Thanks Andy. Regarding the Ohlins, then presumably that 'built to a budget' would apply to a V4 S as much as a 959 Corse? Regarding the underbelly exhaust, then presumably it would no longer be homologated (otherwise it would come with the preferred underbelly exhausts and be EURO4 compliant). So the underbelly exhausts are a 'mod' to an EU spec bike that has the longer rear shock to handle the weight / distribution of the side shock. I assume the underbelly exhaust would fit, I'm mostly wondering about any effect of the longer shock but underbelly weight distribution. I imagine it would be slight, but as I say, Ducati thought it enough to make the change. Shame to spend 16K on a bike that would still be compromised in that way.
I honestly don’t know. I bought the v2 TTX for my 1098R about 2 years ago and the difference to the OE TTX, which had been recently serviced, was noticeable. Comparing the NIX30 cartridge kit I fitted to the 1198 OE Showa forks carcass would be unreasonable. How much of the latest generation of Panigale suspension is compromised by cost ? No idea but if you ask me which suspension I want, it will be the Ohlins. My 748R Ohlins suspension was a lot better than the Showa on my 748sp (and 996BP), my ST4S Ohlins suspension was miles better than the Showa on my 996, my Multistrada 1200s electronic Ohlins (with Ohlins SCU) is IMO better than any other Multistrada suspension I have ridden including the “Skyhook”, my 1098R Ohlins are sublime and the Ohlins we fitted to my girlfriends Diavel, eclipsed the OE Marzzochi. The suspension bought directly from Ohlins might be batter in some aspect but it’ll be a lot more expensive. Andy
How heavy are you and how do you sit on the bike? You will need to make sure you are the same weight as the test rider and sit in the same positions if you are that concerned about 7kg and 2mm The confusion about öhlins is partly due to the choice you have when putting aftermarket on. There were 3 cartridge kits available when I looked, from around £1,000 to £2,500 (from memory, don’t quote me). Obviously if you put the £2.5k kit on it is “better” that he öhlins you’d get on the Corse, but that isn’t a fair comparison and maybe where some confusion comes in. Of course “better” is subjective depending on how good you are at setting it up and where you are riding. Change the exhaust (for looks alone), get the suspension set up, and stop worrying. As I said, I saw more benefit in getting the standard bike and improving it than getting the corse... but it depends what you are after, there is no one answer for everyone.
