When the Panigale-R was unveiled to the motorcycle journalists at COTA a few weeks ago, Ducati brought about 24 Panigale-R's to the event, so the writers could ride the bike and formulate opinions on the new iteration and write about it in their respective magazines or blogs.
I have the opportunity to get my hands on one of these demos (it actually still has a "2" on the inner fairing for the press corps) for a substantial savings. (about $4K off of retail) My question is, and I know it's going to be a biased-answer coming from the Panigale forum, but do you think it's a wise decision to buy a bike that you KNOW has had the snot run out of it on the track, instead of a proper breakin? Since the bike is still untitled, it will qualify as a new bike with a full warranty, and the dealer I'm speaking with also says it qualifies for an extended warranty (additional cost to me) through Ducati.
What sayeth the beeb here? Would you pull the trigger or pass? I can also find a brand-new Panigale-R for about $2500 off retail, so it's not a big savings over a new one, but it's still about a $1500 difference. Oh, and the demo in question has about 450 miles on it, and has one small scratch on the upper edge of the right side fairing where your knee tucks in, nothing serious, but it is noticeable. What do you guys think? New, or demo? Both will come with the full standard Ducati warranty.
