Had a go on the 899 panigale today

In case anyone is interested, I took out the shop's demo 899 for a short ride today. It only had 11 miles on it, so I didn't flog it...

In comparison the 1199, the first take-away was that it was absolutely vibration free. The sound is good, just a little less throaty, but the savageness of the 1199 is completely gone.

The chassis setup feels better sorted than my base 1199, especially the rear. Everything about it felt very civilized in comparison, from the clutch engagement to much less aggressive brakes (they were not bedded in yet, but it is obvious that they will never be as good or have the feel of the M50's).

The engine is good, flywheel feels heavy. It motivates the bike fine, but it is utterly unintimidating after riding an 1199.

Seat is different, feels more square. I wouldn't say it was better or worse, just different.

In all, I think it was a great bike, and is everything it is supposed to be. If you were going to ride a lot of miles, commute, or are a rider who isn't looking to scare themselves, it would be a great bike. It does not have the instant power-wheelie torque I'm used to.

I rode the 899 this past Saturday and I can confirm everything above. The 2014 bikes do have a newer, should I safe, more comfortable seats. Also, no lurching forward while holding the throttle steady, which the 1199 suffers from.

What does it sound like? A 748-848 or more like the 1199?

More like the 1199...

Take 50 hp out of any setup and the chassis will feel better....

I finally got to see an 899 in the flesh today. When I passed through Dubai they had a Multi as the giveaway bike.

The swing arm doesn't look bad in person, pictures don't do it justice. At the same time you can see where they cut to save on production costs. The sprocket, engine cases and dash were the bits that jumped out at me. The seat is definitely grippier than my stock seat, and it's odd to me that the rear cowl isn't included. But all in all, I think it would be a blast on the track!

Got the 899 OEM seat and after a couple of rides I can say it's a worthy improvement over the 1199 OEM

fireman1251 said:

Got the 899 OEM seat and after a couple of rides I can say it's a worthy improvement over the 1199 OEM

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+1. Finally had chance to take a spin on my local dealer's 899 demo this weekend, and as it had the comfort seat on it I asked about the stock seat. took a look at some on the floor and bought one. Got some seat time in on the weekend and it's definitely more comfortable for JRA, but you give up a little in mobility when you're playing around. See pics for a comparison to the OEM seat. The 899 seat is a bit higher, a bit softer, a bit flatter in the front half, and wider up front as it's not as curved/crowned where it meets the tank. Much better grip with the new cover though, which it shares with the '14 1199. It is NOT the same shape though; the 1199 retains the old seat shape, and looks to just have the new cover.

I think I'll end up pulling the cover off and shaving the 899 seat down a bit in spots and doing a little reshaping, but it looks to be the best base to work from for me in that respect.

Ljuice26 said:

Also, no lurching forward while holding the throttle steady, which the 1199 suffers from.

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What lurching are you referring to?

Ljuice26 said:

I rode the 899 this past Saturday and I can confirm everything above. The 2014 bikes do have a newer, should I safe, more comfortable seats. Also, no lurching forward while holding the throttle steady, which the 1199 suffers from.

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Get that Pani on a Dyno and smooth out the A/F ratio. specially if you added the MWR filter.

I made two changes and have noticed a world of difference in the low-speed steady throttle lurching problem.

1) Installed termi slips and upmap
2) Started switching to wet mode for general riding from point a to point b

Capt CF said:

I made two changes and have noticed a world of difference in the low-speed steady throttle lurching problem.

1) Installed termi slips and upmap
2) Started switching to wet mode for general riding from point a to point b

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Option (1) all day. Please!!

Capt CF said:

2) Started switching to wet mode for general riding from point a to point b

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We call this 899R mode these days

Xbox said:

We call this 899R mode these days

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Funny

Xbox said:

We call this 899R mode these days

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Yeah, it's surprising how well it works, at least for me. I flip to rain mode when I am puttering around town or slabbing it home from the twisties and it's so much less sensitive.

fireman1251 said:

take 50 hp out of any setup and the chassis will feel better....

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lol...