2015 1199R on the street?

after skimming all of these opinions, i think the best street bike is a....car.. much safer, no need for helmet, leathers, etc. can get u to grocery store, around a bend and if u need to b that person at starfux, u can get a porsche turbo or ferrari..

jdgun said:

Just buy what makes you feel good... Plain and simple!

I am not getting any younger or healthier, and went with the Panigale for street and track use, knowing the issues related with it.. But those "things" are totally bearable knowing the sensations I feel & get when riding the bike at a brisk pace on the street... Cant wait for spring and getting her on track.

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And that is a very valid point. Hence my comment of "buy what you want, you only live once".

Nobody can say the Panigale is a good street bike (relative to the aforementioned bikes that are actually designed as street bikes). But sometimes it isn't always about what is "best", it is about what gives you the biggest cheesing ... grin.

My Grom is one of the weakest street legal bikes in the world, but .... that thing is fun. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I have a problem wasting money…
My track bike (999s) is set up so beautifully with full Akra, BSTs, aftermarket ohlins, HM quick shifter,race triples, Rapidbike, etc, etc..

BUT.. I still pour .... loads of money into my street bike (1199s Tri) and it is getting closer if not surpassing my tracksetup.. I just got BSTs, Rapidbike Race, Rapidbike Quickshitter, CRG Carbon levers, Sprint P16, Carbon everywhere, Now the FM race full exhaust and Race header that will force me to remove my fan …..
….I can't stop buying this .... that will have very little impact , if any, on my street riding …

.... me…

Making them "your own" and more comfortable/fun is part of the fun. But I don't go into all of that with a street bike.

I will change the rearsets and levers, put on a FE kit and I might go with a slip-on exhaust depending on how hideous the OEM exhaust is. I wont mess with a tuner unless the OEM mapping is pure .....

But that is it. I don't do any performance mods as I don't think they are necessary. I have put the street bodywork back on my highly modified RSV4 ex-race bike. And going to the gym on it is no more enjoyable or faster or otherwise different than going to the gym on a stock one. I love shopping and buying stuff and it is exciting, but then once you are actually sitting on the seat and going down the road, there is just no real tangible difference. It takes 8-12min to get to the gym and the speed limit is the same regardless of what is done to the bike.

Prince Albert said:

I have a problem wasting money"¦
My track bike (999s) is set up so beautifully with full Akra, BSTs, aftermarket ohlins, HM quick shifter,race triples, Rapidbike, etc, etc..

BUT.. I still pour .... loads of money into my street bike (1199s Tri) and it is getting closer if not surpassing my tracksetup.. I just got BSTs, Rapidbike Race, Rapidbike Quickshitter, CRG Carbon levers, Sprint P16, Carbon everywhere, Now the FM race full exhaust and Race header that will force me to remove my fan "¦..
"¦.I can't stop buying this .... that will have very little impact , if any, on my street riding "¦

.... me"¦

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yeah and all it takes is one texting .... on the road to give u the privilege of starting to customize your street bike all over again, assuming u arent dead/paralyzed... oh well, i guess something to look forward to....

VAST said:

yeah and all it takes is one texting .... on the road to give u the privilege of starting to customize your street bike all over again, assuming u arent dead/paralyzed... oh well, i guess something to look forward to....

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Well said…

Thanks all for the lively debate. Keep it coming!

I agree with Chaotic's point about people coming to forums for validation for decisions they've already made. I see it in firearms forums all the time. However, in this case I really haven't decided.

In reading all that I can, it seems the the 1199R is either 1) a gutless wonder below 10,000 rpm, 2) so scary that if you so much as look at it wrong you will end up wearing the fairing as a hat, or 3) so cantankerous that it just wants to light your ... on fire and leave you stalled out on the side of the road.

I know none of that is 100% right, so I'm here to try to figure out how good or bad it really is to ride on the back roads.

I have an R1200GS, among others. I don't need a multi-function bike or a commuter or an ideal street bike. I don't go to coffee shops. I drove my 911 Turbo all winter long through Colorado snow. I work on my own stuff, usually. My favorite car has no radio and punches you in the kidneys if you hit a bad expansion joint. Most think I'm "not quite right" and are probably right about that. I don't need to save the price difference to a less expensive bike and invest it (although this is great practical advice).

So, what I want to know is, "Is the 1199R rideable on the street, knowing the inconveniences, or would I just hate it as an unruly, unreliable beast?"

Jmorin said:

So, what I want to know is, "Is the 1199R rideable on the street, knowing the inconveniences, or would I just hate it as an unruly, unreliable beast?"

