899 Panigale

[bex]

http://www.fastbikesmag.com/2013/09/09/ducati-899-panigale-first-look/

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[jonzi]

No single sided swingarm

And for that reason, I am out.

[Wildfire]

I need one in white.

[utopia]

Oooh, no single sided swinger !
I could be tempted.
I guess the white one would be the best base colour en route to orange !

I've always liked the smaller superbikes, 748/9, 848 and now this.
Still got more performance than I can use.
They just seem like a better "real world" package.
And its more fun trying to be quick on a smaller bike.

I also like the design attitude of the panigale motor, with its massively oversquare cylinders.
It seems like the right way to go if your package has nice big cylinders but still manages good balance between them and good control over the big valves ....let it rev to stupid levels ...it makes lots of sense and has that essential "Ducati" performance driven philosophy.

But back in the real world, it has plumbing, electronics and bodywork, all of which are unnecessary in my view and thus are deviations from the true path.
On the other hand, sod that. I'd love one. Like a mistress.

I must not lust after other motorcycles.
I must not ................

[bluestoesonnose]

Girls bike!

[buzzbomb]

Girls bike!


So you've got one on order already...:o

[bluestoesonnose]

I had thought about it, but I think it would clash with my pink leathers

[pompone]

No single sided swingarm

And for that reason, I am out.

That may well be the Panigale saving grace in SBK..

[steeevvvooo]

If I was buying a new superbike the head would say the 899 was plently, but the heart would probably make me take out extra finance on a 1199 Tri...

but then again, I wouldn't listen to my head :p ;)

[buzzbomb]

That may well be the Panigale saving grace in SBK..

I'll second that Max...:thumbsup:

[buzzbomb]

If I was buying a new superbike the head would say the 899 was plently, but the heart would probably make me take out extra finance on a 1199 Tri...

but then again, I wouldn't listen to my head :p ;)

So Steve it's your 1199 tricolore that I'm delivering next week...:biggrin:

Hope you make agood cup of tea...;);)

[steeevvvooo]

So Steve it's your 1199 tricolore that I'm delivering next week...:biggrin:

Hope you make agood cup of tea...;);)

I wish!! :) Maybe one day... :mand:

[Martin696]

Have to say I'm not that taken with it, but then I do like my bikes how I like my women, naked & ready to ride :-D

[bluestoesonnose]

I think the biggest problem with the bike is it's irrelevant as a sports bike. What class and sector does it fit in to? Why would you buy one over a sport 600 or 1000. Seems Ducati have really backed themselves into a corner with this bike. Perhaps the Germans will make Ducati change in a similar way BMW evolved and moved away from its obsession with flat twins. That said are sports bikes relevant? WSB could be about to die as BMW and Aprilia are going to exit at the end of the year.

[simon_g]

What does "class" or "sector" or engine capacity matter if you're not racing the thing?

There's still a reasonable market for sports bikes for sunny blasts and a few trackdays a year, which this would be great for. Power is identical to the GSX-R 750 (only with plenty more torque), a bike that's always sold fine in the UK. More grunt than a 600 so nicer on the road, lighter than a 1000 and with a smaller pricetag.

Bit of an uplift in price from the 848 Evo, but there's inflation and all that new tech to pay for.

[Dirty]

It's a funny old world. The birth of the modern superbike was with 900ish cc engines. Now the smaller sister of Ducati's superbike has 899!

[bluestoesonnose]

I think you answered your own question Japs bikes, do everything the baby gale does, and will be cheaper to buy and own. Sports bikes are a shrinking market, look at the sales figures. And as for track days you could get a Cat C for a shed load less dosh and not worry about throwing into the next county. Nope Still seems pointless....

