Ok,

So... Finally scored myself a test ride on the beast, but am more confused about whether I want one than before I rode it!

Started off the day with a test on the Ducati 899. Great little bike, real gem of a motor that you can actually push on the road within reason and actually get out of 3rd gear, unlike a litre bike. Fantastic around the bends. Only thing was the uncomfortable riding position. Even after 20 mins, whilst tolerable, the pressure on wrists and engine heat were apparent.

Next up came a good thrashing of the S1000R. Holy shit what a motor! Stonking power, nice quickshifter, great package. But... Bland. Just like every other literbike before it. And I barely got it into third gear. Great bike but one I could never love.

Then, the beast. It was unlike anything I'd ever ridden. At first I thought it under powered in the first two gears until I started short shifting and riding the torque wave. Laugh out loud addictive! Until I'd get to a corner and it just felt so odd to me. I'm from a sportsbike background and it was a real head f@#k! It kind of feels like a dirt bike being so tall and my brain was screaming a warning not to tip it in too far plus it was hard for me to work out the best body position for cornering. Ass cheek off, knee out sportsbike positioning didn't seem the way to go which left me lacking confidence completely. I really want to love the bike, I just have no idea how to get her around the twisties. Has anyone been through the same dilemma/learning curve?

The sportsbike rider in me is telling me to suffer the discomfort of the Panigale to enjoy the cornering performance and ego boost riding the best known and best looking brand on the market gives you. But... In between the twisties I'll hit on a Sunday the Katoom is a laugh the duc could never be. I'm really torn. I just have no idea how to get around a corner on the beast..

The 899 is the safer choice for me. No doubt the 899 will have better resale, and it also cost less. I'm getting quoted 22000 AUD for the 899 and 25900 for the 1290 OTD in Sydney, Australia. What have other NSW riders been quoted?

Any help with my big decision would be greatly appreciated. This is the toughest choice I've ever had selecting a new bike.

Cheers, Adam.

G'day mate, same issue here.
My current steed is an s1krr. Thought about the 899 and 1290 after test rides just like you are.
Where am I now? Waiting for next year, as in the new models.
My heart is on the 1290 hence whilst I'm following the forum.
The dramas that have been happening with the 899 and the servicing costs (I do high k's $1700 major) steers me to 1290.
With all the ageing litre bikes surly 2015 is the year.
I've been told no dukes at my dealer till February anyway, if I'm really lucky August.
So I'm fine with waiting.

Hey Ian,

How did you find cornering on the 1290?

Adam.

There's no doubt a sport bike corner better than anything out there. If your under 40, I'm not. I would go for a sport bike. But that being said. You have to get used to cornering on a naked bike. Your not as close to the ground as you are on a sport bike. One of several reason to go for a fast naked bike is that you don't have to go as fast to have the same fun. The other reason is comfort. And the only reason to choose the 1290r is the motor. It's simply amazingly perfect for the street.

Btw, have you ridden the RC8r. It's a very fun bike to ride and surprisingly comfortable for being a sport bike.

P.S. If you don't want loose a lot of money buying a new bike. Don't. No matter which one you buy you will loose 40 to 60% if you keep it for longer than 3 years. So you know Ducatis loose there value too. In fact if you wanted to pick up a good used Ducati. Look for one of the 1098s. You can now pick them up for 60% to 70% of what they cost new. Just saying

The 1290 will never slice like a s1.
To add, anyone who says they road the ass of a demo is full of shit. Especially with the excess in the back of your mind if you bin it.
What it is though, is more versatile. Street duty, track and country twist.
My issue with KTM, to expensive.
If the 1290 were 20k everyman would be jumping on them.
Exotic, men, just KTM trying to be. Its price point and what it offers is not fair game.
I say wait till the 2015 announcement. If your hearts still there buy it. I'm hang in for a bit.

I don't worry about depreciation. I use my bike daily. Its not a pub talk garage ornament. Never sold a bike after 3yrs with 4k on it, eBay shit, and sales post descriptions of never been in the rain.
Its a working steed, not saving it for the next bloke.
If you test ride a bike and it becomes part of you, buy it!
Or like me, the 1290 is topping the wanted list, for now.

Cheers Ian,

I'm having similar thoughts. The 1290, although overpriced and lacking a much needed quickshifter is at the top of my most wanted list. It is a great bike though, just really different to anything else out there and thus hard to come to terms with for me. If I could adapt my riding style to it I think it would be pure magic. Getting on top of all that torque and actually giving it full throttle even half the time on a fast road ride would take my riding to a whole new level. Just interested to see how other guys from sportsbike backgrounds who've made the switch are getting on with it... Kind of just looking for justification to grab one. Or a least grab a spot in a waiting list for one. A long list... Hahaha

Adam.

I have to say that duc 899 is a very nice bike. Pretty much as you described, loaded up with goodies for the price too.
When I was in the market for a new one the duc 899, the s1000r and the 1290 were the choices. The local duc bmw dealer went tits up and I eventually got the 1290 as there was one left at another dealer.
Anyway they are all great bikes and you should buy what you long for. I'm privileged that my back and so still can take a sportsbike, but where I live there is no place to ride it, otherwise the 899 could have won.

