Haha that made me laugh, those Grifters were never too easy There's definately no muscle involved. I dont know if others would agree but I think it's more a case of the Panigale needing a few days solid riding to get used to it's sensitivity and to take it by the scruff. Contrary to what Mr Keith Code says in his videos and books you can actually influence the Panigale steering quite heavily with just your foot pegs and balance of your body. I think this might be why a lot of the reviews complain about it being too much of a handful. It's just very sensitive to your balance whereas on the older bikes like my R1 you can put it on it's edge and it's so stable that you can practically clamber around on the bike.
? Ive ridden 3 different ones from 3 different places and they all never felt flickable. Once upon a time I could chuck a bottle of O2 on my shoulder and climb 10 flights of stairs and proceed to start gas cutting steelwork down. Was 25yrs ago mind. I could also flick a 21" scaffold pole on my shoulder. I sit in an office now all day and I'm wasting away. I get knackered carrying the shopping from the car. I need to get my fitness and upper body strength back. Right thats my new target. Get strong again...ok stronger...sod off fin i know your waiting in the wings with a comment you little tyke.
What I struggle with is the concept a 916 is more flickable, ie thru a roundabout or chicane, than a panigale Maybe carbon body, tank, wheels like Matts but even then I'd still be surprised A 916 traditionally needs a heaveho
Mine drops in easily Brad. Push the bar, lean on the peg, shift my weight and in she goes. I struggle a lot on my 1198 as I cant seem to get my body to slide over without twisting into the tank with my knee. When that knee should be towards the ground. No amount of peg changes seem to fix that.
Is it the bars? If bars are too wide or too high I find it harder to move around on the bike quickly and smoothly without upsetting it and so I'm more tense. Might just be my crap riding skills of course...
@bradders , Also on the 1198 and what I also noted on the 1199, when I tip it in and try to hang off, my arm is straight and not bent at elbow. When i ride my 916 my arm is bent at the elbow and it helps me hang off easier as it locks against the tank as i hang off. I can't manage to get this to do the same on my 1198. Its like I'm too far away from the bars. Ive tried adjusting the rearsets etc. I have the same on 1199. I also feel like my shoulders are tighter forward, whereas on my 916 I feel more open. I can move freely on the 916 and hang off easily. The nadgery hairpins in the alps the 916 deals with with ease. My 1198 struggles on these, it prefers the fast sweepers. Maybe my riding skills are shitter than I thought they were and I never rated them much to begin with. @Gimlet i'm considering bars but not sure which ones.
I agree the 1199 looks have grown on me over time but not the rear shock.I was hoping for desmosedici looks so not blown away when pani was released. The standard 916 - 998 takes a bit of input to turn but rock solid once in there and trellis frame gives so much feedback and confidence.However with a bit of improvement the 916 can be transformed.I guess that the same for all ducatis if you put mag or carbon wheels on em and longer swingarm on the 916.The pani is probably a great bike but if I had to buy a newer duke it would probably be a 1098R/1198R corse for the extra grunt lower down the rev range and the underseat pipes I like so much. Wouldn't say no to one of these either if I had the cash but alas a nice F4 1078RR is more my budget. View attachment 36626
@bootsam Definitely rings a bell a lot of what you are saying. On fatter bikes I find my body naturally wraps around the bike in a very consistent way. The Panigale is so skinny that I have to work more to keep myself in the best riding positions and as said earlier it's very sensitive to incorrect positions. Lately I've found myself getting right up around the tank whilst riding on the road to get around this, but once on track and going faster everything seems to work better and I can hang off the bike in a much more consistent manner.
I love my Pani, sure it lacks the midrange of my 1198S (not even mentioning my 1098R as that would be unfair) but it has an amazing top end, revs very freely, handles beautifully, tips into corners easily, looks stunning, sounds amazing and has been ultra reliable. What's not to like, it's still a Ducati.
I can agree with what pretty much all of you say. I'd bet my house a standard pani is more flickable than a standard 996, but with some work and time a 996 can flick about and be stable. The pani looks great from some angles, but just like another new bike from others. Being a lover of how twins produce their power, I'd rather have a 1098R and put a more trick dash on it. But then I've never had an 1199 on track to play with the electronics.
Reading Carl Pettitt's SL project thread, is it possible to get a larger tank for the Pani? I thought his looked good, gives more substance to lock your knee into and would make the bike more practical for road riding. Guess it wouldn't come cheap though.
His is custom one off jobbie but yes you can get larger ones, kope also has one, both carbon. Dont know if they do an endurance one tho?
To me my ideal Ducati needs three boxes ticking. Twin, thin headlights. Single sided swing arm. High level under seat pipes. My 1198 it is then! (It's got to be red too!)