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I really do not think it would be any better or worse than an 1199S in terms of "rideability." I wish they made them when I bought mine in 2012; I would have bought one.
So, go ahead and buy the "race bike for the street." It is NOT going to be an unruly beast and probably no less reliable than any other Panigale.

Rideable yes.
By default it is probably jerky and you'd wish you had bought a cbr instead.
Then you add throttle spacer kit for $20, ecu reflash (rexxer, tuneboy), and match the suspension to how you like it, then you'll love the bike.
Just like 1199S, only ever so slightly quicker revving I guess?
Still a beast though. My 1199s is still an unruly, unreliable, lovely beast

Then you take it to the track, and the world instantly changes......

P.S.
Mine does not stall.

"Gutless" is a relative term. Yes - the oversquare motor (and especially the motor in the R) is designed to be kept higher in the revs similar to an I4 in order to get optimal acceleration.

BUT...it all depends on what you are comparing it too. In the midrange you are still talking about at least 70ft/lbs of torque, and for example my RSV4 only makes 80ft/lbs at its peak.

So contrary to popular belief, there is NOTHING "gutless" about a Panigale, even in the midrange, and even with the R. Yes, on the track it should never fall below 7k or so, but as far as on the street, it will be perfectly fine for getting you down the road in any gear, at just about any RPM above 3-4k.

Hell my Grom only makes 11hp and it gets me around town and through the mountains just fine.

Jmorin said:

So, what I want to know is, "Is the 1199R rideable on the street, knowing the inconveniences, or would I just hate it as an unruly, unreliable beast?"

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I commute 150km a day on mine in the summer, then the weekend comes.
30 mins with basic tools and its stripped and on the track at weekends.
Far better commuter/street bike than my any of my 748/916/996/1098 bikes have been and they managed perfectly ok.

Only you know what your usage will be and what your tolerance levels are.

Oh and its not gutless below 10k, you only really notice what is missing due to how much comes in above 10k.
You need to recalibrate your brain a little the first few times you wind it up there,
but I dare say the S will not feel that much different after the beemer.

Have you ridden a demo at a Ducati dealership? It's not hard to - try a 1299S and see how you feel about riding one on the street. Do go to your nearest one regardless of how far you have to go. There is a good chance you'll fall in love with it as I did. The sound alone was enough. I did demo a BMW 1000RR the same day (not hard to demo those either) which is a better street sportbike (slightly in my mind) but the personality of the Duc outweighed whatever little advantages the BMW had.

For the street, I have a couple of Harleys I prefer to ride in general. But the Duc is a different trip and you will enjoy it for those backroads you thinking of with this ONE exception: If you find yourself riding at pretty high speeds frequently and admittedly dangerous although fun, don't get it unless you take it to the track for that. Also take a sportbike class to get the most out of this bike. Cruising on these sportbikes are most enjoyable at speeds of 80 mph or so. No, the 1199R is NOT cantankerous, NOT a 10K rpm wonder (powerband gets fun at 7500 rpm or so but it certainly ISN'T gutless below that), NOT unruly, and NOT unreliable.

From how you described yourself, I do think you would appreciate this bike although you'll appreciate it more on the track. Try a trackday at least once. Many of the outfits running the trackdays have schools that will help you enjoy this bike better as I mentioned earlier.

+1 on demo ride - I think you will be impressed with the 1299 power delivery, it's what sold me vs the S1000RR for street/mountain road riding (the S1000RR is all top end, the 1199 is probably somewhere in the middle)

VAST said:

after skimming all of these opinions, i think the best street bike is a....car.. much safer, no need for helmet, leathers, etc. can get u to grocery store, around a bend and if u need to b that person at starfux, u can get a porsche turbo or ferrari..

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Agreed.

Chaotic said:

Agreed.

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Nice rig!

990Glen said:

I commute 150km a day on mine in the summer, then the weekend comes.
30 mins with basic tools and its stripped and on the track at weekends.
Far better commuter/street bike than my any of my 748/916/996/1098 bikes have been and they managed perfectly ok.

Only you know what your usage will be and what your tolerance levels are.

Oh and its not gutless below 10k, you only really notice what is missing due to how much comes in above 10k.
You need to recalibrate your brain a little the first few times you wind it up there,
but I dare say the S will not feel that much different after the beemer.

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What he said!!

b9009b said:

the only problem i have with my 1199 on the street is that people,go too damn slow.

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rofl...

Love that color scheme Chaotic!

Chaotic said:

Agreed.

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i really did mean a coupE tho, not the soccer mom model

Mutt1979 said:

What he said!!

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isnt that the guy that cant tell the difference between a 1098 and the pani ¿ ¿ ¿ bucket of salt....