Trade my Panigale in for a Vespa?

esmirna8261980 said:

please tell us how bad is MV compare with ducati.if the op want to dump ducati as a brand MV is a good option

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I like MVs as much as the next Euro bike lover, but for the proposed use case of "riding around the world" I think both are at the bottom of the list of good choices. I get Dennis' thing and I totally understand where he's coming from, but if you weren't Dennis and you were just some dude off the street and were looking for a bike to "ride around the world on" you'd be nuts to pick either an MV or Ducati, IMO. There are bikes that are made to do this kind of riding and do it very well, but these two manufacturers do not have anything like that in their lineup. IMO, these are weekend toys that definitely provide the ear to ear grin factor, but you will spend a lot of time under the lights with a wrench in hand paying for it.

AntiHero said:

I should also note that another forum member offered me his R to ride the world with. If that doesn't say something about why the hell I'm doing this trip on a Ducati, I don't know what else does.

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THAT, is just so awesome I'm speechless. Words couldn't adequately express the appreciation I would have for that offer, just WOW!

Honestly, I like the idea mentioned of the engine swap (with sensors and as much else attached to it as reasonably possible), and pray the new engine works great in your old bike so you don't have to sort out another bike for yourself. Seems like that would be quick and really cut and dry, and would still leave them with a problem bike to find the answer with!

Alex

I'm shocked knowing that you are trying to advertise their product yet again but in a larger venue that Ducati didn't offer you a new motor, bike or whatever it took to get you on the road ASAP. Not good politics on DOA's part.
I know you are trying to be as civil as possible but have you tried contacting the media like riding magazines? I'm sure they know who you are. I'm not sure what it would solve, but the 'zines would have a field day with Ducati, lol.

To be perfectly honest I don't have much faith in any new fully electronically controlled motorcycle today. My buddies brand new Aprilla Touno had an ABS fault and the dealer was stumped for weeks. Ended up finding a pushed in electrical pin. (Could be that silly simple on yours too) Another buddy on a GS1200 lost his dash completely. Again this the "first" customer ever and no spare dashes existed in the world, supposedly. BMW kept bike for 2 months, turned bike on and huh, the dash turned on miraculously.
I'm sure we all have stories about technology not being that dependable.

Dennis, IMO If they put enough man-hours on it they may be able to get you going on your bike soon enough. If not then you should be leaving it with a dealer to continue having it worked on if you choose the replace the bike with another Pani. I am sure there are a number of L.A. owners (including myself) who would be willing to support your warranty with a local dealer while u are away or store it for you for free. Sometimes the best way to get help is to simply ask for it. As far as the finances- If you choose to go the new bike route, ask Ducati for a steeper discount (enough to not to break you, yeah tell them what your numbers truly are, it can't hurt) so you can get one your way! Your writing is worth more than a bike is worth to Ducati, IMO. it opens up the superbike genre to folks who tour! that is big market! Anyways, I know it will work out for you. I think you were meant to travel and to write about it. That appears to be your calling so don't let this roadblock stop you from your dream. Trample right through it!

Also, I did not know CA lemon law covers motorcycles at all, I still don't think so, but that may not be well founded, only by what I read when I read the lemon law coverage. I wish there were more guarantees with these bikes because I love to commute in them myself and even bought a second bike to be able to do so while the other one gets worked on. Ducati can leverage your touring adventures to market not only their superbikes but use the superbike to help turn sportbike fans into Ducatisti, for their touring models, even. Look at the Japanese marketshare and you can't tell me that Audi don't want a piece of that. Maybe share your story with Audi headquarters too, tactfully of course.

With your international following, and your advanced communication skills and ability to turn a phrase, I should think a well placed letter with Ducati public relations/ promotions should net you a new bike gratis, or as a swap for the world famous Italian Super Model.

AntiHero said:

HotIce: I was told that was a crankshaft sensor and that it would have nothing to do with idle speed (though I forgot the explanation). But it probably is worth replacing. You and I are in complete agreement with the assessment, though.

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I may be wrong, but IMO with ride-by-wire systems like the Panigale, idle is no more controlled by usual IAC valve, but with closed loop between TPS stepper and RPM sensor.
But OTOH bad readings from RPM sensor would likely manifest themselves at all ranges, as RPM is one of the lookup parameters for ECU maps.
Puzzle.
But, if I had been given a choice, between replace the engine, or replace the whole electrical harness (sensors, cables, motors, etc..), I'd lean towards the latter.

esmirna8261980: You might be my only fan if I do do it on a Vespa!

Capt CF: Considering I already did the circumference of the world (including ocean miles), I'd beg to differ, at least w/regard to Ducati. MV / Aprilia....err, perhaps not.

Alex: at this point removing my frame and the engine cases and then swapping them with a new bike seems like the best idea! Would definitely be the quickest.

gman74: The business/marketing/sales part of me has to scratch my head just a wee bit.
What's the cost of a full-page ad in Motorcyclist? Probably about as much as a new bike....

