I'd had this ride organised for over a week, and have been praying for sunshine and not April showers today. Happily the weather gods were smiling on me! and thanks to Ducati Store, I got to spend a whole afternoon playing with and getting to know the Panigale a little better. So i thought I'd jot down a few real world observations and thoughts about this machine. We've all read the journo hype from paid journalists ragging it around a sun kissed race track in the Middle East, but what is it really like on shitty pot holed roads, in traffic, in rain lashed blighty....for us mere mortal average riders ? Having let the Panigale warm up on tickover for a few minutes and played around with the pre-set modes on the bike, I tentatively set off through Sale, and Altrincham in slow moving heavy traffic. The first thing that strikes you when you sit on the bike - is the display screen - its crystal sharp, bright and colourful and very easy to read. The presets i mentioned basically have 3 different suspension and engine management maps - Rain, Sport and Race. Each setting can selected on the fly by the click of a button and its easy to use - the differences are immediately noticeable, particularly if you switch from Rain to Race!. The engine is silky smooth, but filtering through traffic in general urban conditions - seemed quite docile and "manageable", and I was almost a bit disappointed..... and I was beginning to wonder what the hyperbole was all about..... having got out of Altrincham and on to country roads, I was about to find out.... The clutch is super light and feeds in smoothly, with predictable bite and the bike feels so light, its really easy to ride in urban surroundings. I had the bike set on Sports Mode initially, and as I left town, and headed in to the country I started to wind it on.... at 6,500 RPM-7,000RPM the whole character of this bike changes - and all holy HELL is unleashed..... Jesus - this thing is just like a wicked bad stroker hitting the power band - the bloody thing just takes off like a ballistic missile and keeps on going - before you can blink you are headed well and truly in to 3 figure license losing territory. Hmm time to back it off and be slightly less throttle happy methinks.... The gearbox and quick-shifter system on the bike deserve a special mention.... both are absolutely sublime - this is without doubt the best gearbox on a Ducati I've ever ridden, and I'm fortunate that I've pretty much ridden and spent time on most of the recent bikes that have come out of Bologna. The box is chocolate smooth and makes everything else before it seem agricultural. The quick-shifter in particular is spectacular both up and down the box, and it will just shift seamless taking cog after cog without missing a beat. The bikes handling is razor sharp, and pin point accurate to a mm, and you can change direction and point it where you want it to go with hardly any pressure on the clip ons - this bike will be a riot on track, if you can get it past the noise test (109dB at Oulton this afternoon - eek!). Suspension as far as I know is how it was when it came out the crate from Italy, and for me personally i found it a bit too hard - the front pre-load needs backing off ever so slightly, and the rear feels identical to the 1098 - rock solid, which was improved on the 1098 with a lighter spring. It definitely needs a bit less pre-load and possibly a lighter weight spring in it, if you are of a smaller disposition - but i guess that this is a very personal thing. The brakes are immense.... the latest generation of the Brembos are phenomenal.... if you thought the brakes on the 1098 were good - go try these.... Riding position is comfortable "ish" as superbikes go - it ain't multistrada comfort, but its a lot less extreme than a 1098/1198, and the reach to the clip ons is shorter and not as extreme. The seat is still bloody hard though! You could certainly quite happily spend the day on it, without getting off as a cripple!. Mirrors on the bike are ok - you don't have to do the chicken to see what is behind you, but they are affected by vibration a bit at low speed. The electronic gizmos - ABS, Traction control and engine braking management etc seem unobtrusive- but i guess you can play with all of these to your heats content find a set up that suits you - but i would say the stock Sport mode is pretty much spot on out of the box for normal road use. There are three small irks for me - the first is the position of the rear shock, and shock cover. It throws your left leg out slightly off the peg and a couple of times, i could feel that the back of my leathers just snagged momentarily on the shock cover. You are aware of it. The second irk is the side stand.... its bloody impossible to get the side stand down without doing contortions with your ankle and foot around the footpeg. Its not ergonomically designed at all, and its awkward, and that would niggle me - every time i got off the bike. The third irk is the shape of the tank - i just dont think its very pretty, particular after the iconic shape of the 998 tank, and the 999 and 10/1198 which followed, which were direct descendants. It reminds me a bit of an SS tank, which has been squashed slightly. All in all, without doubt this is a great bike - and it is a fabulous machine, which goes and handles and stops sublimely. But make no mistake, a 1098/1198 it definitely isn't. It behaves and revs in a totally different way and upto 6500rpm its well a bit gutless. Above 6500rpm however it changes in to a savage ferocious superbike and the grin factor is HUGE. But I would have to say, then when it hits that magic 6500 rpm, it just wants to keep going, and going and going. Put it in to Race mode map setting, and you can multiply that comment by 10.... its way too aggressive for road use!. This bike is like no other Ducati you have ever ridden - its character is completely different, but i doubt you'll be disappointed. IMG_1300 by 998gsb, on Flickr IMG_1301 by 998gsb, on Flickr
Too much for you then Gav, never mind I'm sure Sophia will be happy that you are ageing along with her!! Those flighty younger things just take a bit too much out of you, we understand ;-)
@Royum -comment ignored with the utter contempt it deserved..if you cant say anything constructive, do us all a favour and don't say anything!.
