BlueBear

Just wondering from the owners.
Do u see any issue running this bike 5 times a week to Fri m work.
In rain, cold and the warm sunny days.

I'm think of making the most of the panigale

Hakosuka

In my opinion you can do so but do not except it be a very comfy bike . For the bike itself it all depends on how well you maintain it.

First of all you will need a different set of tires. Choose something that will get you safe to work and back home again. Even if this means leaving on a sunny morning and coming home in the pooring rain. A tire which has a harder compound in the middle so it will give you good milage.

In my experience the fairings are rather delicate. They chip easily when hit by small rocks etc so you might want to give it a good polish from time to time or put some protective tape on a few places when you commute in heavy traffic.

Some people have trouble with their neighbours because the bike is so loud. So if you have to leave early in the morning for work you might take this in considering. ( I personally wouldn't care at all ).


Do you have to drive far to get to work? What kind of roads? Heavy traffc? Slow traffic,....

Magoo

The only issue I think you might have would be if you get stuck in stop and go traffic during your commute. If you do encounter that then you'd probably want to wrap the pipe or come up with some sort of heat shield contraption.

WAfatboy

I do a short commute and it's definitely passable. It's slim so easy to thread through the traffic, the fueling with slip-ons is fine as long as you are deft with the clutch. Comfort or race seat are comfortable enough. Heat will be an issue if the weather is hot though. The fact that I have the option means some days I switch to the Harley, or if its raining I'm in the car so I'm not hardcore commuter anymore!

Braintrash

I do short and long cummutes everyday, any weather (excepted when they put salt on the road), and I just love it and can't imagine myself going back to the Diavel.

BlueBear

I live 30km from work which is mostly freeway. I rarely deal with traffic.
More worried about rain and what rain can do to the bike long term.
I will check my bike with service more often if I plan to commute it

Denver Rick

I've been commuting with it for about a month now. Only about 30mph roads, for about 20 to 30 min. It is not as comfy as my old RSV4-R, but I've been messing with shocks and EBC and you can soften it up quite a bit (though shocks are stiffer than hell, even when increasing all the way on the adjustments). Even put in wet mode if I really want to dumb it down for comfort. Heat has not been a problem for me. You feel it for sure, but nothing painful. Haven't been in the rain yet. I commuted with the RSV4 for two years and it was fine, even on original tires. I have ABS so should help. I certainly, with these tires, take it very easy in rain. I know it's overkill to commute on such a bike, but I love the handling of sport bikes in my urban/downtown commute. I do feel a bit guilty with neighbors for the noise. I leave early. I barely give it gas until out of the neighborhood. I had RSV4 in as low as 20 degrees as long as no moisture, and it did fine. I plan the same here. And actually looking forward to the heat come winter.

Phil

I ride mine here in the South nearly every day, i have 1 min out of the neighborhood, 5 min to the interstate, 15 min on the I-85 and another half minute to the parking lot.

Works pretty well, i have the racing seat, the rear header wrapped and the original tires.
The rain sometimes poors down here, but riding in wet mode makes it really safe.
I had to adjust the rear spring with a little higher preload, but that was about it.

the only issues i ever had, were a nail in the tire, while the bike was parked in front of the office, and a stalling once at a traffic light at around 100F, while the bike got up to 236F. that only happened once, ever since then i take a slightly longer route home, with less traffic stops, when it's hot.

it is way more fun than my RSV1000 i rode to work in germany, the only downturn is i cannot ride as fast around here. (well, i could, but nor for long) so the commute with changing gear and locking the bike takes as long as the ride in my '75 mercedes...

rm4two

I ride everyday and my commute is just over an hour each way that involves highway and surface streets. I don't intentionally ride in the rain but wet mode and the supercorsas are surprisingly good. Traffic heat is a bit of a PITA but ambient air temps here in the valley are more of a problem right now. I'm sure other bikes are more comfy and practical, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Trauma

I work from home, but live around a lot of 35mph roads. The Panaigale HATES 35 mph, there really isnt a good gear there. Denver Rick, what settings do you use for best commuting comfort?

duckyduc

rode mine through a heavy rain last Sat, the bike is not very stable above 65 mph, that might be the only limitation (tire not really intended for wet use i think)
heat is ok, brake/clutch and control is great for commute

