On the fence!

I just joined the forum hoping some of you Ducati fans will push me in the right direction. I lost a couple of bikes, (and two cars) in hurricane Sandy and have been holding out for a new machine. A long time sport bike and sport touring rider, (mostly big Japanese In-line 4's), I've always wanted a Ducati but never seriously considered buying until recently after testing a 1299S. I'm 6'4" so the 1299 is a little cramped but oh so much fun. Can it be fun for 3 to 4 hours? I understand the 1299 is not designed for a leisure ride to pick up bread and milk, (I rode my ZX12 from NY to Texas and back), however, I don't think anyone would be crazy enough to try such distances on a 1299. Spending $25K on a machine I probably wouldn't use every day or ride for hours at a time, does not seem logical. Should I stop thinking this through so hard and buy the bike?

Antihero has done a cross country tour on his first 1199 and now that he's on his second 1199, he's overseas travelling through different countries. After having put more than 30k miles combined, it definitely can be done on a Panigale. Don't let others discourage you from doing your usual travels. Are there better bikes more suited for that? Obviously but they are no Italian exotics! Most of us, myself specifically, ride a Panigale because of its sexy looks. To me, nothing else matters. NOTHING. If money isn't an issue and it sure doesn't sound like it is, you've already convinced yourself on the 1299S. Just go get it. You don't need any of our biased opinions. There are things you can do to make it a bit more suitable for your size but it still won't be a cruiser.

Find yourself a steal of a deal on a leftover 15 if you can find one or buy a gently used 15 and save yourself a few grand because you will definitely spend more money on making it your own and Ducati accessories are not cheap! Rarely will you see someone who has not modded their Panigales and once you start, it's hard to stop.

I have a 1299S and use it to commute everyday in NY traffic. First few days may be a little rough but, after that you get comfortable on her. I switched from a Busa and have Zero regrets. Have not ridden the Busa once since last year.
There are plenty of members on here that ride a Panigale for hundreds of miles and also use it to commute daily like me. No issues.
If you like the bike, and it sounds like you do, go on brother.
Pull the trigger , you only live once.
There is not a day that she does not put a smile on my face.

My 2 cents, I come from a in line 4 stable, the 1299 is my first Ducti, it's really nice to look at brutally powerful, but in traffic it's not the best, the bike IMO does not like to amble around and in average road and traffic conditions I personally find it a handful, the clutch is a bit binary as in on or off, the heat in traffic can be uncomfortable.
I have not suffered any major tech issues with mine yet but these things are new so we are all contributing to the forum with issues that seem to pop up, (oil leaks and some electrical stuff) mine had a new master cylinder at 1000km ( despite warranty it took the dealer 7 weeks to sort out) so 7 weeks of brake fluid dripping on my garage floor from a very expensive bike ... Made me a bit miserable.

I love having in my stable, and glad I never purchased a 16 R1, in my opinion the jap bikes now look cheap in comparison (parents always prefer their own kids syndrome)

However all said and done when I feel like hooligan tooling I jump onto my KTM Duke R, it's light it's fast, it wheelies with confidence, I throw it into traffic with ease, both these bikes are new to me and I find the lessor bike just always my first choice and therefore enjoy it more, but that bieng said if I never had the 1299 in the garage to greet me on my return home I would feel robbed.

I've got over 45k miles on 1199s, and did 1036 miles in 16 hours on one. Rode the Tail of the Dragon during hurricane Sandy, endured snowstorms in Norway, and, well, pretty much you name it, I've ridden through it or over it. All I can say is: write the check, take delivery. You won't regret it.

AntiHero said:

I've got over 45k miles on 1199s, and did 1036 miles in 16 hours on one. Rode the Tail of the Dragon during hurricane Sandy, endured snowstorms in Norway, and, well, pretty much you name it, I've ridden through it or over it. All I can say is: write the check, take delivery. You won't regret it.

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I admire your tenacity, with respect have you considered other types of transport? Looking at the pic and surface your bike is on, a 4x4 or a light helicopter could offer a possible alternate.

45 000 on a twin, for pure fun, you are what I would call a purist !! Respect brother.

A 4x4? Looking at that pic, I'd want the new Multi Enduro. Bet it would be great on that surface...

Oh, and back to the OP's question.

I ride my '14 1199 3 to 4 hours at a time about every other weekend. And I ride it to work 3 out of 5 days most weeks.

My only real complaint is that the tank is too small. The way I ride, I cannot get much more than 100 mile per tank.

I am also 6'4" and own a 1299s. It's a track-only bike though. If I had to ride my 1299 for more than an hour or so I'd be ready to kill myself.

I own other bikes though, and have the luxury of being able to have the right tool for the job. But even if I could own a single bike, I don't think I'd go with a 1299 for someone our height. Just trying to be a voice of reason.

I'm a huge AntiHero fan and don't know how he does it, but he's definitely the exception, not the rule. Even Dennis can speak to the compromises involved with riding an 1199 long distances. I've owned many, many bikes over the last few years and some comfort-related reason is almost always why I get rid of one. If you can't be comfortable while riding, you are very distracted. True on the track OR the street.

Edit - You should take one for an extended test ride! Ducati dealerships are great about this. Ride it for 30-45 minutes and see if it bothers you, any comfort issues you'll notice (however minor) after a ride of that duration. Just amplify those if you plan to ride it for longer.

