My 2015 Panigale R Build

Hi everyone

I thought I'd share my build here like I did on the 899 forum. I learnt a great deal from people putting up their work here, so hopefully this will help someone as well.

As a quick background, I learnt riding on smaller bikes (the process is long and very detailed in Singapore), and aside from a short stint with an Aprilia RS125, my first proper bike was a 2014 Ducati 899 Panigale. I had that from new and, over the course of two years, had a great time modifying bits and gaining some understanding of how various components worked.

My old 899




I made the mistake of riding a mate's Panigale 1199R and was immediately hooked on that big Panigale glitz and pull. Lucky for me, a used 2015 Panigale R came up for sale about a year later and I jumped on it. I spent the intervening year with a 2015 Aprilia Tuono 1100 Factory, which I enjoyed but which egged me on too much and was trouble waiting to happen.

It's now been almost two years since I bought the R. Lots of work has gone into this bike and I thought I'd share my experiences here. I have quite a few photos to share so I thought I'd post the build in chronological order. So we'll start with the day I got her.

She was in stock condition, only had 1,400km (870 miles) on the clock and spent most of her time at the Sepang circuit. For reasons unknown to me, the owner stopped riding her and for months she sat motionless. Being overexcited, I had a few beers (rookie mistake) before going to look at the bike to seal the deal, and fail to notice a whole lot of corrosion. The bike was in a covered park, but the ocean was next to it, so the salt in the air did its thing.

Start of the 2015R Project

First days

At this point, I had any transferrable mods from the 899 installed on the R. Then it was the initial getting to know the new bike via street rides and the obligatory coffee runs with mates.

Initial impressions: Surprisingly easy to ride, significantly hotter than the 899, blipper was nice but not as crisp as the BSD Blipbox on my 899, felt special to ride, stock Ohlins felt nice but the front fork was not as plush as the black/gold Ohlins I had on the 899. Not as easy to launch off the lights as the 899, which had an STM slipper.

The mods at this point were:

Brakes: Brembo Supersport discs, Brembo RCS17 master cylinder, Brembo P2 rear caliper, Brembo serie oro rear disc

Clutch: Brembo RCS16 master cylinder, CNC clutch slave 28mm

Controls: DP rearsets, Progrip 717 grips, TWM remote brake adjuster

Tyres: New Supercorsa SC2

Misc: DP reservoir, DP fuel cap, DP race seat, DP rear LED indicators , DP brake guard, Ducabike start switch, Evotech tail tidy, Ducabike shock linkage in Flat setting

The R and the old 899

Phl said:

Nice, congrats on the R!!!

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Thanks Phl!

youngR said:

awesome!

I cant imagine import tax on R in Singapore! must be a lot.

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Thanks man. The taxes here on vehicles were bad enough as it is, but I was lucky when I bought my R. Not three months after I bought it, they changed the tax structure for bikes here (to align it with cars), and literally overnight the price of a brand new 2016 Panigale R went from US$54k to US$74k.

DStyleNZL said:

Your 899 thread on the old forum was great read.

No interest in a V4?

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Heya mate, thanks! The 899 forum build was proper fun.

A V4 would be great, but not with prices as they are here. I would probably have to top up an additional AU$30k after selling my R to get the V4S . That said, I'm not sure I want to part with my R. I'm keen to see what the V4R looks like (we'll know on Sunday) but it's nothing something I'll be able to afford anytime soon.

Stage 1: General tidy-up and getting rid of corroded bits

I never got too far into the titanium bolt thing on the 899, but with corroded bolts everywhere on the R, it was one of the first cosmetic things I wanted to address. I went with Proti for bolts that would remain in the natural titanium colour, and Podium Racing for bolts that I wanted in black to match stock black bolts. I also tried titanium bolts from an old friend on ebay, carbonfibrefever, as I was getting a carbon upper chain guard from him at the same time.

Next was the rear sprocket and related assembly. AEM's products looked really good, especially their D-sei carrier, so I went with that paired with the AEM quick change sprocket in stock configuration (525, 41T). While we were going to update the rear, the corroded stock cush drives needed to go as well. I went with AEM's cush drive kit, which came with titanium nuts.

I wasn't too impressed with the fitment of the AEM quick change kit. As you can see from the pictures below, the lug base didn't fit flush into the slots of the quick change carrier. Some fettling was required. But the result looked good.

