Anyone ride daily in 90-100F and traffic?

Riding V4 in 100F heat and traffic sucks ass, I never do it. No other way around it. This bike is absolutely not for this application. This is the reality and that's why I keep my Tuono.

To prevent burns on thighs you need leather pants or really heavy textile, which are both unbearable in 100F. Mesh summer pants will burn your thighs regardless of mods.

Put this bike into the right application and you'll never want to sell it

Riding jeans help from heat penetrating through. Dainese Drake Air D-Dry textiles bleed heat right through. It's no fun in stop and go which is why I relegate the bike to weekend duties and just take the commuter bike to work.

Lane splitting, not in most areas within USA...especially since most states don't play nice with it legally, and therefore drivers aren't accustomed to looking for bikes between the cars.

Plus, look up motorcycle crashes, a crap-ton of them are California lane splitting fails. Some parts of the world are pretty good at lane splitting & safety.

Since the bike fits every body uniquely (depending on height & leg length) the heat could be affecting people differently, and therefore severity varies.

What is the general consensus?

Is the heat that bakes the underside of your thighs while riding a V4/V4S from the exhaust or the heads?

ThingsArcane said:

What is the general consensus?

Is the heat that bakes the underside of your thighs while riding a V4/V4S from the exhaust or the heads?

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Heads IMO

Lined portions under the seat and tank with varying versions of ZircoFlex I and III in regular aluminum and aluminum with gold and I didn't take any thermal imaging, but riding from the eastside of town, all the way to the westside, splitting lanes in traffic has become that much more bearable. I feel a noticeable difference. It's not for everyone, but thought I'd at least share this image of the underside of my seat with is lined with ZircoFlex III Gold.

torrific said:

Lined portions under the seat and tank with varying versions of ZircoFlex I and III in regular aluminum and aluminum with gold and I didn't take any thermal imaging, but riding from the eastside of town, all the way to the westside, splitting lanes in traffic has become that much more bearable. I feel a noticeable difference. It's not for everyone, but thought I'd at least share this image of the underside of my seat with is lined with ZircoFlex III Gold.

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i did the same thing but i put 2 layers on it. seems to work not that i was complaining about heat but this forum brain washed me into thinking about it lol.

Ceramic coat exhaust.

Take the bus

torrific said:

Lined portions under the seat and tank with varying versions of ZircoFlex I and III in regular aluminum and aluminum with gold and I didn't take any thermal imaging, but riding from the eastside of town, all the way to the westside, splitting lanes in traffic has become that much more bearable. I feel a noticeable difference. It's not for everyone, but thought I'd at least share this image of the underside of my seat with is lined with ZircoFlex III Gold.

Click to expand...

This seems like a quick and effective mod.

What is the procedure for getting the seat off?

r00t61 said:

This seems like a quick and effective mod.

What is the procedure for getting the seat off?

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Just pull it back a bit and you'll see the two bolts in the back part of the seat.

This particular forum, as well as many other Ducati motorcycle discussions published numerous Panigale riders complain about heat issues on Panigale models. Here is a quote from most recent Gear Patrol review: "Watch Out For: The 1,103-cc V4 pumps out a ton of heat on a regular basis; get stuck in traffic or a tunnel, and it goes nuclear. Not only will your inside thigh start to roast, but those high temperatures can also wreak havoc on the bike (and as such, your bank account)."

I currently own 1299, and this is my personal opinion of Panigale 1299. The bike is beautiful but heat under the seat is a serious problem. Trading 1299 to V4 is not going to resolve an issue, as V4s has similar design of positioning rider above engine cylinders which cause a lot of heat to be raise up toward the riders seat. Various solutions offered by after market companies, including installing heat shield which a heat resisting material. The idea of heat shield is to block and reduce heat waves. I did install the heat shield on 1299, and it does not make much difference. There are videos online about various alternatives to heat shield, none really work as after market solutions.

Can you use 1299 or V4 as a commuter? -- I would say yes if your commute is on the track or fast highway with no stops. Today I rode 1299 as commuter in relatively relax normal suburban traffic. Speed averaged 40-45 mph, periodic stops at the lights. Air temperature was ~71F and 75% humidity. Bike temperature was between 205-218F for the duration of a ride. It was unbearable to ride due to the amount of heat generated by the bike under the seat, my lower body, thighs are in pain and discomfort. It was above uncomfortable, I hated being on the bike. I did wear full kevlar motorcycle riding Rokker jeans. I would say riding 1299 or V4 as a commuter bike will make you hate the bike, and you will find not riding it due to the heat issues.

It is disturbing to read responses such as "you need to wear full leather gear to mitigate the heat", or "ride panigale fast". I am all in for safety riding with gear on. But to say you need to wear leather to protect you from faulty design is nonsense! Realistically many many Panigale riders will use bike for normal non-track rides around town, city / suburban streets, highways. In the summer heat and humidity its frequently not realistic to wear full leather gear. Its simply too hot.

