osiris
///Member
About three months ago I got the itch to buy a bike again after going nearly 10 years without one. @General.Massacre is largely responsible for this poor life decision—he's a terrible influence.
My original goal was a Ducati Panigale 1299S or 1199S, but everything on the market was more expensive than I was willing to pay at this time! The only alternative I was prepared to consider was a Yamaha R1, mainly because I'd already owned three or four R6s and wanted something different.
After some searching, I bought an R1 Big bang, returned it the next day, cancelled the deal (long story), and then @General.Massacre found a beautiful white and gold one at Bike Shop Rivonia for me to check out. That ended up being the bike I took home!
Unfortunately, I never really bonded with it. The R1's power delivery just isn't for me. It's incredibly torquey, and while I probably would have loved that brutal acceleration in my 20s, these days I prefer something a little more refined. I also found the bike heavy compared to what I'm used to. It didn't flick into corners like my old R6s and felt noticeably less agile.
So I went back to Bike Shop Rivonia and rode a Ducati Panigale 959. I instantly fell in love with it and was ready to trade the R1 in—until I rode this beast.
The 959 was fantastic, but I had one major issue with it: the rev limiter. I kept bouncing off it because just as the engine starts feeling like it's really coming alive, it hits the limiter and throws you forward into the tank. I've never experienced that on an R1, R6, or 1199S. It felt like the gearing was simply too short.
The 1199S, on the other hand, was exactly what I was looking for and everything I thought it would be!
The first thing that stood out was the weight. At only 165 kg dry, compared to roughly 200 kg for the R1 and 959, it feels incredibly light for a superbike. The handling immediately reminded me of my R6—nimble, responsive, and eager to change direction, even more so than the R6 as it is even lighter than the R6 iirc.
Then there's the power delivery. It feels surprisingly similar to an R6 in the way it builds power higher up in the rev range. It's much more linear and predictable than the R1. The R1 feels like it's trying to rip your face off from the moment you touch the throttle, whereas the 1199S feels composed until you really start revving it out. That's exactly the character I prefer. Ironically, the 1199S is actually more powerful than the R1; it just delivers that power in a much more rewarding way. It reminds me a lot of how the E46 M3 made its power.
And then there are the looks. To me, this is the most beautiful motorcycle ever built. It's been my dream bike ever since I first saw one back in 2012, so finally owning one feels pretty special.
So the bike is mostly stock but because it's the 1199s version it comes with some nice goodies! Fully electrically adjustable Ohlins suspension front and rear.
Marchesini Forged rims.
Plenty carbon fibre bits.
I don't think all the CF bit's come stock on this bike but I am very grateful for all of them especially the giant CF exhaust cover under the seat as these bikes suffer from a really hot seat because of that exhaust and I didn't experience this problem on this bike and I tested it in peak hour traffic and got the temp pretty high (108c) on a hot day!
Will post some things as I mod etc.
I haven't ridden her since I took delivery as I just underwent back surgery a month ago, Can't wait to start riding once I have recovered fully!
My original goal was a Ducati Panigale 1299S or 1199S, but everything on the market was more expensive than I was willing to pay at this time! The only alternative I was prepared to consider was a Yamaha R1, mainly because I'd already owned three or four R6s and wanted something different.
After some searching, I bought an R1 Big bang, returned it the next day, cancelled the deal (long story), and then @General.Massacre found a beautiful white and gold one at Bike Shop Rivonia for me to check out. That ended up being the bike I took home!
Unfortunately, I never really bonded with it. The R1's power delivery just isn't for me. It's incredibly torquey, and while I probably would have loved that brutal acceleration in my 20s, these days I prefer something a little more refined. I also found the bike heavy compared to what I'm used to. It didn't flick into corners like my old R6s and felt noticeably less agile.
So I went back to Bike Shop Rivonia and rode a Ducati Panigale 959. I instantly fell in love with it and was ready to trade the R1 in—until I rode this beast.
The 959 was fantastic, but I had one major issue with it: the rev limiter. I kept bouncing off it because just as the engine starts feeling like it's really coming alive, it hits the limiter and throws you forward into the tank. I've never experienced that on an R1, R6, or 1199S. It felt like the gearing was simply too short.
The 1199S, on the other hand, was exactly what I was looking for and everything I thought it would be!
The first thing that stood out was the weight. At only 165 kg dry, compared to roughly 200 kg for the R1 and 959, it feels incredibly light for a superbike. The handling immediately reminded me of my R6—nimble, responsive, and eager to change direction, even more so than the R6 as it is even lighter than the R6 iirc.
Then there's the power delivery. It feels surprisingly similar to an R6 in the way it builds power higher up in the rev range. It's much more linear and predictable than the R1. The R1 feels like it's trying to rip your face off from the moment you touch the throttle, whereas the 1199S feels composed until you really start revving it out. That's exactly the character I prefer. Ironically, the 1199S is actually more powerful than the R1; it just delivers that power in a much more rewarding way. It reminds me a lot of how the E46 M3 made its power.
And then there are the looks. To me, this is the most beautiful motorcycle ever built. It's been my dream bike ever since I first saw one back in 2012, so finally owning one feels pretty special.
So the bike is mostly stock but because it's the 1199s version it comes with some nice goodies! Fully electrically adjustable Ohlins suspension front and rear.
Marchesini Forged rims.
Plenty carbon fibre bits.
I don't think all the CF bit's come stock on this bike but I am very grateful for all of them especially the giant CF exhaust cover under the seat as these bikes suffer from a really hot seat because of that exhaust and I didn't experience this problem on this bike and I tested it in peak hour traffic and got the temp pretty high (108c) on a hot day!
Will post some things as I mod etc.
I haven't ridden her since I took delivery as I just underwent back surgery a month ago, Can't wait to start riding once I have recovered fully!
So gonna need to make a plan for that. But yea definitely getting one, no question, ESPECIALLY after having a back op!
