Hmmmmm, Mixed review and feelings about the Panigale in MCN against the others

shanes said:

Checa bike won't be anything like the bike you own so don't even bother comparing them .

as for some of the comparisons between other bike , if Ducati didn't come out with the statements that the 1199 was going to destroy the competition there wouldn't be any , they make statements like that then it comes out , its only be slightly better that the 1198 in performance wise .

yes its pretty , is it designed well personally i don't think so have a close look at how everything is bolted to the engine cases to looks weak and already proven to be so , it also has engine issues with more than a few engines self destructing .

i don't care about the brand i just want the best bike for the job , thats why i canceled the 1199 and brought a Honda , i wanted the best handling fastest bike i could buy for the track , so i got a EX factory honda cheaper than you will pay for a S model 1199 .

i don't know why so many here get up set when someone says something negative about the 1199 even if its the truth , yes its a 1199 forum but its about the good and the bad , most seam to see Ducati with blinkers on just because its a Ducati doesn't mean its the best , there are a lot better bikes out there for a lot less money .

what ever you buy just enjoy it

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Tonyw said:

Who gives a crap that the riders of MCN said? Wait till Checa gets his hands on it next year in WSBK! Most of us barely get more the 75% out of our bikes.

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shanes said:

Checa bike won't be anything like the bike you own so don't even bother comparing them . (TRUE)

as for some of the comparisons between other bike , if Ducati didn't come out with the statements that the 1199 was going to destroy the competition there wouldn't be any , they make statements like that then it comes out , its only be slightly better that the 1198 in performance wise . (Indications are pointing this way, but 1198 was/is awesome bike)

yes its pretty , is it designed well personally i don't think so have a close look at how everything is bolted to the engine cases to looks weak and already proven to be so , it also has engine issues with more than a few engines self destructing . (wouldn't say 'proven')

i don't care about the brand i just want the best bike for the job , thats why i canceled the 1199 and brought a Honda , i wanted the best handling fastest bike i could buy for the track , so i got a EX factory honda cheaper than you will pay for a S model 1199 . (TRUE, but not all of us want a EX Isle of Man bike, due to a seperate list of concerns)

i don't know why so many here get up set when someone says something negative about the 1199 even if its the truth , yes its a 1199 forum but its about the good and the bad , most seam to see Ducati with blinkers on just because its a Ducati doesn't mean its the best , there are a lot better bikes out there for a lot less money . (Seems True)

what ever you buy just enjoy it (Very True)

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CHarles foxtrot said:

You don't seem like a particularly bright chap, so let me spell it out for you: a lot of us really like the 1199 so that is why we are buying one.

I'm glad you bought a full on race bike for the track days you go to a few times a year. No so smart, but it will be fun, I'm sure. You would have been better off just buying a GSXR1000 or a ZX10 for maximum enjoyment at a track day so you could focus on your riding rather than worrying about set up of engine and chassis, swapping slicks out every half day or less, and trying to figure out all that data that your telemetry delivers. Gosh, I hope you did get the good data acquisition system with that race bike! Please tell me you didn't buy a spent second rate bike!!!

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The Gerd said:

I'm so tired of people comparing the BMW to the Ducati or any other Italian boutique brand. The BMW was built to beat the Japanese bikes at their own game, basically they took an already proven engine layout that has in the past been built to ridiculous levels of power (Lee's Cycles of San diego sold crate motors rated at 220 hp at the wheel with a full yoshimura system for the 08-12 cbr1000rr's). Then they ripped off every positive technology from the japanese brands (deltabox, unit pro link, etc.) added their own minor twists to avoid lawsuits and produced the ultimate generic I-4 motorcycle ever. Does it work on the track, hell yeah it does, it goes like stink, does it truly do anything that hasnt already been done a thousand times before...other than give people even more power than they had in the japanese bikes? not really.

The 1199 on the other hand is going out of its way to be "all new". New engine, new frame, new suspension geometry, new electronics, new ergonomics, hell even the Ducati trademark underseat exhaust is gone. The one standard that Ducati refused to budge on was the number of cylinders. I am sure they could have gone to a V-4 and had a more manageable engine in the lower revs, but the L-twin is the beating heart of Ducati superbikes. What they have accomplished with this engine is just short of unbelievable...I'm sure that 10 years ago anyone claiming almost 200 bhp at the crank would have been laughed into obscurity.