[uksurfer]

I think you answered your own question Japs bikes, do everything the baby gale does, ....

apart from look good

I'd take a 899 over a blade any day of the week, id also need a second job to afford one :)

[He11cat]

It's not floating my boat :(
I keep going backwards and like retro styling:)
Naked and stripped back stuff.
As for white ... No no no !!!
But I hope it does well for the company :)

At least it's not as bad as fuglystrada
:)

[Wildfire]

I think mid-weights are becoming more popular. Many manufactyures seem to be straying from the traditional 599cc, where as before it was just the GSX-R750 that was mainstream, generally regarded as the best road orientated sports bike, as it wasn't as zingy as a 600 and not as big as a 1000. I know there have been the Ducati's but until the 848, I wouldn't have considered them mainstream, more a connoiseur's choice.

[samieb]

At least it's not as bad as fuglystrada
:)

I disagree, the Multistrada isn't for those who are vertically challenged I'm afraid. Although the Monster is a good bike, it isn't as good as the Multistrada.

The Monster may gain some ground lost should Ducati decide to bit the Bullitt and install the 1098 engine or similar into its range. These are the kind of bikes they should be concentrating on these days. Naked more affordable/ rideable bikes for everyday people. SBK's almost killed Ducati with the 916 and the Monster saved it, surely Ducati should look at what is actually selling rather than trailing at the back of the grid. I know Audi owns it and can throw money at it, but it doesn't grow on trees.

The 899 Panigale might be a far more useful bike for all concerned than its Big Brother for most riders. However should've kept the single sided swing arm.

[Funkatronic]

hmm, not sure myself, not making me wet my pants (apart form mugello footage ;-), whereas the 848 evo ads made me want one

if i had a spare £12.5k id prob be looking for a 2nd hand 1098R...

but maybe thats just me, llke hellcat hope it sells well

[Dirty]

18,000 bikes sold and 4 SBK World championships, Fogarty and Corser bringing the Ducati name into the vocabulary of millions of people ( me included) if the 916 nearly killed Ducati it wasn't because it was ugly and rubbish. If the fuglystrada, which is, IMO, both those things, is what it takes to save a company then I'll be giving up on motorbikes in a few years. :)

The 899 would get a paddock stand in my dream bike garage along with the 1199 and every other superbike Ducati has produced back to the 916. Looks wise I think they have consistently hit the Superbike ball out of the park since 94.

[bluestoesonnose]

Mate, unless you've got the dosh or in the market for a bike of this kind the argument is pointless. It's like me wanting a Eurofighter Typhoon, BAE Lightning or Avro Vulcan. It aint going to happen.

As for your comments on 4WSB championships, how long ago and how "bent" were the rules? You're just not compairing apples with apples. the 899 sits in the 600 sports bike market, all of which are cheaper and better.

I think we can see how good Ducati are on a level playing field when you look at MotoGP.

[samieb]

18,000 bikes sold and 4 SBK World championships, Fogarty and Corser bringing the Ducati name into the vocabulary of millions of people ( me included) if the 916 nearly killed Ducati it wasn't because it was ugly and rubbish. If the fuglystrada, which is, IMO, both those things, is what it takes to save a company then I'll be giving up on motorbikes in a few years. :)

The 899 would get a paddock stand in my dream bike garage along with the 1199 and every other superbike Ducati has produced back to the 916. Looks wise I think they have consistently hit the Superbike ball out of the park since 94.

I think you'll find It was the Monster that saved Ducati when it was launched in 93 probably along with TPG's help at the time. Whether Ducati won on the track or not, if you read up on some of Ducati's history you should come across this.

[pompone]

OK, we need to look at few things here..Monster was released before the 916, albeit by a year. Is true to say that without the Monster Ducati would have (probably) folded (even thought it probably would have been saved again with public money..) but the 916 and successors were a huge commercial success anyway. At the time you could have a oil-cooled GSXr or that. In Italy the first year they were released EVERYONE went out and bought one, just like they were buying the 888, SS and 851 before and the 748 etc after, so at least the domestic market was healthy anyway. TPG didn't come into the equation untill 96, by which time books were looking strong.
RE racing the rules certainly weren't bent, not by Ducati at least. With the same rules Honda-Rumi won the first two championship, so what happened? simple, the bikes and engines got better than the japs. Simple. When they started to make better bikes too they were back in the fold. Let's not forget Ducati hasn't won a championship in only two years, not a lifetime.
And if you think MotoGp is a level playing field Honda PR machine has done one hell of a job! Let's just wait untill they screw up WSBK as well..
Does the 899 fits into a class? is there such a thing as a class in bikes anymore? did the Monster fit into a class? ;)

[Dirty]

Mate, unless you've got the dosh or in the market for a bike of this kind the argument is pointless. It's like me wanting a Eurofighter Typhoon, BAE Lightning or Avro Vulcan. It aint going to happen.

