After restoring my 916 and recommissioning my 996 along with some added extras along the way, I’ve found myself looking over and over at 1198s’s I have another 996 in bits and a 748 which has a 853 motor that I don’t see to have the time to get round to finishing, I’m wondering if I sell the bits and fund a 1198. is there anything I should be looking out for? Thanks for any help in advance. olly
Make sure it's got a good battery mate, mine was a bastard to start of not fully charged and kept on an optimate, if you get one upgrade the starter cables. Gear boxes are a weak point too, especially if they got a quick shifter fitted. But they are a cracking bike. I miss mine.
I think the gearbox “issues” were resolved for the 1198. Agree with previous comments - battery needs to be tip top otherwise one may shag the sprag. Reg/rec is standard shite.
Ideally you want a Mosfet reg/rec relocated to the battery side. I put an Antigravity batt in mine with 460CCA and that gets the big twin going no problem.
Petrol tank prone to swelling due to ethanol. There should be at least a 5mm gap between the tank and steering damper mount. Mosfet or series R/R upgrade. Raise immo antenna by placing washers under mounting bolts, this cures non-starting due to water blocking signal from key transponder.
A full 70mm exhaust is nice, but it moves the power up the rev range. Great for track days etc, but for normal roads, I'd wager just the slash cuts are better. I also believe the noise is nicer to the ear. More Led Zep than QOTSA. Both are great sounds, but i did prefer just the slashies for noise and rideability on normal roads. Plus the full 70 will burn your right calf.
Theyre a great live act. I dont like the O2. Its a bit sterile a venue. I hope Brixton Academy survives as its my fave venue. I saw them there a few times and they almost make your ears bleed. Theyre 2nd only to Sabres of Paradise for bass volume at gigs Ive been to.
A real random one, but on my previous 1098R the swingarm had a lot of water in it. After removing the hub (which had virtually no grease on the bearings), i dried it out and sprayed a little ACF50 inside to combat corrosion. Regreased everything and re-assembled. Was a nice job to do over winter. Think i've got some photos of the strip and rebuild somewhere.........
