panigale 1299s as first bike

if you do end up going with the 1299, i believe there are tons of settings that if used properly COMBINED with a whole lot of common sense while sitting in the seat that will make the 1299 an acceptable option for the even the novice rider. however, you will likely crash so i guess it just depends on which bike you want to crash on.

Chacaoi
Hopefully the skepticism you've seen here seems enough of a hint that it's not perhaps the best option for a new rider. None of us know your ability, and there will always be those that argue both sides. Be that as it may... If you want and can afford a panigale, know that it will not teach you how to ride a motorcycle. It will teach you to rely on electronics, etc. it will not teach you judgement, which is 90% of riding successfully on the street. If ( as a normal part of learning) you screw up, it will be very expensive. That said it will look nice

If riding is a passion (or you think it might be), then get something less intimidating, and ride the snot out of it. When you feel bored, then consider something more performance oriented. Instead of being afraid of what you're riding, you'll then be amazed at how much better it is.

The recommendations here for training are sound. There is a lot about riding a performance motorcycle that is far from intuitive. You will not teach yourself to do it properly... VERY few actually do.

Good luck
B

Rpm said:

I got 2012 1199s as my first bike. After 14000kms, as amazing the experience is, I wouldn't suggest it as a first bike at all.
Any other 600 bike or 899, even s1000rr are much less overwhelming hence you can focus more on your skills. With every ride I am learning the bike as well as the skill. Smaller bikes for a beginner would be no less fun.
If you have to get a panigale go with 899.

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That's if you can call a 899 a Panigale

Just joking

Better put my nomex flight suit on

BTrain5489 said:

There's a lot of humble bragging going on when people talk about the level of skill required to ride a superbike. The reality is that if you're just riding around on the street in a legal/sane manner anyone with two brain cells to rub together can ride one. It's not rocket science. That said there are far more entertaining, better bang for your buck street bikes out there.

If you're interested in getting into track riding get a smaller bike. You'll be faster on a smaller bike and your wallet will thank you should anything happen to the bike.

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Ha! Humble bragging! I hear what you are saying but I do think people are seriously making a recommendation based on their experiences, without knowing the age of the OP, which btw I think is critical.

Sure if all you ever do is potter around the bike is pretty docile, especially if you neuter it with 120hp mode, but the bike will ultimately run like a dog and not be particularly fun to ride.

I refrained from relaying the litany of crashes and mistakes I made on less powerful bikes when I first started riding 25 years ago, and those that occurred on my return to full time riding 10 years ago in my mid 30's.

Whether you are young or old there's a different set of issues for you to address, overconfidence at one end of the scale and a lack of confidence at the other, both that often end with single bike, Survival Reaction (Keith Code, Twist of the Wrist) crashes.

As others have pointed out, a Minivan is as likely to be your nemesis as your own SRs but having a bike that can out accelerate just about any supercar on the planet does rather exacerbate that problem.

The first modern bike I bought was a Kwaka ZX12R in 2000, having come from classic Italian machines like Moto Guzzi LeMans and Laverda Jota I nearly wedged myself up the exhaust of a few cars and trucks with the hyperdrive acceleration, and ran wide in my fair share of corners and was very lucky to live to tell the tale.

After 2.5 years of solid track riding and with 23,000km on the 1199 I've decided that I'll never master it but I will have fun trying, and I continue to learn every time out on the track. This is different to the road where you're not pushing against the clock, where you can happily amble along.

I rode the 899 and a new 1199 back to back a few weeks ago and the 899 felt like a more complete package, definitively easier to ride.

These big bikes can grow with you if you set them to low power and use it that way to mimic a smaller bike, say 600 power range. But if you crash it then it won't grow with you and you may be better off with a lesser bike to start. Bottom line too is that the high power settings on these bikes is way too much for the streets, so unless you intend to track, the astronomical power capability is really just bragging rights. Ride safe.

chacaoi said:

okay so in your opinion a 899 would work or a smaller one ??