On top of all that, Ducati is to motorcycles as Ferrari is to automobiles. Sure the Nissan GT-R can smoke an F430, but I guarantee that if both were parked right next to one another people would hardly care about the GT-R. Same goes for Ducati, park a Duc next to a BMW and people will just think the BMW is an "odd Jap bike", while Ducati oozes sex appeal.

On the track the Ducati may be at a disadvantage but it would be slight, considering that even the best of the amateur racers on here posting arent really pushing these bikes to their jagged edge of performance. The BMW will most likely remain the HP king for some time, it has some of the best electronic "nannies" on the market that make all that power "seem" accessible. The Japanese will eventually make bikes that handle as well if not better than the BMW. Dont forget that we'll most likely see an "R" version of the 1199 as well, which will probably end the reign of the BMW on the track. And dont forget about Aprilia i doubt they will sit on their hands much longer when it comes to the HP wars with Ducati and BMW...imagine a 180HP+ V4 in a bike as nimble as the RSV4 and you have something approaching motorcycle zen.

The BMW just hammered the sportbike world with HP but didnt really upset the balance of the market. It found its niche between Jap bikes and the Italians and is content to be where its at. I am curious how BMW will progress with future models...basically what are they gonna rip-off next? Or will they innovate?

For me the decision came down to Aprilia or Ducati, and now I have a deposit on an 1199S. Deep down inside every BMW S1000RR owner is a desire to own an exotic, thats why the only argument they have against bikes like the Aprilia and the Ducati is "mine's faster". That's like the guy who mods a Honda Civic to post 10 second quarters so he can brag that its faster than a Ferrari...its still a Civic, bud.

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prowler said:

First off,I'd like to say hi.I'm new here.Found the site just today.First thread I started to read was this one and I'm kinda amazed at some of the responses,like the one above.BMW has taken a proven engine layout (I4) and made it more powerful,but isn't this just what Ducati has done?Taken a twin and made it more powerful?Sure,it's a new design for Ducati,but the twin has been around for more than a century.How can you say they "ripped off" every positive technology from the japanese?Has Bimota not used perimeter frames?What about inverted forks?Did Ducati invent these?Uhhh...no,they were fist used by Buell in 1991.How about under engine exhaust?Yeah...Buell as well being first to use it.How can suspension geometry be new?So I guess the 1199 isn't something that hasn't been done before as well.It does have some new tech in it,and next year some other manufactuer will have their version of it as well,except it will be done better.That's just the nature of things.

Ducati also didn't need to make a V4 to make the bike more mangable at lower revs....they made the engine the way they did so they could spin it faster to make more horsepower.when you make more HP in the upper end of the power band you take away power from the lower.

When I park my bike next to Duc's I have just as many if not more people come up to me and talk about my bike rahter than the Duc.My bike has never been seen as an "odd jap bike".that's like saying a Duc is just a funny looking harley.

Yes,you are right about an R model 1199 and it might go around the track faster,but that is all progress.About the only real thing I see that Ducati has innovated is a frameless chassis and LED headlights into mass production.We'll see how well it works when the power level of the engine is raised.Will it react like the D16RR?

As for the crack about the "mine's faster" the BMW just isn't faster in a straight line,but according to several articles it's faster in the turns too.

I'm not here to be a jerk or start anything,but think about what you post before typing.I was looking at an 1199 this weekend,it looks like a bike I would like to own.Some of your guys' attitudes are very elitest to say the least.It doesn't matter what you ride as long as you ride,right?You get what you want because it's what YOU want....and that's fine.

Oh yeah...I own 3 bikes and one is an S1000RR.

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zerias said:

Completly agree, i bought the MV F4 RR (before any test )... because i had one before which in my oppinon was a very good bike.
the new one should be better...but is not.... the engine is stops at 10.000....and starts again at 11.000.... is even dangerous in my point of view....
also it should be lighter..... but the bmw looks so so bad........

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shanes said:

Checa bike won't be anything like the bike you own so don't even bother comparing them .

as for some of the comparisons between other bike , if Ducati didn't come out with the statements that the 1199 was going to destroy the competition there wouldn't be any , they make statements like that then it comes out , its only be slightly better that the 1198 in performance wise .

yes its pretty , is it designed well personally i don't think so have a close look at how everything is bolted to the engine cases to looks weak and already proven to be so , it also has engine issues with more than a few engines self destructing .

i don't care about the brand i just want the best bike for the job , thats why i canceled the 1199 and brought a Honda , i wanted the best handling fastest bike i could buy for the track , so i got a EX factory honda cheaper than you will pay for a S model 1199 .

