Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Congratulations Adoksh , really happy for you .

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Seksyyyyy Sassy

Heart felt Congrats man @Adoksh, take care

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Super hot!! Congrats [MENTION=15847]Adoksh[/MENTION]!! Time to live the Italian dream!

The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Full Review:

I know it's been a long overdue review, but it's just been such a fantastic experience riding the Panigale that I haven't honestly had the time to sit down and pen down my thoughts.

Looks: I don't think a day goes by without me admiring how gorgeous this motorcycle is. Yes, those side double barrel shotgun exhausts aren't as pretty as the underbelly's US gets but they do very little to take away from the otherwise sharp flowing edges of the 959. A lot has been borrowed from the 1299 to fix the minor flaws the 899 owners had. The front nose has been widened and the rear tail piece is completely redone. Same goes for the side fairings which are a direct lift from the 1299 and then those slippery 899 foot pegs are also replaced with those from the 1299.

Finish: A big complaint here. The bike does not come with a clear coat. Several members have now added a ceramic coating to it which I will get done as well. Dust settles on it and with wind and your own movement it leaves scratches. Lack of a clear coat is shocking considering globally the artic white version comes with it. Why Ducati chose to leave the Red without it bewilders me.

The switch gear is good but could have been better. But I'm only clutching at straws.

Sound: Let's get one thing out of the way- nothing comes close to the sound of an Inline 4. That being said, the rumble of a L-Twin Desmo is something else. Unfortunately that's not what the 959 has. Yes, it has a sweet sweet sound when you've cranked the throttle up and you're shifting up the gears, but otherwise the Euro IV regulations seem have done their job very well. The bike is almost muted in low revs and on idle it's nothing more than a humble grumble. In fact this was the most apparent when I rode alongside an 899 Panigale and the 899 was so loud that you'd think it was on steroids!

City Riding: From the roads to the track is what Ducati advertises this motorcycle to be, and in all fairness it does it really well. The riding position is not too aggressive and your body is not stretched to the extent it would be on an MV or even the Daytona. It's a fairly relaxed position for both your wrists and your lower back and legs. The bike happily rumbles along at low speeds and with all the power delivery modes and options available, there is hardly any difficulty in manoeuvring this bike through city traffic. The one issue and a big one at that, is the engine heat. Temperatures quickly rise to 105-107 degrees Celsius and that makes riding in anything other than leathers or a good pair of denims or riding textiles an impossibility. Although you do get used to the heat, 113 degrees Celsius is the maximum temperature my dash noted before I luckily found an empty stretch of road.

Highway + Hills : Panigale territory! It just becomes a new machine altogether. There is very little the Panigale expects from you on the highway. The ride modes and electronics keep you comfortably secure and that maniac 157BHP engine let's lose. 0-100 came up in less than 3.5 seconds and 0-200 was not too far either. The brakes are spectacular and unless you are an extremely talented rider you will not feel the need for the M50s which are present on the 1299. In fact I think having those brakes would have taken away from how easy this bike is to ride.

The corners are yet to be fully explored. I'm still gaining the confidence to really push her but a couple of runs up the Nandi Hills here in Bangalore showed how beautiful the bike adapts to the curves. The Diablo Rosso Corsas are just fantastic and offer so much grip that it's bound to make you want to take to the track! But I can only comment on this in a little while as I'm yet to push myself and the bike into any serious dips.

Electronics: Perfection. Wet mode was where I started off from the showroom on the day I got delivery and I think it's a great place to start. 100bhp output full engine braking, highest traction control, anti-wheeling, highest ABS, it's almost docile enough to make you question whether you are on an almost litre class machine. But then you open the throttle up and the bike just transforms into an beast. Wet Mode is largely controllable and a great place to start.

