[AtheK]

Read it from start to end in one shot, beautiful write up, oozes passion. There is something about bikes isn't it, that nothing else in this world can match.

Wish you many more kms of happy and safe riding.

[vk007]

Congratulations! What a bike! Ideal colour Excellent review! Forza Italia!
I used to own a 99 CBZ too! The World Cup edition! My first bike lol. Fond memories...
Quick Q - what about maintenance? Did you get a service pack from Ducati? Also, what is the estimated tyre life?

[VijayAnand1]

Nice write up. But I gotta admit, halfway through it I started to yawn. I had to admonish myself to keep reading and gleam on the beauty of this machine. Italians are sexy, cool and reminds me of this quote.

"When life gives you twists and turns, chique yourself up in Italy!”

Gotta admit, rim stripes on a red bike just makes it even more hot.

Ride safe!

Cheers!
VJ

[ast.ggn]

Nice passionate words out there doc . I wonder what stops Ducati from giving a clear coat from factory itself. That should make quite a bit of difference in the paint appearance over the time?

Just a word of caution. Since your bike is already five years old and I understand that you are still on stock tyres, please get them replaced as soon as possible. It not recommended to keep them any longer than 5 years, even if they have not clocked much miles.

[mh09ad5578]

Awesome thread! The heart ache sounds more of a heart rush! Just curious what your better half feels about the lady in red given your overwhelming passion for her . Lovely details and a really beautiful bike. Hope you get more time to ride her! I think of all the superbikes the Ducati looks the best. Enjoy.

[Paavan Shetty]

Hi Entsurgeon,

I'm totally surprised by the review because I first read your name which has the word surgeon. A very passionate review from a person having rather a profession which hardly comes any close to machines like these. Your review has made my face have a bigger grin than your bike! I had seen a video of a Korean doctor who had purchased a Macleren P1 and had a similar grine when I watched the way he expressed his feelings towards the car! Good to see passion for automobiles in people having their life into something totally different at most times.

By the way, agreed with everyone else about DUCATI design language. The Panigale V4 is by far the best looking superbike I have seen till date! Although I must say MV Agusta is yet another company which makes absolutely gorgeous piece of machinery! Yet another Italian! 😁

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Beautiful writing! Just feels like its written straight from the heart - with a lot of real-world, practical advice for the aspiring superbikers.

The below words, especially, will be quoted by me for a long time to come! I can totally relate to this, and in fact, was my own situation till I moved to Bangalore in 2013.

Originally Posted by Entsurgeon

But back then, think 1990s India, these bikes were the moon. You knew they existed somewhere and that people had set their foot on them, but you would never get close to them. Not in this life. Not even as a spectator.

[ss11011988]

By far, the most passionate review I’ve ever read here and you deserve nothing short of a standing ovation. Fell in love with Ducati the day I heard a Monster 696 singing out loud through her Termignoni cans(in YouTube, I must admit) and ever since, my heart skips a beat when i see or hear one. Looking forward to read more of your stories, and dare I say Sir, that she is gorgeous and classy to the core?

Stay safe, ride safe!

[ethanhunt123]

Amazing straight from the heart review ! Things these Italians make you do eh

As a former owner of a i4 bike and now in love with a L-Twin - i totally agree with you that the aural & physical pleasure which a L-Twin provides is unmatched. And on top of it the flawless Ducati styling - Panigale's are breathtaking from every angle :-)

PS: Thought of getting a underbelly Akra ? I have heard a couple of 899's & 959's here in Blr with the Akra exhaust and they sound absolutely wonderful.

[Entsurgeon]

Woah! I am humbled and speechless. Love you all my fellow FM who I am sure are no less passionate than myself. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.

Originally Posted by vk007

Quick Q - what about maintenance? Did you get a service pack from Ducati? Also, what is the estimated tyre life?

Thanks. The reliability of modern Ducs has improved by a huge margin ever since they were acquired by Audi sometimes in 2012. Riders the world over have since been going gaga over Ducati quality. I personally have huge reservations against over-technofied sensor laden modern day vehicles. This bike comes with a two year factory warranty. Except for the horn, nothing went wrong in that period. However I didn't ride the bike much for first two years due to registration woes which I 'll detail later. So far, I only needed to replace the OEM battery ( which lasted great five years) and fork oil seals which are a consumable items afaik. Hence I have no qualms.

Originally Posted by ast.ggn

Nice passionate words out there doc . I wonder what stops Ducati from giving a clear coat from factory itself. That should make quite a bit of difference in the paint appearance over the time?

Just a word of caution. Since your bike is already five years old and I understand that you are still on stock tyres, please get them replaced as soon as possible. It not recommended to keep them any longer than 5 years, even if they have not clocked much miles.

Thanks.
Lot of riders speculated on possible reasons for same. Maybe it was aimed at track riders who would replace the stock fairings for track ones immediately. I guess we would never know. By the way the white Panigales do come with clear coat. And they do cost half a grand more than reds.
The tires, Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa 2 are on the menu. Though just for the heck of it, I am also squeezing more by going lower on air pressure to offset some loss of grip while I await them.The grip of stock Rosso Corsas deserve a full post which i ll definitely cover in future.

Originally Posted by mh09ad5578

Just curious what your better half feels about the lady in red given your overwhelming passion for her .

Only a separate detailed post would do justice to the answer. Would do that tonight.

Originally Posted by Paavan Shetty

Hi Entsurgeon,

I'm totally surprised by the review because I first read your name which has the word surgeon.