As for your comments on 4WSB championships, how long ago and how "bent" were the rules? You're just not compairing apples with apples. the 899 sits in the 600 sports bike market, all of which are cheaper and better.

I think we can see how good Ducati are on a level playing field when you look at MotoGP.

It would be a stupid financial decision but if it wanted an 899 I could get one. Wait a couple of years and financially it will be a walk in the park. Getting my dream garage would be even more stupid but a small downsize and move out in to the sticks and I could have a full set of 916, 996, 998, 748, 749, 999, 1098, 1199, 899 and a desmocedici to boot! Comparing that to owning fighter aircraft valued at 100s of millions of £s is skewing the argument beyond the reasonable though I can agree they are things you will never be able to afford without a lottery win, oops, no, scrub that! even if you won the lottery 6 weeks in a row! In fact even if you were Gareth Bale and David Beckam rolled into one you'd have difficulty financing a Eurofighter!

My comments on the WSB were firmly planted in the marketing section and therefore stand strong. When Foggy was winning everyone i knew wanted a Ducati. Hell I didn't even like bikes back then but I can firmly plant the blame on me owning one now (and planning for more) on those successes. As the issue we were discussing was historical 'how long ago' is therefore as irrelevant as 'how bent were the rules'!

For me, I'm not interested in other bikes. I'd get as excited about buying a Japanese 600 as I would about buying a new fridge. If everybody just bought 'cheaper and better' we'd all be wearing clothes from Marks and Spencer and driving Toyota's whilst Bentley, Jaguar and the whole of Saville row went into liquidation. Glad that's not a world I live in regardless of whether I can afford it or not.

[He11cat]

You have to offer something for everyone ......
With me I love the older bikes except 999 which she of no taste finds fugly sorry.
The Strada range looks like stuck on after thought bits.

Its a pretty little bike in a way but .. If I saw a row of them lined up I wouldnt be dropping my jaw.
But its probably a nice step up bike if you don't want to take the plunge full out to its big brother.
I hope it does well :)
Im just a 80 / 90's throw back and it includes bikes.
Very few new bikes interest me except a few Guzzis.

Nice one Dirty Mad max 2 is that.
Mad Max is win win :) :)

[Dirty]

I think you'll find It was the Monster that saved Ducati when it was launched in 93 probably along with TPG's help at the time. Whether Ducati won on the track or not, if you read up on some of Ducati's history you should come across this.

I didn't say it saved it. I do find it difficult to believe that selling nearly 20,000 units and bringing the Ducati name to the lips of millions can be described as 'killing' Ducati!

[samieb]

Pompone is more accurate with the historical factors than I am, so I'll concur with his comments above.

Hellcat. I prefer bikes with the Trellis frames. This to me is Ducati's DNA. There trying something different, so you have to admire it especially in these financial climates. Only time will tell if the Panigale formula's (IE Airbox/ Engine & Monococ chassis) will be successful

To use the words of Troy Bayliss 'Panigale's are progress, so get over the frame thing'.

[bex]

Well I think ill have one in red and one in white.

[steeevvvooo]

Well I think ill have one in red and one in white.

combine the two, save money and just buy one... in pink. Would suit you nicely! :chuckle:

[bex]

You looking for a black eye to go with that muppet cut?

[Grumpy]

You looking for a black eye to go with that muppet cut?

You can take the girl out of Ireland....but not the Ireland out of the girl!!!

[Martin696]

Fight! Fight! Fight! I know who my money's on :-)

[steeevvvooo]

I'll concede now. Retired through injury so Bex wins by default ;)

[gary tompkins]

A wise move

Have you seen the size of her punch bag?