A positive thread for you 1199 owners.

[MadeinItaly]

Everyone knows I love my Pani more then any bike I have ever owned, including other Ducati's.
However , I don't think we should fall into the trap of being professional apologist for Ducati or have blind love. The bike was marketed as "checkmate" so you can't blame the other bike owners for giving us some crap. Nothing worse then false bravado.
Price tag for the S/abs takes you with taxes to about 27k. That also gives the other guys some room to question value for the money. Have never been to a bike night where some guy doesn't bring up the latest recall on my bike. Why are they more aware of my recall then on their own bike,lol?
Yes most naysayers would buy a Ducati if they could in a second but you can see at that price point it should be the king on the road, and it's not.
Again I'm Italian, I love Ducati, I am proud of them, but when a mirror shakes lose or a bolt was not tightened completely, or the bike stalls at a light and will not restart in front of other riders, I cannot just excuse it away.
If we truly love Ducati then we need to hold their feet to the fire and demand better.

 

[rm4two]

Everyone knows I love my Pani more then any bike I have ever owned, including other Ducati's.
However , I don't think we should fall into the trap of being professional apologist for Ducati or have blind love. The bike was marketed as "checkmate" so you can't blame the other bike owners for giving us some crap. Nothing worse then false bravado.
Price tag for the S/abs takes you with taxes to about 27k. That also gives the other guys some room to question value for the money. Have never been to a bike night where some guy doesn't bring up the latest recall on my bike. Why are they more aware of my recall then on their own bike,lol?
Yes most naysayers would buy a Ducati if they could in a second but you can see at that price point it should be the king on the road, and it's not.
Again I'm Italian, I love Ducati, I am proud of them, but when a mirror shakes lose or a bolt was not tightened completely, or the bike stalls at a light and will not restart in front of other riders, I cannot just excuse it away.
If we truly love Ducati then we need to hold their feet to the fire and demand better.

Here here!! I love my Pani as well and wouldn't consider trading it for anything else, but from the outside looking in, it does seem like we are making a lot of excuses for some of these short comings? I don't agree with all of it but it does look that way.

 

[BlueBear]

hi all 1st post

i love this post
i completely agree with this post
no matter what innovation doesnt take 1 go to crack at it to get it right
but this bike is a real good start to move forward unless we like to be all running around in the same toyota car. or inline4 boring crap.
this bike is 1st in alot of things (production wise)
back in the day i always wonder when they will build this and that specially when we didnt need them ie. Frame, bulb globe lights, analog fugly tacho,

when i look at best cars, i look at what they have to offer and wonder why bikes are not like that. im glad ducati had the to balls to do it and they will improve and fix issues of the 2012 models.

coming next year I WILL OWN THIS BIKE!
i dont earn the big bucks, infact im on the average wage. but i know a good bike when i see one, only comes down to test ride before i get it to see if the bike wants me.

 

[flobrandx]

Then let this be a thread of testament and tell everyone how much you love this bike, because I for damn sure enjoy it!

+1 Nice! I concur my good man!

I love mine and could never imagine going back to the Jap bikes. There is too much soul, style and character to want to settle for less. Worth every penny.

 

[ScottJon]

I have been thinking about this for a while, and I do realize that only a few people out of all that purchased one are on this site, and most of the information is good info to be aware of. but....... there are good and bad ways to say things. I was starting to think everyone hates their 1199.

besides Ducati's i have had Harley's (talk about vibration monsters that leak),heck my 1983 Suzuki GS55E was a rattling pile of nuts and bolts and lots of muscle cars that all need to be looked at before you ride or drive (and after if your really smart), nuts need to be tightened, fluids topped off. and my favorite part of your note, YES..... there is a very powerful motor under your butt that makes heat.

Like many others here, thanks for writing this letter, its noce to see there are other people happy with their purchase.

 

[LarryG]

On another note lets clear some things up:

1. Exhaust smoking: Ummm, either live with it and hope it doesn't break down. -OR- go kick the dealer in the nuts until they fix it. Sitting there and analyzing a motor is not the same as having a hopefully well qualified mechanic troubleshoot the issue.

2. Radiant heat to the rider - Ummm, give me a sec, I think there may be a motor by the seat. Yeap! There is one. So here is a couple options, a) go get some thermo tec adhesive heat blocker, you spent thousands on it, whats 25-30$
? b) move to Australia every 6 months out of the year, it's summer and some ....... invented stoplights, so it does get hot. It's f*cking amazing how people cry about a bike getting hot.

3. Hard start issues - refer to part 1. Repeat kicking motion until bike is fixed.

4. "Not having that low-midrange umphhh" - These superbikes are obviously made for cornering. Surprisingly, they come with headlights and DOT/state required equipment to be on the street. This bike is powerful, how f*ck is it not "umphh"-y enough? My bad, you must be referring to being in a wheelie at the beginning of each gear. I want to ride, not stunt.

