Honest question. base vs s vs r

Looking to pick up a new panigale here soon. I have always bought the nicer "s" versions in the past. As I get older the extra money being asked for the "S" or even the "R" is a factor. Of course I would want those, and I can "probably" afford it if I make a few sacrifices. My question to you guys is:

Is the price of the S or the R really worth it over the base?

Not just in exclusivity or bling factor, but will you actually be able to tell a noticeable difference in the ride itself (handling or power, etc).

If the ride is going to be almost identical for a non racer like myself I may as well just go with the base. Not sure if that extra 500rpm on and titanium rods on the R will make a huge difference?


Thanks!

Ride/power is identical. The S/Tri/R have electronically adjustble suspension, which helps if you have constantly changing roads/tracks, and don't want to have to manually change the settings, if you even would want to.

Yeah, I went over it like this in my head when making the same decision.

Base - is the bike..
S - LED headlights, electronic Ohlins suspension, CF front mudguard, lighter/different wheels
Tri - same as S, but with fancy paint job, Termi slips and DDA+
R - same as S, but with fancy paint job, full Termi exhaust, adjustable swing arm, a dozen carbon fiber bits to reduce weight, ti con rods, a lighter flywheel, DDA+ and 500 more RPMs to redline/more HP

Everybody is different, but for me it came down to a couple factors that swayed me to the S. I saw and rode them in person and didn't care for the looks of the base wheels. I liked the wheels on the S/Tri/R and decided the increased price was worth it to me to get the headlights and the suspension with the wheels I liked. I wasn't sure yet about exhaust so didn't want to go for the tri. The R wasn't out yet so wasn't an option, but the stuff on the R doesn't translate to anything I can personally use at my level so it would have been the white S or the tri for me.

having the s (bought it only because i didnt have to wait an extra month for the base abs and the wheels i like a lot) i would say what are you going to use it for. If you dont go to the track and dont adjust your suspension you dont need the S. Save the money and get a set of OZ or BST wheels. The R has some serious add ons ask yourself if you are going to add that stuff anyway cause if you would then get it straight out of the box and save yourself the hassle of doing the work yourself or paying someone to do it.
All that being said you have to go with your heart. Get the one you REALLY want because if you dont you will regret it. I know if i got the base i would have been saying i should have gotten the S. I dont know about the R but i wouldnt mind a TRI.

Capt CF said:

Tri - same as S, but with fancy paint job and Termis
R - has some cool parts that I'll never see or use..

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Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Tricolore only comes with Termi slip-ons.
The R comes with the full exhaust, as well as the adjustable swing arm, & a dozen carbon fiber bits to reduce weight, as well as the Ti con rods & lighter flywheel you'll never see

Duc Le Smart said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Tricolore only comes with Termi slip-ons.
The R comes with the full exhaust, as well as the adjustable swing arm, & a dozen carbon fiber bits to reduce weight, as well as the Ti con rods & lighter flywheel you'll never see

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Yeah, that sounds right. I'll fix my post.

Tri comes with DDA+ also

MUNDMAN said:

Tri comes with DDA+ also

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Added. Also added the extra 500 rpms assuming that's still correct?

I think Mark is right though - one of them will speak to you and you should get that one.

The R has that very sexy "je ne sais quois", but I'm leaning towards a base with ABS, & building it up with better suspension, wheels, full exhaust (AR?), & custom paint. The electronic adjustable stuff makes me a bit nervous in terms of reliability, & I don't need LED lights.
Besides, I love a good project. If I was going to buy a bike & never touch it, just ride the hell out of it, I would def buy the R.
YMMV

Capt CF said:

Added. Also added the extra 500 rpms assuming that's still correct?

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Correct. The lighter Ti con rods allow the higher RPMs, which ultimately gives more HP.

Do y'all think the Tri & R models would hold their value better in the long run?
It seems that base models, even tho tricked out with suspension, wheels, etc, just don't sell for much...

Duc Le Smart said:

Correct. The lighter Ti con rods allow the higher RPMs, which ultimately gives more HP.

Do y'all think the Tri & R models would hold their value better in the long run?
It seems that base models, even tho tricked out with suspension, wheels, etc, just don't sell for much...

Click to expand...

Good question. I tend to put so many miles on my bikes that resale is a bit of a moot point. I thought about selling my SF for a while, but when I looked at the competition out there about half of them had under 5k miles and the other half had between 5k and 10k. I figured I'd have to sell it for next to nothing with over 20k miles so I decided to keep it and mod it some more.

Do y'all think the Tri & R models would hold their value better in the long run?
It seems that base models, even tho tricked out with suspension, wheels, etc, just don't sell for much...[/QUOTE]

People have said that however I am NOT looking to sell

Food for thought though I was at the stealership on monday. you ready for this, they had a 2009 1198 (base) with 22 miles on it. asking 17995 for it. thats 1000 over what it would be in 2011 basically brand new.

