Should I get one?

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Corvus

Joined
Mar 2, 2014
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Hi all,

New to the forum, but not totally to sportbikes. I started on an 09 zx6r and moved to a heavily modded 06 R1. It is a hell of a lot of bike, but I've always wanted a Ducati. I had a lust for a 1098, but when the 1199 came out, it really struck a chord. Now that the 899 is out, I have even more indecisiveness. I was talking to the guys at the local Duc dealer the difference I would experience in an 1199/899 over my R1. The R1 is borderline unmanageable on the street and that's where I do the majority of my riding. I just want to get an idea if the 1199 is around the same level, or if I should "downgrade" to an 899. Planning on test riding both if the weather is nice next week!

I'll continue to lurk and drool over the posts in the meantime though!

Here's a pic of the R1 :p
 

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If you are set on buying a Duck, pick up a used 2012 or 2013 S.
Make SURE it is in warranty for a good while though, or buy an extended warranty.

Don't buy new- its unnecessary, and frankly, as soon as you ride this bike away you lose $6,500+ on a new one. Used 1199's are all over the place and cheap!
I may even have a buddy looking to sell a pampered 3K 2012 S with carbon goodies, and an extended warranty for $17/18K
 
Phl said:
Test Ride ! And the your soul will be lost!
Click to expand...

That's what I'm hoping :p

White13Pani said:
If you are set on buying a Duck, pick up a used 2012 or 2013 S.
Make SURE it is in warranty for a good while though, or buy an extended warranty.

Don't buy new- its unnecessary, and frankly, as soon as you ride this bike away you lose $6,500+ on a new one. Used 1199's are all over the place and cheap!
I may even have a buddy looking to sell a pampered 3K 2012 S with carbon goodies, and an extended warranty for $17/18K
Click to expand...

Yeah, there is both a used 2012 base that someone sold to the dealer, as well as a 2012 base demo bike that is up for sale. They are VERY competitively priced. I wouldn't be getting brand spanking new and I wouldn't be going above the base unless the deal was really good. I don't see the need for the additional suspension package/electronics/carbon fiber for my application to pay for it.
 
For street riding (all of what I do currently), I would strongly recommend the 41T rear sprocket conversion that is very popular on this forum and what the 1199R comes with as standard. It makes chugging around town far more enjoyable (more low end grunt).

And I guess it depends on what your definition of "unmanageable" on the streets is. The bike will wheelie easily depending on how you twist your wrist... but the solution is simply to not twist your wrist so much. I had a GSXR 1000 and it was basically the same thing. Any liter bike is basically absurd overkill for the street at the top end, but I actually think in some ways the literbikes are better for street riding than 600s or the 899 for example, because there is more torque available at lower RPMs. The difference is you can ring out a lower displacement bike on the streets and get into less trouble. My gixxer750 I'd be able to redline the first couple gears on the way to work and not be at an absurdly high speed, the 1000 would hit 90mph in 1st gear so if you wanted to ring it out you were generally getting into more "trouble". But again, just don't twist your wrist so much and I'd argue the 1199 is actually a better street bike and the 899 is more of a track bike because you can use the top end more on the track (legally at least)
 
Go for the 899. I've ridden a couple 1199s, even had a deposit on one before they started delivering that I cancelled.

I also ride my friends 2005 CBR1000RR and 2010CBR1000RR. The 899 is every bit as fast as the 2010 Fireblade so compared to your modified R1, you won't regret it, especially after break-in :D

The 1198 and 1199 for me have just too much power for the street. I love doing high RPM full throttle hard exiting coming off corners on high speed (60-90mph) very curvy mountain roads. You just can't do that with the 1199, you can't. On a race track where the pavement is banked correctly for the turn, sure, but real roads aren't made that way and are often level or even banked the wrong way. I tend to not rush corners, then carry allot of speed thru them before blasting out of them. I start accelerating prior to the apex rolling it on easy and keeping it neutral with no engine breaking even going into the turn. I'm usually around 8K right AT the apex as I really start accelerating out of it. The 899 feels like it is made for this style of riding. It's already a handful on the lower speed 2nd gear turns where the front wheel comes off the ground exiting the corner going into 3rd. On the 1199 this would just be insane and a death wish on a public mountain road.

I am MUCH happier riding the 899 hard as .... vs. having to "control" an 1199 on the street. If you plan on allot of track days on very large tracks or ride on straight roads or freeways, go for the 1199. If you ride curvy mountain roads or small tracks, by all means get the 899.

