euros at the time. A hefty price tag, but a coherent one for a machine that was already playing in museum-piece territory before it even left the dealership.

Beneath the fairing lies the recipe that made paddocks tremble. The 998 cc L-twin Testastretta engine, introduced on the 996 R, produces 136 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and 101 Nm of torque at 8,000 rpm. Figures that, in 2004, placed the machine on par with a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 or a Honda CBR 954 RR, albeit with a radically different character. Where the Japanese stack cylinders, Ducati banks on texture, mid-range punch, and that raw-throated sound that only a 90° twin can produce. The tubular steel trellis frame, a house signature, wraps around this engine with a rigidity and precision that many aluminum perimeter frames envied. At 187 kg dry, the 998 S remained a demanding but not punishing sportbike, provided you weren't shorter than five foot nine: the 790 mm seat height shows no mercy to smaller riders.

The Öhlins suspension — 43 mm inverted fork and rear mono-shock — along with a steering damper from the same brand, constitute the real technical selling point of this S version over the base 998. Braking duties fall to twin 320 mm discs gripped by four-piston calipers up front and a 220 mm disc at the rear. More than enough to rein in a machine capable of hitting 280 km/h at the end of a straight. The chain drive and six-speed gearbox remain classic and effective, no surprises there.

This Ducati 998 S Final Edition was not aimed at the weekend rider. It targeted the knowledgeable enthusiast, the collector who understood that the 916-996-998 lineage represented a turning point in the history of motorcycle design and racing. With the arrival of the 999 and its controversial aesthetics, this Final Edition marked the end of an era when Ducati combined raw performance and absolute elegance within a single fairing. Twenty years on, the value of these machines keeps climbing, proof that certain motorcycles transcend their status as mere vehicles to become icons. Those who placed their order before October 2004 probably already knew it.