Thanks For The Add.

Thank you for adding me to the forum. Following a test-ride at Ducati Cambridge, I have a Panigale V2 on order and I expect it to arrive in the next week or so. In the mean-time, here's a photo of the demo bike!

 

Thanks for the welcome, guys.
I've wanted a Ducati ever since drooling over the embossed crank cases of the 750SS back in the seventies and after a long time away from motorcycles, I returned to the fold three years ago, mainly riding BMW twins, which I continue to have and love.
Still hankering after a Ducati, I tried out a 959 and loved the free-breathing engine and excellent chassis dynamics, but I couldn't quite get past the down-speccing from the 1299 (double-sided swing-arm, exhaust, one-way quick-shifter, more basic electrics etc.) As a road rider, with little desire to do a lot of track days, I feel that the big twin and the V4 are fabulous, but with performance that far exceeds road conditions and increasingly-prevalent speed cameras.
I called in to Vindis in Cambridge to try out a V2 with a friend who was keen on road-testing the bike and I was very impressed by the spec, which overcomes my reservations over that of the 959 and the looks, which are fabulous, in my opinion. Despite the conditions being very sketchy: greasy tarmac, brand new Pirellis and the bike being inadvertently left in sport mode leading to a few 'moments' on the Cambridgeshire B-roads, it was clear that this bike is an absolute gem. I ended up leaving a deposit there and then, deciding that I'd better get a sports bike now, and this one in particular, before I get too old!
The bike has arrived at the dealer and is awaiting the new reg. plate. I have opted to have the single seat cowl, Evotech tail tidy and the Akrapovic exhaust system fitted on delivery. I may put the Evotech radiator grilles on too - I would be interested to hear anyone's views on how good they are.
I will post further pics and my impressions of the bike in the next couple of weeks for anyone who is interested.

 

Well, I collected the V2 this morning and it doesn't disappoint. What a stunning bike. The stand-out component is the Akra Ti system which is pretty loud but tuneful with an unexpected side-order of snuffling and snarling. I thought running-in was going to be a chore, but I can't wait to get out on the road again. I'll post any further reports on the V2 forum.

 

Heh heh! Great impression, Zhed46!