By the way, agreed with everyone else about DUCATI design language. The Panigale V4 is by far the best looking superbike I have seen till date! Although I must say MV Agusta is yet another company which makes absolutely gorgeous piece of machinery! Yet another Italian! 😁

Thanks. I totally get your feelings mate. Of course MV Augustas are a gift from Automobile Gods to us Mankind.

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Beautiful writing! Just feels like its written straight from the heart - with a lot of real-world, practical advice for the aspiring superbikers.

The below words, especially, will be quoted by me for a long time to come! I can totally relate to this, and in fact, was my own situation till I moved to Bangalore in 2013.

Thats some CrazyPraise from a Moderator nonetheless. I might print the screenshot and get it framed for display. Heartly thanks.

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

PS: Thought of getting a underbelly Akra ? I have heard a couple of 899's & 959's here in Blr with the Akra exhaust and they sound absolutely wonderful.

No such plans. She already sounds glorious. Besides, ironically, I 've always loved sleeper cars and sleeper bikes. Ones that look inconspicuous but goes like stink. And I ended up with an ultimate attention magnet both in terms of sight and sound.
Maybe if I heard that wail in person, I 'd change my mind.
So long.

Originally Posted by krishnaprasadgg

One hell of a review, very passionate too, like the Italians .

I must say, as much as I am not a fan of the L Twin engines(full disclosure, I haven't ridden one) or how they sound, I cannot help but just stand and stare and drool over the way the Ducatis look.
Cheers
Krishna

Thanks bro.
Regarding sound, its simple actually for those who grew up in previous century. If you loved the sharp tenor of a wailing two-stroker like an RX100 or Shogun, you are an Inline four guy.
If the loud bassy thump of a well tuned cast iron block Royal Enfield made your heart skip a beat, the Duc 's voice richocheting off the walls of narrow urban bylanes would remind you of that thump- with unheard lower frequencies and volume knob turned up ten times over. In the latter case, get a 899. I am told, she is a lot louder than 959.
Also, best wishes for your own superbike journey. Give a shout out if you ever are in this part of country.

[Dante]

Beautifully written. Your observations are astute & you have penned them artistically with every detail. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Ducati L-twins produce superb torque. It's always there whenever you need it, at an instant.

I particularly like the last picture where the motorcycle is parked in the living room. That's exactly the place for a Ducati. They are a piece of art.

I am ever so lured by the Panigale. But I am afraid of that power. I wanted something more useable so I recently bought 2019 Scrambler. This is after I sold my Harley 48.

I would definitely buy a Panigale in future, and that'll be displayed in my living room.

[Entsurgeon]

Originally Posted by Dante

Beautifully written. Your observations are astute & you have penned them artistically with every detail. Thank you for sharing your experience.

Ducati L-twins produce superb torque. It's always there whenever you need it, at an instant.

I particularly like the last picture where the motorcycle is parked in the living room. That's exactly the place for a Ducati. They are a piece of art.

I am ever so lured by the Panigale. But I am afraid of that power. I wanted something more useable so I recently bought 2019 Scrambler. This is after I sold my Harley 48.

I would definitely buy a Panigale in future, and that'll be displayed in my living room.

Congratulations on your scrambler. You are right. That torque is addictive. Also i found overall matching of torque and gearing ratio in monsters/scramblers to be much better for city speeds.
Panigale is everything young boys dreamt of how a sportsbike should be. Lean. Mean. Loud. Stylish and always under spotlights. Best wishes for the day you fulfil your desire. Repeatedly failing to upload pics. The rear had a minute leakage and i clicked the rear tyre with zero psi. This is how a fat flat rear radial looks.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attac...0907102522.jpg
Also, tires may get flat spots if you leave them flat for long and under load.

[Entsurgeon]

I went out to get the flat tire repaired. 5 6 kms into the ride, the bike started misfiring and lost power. The sound changed. All the signs of one cylinder having stopped firing. Took a pit stop at the tire repairs guy and another news awaited me. They wouldn't be able to take rear wheel out. Have to do the honors myself.

Anyway, limped back home and awaiting the replacement spark plugs. If I could arrange them today, would love to replace. If it takes time, I might miss the launch of Honda H'ness today at Radisson. The pains of having an import.

[Entsurgeon]

Annual service update 1

Been long since the servicing of the bike was pending. We duc owners here at indore team up and the dealer sends someone over for servicing at marginally extra cost. Over the years we have had guys from mumbai ahmedabad and delhi visit us for doorstep servicing.
The guy who came down this time was very much careful and meticulous with what he was doing. From oil and filter change to throttle body cleaning to replacing air filter to running the diagnostics, the whole process took nearly 3 hours for my bike. I make it a point to stand around and keep learning. I must say i was not too happy with a guy who wasnt aware of rapidbike evo and other mods i did. However, ever since i changed one spark plug on the bike, she wasn t the most smooth enging when revving. Hence i washappy to run a diagnostic. Thankfully nothing was found to be wrong.



Opening thetank to access air filter and throttle body. This bike has exposed throttle bodies under the tank and all youneed to access them is take off thetank. A 2 minute job at best- something i did a lot of times over last 1 year. Did i mention i change the spark plug of the rear cylinder myself? It was child play as you dont even need to take whole the tank off. Just freeing the underseat bolts and it can be rotated upwards to get access to air intake and throttle bodies.



















Taking out the old oil and refilling with motul 300v that even the service guy was happy to recommend.
The bike is purring like a kitten on a full tummy now.
I just need to ridehermore often now.
More pics and more of the post coming next

[no_fear]

@Entsurgeon - the new service person who came from Delhi, was it the gentleman I referred, or someone else.

Glad you found someone to come and get the bike worked on. How are you going to dispose the used engine oil - a trek to the nearby mechanic shop?