5. Parts just vibrating off - Lol. Sorry, it's an extremely torque-ey motorcycle, haven't you heard twin motors vibrate? Seriously, I hate to tell you, I have had a 2006 R6, 2006 GSXR 600, 2007 R1, 2008 848, 2005 ZX6RR, and now a 2012 1199S, and they all have had loose parts after miles being put on, the Ducati's tend to vibrate more, but it is YOUR responsibility to PM (Periodically Maintain) (USMC jargon sorry) and check your fluids/settings. I eyeball my bike everyday, I check it like homework, it is a motorcycle, a vehicle that by far requires more attention than a car. Your life depends on it.

Bottom Line -----------

Ducati motorcycles are an enthusiast motorcycle. A smart person would research a vehicle before purchasing a motorcycle north of $17,000.

I try to get to meet as many other enthusiasts as possible on here and I am so tired of hearing about MV this and s1000 triple r type Z1b that... this is a Ducati forum, please let us enjoy our motorcycles. Please. All the bitching does for us is cause recycled hate, unnecessary flaming, paranoia and mass hysteria.

I hope someone refers to this when someone says "I really want tur gert me uh Dercotti bert I herd it blerrs up if you dernt tightern dem ferring bolts..." Guys, not everyone has issues. Sh*t happens and we should either work together to help each other out, or get to a tech as soon as possible to figure ou the issue. I love all motorcycles, except 'Busas. We all choose a ride to our taste, so like my mother always told me:

Don't say nuthin' unless you have something nice or useful to say.



LMAO...good stuff b1six, couldn't agree with you more

 

[Gizmo1199]

I agree with you guys, the bike just makes me laugh out loud under my helmet. The best looking bike out there. I havn't had any smoking, hard starting, fueling problems etc except the heat but who cares, just ride faster.

keep it rubber side down.

 

[Yama1yzf]

I have been thinking about this for a while, and I do realize that only a few people out of all that purchased one are on this site, and most of the information is good info to be aware of. but....... there are good and bad ways to say things. I was starting to think everyone hates their 1199.

besides Ducati's i have had Harley's (talk about vibration monsters that leak),heck my 1983 Suzuki GS55E was a rattling pile of nuts and bolts and lots of muscle cars that all need to be looked at before you ride or drive (and after if your really smart), nuts need to be tightened, fluids topped off. and my favorite part of your note, YES..... there is a very powerful motor under your butt that makes heat.

Like many others here, thanks for writing this letter, its noce to see there are other people happy with their purchase.

Most everyone that actually owns an 1199 seems to like it a lot.....I know I do. Its amazing how many of the negative comments come from folks who never have ridden or owned an 1199.

 

[b1six]

Very cool people here, thankfully I don't have to deal with immature people here. I think I got over internet .... talk when I was 16. 8 years in the Marine Corps and I appreciate what i have worked my ass off for!

By the way I have a Ducati Comfort seat sitting around now

 

[supduc10]

Aye to that.

And if you lived in the EU, north of pretty much $30k or $40k for a Tric.

Its all about having realistic expectations. Do Astons have issues, yep shitloads. Do Ferrari, yup. Even super reliable Porsche.

Some people just don't understand what they're buying into with exotica, whether it be a car, bike, or even a wrist watch.

Don"t get me started on watches lol, I spent £8k on an IWC Portugese Yacht Club because I fell in love with its looks and it gave me so much trouble I ended up getting my money back. Omegas only these days just like my Honda car, would love a Ferrari tho,but got the 2 wheeled version. Fell in love with the Tri soon as i saw it and said i"m having one of them. I got it,I ride it,I love it. Best ever. Bikes rock

 

[1stduc1199]

@b1six, I appreciate your time and effort posting pics and your thoughts on this forum. Your Mods are killer, I am still on the fence about buying one of these beauties, but after seeing yours I am more determined than ever to pick one up. I've demo'd this bike and feel that for the street it is complete overkill, that being said, All Liter bikes basically are also but the 1199 is on another level.Hopefully I can modify it slightly to make it a better road bike as there are no twisties around here, just interstates and the Everglade Lined back roads.

 

[Steve B]

@b1six, I appreciate your time and effort posting pics and your thoughts on this forum. Your Mods are killer, I am still on the fence about buying one of these beauties, but after seeing yours I am more determined than ever to pick one up. I've demo'd this bike and feel that for the street it is complete overkill, that being said, All Liter bikes basically are also but the 1199 is on another level.Hopefully I can modify it slightly to make it a better road bike as there are no twisties around here, just interstates.

At the risk of stirring up a #@$%storm, I'm going to politely suggest that if all you have for riding is straight roads and interstates and are not contemplating significant track time, you're probably buying the wrong bike.

Your money, your choice of course, but just about everything about the 1199 is optimized for getting down a twisty bit of road or track in a big hurry, with all other considerations secondary. In truth, that can be said for pretty much all modern sportbikes. But Ducati superbikes are even more focused than most, and as a result tend to be functionally worse than average on the street for the type of riding you're talking about. Equipment lust is hard to quantify though, so you'll just have to decide if yours is sufficient to offset the bike's shortcomings in your operating environment.

