Considering coming back to Ducati

Good morning all-

Long time since I've posted. Brief history, owned a 2013 1199s for about a year. Sold it for the HP4. Got bored of the HP4 last year. Now i have no bike.

I have the opportunity to get a leftover 1299s for a decent price.

Question for all 1299 owners, what do you regret or dislike about the bike?
My issues with the 1199 included heat rash on the inside of my right thigh (because of cylinder head screws gettting super hot), cramped riding style (i'm 6foot 215lbs).

However when i sat on the 1299, it seems that the cylinder head screws are lower than the 1199. Ergos seemed to have a changed slightly. This may help with the heat issue i experienced.

Anything i should be aware of before pulling trigger? Thanks in advance

sorry for not having an answer, but all i can say: do it. life's too short.

What type of riding do you do as if it's street there are better bikes. IMHO

I am 6'2" 215 with a 34" inseam and have no cramping problems on the Pani R. It's not the 1299 but they share the same ergos.

strictly street riding and mountain twisty's. would like to hit the track someday. jap bikes are all the same, bmw's are great but boring IMO

also would like to hear thoughts on windscreen options for tall riders. i had a zero gravity corsa on my 1199 and it didn't help very much. would the double bubble be better?

bane said:

also would like to hear thoughts on windscreen options for tall riders. i had a zero gravity corsa on my 1199 and it didn't help very much. would the double bubble be better?

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that's interesting to hear because the corsa screen is zero gravity's tallest screen.

if the corsa didn't help, the double bubble will be shorter

DP corse windscreen, race seat and new rearsets made mine fit like a tailored suit . I love the ergos (6ft 80 kgs) smooth interface of the 3 letter systems, the quickshifter down is a godsent, and the low/mid range power is just insane! And it just gets better as the rpms goes up!

Just did the same switch from HP4 to 1299s.

While I enjoy the Pani, I also miss the HP4 very much. Given the opportunity and having a first gear stalling issue with my Pani, I probably wouldn't do it again.

I added DP rearsets and tall windscreen. Love it! The track is where it's at!

One of my Ducati's is a 1299S street bike. Out of all the Duc's that i've owned, this is easily the best one in terms of ride ability on the road. Sure it still gets hot but that's the nature of this bike. In terms of usability on the street, my old S1000RR was easier to ride but as an overall package, the 1299S ticks all the boxes for me.

I came from a BMW S1000RR to the 1299S and all I can say is that while the BMW was an AMAZING machine and incredibly reliable over the 56,000 miles of commuting and track days I put on it, I far prefer the 1299S.

The 1299S has instantaneous thrust everywhere from 4k rpm up; it's a monster when you get the fueling right by using a RapidBike module. It has more usable grunt in almost every situation that the BMW except maybe in Freeway type roll-on/top speed racing; I am 3 second a lap faster on the 1299S at the track than I was on my BMW.

The heat issue will never truly go away, given the way the engine and exhausts are packaged, but you know that there are NUMEROUS complaints about the BMW and heat on the S1000RR site; it's all about what you are willing to live with. Personally, the heat only really bothers me on 100 degree days on my commute. If you live in a very hot climate, the 1299 might not work for you, unless you are always on open roads where the bike has plenty of airflow.

The 1299 is exciting, beautiful and in MY case has been utterly reliable, barring a quickshifter issue that was caused by a bolt falling off the bike.

I would test ride the hell out of a 1299 at your local dealer and see how it strikes you; you will have to re-learn how to ride going from a screaming 4 cylinder where all the real power is up top and the 1299 "L" twin where there is power from 4k to 11.5k.. you will find yourself banging off the rev limiter a few times until you get used to the throttle and engine characteristics.

The bike is nice, that said I would look at what support and back up your local dealer offers?

I have a 1299 purchased it new, now 3000Km into our relationship and a few issues Im finding out my local dealer is a mom and pop shop.

I will not be adding another Ducati to my toy box in the near future, unless they invest?

I really want a red and white Multi as a commuter but I have now sampled there service and ....well, let us just leave it right there.

The seat on the 1299 is about 1/2" inch taller than 1199.

I liked my HP4, but it didn't give the same thrill as the 1199. The HP4 was too easy to ride in a sense. The electronics on BMW are great, but their bikes lack character IMO

Having said that, I think getting back into Ducati would be great.

What windshield is recommended for tall riders? Apparently the zero gravity corsa is my best bet?

bane said:

What windshield is recommended for tall riders? Apparently the zero gravity corsa is my best bet?

Click to expand...

DP Corse. Works beautifully for me. AS for the stalling, it is a big bore. In order to pass emission, low load is crazy lean. Get a 3rd party fuelling system (I went with Tuneboy), and give it some more in the low load/low rpm cells and IT will never stall on you again.

Perhaps a 1198s ...its a bigger bike... tons of torque down low

Sticker shock on the insurance quotes I got. Forgot how crazy it was to have a super bike. Who do you guys use?

Bane...The heat is pretty much the same between both, the 1299 is a way better bike though, more comfortable and way better engine. i have the ZG DB screen on mine and you still have to tuck down behind it for the full effect.

Back to the heat....I have been riding mine in jeans in 100deg + heat, same as I did on the 1199, it is hot but if you are not stuck in traffic for to long you can manage.

Anyone have specs on the DP Corse oversize screen option? Is it bigger than ZG Corsa windscreen? I would pull it up at work but unfortunately alot of sites are blocked. Thanks in advance