2012 Ducati Panigale S First Bike

Hello Everyone,

I recently just bought my first bike, a 2012 1199 Ducati Panigale S. The guy before me maintained the bike very well. He gave me all the service records and setups. Being this is my first Ducati, or sports bike period, what are some good practices for owning this caliper of a bike? I want to take care of it just as well as he did. I want to know what I can do to make sure it starts up and gets to point A to point B on a daily commute. How often should I change oil? What is a good cruising RPM on highways? What is good overall preventative maintenance practices that I can do as a rider? I am also going to be riding a lot in this Arizona heat. Any information will help. Has anyone taken their Panigale on a long commute? I am going to ride out to California from Phoenix on this bike eventually. I know it will be brutal but is a ride like that hard on a bike? Or they built for it? Assume I know nothing!!

Thanks, Mike.

Phoenix, ouch! Anything under 70mph, it'll turn into a toaster oven between your legs, wear thick pants!

Ride it like you stole it! She likes it hard and fast.

my best advice is spend a lot of time reading on this forum. lots of good information here from a lot of knowledgeable people; stuff i would never learn from anywhere else. all you need to know is right here on ducatiforum.com if you just take the time to read, read, read and watch the videos and read some more.

i have the same exact bike you have and although i bought it back in 2012 where there wasn't alot of good info available, there's no way i would know what little i do know if it were not for this forum whether it's maintenance, bike settings, tires, motogp, recalls, etc. welcome!

Best advice: sell it, fast. You're asking the wrong questions.

lol not happening guy...

Ride it like you stole it


Remember: you did not sign any marriage papers with this hot supermodel.
Treat her like she deserves to be treated.

Do not worry
Great bike. Rode mine to the WDW from the Netherlands to Italy and back
No problems for rider and bike
Just enjoy it

Thanks for the warm welcomes, yeah I kinda figured it was just common sense stuff but definitely a blast to ride. Look forward to going long distance when it cools off... Currently 110 today but still rode into work today

Phl said:

Ride it like you stole it


Remember: you did not sign any marriage papers with this hot supermodel.
Treat her like she deserves to be treated.

Click to expand...

And just like a supermodel, you think you own her, but you really don't, she owns you.

What chain lubricant do you guys recommend?

Thanks, Mike.

living with an 1199s

Read a lot here on the forum and you will find advice about all the issues you have questions with.

FWIW I don't lube my chain, they are sealed. I try to keep clean. WD40 and wipe it off good otherwise it gets thrown around. 4000 street and 4000 track miles and chain is OK. Have replaced rear sprocket once, pretty soon for the second time. I change the oil more often because of track duty. Keep things clean, tighten what gets loose. Very reliable so far.

I always wear full leathers when I rode on the street. Didn't really have a problem with leg getting too warm. But I also avoided stop and go traffic. No problems at all on the track. And I don't have the additional heat shield, but do have wrapped exhaust.

250 miles in one day is all I have done, and will not do that again. But then my back is 65 years old. At least lower the tire pressures a little.

THE best performance upgrade is a $2500 two day California Superbike School, several times a year in LAS. In the long run will likely save you money and skin.

Thats why you use maxima chain wax....doesnt fling.
You have metal to metal contact sprockets and chain