Ducati 998 S 2002 — Specifications

Early 2000, as the V-twin seemed to be on the decline against increasingly sharp Japanese four-cylinder engines, Ducati planted a red flag in the sand with a masterstroke. The 998 S Final Edition, and especially its ultimate Bayliss Replica version, is not just a motorcycle. It's a rolling trophy, the crystallization of a double World Superbike title snatched by Troy Bayliss in 2001. Obtaining it required speed and connections: only 500 copies were offered, orderable only online, each tank bearing the signature of the Australian rider. Today, finding a used Ducati 998 S in this perfect INFOSTRADA livery, with its PlayStation and Shell stickers, is like a treasure hunt.

Beneath its museum-piece appearance, it remains a formidable track weapon. Its Testastretta 998 cc engine produces 136 horsepower at 10,000 rpm, a figure that made people envious at the time and still commands respect, pushing the machine to 270 km/h. But the real pleasure lies in its 101 Nm of torque, available from the mid-range. This pulling force, characteristic of the V-twin, gives a feeling of brutal and intuitive propulsion that four-cylinder engines cannot offer. Coupled with a dry weight of 187 kg, it launches into corners with a feline aggression.

The technical specifications of this special edition are a catalog of mechanical jewelry. Here, no compromises: the 43 mm Öhlins inverted fork and the mono-shock absorber of the same caliber reign supreme over the suspension. The brakes, Brembo P4 four-piston calipers clamping onto enormous discs, inspire absolute confidence, even when approaching maximum speeds. The trellis frame, a Ducati signature, offers rigidity and a connection to the road that delights purists. It is a motorcycle that demands its rider, that pardons no clumsiness, but that rewards with surgical precision.

Compared to its rivals of the time, the Honda CBR900RR Fireblade or the Yamaha YZF-R1, the 998 S Bayliss Replica plays in a different league on an emotional level. The Japanese are more polished, more accessible, perhaps even faster on a full lap. But the Ducati offers a unique sensory theater: the deep sound of the original Termignoni, the vibrations of the twin, the feeling of riding a barely disguised race machine. Its new price of 23,000 euros already placed it in the category of desirable objects. Today, its collector status is driving its value well beyond that.

So, what is the price of a Ducati 998 S today, especially in this Final Edition configuration? You have to count well above its initial price, for a machine in perfect condition. It is not for beginners or simple road riders. It is the motorcycle of the passionate collector, the mechanical aesthete, the track rider seeking the authenticity of a bygone era. Riding it is holding in your hands a piece of motorcycle history, an era when victory in the world championship directly translated into a limited series for the most fortunate. A myth on two wheels, as demanding as it is magnetic.