V2 is excruciating

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V2CPH

Joined
Apr 7, 2021
Messages
18
Location
Copenhagen
Dear V2'ers,

I should say that this is not my first sport bike, I did ride 2015 R1M and 2019 R6 before this one. I've done some 1300 miles on my V2, lots of turns and bends and spirited riding. I can have the most fun time an hour or a little more, but any more than that and any highway miles and I will be tortured by it. My thighs fatigue from squeezing and then everything else takes turns to hurt. I tried the comfort seat to change the angle, and I've put on some tank grip tape. I just don't feel like it did a significant difference, and changed back to stock seat. I took it to work on the highway today and all I could think about was to get off it. I don't know if its because I'm 5'8 (176 lbs) and my knees don't lock the best place or I'm too hunched over.. I constantly think of squeezing a bit, tensioning the abs and relaxing the arms, to no avail.

Does anyone else have this? Pic for V2 in question

duggissimo.jpg
 
It's a very particular bike for sure. I find this kind of thing is all about riding style and riding technique. The Panigale predecessors were far worse than this. There was one riding position and it fit like a glass slipper. You are Cinderella or you ain't. That's it. Core strength had to be pretty fit.
The Panigale is already more open, better for taller people, you can ride it in several ways pretty well etc.
If I may suggest a few things:
If you are getting exhausted, you're doing something to work too hard, or perhaps your normal riding position is not fitting this bike very well.
example: Hard braking. If you are out for hours slamming the brakes using your arms, ya you'd better be in seriously fit condition. Flowing smooth riding is way less exhausting. If you get all the way up against the tank, stick one knee out, the other thy really all the way against the tank, lose hands, elbo and face out into the wind pointing around the corner you're going into... you really are not using too much muscle strength at all. You can brake pretty dang hard like that. A big part of your weight goes against the tank with no effort. Feet position is a really big deal as well. It all start with the feet, finishes with the hands.
Some get tank extenders, upgrade adjustable rear-sets... find ways to fit it to you better.
Another common exhausting painful position is with your head up, back too straight, sitting in the middle of the seat. If so, you're fighting gravity, wind, and destroying your wrists and neck. If you get your head forward, chest down, wrists almost horizontal, up against the tank, you use big back muscles instead of small muscles. You're not rocking your neck back-forth, you stay always forward out of the wind. The heat is also better if you're really up against the tank. Now and then open your legs on the highway, in twisties get a knee out every turn, and the heat is half of what you get sitting in the middle of the seat.
You got a high torque rocket. That's the deal. It's pretty extreme. It takes a while to build those particular muscles for that bike, fitness is pretty much a requirement IMHO. Go in small steps, or ? A different bike?
 
Vbreeze said:
It's a very particular bike for sure. I find this kind of thing is all about riding style and riding technique. The Panigale predecessors were far worse than this. There was one riding position and it fit like a glass slipper. You are Cinderella or you ain't. That's it. Core strength had to be pretty fit.
The Panigale is already more open, better for taller people, you can ride it in several ways pretty well etc.
If I may suggest a few things:
If you are getting exhausted, you're doing something to work too hard, or perhaps your normal riding position is not fitting this bike very well.
example: Hard braking. If you are out for hours slamming the brakes using your arms, ya you'd better be in seriously fit condition. Flowing smooth riding is way less exhausting. If you get all the way up against the tank, stick one knee out, the other thy really all the way against the tank, lose hands, elbo and face out into the wind pointing around the corner you're going into... you really are not using too much muscle strength at all. You can brake pretty dang hard like that. A big part of your weight goes against the tank with no effort. Feet position is a really big deal as well. It all start with the feet, finishes with the hands.
Some get tank extenders, upgrade adjustable rear-sets... find ways to fit it to you better.
Another common exhausting painful position is with your head up, back too straight, sitting in the middle of the seat. If so, you're fighting gravity, wind, and destroying your wrists and neck. If you get your head forward, chest down, wrists almost horizontal, up against the tank, you use big back muscles instead of small muscles. You're not rocking your neck back-forth, you stay always forward out of the wind. The heat is also better if you're really up against the tank. Now and then open your legs on the highway, in twisties get a knee out every turn, and the heat is half of what you get sitting in the middle of the seat.
You got a high torque rocket. That's the deal. It's pretty extreme. It takes a while to build those particular muscles for that bike, fitness is pretty much a requirement IMHO. Go in small steps, or ? A different bike?
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for the suggestions, I have tried a number of these, moving about trying different positions. This Cindarella glass slipper sounds about right. I had that with '19 R6, other people thought it was horrid but I could relax on it even on straights. The V2 less so, I also feel like my knee is never really on the tank, its more in the crease between the tank and the fairing where it is hardest to grip. I think higher or more forward rear-sets would exacerbate the discomfort, which are the way those things go, they might be better on the most extreme parts of riding but I don't do track riding (I'd have to go to another country). I try to be active in the seat in curves as well and on the balls of my feet most the time.

