2012 Non ABS VS 2013 ABS $2300 difference??

AKKutz said:

The Cycle Trader pricing is inaccurate. The MSRP for a base 2013 1199 Panigale is 18995 and comes standard with ABS in your choice of color, white or red!

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Thanks. I guess I should jump on one of those listed on Cycle Trader before the dealers figure out they have them priced wrong.

I am going against the grain here and say to save the 2,300 and go non abs. I've been riding and racing for several years and feel that the brakes are so good/great on this bike. You will also save weight along with the 2,300. Just my opinion.

jredling said:

I am going against the grain here and say to save the 2,300 and go non abs. I've been riding and racing for several years and feel that the brakes are so good/great on this bike. You will also save weight along with the 2,300. Just my opinion.

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If you are pretty sure that riding in the rain would be very rare, and I mean VERY rare, I would agree. It's all about the rain. I know a guy who was on a 1098 and it started raining. He came up to a stop light while riding with a small group. He slid in the rain and ran into a......are you ready for this? A Desmosedici. Did $25,000 damage to the Desmo. That is an absolute true story. I had just talked to them about an hour before it happened and I got the story direct from the owner of the Desmo a couple of weeks later.

I commuted on my 1198S for ages through oily city streets and over tram tracks and white lines and never had an issue with braking in the rain on the OEM tyres.

In my opinion, ABS isn't there for everyday use, it is for that time when you have done everything you can to be defensive and something crazy happens right in front of you.

Just like the airbags in my car, I don't ever plan to use the ABS.

Well my thinking was if I had to ask the question and linger over the answers for so long that it was safe to just go ahead with the 2013 ABS and call it a day, otherwise id be stewing about it for months and it would probably create buyers remorse when unnecessary. I got the price difference down to under 2k, but dont forget i got a 2013 less than retail which no other dealer in the state would do for a 2013 this early in the year. I got Out the door for $19125 which even included a DP tank protector. In florida thats not a bad deal right now. Plus i get that fancy oil sight hole in the faring that the 2012 doesn't have haha like i will ever look at it anyway. Thats for the service guys to worry about. Anyway thanks for all your input, i think it came down to a model year newer (even though build date was september 2012) the 2012 Build date was April 2012 so on my title it looks a little better, and like you said, i don't think id want a car without airbags (which i hope to never use) but the option will be there for me if i ever need it. Plus i get to look at the pretty ABS light when i start the beast up! I understand I've never needed it but just because you have a good parachute when you jump out of a plane, does it mean you shouldn't carry a back up chute? Probably not..

+1 for ABS. But do you have service guys look at your window for you??

Dude,
Of course the choice is up to you, so this is the time to make the best decision. But, once you have either model, just be satisfied because each year there will be some small nuance that will be added to the bike that will make you second guess your decision. I've gone from an R1 to the Pani as well. For the last 6 years I've only done track days, no street riding at all. I have 34 miles on the Pani, only 566 miles to go before I can track it!!!!! Good Luck!!

Rob,

jredling said:

I am going against the grain here and say to save the 2,300 and go non abs. I've been riding and racing for several years and feel that the brakes are so good/great on this bike. You will also save weight along with the 2,300. Just my opinion.

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+1 Non ABS for me for weight savings
If you think you will ever panic and grab a fist full of brakes as most people do get the ABS most likely you will still hit the kangaroo. If know you are a experienced rider and your first thought or instinct is to countersteer when you see trouble get the non ABS. Both brakes are amazing at 30 MPH - 29 feet and at 60 MPH - 121 feet from the reviews I read but to me it still doesn't give you enough time to come to a full stop by the time you see a kangaroo in the road at 70+MPH as most of us drive. I once grabbed a fist full of brakes when I was 9 years old on my dirt bike learned my lesson and haven't done it since. Went to Motorcycle safety school at 15 learned all about counter steering to get out of trouble. 30 years later still using it on the streets every time I ride.

ScrapperX said:

+1 Non ABS for me for weight savings
If you think you will ever panic and grab a fist full of brakes as most people do get the ABS most likely you will still hit the kangaroo. If know you are a experienced rider and your first thought or instinct is to countersteer when you see trouble get the non ABS. Both brakes are amazing at 30 MPH - 29 feet and at 60 MPH - 121 feet from the reviews I read but to me it still doesn't give you enough time to come to a full stop by the time you see a kangaroo in the road at 70+MPH as most of us drive. I once grabbed a fist full of brakes when I was 9 years old on my dirt bike learned my lesson and haven't done it since. Went to Motorcycle safety school at 15 learned all about counter steering to get out of trouble. 30 years later still using it on the streets every time I ride.

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ABS is like insurance. You don't need it very often, and maybe never. But if you do it could save your ass. As I said above, if you only ride in the dry it's probably okay, and I do have a bike right now without it (and three bikes with it). But if you have a choice it's a no brainer. And if the money is an object why buy a Panigale to begin with?