Hi All.. Just said Id throw this up, my opinion as such re the 899. I have been very much waiting to ride in anticipation. Last Sat morning myself and rdyrder set off from a very cold Dublin quite early to get to Millsport Ducati in Northern Ireland. Good 2.5 hr drive. Was no point going on the bikes, it was raining here and up there so we would have been frozen to bits, literally. On the way up the dial on the car was reading -1 to +2 degrees all the way. As we drew nearer to Millsport we stopped for a bacon buttie, cup of coffee. It was monkees, proper cold and damp. I was thinking...should I or shouldnt i take the bike out when we get there... Anyway, we reached our destination, a very hearty & warm welcome from the boys in Millsport.Coffee and jellies – yup…no kidding. Had a browse around the shop. Full of the usual stuff like Panigale R, monsters, 1098, 848 evo’s etc & even a Desmo!. So went out the back to have a look at the bike...stunning. Big presence. I know ppl are torn on colours, but Id like to see the red myself. I had debated taking the bike out as the roads were very wet and very cold. Plus its kinda winter at the moment. Not ideal. It was decision time, so out we had to take it - screw the weather The bike was set up with FULL TC - it needed it.Had just p***ed down earlier but rain now had stopped. But it was till freezing ! Didnt turn me off. If you havent heared this thing fired up yet....christ in a hotrod. Its 'kin very loud. Almost gp sounding, seriously. Ive never heard anythiing like it. Almost has that furnace type hum in the engine. (underneath that helmet Im saying....mammma mia..!!) So away off up the road for about 20 mins. Giving it the berries here and there. No matter what I did the back didnt step out. Didnt cut the engine like I had thought....kinda almost like the TC was there but wasnt affecting the bike. So all in all the TC is really something else. Even in 3rd & 4th yanking the throttle near the red zone ( orange light flashing away ) didnt phase the bike. The display is quite easy to read and I had to adjust myself a couple of times ( we're in kms not mph :biggrin: ) It took off like a scalded cat. Builds speed very quick. Kinda makes the 848 feel more stocky but not as quick to move if you get me. Again, uber loud. Flies through the revrange like you would eating a meatball sub with a hangover :biggrin: You have to remember, the bike was in race/wet mode with the TC on full. But the bike didnt disappoint. Even on the roundabouts the fueling was perfect - I was in first gear, didnt need to feather the clutch or nothing, seriously. It feels very light and very nimble in comparisson to the 848. I could only imagne what this will be like in the dry with the bike on nomal mode. Re the "peg slipping" i did get it a few times...didnt really understand why (?). It does feel more forward than I had expected but not a deal breaker. Feels like a good quality solid bike when you're perchered on it. Looks quality too. Id go as far as saying, i felt i could ride it a lot harder in the wet than I dare try with the 848 - go figure ?! The bike feels more like it will let you know rather than the weight of the bike dictating first after it "lets go". Mirrors are good and they dont look out of place. Clutch bite is really short but feels slick. The throttle is really smoothe, so so light. Indicator controls feel solid, not chunky but solid. Brakes are good. They felt "thin". Plenty of bite but again, the roads were stone cold and very wet. One thing I will say, the 899 doesnt feel anywhere like the 848 I have. When i moved from the 749s to the 848 they feel similar but different. You'd know it was a Ducati. But if you went from a 749 / 999 generation to the Pani or 899 you'd think they were made by another manufacturer, Im not kidding. This isn't a bad thing. Its the engine. Not the the looks. The motor is the soul of any bike. The 899 has it in bucket loads but dont expect it to feel like the outgoing engines of bikes past like the 9's or the 8's and those before it. As debated here, Ducati are at a turning point with the 1199 / 899. They have made radical changes and gone in another direction. This wont please everyone but thats the price we pay for making advances. Something has to give. I will return in the dry to try this bike again and will look forward to it. Its a truely stunning machine, probably the best bike Ive ever ridden but its different thats for sure. Id be tempted. Go try one A big shout out to Millsport Motorcycles Ducati Northern Ireland | Ducati Dealership based in Balllymoney Northern Ireland True gents, they have a great customer ethos, stuning showroom and they must be doing something right to get me to drive all the way up there :wink: ( kettle is always on so if you're in the area close to them..) Til a dry spell comes, I will add more to the above. Thats it in a nuthell til next time
Great write up mate, thanks for taking the time to do it I am really liking how enthusiastic people are being about the new 899.