Resale value = what someone else is willing to pay.

mickey mantles rookie card may be worth 50k but if i can only sell it for 5k is it really worth 50?

Motorcycles and cars are terrible investments. Much better places to put money to make money but if you want a rockin machine and enjoy the biggest rush on 2 wheels that I have ever felt, buy a Pani. I bought mine on impulse and no worrys! I love it so pick a model that you love and RIDE!

-- R

mark419ny said:

Resale value = what someone else is willing to pay.

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I agree with you completely, but only in terms of monetary terms.
To me, the real value is in the joy & satisfaction of riding & ownership, which I think is priceless.
I never look at a bike as a monetary investment, but for some people it may be one of many deciding factors.

what alot of people dont realize is that all "r" models are twice the price for major service intervals....because of the ti con rods......this is what my dealer told me....every R model is always this way....but then again the 1199r might not need a major until 15k.......i could be wrong about the mileage but the price on maintenance im right on......i know on major service interval for the 999r & 1098r major service was 2k....where as the base n s models were around 800-1k depending on ur dealers pricing......probabaly why alot of people dont put alot miles on r models

Ummm, did a New Yorker (Yankee) just say ya'll?

I don't know which will hold its value better. I guess time will tell.

IMHO, this is the first Duc in a while that you actually get a very nice suspension setup with the base. And the fact that you can get ABS on base is the topping on the cake. Which I have.

Personally, the only thing I miss that my base doesn't have is the LED headlights. And I admit that is purely because I just think they look sweet. I think the base suspension is good enough for me. I've never thought while riding "I wish I had gone with the S model".

Try to ride both if possible. That will at least take the base out of the equation.

Personally, I suspect the S & Tri models are going to have a larger initial price drop on the market. Most will know that the base 1199 is actually a well setup bike. As compared to say a base 1098 vs a 1098S; where there is a substantial difference in suspension setup.

But if a 2012 Base ABS is on market vs a 2012 1199S, it is likely the buyer would prefer the S. However, will they be willing to pay a substantial difference. Unless they are at a dealership, I suspect not. On private sale, I think the main difference is that maybe you unload your S model before I sell my base if we are in same market. All conjecture though...

mark419ny said:

Do y'all think the Tri & R models would hold their value better in the long run?
It seems that base models, even tho tricked out with suspension, wheels, etc, just don't sell for much...

Click to expand...

People have said that however I am NOT looking to sell

Food for thought though I was at the stealership on monday. you ready for this, they had a 2009 1198 (base) with 22 miles on it. asking 17995 for it. thats 1000 over what it would be in 2011 basically brand new.

Resale value = what someone else is willing to pay.

mickey mantles rookie card may be worth 50k but if i can only sell it for 5k is it really worth 50?[/QUOTE]

OP,

S is probably the best bang for your buck, anyway you look at it. LED headlights---I didn't think I needed them but holy .... knuckles they are awesome. WAY better than any DDM HID kit i have owned. Ohlins---granted it is not the same as an aftermarket set that you would buy from Rider's Discount (example) but very good nevertheless, just needs tuning. Wheels---Arrrr, I will leave that alone. I don't like the design.

MUNDMAN said:

Motorcycles and cars are terrible investments. Much better places to put money to make money but if you want a rockin machine and enjoy the biggest rush on 2 wheels that I have ever felt, buy a Pani. I bought mine on impulse and no worrys! I love it so pick a model that you love and RIDE!

Click to expand...

Indeed you are right and the only way i could justify this purchase with myself is the fact that min of 20% of take home pay is invested into an IRA through work plus few other venues. If i didn't have a retirement plan in motion, I would have still had an R6.

So true.... and hell, I lost about two of these bikes in my 401k back in 2008 due to market so f#ck it. Get some enjoyment out of life while you can. I still invest in retirement btw guys....

Castor Troy said:

Indeed you are right and the only way i could justify this purchase with myself is the fact that min of 20% of take home pay is invested into an IRA through work plus few other venues. If i didn't have a retirement plan in motion, I would have still had an R6.

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d1098man said:

what alot of people dont realize is that all "r" models are twice the price for major service intervals....because of the ti con rods......this is what my dealer told me....every R model is always this way....but then again the 1199r might not need a major until 15k.......i could be wrong about the mileage but the price on maintenance im right on......i know on major service interval for the 999r & 1098r major service was 2k....where as the base n s models were around 800-1k depending on ur dealers pricing......probabaly why alot of people dont put alot miles on r models

Click to expand...

But the 1098R and 999R had completely different engines to the base and S models whereas the 1199R engine is pretty much the same except with different conrods so i don't think the servicing will be drastically different.