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Runway Rumble: Nissan GT-R, Ducati 1098 and Lamborghini Reventon Roadster battle it out

Jonathon Ramsey — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Lamborghini, Nissan, Motorcycle, Luxury

One 2.5-mile runway, three different ways to take off: a Ducati 1098, a tuned Nissan GT-R with 580 horsepower and a launch control upgrade, and a Lamborghini Reventon Roadster. You'd naturally expect the Ducati to assert it's lightweight, high-horsepower authority in these matters, but with more than two miles to run, the ride that gets the jump at the line isn't always the one that gets the win.

That comes in especially handy for the Lamborghini, which suffers from a bad start in the first race and just looks plain ordinary in the second, until it finds redemption. You can see how it all goes down in the video below.

Continue reading Runway Rumble: Nissan GT-R, Ducati 1098 and Lamborghini Reventon Roadster battle it out

Runway Rumble: Nissan GT-R, Ducati 1098 and Lamborghini Reventon Roadster battle it out originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jan 2013 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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"Kill Me Fast" Ducati collection is morbidly-named motorcycle art

Zach Bowman — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:25:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Motorcycle, Design/Style

Kristian van Hornsleth "Kill Me Fast" Ducati collection - Click above for high-res image gallery

Ask anyone with a set of functional optic nerves and they'll tell you that Ducati is responsible for crafting some of the most gorgeous two-wheeled machines on the planet. It's something that the bike manufacturer just can't seem to help. Danish artist Kristian van Hornsleth has responded to the lines of the company's 1098 and 1198 bruisers by slathering 10 of the machines in a special paint scheme. Hornsleth calls the series "Kill Me Fast," which seems darkly appropriate for bikes that can rip off the 0-60 mph dash in less than three seconds.

Hornsleth said he was drawn to the Ducs when he asked a salesman if it were dangerous to ride such a fast bike. The guy responded that you don't feel anything when you hit a wall going 320 kph. That's 198.8 mph for those of us with an aversion to the metric system. We can't say with any authority whether or not that's true, but chances are your friends and family will feel the loss long after the EMTs finish plucking your molars from the mortar.

If you like what Hornsleth has done with the bikes and can't afford a real one yourself, you can snap up a poster over on the artist's web site.

"Kill Me Fast" Ducati collection is morbidly-named motorcycle art originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Godzilla versus the Ducati 1098 superbike

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:58:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Coupe, Performance, Videos, Nissan, Motorcycle

Ducati 1098 versus Nissan GT-R - Click above to watch the video after the break

What happens when you line a motorcycle up with a car on a racetrack? As always, the answer is up for debate and depends on the vehicles being compared, the track they are running on, track and weather conditions and the skill of the pilots. Still, it's an age-old battle of four wheels versus two, good versus evil - and somehow we just know that the video from Autocar pasted after the break will only serve to drive the two camps further apart than ever before.

First, the combatants. A stealthy black Nissan GT-R carries the turbocharged, all-wheel drive torch on the four-wheeled side, while a Ducati 1098 ably handles the motorcycle duties. As you probably expect, the superbike has no problems whatsoever leaving the GT-R for dead in a straight line, while the car's two additional contact patches allow it to brake and turn with much more authority than the Ducati. And the winner is? Click past the break to see for yourself.

[Source: Autocar via Youtube]

Continue reading Video: Godzilla versus the Ducati 1098 superbike

Video: Godzilla versus the Ducati 1098 superbike originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ducati 1098 named the 2008 International Bike of the Year

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:57:00 EST

Filed under: Contests, Europe, Motorcycle

Ducati and its awe-inspiring 1098 has delivered a knockout blow to its competitors with the 2008 International Bike of the Year trophy, winning the coveted award with 22 total votes, 13 higher than the next closest motorcycle, the Triumph Street Triple. This award goes to the best motorcycle of the year and is voted on by 15 independent motorcycle publications. Not only did Ducati take the top spot overall, it dominated the charts by also snagging ties for third place with the 1098S, sixth place with the Desmosedici and seventh with the Hypermotard. That's an impressive feat by any measure, but perhaps even better news for the iconic Italian company is that consumers seem to overwhelmingly agree with the choice. For the first time ever, the IBOTY held an online poll to accompany its official vote and the 1098 took first place there too with 996 votes. Second place went to the Desmosedici, third went to the 1098S and eighth was taken by the Hypermotard.

Ducati has been on a role lately, also scoring the "Best Bike of the Year" award from the Supertest World Association. These awards are going to very deserving bikes, which are also translating directly to Ducati's best sales numbers ever. We look forward to seeing the coming response to Ducati's winning streak from the drawing boards of the competition. It's truly a good time to be a sportbike enthusiast.

Gallery: Ducati 1098 R

Ducati 1098 R: 180 horsepower, 364 pounds, traction control... il più bello

[Source: Cycle World]

Ducati 1098 named the 2008 International Bike of the Year originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ducati 1098 R: 180 horsepower, 364 pounds, traction control... il pi� bello

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:57:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Motorcycle

click above for a full gallery of Ducati 1098 R images

This is truly the best Ducati bike that you are likely to get your hands on, considering that the Desmosedici RR MotoGP replica is probably out of reach and certainly sold out. Don't feel bad, though, 'cause the 1098 R is a most excellent consolation prize. We never did hate on the 999 like many Ducati loyalists seemed to, but we still recognize the 1098 R as a vast improvement. The details read as you might expect, such as the bigger bore, bigger stroke, bigger valves, and bigger throttle bodies housed inside the sand-cast engine cases that ought to adequately hurtle the Öhlins TTXR single rear shock and fully adjustable 43 mm Öhlins fork with low friction Titanium Nitride towards the next apex. Keeping up appearances is the carbon fiber bodywork, tri-colored color scheme (plus natural carbon fiber finish) and gold Marchesini Y-shaped forged wheels. Bello indeed.

Leading the list of electronic goodies is the traction control system, which is enabled with the included track-only ECU tuning. We imagine, however, that many riders will run the upgraded programming on the street regardless. Can't blame 'em if they do, and they'll be rewarded with a boost from 180 horsepower to 186. Every little bit counts, right?

Gallery: Ducati 1098 R

[Source: Ducati]

Continue reading Ducati 1098 R: 180 horsepower, 364 pounds, traction control... il pi� bello

Ducati 1098 R: 180 horsepower, 364 pounds, traction control... il pi� bello originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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