excuse me for being a party pooper but that's 2inch chicken strips on the rear how can it be good at road holding ? come on I know this is a ducati thing but you cant tell on that sort of test ride ,sorry but I don't get it ,abuse please ,,, thanks
You can "party poop" all you want. I never mentioned "road holding". You clearly didnt read the thread. I ride in all weathers so i think whats above counts. It was a "wet test ride". Its a forum, all opinions with substance are valued, those that dont, aren't. But thanks for reading
so perhaps the test would be more for the t/c in a straight line , 3rd 4th gear power runs etc ,still think people get really carried away with these pannigales , its up to them though no props in that ,personally I think they are crap ,and that's 1500 dry miles on one and not hangng about ,hence s1000rr coming ,smooth, more power, more planted and 8k less. enjoy if u get 1
Completely incorrect. My posts are some of the most valued on this forum and they have very little, if in fact any substance whatsoever :biggrin:
Jeez, another thread 'going that way'... Starting to do my head in! Why do people need to do it. I found it useful and informative, and as long as I am not paying to read something written by a professional journalist I will take it at face value.
its just an opinion ...I know its not the norm to say a ducati is bad ,but why follow like sheep ,the number of posts about the panni saying this is crap ,this is bad ,this is broke and at the end oooh but I love it ,come on ,at least I tell the truth and yes ive paid 20k for a bike which I think is crap and that's why its going , I wont keep it and convince myself its great because its a ducati just my opinion,
Makes me laugh the 899 is crap because you think your 1199 is crap,without pointing out the obvious the main components of these two bikes are totally different
didn,t say the 899 was crap just thinking how many people have done reviews with wet riding and a m25 ring road test if you want a bike for a straight line buy a pan European ,the thing is you could take the front wheel off ,and a ducatist will say its great and yet ive spoke to a few who sold there pannis straight away, everyones entitled to like theirs if they like, I think I,d rather tell the truth to what I think, to me its not right and that's why no dealers wants them in because of the poor reviews ,me I,d rather take a 5k hit but get something I like to ride ,as keep it to be in the flock ,
Thanks for taking the time for writing that review, I have just got one myself in red (4 days ago) only done 72 miles so no real idea what it is like to open the taps or do any decent speed round a corner but looking forward to doing so once ive managed to run it in. The noise is amazing can't wait to get the Termis on it. As for Jimmy43 he obviously doesn't like his 1199 which is fine not everyone likes every bike, I hate the looks of the bike he wants its the ugliest thing ever in my eyes but he clearly does, different strokes for different folks. As he says some will obviously like just because its a Ducati but for me it was a chance to buy a brand new Ducati that I didn't think I would be able to afford, as ive always been wanting one since I was very young the chance and my financial situation was good so I could. I know it won't be the fastest bike in its class, it may not even be the greatest handling but that is not why I bought it. I still have my GSXR for that as it will probably be better in that respect but im no racing God and both of these bikes will be able to go far better than my abilities so to me it doesn't matter. Can anyone really say that they can push a 200bhp bike to its maximum ability on the street?
totally agree you cant use 200bhp on the road, also the panni is better looking ,but the bmw is smoother all over the rev range ,and theres no slipping clutches, or getting a burnt arse, and plenty of my mates have said keep the panni but its not for me to many negatives and problems to keep just for good looks ,and I do like the bmw its different to the other jap 4,s the new 2014 red,black,white is good have a google at it you may change your mind, and become a bmw owner with me :wink:
really ? you know it makes sense ,ohh well cant convert you all to the future , ive had about every thing going so at least I can tick off the panni,
I go back to what I said earlier. Have you even read the thread. Im not gonna get into a long winding argument with you - that'd be just a waste of my time. You didnt get on with the Pani, so what get over it. You've nothing to contribute in this thread, you dont even have an argument. I rode the bike in crappy conditions, hard. You have zero idea of my riding ability or the roads I was on. Gte ride of that chip on your shoulder. You should listen to youself. This is a Ducati forum. There are ppl here as critical of the bikes as there are ppl who love them, its a Ducati forum. If you have a problem, why are you here ? Nobody is saying they are the best bikes ever. We're going way off topic. Leave it there. ...really.... ...you're killing me.....:tongue: Ignore it Sound man. Any pics of the 899 in red ? I like the white but I think id sway to the more traditional colour. If the weather is anyway decent this weekend get out early and head off for the day. Be interrested to see how you get on. Its the only way with a new bike, few hrs or a whole day out. I forgot my (charged up the night before) gopro at the weekend, pity, i could've shown jimmy that both myself and the 899 can go around a corner in the wet, imagine that :wink:
Folder in my profile has a couple of photos of mine, I wasn't too sure about the white which was what I saw first but as soon as I saw it in red I knew instantly it was the colour for me.
