My test ride review of the Ducati 1299 Panigale S
Discussion
Well my test ride was for 10AM at Riders in Bristol
A short history of bikes I’ve owned in the past 10 years I’ve been riding. it’s not a long list but every bike I have owned i’ve loved. And I always take my time making sure the bike I want next I will be happy with for years to come.
So i’ve owned a 600cc Fazer, New 1050cc Speed triple and currently a 2011 Honda Fireblade ABS.
So only 3 bikes. I’ve never kept a bike for more than 3 years as I did with my Speed Triple but having the Fireblade for almost 5 years in Spring 2016 is a result of a bike that can do everything i throw at it. Touring Europe, Fast road and weekend out with mates and the occasional Track day.
So the Panigale has a huge amount to live up to. HUGE.
Well Andy was very helpful and took my details, ran me through the controls. Even with lots that can be changed and altered with regards to Engine mapping.
Riders as a company only allow Accompanied rides which I was more than happy to do if it meant I had a chance to ride the Panigale . And the Rider was Another Andy lovely chap. We had a chat and he explained when type of roads we re going to ride. Some town 30’s, a few A & B roads and some By pass roads. Which was great for me as I always like to do pretty much that type of road on a test ride to see what it’s going to be like to live with
What I was not expecting was how comfy the bike was to ride. I started on the Sport mode and half way though went to the Race mode but still had a little traction control set to 5and corner ABS set to 3 on the dash.
I had to get used to the huge difference between the massive V Twin of the panigale compared to the smooth inline 4 of the Blade. Like anything a clutch always takes a little time to get used to but the Ducati was not hard to get used it.
I also had to get used to the clutches up and downshifts which was fun in Sport mode but I what I found was changing the mode to Race mid test ride and then hitting a little wet under a few tree’s while kicking the gear shift without a clutch down a few gears made the rear tyre . Possibly due to the almost slick Supercorsa’s and wet roads.
Another thing I found was how light the front end turned into corners. and how planted the bike felt when braking hard before corners and accelerating hard from the same corner. If felt really well planted.
After a hour or so I got of the bike with a massive smile. I was shocked just how well the Panigale felt when riding.
And how bikes in just 4-5 years have progressed from my lovely and faithful Fireblade to the High Tech Ducati Panigale 1299 which I hate to say I would be happy to replace the blade with.
Lets shorten this down to Negatives :
1) Christ my old man got warm with the massive exhaust headers a only a few inches from my Todger. Once they got to sticky they did not warm up any more. It was not uncomfortable just warmer than I am used to.
2) Mirrors vibrated a lot and most speeds. they gave better rear visibility than my Blade Mirrors which only show my Shoulders but only when the Ducati was not moving. But who meeds to see anything behind when your on this beast.
3) OMG the standard exhaust is LOUD. Would it ever get on a track day with even 105db noise limits !
Positives:
1)comfy to ride. really i’m not kidding. i’m not small and 6ft 2” but found the seating position to be spot on. My legs felt good after the ride. No issues with leg room, The seat was as if not more comfy than my Gel touring seat on my Blade.
2) Christ on a bike it is quick and handles like a dream.
3) It looks beautiful.
4) everything else. I feel I would be happy too track this bike, Tour Europe and go out with mates for a lat over wales. OMG the noise of even the standard exhaust is Loud but lovely
I'm only at the point of test riding a few bikes and the R1 is next on my list when and if a dealer has a bike local that I can test ride. before I make my choice and put my money down on a next bike in 2016.
In short I loved it. I can’t bare to hand over an extra 4k for forged wheels and active suspension. So if I bought one I would be more than happy with the non S model.
A short history of bikes I’ve owned in the past 10 years I’ve been riding. it’s not a long list but every bike I have owned i’ve loved. And I always take my time making sure the bike I want next I will be happy with for years to come.
So i’ve owned a 600cc Fazer, New 1050cc Speed triple and currently a 2011 Honda Fireblade ABS.
