RC8R to Panigale?

Discussion in 'Panigale' started by istanbulian, Nov 9, 2013.

  1. Has anyone else here made this transition? The RC8R must be the performance bargain of the century but having had 2 * 748 SPS's I still long for another Ducati.

    Any regrets?
     
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  2. Haven't owned the RC8 but I know the bike well enough and my advice to anyone asking a question like this is come back to Ducati! After japanese, english etc. bikes I've had in the past few years nothing puts a smile on my face like my 848. Nothing makes me feel like I've never seen my bike before every morning when I turn the lights on the garage - it's like the first day we meet everyday (groundhog day lol)

    Love Ducati!
     
  3. The rc8r is a cracking bike, I've had two and loved them but not owned a pani.

    to be honest the panigale is in another league tech wise but from what I gather you might miss the chassis of the RC as it's one of the very very best in terms of feel and that's the number one complaint about the pani.

    for me the RC was such a good fit as they're biggish bikes, being 6ft 3 the Rc is perfect size wise and with the Akra fitted ive not heard much that makes me grin as much, other than the Tuono V4 I had running a Leo...... Deep down the Akra RC combo still does it for me though, it's just that growl when you shut off the throttle and the engine braking kicks in, my mrs could hear me as I approached a roundabout well out of our estate and further up the road, the sound is just mental.

    then again it depends what you do and how you ride, the Pani still feels quite roomy and dare I say comfortable for a Ducati sportsbike , the only way to tell will be to take one out for a decent long ride.

    im considering the 899 myself but again until I get a day to take one out for a few hours I won't be making any deals just yet.
     
  4. Nor the Panigale either? Nuff said then eh? :wink:
     
    #4 Dave, Nov 9, 2013
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2013
  5. At 6ft 2 I share your opinion of the RC8R. Also for a sports-bike I find it very accessible and dare I say it "easy to ride". I guess that is with my concern with the Panigale; harder to ride and perhaps less communicative?...BUT with the upside of that special feeling and styling to die for.

    Wish I could afford both :smile:
     
  6. Only way is to test ride one bud.

    a stock abs can be had for good money these days and from memory it's only really the ohlins you'll miss which isn't a bad thing as suspension can always be upgraded to suit rider weight etc with cartridge swaps and new springs.

    itll still have the TC and other gubbins
     
  7. I went from the original RC8-r which was a fantastic machine and loved it. Handling wise was pretty good as well but I didnt really gel with it for some reason not sure whether it was to do with the riding position or having my 1st twin but it felt top heavy if that makes sense and I didnt feel real confident on it..only problem I had was a slave cylinder which was changed under warranty

    Anyway after 18 months or so a Panigale came up for a good price and I swapped them over - I have been riding 19 years and always wanted a Ducati. not sure whether it was the bling factor or what but I feel instantly comfortable on the bike, the way it revs, the handling just feels right,, more like my old ZX10r of 2005 vintage.

    I love the Panigale - handling, traction control, engine, QS the lot it is a special bike and makes me smile every time I ride it. I feel that it revs a lot faster than the RC8-r

    However saying that the Panigale has had a number of problems with it which has seriously dented my confidence in its reliability.. new dash misting over... new slave cylinder and now a new engine (all under warranty) but to have a new engine after 4k odd miles is seriously not acceptable

    Kwack
     
  8. Why did it need a new engine Kwack?
     
  9. The piston liners on the cylinders have some form of plating - these came off and worked its way round the engine, welding itself to the pistons, conrods, crankshaft etc.
     
  10. I owned a rc8r handles superb but the bike had issues down on power engine overrun that nearly put me in the ditch in Germany totally lost confidence in it after that build quality wasn't that great . The panigale I now own is another beast altogether there is just no comparison between the 2 the pani is an awesome bit of kit handles superb power is amazing looks are awesome build quality is next to none I also owned a bmw s1000r still hnothijng on the pani best bike ive ever had the pleasure to own
     
  11. Great feedback; thanks.

    I also briefly had a 1st generation S1000RR. Super fast and easy to ride but it just didn't feel very special; in any event SWMBO didn't approve of it so it "had" to go to fund an adventure ride to Mongolia!

    Off for 1199/899 back-to-back test rides this morning; just waiting for the ice to clear!
     
  12. Look forward to hearing how that goes...............
     
  13. enjoy awesome machine stick it in rain mode and let the bike look after its self you wont be disappointed
     
  14. ^^^ i'm not a fan of crashing and I'm a pretty average rider but does that not detract from some of the thrill a little bit ?
     
  15. Only saying because your on a test ride turn it of and enjoy mate personaly I love spinning up the back wheel in the wet but the electronic aids are there if you need them only a flick of the switch to turn them off. When I started biking decades ago I would have died for those electronics today they almost seem common place
     
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