My coast-to-coast trip led to three print-articles in three different languages that covered, I dunno...9-12 pages, plus a partial cover. 1 static, stock-looking ad that gets a glance is worth five figures, but engaging articles and pictures of COYOTES?

Add to that 2,000,000 views for my various R/Rs (multiply that by the average click-through price for, say, adwords) and we're easily in the six figures.

And let's face it, Ducati ads appeal to people who are already Ducatisti. There are guys out there on choppers and KLRs sporting my decal. ...., from a marketing standpoint my trip is a CEOs wet dream when it comes to customer conversion rates.

Coming from the fast-paced world of software, where you can get destroyed overnight if you don't innovate, perhaps I have the wrong perspective when it comes to returns on investment. So far the only sponsor for my RTW trip who hasn't asked me to pay anything for a product is a guy who makes tents. That only one person is capitalizing on a fantastic marketing opportunity is slightly absurd.

"Hey, Jim, just got an email from a guy going around the world on a Panigale. He's getting press from a bunch of magazines. Should we send him a set of our bar ends or a case cover?"
".... no, are you crazy? Give him 20% off, no more."

But all this is academic. I'm just a guy who wants to ride his own bike across the US, not be a pitchman for products.

Fragile: Thank you for the offer and the very sound advice. Regarding Lemon laws, yes, CA motorcycles are covered until 18,000 miles or 18 months--or until the warranty runs out. I'm not going to go that route, my conscience wouldn't let me. I'd rather keep the bike in my living room.

Centeroff: One would think. It certainly makes business sense. (I couldn't even get a Hyperstrada demo bike to ride last time I asked....well, actually, I never even received a reply.)

HotIce: once again, we're in complete mechanical/electrical agreement, though you just went way beyond what I know with your knowledge. One of the first things I did when this started (besides removing the charcoal canister) was replace my throttle, thinking it was the TPS (some yahoo broke my throttle stop while my bike was on display at Laguna Seca anyways). Did not fix the issue, so at least one thing can be ruled out.

I feel strongly that even though Ducati banked off of your hard work, no freaking grubbing executive wants to give credit to anyone other than themselves for the business success that Ducati is enjoying right now. That is the problem. Someone over there that have authority need to grab their own nuts or ovaries and say, lets give this guy his due, he made it easier for us to reach our markets. That is one of the biggest problems in our current plastic society, whoever toots their horn the best gets their way, irrespective of the reality. Meanwhile real producers are often left with nothing more than a pat on the back and a request to keep charging forward with the minimum available.

There is another angle"¦that Ducati knows full well about this and they are really trying hard to fix it"¦because"¦Imagine the potential worse press if it was said that their bikes are only good for one cross country trip and 28k miles. Then they had to give you another bike for the RTW trip. That might suck even more for them. It would be in their best interest to fix it, even if it meant an entire engine, harness, ecm, everything swap on the down low"¦Still isn't "a new bike" to the other manufacturers who would exploit it.

I still think its fixable and something simple. Always look for the easiest answer before the complex ones. Bet they put more people on it, and it gets fixed.

NOLA

Sinjin said:

This may sound naive, however...

I would ask Ducati to put your engine in a new 1199 and put the new engine in your bike. Then take which ever bike doesn't exhibit the high idle symptoms and let their engineers figure it out while not on your riding time.

If the old engine works in the new bike, it is essentially the same heart but with a fresh new body. If the old bike runs better with the new engine, you still have your old bike, but with a new ticker. Win - win.

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If you do decide to go this route, I would also make sure that Ducati will agree to meet you at a dealership along your route and reassemble the bike once they figure out what was wrong!

Out of interest I wonder how many Pani owners are on this forum and what is the # of Pani's in service?

I for one bought my first Ducati by accident. I was looking for my first street bike when I walked into a dealer that sold Triumph, BMW and Ducati.

Found the Diavel with its different riding modes and very friendly ergonomics appealing and bought an AMG. After a year I decided that I could handle more and started looking. Dennis's articles was not the deciding factor in my final purchase but maybe accounted for 30% of my decision. I wonder how many others were the same?

Sloopy said:

Dennis's articles was not the deciding factor in my final purchase but maybe accounted for 30% of my decision. I wonder how many others were the same?

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It influenced my decision to get the Panigale. Reading about his adventure helped to allay my fears that the bike would be too unreliable for serious riding. As the saying goes: Price, performance and reliability - pick two. I chose the latter two with some slight trepidation, since it is an Italian Superbike! (Stereotypes don't change overnight.)

As Dennis says, he is at the "tip of the spear", so I am very interested to hear how he is dealt with by Ducati. I expect that a top tier bike that costs top dollar should include top tier reliability and top of the line customer service, especially when reliability becomes an issue.

Nuff said.

Dennis I have the best mechanic in the world here in England. If you can get here you can borrow my Panigale ( I never call it a Pani ughh) and I will take yours to school here in England to have good behaviour therapy!