So only 3 bikes. I’ve never kept a bike for more than 3 years as I did with my Speed Triple but having the Fireblade for almost 5 years in Spring 2016 is a result of a bike that can do everything i throw at it. Touring Europe, Fast road and weekend out with mates and the occasional Track day.
So the Panigale has a huge amount to live up to. HUGE.
Well Andy was very helpful and took my details, ran me through the controls. Even with lots that can be changed and altered with regards to Engine mapping.
Riders as a company only allow Accompanied rides which I was more than happy to do if it meant I had a chance to ride the Panigale . And the Rider was Another Andy lovely chap. We had a chat and he explained when type of roads we re going to ride. Some town 30’s, a few A & B roads and some By pass roads. Which was great for me as I always like to do pretty much that type of road on a test ride to see what it’s going to be like to live with
What I was not expecting was how comfy the bike was to ride. I started on the Sport mode and half way though went to the Race mode but still had a little traction control set to 5and corner ABS set to 3 on the dash.
I had to get used to the huge difference between the massive V Twin of the panigale compared to the smooth inline 4 of the Blade. Like anything a clutch always takes a little time to get used to but the Ducati was not hard to get used it.
I also had to get used to the clutches up and downshifts which was fun in Sport mode but I what I found was changing the mode to Race mid test ride and then hitting a little wet under a few tree’s while kicking the gear shift without a clutch down a few gears made the rear tyre . Possibly due to the almost slick Supercorsa’s and wet roads.
Another thing I found was how light the front end turned into corners. and how planted the bike felt when braking hard before corners and accelerating hard from the same corner. If felt really well planted.
After a hour or so I got of the bike with a massive smile. I was shocked just how well the Panigale felt when riding.
And how bikes in just 4-5 years have progressed from my lovely and faithful Fireblade to the High Tech Ducati Panigale 1299 which I hate to say I would be happy to replace the blade with.
Lets shorten this down to Negatives :
1) Christ my old man got warm with the massive exhaust headers a only a few inches from my Todger. Once they got to sticky they did not warm up any more. It was not uncomfortable just warmer than I am used to.
2) Mirrors vibrated a lot and most speeds. they gave better rear visibility than my Blade Mirrors which only show my Shoulders but only when the Ducati was not moving. But who meeds to see anything behind when your on this beast.
3) OMG the standard exhaust is LOUD. Would it ever get on a track day with even 105db noise limits !
Positives:
1)comfy to ride. really i’m not kidding. i’m not small and 6ft 2” but found the seating position to be spot on. My legs felt good after the ride. No issues with leg room, The seat was as if not more comfy than my Gel touring seat on my Blade.
2) Christ on a bike it is quick and handles like a dream.
3) It looks beautiful.
4) everything else. I feel I would be happy too track this bike, Tour Europe and go out with mates for a lat over wales. OMG the noise of even the standard exhaust is Loud but lovely
I'm only at the point of test riding a few bikes and the R1 is next on my list when and if a dealer has a bike local that I can test ride. before I make my choice and put my money down on a next bike in 2016.
In short I loved it. I can’t bare to hand over an extra 4k for forged wheels and active suspension. So if I bought one I would be more than happy with the non S model.
StuB said:
Excellent, thanks.
How did the torque/power delivery compare to the blade then?
How can i best explain the difference. WellI will do my bestHow did the torque/power delivery compare to the blade then?
With the blade it's:
between idle and it's not bad then at 4k revs or more then a steady power fowling more power then when you get above 8-10k it's like POWERRRRRRRRR so very linear smooth and then going into warp drive
The best way I can explain the blade
With the 1299 it's:
From the lights is come on where is the power, seems a little sluggish but it could just be me getting used to the clutch and throttle.then you get about 4-6k and OMG pulls like a train and the more rev's it had the more it smooths out and just going like a rocket ship.
