Ducati 1299s test ride

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MacRR

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Following on from a couple of posts and comments from other members on their Ducati 1299 experiences I felt it was time to find out if the bike mag hype was justfied or indeed just hype. I rode the latest ZX10R a few weeks ago (see separate thread) and came away impressed but satisfied my '15RR remained a superior piece of kit overall.
So with a bit of time today and a narrow window of dry roads in north Lincolnshire I put on my winter gear and jumped on the GSA to ride the 35mins up and hopefully through the drizzle to the nearest Ducati dealership. I was greeted by friendly staff and dry roads and wasted no time in getting my hands on the keys before the rain caught up. You're all familiar with how Panigale's look, but here's a quick run down of the spec:

205bhp V twin
Lightweight forged wheels shod with Supercorsas (S only)
M50 front anchors
Ohlins active forks & shock (S only)
Quickshifter and autoblipper
ABS Pro (I know some of you will be delighted to hear that..!)
Bosch you name it, it'll do it traction control
TFT full colour display (S only)
LED lights

I've sat on a few 1299's at bike shows and thought how uncomfortable they felt, I'm pleased to report that the hard feeling seat doesn't get any harder once you put on some miles and the bars while a bit lower than on an S1000 were fine. In fact I found the riding position surprisingly comfortable, way more spacious for my 6ft / 14st than the ZX10 and with a less radical footpeg position than the '15RR.
Heading through town in Sport mode the bike is very easy to get along with, I find the clutch a bit grabby pulling away from the lights but otherwise easy to ride with the quickshifter & autoblipper snicking between gears with no issues even at low revs, not bad so far.. After a few minutes I hit the A46, I'm taking the bike up for a spin to Louth, close to Cadwell Park, and back. I know the roads reasonably well, fast, undulating, bumps, yumps and plenty of corners.
First things first, I decide to see if a rev limit is in place on this '16 plate bike, er nope, blimey that was fast! I've mentioned elsewhere that I've owned V twins in the past, I love that instant diesel like shove, this thing has that in spades AND a mid range and top end to match my S1000! Without getting into detail lets say I saw the top end of 4th gear before reminding myself that I was riding a ?21k bike on 3rd party insurance, this thing is very, very fast in an incredibly deceptive way. Throughout the ride I'm constantly surprised at my speed every time I look down at the TPT screen. I'm also seeing a lot of other bikes, every other one seems to be a Gixxer, is it some kind of owners outing? Then I remember its MCN live at Butlins Skeggy this weekend, its not as bad as it sounds I'm told.....
I've read and heard that while the 1299 is a lot more friendly than the 1199 it still needs setting up and can be a bit flighty, I have to say that I found it nothing other than stable and sublime. No waggles or wobbles under hard acceleration over bumps, beautiful turn in and at least as stable, comfortable and reassuring as my '15RR and as sharp but more refined than the ZX10.
Just as I leave Louth it starts to drizzle so I ease off a bit and stop for a couple of pics. The bike really has exceeded my expectations, I was expecting an uncomfortable, fickle beast but instead I have a big grin on my face and have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, what an awesome bike. I didn't even miss the heated grips(!) - mainly because it comes with a heated seat which I imagine would literally be a pain in the arse on a hot day! Heading back to the dealers I have to stop for fuel, it does drink a bit I have to say, and chat to the attendant about the bike - he's impressed.
So bike dropped off and back on the GSA, what a good morning, I love my S1000 and we all know what a brilliant all round road weapon it is, but if I had to change I think I know where my money would be going... :friendly_wink:





 
Good question, the guy at the dealers said they'd sold as many regular 1299's as the 1299s and everyone was happy with with their choice even though most of them had test ridden the 1299s, he reckoned the Ohlins was superior to the Marzocchi / Sachs set up but not by a huge amount, ?4k's a lot of dollar so I think if I went new I'd get the std bike
 
glad you understood my very vague question, i did mean is it worth the extra compared to the STD. Wish i had some main dealers near me so i could test some bikes out. Glad you had fun though.
 
Thanks for the write up Mac. It is refreshing to get a review of another brand without it being slated to death.
 
Nice review,
My heart keeps saying Ducati but there's no dealership close to me.
Stunning looking bike.
 
Jimmy I'm not going to quote speeds but I can tell you it was completely stable, the test bike was 2 weeks old so no it hadn't done much and I wasn't going to risk binning it either. All I can say is something must've been wrong on the set up of the one you rode or you're a lot lighter than I am!
 
Try a 1200s, you wont have the same experience, I'd read the comments you and Sissy had made and was determined to try and unsettle it in a straight line, several times gave it a handful up to 12k over bumps and nothing.., no I didn't get my knee down but then again it was 7degC, with rain in the air and effectively I had no insurance, but I don't think I'd have drawn any different conclusions in more favorable conditions.
 
great review, couldn't put it better myself, as my feelings and experience on the 1299S was almost identical to yours, great bike, I just couldn't justify the extra ??? over the S1000RR I found.
 
Cheers, I had some good fun testing the latest litre tackle earlier this year, horses for courses really, the S1K is the best all rounder no question, year old low mileage 1299's a much better bet than new, the S seems to lose ?3k as soon as its wheeled out of the showroom.
 
Great review and I defiantly agree with you. I have just sold my Ducati Panigale 1199s and I loved it for performance, gadgets, and looks. However the ride in town was terrible so much so I PX for a 2013 BMW S1000rr Sport. This bike is insane but also so easy to ride. But my only issue I have with the S1000rr is the seating position as I get a terrible bad back after only 10-20mins of riding which I never got from the Ducati. I really don't know if I can carry on with this bike and looking to go back to the Panigale

thanks
Sasstig
 
Sat on a standard 1299 in the dealership and was surprised at the seat height even compared to an 1199. New R1 seems high too.
 
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