New 1199s owner in Michigan

Well it has been 4 weeks now with my 2012 1199S Panigale. This has been a dream-come-true for me as I was smitten with the Panigale when it first came out. I've had a 900 SS/SP, a 750 Monster and a 2001 996 Biposto which I still have. The Panigale is the most incredible bike I have ever ridden.

I bought this bike from a seller in Wisconsin just north of Milwaukee so I flew into Milwaukee on a Friday night. He picked me up at the airport and we made the deal back at his place. I grabbed a hotel in town that night and then rode back home on Saturday. It was an absolutely incredible 527 mile ride. Sure, I was tired and my fingers were worn out by time I got home but the ride was surreal all the way. I still feel like I'm in a dream and any moment now, someone is going to wake me.

I stopped to see a buddy in Long Grove, Il who also has a Monster and a few other really cool toys. I also stopped every 120 miles or so for gas so I had plenty of opportunity to rest for a few moments and savor the sight of the new toy.

I really wanted an S and this bike is that. It also has a very nice selection of carbon fiber bits, sliders and a Ducati performance comfort seat. It also has a full Termignoni exhaust and the upmap. Mileage was a little high but not outrageous and it seems to have been well serviced. Nothing is amiss and it runs great. It had a cracked right upper fairing so I found a nice one on Ebay (real OEM fairing!) to replace it. The seller was great and he sent me the box of stock parts via UPS the following week.

I was a little concerned about the crazy power level (nearly double the hp of my 996) so I put it in wet mode for most of the ride home until I got somewhat accustomed to the bike. I figured at "120 hp" it would be only slightly faster than my 996. Of course, I made it home in one piece and I am sure I would have been fine now that I've ridden the bike in full power mode for the better part of three weeks. However, I still believe that was a prudent thing to do.

I'm fortunate to be able to ride my bike to work pretty regularly so I am putting some miles on it and enjoying every minute of it.

Awesome and congratulations, she is a beast for sure. Heck of a way to make a first bond with her, good for you. Welcome to the club and stay safe.

Congrats on the new bike, still loving mine.

Graydon, your experience mirrors mine. These 1199's are awesome. Hope yours last a zillion miles!

I was just looking at the Desmosedici RR that is for sale at the Ducati.ms forum and I realised that as much as I was smitten with that bike in 2008, this 1199 is by all stats a better bike. Now I realise that sometimes there is a special something that makes a bike better than the sum of its parts but I don't think the 1199 is missing anything there either. Its still a dream come true. I check it every night before bed to see if it is really still there and I smile every time I look at it. Kinda like my wife!