It will give you a permanent ear-to-ear .... eating grin vs. a scary thrill ride that leaves you partially empty because you simply can't push it to it's edge without being a professional on a track.

It all just comes down to your skill level, your sense of self preservation, and your respect for laws and the life of others on public roads lol. The 1199 is just in another league from most other liter bikes and the 899 is plenty.

JMHO. Course for me, I had a deposit on an 1199S w/ABS and it was going to be $28K OTD. The 899 ended up being $17K OTD. I would never even consider the base 1199, that's just me. I plan on a full Ohlins suspension, carbon or forged aluminum wheels, and a full tuned exhaust, and I'll still be less than what the 1199S w/ABS would have been OTD and for me, a much better "fun" factor.

I bought my 848 new and never regretted it for all the years I had it. Hell, I regret even selling it to get the 1199. I should have kept it and gotten the 899 in addition to. Even riding with my friends on their liter bikes with my 848, I was always faster in the curves, so there was no liter bike envy there haha!
 
Last edited:
transdesigner said:
For street riding (all of what I do currently), I would strongly recommend the 41T rear sprocket conversion that is very popular on this forum and what the 1199R comes with as standard. It makes chugging around town far more enjoyable (more low end grunt).

And I guess it depends on what your definition of "unmanageable" on the streets is. The bike will wheelie easily depending on how you twist your wrist... but the solution is simply to not twist your wrist so much. I had a GSXR 1000 and it was basically the same thing. Any liter bike is basically absurd overkill for the street at the top end, but I actually think in some ways the literbikes are better for street riding than 600s or the 899 for example, because there is more torque available at lower RPMs. The difference is you can ring out a lower displacement bike on the streets and get into less trouble. My gixxer750 I'd be able to redline the first couple gears on the way to work and not be at an absurdly high speed, the 1000 would hit 90mph in 1st gear so if you wanted to ring it out you were generally getting into more "trouble". But again, just don't twist your wrist so much and I'd argue the 1199 is actually a better street bike and the 899 is more of a track bike because you can use the top end more on the track (legally at least)
Click to expand...

Exactly. Excuse my ignorance, but I'm guessing that going to 41T would be going down in the rear? To get more useable torque instead of adding acceleration and losing top end? I'm actually going to be going back to stock gearing on my R1 after having it +2 on the rear. It just wants to go straight up instead of forward. No electronics package on my gen R1 either.

I agree with your analogy that the 1199 may be manageable, but the 899 would be a fun track machine to push the limits of. I'll just have to see what it's like test ridin em.
 
Corvus said:
Exactly. Excuse my ignorance, but I'm guessing that going to 41T would be going down in the rear? To get more useable torque instead of adding acceleration and losing top end? I'm actually going to be going back to stock gearing on my R1 after having it +2 on the rear. It just wants to go straight up instead of forward. No electronics package on my gen R1 either.

I agree with your analogy that the 1199 may be manageable, but the 899 would be a fun track machine to push the limits of. I'll just have to see what it's like test ridin em.
Click to expand...

It's stock 39T so it's actually +2. I say more usable because when Ducati came out with the 1199 engine versus the 1198, it actually lost a lot of the low end torque that v-twins are famous for, with Ducati going for more high end hp like the 4 cylinders which was deemed better for racing. A lot of us felt that the 1199 actually had too little grunt at the low end versus the 1198 that was a torque monster, and the solution was either idling around town at high RPM to have some power available, or go to a 41T. I would argue that Ducati themselves realized 39T was too low because the R comes with the 41T as I mentioned.

And as you mentioned in the last paragraph and 92GTA previously, the downside with the 1199 is I'm not generally maxing it out on the way to work in the morning, versus my gixxer750 where I could, at least in the lower gears.
 
transdesigner said:
It's stock 39T so it's actually +2. I say more usable because when Ducati came out with the 1199 engine versus the 1198, it actually lost a lot of the low end torque that v-twins are famous for, with Ducati going for more high end hp like the 4 cylinders which was deemed better for racing. A lot of us felt that the 1199 actually had too little grunt at the low end versus the 1198 that was a torque monster, and the solution was either idling around town at high RPM to have some power available, or go to a 41T. I would argue that Ducati themselves realized 39T was too low because the R comes with the 41T as I mentioned.

And as you mentioned in the last paragraph and 92GTA previously, the downside with the 1199 is I'm not generally maxing it out on the way to work in the morning, versus my gixxer750 where I could, at least in the lower gears.
Click to expand...

