Howdy Chaps, well, the transition is complete. Today I have taken my maiden ride on my new 1299 after changing from a very well fettled 1098S. I took a good test ride before committing to the purchase which told me enough to get serious and despite the one hundred or so miles I've done today being in 6 degree temperatures, I arrived home with a big grin on my face and looking forward to the year ahead. I've ridden a lot of the current machines over the last year or so including the S1000RR, 1199S and RC8R along with some non sportbike stuff like the Monster 1200, K1300S and GS, to make sure I wasn't missing out on the 'right' kind of bike for my age and circumstances. Getting down to business, anyone who's got a 1098, enjoy it 'cos they're a hell of a bike but the 1299 really has moved the game on while retaining that Ducati character that IMHO the 1199 slightly missed the mark with. I hasten to add that I've only ever tested the 1199 and maybe some clever fettling can get them close to what I feel has been achieved with the 1299 out of the box. Having said that, I've already changed the bike from the standard spec' with a few significant mod's, but as a road bike (which is what I've bought it for), it steers and handles like a scalpel compared to my 1098S while feeling very easy to ride at road speeds. The feeling I had today was that the bike was allowing me to relax and focus on the ride without having to concentrate too hard on avoiding getting bit in the arse like I always felt the 1098 was capable of. I've ridden on the road for over 25 years with a few track experiences thrown in and while being no 'alien' I could ride my 1098 pretty hard but the evolution of electronics, ergonomics and handling on the 1299 are very impressive, even though I'm aware I'm riding it like a pussy at run-in rev's and in winter conditions at the mo'. Lot's more tweaking and fettling to come I'm sure to get it just so but the signs are very promising. I don't often post my waffling thoughts, but thought I'd throw my two penn'th in for anyone else thinking of making the jump. Enjoy:
I bet the bst wheels have a lot to do with the handling, but fair play looks cracking bike. Well done.
Yep, but the BST's came off the 1098S so it's a like for like appraisal and the BST's made a big improvement in front end handling from standard when I put them on that !
Rear yes but the front on the Panni is a wider track so it needs a BST specific spacer kit from Ram Italia.
Hi Matt, just a few small styling tweaks, all within the limitations of my insurance :wink: Can I get myself one of your screen protectors too please ?
Ah ok, I thought you might have done some suspension work, but I'm assuming the carbon wheels make quite a difference? Of course you can get a screen protector. Head over to my site Speedo Angels | Home - Motorcycle Dashboard Screen Protection and use the coupon code FORUM20 to get your 20% discount
I've put in base settings front and rear and on first appraisal it felt really good most of the time and occasionally very bad, to the point of going over one particular bump and feeling like I was going in to orbit, but it's early days yet and i wasn't really riding it properly today. I've heard varying opinions on this bikes suspension for road use but thought I'd suck it and see for a while as you never know what running improvements have been made on the latest models by Ducati or Marzocchi. We'll see, but I have very good past experience with Nitron on the 1098 so that could be an option like yourself.
Love the BSTs. Out of interest, and as you are running in like myself. Does yours kinda backfire on the quick shifter...
Yep and it's just the same as my Alfa with the TCT gearbox. Personally I put it down to not revving them out at run-in revs, so the ignition cut is a little too quick for the fuel cut so a bit of unburnt fuel gets exploded in the hot pipe. You'll probably find when you rev it up to 8/9k+ it will be a lot less noticeable...... Can any current owners confirm ??
Point taken : but I don't think my better half would be too impressed when she tries to jump on it ! (and yes, she's an experienced pillion and yes she finds sport bikes fine. She enjoyed the 1098 and often says she can't see what all the fuss is about. Hard as nails my missus :tonguewink:
Congratulations on the new bike. The 1299 look like an awesome machine. Your point about the suspension being really good most of the time and occasionally really bad rings a few bells with my 1199s experience and is the one benefit of the S. The bike feels way better in the race settings with everything a bit harder but once in a blue moon I'll hit a rough road and the setup can feel horrendous, literally like a punctured tyre. It's very handy being able to switch to softer settings with a press of the button. That said it happens so rarely that if I was to buy again I'd be much less likely to spend the extra cash and would consider the non electronic suspension much more seriously. The 1299s does look to have moved the game on considerably from the 1199s though. I love a bit of popping and banging on overrun, gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to go with the big smile
Very interesting comments re using the S mode switching to accommodate the occasional suspension clumsiness, but I gave this purchase a lot of thought and arrived at the decision that even if the standard suspension can't give me what I want even as a road bike, It can be easiliy fixed for a lot less than the upcharge for the 1299S, considering I already had my lightweight wheels. I also think that even though I have now accepted the benefits of electronics for the up/down shifter, power modes , TC, ABS, anti wheelie etc,etc,etc, I'm not convinced I'd ever get to a point of switching suspension mode on this type of bike mid-ride. I like to spend time setting conventional suspension up to give me a predictable feel that I can trust but still allows me to ride around any occasional road surface hiccups. I also enjoy the popping and banging and it took me about ten miles to work out that short shifting at around 4.5k gave me a smooth shift with the loudest bang and 6k in sixth gear gave me approximately 103/105 mph (on a private road of course) :tonguewink:
Nice one. Having lost my superbike virginity to an 03, 749s in the last couple of weeks, my gaze is being drawn to all the lovely exotica out there. Oh, the Panigale, an 899 maybe, what temptations are out there now the scales have dropped from my eyes. The world is suddenly superbike shaped.