my fitness is like decent, somewhere in the middle - in the beginning with my other sportbikes it was getting used to it over some months, but this doesn't feel the same... I am considering different bike, but it feels like defeat. I'm also discouraged by how I hear others say this thing munches corners and loves to lean, and I just have this very awkward feeling in corners most the time, where if I ride my friends' SpeedTriple I can get much more lean and better cornering.
 
I came from a 1299s via a Diavel to the V2 and I agree with new Panis being easier than the older Panis. I’m 174cm tall with a 30 inch inner seam. I find the V2 comfy although the heat from the exhaust did cause me a little burn issue the other day so will need to look into that... first time ever!

I find sitting far back in the seat helps me but that’s the dynamics of torso / bike for me. However I do have another issue and that’s the visibility from the mirrors. But that’s another problem for another thread :)

Stick with it :)
 
Toro said:
I came from a 1299s via a Diavel to the V2 and I agree with new Panis being easier than the older Panis. I’m 174cm tall with a 30 inch inner seam. I find the V2 comfy although the heat from the exhaust did cause me a little burn issue the other day so will need to look into that... first time ever!

I find sitting far back in the seat helps me but that’s the dynamics of torso / bike for me. However I do have another issue and that’s the visibility from the mirrors. But that’s another problem for another thread :)

Stick with it :)
Click to expand...

We are close in size then, odd. As you can see on my pic I actually took heat shielding off, I am not really bothered by it in leathers. If I ride in bike jeans I feel it a bit more. the comfort seat takes off some heat from your butt but it props you up 20mm in the front, which I don't fancy. You can get gold/glass fiber reflective tape and get creative or the ducatispacers heat shielding kit perhaps. If I sit back further than having a fistful of air between me and the tank in the seat then I get a worse connection with the pegs I find.
 
It's 100% going to be down to the individual. I could do 200 mile rides, just stopping for gas, on my RSV4 and not even think about it being an issue. On the Panigale V4, beyond 30 mins and all I wanted to do was get off it. And, those two bikes don't have hugely different seating positions. They are both 'sit on top' bikes.

Yamaha's (well at least the R1s) tend to be more 'sit inside' and require less thigh grip.

For me, the V4 only worked when I was tucked in. In other words, on the track. Riding at highway speeds or even slightly above, your choice has to be to replace the thigh/core muscle grip with more downward pressure on your wrists. But then, after 45 minutes you literally won't be able to feel your fingers.

So, a few options:
- Stick with Ducati: get a SF V4 or wait until the SF V2 comes out (if it does)
- Try the BMW S1000RR if you like the Yamaha riding position but want a change to something European
- Ride your V2 on the track or for short rides only
 
V2CPH said:
We are close in size then, odd. As you can see on my pic I actually took heat shielding off, I am not really bothered by it in leathers. If I ride in bike jeans I feel it a bit more. the comfort seat takes off some heat from your butt but it props you up 20mm in the front, which I don't fancy. You can get gold/glass fiber reflective tape and get creative or the ducatispacers heat shielding kit perhaps. If I sit back further than having a fistful of air between me and the tank in the seat then I get a worse connection with the pegs I find.
Click to expand...

Nothing to do with size, everything to do with proportion - torso, arms and legs.
 
