So, hypothetically, if you had £35,000 available for a bike purchase, would it go on a 1299r Final Edition or a V4R? Or would you rather have, for example, a V4S and pocket the difference? Asking for a friend, Ducati purchase only so no other brands being considered.
The Panigale 1299R FE is by far the better road bike. Ignore all the crap about it not being a proper R because it’s a 1299cc and has no racing pedigree. It is the best Panigale L twin, ever. If your mate wants a track bike, the V4R is astonishing and I’m told easier to ride than the 1299 but it has major costs associated with the maintenance, probably higher costs than the 1299. I have no regrets buying my V4 but I did and still do wonder what the FE would be like. It is certainly a prettier bike. Andy
Panigale R is 5 years old isn’t it? If I, sorry, if my friend wants to keep it for a long time (typically changes every 10 years) then that’s getting long in the tooth at that point isn’t it?
No: dam sight better looking than the 1299 and a proper R which will hold it's value well. I bought a zero mile one last year. You can get 2000 mile example ones for less than £20K (Unless your mate has no taste and likes wasting money this is the one)
V4R. Purely based on evolution. Nothing particularly exclusive about the FE. Both great bikes though.
Depends what said mate wants it for! apart from the obvious..... Road riding/track riding or perhaps both? Or perhaps he just wants to polish it and talk about it down the pub! Depends if he’s looking at it as an investment? and not really worried about road or track manners! Both great bikes for different occasions and reasons. Fundamentally what’s it for?? We all know they are both warp speed fast right! and they both handle well beyond most of are capabilities ? if I had over 30 large to spend I’d opt for the V4s with some trick bits and pocket the rest for some more two wheeled pleasures.....
Based on all of the above - the missing info here is - for what usage? All of the options are great in their own right - I wouldn’t kick any of them out of bed! But what are the main driver’s behind the purchase? Track? Road? Garage Queen investment? Occasional ride outs to show off at local bike meet? Bragging rights? Are depreciation and running costs an issue? Is your friend a highly skilled rider who is likely to get the most out of one of these very high performance bikes? Get him to make a list of priorities - that will point you towards a choice - and then if he’s disappointed with the outcome he’ll know the one he really wanted all along!
All good points. It’s to use on the road, not the track. Running costs are not a huge issue. Doesn’t do many miles per year, say 1,000 to 1,500 and is a fair weather biker. Never been much on the pub brag but is a competent rider who has had big capacity bikes for 30 consecutive years. Some money allocated elsewhere is to be freed up to get something special with before he gets too old to enjoy it.
bloody nice decision to have to make! personally I'd go for the Final Edition, I think I'm probably in the minority but I really like it..... but then I liked the 999 when it first came out too....
For that usage and purpose it would be a V4s Corse for me. 10 years at that mileage would add maybe 12k miles to a bike so possibly that might affect the value of the rarer bikes as an investment. It’s still a very special bike and has the added advantage of the electronic suspension for road use. And with some of the cash saved he could have some fun accessorising it to make it his own!
