[tomespo]

Yes another noob. Sorry! lol. So I picked up a 2014 Yamaha FZ-09 about 2.5 months ago. Love the bike but just a bit too windy for me on the highway. A friend of mine has a 2013 R1 and after riding that I fell in love although it is a bit big and bulky. I will be riding the bike from my house in Staten Island NY to Point Pleasant Beach NJ so its mainly highway but I will be on regular roads for a bit of course. I fell in love with the white 899 panigale after seeing it in person. Everyone on the yamaha forum of course is saying oh Ducati's are headaches, always broken and hard to maintain. I really don't buy their crap and I just think that they are yamaha fan boys. I just wanted to hear opinions from people who own the actual bike.
Thanks in advance! Also there IS a Ducati dealer 8 minutes from my house for when it does need its service and I am not a moron myself I am hands on.

Photo of my FZ-09

 

[92GTA]

All bikes can have some small issues. Old school Ducs were more maintenance but the new ones are every 15,000 on their major service intervals when the valves need adjusting, etc. The new engines using chains instead of belts is the big thing.

Get whatever you want, whatever you have a passion for and dealing with anything that comes up won't even be a bother to you.

Have you ridden a Ducati? Either you love the sound and feel of the L-twin or you don't. For me it's intoxicating and everything else is just a bonus.

Some people are always going to be fanboys. Others simply live life getting what they want and not caring what anyone else thinks.

 

[Evolution]

I would recommend a test ride. I've never wanted a Ducati till recently, but I'm happy I did. I started on a small Honda, rode a couple of other things mostly Kawis and Hondas before getting this bike. I never could understand the appeal of Ducatis. I rode a friend's 748S and didn't enjoy it so I never really considered a Duc. Then I got to ride an 1198 on track at Texas World Speedway and fell in love. The feel, the power, the sound was just awesome. I started wanting to get a Ducati right then, but honestly I was scared off by the older bike's 7500 mile valve adjustment intervals and I thought the 1199 was a bit of overkill for a daily commuter. Once the 899 came out it everything I was looking for, and I don't regret getting it at all. Absolutely amazing bike.

 

[Capo]

I have been riding 44 years and 24 of that on Ducati. Every bike is a little different. The bike you have is a very sit up bike and the 899 is decidedly not. As others have mentioned you need a test ride. There are other Ducati such as Monsters that will be more like what you have so try several if you can.

Jim

 

[tomespo]

The reason I sold my bike was because of the riding position. As comfortable as it was the wind just sucked on the highway. The two bikes that I like are the 899 and the R1 but i feel the R1 is just way too bulky

 

[Howard]

Wrong bike

If you're just going to use it for commuting, I'd get another bike. Just being honest. This bike if the twisties only and commuting is not one its good points. It will be uncomfortable. get a cruiser for commuting.

 

[mcouper99]

I haven't ridden an R1, but it's a sport bike and neither it nor the 899 is going to offer any wind relief; unless you plan on riding in a full tuck all the time and perhaps adding a bigger bubble. I LOVE my 899, but I wouldn't consider commuting on it much; especially in an area where you're almost guaranteed to sit in traffic for long periods of time. These bikes are designed to be run, on the track, in the mountains, etc. Ducati's got some other bikes that are very capable (Multistrada, Diavel), but may provide more of what you're looking for in a motorcycle. For that matter, so does Triumph and BMW. The other option is get the 899, and then a used <whatever> to use as your workhorse/commuter.

 

[warlord]

Please. It really depends on what your expectations are. My bike is primarily a commuter and secondly for pleasure. I know it's a Ducati Superbike so I kept that in mind when I was shopping.

I was excited about the fz09 but I would have been mad at myself if I hadn't bought the Panigale. I'm young and fit enough to handle long stretches on the Panigale without a problem. When I can't I'll get something mostly for comfort.

 

[mcouper99]

I'm all for welcoming new members to the community. The larger it is, the better support, etc. But to your point, it's about expectations. The OP was talking about the majority of time being spent on highways, probably in traffic, and expressed concerns about wind resistance. We'd be doing any potential member a huge disservice by not providing open, honest assessments (opinions) of the bike.

Age has little or nothing to do with comfort, it's all about fitness and whether you're correctly setup/riding the bike. I'm reasonably sure that everyone on this forum is 20 going on something, otherwise we'd be on the <insert slow vehicle here> forum.

 

[mdenari]

First I am 56, I have my previous bike was an R1m I currently own a 899, I had zx10, vmax, and MT01, a monster Vtwin with 1700 tha t never made it to the US.
The reason I went for a sports bike actually was that I was doing a lot of highway traveling , not commuting, during the summer, riding 300 miles every weekend back and forth from the city to a the seaside. I was doing this on the MT01, comparable to a Diavel, and although I had a windscreen, the wind as a pain in the neck. Also I realized I could have a lot more fun on a bicke that had more acceleration and cornering capabilities. I went for a zx10, the to a R1. I made somthing like 10K miles on trips on the R1. It is indeed a fantastic bike. specially on the long straights on the highway. a bit bulky on the winding and curvy roads, but still great. I made several trips with my wife as passenger!!! No problem, doing 230km/hr on the highway, very stable anr roomy at the same time.
Now I ride a 899, beautiful, smaller, shorter wheel base thus a lot more maneuverable. goes through the curves like a hot knife through butter. But, there is always a but, giving you my hones opinion, I dont know if I would use this bike on a crowded highway. Not made for that. On top y you are talking of mainly straight highway, you would be discarding tires with the center 3 inches worn out and the rest in mint condition. You could address this by swapping for a harder or sport/touring tyre, but then you need to mess with your suspension settings. Forcing the 899 into something it was not made for.