The difference was one of the biggest things between what i'm used to and the 1299 which you would expect. But as I was expecting a massive V Twin is going to be a little lumpy at low revs compared to a smooth in line 4.
as for the 899 yes it looks and feels good to sit on but why go a shandy when you can have a pint. As with my Speed triple I would have never gone for the street. just personal preference over anything else. We don't need a full bore sports bike or 1050cc triple when you have a smaller and cheaper bikes that will do just the same on the road but given the choice I would rather have the big bike. No real reason why other then I just would . if that makes sense
Biker's Nemesis said:
RemaL said:
I know what to expect with a big bang R1 as I've ridden one of the first when I had a play with a mates years ago.
The 2015 R1 is a completely different animal to the early big bang model.ccr32 said:
Obiwonkeyblokey said:
Also coming from the latest Blade, the Ducati certainly feels more special but initially I felt that it was easier to go faster on the Blade, but I think thats just down to getting used to a new bike.
I thought the exact same thing.yes it's not as easy doing under 40MPH on the Ducati and easier to do this on the blade but when the Panigale open's up it felt much quicker to get up to speed than my blade
I also went on Fowlers website and they did have sa request section for a test ride on the R1. So I filled and sent that away for a week friday. Wonder what the reply will be. I'm expecting no. but lets hope they have one to test
legzr1 said:
Walter Sobchak said:
I'd be really interested to hear how the R1 is shaping up against your old RSV4 now that you've had it for a while, do they feel at all similar to ride?, I'd really love the new RSV4 RF but when I read about people having issues with them already and the fact it's £3k more expensive I'm really leaning towards the R1 instead.
Apologies for taking the thread off topic (although it seems Remal is considering the R1 too so not too much off topic I guess).I had the Factory ABS model - ohlins, carbon and light wheels - lovely noise, lovely chassis, lovely build-quality and attention to detail.
I was never impressed with the engine though - way over-geared as standard but around as quick as an 08 Blade in real life.
I was even less impressed by the constant coolant leakages and warning lights on the dash - back to the dealers three times in the first six months with no real diagnosis - reset and go and fingers crossed seemed the way to deal with it apparently
But, that chassis!
Lots of annoying thins with it too - that polished top york looks lovely until you realise it reflects light on the already difficult to read clocks making it almost impossible to see your speedo or TC settings etc. Gaffer tape did the trick but looked s
t.Fuelling on the 2013> models was pretty crap below 6000 rpm - sorted with an ecu reflash but warranty void on a £17K bike already known for being a little fickle? Not for me, thanks.
R1.
After a few months on mine I wouldn't go back to the RSV4 (maybe an 1100 Tuono....).
Smoother pull lower down with a pronounced kick at around 7000rpm, a change in engine note (air box ?) then a lovely, long and searing top end with an easy to read TFT dash telling you what you need to know with a quick glance - I love the way it changes colour from grey when you're pootling/short-shifting (the QS works better than aprilias), goes green just as the mid changes to top end then orange when its really hauling - it all goes red when it's time for the next gear...
I '.slightly' prefer the Aprilia handling but I've always likes Ohlins (even the OE stuff) - the R1'gets a little choppy at times on rough roads where the RSV4 would take everything in its stride - the Aprilia always amazed me with its willingness to turn while still feeling planted on long sweepers.
The R1 is good (better than me) but the Aprilia is just nicer - never ridden one with the Sachs suspension so the base RR model might not manage the trick (the Sachs fitted to the BMW weren't in the same league as the Ohlins).
Brakes - I love Brembo, I want Brembo ! Nowt wrong with the R1 but they don't have that 'feel' I like - maybe a change of m/c will help.
The R1 just feels more accomplished with a far stronger engine in a really decent chassis without any reliability worries (whether imagined or not).
I'm not sure what dyno curves or bhp figures prove but what I know is this R1 jumps out of corners quicker than a 2014 ZX10 , 2010 Blade and a 2013 1199 - not played with a 1299 yet but I'm guessing they're going to be a little quicker.
I've even been buying a few bike mags again. mainly to see what peoples views on the 1299 and R1 is like
I would have a test ride on a H2 which I love the looks of and added Supercharger for the pub talk lol. But at 22k it's 4-6k out of my realistic budget. I could buy it but for me it's just to much money for a bike. Really looking at max 15-16k
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