I'm currently running on Sport mode. EBC ABS and DTC are all turned down a few notches and you feel the difference almost instantaneously. It's like switching off driver aids on those video games and you suddenly realise it was the computer that was making you survive [emoji23] The bike just leaps forward and that growl from the exhaust seems to get louder (I know that's not possible but I believe in my mind it does)

Then there is the RACE mode which I have only used for one stretch of about 11 KMs. It was one of the most exhilarating moments on a motorcycle. The computers almost turn off and you're left with just you and the machine- Man v Wild. No interferences. That's when you truly realise Ducati's wonderful creation. They've packaged so much power into such a dynamic package that it's useable by all and useable everywhere. The city streets to the highways to the hills to the track, the 959 is just fantastic and a learning curve which will just keep on moving forward.

Just as a caveat here, I must add that I by no means am qualified to comment on this motorcycle because I'm yet to get to any level which would bring me close enough to exploit every ounce of power technology and wizardry there is packed into the 959 Panigale. But if you guys do have any questions which I could probably answer based on what I've experienced till now, then I'd be happy to help

Also, will upload new pictures soon! DOC BENGALURU is alive and kicking and some gorgeous ride pictures coming up soon

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Thanks Adoksh.

How is the ride quality over our "great roads"? Please describe as best as possible.

I sat on the bike at the showroom and also found the riding position to be not aggressive, could not ride it as it was raining heavily on the day.

All the best with the bike and ride safe.

Cheers

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

The suspension is of course stiff since it's tuned for the race track but not so hard that you can't deal with the bumps and potholes of our roads. Haven't been on too many bumps or potholes to elaborate but the small ones get swallowed without too much trouble.

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Lovely write up buddy. Enjoyed reading your experience and boy I can totally imagine staring at Panigale for hours. It's a beauty. Engine Heat is one thing which is omnipresent in Panigale's, hope you get used to it. Can you feel the engine heat on highway runs as well or is it just while riding in city?

Bring on those red pictures soon

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Thank you! Engine heat is just in the city stop go traffic. Which I avoid most of the time but there are always those instances where I have no option but to wade through horrid traffic. The highest I've had my engine reach is about 111 degrees Celsius. Anything up to 106-107 is fairly comfortable with a good pair of denims.

Pictures will be up soon! Can't upload them from the app on the phone since it'll reduce quality. So I'll do it when I sit with my laptop

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Hey [MENTION=15847]Adoksh[/MENTION]! Congratulations on the new Ducati! I had a request. If it's not too much to ask, could you please update total service cost or a breakdown of costs incurred in first service of your 959? It would help me and many other people in making a better decision. Also, how was your experience with service centre?

Thanks!

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Thank you.

The first service is at 1000 kms or 6 months, whichever is earlier. The other services are spaced out at 12,000km or 1 year. First service costs about 12,000 INR. Service centre handles it pretty well. No complaints at all. Spares I hear does take sometime to arrive but I have no personal experience in that segment. Let me know if there's anything specific you want to know about the cost breakup.

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

I'm not a fan of Ducati, but I'm curious about them. [emoji14]

If it isn't a bother, can you tell us what's the engine oil used in your bike?

Also, does it have sufficient ground clearance for medium humps/bumps?

Can we have a picture of the console?

TIA.

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Shell 15W50 Synthetic.

Never scrapped the underbelly on roads here in Bangalore at least. Even on highways village speed bumps haven't been an issue.

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story


Thanks! Your reply helped a lot!

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Just wanted to give an update. Recently dropped the bike while parking due to some unstable footpath work :/

The right hand side mirror broke on impact. I've later learnt that several 1199 and 1299 owners across the world have had this issue with the mirrors. They have written on several forums that they snap off way too easily. In my case to be fair to Ducati, the mirror was slightly lose due to another incident involving my garage door and the fall just led to it snapping.

Instead of buying the original mirror replacements I decided to install mirror block offs and have ordered Arrow Bar End Mirrors which should arrive next week.

Some photos of the bike with the CNC Mirror Plug Offs are here

Re: The Italian Dream: A Ducati Story

Oh, thats bad man, I hope the bike did not suffer any other damages/scratches