Oh, went to p 3 with this post. big news--

HE GOT IT!!

from bottom of p 2

I decided to go with the 959, pick it up at 9:00 tomorrow morning. I hope I'm not making a big mistake but we'll soon see.
I plan on doing a long ride back in the twisties on the way home from the dealer and will do a first ride report.
Anyone on the forum ever bought a Duc new, I'm wondering about break in? I've always broken in my bikes by just riding them, stay well away from the rev limiter, vary the rpm, lots of engine braking to gas load the rings and don't let it overheat.

I don't think it makes any diff how you break in. Take what you've heard over the years and do what you feel most comfortable with. 40k miles later, I doubt you will know if the break in was any better or worse than the other guys method. I favor a redline break in myself but I'm sure it is just to ease my mind about performance potential.

CONGRATS, BUDDY!!!! You're the world's newest Ducatista!!!

Can't wait for pics.

* Last updated by: Rook on 3/4/2016 @ 8:02 PM *

Thanks Rook, I had garlic shrimp linguine at Olive Garden this evening with a glass of white wine just to get into the mood......just kidding!

Tried to get ahold of Grn but he's not answering his phone, He may be thinking I've gone over to the dark side!

* Last updated by: Kruz on 3/4/2016 @ 8:28 PM *

Picked it up this morning, been out riding all morning.

I'll give an initial impression report later with some better photos, this was from an iPhone.

Very Nice! And you don't have to replace the exhaust before riding ....

Congrats what a beauty and a blast! Looking forward to hearing more about it.

Wow! That is Sharp!

That's some pretty hardware, Kruz. I wanna know every little annoyance, fit and finish, ergo. The ape made me a little gun shy of anything italian.

That black looks hot with teh red. Reminds me of my black/orange busa (colorwise). I wouldn't mind seeing all the silver blacked out. I know you'll never do it but I think it would make the bike look even better. Also, you will have to find aa way to remove that license plate holder. I'd check into the possibility of removing the toilet seat under there. Find a way to hook up small aftermarket flashers and take off those useless mirrors. Smoke windscreen. That's what Id be planning.

Guys I'm going to hold off a little bit on a full first ride report as I'm having a bit of buyers remorse right at the moment after writing out the big check this morning. Rook can testify that I go through this with every bike I ever bought with exception of my ZX-14, so no worries. I tend to give very critical ride reports until I have time to mellow a bit and get settled in with a new machine.

Here's a few of my initial impressions after about 110 miles this morning.

Exhaust is LOUD, no need for a Termignoni here, it's deafening even at idle. I don't know how they get these things through inspection. It's got a nice, deep throaty roar under acceleration.

Fit and finish is first rate, the bike is drop dead gorgeous.

The switch gear is a little different in tactile feel compared to the Japanese stuff, not bad, just a different feel.

Mirrors are fixed and essentially useless. If I pull in my right elbow and lean forward and down a bit I can see enough of both lanes behind me to move over. It just takes a bit of getting used to.

Rider ergonomics are decent, maybe a little more pressure on my wrists than my other bikes but almost a Japanese feel overall.

Power, I'm keeping it between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm during break in, redline is 12,000 rpm, a lot for a twin, so there's power there but it needs to spin. I'd say the power at 6000 is decent but not overwhelming. I'll have more to say once I finish the break in and unleash the full payload of ponies. I'm guessing it will slot in perfectly between my ZX-6R and my CBR 1000RR. Early dyno reports are showing 130 rear wheel HP, ZX-6R is 110 rear wheel and my CBR is about 150 at the rear tire so it splits the difference nicely.

Rear stand is impossible to kick down with your boot, I have to lean over and pull it down with my hand or get off the bike and push it down with my boot.

I haven't played with the traction control, ABS or engine braking control yet, NASA put a man on the moon with a smaller owners manual. I selected Race mode at the dealer which defaults to level 3 of 8 on the TC, level one EBC and level one ABS. This seemed to work very well and I probably won't mess with it for awhile.

The EBC is effective, the bike doesn't pitch forward under engine braking when you roll off the gas in level 1 so all's good.

Throttle response and fueling is crisp, no on-off throttle touchiness noticed. Ducati has caught up with the Japanese here.

The Ducati Quick shift gives flawless full power, clutchless upshifts, just nudge the shift lever and it's in the next gear without any drama.

The gearbox is buttery smooth but the throw is more than I'm used to, need to adjust the lever a bit as I have to lift my boot slightly to hit the next gear.

No clunk when dropping into first from neutral but pulling away, the bike shudders a bit due to those big pistons firing every 180 degrees. You can't ride this big twin at low speed in first gear without shuddering unless you feather the clutch. My inline fours don't do this due to 180 degree firing impulses, again just different.

The slipper clutch is super smooth and one finger light.

The Brembo Monobloc 4.2 brakes are strong without being overwhelming, comparable to what I have on my ZX-6R, 10R and CBR1000RR. I felt no lever pulsating from the ABS under heavy braking in level 1.