First issues

As the first mods lined up, so did the first few issues.

The first was something I noticed the day I picked her up. The mag clutch cover was corroding (most likely due to rear brake fluid dripping on it judging by the position of corrosion). Lucky for me, Ducati agreed to fix this under warranty and replace with a new clutch cover.

Next was an oddity. The Panigale R is meant to come with the 41T rear sprocket (the 1299 had 39T). Oddly mine had a 39T rear. The previous owner said he hadn't made any changes from stock, so Ducati HQ was contacted about it. Ducati stepped up and approved a warranty replacement consisting of the full set of front and rear sprockets and a new chain. I didn't need this since the AEM kit was going on, but it was nice to be treated so well by Ducati.

Lastly, the left fork leg started to leak. I've read other R owners have the same issue, but for mine, the fact that it sat for months on end did it no favours. This was also going to be rectified under warranty. I was glad because there was a trackday coming up and I wanted all issues resolved before then.

First bits on and some Tyga goodies

With the AEM rear sprocket, titanium fasteners, and a new 525 chain on, the corroded drivetrain days are over for the R. While she was in the shop, a CNC alternator cover was installed as well.

I had the DP bike cover (the one with the graphics on the sides) for my 899 previously, but it was a little tight for the R and its non-foldable mirrors. I was nervous about snapping the mirrors every time I put on or removed the cover. So I sold that cover and went with a Tyga Performance cover. I had this on my Tuono and it was great quality for the price (just over US$40, but shipping isn't cheap - link here).

I also picked up a carbon Tyga brake holder (what they call a parking brake - link here). For US$28, it is a nice piece of carbon that you can use to keep your brake or clutch lever pulled overnight to aid with bleeding and getting air out of the lines. Works fine but you might want to wrap the part that contact the lever as it can leave scratches.

youngR said:

which track you heading to? Sepang?

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Yes Sepang The only other one I've been to is the old Pasir Gudang track in Johor, which is great little track but it's in disrepair and I think closed now. Sepang is in a different league. The surface, which was fairly recently re-done, is amazing and the track itself is spacious.

Methd said:

Nice little read. I have a Pani R as well - amazing bike !

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Thanks mate! I couldn't agree more.

New drivetrain installed and Tyga goodies

I tried posting this yesterday but for some reason it didn't go through. Hoping it doesn't double post.

The AEM rear sprocket set up is now on with a new DID 525 chain. Safety wiring to be done later, but for now the old rusty corroded bits are gone.

While she was in, titanium fasteners and a CNC alternator guard went on as well.

Not really part of the build, but I ended up getting a Tyga Performance bike cover after positive experiences with the same cover for my Aprilia Tuono. It is a bargain for what it is (around US$40 but shipping is not cheap). I had the DP graphic indoor bike cover before - that fit the 899 like a glove but I struggled with it on the R and its mirrors. The Tyga one went on and off way easier.

I also ended up getting Tyga's carbon parking brake. It's a nice piece of carbon for US$28 and helps when you want to have your lever pulled back overnight to get rid of air in the lines.

First Track Outing

I had promised myself that I'd take the R to Sepang once I had her, so I did but man was I nervous about the whole thing. I hadn't been to Sepang before and had only a handful of trackdays previously on a smaller circuit on the 899.

Once the nerves had settled after the first session, I started to enjoy getting to know the bike better. She was not the fire-breathing monster I was fearing. It was very manageable and confidence-inspiring. That said, opening the throttle to the stop down the straights was still scary.

I came away with better detailed notes for the track, and a lot of things I wanted to improve (e.g. body position, breathing, vision etc). It's true what people say about exaggerating your body position - when you're on track, you think you've done it but it's not until you've seen trackside photos that reality hits.

Post-track clean and more issues

Having got through Sepang and feeling good about the bike, I thought she deserved a couple of small gifts. So on went:

1. A lightweight aluminium racing front axle from MVS Performance in Germany. The actual grams saved isn't much. It is, however, 50% lighter than the stock unit (187g vs 376g) and, being unsprung weight, is a good place to drop weight.

2. Titanium rear subframe bolts from Podium Racing

Then it was a clean and photo session in the carpark downstairs. Sorry for the unreasonable number of photos

I felt great until I noticed the right fork now leaking (was the left previously).