[Lastknight0]

Greetings!

I am the proud owner of a spanking new red 959 purchased from Munroe Motors in SF. I owned a 1098 way back in 2010, but (long story short) a Chevy Tahoe ran a read light and basically killed me and my bike...and kept going! IT's taken me 6 years to regain my health and get back on a motorcycle and I couldn't be happier>

Looking forward to being a part of the Ducati community again!


On a side note: Any lightweight guys out there on these bad boys? i'm about 165 w/o gear, and I swear my 959 feels like it's set up for a 250+lbs rider. Pogos all over the place and tries to eject me from time to time on hard bumps. I'm 400+ miles in, so looking to get the suspension worked over at the first service.:nerd: Anyway, see you on the road!

 

[Vic's 959]

Welcome..

to take care of the issue, you could probably soften your suspension and its setup for the track from factory ...

 

[Lastknight0]

Thanks! I'm mostly a windy road guy so i'm sure i could loosen up the suspension a bit, but my main concern was that the bike almost feels like it's topping out on the suspension/i'm not weighing it down enough. I purchased my 1098 from a track guy that was about my size and I remember it not feeling so jittery, but his suspension was tuned for his/our weight. I'm hoping after i get that done, this feels a little more planted in the twisty bits. Either way, i love this bike, so i'm gonna keep on riding no matter what.>

 

[OMG_959]

Welcome, Lastknight0! Glad to see a growing contingent of 959'ers in the bay area. The guys at Munroe are pretty cool. Got mine from another dealer, but I always like the guys at Munroe when I go there. You'll enjoy this bike. I got past the break-in period and really got on it... this thing is special.

 

[Vic's 959]

Nope that's wrong Charlie_SF_ EASTB get on it now, as per my Ducati dealer service department they cant officially say it but they told me and its in the handbook i believe.. just dont let it sit at one rpm for long ....

 

[MotoMillion]

Glad to hear you are back to good health and riding again.

Welcome to the site and congratulations on the 959!

 

[Dingo]

Welcome, glad you recovered @Lastknight0 and congrats on the new Red!

 

[CBR_PC]

Welcome back. I took 35 years to get back after a crash with a car (my own silly fault). The 959 seems to come out of the factory with way too hard suspension. I had a local suspension expert tune mine and what a difference. You will grow to love the 959. It is a super bike

 

[SixShock]

Ducati red is the best.

 

[Sina]

Welcome @Lastknight0 and wow, what a journey. Relieved to hear of the full recovery and may you enjoy the 959 as much as, if not more, than those pre-incident 1098 days! I'm fairly lightweight myself (5'8" and 113 lbs.) and should probably think about tuning the suspension adjustments as well.

 

[Lastknight0]

@Sina I HIGHLY recommend getting the suspension adjusted for your weight. I've been riding on the adjusted suspension for 3 days now, and I can safely say if feels much more like what i expected from it originally. It feels much more nimble going into turns, and less like i'm riding a piece of plywood over normal roads. Mid corner stability is a LITTLE twitchier imo, but i think that's great for commuter/canyon/twisty riding, which is 95% of my bike time. I don't feel like i have to commit so hard, and that if i need to make a sudden velocity change, the bike will respond. Before, I was a little skittish carrying speed into blind turns because I was scared I couldn't dodge the inevitable deer/gravel patch/stopped car/person in the road.

 

[dougo1199]

Welcome!

I'm 5' 10" 165 lbs w/o gear. I had my dealer do a basic set up on my suspension prior to picking up the bike, but I've made some adjustments over two rides. (my ride is about 400 miles of back roads) Each adjustment I've made is to the softer side of things. I started a thread for this kind of thing if you're interested - http://www.959panigale.net/forum/959-panigale-suspension-brakes/4722-settings-feedback.html

 

[Lastknight0]

Welcome!

