Welcome to the forum
@astral!
...I want to change the brake & clutch reservoirs, I like the Rizoma NEXT line but unsure if they'll fit the 18' 959? Dealer said specs are the same as 17' but I'm clueless to the swaps you can do with these bikes.
I can't say from personal experience, but I'm positive that I've seen more than a handful of Panigale using Rizoma reservoirs (specifically the NEXT ones you want). Those reservoirs are going to be universal so it will fit any bike. I've seen a lot of pictures, but not sure if I've seen a review.
Any specific or specialty tools to know about?
Depends on what you're planning on doing. Want to do anything relating to removing the wheels? Get the sockets that will fit the axle nuts (nothing special, just 30mm 6-point for the front and 36mm 12-point for the rear). Don't have a good way to loosen those axle nuts? Get a breaker bar, or better an impact wrench. Want to tighten the axle nuts to spec? Buy a torque wrench that allows 180N-m. Chain replacement? Buy a chain breaker/riveter.
That'll get you most of the way. Beyond that, its truly specialty tools, but if you're going to do things like the tire change or valve adjustment, I'm sure you're handy enough to know what to get and be able to find the service manual.
What about your maintenance stand? The air lift ones are cool but seem a bit overkill, but I do prefer working standing up.
Depends on your budget and what you're trying to achieve. If you want something basic, any lift stand will do - Pitbull front/rear stands are good. If you want something a little more advanced, there's the Bursig and Constand(sp?) lifts that attach to the side of the Panigale and lift the whole thing up (via lever). And yeah, hydraulic/pneumatic lifts are for more serious maintenance and take up permanent space.
