The test ride EXPERIENCE: Ducati 1299 Panigale

2WHEELFREAK said:

The bike temp hit 219F at that point.

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And? I do not see your issue?

Your whole test ride you concentrated on the engine temp of a bike you don't own......

My '14 1199 will see 220 F at traffic lights on a 100 F day. Have never seen it get above 225 F once the fan is on.

Can get a bit uncomfortable if you get stuck for a long period of time in bumper to bumper and the motor is staying at 220 F. Maybe my ass is thicker than other people's, but I don't feel the heat in my ass. I feel it in the inner thighs.

Like another poster stated: if seeing engine temps between 215 and 220 really bothers you, don't get it.

But the bike was NOT about to shut down on you due to heat. That kind of temp at a light was actually normal for one of these.

Ox Man said:

And? I do not see your issue?

Your whole test ride you concentrated on the engine temp of a bike you don't own......

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this^

take any car out on a 90˚ day and let it idle in traffic for a while..... it will hit 230˚ the fan will kick on and it will drop to 210˚ then repeat ..

I was enjoying the ride on the highway. My concern was watching the temps when I was in brief traffic and at lights. Part of the test ride is check things out, not just get on a piece of machinery and not pay attention to how it operates. Anyone here who says they do not pay attention to their bikes operating temp is a.....well.....I won't say it. LOL People know what I mean.

2WHEELFREAK said:

And that is the reason why I'm not looking at it sitting in my garage this morning and answering your comment.

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of all the liter bikes i've owned japanese and the ducati's the 1299 engine temperature is by far the least hot by numbers. the R1's are nearly impossible to cool down once they get past the boiling point. coolant boils at a higher temp than water IIRC . this is due to the aluminum frame and the shape of the engine in the I4 and in both cases emissions standards (catalytic converters and such) IMO .

you won't hurt a bike by taking it up to temp and having the fan turn on - its normal. but if the thing that made you not happy was the heat you felt under your butt then that is a real reason.

Macattack said:

this^

take any car out on a 90˚ day and let it idle in traffic for a while..... it will hit 230˚ the fan will kick on and it will drop to 210˚ then repeat ..

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......... Some, but not every car. My 1200-HP street car doesn't do that, but it has an adequate cooling system. My Z06 or Shelby GT500 don't do it either, with factory cooling systems - in 110* weather!

Macattack said:

of all the liter bikes i've owned japanese and the ducati's the 1299 engine temperature is by far the least hot by numbers. the R1's are nearly impossible to cool down once they get past the boiling point. coolant boils at a higher temp than water IIRC . this is due to the aluminum frame and the shape of the engine in the I4 and in both cases emissions standards (catalytic converters and such) IMO .

you won't hurt a bike by taking it up to temp and having the fan turn on - its normal. but if the thing that made you not happy was the heat you felt under your butt then that is a real reason.

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Mac,

First, thanks for your input. I'm not trying to single out the 1299 in comparison to any other bike brand. I have friends who ride R1's so I know what you're talking about. I also understand the mechanics of the situation. I was just sharing the experience I had yesterday in comparison to what folks here have experienced on their own, etc. I needed to see for myself before I just walked into a dealership and lay down $20G's for a bike that clearly has some factory design/engineering lim-facs based on what I've read, what others and myself has experienced.

Can the cooling issue be resolved? Yes, but time and money has to be spent to do so. Just depends if I want to do that or not.

The engine/exhaust heat? Can it be resolved to make it less hot in those areas of the seat/legs? Yes, from what I gather, but not totally resolved. Again, time, money, and experimentation; do I want to do that? My choice.

Like I've said in several posts here, I can deal with and work around the heat because I didn't take up issue with the heat. My issue was how the bike was operating while stopped on multiple occasions. I didn't feel comfortable with the temps jumping that high. The reason the temps were of concern was because I've read several threads about the temps getting too high and the possibility of pushing a head gasket out was in the back of my mind also. If I wanted to add to my ride experience/experiment, I could've found more traffic to see just how hot it would get, but I was not going to do that. I was being cautious because it was not my bike to experiment with for something of that nature.

We as riders can never fully predict or control traffic, so that is a concern. I don't want to be riding in the middle of summer here and have to pull over and get further scorched by roasting in the hot sun until the bike cools of! Hell I have things to do! LOL! In the end I totally enjoyed the ride I had on the bike and I greatly appreciated it for what it is. I have not made my decision, but I will. Is what it is.........