I'm 5' 10" 165 lbs w/o gear. I had my dealer do a basic set up on my suspension prior to picking up the bike, but I've made some adjustments over two rides. (my ride is about 400 miles of back roads) Each adjustment I've made is to the softer side of things. I started a thread for this kind of thing if you're interested - http://www.959panigale.net/forum/959-panigale-suspension-brakes/4722-settings-feedback.html

Sweet. Sub'd that for sure. I am nervous messing with the suspension since I don't want to lose any of the insane grip/stability this thing has. I'd love to go sister if possible, so I'll definitely be creeping on that thread. >

 

[corsa]

Welcome to the club!

 

[Sina]

@Sina I HIGHLY recommend getting the suspension adjusted for your weight. I've been riding on the adjusted suspension for 3 days now, and I can safely say if feels much more like what i expected from it originally.

Thanks for suggesting, @Lastknight0! Looks like I have one more to-do added to the list then. A buddy of mine, who works in the Bologna factory on the Diavel line, told me that the 959's factory suspension was tuned with the average lightweight, Italian-build 140 lb. male in mind, which beats me... since it still doesn't seem to cut it for us lighter guys.

It feels much more nimble going into turns, and less like i'm riding a piece of plywood over normal roads. Mid corner stability is a LITTLE twitchier imo, but i think that's great for commuter/canyon/twisty riding, which is 95% of my bike time.

Wow, that sounds very 899ish! One of the changes at the rear swingarm pivot makes the 959 super composed and even more stable at any tilt lean, as such with mid-corner traits. Yet the 899 will take less efforts to commit by your inputs, which sums up the gist of what you're describing. That certainly works out for the daily ride and fun weekends, as you pointed out!

 

[Lastknight0]

Thanks for suggesting, @Lastknight0! Looks like I have one more to-do added to the list then. A buddy of mine, who works in the Bologna factory on the Diavel line, told me that the 959's factory suspension was tuned with the average lightweight, Italian-build 140 lb. male in mind...

Really?! That's interesting. Once my sag was adjusted, I got a little more reach to the ground. I assumed that meant the sag must've been set for a heavier rider. i'm 180 including gear. I wonder if dealers are messing with the settings once they get them from italy?

Either way, i'm pushing 2500 miles and this thing continues to be awesome. The more aggressively i ride it, the more it seems to say "you can go a little faster...let's do it!" lol

Mods now include:

NRG block-off turn signals
Throttle spacer
Arrow bar mirrors
H11 headlights
Motobox FEK

Next-up:

TWM Levers
14t Sprocket (i think)
Ducabike clutch cover
and...a new paint job>

I really want that akra exhaust, but i can't find anywhere in CA that will tune the bike even if i can get my hands on the cans themselves. woe is me....looks like a ride to nevada is in order lol. 0

 

[Lastknight0]

Wow, that sounds very 899ish! One of the changes at the rear swingarm pivot makes the 959 super composed and even more stable at any tilt lean, as such with mid-corner traits. Yet the 899 will take less efforts to commit by your inputs, which sums up the gist of what you're describing. That certainly works out for the daily ride and fun weekends, as you pointed out!

Oh yea. I'd say the 959 is a step below my 1098 as far as mid corner "on rails" stability, but i actually feel like i can go faster on the 959 on the street because i can adjust mid-corner with ease if something pops up unexpectedly...like a pile of rope someone left in the middle of the freeway. True story lol. I never got the chance to ride an 899, but it sounds like my kinda bike!

 

[Dingo]

...I really want that akra exhaust, but i can't find anywhere in CA that will tune the bike even if i can get my hands on the cans themselves...

Have you contacted these guys? I'm sure they can do it.

 

[Lastknight0]

Have you contacted these guys? I'm sure they can do it.

I haven't but i was looking closer to me up in the San Jose/SF area. If I can't find anywhere that's less than a 5.5 hour ride, I'll definitely hit this place up. Thanks!>

 

[DarR]

@Lastknight0
I'll make it short as I concur with the suspension adjustment required for your weight that others have posted being 165lb myself. I've come back to riding following a 25 year hiatus. I now have 4200km on my 959 and loving it. Welcome to the community.