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899 is every bit as dangerous to a new driver as a 1299. If I had to pick between the two evils I would go with the smaller one. But neither is the best choice.


When I was in my early twenties I had a 750 to cut my teeth on, bars were always hitting the ground, and lines blown. Im lucky to have lived through it.

No one here knows enough about you to make any credible decision, other then any superbike is not a good first bike.

chacaoi said:

i plan to buy my first bike next year and im considering the panigale 1299 s, i know how to ride a bike and ocasionally drive a yamaha r6, this would be a rational option or should start with a smaller bike. opinions and thoughts?

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I think the guys have been pretty forthcoming so perhaps you could tell us a little about yourself?

you ppl scared him away... bad bad ppl!!!

ygfamily21 said:

you ppl scared him away... bad bad ppl!!!

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May have been a troll type post anyway..????

Stw said:

May have been a troll type post anyway..????

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Dirty BMW driver

Another observation that goes along above. My first season back riding in a long time on an 1199, and using the traction control a lot, I was positively destroying rear tires with it. As my skills have improved, through both track days and racing (along with suspension settings), I am now going faster without getting into the traction control, and my tire wear is perfect (textbook, as one tire vendor called it )

On the other hand, I learned to used the advanced electronics to help me find the limits, both on the power and on the brakes. When the machine starts to give you some tactile feedback like the brake lever pulsing or cutting out under acceleration, you know you are there (or at least as close as you need to be for our purposes). Then you use that to calibrate yourself, turn the settings down and try to ride like that without help. In a way it can make you a little more systematic, but the goal is to ride the bike without help from the e-brain.

Get the bike you want .

CARBONDAVE said:

Get the bike you want .

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This guy starts a possibly serious thread asking if a 206HP SuperBike is a good idea as a first ever bike.... For you too say" Get the bike you want" is totally irresponsible in my opinion....

Get the bike you want, trash it and sell the leftovers cheap to me.

If this is the bike you end up purchasing (even if it's an irresponsible and crazy choice for your first big bore superbike) you could use rain mode to keep the power down until you were more comfortable and familiar with the bike. You could also use the electronics package and turn the ABS and traction control to max for more intervention from getting yourself in trouble.

The Panigale is a beautiful bike and very difficult to shake from your mind once you've stood close to him. He will appear to you when your sleeping, he will loom in your mind to distract you while your working tempting and beckoning.
I am no spoil sport but as an ex Police officer and as an Nurse I implore you not to take this as your first bike. You will undoubtedly make mistakes we all do even the Duchess does occasionally with too many years experience than I care to admit to! Even with my Institute of advanced and my Police training etc. Some bikes are forgiving, you make a mistake and bike recovers....the Panigale is not so forgiving. If I am honest I was actually relieved to have ridden it for almost a year without a mishap. There was a time a little while back on here that there were several spills and a couple of deaths... These weren't novice riders.
Why not set yourself a challenge?
A bike to get you to your goal of Panigale ownership let's say a 650/700 suzuki or yamaha or ducati monster , take some extra training and really enjoy getting say 6 months under ye belt. If you manage a year you will have some discount on the insurance.
Have a think abt it and try and reduce risks
Kind Regards
The Duchess

Stw said:

This guy starts a possibly serious thread asking if a 206HP SuperBike is a good idea as a first ever bike.... For you too say" Get the bike you want" is totally irresponsible in my opinion....

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There was a time that 100hp motorcycles were considered absolutely insane. And, that was well before electronic anything, let alone traction control, ABS and the like.

The OP didn't start the thread coming from a standpoint of zero experience, let's not glance over that. If he can handle a 600, there is no reason to think that with the proper maturity this would be any different.

Astronauts spend months in constant training before riding one. Good luck [emoji481][emoji57]

This is why my insurance rates are high

Want a Ducati? Get a Scrambler.