1299 New 1299 Or 1199

The 1299 is the better all round bike in my opinion.

 

I went from a 2015 899 to a new 1299 with akras on a winter deal. they say the 1299 is easier to ride than the 1199.
I found I needed some miles to get used to the 1299 unlike riding the 899 which you can just ride and feel as one straight away.
the big v twin is a handful riding in slow traffic but is sublime on the open road. the only trouble is it does not want to go slow. you really have to watch you licence.
don't see the point in going for the older 1199 if you can afford a good used 1299.
with the 899 you can use more of the power on tap especially in the lower gears compared to the bigger v twins 1199 / 1299 unless you are track daying. that's the only fault with the bigger twins you sometimes feel your not as one with the bike because you cant use the higher revs all that much on the road without being paranoid that pc blod will knock on your door.

 

This question is like stirring mud, itll be as clear to you at the end of it as when you started. I have an 1199S and after riding a 1098 and 999 previously I can say the 1199 is a pussy cat, more civilised and smoother than the older bikes. True a v twin is never happy going slow in traffic but the 1199 is more manageable. Also true is its a license buster, you're going warp speed in a split second. Everyone will have different ideas on whether a 1199 or a 1299. For me I'd buy a second hand 1199 Tricolore it'll cost the same as a brand new base 1299 but you'll get ohlins and fancy bits but not up and down blipper like the 1299 but the Tricolore is a future classic and will become collectable. In 5 year time a 16k 1299 will the worth 10k. The Tricolore will not be worth much less than what you paid for it. Anyway it's nice problem to have and a problem that'll have a good ending whatever you decide.

 

I will suggest getting an "S" model in either option you gonna go for.
Better wheels, suspension etc, also knowing you have non base model bike will make you fell better (if you know what i mean).
I was looking at 1198s for the past good 7-9 months and ended up getting a 1299s.
Worth every single penny more i have paid over the amount i wanted to spend on the 1198s.

So good luck and hope you gonna get 1299s at the end ;-)

 

I was having the same dilemma at the beginning of the year and decided upon the........959!
I was looking at an 1199 tricolore for the reasons above, or a 1299. I came to the conclusion that although the Tric would hold its value, it is a lot of money for something that was out of warranty. Then I started to really look at what I wanted from the bike, which was some road cruising and trackdays. I realised that if I could learn to ride the "little" 959 anywhere near its limits I could keep with anyone around any track, and it would feel less intimidating on both road and track. It looks as good, it sounds as good, you'll probably go almost the same speed on all three (959/1199/1299), yet one was £5k less.... It was a no-brainer for me, but it really depends what you want. Riding them will help you decide.

 

As mentioned above, if you are doing road riding then make getting an S of either model the priority as the easy suspension setting changes on the fly make the bike way easier to live with on a day to day basis. The bike prefers to be in race mode with high power and tight settings in general but take it on really crap bumpy roads and it feels like you have a puncture sometimes, switching to the softer suspension at the press of a better makes it rideable again.
I've not owned earlier Ducatis but for me the 1199 definitely feels like an angry race bike that isn't really a commuter whereas the 1299 can be rode slowly and civilised every day as well (which is quite a feat from Ducati!).

 

The 1299 is more civilised, real men ride the 1199

 

put it this way I cant wait to admire my 1299 when getting it out of the garage and going on a ride today. we all suit different bikes through the years. test ride both at a dealers and see what you think.

 

Yep definitely buy an 'S' for one thing it's got gold forks and that looks cool and is worth an extra 4k alone!:Cigar:

 

Real men ride a 996

 

If no racer then the 959 is all you need, and will probably be more enjoyable.

 

It comes down to a personal choice of the one you want the most. There are good reasons for either choice, and what suits one person won't suit all. All are more than fast enough (probably too fast) for the riding skills any of us have. Don't let yourself be swayed by arguments either way if you have already fallen in love with one of them, because you'll keep lusting after the one you wanted, for whatever reasons you have.

 

I've just recently brought a 1199s. I test rode it and a std 1299 back to back. If I'm honest the 1299 felt like the better bike - smother with more useable power in the mid range. A new 1299s is around 21K and I just couldn't stretch that far. The 1199s has its faults - it hates riding slow, stutters in town - is dead at low revs so you need to keep it on the boil and gets very very hot around the arse area...the Quick shifter is anything but smooth. That said I've just got in from a two hour ride and I have a massive smile on my face. It turns in quicker than any 600, over 7500 rpm it's an absolute missile - not S1000RR fast but faster than most. I have a couple of track days booked at Brands later this month which I'm really looking forward to. Whichever one you go for you can't go wrong.

 

It's maybe worth mentioning that an 1199 with termis especially a full system is a lot smoother to ride than one with the standard cans not to mention the increase in power and torque throughout the range. Not sure how it compares to a 1299 though as I've never ridden one.

 

Some good advice on here, for my 2p's worth, I've ridden both and I bought an 1199 std (couldn't really stretch to an S as originally was out for a 1X98S!!).. 1299 is a lot smoother, and easier to pootle/filter on and an absolute missile but I wanted something a bit more like my old 999s and how ducatis (IMO) should feel(delivery wise) and thus the 1199.. (although as Big M says, the Pani is nothing like the old Ducs in its manners). My advice would be to get the one you have your heart set on, simple as that, they are all awesome and you'll love every ride!! defo recommend a suspension setup and remap with termis if you do go for an 1199...

 

It comes down to what floats your boat. I was in the market for a 1299S and when I went into the dealer they had a new (previous model) 1199R for not a lot more.

Now the 1299S is a stunning bike but there was something about the lure of the R that made up my mind and who needs a down shift blipper anyway

Buy the one that will put the biggest smile on your face.