I truly wish Ducati product managers and designers would read forums as such and use riders reported issues to improve Panigale. After all its a premium motorcycle which comes at premium price of 25K. I wish Ducati would recognize flaw in Panigale design and fix this heat problem, instead they keep feeding riders with stories such as "you need to ride fast" etc. Panigale heat problem is a design failure, it must be addressed by manufacturer (not after market DIY companies). Oh and while you are at it ... fix those vibrating stock rear view mirrors (damn how difficult is to fix mirrors vibration)??? In June 2019 I spoke to local Ducati dealer about the heat issue as I was considering trading in 1299 for new V4s, and was told its a known problem, many riders complaint about it, but Ducati won't do anything about the issue.

As to me, I am thinking of pulling the trigger on 1299, and replace it with something I could ride without feeling of being roasted alive and in pain after each ride.

As I mentioned before, after applying the ceramic heat shielding it has been more "comfortable" riding. Riding in morning LA traffic is an afterthought now and I don't cringe having to do the dance between cars on my ride to Santa Monica. Sure it still gets toasty when the fan kicks on, but at least it's not the fan and heatsoak making it unbearable at the same time.

Never gave up on the bike. succeeded in fixing the heat problem now just njoying the bike for what it is.

Gold taped my seat but tbh didnt feel a reduction in temp.

Kevlar Jeans and apline base layer helped a lot.

The real winner was insatalling some layers of closed cell foam insulation under the seat and this REALLY worked. I have some thermal images of the testing i did at work. 300F below the 3/4 foam, 27 C above.

I thought the V4 heat problem was insane and a deal brealker but with slight modding it
really can be ridden in 100F stop n go traffic no problem.

Personally I don't think the under seat is that bad....the inner thighs are a different story.

I've had my V4S for about a month now, using it as a commuter.

I'm in Socal, and it's been 75-85 degrees F riding home in the afternoon/evening. We can legally lane split here, which helps. Stopped at a light, if I put my feet down, the heat is noticeable, but not "scalding" or "burning" or some of the other adjectives I've seen used here on this forum. I'm usually wearing regular blue jeans, or sometimes gym/athletic track pants with gym shorts underneath.

I agree with orman above that the seat itself is not the issue - it gets warm, but never HOT. The hottest parts of the bike - I borrowed a thermal imager to confirm this, I should have saved the picture - are:

(1) the frame covers - the silver blades in the middle of the fairing, running underneath and parallel to the fuel tank

(2) the subframe covers - the black plastic lightning-bolt-shaped bits, directly aft of the frame covers, that contact your inner upper thighs

(3) the leftside head cover - the black plastic shroud that says "Desmosedici Stradale".

I'm still going to try the heat shield mod on the seat described by torrific, since I'm enjoying tinkering with the bike thus far. I've already replaced the useless stock mirrors with the aluminum set from Moto-science, and they do a pretty good job, taking care of another one of the bike's stock weaknesses.

At the end of the day, this is the most mind-bending, soul-twisting, universe-warping bike I've ever owned, and some heat isn't going to stop me enjoying it.

I agree with the three areas you mention above as problem areas, the first two areas are easily rectified at home however, how hard is it to remove the left side head cover - the black plastic shroud that says "Desmosedici Stradale". Is it something a normal person could do at home in a garage or is it a specialist dealership requirement, i.e. would it require taking half the bike apart which isn't worth it.

Bootneck said:

I agree with the three areas you mention above as problem areas, the first two areas are easily rectified at home however, how hard is it to remove the left side head cover - the black plastic shroud that says "Desmosedici Stradale". Is it something a normal person could do at home in a garage or is it a specialist dealership requirement, i.e. would it require taking half the bike apart which isn't worth it.

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Based on some of the naked photos, I think removing the head cover will require removing the tank at a minimum, and possibly even moving the subframe.

r00t61 said:

Based on some of the naked photos, I think removing the head cover will require removing the tank at a minimum, and possibly even moving the subframe.

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Requires removing sub frame as per my mechanic who removed it for me.

r00t61 said:

I've had my V4S for about a month now, using it as a commuter.

I'm in Socal, and it's been 75-85 degrees F riding home in the afternoon/evening. We can legally lane split here, which helps. Stopped at a light, if I put my feet down, the heat is noticeable, but not "scalding" or "burning" or some of the other adjectives I've seen used here on this forum. I'm usually wearing regular blue jeans, or sometimes gym/athletic track pants with gym shorts underneath.

I agree with orman above that the seat itself is not the issue - it gets warm, but never HOT. The hottest parts of the bike - I borrowed a thermal imager to confirm this, I should have saved the picture - are:

(1) the frame covers - the silver blades in the middle of the fairing, running underneath and parallel to the fuel tank

(2) the subframe covers - the black plastic lightning-bolt-shaped bits, directly aft of the frame covers, that contact your inner upper thighs

(3) the leftside head cover - the black plastic shroud that says "Desmosedici Stradale".

I'm still going to try the heat shield mod on the seat described by torrific, since I'm enjoying tinkering with the bike thus far. I've already replaced the useless stock mirrors with the aluminum set from Moto-science, and they do a pretty good job, taking care of another one of the bike's stock weaknesses.

At the end of the day, this is the most mind-bending, soul-twisting, universe-warping bike I've ever owned, and some heat isn't going to stop me enjoying it.

Click to expand...

We should get together to compare heat. I wish I had a thermal imaging device to see the difference. But I'm curious to hear your opinion if you ride my bike to compare.