Panigales, what are they like?
Discussion
Not owned one, just ridden/test rides.
Definitely a nice thing and an event to ride. It wasn't for me though. I felt 'fatigued' quite quickly and couldn't enjoy the experience, other than it being a very nice object. Ducati used warranty was stupidly low.
Some love them, I genuinely can see why. Not for me though. I think you really need to ride one as it's really subjective.
I bought a 2020 S1000rr M sport and loved it immediately. - but alot of people find them dull and clinical. The Ducati is certainly not that.
Test ride!
Definitely a nice thing and an event to ride. It wasn't for me though. I felt 'fatigued' quite quickly and couldn't enjoy the experience, other than it being a very nice object. Ducati used warranty was stupidly low.
Some love them, I genuinely can see why. Not for me though. I think you really need to ride one as it's really subjective.
I bought a 2020 S1000rr M sport and loved it immediately. - but alot of people find them dull and clinical. The Ducati is certainly not that.
Test ride!
Not owned one, but considered a 959 and a 1299, had both on long weekends, unlimited mileage rides. By lunchtime Saturday both were parked up in my garage. Uncompromising riding position, at least for a late 40s arthritic bugger like me. I had enough in an hour or so. Felt like my leg was burning all the time too.
But its lovely looking Ducati, sounds great, goes way faster than what you can really use on the road, its a sports bike, its not meant to be comfortable or practical and some time during your riding career its nice to experience ...guess its a bit like test riding a touring bike and criticizing it for not being that fast to change direction on a race track. Panigale test rides should be done on sunny track days
But its lovely looking Ducati, sounds great, goes way faster than what you can really use on the road, its a sports bike, its not meant to be comfortable or practical and some time during your riding career its nice to experience ...guess its a bit like test riding a touring bike and criticizing it for not being that fast to change direction on a race track. Panigale test rides should be done on sunny track days
I have an 1199s, I have also ridden just about every Pani variant up to the current V4.
They are stunning track bikes and piss poor roadbikes unless you live somewhere where you can genuinely stretch their legs, so basically not the south east, they can be cramped, they run hot and will boil your nads and handling wise make no sense below 50mph.
I have never ridden mine on the road, it would be pointless. I have done over 50000 miles on my 996 and with all the power and the heat, the Pani is a worse bike than that.
Here is a pic of my black 1199s next to my mates old 1299s.
They are stunning track bikes and piss poor roadbikes unless you live somewhere where you can genuinely stretch their legs, so basically not the south east, they can be cramped, they run hot and will boil your nads and handling wise make no sense below 50mph.
I have never ridden mine on the road, it would be pointless. I have done over 50000 miles on my 996 and with all the power and the heat, the Pani is a worse bike than that.
Here is a pic of my black 1199s next to my mates old 1299s.
I’ve owned a1299S since 2015 and whilst the point about “boiling your nads” when travelling slowly is true and town riding is very hard work, I think it makes a great roadbike: Comfy, good electronics (esp S), confident handling on Super Corsas in the dry, space to move around, good readable cockpit and space to carry (Kriega kit-based) 20-30 litres of soft luggage. I wouldn’t sweat riding to Spain in a couple of days. It’s a bit thirsty, so stops every 120 miles are the norm. Eats tyres, 1500 miles a set in not unusual.
I’ve had mine 7+ years and found nothing to replace yet. Bike history is 1098, 749, 748 then 600 Jap stuff in the 90s. But, license losing quick (as most superbikes are)
I’ve had mine 7+ years and found nothing to replace yet. Bike history is 1098, 749, 748 then 600 Jap stuff in the 90s. But, license losing quick (as most superbikes are)
dibblecorse said:
I have an 1199s, I have also ridden just about every Pani variant up to the current V4.
They are stunning track bikes and piss poor roadbikes unless you live somewhere where you can genuinely stretch their legs, so basically not the south east, they can be cramped, they run hot and will boil your nads and handling wise make no sense below 50mph.
I have never ridden mine on the road, it would be pointless. I have done over 50000 miles on my 996 and with all the power and the heat, the Pani is a worse bike than that.
Here is a pic of my black 1199s next to my mates old 1299s.
