Prince William Buys 2011 Ducati 1198 SP

We knew about Prince William’s attraction towards the Italian machines ever since the Easy “Royal” Rider arrived at a polo match on a black Ducati 1198S in mid-2009. We also knew that was not an accidental move, as the Prince is known to have owned a wide range of motorbikes, from a Yamaha XT600, to a Honda Blackbird.

Under these conditions, the fact that he is rumored to have ordered a top of the range Ducati superbike machine is not so out of this world. According to Visordown (who do not specify the source of their report). Prince William has chosen a 2011 Ducati 1198 SP as his future ride, and has paid over GBP17,000 ($27,200) for it.

This means his royal buttocks will be seated on a 160 bhp machine, capable of reaching a top speed of 190 mph (305 km/h) and sprint from naught to 60 mph (98 km/h) in around 3 seconds. Let’s just hope he will keep his royal head on his royal shoulders and that his royal hands don’t twist the throttle (not royal) too much...

The new track-ready 1198 SP comes equipped with Ducati Traction Control, Ducati Quick Shifter, Ducati Data Analyzer, Ohlins TTX rear suspension, a race-derived slipper clutch, lightweight aluminum fuel tank, and 370 pounds/168 kg dry weight.

The 28-year-old British Royalty has been riding off-road since the age of eight. In 2008, he participated alongside his brother, Prince Harry in a motorcycle rally across South Africa, in charity purpose. In fact, Prince Harry even took riding tips from MotoGP star Chris Vermeulen last year. Maybe he passed them on to his older brother...