Former Motocross racer, new to Ducati

[CLA21]

Hey all, my name is Craig, I'm a 28 years old former motocross (80, 125, 250cc) racer who has been out of the motorcycle world for about 10 years due to having to work, living in NYC, and life in general.

I moved out here to Los Angeles in the past year (just outside the beverly hills area) and have had such fun with the canyons and great roads with my cars that I absolutely must get a bike.

I've ridden several Japanese bikes in the past, but have ultimately waited for the right time and place to get a Ducati due to its amazing performance, soul and thrill.

I've been looking into an 899, 1199s/r and have just found out the 1299s is out so that just changed my deliberation to an 899 and 1299s.

I have done a ton of research, spoken to owners and found some really prefer the 899 due to its ease of use on roads, and others (who own 1199's) say the larger bikes are fine as long as you configure the settings to be less tame.

The main problem I'm having (thinking I may want the 1299s) is the loss of money if/when I have to sell the 899 (should I decide to go with that) when I could have simply gotten a 1299 and set it lower. Before the 1199 deliberation last year I was considering a bmw 1000rr but found it to be so heavy, and typical german (like their cars, very heavy) that I came back to ducati's.

I'm sure a ton of you out here have experience with this, in the same area I live so I value and respect your advice more than you can imagine. I will use it (at first) to drive to/from the gym, cruise along the canyons, as well as rides/meets to get to know the great ducati owners in SoCal.

I'm sure once I'm familiar with the bike I'll bring it to a track every so often to have some fun with it in a controlled, safe environment. I'm also very interested in respecting the bike for what it is and am looking forward to finding some performance riding/race schools to hone my skills and ultimately do with the bike what I did with motocross years ago.

For what its worth I'm very athletic, drive/race performance cars, high performance personal watercraft so I'm used to managing high performance vehicles pretty well, but still respect the bike and will definitely attend some classes/schools.


Thanks in advance for reading this, expressing your opinion, and ultimately helping me get back into the motorsport.

-Craig

 

[wilkson]

Get what makes you happy . I went from racing dirt bikes to road bikes and bought a 1098 .
I respected what I was riding then started racing .

 

[Phl]

Welcome to the forum!

Get the one you desire the most!

As a former racer you def. have the "feel" for a bike. Don't worry, the 1299 is supposed to be not as snappy as the 1199. Work yourself into it and enjoy!

 

[bradp51]

My first bike back from a 28 year break from riding motorcycles was a 1199S. Had it now nearly 3 years. Great bike. I have even added a second hand FE450 Husaberg to the garage since then.

As Wilkson says you just need to respect what you have in your right hand. I would buy the 1299S or new R model if I was you. There have been some nice improvements on the 1199.

 

[dcam03]

You will likely enjoy either of the two. Somewhat similar to yourself, I took some time from riding sport bikes and rode dirt only for about 7 years. When I came back to riding, I got the 1199. Not too long after the 1199, I added a new Multi to the garage. You might want to try the Multi while you are at it. Get what you want - not what you need unless it s going to be your primary mode of transportation. Have fun figuring out what you are going to buy!

 

[CLA21]

Thank you all so very much, I sincerely appreciate it. Now the decision is between my original choice, 1199 R and 1299.

I went to Del Amo down in redondo recently, spoke with a very knowledgable ducati tech who suggested the R, and simply change the rear suspension setting to make it softer, which will make a world of a difference when using it around town.

In your opinions, R vs 1299s? I was told there won't be a 1299R for at least a year.

Thanks again

 

[80shilling]

Thank you all so very much, I sincerely appreciate it. Now the decision is between my original choice, 1199 R and 1299.

I went to Del Amo down in redondo recently, spoke with a very knowledgable ducati tech who suggested the R, and simply change the rear suspension setting to make it softer, which will make a world of a difference when using it around town.

In your opinions, R vs 1299s? I was told there won't be a 1299R for at least a year.

Thanks again

as far as anyone can tell, there won't be a 1299R, because the World Superbike rules have a displacement limit for the Ducatis of 1199cc, so the newest R model is 1199, not 1299. I guess if WSBK changes their rules to allow Ducati to run the 1299 capacity, then it could happen, but it seems doubtful.

 

[CLA21]

Salesman... Shouting out things they don't know lol thanks for your help. It seems wise for me to go with the 1299s as I won't be using it on the track and therefore will benefit from the new features.

