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Ducati knocked us on our heads with word of its latest middleweight superbike, the 2008 848. It looks splendid in pearl-white livery, but the real news is under the skin: numerous changes to the chassis and engine to make the bike lighter and faster than its 748 and 749 predecessors. Since you can't ride a spec chart, I traveled to the world press launch at the Almeria circuit on the southeastern coast of Spain.
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| CW Associate Editor Mark Cernicky prefers the 848's pearl-white paint over traditional Ducati red. |
Waiting to show me around the 2.67-mile track was World Superbike regular Ruben Xaus. Almeria is twisty with a couple of fast, blind turn-in points. While the 848 is easy to ride, keeping up with the "X-Man" was another story. Luckily for me, the neutral chassis doesn't mind mid-corner corrections, cornering clearance is abundant and the standard Pirelli Diablo Corsas offer good grip.
Tipping the scales at a feathery 370 pounds, the 848 employs larger-diameter, thinner-walled frame tubes arranged in a simplified 1098-style design that easily handles the fuel-injected 849cc V-Twin's claimed peak 134 horsepower and 71 foot-pounds of torque. Power delivery is remarkably flat, with smooth propulsion coming from down low in the rev range all the way up to the 10,800-rpm redline.
By the second session, I was eager to pick up the pace and chase down Xaus, so I was relying a lot on all three Brembo brakes to get the 848 slowed down for corners. The front calipers are cast four-pot jobs, not the machined monoblocs found on the 1098. Although they offer excellent feel, they require a lot of lever pressure. That contrasts with the slick transmission; I never had a problem shifting, even though I spent a lot of time going back and forth between second and third gears.
At one point, Xaus slipped past me and pulled ahead, putting forth what appeared to be far less effort than I was expending. After the session, I asked him for advice on gear selection. "Second is safer," said the veteran racer, "but you must use third and trust the front. Just get on the gas sooner; there is enough power to pull third." A tall order coming from a tall Spanish rider, but it explained why his bike was working so well for him.
The next session, taking Xaus' advice, I decided to use third gear where I had previously used second. Exiting right-hand Turn 1, the front tire pushed all the way to the curb at the edge of the track. My eyes bugged out, but I kept charging. In the next right, I got the same feeling from the tire, so I decided to back it down and finish the day on two wheels. On a high note, the chassis precisely transmitted the reduction in front-end grip directly through the handlebars. I didn't have any problem with rear-end traction, testimony to the twin-cylinder power delivery.
So, although the 848 didn't work miracles and let me school a WSB racer on his home turf, it does offer an excellent balance of engine performance and sharply focused handling. Most importantly, at $12,995, it's likely within financial reach of many sportbike riders. Call it a tangible Twin.
Sound Off! Why do we need an 848?
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