Ah gotcha. Probably along the same lines as my R1. But forged wheels, velocity stacks, filter, PCIII, a full Termi system, 520 conversion, and tons of weight shavings make the already high-end based powerband of the R1 pretty crazy.

Not having ridden any Ducati previously, it sounds as though the 1199 would feel pretty similar to what I have already. I'm actually pretty good with that. I would like some more low end grunt to move around traffic commuting. I bet it would have more than my R1 though. Not sure if the 899 would be for me...might seem a bit too tame compared to the two even though it would be much more practical for commuting and the majority of my riding...hmm more things to maul over. Thanks for everyone's input though
 
92GTA said:
Go for the 899. I've ridden a couple 1199s, even had a deposit on one before they started delivering that I cancelled.

I also ride my friends 2005 CBR1000RR and 2010CBR1000RR. The 899 is every bit as fast as the 2010 Fireblade so compared to your modified R1, you won't regret it, especially after break-in :D

The 1198 and 1199 for me have just too much power for the street. I love doing high RPM full throttle hard exiting coming off corners on high speed (60-90mph) very curvy mountain roads. You just can't do that with the 1199, you can't. On a race track where the pavement is banked correctly for the turn, sure, but real roads aren't made that way and are often level or even banked the wrong way. I tend to not rush corners, then carry allot of speed thru them before blasting out of them. I start accelerating prior to the apex rolling it on easy and keeping it neutral with no engine breaking even going into the turn. I'm usually around 8K right AT the apex as I really start accelerating out of it. The 899 feels like it is made for this style of riding. It's already a handful on the lower speed 2nd gear turns where the front wheel comes off the ground exiting the corner going into 3rd. On the 1199 this would just be insane and a death wish on a public mountain road.

I am MUCH happier riding the 899 hard as .... vs. having to "control" an 1199 on the street. If you plan on allot of track days on very large tracks or ride on straight roads or freeways, go for the 1199. If you ride curvy mountain roads or small tracks, by all means get the 899.

It will give you a permanent ear-to-ear .... eating grin vs. a scary thrill ride that leaves you partially empty because you simply can't push it to it's edge without being a professional on a track.

It all just comes down to your skill level, your sense of self preservation, and your respect for laws and the life of others on public roads lol. The 1199 is just in another league from most other liter bikes and the 899 is plenty.

JMHO. Course for me, I had a deposit on an 1199S w/ABS and it was going to be $28K OTD. The 899 ended up being $17K OTD. I would never even consider the base 1199, that's just me. I plan on a full Ohlins suspension, carbon or forged aluminum wheels, and a full tuned exhaust, and I'll still be less than what the 1199S w/ABS would have been OTD and for me, a much better "fun" factor.

I bought my 848 new and never regretted it for all the years I had it. Hell, I regret even selling it to get the 1199. I should have kept it and gotten the 899 in addition to. Even riding with my friends on their liter bikes with my 848, I was always faster in the curves, so there was no liter bike envy there haha!
Click to expand...

Hmm interesting experience here and seem to be echoing a lot of what many reviewers are saying...as one of my racer friends says all the time, "It's much more fun going fast on something slow than having to go slow on something fast"...not that the 899 is slow by any means. It's opinions like this why I am definitely test riding them both. Curious why you're against the base model 1199 though? I know I'm not good enough of a rider yet to extract benefit from the additional kit the S or R offers
 
Corvus said:
Hmm interesting experience here and seem to be echoing a lot of what many reviewers are saying...as one of my racer friends says all the time, "It's much more fun going fast on something slow than having to go slow on something fast"...not that the 899 is slow by any means. It's opinions like this why I am definitely test riding them both. Curious why you're against the base model 1199 though? I know I'm not good enough of a rider yet to extract benefit from the additional kit the S or R offers
Click to expand...

I did a lengthy review here that I updated earlier this morning:
Ducati 899 review after 450 miles - Ducati.ms - The Ultimate Ducati Forum

Far as the base 1199, for what you pay OTD and for what it would cost to upgrade it to S spec, it's a much better value getting the S. Plus it will hold a MUCH higher resale value. Not that many plan on selling their bikes, but life can happen so never say never.

Alex
 
92GTA said:
Far as the base 1199, for what you pay OTD and for what it would cost to upgrade it to S spec, it's a much better value getting the S. Plus it will hold a MUCH higher resale value. Not that many plan on selling their bikes, but life can happen so never say never.
Click to expand...

If the cost delta between the base and the "S" exceeds the value you assign to those "upgrades", then it's a poor value.

