Back in 2009 journalists hated it because it was too torquey. What's it like 11 years on?

In the 11 years I've been riding motorised bicycles, I've owned six different bikes. And the Ducati 1198S – my current bike – has cost me more than the rest of them put together.

Sadly, the lairy Italian and I are reaching the end of our time together, so I thought it'd be fun to see if I can convince myself it's all been worthwhile while staring into the black void that is my bank account.

Here's a rambling take on what it's been like to own the last long-stroke Ducati v-twin superbike before everything got Panigaled. Hopefully potential owners of the 1198 will find this information useful and inspiring. If you do, please drop into the comments. If you've got to the bottom of the article and are still convinced you want to buy my bike, then drop me a DM you mad fool.

I bought a bit of a dog

The top yoke is a thing of beauty. I later ruined this view by wiring in a Garmin sat-nav, mounted on the left fork leg. The top yoke is a thing of beauty. I later ruined this view by wiring in a Garmin sat-nav, mounted on the left fork leg.

I bought my 1198S in a bit of a panic. It was July 2018. My girlfriend was three months pregnant, and I'd been given clearance to do one last week-long motorbike trip around Europe with some mates. I had been bikeless for a year, and I knew I wanted to do the trip on something silly. The Ducati 1198 was my dream bike back in 2009 when I passed my test, so it seemed the perfect steed for 2,000 miles in a week. For some people, sportsbikes are like torture racks, but even at 6'3" I find 'em comfy. I found an 1198 for sale in my home county of Essex, took a hilarious test ride (the Termi exhausts are LOUD) and handed over some money for it.

Anyway.

If you're in the market for a Ducati 1198 you'll probably have done your research. The important thing to keep an eye out for is service history. My bike had full Ducati service history, apart from the last belt service which was carried out by the Yamaha dealer I bought it from. The belts on on these older Ducatis need changing every two years, regardless of mileage. Budget about £500 for a belt change.

Sadly, the shaven apes at the Yamaha dealer weren't used to working on Ducatis, and within the first week of ownership the engine light came on and it would cut out when slowing down.

The broken stepper motor that made my bike cut out and generally be a dick The broken stepper motor that made my bike cut out and generally be a dick

This ended up being a broken stepper motor deep inside the engine, which the supplying dealer had bollocksed up when servicing it. The Yamaha dealer paid my local Ducati specialist (big up the excellent chaps at Pro Twins, in Godstone) to fix it.

The headlight fairing carrier was also broken, which the Yamaha guys also paid to fix. All that was left was for me to stump up a £620 bill for the valve clearance service.

But I was free to head off around Europe. It was actually a fairly unpleasant week thanks to a badly timed bout of depression, but the 1198 was a great companion. Because, it turns out, it's an absolute riot to ride. It did slightly undo my opinion that motorbikes could always cheer you up, but hey ho.

Ducati 1198 handling and riding experience

When it was released in 2009, the 1198 was criticised for handling in the (then) traditionally lazy Ducati manner, while having the power delivery of a stabbed bull.

Covered in dew and dead flies before a day of riding the Route des Cretes in France's Vosges Mountains Covered in dew and dead flies before a day of riding the Route des Cretes in France's Vosges Mountains

It still requires a significant shove of the bars to get it turned in. Some people claim it 'understeers' in corners, but the reality is you just need to get your arse back in the seat, then drop your elbows so your forearms are parallel to the ground so you can get enough force behind the bars to turn it. Approach the corner, cut the throttle, punch the bars and get on the gas. It's harder work than on an S1000RR, but it's not especially tricky to ride.

Somewhere on the Route des Cretes Somewhere on the Route des Cretes

Once you've got the 1198 turned into a long, sweeping corner it feels more secure than any modern bike I've ridden. It holds a line beautifully. I never found the free time to get it on track, but you could confidently burn through kneesliders like there's no tomorrow on this thing. The Ohlins suspension is far plusher than you'd think, and it's not a tiring bike to ride on the road.

That's unless you start giving it some stick. Oh boy.

Ducati 1198 performance – how fast is it?

The 1198's 1198.4cc engine supposedly puts out 170hp, though it's more like 150hp at the rear wheel. The star of the show – or the villain, depending on how you feel – is the 132Nm of torque, and its 'holy f*ck' sledgehammer delivery.

Your first impression of the bike will be that it's a juddery mess below 3,000rpm. And above that it feels quick, but not batshit scary. You'll wonder how it got its scary reputation.

