I had a a couple of hours on Italias 1299s demo today whilst my 899 was being serviced. What a bike, far nicer to ride than the 1199 i rode when the Panigale was first available. Im not sure whether it was in my head or not but the riding position seemed slightly different, in that there seemed to be a reduced amount of weight on my hands. I think iam starting to suffer from carpel tunnel as my right hand goes funny after about 45 mins riding, (due to air tools at work) but this seemed alot less on the 1299. Does anyone know what the difference is and whether the 899 can be tweeked the same??
The 1299 has exactly the same rake and trail as the 899. That's why they feel different to the 1199. The 1299 has a slightly longer wheelbase, 11mm longer.
Maybe using clutch less so easier on wrists. Tank seems wider and easier to grip with my legs also, which takes weight off wrists a bit. Also grippy pedals help.
sort of, they lowered the rear swingarm pivot point by 4mm to aid traction (apparently). But the rake has stayed the same.
ok, something to look at, is bar levers reach and angle. You should look to put your levers inline with your forearms, or imagine a line from your elbow to the lever, the line should strike right through the centre of the bars. If you have your levers slightly high, your wrist position is lower, and makes your wrists ache in no time at all. The other thing to consider, is rear sag, bikes from the factory dont have any, so a high rear end loads up your wrists like a taller seat pad.
also 1299 has double the acceleration G force that a 899 has, so it will have removed all the weight off your wrists
Sag can be adjusted on every bike. Set by adjusting the pre-load or swapping out the spring; according to the rider's weight and / or preference...
Looked at the manual said, for shock absorber adjustment look at page 137, which only describes how to adjust via the electronics, 12mm is spring preload. Is it done electronically will setting it to softest setting lower the seat? (I'm short) Confused...
You have unsparing sag; which is how much the bike drops under its own weight; and loaded sag; which is how much it drops when rider (with gear on) drops... Only way to set it properly is but putting in the right spring for your weight... Minirbadjusents can be made by preload but sometimes hard to get the sweet spot if spring weight is out... Best bet is to take to a suspension specialist. Go to the nearest track day is my recommendation; you don't have to ride it; but better to so as the oil gets warm and it can make quite a difference...
