How does the 1199 feel?!

For those of you who have been lucky enough to have sat on the bike how does it feel? Is there anything about it you don't like? And lastly how long at the max do you think you'd feel like sitting on it for?

Chad498356 said:

For those of you who have been lucky enough to have sat on the bike how does it feel? Is there anything about it you don't like? And lastly how long at the max do you think you'd feel like sitting on it for?

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I got a chance to sit on it last weekend. It's still pretty aggressive but has a shorter reach to the bars than a 1098.

The bike is tiny - really tiny - RSV4 tiny. The seat is about the size of a quarter but unlike the torturous seat on the MV Agusta Brutale it didn't scream at you "I'm tiny!" the small size wasn't noticeable.

I sat on a GSXR, CBR, ZX10R and an R1 also at the show, the biggest difference to me was that the pegs are higher and farther aft than those bikes, that felt more natural to me.
The position of the bars did not feel lower than those bikes.

I was only on the bike for about a minute - you can't tell much in that time in the middle of a crowd of people but I think it's gonna be fine.
For a track bike to work properly the front has to be weighted so the bike just isn't going to be touring comfortable but I have to think the comfort will be improved over the current Ducati SBK.

flynbulldog - How would you compare the sitting position to the RSV4? As much as I don't like Aprilia, the RSV4 is incredibly comfy for my 5'7" frame.

512BB said:

flynbulldog - How would you compare the sitting position to the RSV4? As much as I don't like Aprilia, the RSV4 is incredibly comfy for my 5'7" frame.

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Neither Aprilia nor KTM were at the show - I've never been on an RSV4.
The ape is so small that at 6"2" I've never felt it was a viable bike for me. I had my doubts about the 1199 as soon as I saw it.
After sitting on it I feel a little better but I still have to get a better feel for it before I take delivery.

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

The chart above should make anyone who is worrying about whether or not the 1199 is too small feel a bit better.

As power increases, so does the wheelbase, it seems. Would be interesting to see what the wheelbases are for the current crop of GP bikes.

AntiHero said:

The chart above should make anyone who is worrying about whether or not the 1199 is too small feel a bit better.

As power increases, so does the wheelbase, it seems. Would be interesting to see what the wheelbases are for the current crop of GP bikes.

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This chart only reflects how far the wheels are apart not the size of the bike as a whole, this really has nothing to do with how the bike fits a rider.
Notice that the RSV4 is among the longest yet it is a really small bike when it comes to rider room.

See the bike for yourself, it looks much smaller than the current 1198/1098 and even smaller than most of the Japanese bikes

A chart has nothing to do with the original question of "How does the bike feel". Don't be fooled by this chart...

Of course wheelbase is only a part of the equation. I'm pretty sure most of the riders here know that--and I really doubt anyone would mistake wheelbase for comfort. But seeing as though most guys who have put down deposits have never actually seen one in real life (and are worrying about the bike being too small) I thought the wheelbase comparison would ease their minds a bit. It may look small, but, err, the more room you have in between the two axles the more room you have to adjust your riding position, footpeg position (with rearsets), handlebar position, etc.

AntiHero said:

Of course wheelbase is only a part of the equation. I'm pretty sure most of the riders here know that--and I really doubt anyone would mistake wheelbase for comfort. But seeing as though most guys who have put down deposits have never actually seen one in real life (and are worrying about the bike being too small) I thought the wheelbase comparison would ease their minds a bit. It may look small, but, err, the more room you have in between the two axles the more room you have to adjust your riding position, footpeg position (with rearsets), handlebar position, etc.

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Bars position on a sportbike - especially Ducati sportbikes is very limited with what you can adjust so I doubt there will be much help there. I can see now that the trick we used on the 1098 with a speedymoto top triple clamp is not going to work on this bike. Seating position is locked and the seat on the 1199 is very small - the smallest I have ever seen on a production bike - how are you going to change that? I do see that Ducati has made both a comfort and a racing seat available from DP but I don't think either of those affords any more room. Even the rearsets are going to be limited because of the new radial mounting style - the aftermarket is going to have a tough time making something to fit and most will be geared toward performance and not comfort.

