Looking for some views, planning on picking up an 1199 in the spring. I have no massive preference for an S model, but I really don't like the wheels on the standard base model, so that's pushing the S instead. question is, for the cost delta between a base and an S model, I would probably have enough spare cash for a wheel upgrade plus a performance exhaust. i should also say, I'm looking at a low miles used bike, so budget circa 16k for an S model.
base the ohlins on the s is to stiff , and its just a fancy gizmo using the dash to adjust it ,give me a screwdriver any time ,
Good point, will be doing some trackdays so I'm wondering if the base model suspension is easier to set up? Could get some BST's with the spare cash!
Id be really tempted by a base with lighter wheels and then letting the likes of Kais/Maxton/K-Tech work the magic
I would go with the standard bike tbh and get the suspension re-worked and look at a set of OZ wheels or such like.
How can Ducati spend all that money, or your money on Ohlins and get the base settings so wrong? Was thinking of fitting Ohlins shock on my 899 cos the std shock is too hard for skinny riders.
hi cerec ive found in the past the same as many ohlins is always far to stiff [ out the box] ive had several ttx shocks that you couldn't even move the suspension and had them re sprung / revalved etc don't know why ohlins seems to be this way but suppose that's why many race bikes have k-tech on I think k tech is much better for me, ive a S model and its pretty solid ive tried the progressive linkage and its still feels wrong back to flat now, I wish I had bought the base fell like I gave about another 4/5k for a bit of flash parts on the bike ,I pressed on a 899 the other week in my dealer and the shock was as soft as anything couldn't believe it so if u think that's hard don't even bother with an ohlins believe me
I put Ohlins shock and fork kit on an RC8R and it transformed the bike but the shock was sprung and shimmed for my weight before fitting. Work was done by FTR suspension. Seems that you can't just buy a shock it needs building for the rider.
I consider myself an average rider, I can handle a bike but I'm not and never will be anything near a track god and there are probably a good few Pani owners on here that could whip my ass!. That said I'll give you my opinion as an average Joe who owns an 1199S. I bought my bike last summer, I had a budget of 16K which meant the choice of a brand new base model or a second hand 'S'. Whichever model you buy if you buy new you're going to take at least a 20% hit in depreciation in the first twelve months and that's enough to make me weep!, so I bought a 10 month old 'S' that had done 1500miles for 16K. If I'm honest the extra's the 'S' has over the base such as the adjustable ohlins will never be fully appreciated by me although I do prefer from a bling point of view the wheels, gold forks and full led lights. If I had no choice but to buy new I would buy the base because I couldn't justify the extra 4-5K for the 'S'. Out of some sort of nerdy curiosity I keep an eye on the price of second hand Ducati superbikes and I've owned the past three generations of Duc superbike a 749S, a base 1098 now the 1199S and have found the 'S' models are always the more desirable bike when it comes to selling and sell at a premium. I found this with my bikes, the 749s sold like a hot cake but the base 1098 took a while to shift as there were many out there and it was always snubbed by buyers in preference for the 'S' model. The way I saw it was by buying a second hand 1199S after it had done the most painful bit of depreciation and then being able to sell it (when the time comes) for a premium over the base meant I'd have the best of both worlds, the extras of the 'S' with the minimum of depreciation. Hope this helps, whichever you go for they're fantastic bikes. Jason
I found when I bought my Ohlins shock for my Daytona it was set up as a 'track part' ie the assumption is that if your upgrading it's more likely u will do more track work. I had to change it from a 12nm spring to a 10.5 at the cost of another £70 and getting it set up, That said, the quality of the stroke and the feel it gave for the rear end was unbelievable! I would like one for my 848 but it's actually reasonable as is and I'm not doing track stuff
When HM racing sold me my forks and shock for 916. They came sprung for me at no additional cost. They were bang on outta the box. As for OP. I'd be inclined to go base with BST's. Then retrofit the difference over time with an eye on eBay. You will deffo notice the benefit of light wheels. Anyway i thnk oem ohlins are a bit moot on here on the new stuff. Few tales of woe. Plus they both blew their seals on my mates MS and coated the discs at the same time. Shat himself. Few tales of dodgy seals. But they have the gold bling factor.
The s model ohlins forks and headlight are heavier than the base ones, the light wheels make the s lighter. So buy a base and put light wheels on and you'll have a bike lighter than an S. Personally I prefer the look of the base forks as they are larger in diameter, the ohlins next to them look thin. I also dislike the electronic forks and shock, prefer to adjust myself
Thanks for the helpful advice, all very useful points to consider. I've heard a lot of bad press about the Ohlins setup and people not getting on with it or being able to get it setup up well. Part of my thinking with a base model was the ability to swap out the shock or forks with some aftermarket kit if I can't get the setup, which is exactly what I've done with other bikes in the past. (I'd rather be swapping out the base shock and forks than the S model Ohlins!) i do agree with the views on Ohlins being pretty stiff though. I had Ohlins shock and forks on my GSXR track bike but had them set up specifically for me and 'tuned' over a couple of track days and they were superb, but as standard they didn't work for me at all. The resale on the S model is a good point I hadn't considered, but I keep my bikes for a while and usually trade them in rather than sell privately, so it isn't a huge issue. i really like the S wheels and led headlights, and the Ohlins bling is pretty cool, but weighing everything up, the base model with some lightweight wheels, carbon bolt ons and decent exhaust should give me a sweet handling street and trackbike.
I meant to say, I know that with the Triumph's on the first 675r's there were quite a few guys who went to people like MCT and they had TTX shocks that had low gas pressure from new, or too much and different springs in the front etc; I would say that a full aftermarket shock built for your weight is always the best. Ps... I got told by two firms not to touch Nitron; some like them, others detest and I never quite got to the bottom of it!
Personally if you have the funds for the 1199S go for it, as mentioned earlier it will have a much better re sale value than the non S models. Also now with the 899 coming out and looking like its going to sell very well, probably taking a good number of sales off the 1199 I think in the near future there will be very few 1199s models available which will keep the prices at a good level.
It's simple........ If you can afford an 'S' then buy it, if not buy the Base. Both great bikes. If it's a choice of a new Base or secondhand 'S' I'd still take the 'S' as it's already lost most of its depreciation as long as it's still within warranty.