That's not meant as a criticism of the bike, mind you. I have one; it's got about 2K on it so far, and while I do have some issues with it, it ain't for sale and I'm not regretting writing the check. The Panigale is what it is; a very unique superbike. An out-of-the-box, visionary design statement the likes of which would never have made it out of a Japanese company's doors. That has pluses and minuses of course, so you have to take the good with the bad. There's a lot more good than bad, no question. I love the bike overall, even if I still want to sit down with the designers over a bottle of wine and chat about a few things...

But I'm fortunate to have benefit of a great place to use it. Put 300 miles on mine last Saturday, of which only about 80 were on interstates (1st & last 40). It was on it's side on twisty mountain roads pretty much the rest of the time, and when it was, all was right with the world. As for the interstate bits, the way out was OK if not what you would call comfortable, but the last 30 or so were pretty unpleasant. Still a good day out for sure, but honestly if I'd been looking at all interstate I would have passed, or else picked something else to ride.

 

[1stduc1199]

At the risk of stirring up a #@$%storm, I'm going to politely suggest that if all you have for riding is straight roads and interstates and are not contemplating significant track time, you're probably buying the wrong bike.

Your money, your choice of course, but just about everything about the 1199 is optimized for getting down a twisty bit of road or track in a big hurry, with all other considerations secondary. In truth, that can be said for pretty much all modern sportbikes. But Ducati superbikes are even more focused than most, and as a result tend to be functionally worse than average on the street for the type of riding you're talking about. Equipment lust is hard to quantify though, so you'll just have to decide if yours is sufficient to offset the bike's shortcomings in your operating environment.

That's not meant as a criticism of the bike, mind you. I have one; it's got about 2K on it so far, and while I do have some issues with it, it ain't for sale and I'm not regretting writing the check. The Panigale is what it is; a very unique superbike. An out-of-the-box, visionary design statement the likes of which would never have made it out of a Japanese company's doors. That has pluses and minuses of course, so you have to take the good with the bad. There's a lot more good than bad, no question. I love the bike overall, even if I still want to sit down with the designers over a bottle of wine and chat about a few things...

But I'm fortunate to have benefit of a great place to use it. Put 300 miles on mine last Saturday, of which only about 80 were on interstates (1st & last 40). It was on it's side on twisty mountain roads pretty much the rest of the time, and when it was, all was right with the world. As for the interstate bits, the way out was OK if not what you would call comfortable, but the last 30 or so were pretty unpleasant. Still a good day out for sure, but honestly if I'd been looking at all interstate I would have passed, or else picked something else to ride.

I hear ya, I cant believe people commute with this bike, at least there are some back roads with no traffic on them that I take my R1 on sunday mornings that enable us to reach top speeds of 180 if we want to.Miles of Everglade Lined roads although mostly straight are enjoyable.The ride is approx. 100-150 mile round trip, barely any intersections and Streetlights, No stop and go.

 

[Steve B]

180 through the Everglades... Well make sure you practice your high-speed gator hop! And be sure to tell us how nice it is out when we're freezing our cans off come January; like bikes, locations have their pluses and minuses.

And hey; if Antihero can ride his coast-to-coast and back, pretty much anything's on the table. Wonder when somebody will build a flattracker out of one...

 

[flobrandx]

 

[b1six]

Like some have said, the bike is not for everyone, its for those who want a unique ride, I wouldn't recommend it for commuting either, its a fun bike not a cruiser

 

[Tricolor3SF]

Like some have said, the bike is not for everyone, its for those who want a unique ride, I wouldn't recommend it for commuting either, its a fun bike not a cruiser

Call me crazy but I've been alternating between my monster and my pani in 2 week intervals and gotta say the pani is not that bad as a commuter! I did slap the comfort seat on it! Rode the pani from sf to laguna seca wasn't sore at all!

 

[Blackers]

For me........"checkmate". I would never buy a bike based on "advertising" but bloody hell they we're right !

Guess it comes down to your expectations.

 

[BlueBear]

well lets be honest

some of the release specs were really high standard
some which they didnt meet
its still alot more innovative then ever
still more hp then the 1198 but also weight less
in torque its alot less but this was design to win racers.
not sure on those shootouts but WSBK will show us alot more
im very interested in geting paid TV for the 1st time to watch WSBK

anyhow how many people can tell me they can get 8/10s out of the bike?
im only 7/10s

goin by shootouts is great i guess but if your no match against those guys why bother looking at tracktimes

 

[rm4two]

I hear ya, I cant believe people commute with this bike, at least there are some back roads with no traffic on them that I take my R1 on sunday mornings that enable us to reach top speeds of 180 if we want to.Miles of Everglade Lined roads although mostly straight are enjoyable.The ride is approx. 100-150 mile round trip, barely any intersections and Streetlights, No stop and go.

What's wrong with commuting? lol I take every importunity I can to ride my Pani. If that means 70 miles a day on the interstate then so be it