I had an early base V4 and really agree with this, great on a Sunday morning blast down some quiet country roads and I’d imagine brilliant on track (I didn’t have the balls to take a nearly 20k bike on track in case I threw it down the road and exempt from insurance) but absolutely god awful in town, exceptionally hot and has a grabby, unpleasant clutch imo but apparently this is a trait of Ducatis.They are stunning track bikes and piss poor roadbikes unless you live somewhere where you can genuinely stretch their legs, so basically not the south east, they can be cramped, they run hot and will boil your nads and handling wise make no sense below 50mph.
I have never ridden mine on the road, it would be pointless. I have done over 50000 miles on my 996 and with all the power and the heat, the Pani is a worse bike than that.
Here is a pic of my black 1199s next to my mates old 1299s.
Mine also had quite a few issues and recalls but it was a 2018 one and I’ve heard the 2020 and newer ones are much better.
I’ve got a 2011 RSV4 at the moment and as insane as it still is performance wise I find it easier to live with through towns and at slow speeds than the Pani, in the right setting though the Panigale is an amazing bike, I’m hoping to buy a new bike next year or in 2024 and I’d consider another one then but the latest Aprilia and if Yamaha update the R1 will be strong contenders for me too.
I've had a base 1199 and 1299 and now a 21 V4S. So I absolutely love a panigale, not the best for town riding as you can imagine but everything else is brilliant, with the comfort seat it was a joy going through Europe and a few laps on the ring. Never missed a beat.
If you can get a 1299 it's a better and easier bike to ride, and slightly more power always helps.
See if you can get a test ride of one, you'll find out in a few hundred metres whether you'll love or hate it
If you can get a 1299 it's a better and easier bike to ride, and slightly more power always helps.
See if you can get a test ride of one, you'll find out in a few hundred metres whether you'll love or hate it
Cheers for all replies.
I’m looking at this as a toy to aim for in the next year or two. It’ll be used for spirited riding on fast/twisties and the odd bit of coffee morning posing. Also have other bikes for traffic/commuting duties.
I’ve written off the idea of a 996/8 as although theyre stunning i have other stuff of similar performance already.
I had been looking at 1198s as they have a bit more of the earlier styling but again have ben warned off them for reliability/build. Not sure how accurate this is though.
Had also considered big bang R1 and the s1000rr but i suspect they wouldn’t feel as special, whatever that means.
I’m looking at this as a toy to aim for in the next year or two. It’ll be used for spirited riding on fast/twisties and the odd bit of coffee morning posing. Also have other bikes for traffic/commuting duties.
I’ve written off the idea of a 996/8 as although theyre stunning i have other stuff of similar performance already.
I had been looking at 1198s as they have a bit more of the earlier styling but again have ben warned off them for reliability/build. Not sure how accurate this is though.
Had also considered big bang R1 and the s1000rr but i suspect they wouldn’t feel as special, whatever that means.
I have a 1299R FE, bought early this year as a 'decade' bike. I have been riding for 60ish years, old British stuff then onto Japanese inline fours, with a stroker or two in between. I still have my gen4 ZX10R, so I can give you my thoughts on how the Pani compares.
If I had to use one word to describe it; brutal. It hates going slow, traffic and villages have to ridden a gear or two lower than an inline four and lots of clutch slipping is required below 20mph. It runs very hot (between the legs!), but I have not experienced true roasting although I wouldn't ride ride it on the hottest of days (30c).
Idling, it sounds like a bloody tractor, it smooths out at 5k rpm and full throttle will have it lifting the front in any intermediate gear. You need to be quick with gear changes as you only have about 6k revs to play with and they are consumed in a flash, and the hard cut rev limiter will have you over the front of the bike. Ask me how I know. Riding position is great for knee and hip angulation (better than the ZX10R)but it is pretty wristy (worse). The standard seat slopes down to the tank and felt awkward to me. I put a DP comfort seat on it which is flatter and higher at the front; much better. Stomp grip is next.
It is light, handles brilliantly and is, in my opinion, achingly beautiful.
I would not have one as an only bike. If I want an 'easy' ride I take the Kawasaki, but on the right road the Pani is an unbeatable experience.
You have other bikes for the mundane stuff; the Pani... get it bought!
If I had to use one word to describe it; brutal. It hates going slow, traffic and villages have to ridden a gear or two lower than an inline four and lots of clutch slipping is required below 20mph. It runs very hot (between the legs!), but I have not experienced true roasting although I wouldn't ride ride it on the hottest of days (30c).