i don't know why so many here get up set when someone says something negative about the 1199 even if its the truth , yes its a 1199 forum but its about the good and the bad , most seam to see Ducati with blinkers on just because its a Ducati doesn't mean its the best , there are a lot better bikes out there for a lot less money .

what ever you buy just enjoy it

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shanes said:

you may ride on track a few times a year , its the only place i do ride and its 2-3 times at least every month . ill be out again on friday on the RSV4
i have never ridden on the road and don't see the point of it , i have a twist and go 125 scooter if i need to ride on the roads i normally take the car :-}}

enjoy your bike and keep believing in Ducati

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shanes said:

you may ride on track a few times a year , its the only place i do ride and its 2-3 times at least every month . ill be out again on friday on the RSV4
i have never ridden on the road and don't see the point of it , i have a twist and go 125 scooter if i need to ride on the roads i normally take the car :-}}

enjoy your bike and keep believing in Ducati

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SOULRIDER said:

People who buy bikes for looks are typically the same squids that say they "drive" a bike. You drive a car not a bike.

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SoonerNation said:

This has to be one of the most ignorant comments I've read in this thread. Your telling me that if someone buys a bike (or a car for that matter) based on looks then they are a "squid"?

While performance is important, looks rank very high with any vehicle purchase I make. When I first saw pictures of the Panigale, I knew I had to have one. It was the first Ducati since the 916 that did that. The fact that it is has the ability to perform beyond my abilities was enough for me. I could care less if the BMW is faster.

I have a coworker interested in a Beemer. I've encouraged him to get one as I don't make judgments for others. Personally, I have zero interest in the "looks" of the BMW so that would prevent me from ever owning one.

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CHarles foxtrot said:

I'm not an Uccio for Ducati, and haven't owned one before. I find it amusing that someone who buys a full on race bike to do track days (a stupid decision) would come to a forum where he has no interest to deride Ducati owners for the decision they made to buy an 1199.

The fact that you say you do 3-4 track days a month means that you will either be:

1) plugging in a race new motor twice a year, maybe three times;

2) plugging in a stock motor for long term reliability (sort of defeats the purpose of buying a race bike),

or

3) going easy on the race motor for the sake of longetivity (also sort of defeats the purpose of buying a race bike), and won't really work anyhow.

Do you have a crew to bring to your track days to help you sort out your new bike?

And what do you mean by "ex-factory"?

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JONAH said:

Some of the comments on this particular thread really are hard to believe ...are some of you that good a rider that 2 secs a lap will mean your going to change over to a bmw??
I dont really give 2 shakes that its slower than a bmw round a race track, i can tell you catorgorically right now that if i had been riding the ducati during that test it would have slower than all the other bikes as well!
I also know that im not even the fastest rider in the rideouts i go on with friends and i still wouldnt be if you stuck me on a bmw.
Im buying the 1199 because its a Ducati and its a v twin sports bike that sounds and looks fantastic, its exotic and its expensive and its my treat to myself after long years trying to make ends meet, look after kids, working hard, and paying bills.
Yes im happy to say that part of my reason for buying it is because its expensive and so will be a fairly rare sight around these parts which means i can be part of an exclusive club of just one ... ME !
Im also going to enjoy the fact that lots of my biking mates will secretly love to have the keys to it.
I also habour thoughts that it will make me be seen in the eyes of beautiful women as a biking god whose peformance on the bike can only be matched by my performance in the bedroom!....however this maybe asking to much.
Basically im buying the Ducati because of all that the ducati name represents and to fullfil all those dreams of ownership i had when i first started out.

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shanes said:

well you will be in for a shock when you do own one , that are not nearly as good as the hype you read about 848/1198 , i have not ridden a 1199 yet maybe next week ill test one until then i cant say what its like . i had a 1199 ordered , it was going to be built by a german team but for 47,000 euro it wasn't worth the money for just a supersport spec that hadn't proven its self so i canceled it

i raced bikes for 30 years i am retired from racing but still love to do it so i just do track days .

what makes you think that is my only bike , i brought the honda to ride at sepang in malaysia , it has been set up just for that circuit , i ride a RSV4 here at Sentul in indonesia and a GSXR 1000 in bira thailand .

i work on the bikes myself

as for ex factory bike it was built by one of the teams the bike came third at the isle of man tt last year , to buy just the forks alone would be 10,000 pounds the engine was 10,000 pounds to build also , it wsbk spec but built for endurance .

all my bikes are race/track bikes and mx bikes

like i said before enjoy your bike i know ill be enjoying mine

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