I am about to complete the sale for my 998 which i have cherished for the last two years, but its time to move on. I have found a 1299 for a very, very low price not to far from my father in law. It has been down but the damage appears minimal. Apparently the current owner bought it from a guy who dropped it and he has been getting it back to stock. The only issue it has other than cosmetic is the gear selector sensor seems to be bad or need recalibration. So i have two questions: should I take the risk and buy the bike? What should I expect in terms of riding experience? Obviously the power difference between it and the 998 will be very noticeable. Also the electronic aids ought to make it easier, but perhaps not? Thanks in advance.
always be a little wary of buying a crashed bike from someone who bought it crashed, as they may have found something terminal and want to sell on the problem.. the issue with the Panigale is the engine as a stressed member, and its not easy to follow/trace impact absorption, that could result in block damage. once you get over the fairing stripdown process, the bike is reasonably modular, in that you can strip it to its component parts quite easily and there is a lot of second hand parts online, 1199/1299 a lot of cross over as well comparisons between the 2 .. it will be like day and night, and hard to draw a written comparison due to the change of bike platform and the differences are huge.
The one in Dartford? I’ve been looking at that but decided against it because the very mysterious missing bit means testing the gearbox would be a challenge.
Not unheard of for people to buy a big wreck, change a few parts to make it look like it was a small wreck. And then punt it on....
No, Im in the states. Thanks for the response guys. The seller stated that he rode it before the gearbox error popped up on the dash. But perhaps he knows of another more serious problem that he isn't mentioning. I guess I am quite mistrustful of sellers these days. It could be a great opportunity to own an incredible bike that only needs a few bits. It could also be a disaster. The other problem is that he is so far away that i can't exactly go look at it. I stated that it is fairly close to my father in law, but that is relative. Its about a 4 hours drive. We will be up there for the holidays and I suppose i could go then. But I dont know if looking at it and even riding it for 20 minutes or so will tell me anything.
It's a tricky one without seeing the bike. I did a quick Google for 1199 gearbox errors and it looks like there's a few options there. Do you know if it change gear OK? It could be the Q/Shifter I guess I think from memory you can turn this off via the dash, there's a gear indicator on the dash also so there must be something inside the box to provide that info so it could be that, or as daft/easy as it sounds it could be a broken wire after being down the road generating the error. As for a comparison they are worlds apart, the 998 was a leap on from the 916/996 in terms of performance and engine smoothness and performance but retained the same ergo's. You'll get on an 1199 and think it's a comfy sofa by comparison, and although it has way more power than a 998 I don't think you would be too shocked, it's all up top by comparison. Initially it probably won't "feel" like a Ducati as it's very refined when comparing to your 998, but it'll feel lighter, more nimble and flickable immediately.
gear sensor on an 1199 is almost a consumable, they fail often, its just case of changing them out and if your lucky no re calibration needed. I did my 1199 last year, part was 90 euros if I remember rightly.
Thanks guys. The seller sent me a video of it running and the gear indicator is a dash. I did some research and I think it will go into gear but the quick shifter malfunctions. Im hoping this guy isn't so knowledgable and when he saw the error, he stopped riding it for fear that it might be a big problem. I think the nearest Ducati dealership is hours away from him and so perhaps that is a consideration.
That does seem like the gear position sensor and/or wiring. The attached file may also help after replacing the sensor. Regarding the bike itself if the price is right considering the overall condition then why not! The 1299 is an awesome bike!
The 1299 QS on mine when I had it failed, very common I believe and Ducati developed an updated switch. Mine failed on the upshifts I believe. you will love it, it’s such a very capable but rideable bike, easier to ride than the previous 1199, you can’t go wrong.
Thanks guys for your input. I messaged the seller and I offered him a pretty low offer expecting him to balk at it. Instead, he said if he still has it in january, he will accept my offer. He said that he has had other offers. I really never considered that Id be in a position to ever own a 1299, so I won't be too disappointed. I fully expect him to sell it before January.
Why don't you up your offer just a bit and see if he'll take it now? It doesn't seem to be ringing any major alarm bells here, and trust me, there are enough people here who could strip and rebuild it upside down in zero gravity.
I wish I could do that, but I am in the process of selling my bike. I have a very motivated buyer so I think we could make a deal as early as tonight, but he can't give me the money until January when he can arrange shipping, etc.
If the QS goes I assume you can still ride it?? Can’t you just disable via the screen so bike it ok??
Yes if QS dies, which is likely as 3 of mine failed and its a known weakness, then you can still ride it and shift manually. Additionally, you'll probably have a check engine light on as well.
BTW just in case you don't know, the 2 flashing yellow lights at the top are nothing to worry about. Once the wheels start rotating they will switch off, I think its something to do with calibrating the abs and traction control systems.
As has been said, the lights go out once you start moving and yes you can still ride the bike if the QS fails, you just have to either use the clutch or use the clutchless method for shifting up and obviously use the clutch for changing down.
