If (and I don't know) the electronics are the same, then the differences would be suspensions and wheels. The aftermarket ohlins and or K-Tech is waaaaaaaaaaaaay better then the bling bolted on to the bike from the show room. The front wheel is only marginally heavier than the marchesini replacement (or it was on my 899) the rear is interchangeable with 1098 etc, so ought to be easy/cheap(ish) to upgrade if desired.
Awesome Nick great choice!! Do it you won't be disappointed! Love the 1299 on track. I went base model and I bought lighter wheels (from you ! (and no you can't have them back! )) and I've changed the rear shock to an Ohlins unit, there was a big difference as the Sachs shock is known for being shite. I want to do the front too...but it's mainly due to Ohlins bling factor, rather than needing it atm. One option is to source a 2nd hand Ohlins electronic rear shock and get it converted to manual usually for cheaper than a 2nd hand unit manual. Good to see you nearly back on 2 wheels!
i think, like my track bike, it will be what is availability at the right price at the right time.. if you strike lucky you can pick up what your after with maybe a few mods already carried out for a reasonable amount. end of season, with the V4 development / teething issues out the way will mean a few more track prepped bikes are coming on the market..
I happen to have some forged Marchesini wheels for sale; beautiful things and very light. Pm me if interested.
23k miles on a 600 race bike though... and it was the gearbox that let go, not the pots haha Unbelievable isn’t it. An r6 struggles to get to 2-3k race miles
Puffs bike get Portimao booked and you can have a go round there on the Beemer. Would be good to get your thoughts
When in April is it? I'm eyeing up Almeria end of April too. But I can only swing it if my rota changes. Fingers crossed
Head eventually ruled heart and I've bought a new GSXR R today. I was offered a crap deal from Ducati on the Panigale and a good deal by Suzuki with a better part ex on my Ducati, 0% finance and £1000 worth of dealer fitted extras. The bike holds no interest to me visually so here's hoping it's great on track! Thanks for all the advice and I would still prefer the Panigale but Ducati dealers really do take the proverbial.
Ignore @Advikaz ; he was too scared of crashing his 1299 plus he got jitters when it did wheelies (love you @Advikaz ). In my opinion the 1299 (assuming you are not mega worried about crashing it...) is one of the best track bikes out there. I personally prefer the 1199 engine size on the Panigale R but it costs a fortune and I would definitely choose a 1299S over the older model 1199S since the improvements that Ducati made are night and day. The other thing is a capacity hike is always going to last longer than a highly tuned R if you are using it properly on track. The main thing to sort out is to match the rear spring to your weight and ability. The fronts seem to be ok for most people but the rear causes problems. I think that Ducati have decided to cater for the large proportion of rich but slow riders and put a fairly soft spring in there! Once you get a shift on you need something a little bit stiffer to cope with the power. That said I would add that with the R it is certainly 90% down to the soft Pirelli tyres which I couldn't get to work well no matter what I did. Running a set of Dunlop KR106/8 on track makes a world of difference and are much better suited to the bike. The noise is a right ball ache which is why I now race a BMW because running a baffle saps power and I dont see the point if you have to do this.
Doh, I commented too late The deals on the GSXR R are incredibly good value so I doubt you'll be disappointed.
It’s 17th to 19th April mate. Sub 2 minutes got to be achievable on the Beemer I’d like to think. There must be 2 seconds to be had just on the straights over the 899 at Portimao