The big thing to realize is that in Ducati's quest for a more centralized weight distribution they've extended the swingarm and moved the rider's position as far forward as possible. This cramps the rider's space more than ever before and moving the seat rearward is not an option unless you plan to make a custom rear cowl and seat. The spacing of the wheels has nothing to do with how much room you have.

Right now I don't see many modification options that are going to help if the bike is cramped.
One of the things I love about the KTM RC8R is that the seat, bars, and foot pegs are adjustable, now that's smart engineering.

I think it's going to come down to individuals sitting on the bike and making up their own minds

This is a quote from one of the members of Ducati.MS:

also remember...
the 1199 is 17mm longer than a RSV4... which is about 11/16" of an inch... but the RSV4 has more space for the rider.
The seat of the 1199 is 30mm closer than the seat of a 1198... which is about 1 1/8".. so the 1198 had over an extra inch available to the rider as well... so both the RSV4 and the 1198 have more room for it's rider... regardless of wheelbase...

The theory of "why" the riding position is smaller... i get. But for me , Ducati went from a tolerable distance...(1198) barely... to one that may be too cramped for street riding at all... (1199)..

I'm a tad over 6'2"... the 1198 was tight for me... really tight....
and now the 1199 is smaller and tighter still....

I think some are thinking that because it has a longer wheelbase , it will have more room for the rider. It is in fact the opposite... this bike will be a VERY committed riding position. The most committed that a Ducati sport bike has seen in a long time... and one of the most committed riding positions of all Superbikes... period. It is aimed at the track... and like days of 'ol , it will feel like it too.

I wouldn't turn down a ride on one , but it would be a short ride...

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Panigale Fit

OK, let's nail this one now. The Panigale is built to be more roomy than many sportsbikes and provide a less extreme riding position than the 1098/1198/848. Certainly much more relaxing than a 916/996. Having slung a leg over the Panigale at the NEC show in the UK I can vouch for that with complete confidence. The bars are higher, and the pegs and seat are lower. Also the bar-seat relationship is longer. I'm six foot exactly and was amazed by the amount of space on the bike - considering it is pretty small. The Aprilia RSV4 looks even smaller though and feels far smaller. I crossed it off my wish-list as soon as I swung a leg over.

For those who would like a second opinion try MCN Senior Reporter Andy Downes: "Sitting on it I was amazed at the room available for my 5ft 9in build. The handlebars felt wide and the shape of the tank allowed more freedom of movement for my legs. I was even more amazed when 6ft 6in MCN snapper Jubb folded himself onto the bike and declared it 'roomy'"

mutley said:

ok, let's nail this one now. The panigale is built to be more roomy than many sportsbikes and provide a less extreme riding position than the 1098/1198/848. Certainly much more relaxing than a 916/996. Having slung a leg over the panigale at the nec show in the uk i can vouch for that with complete confidence.

the bars are higher, and the pegs and seat are lower. Also the bar-seat relationship is longer. I'm six foot exactly and was amazed by the amount of space on the bike - considering it is pretty small. The aprilia rsv4 looks even smaller though and feels far smaller. I crossed it off my wish-list as soon as i swung a leg over.

For those who would like a second opinion try mcn senior reporter andy downes: "sitting on it i was amazed at the room available for my 5ft 9in build. The handlebars felt wide and the shape of the tank allowed more freedom of movement for my legs. I was even more amazed when 6ft 6in mcn snapper jubb folded himself onto the bike and declared it 'roomy'"

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great feedback.

Mutley said:

OK, let's nail this one now. The Panigale is built to be more roomy than many sportsbikes and provide a less extreme riding position than the 1098/1198/848. Certainly much more relaxing than a 916/996. Having slung a leg over the Panigale at the NEC show in the UK I can vouch for that with complete confidence.