SodaO said:
It's 100% going to be down to the individual. I could do 200 mile rides, just stopping for gas, on my RSV4 and not even think about it being an issue. On the Panigale V4, beyond 30 mins and all I wanted to do was get off it. And, those two bikes don't have hugely different seating positions. They are both 'sit on top' bikes.

Yamaha's (well at least the R1s) tend to be more 'sit inside' and require less thigh grip.

For me, the V4 only worked when I was tucked in. In other words, on the track. Riding at highway speeds or even slightly above, your choice has to be to replace the thigh/core muscle grip with more downward pressure on your wrists. But then, after 45 minutes you literally won't be able to feel your fingers.

So, a few options:
- Stick with Ducati: get a SF V4 or wait until the SF V2 comes out (if it does)
- Try the BMW S1000RR if you like the Yamaha riding position but want a change to something European
- Ride your V2 on the track or for short rides only
Click to expand...

I completely agree with this 'sit inside' and 'sit on top' difference. V2 is also really good in tuck but I almost never do. Track is also not an option since my insurance doesn't cover and we don't have tracks in my country. My dealer suggested me to try the V4 SF as well, so I just might try it out for a spin. At the moment I am at the V2 for short rides only.

I'm really not into the S1K RR, but good suggestion nonetheless, thanks.
 
V2CPH said:
I completely agree with this 'sit inside' and 'sit on top' difference. V2 is also really good in tuck but I almost never do. Track is also not an option since my insurance doesn't cover and we don't have tracks in my country. My dealer suggested me to try the V4 SF as well, so I just might try it out for a spin. At the moment I am at the V2 for short rides only.

I'm really not into the S1K RR, but good suggestion nonetheless, thanks.
Click to expand...

I went from the Panigale V4S to the Streetfighter V4S and couldn't be happier.
 
Perhaps you are tensing up, and causing fatigue and not really knowing it. Don’t grip the bars so hard and don’t squeeze the sides of the bike so hard with your inner thigh. When droning down the highway, try to relax and not squeeze so hard.
 
Sport seat keeps you in place and doesn’t let you slip onto the tank, front part is taller than the standard seat (not sure about the comfort)…
 
I own six motorcycles and the V2 is the least comfortable for me. I am 6'1", 170ish lbs, and have 20+ years of riding (sportbikes and track days) experience. The V2 is great when moving around on the bike (corners, hard acceleration, speeds over 100), but it is not a fun bike as a 30 to 40 mph casual rider. Of course, I knew this would not be a fun bike sitting in the same position and fighting the tendency to slide forward as cars slow down or stop lights turn red. That is why I own six motorcycles.

I purchased the comfort seat, which is flatter, and I installed TechSpec tank grips. The tank grips are an absolute must to keep from sliding and to make squeezing your legs effective. Without the grips, I preferred to not squeeze my legs, but instead just smashed up against the tank since squeezing and sliding was even more frustrating.

In my opinion, if you want a Panigale for casual riding, you will probably pay the price in back, wrist, and leg pain.

-0260
 
I really enjoyed the Panigale 959 when ridden as it's been designed for. It's great in fast twisties and on the track for sure.
At urban speed, not so much. It's wristy, hot and offers very little in terms of leverage.
I added the DP racing seat which helped the comfort level considerably. It's thicker with a lot more grip thus easier on the boys during hard deceleration.
Leather pants are a must but not necessarily track pants. There's a plethora of comfortable yet sporty leather pants available from most large manufacturers.
Adding the heat shield kit did help although not by much.
The Panigale is a good secondary bike if you know what I mean.
IMG_20160603_115740-1-c.jpgCalabogie track shot .jpg
 
Last edited:
I kind of had same experience when I went from CBR1000RR to Pani 1299s. It was much more narrow than i was used to and found that the riding position was much more uncomfortable. I switched to comfort seat, and then added tank grips, then switched to adjustable rear sets...that made all the difference in the world...still have the heat issue, but it is not bad if you are moving. I will say that I bought a Streetfighter V4 and that is my street bike now for the most part, 1299 is mostly now track use.
 

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