Denver Rick

I either go to wet if it is bothing me, or generally 195 high, with EBC at 3 to smooth it out. You're right, that 35mph is the worst spot, as hits that hiccup at about 4500rpm in 2nd, and 1st is too torquey. I have found, especially at 195 high, that you can go up to third gear for 35mph, way low rpm but it still has the power to ride just fine and you can avoid that jerky spot. Gotta say, I'm really hoping they come out with a software upgrate to fix that.

kensteele

My commute is about 7 miles each way and one of the routes has a max psl of 30mph with 4 traffic lights. The ride is ok but its not much fun driving that slow. Not enough time to feel the heat. Occassionally i am 20 or 25 over when i take the longer route. As a commuter its doable.

southeastduc

Here is my long winded opinion.... hope you find it helpful...

I commute in central florida about 19 miles each way on 35-45mph roads. Moderate traffic and several lights. In the morning I'm fine. Coming off a Streetfighter, this bike is definitely hotter. I'm a bit sweaty walking into the building. Going home around 5pm is hotter. I don't think I'd want to go into a business meeting after the afternoon commute. I used to wear a backpack, but now avoid it to get more air flow.

That said, I think it can be used as a commuter, but not in the way most would equate: cheap transportation. I enjoy the ride and plan to continue commuting on this bike as I thoroughly enjoy riding it. I just accept that it's a hot bike to ride (figuratively & literally). :-) My rear header is heat wrapped.

Regarding heat...... Is it hotter than other bikes? Yes, certainly. Is it too hot to commute on? No, I don't think so. But you're gonna sweat more. Is it as soft & comfortable as other more traditional commuters, ie: monster? No. Do I notice that? Yes, and I like it! Lastly, did Ducati design it to be commuter friendly? Probably not. And to all the purists... yes, I know I'm using the bike in some ways it's not designed to be used. But I love riding this bike.... I commute in business casual type pants and shirt and currently ride with a mesh jacket with light armor, gloves, low cut alpine stars riding boots, and helmet.

Regarding rain..... I got caught in a good florida soaker Friday and just took it easy. I didn't put it in rain mode, just because I just wanted to get home and out of that damn rain shower. I can report that the rain didn't suck any less than any other bike I've owned, but coming off a streetfighter; at least there is a fairing. I don't know of any issues from riding in that rain, but I never ride in rain if I can avoid it. To me, it's just not worth it. So if there is a chance of rain, I don't take the bike. But that's pretty much always been my way so no knock on this one.

BlueBear

cheers guys thanx for all the feedback

i worry about commuting this bike
but when you spend so much money and the depreciation on the it as time goes by. i really just wanna get my money's worth.

jyli19

I do a few commutes on the bike per week. Only problem is bike keeps saying "GO", traffic keeps saying "NO". Takes the fun out of it.

ScottJon

I live in Los Angeles and commute to Hollywood everyday.

I can not ride mine to work for two reasons, one is i have to split lanes and as mentioned, the Panigale does NOT have a sweet spot at 35 MPH or so

and the other is the heat, when i wear leather it is fine, but in blue jeans and riding at slow speeds, i feel like I am cooking my legs.

I have a Monster and use that mostly for commuting and the Panigale for carving up the canyons

WAfatboy

Hey DenverRick do you still have your bike set to 'F' or 'P'? Or are you light <70kg? On 'P' you should find a better ride and the DES adjustment is more apparent. I'm the opposite, I'm too heavy and the rear was too soft so fitted a spring rated for my weight.

Trauma

I just plain love riding this bike. Coming from I4s, I love the twin thump-thump in my chest at any speed. Yes it's hot, but so what? I really don't understand all the time and $'s spent trying to change the tempature. Knowing a little about physics, you cannot change the heat this bike generates, all you can is redirect it. I have a very fast/comfortable K1300S, and I prefer the Pani, nuff said!

jyli19

agree and disagree.

Can't do much make the bike run cooler, 185 degree coolant temp isn't bad in 90's degree weather. But on the flip side, being able to redirect some of that heat away from my arse would be priceless. I went riding for 100 miles last Saturday, left 2 red marks on my quad area (90 agree ambient temp, full leathers)