The bars are higher, and the pegs and seat are lower. Also the bar-seat relationship is longer. I'm six foot exactly and was amazed by the amount of space on the bike - considering it is pretty small. The Aprilia RSV4 looks even smaller though and feels far smaller. I crossed it off my wish-list as soon as I swung a leg over.

For those who would like a second opinion try MCN Senior Reporter Andy Downes: "Sitting on it I was amazed at the room available for my 5ft 9in build. The handlebars felt wide and the shape of the tank allowed more freedom of movement for my legs. I was even more amazed when 6ft 6in MCN snapper Jubb folded himself onto the bike and declared it 'roomy'"

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That should answer any questions that the taller riders may have had. Short and sweet ! You WILL fit ! Nice job !

I have to agree here plenty of room on the bike and I've said it before the shape of the tank and fairing cut aways really help.

I had an opportunity to sit on the 1199 this past weekend and it felt very comfortable. The shape of the gas tank really helps with making the bike fit well. The 1199 did not feel as agressive over the front wheel like you feel when sitting on the 996 or 999... much more relaxed.

I still want to hear one and ride one.

duc said:

I had an opportunity to sit on the 1199 this past weekend and it felt very comfortable. The shape of the gas tank really helps with making the bike fit well. The 1199 did not feel as agressive over the front wheel like you feel when sitting on the 996 or 999... much more relaxed.

I still want to hear one and ride one.

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That's interesting, I find the 996 riding position very committed and aggressive but the 999 far more relaxed and comfortable.
The 1098 is also an aggressive riding position but I was able to make mine tolerable for long canyon rides with a few modifications.

Without a doubt the 999 offers the best riding position for me.

Even after a brief sit on the 1199 I'm not so sure about it yet...

flynbulldog said:

That's interesting, I find the 996 riding position very committed and aggressive but the 999 far more relaxed and comfortable.
The 1098 is also an aggressive riding position but I was able to make mine tolerable for long canyon rides with a few modifications.

Without a doubt the 999 offers the best riding position for me.

Even after a brief sit on the 1199 I'm not so sure about it yet...

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To clarify - I feel the 996 is more agressive than the 999, and I feel the 999 is more agressive than the 1199.

What kind of modifications did you make to your 1098 to improve the riding position?

duc said:

To clarify - I feel the 996 is more agressive than the 999, and I feel the 999 is more agressive than the 1199.

What kind of modifications did you make to your 1098 to improve the riding position?

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So far in the Ducati world the 999 is the most comfortable bike for me.

On my 1098 I did several things to try to suit the bike for my needs.
Speedymoto made a top triple that allowed the stock clip-ons to be raised about 3/4".
I also tried heli bars on it but after about a week I decided that they fought with the bike's true nature and I took them off and sold them.
I used Sato rear-sets that allowed me to lower the pegs just a bit for more leg-room.
And, I had a custom seat made that fit me nicely and kept me from sliding into the tank

Nearly every ride I do is over 200 miles and I did several 300 mile days on the bike.
And, as long as I stayed on roads that allowed continuous riding (as opposed to stop and go traffic) I was just fine.

It'll be interesting to see how the 1199 feels once we get some time on it.
I personally get the feeling that the seating position is crammed towards the front.

At 5'6 3/4" and 143 lbs I expect it will fit me perfectly and run like a scalded dog...Can't wait for March.

usrodeo5 said:

At 5'6 3/4" and 143 lbs I expect it will fit me perfectly and run like a scalded dog...Can't wait for March.

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my really light weight and riding prowess I'll be able to beat anything, anywhere on a standard....141 lbs...soaking wet...lol

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You better stop eatin rodeo or you aint gonna beat anybody... you already gained 2 pounds today!

Is that how they do it the defense industry? just throwin out numbers all over the place JK!

usrodeo5 said:

At 5'6 3/4" and 143 lbs I expect it will fit me perfectly and run like a scalded dog...Can't wait for March.

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Lucky to be getting yours in March, I've gotta wait till July ish

Oh and I'm 5'7 and 125 lbs, I would of given you a run for your money if I was still in states! haha