I read through AntiHero's logs of his travels and it had convinced me to purchase my Panigale. I've had some technical issues with the brakes, gear sensor, bolts, and fairings. It's been in the shop for warranty a handful of times, but it makes me smile whenever I ride it! It looks nice, too ^_^

So, the inspiration to ride it with beautiful scenery was there for the taking and I took a trip with a coworker (on my Diavel) from LA to SF along the 101 freeway. We stopped for fuel and snacks along the way (also a 111 mph speeding ticket for the both of us). Nothing really uncomfortable as long as I was going 70+ mph.

I was wearing textile Dainese Drake Air pants and although the pants looked fine, the inside of my right thigh was burnt and blistered and eventually bled a little bit. I lined that portion of my pant with a thin gel insole material and it's been great ever since!

I consider the Panigale a pure pleasure machine and do not reach for it expecting efficient utility. Now, I have to go ride it before it starts raining later today!

I ride my 1199 everywhere.. Just get it and you will love it.. I've had issues with my bike alot and I mean alot but i wouldn't trade her for anything..

Silverback said:

Seems to be a common theme with these "Italian Harleys"
I'll stick with my Busa.

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If you ride a Busa why do you troll Ducati forums? Ducati envy perhaps?

Silverback said:

Seems to be a common theme with these "Italian Harleys"
I'll stick with my Busa.

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The Busa must rate as the ugliest bike ever built, sorry bud I tell people in person, I'm from the old school where we have stainless balls, in SA the Busa is a tool used by guys with overweight wives or shags, and many club addicts (whos jackets weigh more then my 1299) as they display there rally badges as some kind of academic achievement.
That hump on the back the length of it, the weight of it...and I could go on, but you know it's short comings, I will add that I have met a few boys who can wheelie the Busa as if it was a scrambler, so it's not underpowered, but it looks like a beached whale compared to any Ducati, or like a free state tannie compared to Taylor Swift.
It's regrettable your sons bike has developed this setback, and I Will be keen to hear the outcome, in many cases its owner/ operator induced i.e.: too much oil or some mod on the tank breather and so on, in summer we had ambient temps in CT of around 40C and my 1299 robot to robot got to over 110C never missed a beat, but continued to give me a beat, and then seduce me when I get home, no sus has those hallmarks.

Silverback said:

I guess if you want to look stylish while broken down on the side of the road, you buy a Ducati or Harley.

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Sorry to hear about your son's new ride. That's a terrible experience and doesn't bode too well for the brand so I hope that both the dealer and manufacturer step up and take care of his situation.

You can find all sorts of problems on other bike forums as well it's not just limited to Ducati. Once he gets everything resolved, I'm positive that the sun will start to shine again.. for awhile, of course.

Mine have not left me stranded on the side of the road yet--Diavel 1198, 1199R, Multistrada 1200S.

As for you being proud of your Hayabusa, it's fine! But, there is really not too many comparable aspects vs. the Panigale. Just too different!

Silverback said:

I guess if you want to look stylish while broken down on the side of the road, you buy a Ducati or Harley.

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I hope you're not another one of those troll who comes to ducati forum to just to hate on the brand...and telling us how great Japanese bikes are. Almost all 11 posts you made was just that.

Silverback said:

I guess if you want to look stylish while broken down on the side of the road, you buy a Ducati or Harley.

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I get the friendly banter with your boy over his bike choice (and I hope he gets it fixed under warranty) but do us a favour and keep it in the family.

Captain Greg said:

I will add that I have met a few boys who can wheelie the Busa as if it was a scrambler, so it's not underpowered, but it looks like a beached whale compared to any Ducati.

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Just look at the typical Busa rider and ask yourself if you want to hang with that crowd, roaring up and down the freeway at 1 AM, pissing people off

No thanks...

1299 is the most fun to ride (and look at) bike I've owned, hands down

Silverback said:

Lol, no envy from me.
I joined because my son's 1299 .... the bed Sunday 3 miles into the ride. (only 460 on the bike)
It caught on fire and started a big ditch fire, there's a thread.
I'm waiting to see how Ducati handles this.

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Your sons 1299 burst into flames after you tried to install ...... LED's and loud speakers on it with the wiring skill and aptitude of a chimpanzee........

Reliability rating as a brand is stupid.

In the 3yrs i had my Daytona, only issue i had was a regulator rectifier issue which was replaced under warranty.

My 1199 has had issues with the Marzocchi forks twice and stalling issues before the 1st service which is very common on the Panigales but I haven't experienced most of the issues forum members have had on here.

Buying a specific model based on a brand is stupid. It doesn't equate to a problem free experience. Every car make, bike make, etc will have some kinda issues or you might be super lucky n have little to no issues. That doesn't mean anything. There are far more satisfied Panigale owners than unsatisfied ones. Some just have received a Friday built model. Human errors happen, regardless of manufacturer. Such is life.

Silverback said:

I'll just leave this here...

According to the worldwide survey, reliability means buying Japanese. Yamaha is the top-scoring brand for reliability, followed by Suzuki, Honda, and Kawasaki. Buying American isn't a bad decision, though, with Victory edging out Harley-Davidson. The least reliable brands were Triumph, Ducati, BMW, and Can-Am. Apr 26, 2015

Numbers Don't Lie

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So, according to your logic, we should all buy Yamaha. Why did you buy a Suzuki? I am guessing because you thought a minor trade-off in reliability was worth whatever else it was that attracted you to the Hyabusa. Same for me with the Panigale albeit on a different scale (at both ends of the spectrum). Hell, life would be boring if we all had Yamahas. In another post you recommended your son offload the POS and buy the BMW, yet, by your own argument here, BMW are less reliable than Ducati! Don't you like riding with him?