And resale value doesn't interest me. Not everyone values "resale value" as a bullet point on their check-off list.

You make a mistake in thinking that value is a immutable quality among individuals. Some of us who have bought bases would rather spend the extra on an upgrade that we value rather than the spec Ducati has produced for the "S".
 
Ummm, ok. Sounds like you have a bone to pick lol.

I never said everyone values resale value, matter of fact, you even quoted me saying the opposite :confused:

Far as upgrading a base 1199 to how you want it, to each their own. My comparison was based on the upgraded parts that Ducati puts on the S model from the factory. Of course there are people who would rather upgrade it how they see fit and save the money to do so. Where did I say otherwise? You presume way too much dude, chill. Everyone has a different opinion and I doubt any would be stupid enough to make a blanket statement.
 
Hello.

If you can get the 1199, go for it !

Like what people have said here, with the 899 being new, you can probably find a great deal on an 1199 for a couple of G's more.

With Ducati at least, the upgrade packages make more sense than buying the base and upgrade later, unless you go for parts that are different from what the factory offers.

Your test ride should be the key !
 
Charliem90 said:
If the cost delta between the base and the "S" exceeds the value you assign to those "upgrades", then it's a poor value.

And resale value doesn't interest me. Not everyone values "resale value" as a bullet point on their check-off list.

You make a mistake in thinking that value is a immutable quality among individuals. Some of us who have bought bases would rather spend the extra on an upgrade that we value rather than the spec Ducati has produced for the "S".
Click to expand...

Yep, this is what I was aiming at. Sure, it will cost you more if you were to buy Marchis and the golden suspension goodness to put on...but I don't need it. And I certainly wouldn't be making a $15-20k investment with the thought of selling going in. I understand where you're coming from though. Plus, I honestly would rather do the mods myself. I like working on my bikes and taking them away from stock as I see fit, not as the factory does.

BadBoyBeltran said:
Hello.

If you can get the 1199, go for it !

Like what people have said here, with the 899 being new, you can probably find a great deal on an 1199 for a couple of G's more.

With Ducati at least, the upgrade packages make more sense than buying the base and upgrade later, unless you go for parts that are different from what the factory offers.

Your test ride should be the key !
Click to expand...

Yep, in fact there are two 2012 base models that are actually less than a new 899 would be. I'm certainly looking forward to the test ride, the dealership really wants to have me straddle one too...they must think that test rides immediately lead to ownership... uh oh :p
 
Sounds like you made up your mind. Good luck and enjoy. They are amazing peaces of art. I hope you dont mind talking to strangers, because they will be talking to you haha.
 
92GTA said:
Yep, in fact there are two 2012 base models that are actually less than a new 899 would be. I'm certainly looking forward to the test ride, the dealership really wants to have me straddle one too...they must think that test rides immediately lead to ownership... uh oh :p
Click to expand...

In my case it wasn't a test ride. Had my 748 in for belts/valves service and the sneaky dealer suggested that I just "blip the throttle" on it. A couple of blips later and I knew I wasn't going to be happy on the 748 any more. Left the dealer with the 748 and the 1199 in the back of the truck.
 
MrKO said:
Sounds like you made up your mind. Good luck and enjoy. They are amazing peaces of art. I hope you dont mind talking to strangers, because they will be talking to you haha.
Click to expand...

Charliem90 said:
In my case it wasn't a test ride. Had my 748 in for belts/valves service and the sneaky dealer suggested that I just "blip the throttle" on it. A couple of blips later and I knew I wasn't going to be happy on the 748 any more. Left the dealer with the 748 and the 1199 in the back of the truck.
Click to expand...

Haha awesome. Yeah, I sat on the 1199 when it first came out at the local dealer. He let me start it up and I had to think of bitchy exs to keep from jizzing.

I think the tougher decision will be between the 899 and 1199 and not the decision whether or not to get one of them :p
 
I don't want to revive the base versus S debate, but just want to give you my reasoning for it when I made the decision. For a price reference point, I got my 2013 base with termi slips and racing seat for $20.5k OTD including tax delivered to my door. The only thing I'd want off the S is the LED headlights, as I'd personally rather upgrade the wheels on my own and don't care for the electronic suspension (I can reach down and adjust the rear suspension faster than you can do it in the menu system anyway). With the money saved I can buy wheels I want plus a bunch of other upgrades
 
I like gold components and the electronics, so I got an S. Test ride one, get the engine/package that's right for you.
 

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