I read the entire BMW forum thread yesterday and, while there were some Duc bashers, there were a lot of defenders as well.
In my opinion, most of the people that "got" it, understood that whatever comment the girl said was because the guy was a brand new rider with an attitude of "I want the best" and not the skill to ride the best.
As I've seen in this thread and the BMW one, and from my own experience, it would seem that most people with enough experience on motorcycles would agree that an 1199 Panigale or an S1000RR is (to put it mildly) not a great idea for a starter bike!
As others have stated, every manufacturer has their issues. I currently ride a Diavel, and my previous bike was a BMW K1200R; I freaking loved that bike. Unfortunately, at around 8500 miles or so, my K12R developed a second gear issue where it would pop out and then back into gear under moderate acceleration. That was awesome when I found that out at a track day, by the way.
I love BMW cars and bikes, and have always loved Ducatis since before I started riding. My 748S had bizarre electrical issues when it rained, and a warranty clutch replacement at the 6k mile service.
Who cares?! I still love 748S's and K1200R's, and would buy another one of either if given the chance.
But neither of those bikes, nor my Diavel, was my first bike. And that's what the main issue is with this dude. I would not take what a brand new rider says in their description of any bike, much less an 1199 or an S1000RR, to be gospel or even half-meaningful. When I got my first bike I barely knew what gear I was in half the time!
Just my $0.02.
Oh and, looks wise, the S1000RR is the ugly (but not fat) sister of the 1199.