I am looking at a few 900’s and a 2006 749 has come up locally, seviced and in excellent condition. I’m not a road racer anymore but would like opinions on the strengths of both. I am concerned that the 900’s are getting quite old now with frame and swing arm cracks but simple to work on vs a newer fuel injected bike which is way more complex and I’m sure has issues of its own. Anyone had both? I’m only a short arse too at 5’6”. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Mark
Totally different bikes to ride, though my experience is with the 999 not 749 & I’m assuming your talking 900 carb era not 900ie . I think you need to make a judgement based on what/how you expect to use it 1st rather than which is easier to fiddle/fix & in todays terms the 749 is a very analog/simple bike with no abs / etc to worry about . Most complex bit is ecu is married to the dash but think that can be mapped out if needed (from a vague memory). Worst bit of 749/999 design ownership imo was CAT in the stock exhaust is under the seat so boils yer bollix on hot days and aftermarket bits (exhausts etc) for them appear to be rarer than for 900ss, though I’m not actively looking for 749/999 bits so maybe wrong on that. Ps best option is to have one of each. You know it makes sense.
Hah, if only Macca! Yes, I am looking at a late carb 900 as a good all round sports bike, but I very nearly bought a new 749 in 2005 and have always wished for another chance. It’s typical mid life crisis stuff for me. It needs to give me the ‘fizz’ even riding at my slow pace and I don’t have deep pockets for £1000 repairs every month. Can you do much diy maintenance on a 749?
yes to diy on a 749 theres a lovely mk2 for cheap money in ireland that i linked to earlier. if it checks out then its a smart buy and if you dont like it youll get all your money back.
Yeah, sat on one at the weekend. Seemed less race rep than I thought and a nice fit for me. Will try the 749 for size too then decide
Yeah that's lovely and clean, obviously the owner loves it, and if he throws in the blue trash bin rip his arm off.
@Mark19271 I think the 749 is an absolutely beautiful bike showing no signs of ageing. Absolutely wonderful to ride and just the right amount of power for me, fast enough without being mental. The only thing about them I don`t like is the amount of heat that comes through the saddle. I imagine slow traffic on a hot day = steamed cojones . The 900ss is also a beautiful bike , a wonderful ride and quite comfortable too. I find the 2 valve engines encourage me to be lazy and change up early whereas the 4 valves are very happy at higher revs and encourage you to wring their necks a bit, which do you prefer ? Given enough time, space & money I`d buy both (preferably in yellow) but would avoid riding the 749 on hot days.
749 is a better ride, although 750SS/900SS is more comfortable at lower speeds and more willing to potter about just wafting on torque. 749 likes a few revs but isn't uncomfortable. Agree with @dukesox. Yellow.
I had a 2004 749 BP from new and did about 5k miles, found it very uncomfortable after about 80\100 miles. (unless riding quickly and moving around the bike a lot) I have a 900 superlight now and often do 150 + mile for fun. Considering I'm 18yrs older + 2 stone heavier now the 900 is much more comfortable for my 6ft frame. I also lost around £5k on 749 where the superlight has probably doubled in value of same kind of period of ownership.
Thanks Kevin, appreciate you sharing your experience. I have sat on the 900ss pictured above and found it really comfortable. I haven’t sat on a 749 yet but I think the seat height is higher and bars lower / further away. I suspect I won’t be a good fit for it at 5’ 6” but will at least try. I can’t afford an 899 Panigale yet so the SS may be the way forward!
The 999/749 isn’t too uncomfortable (except the bollx burning exhaust heat). I rode my old 999 from The Toon down to Nice & back on a weeks touring trip. Though it’s was a good while (15 years?!) ago, the short ish tank range helps as you need to refuel about every 110/120miles. So plenty of time to cool the butt n balls off. I’ve traveled less single trip distance on my 1st Superlight , with a max distance being the Toon to the Smoke and I think it’s saddle is too soft for long rides as it compresses more.
I'm going to go slightly against the grain here. I never found my 900SS very comfortable, it always felt cramped. I'm 6'. @14st. but only a 32" waist. with bigger thighs and shoulders. Everyone told me my 1000SSie would be more uncomfortable because it's based on the 900SSie and they have a reputation for being that way. But I found the 1000SS easier to spend time on. Cramped, but easier on my shoulders, and I found I didn't get cramp in my legs as often. I thought my 999 was going to be far too uncomfortable to spend time on, and just sitting on it at rest seamed to confirm that. But, once actually moving the bike feels far more roomy than either SS, I've not had cramp once(yet). And although I feel like I'm leaning further forward and down, my wrists don't appear to suffer too badly either. The orientation of my arms relative to my shoulders doesn't aggravate my old Rugby/Water skiing injuries. The thinly padded saddle gets comfortable once I lean forward and remove some weight from the rear of my arse. I've actually really gelled with it, and am selling the 1000SS instead of the 999 like I thought I would. However, the exhaust heat through the saddle takes some getting used to, and I'm waiting on a sample of some heat shield material I've got coming through work from my friends at Boeing. Although that won't do anything about the backs of my thighs being warmed from heat escaping sideways out from under the saddle. In the same way that chefs have trouble impregnating ladies because they are warming their wedding tackle all day, I'm sure a regular 749/999 rider would also struggle.