How costly is maintenance after 24 months? I only lease cars now with free maintenance programs due to costly maintenance, especially when out of warranty so in wondering if it's better to sell/trade or if the costs aren't too bad.

With some of my performance vehicles the service costs are quite considerable so most lease Italian cars now as they truly are a nightmare after 24 months or so.

 

[flobrandx]

I'm more of the mindset of buying what my heart desires and that may not be the most logical... I think the choice comes down to what you want and what your going to use it for.

While the R is a awesome beautiful piece of race machinery you will loose the electronics of the 1299S which I feel are a really nice feature that could be helpful in different road situations. My thought is the R is fully track focused and the 1299S will be a better all around bike due to electronics and power delivery but that's just my speculation since I haven't rode either.

Oh, and I wouldn't base your purchase on resale... Buy what you want. There's my 2 cents and welcome to the forum.

 

[Thamer]

The only two "gripes" I have with the 1299s are one, the ohlins still isn't as good as on the new R1M(RR mag is the reference). Two, which doesn't really mean ...., but on the world stage it's the 1199R that's being raced. I know it should mean shot to the daily commuters or the Sunday trackday rider but to me it does

I still like the 1299S and would take one. If I could stretch the means I'd get the R. I'd seriously would consider the 899. You save a lot of cash that you can use to upgrade brakes and suspension, exhaust, and other goodies should you want to track seriously.

It's a tough life, but I'm sure you'll manage. Welcome to the forum!

 

[CLA21]

Thanks,

I was considering the 899 and additional parts (after feeling the need for them after some time) but after much research it seems the 1299s is quite an improvement over the 1199 in regards to daily use, comfort, etc. I also live in south Florida part of the year where roads are very long and open so the larger bike may really be fun. I had a similar issue with a 250/450 motocross bike and ultimately regret the 250 purchase so I'm kind of relating that to this. Plus the ability to set the 1299s to a tame setting really pulls me toward that bike

 

[Claymore]

I bought a Tricolore in 2012 and had her fitted with a full Termi system. I set her throttle to 195 Hi. Full race mapping followed, later I added a PCV with autotune, recently she received an updated program for the PCV with additional wiring so she now maps every gear individually, she has BST wheels and SICOM disks etc. She has no play on her throttle. What I am trying to say is that the Dragon Lady breaths fire and is a technical ride, but she is so much fun! I commute with her, drive in traffic, do long trips etc.
If you have fire in your soul you will stay away from the pussy foot modes and rather use finesse on your throttle. Go big or go home and you sound like an R kind of guy.

 

[CLA21]

Claymore, that post is making me get dressed and go to the dealer right now lol I race cars, motox previously and absolutely must have high horsepower cars so all signs point to R. Looks wise, that R is spectacular! Much like with BMW M's and other performance cars you can set the settings as soft as you'd like then switch to fire mode which is great. The sound of the R is just mind blowing as well, especially when in race mode as it gets louder. Today is going to be a good day lol thanks to everyone for helping.

 

[The Duchess of Desmo]

Craig,
I owned an 1199 base with Abs that had termi slip ons and was a super bike not costing the earth. The 1299s is very comfortable to ride nice and smooth in traffic.
Depends how much money you can afford to throw away in depreciation, nearl all but classic bikes are a depreciating asset!

 

[80shilling]

the ohlins still isn't as good as on the new R1M(RR mag is the reference).

Could you elaborate on why the 1299 Ohlins is not as good as the Yamaha M1 Ohlins? I thought they both had the exact same NIX 30 forks and the exact same TTX36 shock. Is it the electronic control of the shocks that the Yamaha does better?

Thanks.

 

[CLA21]

It seems the new question is 1299s modified with full akropovic exhaust, tons of carbon OR a used superleggera that a dealer has for $48k.

 

[wilkson]

Superleggara no question . Now just go buy it

 

[CLA21]

I thought the price was a little much but after calculating the cost of the akro, carbon, installation, etc the superleggera has it all, plus the resale (if I ever chose to sell) will be much, much higher. I assume it can still be used in wet (city) mode like the 1199, 1299, etc. correct?

 

[wilkson]

Correct . What are you doing on the Internet go buy it

 

[CLA21]

I'm having a hard time with the price difference lol Are ducati's discounted usually at high volume dealers? Especially when new. I'm wondering what the 1299s will cost out the door. It's a pretty big price difference, and the superleggera has 3k miles on it, versus another dealer on the east coast that has one with 6 miles for 60k.