I had to go to court because Vienna insurance had auto-renewed my insurance without my knowledge even after I had informed them that I had sold my car. Or rather I would say I would have had to go but they didn’t tell me that either. The court just decided in my absence that I had to pay it and a massive fine and they sent me a registered letter to tell me to pay up. Those were some of my worst days in the country. I still love it though, and the Czech people.
I don’t think you jump back on a bike this fast after a long time out from riding without working your way back into it! Definitely check those tyre pressures, they may have also lost air in the time since you picked the bike up. I check mine weekly (the 996 in particular has a habit of shedding air).
Whenever I tell someone how long I hadn't been on a bike before buying this they look at the bike and then look back at me and burst out laughing for some unknown reason... I'll have to (again) figure out what pressure the tyres should be. I did know, but then we had a long winter... I'm in no hurry to make a mistake and I'm quite happy with slow and steady progress.
Fantastic, and great write up! Vision and throttle control are the two most important things as you speed up - and make such a difference. 43 degrees isn’t bad at all either! When are you going again?
Three days is a lot on the trot if you’re not riding a lot - bet you were stiff! How did the bike perform? Did you feel comfortable on it?
Awesome bikes! My son has one (his 23rd Ducati) while my Panigale V2 is my first! Looks similar though my son has an Alta exhaust for a bit more power and a great noise (baffles out of course) and a few extra bits of carbon changed brake and clutch levers, race fuel cap etc …
How did you get insurance on that beautiful machine after 25 years? I can't get any after 8 years, perhaps I need to move to the Czech Republic.
I was very surprised to find I could insure it for something just over £900 per year, fully comprehensive. I was especially surprised because car insurance is horrendous here because cars are insured for any driver to use and the premiums reflect this.
Wow yes very lucky, trouble is it’s normally computer risk assessed even when they ‘personal quote’ as you can’t check 60 insurers in 3 mins, so clearly not to many people make horrendous personal injury claims over there because that’s what costs the insurers the money, value of the bike is the least of their true costs. Oh well I’m pleased for you, have fun!
Will be very interested to hear how you think the two compare. I think the R needs its nuts revving off it, but has got insane power when you do!
That’s sort of what I have heard. I fancied experiencing the R engine while I can and the price was right. I’m looking forward to it and I’ll update when we are finally out of winter and I’ve been out on track with it. Winter sucks…
I collected the V4R today. I won’t get to ride it for ages but the throttle is different for starters - zero slop and it seems to have a shorter throw. Can’t wait to use it! It’s going to be a long, long winter…
I got home and chucked it in the garage, so all I have is this one so far. I can’t start putting my bits and pieces on it and returning the SP2 to stock yet as I need to get the V4R registered. I was considering not registering it yet but it will need to be done before Euro5+ starts and I wouldn’t get the magic 6,000km required here to import without VAT before that happens, so I might as well get it done.
Thanks. I am rather excited… Yes, that’s the SP2 on the right. It’s due a service and then I’ll put the original stuff back on it and sell it with the low-exit Akrapovic and a few other nice extras. I can’t see the point in having the V4R and SP2 and I’ve got the SportClassic for the road. The garage does look nice at the moment though (apart from the general mess of course).
I’m bored and there’s a foot of snow outside, so I thought I’d post a pic of collection day. Interesting that it’s number 613 - lower than I expected and it hadn’t been sitting in their showroom. Akrapovic exhaust ordered and on its way, although it’s taking ages to arrive. They had a SP2 there - number 1,346. I don’t think I’ve seen much higher numbers than that. It’s tempting to keep it because I like it and it was my first bike after so long away from biking, but I think I’d hardly ever ride it so it seems daft to keep it. They had a V2 Bayliss as well, which was numbered somewhere over 3,600 (can’t remember the last two digits). I’ve got radiator guards on their way from CNC Racing instead of the Evotech I used on the SP2. Hopefully they are ok. Also FullSix fairings - I have their battery cover, needed a new tail cover and got carried away with Black Friday sales… I’m tempted to try a bit of vinyl wrapping… Only four months or so until I can have my first ride on the new bike… aaaarrrgh!!!!!