Idling, it sounds like a bloody tractor, it smooths out at 5k rpm and full throttle will have it lifting the front in any intermediate gear. You need to be quick with gear changes as you only have about 6k revs to play with and they are consumed in a flash, and the hard cut rev limiter will have you over the front of the bike. Ask me how I know. Riding position is great for knee and hip angulation (better than the ZX10R)but it is pretty wristy (worse). The standard seat slopes down to the tank and felt awkward to me. I put a DP comfort seat on it which is flatter and higher at the front; much better. Stomp grip is next.
It is light, handles brilliantly and is, in my opinion, achingly beautiful.
I would not have one as an only bike. If I want an 'easy' ride I take the Kawasaki, but on the right road the Pani is an unbeatable experience.
You have other bikes for the mundane stuff; the Pani... get it bought!
V1nce Fox said:
Cheers for all replies.
I’m looking at this as a toy to aim for in the next year or two. It’ll be used for spirited riding on fast/twisties and the odd bit of coffee morning posing. Also have other bikes for traffic/commuting duties.
I’ve written off the idea of a 996/8 as although theyre stunning i have other stuff of similar performance already.
I had been looking at 1198s as they have a bit more of the earlier styling but again have ben warned off them for reliability/build. Not sure how accurate this is though.
Had also considered big bang R1 and the s1000rr but i suspect they wouldn’t feel as special, whatever that means.
I wouldn’t discount the R1, i had a 899 and R1, I actually preferred the R1 as a toy like you describe, I wouldn’t say the 899 felt anymore special or of an event to ride, the cp4 in the r1 is a very characterful engine in my opinion, it is also a lot more comfortable, the 899 is the only bike I’ve owned that destroyed my wrists. I’m looking at this as a toy to aim for in the next year or two. It’ll be used for spirited riding on fast/twisties and the odd bit of coffee morning posing. Also have other bikes for traffic/commuting duties.
I’ve written off the idea of a 996/8 as although theyre stunning i have other stuff of similar performance already.
I had been looking at 1198s as they have a bit more of the earlier styling but again have ben warned off them for reliability/build. Not sure how accurate this is though.
Had also considered big bang R1 and the s1000rr but i suspect they wouldn’t feel as special, whatever that means.
V1nce Fox said:
Cheers for all replies.
I’m looking at this as a toy to aim for in the next year or two. It’ll be used for spirited riding on fast/twisties and the odd bit of coffee morning posing. Also have other bikes for traffic/commuting duties.
I’ve written off the idea of a 996/8 as although theyre stunning i have other stuff of similar performance already.
I had been looking at 1198s as they have a bit more of the earlier styling but again have ben warned off them for reliability/build. Not sure how accurate this is though.
Had also considered big bang R1 and the s1000rr but i suspect they wouldn’t feel as special, whatever that means.
I had an R1M after the base Panigale V4 and honestly it does feel as special, sounds better imo too and personally I thought there wasn’t much in it handling wise but the R1 is easier to live with when you’re not going for it.I’m looking at this as a toy to aim for in the next year or two. It’ll be used for spirited riding on fast/twisties and the odd bit of coffee morning posing. Also have other bikes for traffic/commuting duties.
I’ve written off the idea of a 996/8 as although theyre stunning i have other stuff of similar performance already.
I had been looking at 1198s as they have a bit more of the earlier styling but again have ben warned off them for reliability/build. Not sure how accurate this is though.
Had also considered big bang R1 and the s1000rr but i suspect they wouldn’t feel as special, whatever that means.
Also can compare against the Aprilia RSV4 which I prefer to the Ducati too not that they’re not all very,very good bikes, just comes down to personal preference and I’m sure you’d love the Panigale.
I have 1199S. It is insane. It is horrible. It is an animal. And, when you are in the mood, it is a brainrush like little else
It is not a bike for going from A to B. But A to A. Occassionally. On a warm spring/summer/autumn morning.
Do not consider it if air temp is under 10C. Or it is even slightly moist.
As a toy alongside "proper" bikes, they are huge fun. Love mine.
It is not a bike for going from A to B. But A to A. Occassionally. On a warm spring/summer/autumn morning.
Do not consider it if air temp is under 10C. Or it is even slightly moist.
As a toy alongside "proper" bikes, they are huge fun. Love mine.
Bob_Defly said:
Why does everyone always go for the full fat Panigale? I would have thought that a V2 would make a much better road bike for 90% of people, that would be my choice.
Cos there for girls innit 
I totally agree, I had the 899 and power wise it was great on the road, still plenty fast enough but you could still use a few gears in anger without going too too stupid.
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