The bike handles well but a bit differently from the Japanese stuff, initial turn in is a bit slower but it is super stable once cranked over on it's side and it tightens the line well without feeling your going to lose the front.

I was a bit surprised after hammering my favorite twisties as my other bikes run right down to the edge on the front and rear BT-016 tires but the Pirelli Corsas on the 959 had about a 1/2 inch left in the rear and maybe 3/4 inch in the front. Maybe I'm not cornering aggressively enough yet or the profile on the Pirellis have a wider foot print. Don't know yet.

Suspension is taut but well controlled, on a smooth twisty road the bike felt great.

OK, that's about it for right now, I have to get packed for a trip and won't be able to ride again until next Friday.

Nice Kruz. It's just a baby, I'm sure you'll be learning more about it for 1000s of miles. Suspension needs to break in, engine needs to break in, tires need to break in... everything needs to break in!

Got it Vic, one thing I'm noticing is that over time these bikes are getting so good it's getting harder and harder to improve on them. We've reached the point of diminishing returns. I guess for the price, I was expecting an otherworldly experience. Not so, the bike is good and has a lot of fine qualities and the latest in
electronic intervention; but at the end of the day it's another motorcycle, it has both good and bad points.
I'll give it a little time for me and the machine to bond and break in and then I'll be able to give a more objective review.

I guess I've been made an honorary Ducatisti now:

http://www.959panigale.net

* Last updated by: Kruz on 3/15/2016 @ 11:59 AM *

hi Kruz,
if you want a ride on a 1299s, you can come to ireland an ride mine!
ive just pressed the button on it and expect to take delivery on the 22nd!
hope you are enjoying your baby pani lol
take care my friend!

Hello Jafo, congratulations on your new 1299, I was torn between that one and the 959 but decided to go with the baby Panigale in the end. Perhaps I'm mellowing out a bit in my old age....lol! So far I'm not disappointed, the bike is pretty much what I expected, falls right between a Supersport and a Literbike in all respects, good power but not overwhelming, decent brakes and handling right between my ZX-6R and the ZX-10R.Give us a ride report when you get your new bike and ride safe!

hey Kruz,
finally got to pick up the new pani last Friday evening and have only managed 540kms up to yesterday, not beating my record of getting my zx14 back in for its first service in 24hours!
bearing in mind its still in the sub 6000rpm breaking in period, its still fantastically quick, the power delivery combined with the superlight weight just makes this thing move like a scalded cat with the reactions of a house fly!
i see ducati have retained some of their more annoying characteristics like nearly useless mirrors, hopeless turning circle and a kick stand thats impossible to get your boot on!! lol
as yet i have not played with any of the settings, deciding to get used to the default setup while in the running in stage, looking forward to trying 'race' mode :)
with all that, its actually no where near as bonkers as the 1098s streetfighter!
take care out there,
jafo

Wow that is badass looking!

Hey Jafo, I'm pumped for you bro, congratulations! Looks almost identical to my 959 save for the extra poke. Mine is due for the 600 mile first service and ordered the parts online. My dealer wanted $382 to change the oil, that's insane! Also the Shell 15W50 synthetic recommended by Ducati is not available over here, my dealer puts in 5W40 synthetic BMW oil.

So far loving mine, it does take some getting used to though. The 959 has better low end than my literbikes but doesn't have the insane top end power of those bikes.

I'd say I made the right choice, this bike is plenty quick but doesn't scare the crap out of you....lol!

The 959 has better low end than my literbikes but doesn't have the insane top end power of those bikes.

Exactly how I'd describe the Honda RC51 I had previously: Very strong, fast acceleration, of course, especially at low RPM ... but lacking that 2 stroke-like high RPM surge inline 4's have.

* Last updated by: extrapolator on 4/25/2016 @ 1:08 PM *

Lol Jafo, I like your Ducati dealer better than mine, place looks pretty nice, where is that, what town?

Exactly how I'd describe the Honda RC51 I had previously: Very strong, fast acceleration, of course, especially at low RPM ... but lacking that 2 stroke-like high RPM s

Yep, the 959 is just what I expected, I'm not disappointed.

Well, I'm not in love with my Diavel yet..... hopefully my love will blossom with the exhaust when it gets completed.
I will say the Rizoma drag bar did make the bike feel more aggressive... like a muscle bike.

Man, that thing is a beast, what's not to love? I bet you get a kick out of blowing Harley's into the weeds on that thing.

I've only got 400 or so kilometers on it so far.
I changed the front sprocket down one tooth and I'm hoping the pipe and flash will unlock a little more uumph.
It does good 2nd gear power wheelies but you run out of rpm quick. I've managed a few shifts while wheeling but need more seat time to perfect it. This thing will munch on any cruiser out there besides maybe a new vmax, but even that would be a pilots race I think. Suspension is super harsh from factory too, so hopefully after that is sorted it will be a bike I like to spend time on.