Great review. Just wonder if the 'S' will be worth the extra £'s or if the standard would be money well spent?
Be interesting to ride a base spec one - the main difference is just the suspension and the gizmos.... and on the 1098 the base spec showa fork internals were actually better kit than inside the ohlins units fitted to the S.
I agree on the S, I'd of thought you'd be much better buying the standard bike and then buying some proper ohlins and having it dialled in for your weight etc which will sort the ride out. I know the S has fancy electronic adjustable settings but that's a gimmick really, how many times do people currently change their settings anyway, one for road and one for track surely? I'd rather put the cash towards better kit and learn to count clicks in and out myself Also I wonder if you can move the shock round and underneath the tail more with aftermarket kit, I assume the standard version mounts the shock on the side as well does it?
You can't move the shock but you can change the linkage for a road/track setup, I have to admit when I saw it in the flesh at the NEC the first that struck me was the shock position and the potential boot issues. The Desmo also has a very similar side stand also, I have to lean over and flick it down with my left hand as its just impossible to find with my clumsy boots.
A very good review and interesting read. It confirms my suspicions, that the Panigale is a fantastic bike, but that it is so fantastic that riding on the roads at reasonably sane speeds is going to be something of a frustration. If you have to wind it up past 6500 to really exploit the motor and it's a tad limp below this figure, then you really will be spending every ride seeking out gatsos and strange tripods in the verge. The problem is that as machines become better and better (in pretty much every department), the user is increasingly insulated from the experience of using them. This will end up with cars that drive themselves - already being tested in Germany. My experience not so long ago of riding the completely gutless Bimota DB1 was that it was really just as much fun as riding my twice as powerful 999 with its superior motor and brakes. Power + efficiency = fun is not a linear equation. I also don't really see the Panigale as drop-dead, must-have-one gorgeous. It looks pretty good from some angles, a lot less so from others. So, quite like the Diavel and Multistrada, then. I can see its a fabulous engineering feat and a ground-breaking bike and if I had lots of cash, I'd buy one. But by then I'd already have half a dozen bikes in the garage. Not really feeling the need to junk the 999 (would add a Diavel first, I think).
Gav Your third irk re the tank, how was the fuel consumption? How far did you travel and how much used? The initial set up of the traction ABS, etc etc etc seemed to be counter intuitive and a right long winded pain in the arse, what did you think? Did you change the maps on the fly or stop and do it? It's quite distracting on the Panigale having so many levels for traction, ABS, but just my view. Anyone ridden one at night, how bright is the screen, is it a distraction? On the quick-shifter, does it work at any revs or only on an open throttle and above x revs? The slipper, is it the ball and ramp type, realise you didn't want to drop it or harm your reputation for being a safe rider, but did you try sticking it in a corner and dropping 5 to leave the slipper to do it's stuff? ;-) Serious question! How good are the new headlights, we all hated the lamps on the 1098/1198 as being too weak, how are the LED's? The screen looks pretty good for tucking in behind, not sure how it was though, any comment? Cheers M8.
Screen is great see no reason to change. Slipper clutch I personally have not exploited it too hard as running in only done 180 mile in the last few days. Suspension needs sorting tried revising the maps but still very hard on bumpy roads. The seat is rock hard I have ordered both seats as of to Europe in a months time. Regarding the quick shifter it is fantastic but i would only use out of town and from 3rd onwards. Re engine can't quite comment as running in but it's so smooth a pleasure to ride in a civilised way it is far better than the 1098 and 1198 I have ridden. Even at running in speeds it's alot of fun, but I know it's going to be mental from 7 onwards.
35 mpg at the mo, I understand the ecu and fuelling will improve once you reach a few hundred miles or so. I have noticed it bogs down in town a few times but only done a few miles
sounds great. Maybe too much for the roads here in the South East tho. Shame it's s bloody loud :frown:
Fuel consumption - it was on vapours when I picked it up so filled it up which cost £20 - I'd done 100 miles on it and the fuel light wasn't on when I handed it back. I didn't play with the set up in each map just the different stock map settings so can't answer that one Roy QS system appears to work at any revs it comes in to it's own when the bike is accelerating. Re the slipper clutch - I'm guessing it's a ball and ramp type. Obviously as its enclosed I couldn't see it - it works well though and whilst I didn't try dropping from 5 to 1 mid corner Roy - it did come in a couple of times and it felt controlled and sure footed and didn't upset the poise of the bike at all. Can't comment on the lights as I didn't ride it at night but cars were pulling to 1 side to let me through in traffic so I'm guessing they either saw or heard it! The screen is actually very good - its very narrow but is canted at such an angle that you don't really notice the wind blast at all and there is plent of room to tuck down behind it because the of the riding position.