I have had the S1k since Feb 2012.
Does it lack character for an inline.
Not by a long shot. It howls at note very differently.
It still makes me smile. Feel it lacks power, twist, you will soon run out of road and thank Fritz for good engineering whilst the yellow trac light flashes like you hit the blinker. bum puckering around the corner with a smile on your face
1290. Its just a calling. Reserving judgment and applied dollars upon Wang and heart wanting come 2015 offerings.
Its hard not to press the button on the 1290 now though. Thank KTM for slow imports.

This may sound strange but have you tried a 990 Superduke?
There is a lot to like about them and you could have two for the price of todays offerings. Come on your not that good of a rider

Guilty of wanting the latest and greatest me.

Awwwwww woe is you ... Such a difficult dilemna ... You poor thing. already better than what you're ever going to see for the 1290. Hell, even MVs get more aftermarket attention than the 1290 seems to be. Part of the problem is "PowerParts". I can certainly agree with your remarks about resale, but I've never purchased any bike with that thought in mind, residual value has nothing to do with why I own/ride motos.

Jeezus , fuckwits on the SD forum

If you want respect then fook off and spend your cash on whatever the latest toy is , I hear 3d printers and Audi r8 r8's are cool this month , tho I may be behind the times

Btw if you buy a KTM you will be wowling within the month to your ineffectual dealer

If your like me , poor , but a 990 and a priller Mille

I'm coming from a Ducati 749 I've owned since 2003, and a ZX6r since 1996. This is my first naked bike and I love it. I was grinning ear to ear after the test ride and knew it had to have it. If you didn't have the same conclusion I'd keep looking for the bike that calls out to you and one you can't stop thinking about when you're trying to fall asleep at night.

I'm 41 now and I found I just couldn't put up with the discomfort on a superbike for longer rides. How I did +400 mile rides on that thing I'll never know. I still have the 749 for track days and to mix it up a little, but after riding the Duke, getting on the 749 feels ridiculous. I'm having every bit as much fun on the twisties that I had on my 749.

This goes out to the fella who wanted to know what it was like to go from a sport bike to the super duke.
i have only owned jap litre bikes. I currently own 2011 zx-10r that I bought new in 2011. It is currently my dedicated track bike(thanks to the duke).
My transition to the duke felt almost natural, I can run into corners deeper and come out of them much harder than my 10, the duke holds a line better and just feels better in the twisty's. The power is like "holy shit" it is really rediculous, actually the 10 feels slow compared to it. Of course the duke is more comfy than the 10, the brakes are better on duke and I didn't have to spend 1700.00 on a ohlins rear shock to make the 10 handle/feel better in a corner. I feel the duke is a much better bike out the box than any jap bike. The only real complaint I have about the duke is the slippery foot pegs(they suck). All the complaints about the duke not holding memory, blah who cares(the 10 didn't either till i got it flashed), just reset every time you turn the key. I don't have the loose rear wheel that a lot of folks are complaining about. Honestly at this point I would sell my 10 and buy another duke and track the shit out of it! but I told the wife this a street bike that the both of us could enjoy .Oh the damn speedo being off really sucks and hopefully they come out with some kind of fix for this soon. The duke is deceivingly fast, it doesn't feel like you are going fast until you look down and your 90mph on the highway(witch is actually 81, i guess)

anyway the bike is awesome out of the box and with the help of the aftermarket it will be a super duper duke.

Thanks to everyone who has responded. I've had a good deal of time to think over the bikes I test rode. The 899 was pretty, and pretty damn uncomfortable. My lingering memories are of sore wrists, moving around to keep pressure off my lower back, and the tank using my thighs to form an impromptu vice to squash my nuts. The power felt nice. It was the first bike I'd ridden in 3 years. The power felt nice, until I rode the supernakeds...

The S1000R is a great rational choice. But the only part I truly enjoyed was WOT and that means I'd be going about 150km/ph everywhere. It is super clinical too.

Then there's the Superduke. I do not think when I recall my ride. I just remember the feeling. The other bikes I rode. The 1290 I rode to the halfway point, laughing maniacally and just couldn't bring myself to turn and head back to the stealership. I rode for another 15 minutes before I begrudgingly threw a u turn.

No, I do not want to pay 26k for it. No, I do not want to pay an eye popping amount for a full system. The 22k for the S1000R would be much nicer. But then I'd ride the beemer for 200 metres and I'd gladly pay 5k to swap it for the Katoom. I couldn't be happy with another bike currently on the market.

Yeah, there are a few issues so I'll wait until next year before I put in an order but simply, The Beast is the bike. Unless you've ridden one you wouldn't understand.

The Beast. If you have to ask, you'll never know.

Adam.

Got damn if you like sportbikes like cornering there is no better naked than Tuono V4 !! And the Sound is unbeliveble ! Ktm 1290 with full Akro sound nice too