Touring! The sound of 3 loud v-twins definitely didn't annoy most of Europe Touring! The sound of 3 loud v-twins definitely didn't annoy most of Europe

Then you realise the throttle has a seriously long throw, and you can just about wrap your wrist around the tube far enough to grab 100% throttle in one go. Summon the will to grab full throttle in less than half a second in second gear and you'll discover that a 1198 is the best sounding laxative in the world.

It flies forward in second and third gears with the front wheel launching into the air. It has no wheelie control. It has very basic traction control (my 'S' model was one of the very first road bikes to get TC), but the system doesn't really give a toss about how high your front wheel is. It's just there to stop rear tyre slip, and it'll probably let you flip the bike while watching with an Italian shrug.

It never looked this clean again… after a £400 detail and paint protection film application at Auto Curators – top guys It never looked this clean again… after a £400 detail and paint protection film application at Auto Curators – top guys

In the damp February weather we've just had, the rear tyre was spinning up as I accelerated away from roundabouts, and I wasn't even trying to ride quickly. I was just trying to get home. I'd just spent three months riding a BMW R1250 GS, so getting back on the 1198 was the motorcycling equivalent of leaving a jacuzzi to jump in an ice tank full of angry badgers.

Come summer and warm roads and the 1198 will fire you out of second-gear corners with the front wheel searching for god and the bars all crossed up in your hands. You won't even mean to do it. It'll make you feel like a hero, but it is a bike that forces you to ride like an absolute wanker. And that's why journos in 2009 didn't really gel with the bike – it's just too full on. For 90% of the time on the road, it's a rampant bull that just wants to fuck off into the sunset, with you as a mostly helpless passenger.

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It's a really, really great experience. And one everyone should try at some point in their lives.

For a year I found this in-your-face behaviour very amusing. But now I want to do more miles, in greater comfort and to take the odd dirt track. And I also want a bike with electronic rider aids, and one that I don't have to push to the end of my road before starting, lest I piss the neighbours off.

Call me a wimp, but now I have a baby daughter I quite fancy a bike that'll look after me, with cornering ABS and all the rest of it. The 1198 is more like that mate who turns up at every house party with a giant bag of drugs, a sack of gerbils and a glint in their eye.

Okay, so what's this all cost you?

I'll go and grab my folder of invoices. Bear in mind I've only had the bike 18 months. This will be painful.

• August 2018 – New tyres (Michelin Power RS): £310 fitted

• August 2018 – Valve clearance service (and general check over when I bought it): £620 (an extra £500 was charged to the dealer I bought it from to fix the headlight bracket and stepper motor)

• February 2019 – Bits and bobs to get it through MoT test. Bulbs, brake fluid change: £200

• September 2019 – Fork seal replacement (shit wheelies), oil service, other bits: £670

So far, that's £1,800 I've spent excluding tax and insurance, which is another £1,000.

But that's not all.

However, it's due a belt change and a new clutch and clutch basket. And it fell over in the wind last weekend, so needs a new brake lever and nose fairing. And that bloody nose fairing mount cracked again, so I'll need a new one.

How much will that service and repair cost me? About £2,000.

So, in the 18 months I've had the bike it'll have cost me £4,800 to run.

But whoever buys it will know they're getting a well looked after bike. Right? Right?

I need a glass of wine. It's worth noting that nothing's ever actually gone wrong with it, it's just been fastidiously maintained.

Should I buy a Ducati 1198?

Honestly? Yes. If you're after that old-school analogue superbike riding experience with a dollop of scary torque and power, then grab one before the prices go silly. Mine's appreciated in value by about £1,000 since I bought it. Which was always my intention, and I've done well if you ignore the £4,800 I've spent on it. Ahem. I don't think Warren Buffett will be coming to me for tips. The bike itself, however, is the joy-filled antithesis of a modern inline four. Heck, it feels more savage than a Panigale V4 below 50mph.

It's a useable bike too. I was surprised by how useable it was on a long tour. With a Kriega tailpack mounted on the tank and a Kriega rucksack on my back, it made light work of 2,000 miles around Europe. Sure, I wished for a more nimble modern sportsbike chassis in the tighter corners, but on the fast sweepers of the Black Forest it was perfect.

I've yet to ride a bike that gives a similar experience to the 1198. In an age of short-stroke motors that deliver their power at ridiculously high revs, it's a joy to ride something that gives you everything it's got at road legal (ish) speeds. You can almost sense every power stroke of the 1198's L-twin engine smearing the rear tyre into the Tarmac, and the connection between your right wrist and the back tyre rivals anything I've ridden. It also keeps you on your toes. Sure, a V4 Panigale is a whole heap faster, but it's also relatively well tamed by electronics.

In my eyes the Ducati 1198 is probably the best modern classic bike you can buy right now.

So buy mine.