Ducati 1199 Panigale S Review (2012)
What Is It?
The Ducati 1199 Panigale S is a premium dedicated sports bike and is powered by a liquid cooled 1,198 cc Superquadro V-Twin engine, producing 195 bhp at 10,750 rpm and maximum torque at 9,000 rpm.
Specs
- Seat Height: Average (825 mm / 32.5 inches)
- Weight: Average (188 kg / 415 lbs)
- Economy: Poor (30 mpg / 9.4 l/100km / 10.6 km/l)
- Range: Average (110 miles / 177 km)
- Power to Weight: Very high (1.037 bhp/kg / 0.773 kW/kg)
- Top Speed: Very high (186 mph / 299 km/h)
Pros
- A track bike for the road
- Electronics package
- Stylish
- Fast
Cons
- Fuel consumption
- Slippery pegs
- Can get hot
- Range
What Is It Like?
The Panigale S
I purchased my used 2012 Ducati 1199 Panigale with 2,500 miles on the clock. The bike had been stood for over 2 years when I bought it in February 2016 so I had to replace the fork seals, Pirelli Supercorsa SC2 tyres, do the oil / filter change and also one of the map sensors and then I was ready to go.
I have used the bike on many track days, city riding and also touring, the later being quite tough on the bike due to some bad road conditions.
Heat
At this point I should tell you that I live in Indonesia and much of the touring involved shipping the bike to remote islands or when possible riding and taking ferries.
Obviously the ambient temperature in Indonesia is high, normally around 30 Degrees C, sometimes causing overheating problems when in traffic so I installed Samco hoses and an additional radiator fan from a 250 Ninja which solved that problem.
Running Costs
After every track day I replaced the oil, oil filter and checked for any errors at the dealer. All the way up to 15,000 miles the only problem I had was a failed gear sensor which was not expensive to replace.
On the 15,000 mile service I had to replace the rear wheel bearing hub due to excessive rear wheel play, probably caused by the road conditions while touring, which cost me £600 with shipping included...Ouchhh.
Mods
Lightech R rearsets, Lightech folding clutch and brake levers with lever protectors, Rizoma brake and clutch fluid reservoirs, recovered the original seat as it was too slippy and also purchased the OEM comfort seat, fitted CNC frame caps, carbon rear wheel hugger and a tail tidy.
The most useful mod was the Ram mount X grip phone cradle I purchased from Bob at Telferizer.com, which came with a purpose made fitting for the Panigale and really is an excellent piece of kit for touring.
To Sum Up
Peny, as I call her, has now done 17,000 miles and I must say has been a fantastic bike and an absolute dream to ride. The wow factor is hard to explain if you haven't ridden one and if you haven't....you should!
Recently I have had the bike wrapped and the livery changed, although the original Tricolore is still underneath.
- Mike C, 2018
Price Guide
Related Bikes
Ducati 1199 Panigale - Base model without the Ohlins suspension or fancy wheels.
Add Your Review
Do you own this bike? We would love to hear anything good, bad, unexpected or that you have changed plus anything that a prospective new owner might find interesting or useful.
More Info
Check out BaronVonGrumble's video review of the 1199S.