And by the way......If I decide not to buy a 1299, I won't be purchasing a Japanese bike. Been there done that many, many times. They were all nice and performers. The sole reason I am on this board is to learn about something I had no previous experience with; a Ducati - 1299. Now I do. LOL!

2WF

If I may, your comment about it can be fixed with time and money.

I would like to point out that many of us have not made ANY changes to ours. Yes they get hot at lights.

But, knock on wood, I have not had any failures of issues with mine for this entire year that I have owned it.

I think you have read too many bad posts and have an unrealisitically dark opinion of the 1299.

As another poster once said: on the forums, you mainly see people posting problems. This gives them an outlet to blow off steam. The VAST majority of Panigale owners (899, 959, 1199 and 1299) NEVER post anything and ride their bikes daily with no issues.

Think of how many thousands of Panigales have been sold since it debuted in 2012. Now, count how many of these "horror" stories about overheating and head gasket issues you referenced above.

The problems are the minority, NOT the majority.

Just my 2 cents.

Captain Greg said:

As a rider you should concern yourself with the ownership experience of a bike, riding it and getting worried about the longevity of the drive train and its mechanical make up should be far away from your thoughts.
You need to appreciate that some highly skilled engineer and his supporting team of engineers have designed and built this thing, do you for a moment think they overlooked the Temprature issue, before selecting the materials used to construct it? Do you think they were nieve and thought every Ducati owner lives in a country that gets snow?

My coments are I looked at every Superbike available on the market, coin is not an issue, I rode all of them, yes the in line fours are easier for me to wheelie because I'm used to there power delivery, but say what you like the jap bikes or even the British bikes lose out on the beauty factor, and when I open my toy shop in the morning to decide what I want to ride or drive I want to be seduced..... Can a GSX or R1 or H2 compare?

as far as insurance is concerned, where we stay insurance is calculated on total value and engine cc so I fail to see how a jap Super bike with similar price tag or similar cc will get a reduced premium.
You will always look over the screen while riding the Jap bike and say I should have purchased the Ducati, jap bikes do not age well, ....just my comments and as far as temps go we have days in the high 30'c regularly and I have had mine in stop start traffic it never went above 104 C and the engine can handle that easy

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CG,

My focus was on the total experience; the ride, the mechanics of the bike and how it operates, etc. I greatly appreciate the bike/design for what it is. Believe me, I was all smiles from start to finish. Like I said, my overall experience was great. Just one concern really. Coin or not, its still needs addressed. Coin is not the issue here.

Japanese bikes? That was never mentioned here, at least not by me.

Insurance. Like I said, it was an initial quote I received yesterday and would seek out other companies, etc. By the end of the day I received much better quotes that seemed reasonable. So that is no longer a factor here.

I'm not bagging on the 1299, just simply sharing my experience as I've stated before.

Lastly, you live in Cape Town, right? I'd have to imagine you don't just jump into the ocean water areas without knowing what lies beneath you, right? You either studied, listened or researched exactly what I'm talking about or you didn't get in the water!

steveved said:

If I may, your comment about it can be fixed with time and money.

I would like to point out that many of us have not made ANY changes to ours. Yes they get hot at lights.

But, knock on wood, I have not had any failures of issues with mine for this entire year that I have owned it.

I think you have read too many bad posts and have an unrealisitically dark opinion of the 1299.

As another poster once said: on the forums, you mainly see people posting problems. This gives them an outlet to blow off steam. The VAST majority of Panigale owners (899, 959, 1199 and 1299) NEVER post anything and ride their bikes daily with no issues.

Think of how many thousands of Panigales have been sold since it debuted in 2012. Now, count how many of these "horror" stories about overheating and head gasket issues you referenced above.

The problems are the minority, NOT the majority.

Just my 2 cents.

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Steveved,

Thanks. And yes I know what you mean. You are 100% right. However, my research of this board and personal experience as of yesterday have not darkened my view of the 1299 at all. Those two actions are going to help me make a decision as to whether or not I really want to join the 1299 crowd or not - that is all.

Every person who owns a 1299 on this board most likely has done their research as i did and probably rode a 1299 before they pulled the trigger. Some bought their bikes for the street, street/track or track only - depends. Some individual experiences are going to be similar, some worse, but I'll bet money no one will post they didn't experience what others or myself have. As I've said, I love the bike. Just depends on what I'm willing to settle with in the end. If I thought for 1-sec yesterday I'd be in the minority I wouldn't be typing this message I'd be out carving up a nice canyon road this morning on MY new 1299!!!!!!!!!!