Mmmm Michael loves the MT07 I would happily go around the world on that beautiful race blu Yamaha it would be super for the job. Trust me I am a Nurse!!
Cheap as chips , light , nippy and comfortable.
Oh the shock of it....Michael just said 'your not going round the world on my MT07...I bought it for him !!! Men!
Good luck keep us informed and see you in England will PM you our number

Sloopy said:

Dennis's articles was not the deciding factor in my final purchase but maybe accounted for 30% of my decision. I wonder how many others were the same?

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I may not have bought my Panigale based on Dennis' experiences. But I am basing my future of keeping it for an extended period based on his and other forum members' experiences (reliability, expenses and manufacture assistance) With my warranty running out soon, I'm not convinced keeping it yet.

I'm pulling for NOLA's recent point of view.

Capt CF said:

I get Dennis' thing and I totally understand where he's coming from, but if you weren't Dennis and you were just some dude off the street and were looking for a bike to "ride around the world on" you'd be nuts to pick either an MV or Ducati, IMO. There are bikes that are made to do this kind of riding and do it very well, but these two manufacturers do not have anything like that in their lineup. IMO, these are weekend toys that definitely provide the ear to ear grin factor, but you will spend a lot of time under the lights with a wrench in hand paying for it.

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Paolo Pirozzi did 100,000 km around the world trip with 2010 Multistrada. The bike was given to him by Ducati. He has a long record of Ducati riding and is well known for his high mileage Ducati bikes. Maybe that is why Ducati was sponsoring his trip. The Multistrada is now in a museum.

Antihero, in your position I would contact Ducati factory for sponsorship (new bike or a loaner which will go to the Ducati museum after the trip). Explain your plan and show your past achievements with the Panigale. I am sure Ducati will not give away a bike to everybody who says he/she will go around the world with it. But I think you would qualify for sponsorship.

There are hundreds of stories and books about going a distance with a Beamer. Going with a Pani would be a real challenge and adventure. do not give up. Antihero with a Beamer would be a bit of Anticlimax for me.

Jariva said:

Paolo Pirozzi did 100,000 km around the world trip with 2010 Multistrada. The bike was given to him by Ducati. He has a long record of Ducati riding and is well known for his high mileage Ducati bikes. Maybe that is why Ducati was sponsoring his trip. The Multistrada is now in a museum.

Antihero, in your position I would contact Ducati factory for sponsorship (new bike or a loaner which will go to the Ducati museum after the trip). Explain your plan and show your past achievements with the Panigale. I am sure Ducati will not give away a bike to everybody who says he/she will go around the world with it. But I think you would qualify for sponsorship.

There are hundreds of stories and books about going a distance with a Beamer. Going with a Pani would be a real challenge and adventure. do not give up. Antihero with a Beamer would be a bit of Anticlimax for me.

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And if you decide to go that route with them (pun intended) consider having the trip planned out like a business model. Like if you were going to the bank for a small business loan. Its different if you say "I am gonna take the Pani you give me around the world""¦versus"¦" here is my logistical plan, here are my funds, here is my emergency plan, here is my route, here is the website I will upload pics to (Including sending them pics for marketing), here is my hotels, here is my stops for tires and dealers I have contacted"¦etc etc"¦

They would see it as a business venture not a charity bike donation.

Just my 2c

NOLA

anti-hero you see the that red devil on the right, let me know when you want to pick it up she is ready for the trip , if you take it I give you my wife helmet is a vespa one

Nice collection, Esmirna. Funny how that Vespa looks so huge compared to the Panigale!

Though the idea of sponsorship sounds good, sponsorship can really be a buzz kill. How's the adage go--accept a favor, sell your freedom??? I like being independent and on my own, and I wouldn't accept anything that would require me to not be honest or direct.

I am eagerly awaiting any new diagnosis Newport Beach Ducati has for me next week. The weather here in LA has been perfect lately and--trip aside--I really f'in miss riding and I really hate being pinned down without a bike.

Jariva said:

Paolo Pirozzi did 100,000 km around the world trip with 2010 Multistrada. The bike was given to him by Ducati. He has a long record of Ducati riding and is well known for his high mileage Ducati bikes. Maybe that is why Ducati was sponsoring his trip. The Multistrada is now in a museum.

Antihero, in your position I would contact Ducati factory for sponsorship (new bike or a loaner which will go to the Ducati museum after the trip). Explain your plan and show your past achievements with the Panigale. I am sure Ducati will not give away a bike to everybody who says he/she will go around the world with it. But I think you would qualify for sponsorship.

There are hundreds of stories and books about going a distance with a Beamer. Going with a Pani would be a real challenge and adventure. do not give up. Antihero with a Beamer would be a bit of Anticlimax for me.

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The modern poet Chris Rock sums it up better than I could. "...., you can drive a car with your feet if you want to, that don't make it a good ....... idea!"