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2008 Ducati 848 First Ride Photo Gallery

Photos of the all-new Ducati 848 at Spain's Almeria circuit.2008 Ducati 848 First Ride

2008 Ducati 848

Essentially a lighter, not as powerful 1098, the 848 is near indistinguishable from the original for three grand less.

2008 Ducati 848

The Ducati 848 still pulls plenty hard through the upper portion of the revs, but only a head-to-head run on the dyno is going to tell us exactly how hard it’s working.

2008 Ducati 848

The brand-spanking new 2008 Ducati 848 Superbike is proof that despite the proven Italian philosophy of excess, in some cases, less is more.

2008 Ducati 848

The Pirelli Supercorsa Pro street/race tires are good enough to tame a challenging track like Almeria so there’s no doubt it will be track-day worthy right off the showroom floor.

Although the solid chassis is a key component to the 848 equation, it’s the linear power delivery of the little Evoluzione engine that really makes it painless to ride fast.

Does this description sound familiar? Well, it should. The benchmark bike mentioned specifically was the Triumph 675. Like its British rival, the 848 forgoes a peaky power delivery for more muscle in the middle – a trend the majority of us can all benefit from.

2008 Ducati 848

Ducati has retained the basic frame dimensions as the 1908 and incorporated select cost cutting and weight saving measures that come together as a bike which is as much fun to ride with even less effort.

The elevation changes and combination of technical elements with fast flowing curves ensured that the good all around nature of the 848 was exposed whether it was supposed to or not.

2008 Ducati 848

A good pair of dancing shoes is always a must and as is the case with all Ducati superbike’s these days, Pirelli provided plenty of grip with its Supercorsa Pro tires.

There’s good stuff to like about this mill as well. It offers up a healthy dose of engine braking and despite not being equipped with a slipper clutch it didn’t get too out of shape during aggressive downshifts.

2008 Ducati 848

The 848 is equipped with the first-ever wet clutch that has made its way into a modern Ducati Superbike.

The 848 is light, agile, easy-to ride and looks like a million bucks.

This is an inspiring ride that, after an afternoon of assaulting Almerian asphalt revealed, is destined to be a hit with any rider lucky enough to find one of these plucky ducs in their garage come Spring.