2WHEELFREAK said:

Steveved,

I'd be out carving up a nice canyon road this morning on MY new 1299!!!!!!!!!!

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Well, we don't really have any canyons here in NC. But I am about 40 min away from carving up a back-road out near Jordan Lake on mine.

Lots of twisty stuff here.

Whatever ever decision you make... Keep the rubber side down and watch out for cagers... Half of them never see us...

steveved said:

Well, we don't really have any canyons here in NC. But I am about 40 min away from carving up a back-road out near Jordan Lake on mine.

Lots of twisty stuff here.

Whatever ever decision you make... Keep the rubber side down and watch out for cagers... Half of them never see us...

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Have a nice safe ride today, brother! Thanks for your input

2WHEELFREAK said:

......... Some, but not every car. My 1200-HP street car doesn't do that, but it has an adequate cooling system. My Z06 or Shelby GT500 don't do it either, with factory cooling systems - in 110* weather!

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Adequate cooling for this bike is made by a company called MAC Radiators and Engine Ice/Water Wetter

I also had some similar concerns after purchasing my 1199R. Its performance and aesthetics won me over via hypnosis. Then came the heat, and vibrations that led to missing bolts all over the place. I learned to tighten up the fairing hardware and wear leathers or thick textiles with a bandaid over my burn scar on my right inner thigh. The heat back there would boil and and burn my rear brake fluid--rear reservoir is black! Just bleed them and replace with fresh fluid from time to time, that's all.

I'm 5'7" and the bike just fits like a glove and has been the most comfortable superbike I have ridden in recent years. I guess the low seat height and seating position leaves me with little to no wrist pressure while riding long sessions. The R spec seat has been more comfortable to me than the comfort seat, but with that said, the latter doesn't get as warm due to extra thick padding.

I was always looking at the temps during hot days, and after the first few weeks of riding I don't worry about it anymore. I found myself riding in very hot weather as I used to live in Scottsdale, AZ before I moved to Denver. I wear a water cooled vest (Veskimo) and that keeps me alive during those crazy 120F days and 100F nights out there. Well, 8K miles on it right now and it's been very well behaved after several warranty repairs; my rear brake even works!

It's been 2 years and shares a garage with a P-993, Diavel, and a Multistrada. It still gets most of my attention. How'd they come up with a design like that?!? Amazing.

Really dig the honest feedback of the OP. I would never have bought the Panigale for a daily. It's just too much bike for something to commute on.

My 1299 is hot, noisy, vibrates like crazy and it get uncomfortable after a few hours of riding it hard, but it's my therapeutic toy.

It really depends on a individual's specific needs for what a bike can do or what you intend to use the bike for.

Mine does exactly what I expect it to do, thrill and excite everytime I get on and ride.

2WHEELFREAK said:

Can the cooling issue be resolved?

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You actually never really saw it get hot..... I did a calc on your "f" temperature and it was 103 degrees C...the fan has just come on..... You saw normal running temp that it was designed to cope with

ilmostro said:

My 1299 is hot, noisy, vibrates like crazy

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Weird because mine doesn't vibrate much at all, it actually seems very smooth, and the heat doesn't bother me unless I'm sitting in traffic. Zero regrets, most fun bike I've ever owned by far

Change your oil at 100, 500, and 1500 miles and break it in right (not too hard not to easy, shorter trips, bursts of throttle)

215 F is not too hot for a good synthetic, my Ultra (at left) runs closer to 275 F

My 1299 is always around 215 or higher during summer city riding. If it gets too hot stuck in traffic on a hot summer day a warning will pop up on the dash, I think its got to be over 240. Not a big deal, 215-220 is normal for my machine.

Beware of the Very Questionable Reliability.

I wouldn't worry about the engine temps until it starts getting over 240 F. The synthetic oils will not cook like the dino oils do at 300 F.

As for the fit, I don't know what to tell you other than you may adapt to it after some miles. The bike fit me like a glove right off the bat and it is ergonomically the most comfortable sportbike I have ridden. I'm 5'11" and 190 lbs. I have average arms - 34" sleeve length.

C'mon, get the 1299; you know you want it!