[Ak47bravo]

Hey guys,

I got my 2016 Panigale 959 last weekend. I was finally able to take it out and ride a little bit this evening. My bike just before the 959 was a 2020 KTM Duke 890R. That bike is an 890 cc parallel twin. Lots of low/mid torque.

Riding the 959 tonight I felt the bike was really not that fast... I could not open it up to red line, but from 4000-8000 it really did not feel torquey. I was really surprised.

When I was slowing down and rev matching at lower RPM the bike kind of bogged some. (almost like a 2-stroke dirtbike not warmed up yet) This was puzzling to me, because when I am sitting in neutral or with the clutch in and blip the throttle, it is extremely responsive... no bog. There are no errors shown on the dash. The bike is totally stock with the exception of a servo buddy (still has stock exhaust) and some shorty levers.

Could there be an issue with the bike? I have read people say the bike does not come alive until higher RPM, but this was pretty shocking to me for a twin but then again I have never ridden a L-twin or V-twin. Just parallel twins and 4 cylinder supersports.

 

[Sdg24]

It’s hard to compare the two bikes becuase they are essentially designed for different purposes and therefore tuned to deliver torque differently. Most of your power will be felt above 7,000 or 8,000 rpm. Anything below that... the bike doesn’t feel either slow but it doesn’t feel fast either. Below 3,000 will feel like the bike is bogging down.

Race mode makes a difference as well.

 

[Ak47bravo]

Does your bike bog when you blip the throttle on downshifts at lower RPM's? Mine bogged pretty hard rev matching at lower RPM's. And it bogged like something were wrong, not like someone riding in 3rd gear at 3,000 RPM and then rolling full throttle and getting some hesitation. It bogged like I thought the bike may die. (similar to my old 2-stroke KTM would do when not warm)

I understand this bike is different than a Duke 890, but when I compare the dyno charts they have similar torque at the lower RPM's. I am taking the bike to the drag strip tonight, so we will see how it does. I ran a 10.78 @ 133 on a 2005 GSXR 750 11 years ago, and I was a squid big time then relative to how I am now. So I would expect this bike could get into the 10's for sure with a nice launch and with a good rider mid-to-low 10s.

Obviously the bike is not meant for drag racing, but it should at least give me a good idea if it is running strong or not if I am pulling mid-high 11's. I have a track day at COTA on 11/28/2020, so we will see how it does there when I can really open up the top end. On my old CBR track bike I would hit about 150 on the back straight. And that bike was geared down, so I would think the 959 would hit at least 160-165 on the back straight.

 

[Dingo]

What are the engine settings in the ECU? and TC and EBC - what are they all set to?

 

[Ak47bravo]

What are the engine settings in the ECU? and TC and EBC - what are they all set to?

I am not sure. I put the bike in race mode yesterday at the drag strip. I think EBC was 1 and DTC was 3? I need to go back and double check. I have been reading the manual to understand how to change settings in the rose modes. I will need to mess with it. What do y’all run on the track for your various settings?

The drag strip was packed!!! I only did 2 runs! Had to wait over an hour between runs. I could of done a third but it was getting pretty late by the time I finished the 2nd run.
First run was super bad. Ran an 11.7

Second run was better but still not good. Ran an 11.2. If I could of done another 4-5 runs I am confident I would of been in the 10s.

On the first run the bike was cutting out in 1st and 2nd around 7000ish. It felt like hitting the rev limiter but I was far from it. I thought there was for sure something wrong with the bike but it didn’t cut out that 2nd run. So maybe it was the traction/wheelie control kicking in and cutting the bike? Not sure...

The bike definitely felt faster now that I could actually open her up. Funny thing, there was another road course guy there on a Ducati V4. It was super tricked out. Chatted with him and apparently he does a lot of road course track days. He ran a freaking 9.8 @ 153!!!! He said his bike dynoed around 200 whp. I mean this bike was stupid fast. Especially considering it is not even meant for drag racing! Made me look like I wasn’t even moving.

 

[Bubbareid12]

Hey guys,

I got my 2016 Panigale 959 last weekend. I was finally able to take it out and ride a little bit this evening. My bike just before the 959 was a 2020 KTM Duke 890R. That bike is an 890 cc parallel twin. Lots of low/mid torque.

Riding the 959 tonight I felt the bike was really not that fast... I could not open it up to red line, but from 4000-8000 it really did not feel torquey. I was really surprised.

When I was slowing down and rev matching at lower RPM the bike kind of bogged some. (almost like a 2-stroke dirtbike not warmed up yet) This was puzzling to me, because when I am sitting in neutral or with the clutch in and blip the throttle, it is extremely responsive... no bog. There are no errors shown on the dash. The bike is totally stock with the exception of a servo buddy (still has stock exhaust) and some shorty levers.

Could there be an issue with the bike? I have read people say the bike does not come alive until higher RPM, but this was pretty shocking to me for a twin but then again I have never ridden a L-twin or V-twin. Just parallel twins and 4 cylinder supersports.

I’ve noticed the power band on mine is around 8500 to 12. But really only see it on the track. Never on the street

 

[verticalroll]

The 959 in my opinion is a rever. Think 600. My 959 is a track bike with a ECU flash and it will leave the GSXR on the straights any time. I ride with my buddy who has the 16 GSXR 750. Remember always above 8,000 to 12,000. Also raise the tooth in the back 1 from stock to kick it at turns. Just my 2 cents

andy

 

[Ak47bravo]

The 959 in my opinion is a rever. Think 600. My 959 is a track bike with a ECU flash and it will leave the GSXR on the straights any time. I ride with my buddy who has the 16 GSXR 750. Remember always above 8,000 to 12,000. Also raise the tooth in the back 1 from stock to kick it at turns. Just my 2 cents

andy

Thanks for the info Andy. Coming off my Duke 890, (which was my first twin motorcycle) I expected the Ducati to have low/mid range. I thought that was the whole purpose of a twin, to have low/mid range that a 4 cylinder lacked. I have a track day at COTA on 11/28/2020. So we will see how I do on this bike. It is a fast track, so I would think it would lend itself well for it. Just need to get my fluids and tires done before the track day.

What settings do you run on traction control, EBC, and ABS?

 

[verticalroll]

Thanks for the info Andy. Coming off my Duke 890, (which was my first twin motorcycle) I expected the Ducati to have low/mid range. I thought that was the whole purpose of a twin, to have low/mid range that a 4 cylinder lacked. I have a track day at COTA on 11/28/2020. So we will see how I do on this bike. It is a fast track, so I would think it would lend itself well for it. Just need to get my fluids and tires done before the track day.

What settings do you run on traction control, EBC, and ABS?

I turn off the ABS, EBC the lowest setting and DTC the Lowest too. I can't remember if the 3 is high or low. I run slicks so that may be different then the DOT tire like Q4's or Corsa etc. Just remember to rev it like a 600 nothing lower then 7,000 and hang on and have fun. Place a zip tie around one of your fork legs to see if that bottoms out. If it does increase your preload.