Should have phrased it better... so no one is willing to say their RIDING ability is the reason for choosing an 1199 over a 899
OK, I will - I would get an 1199 out of the two due to my ability and would probably find it a tad slow :Bag:
I found the 899 a bit sloppy in corners and brakes were rubbish. Both points could be sorted easily though.
Too many people forget this is the ONLY reason for choosing any bike. My only concern with the 899 is that it might feel a little tame after a while.
If you are expecting loads of mid range grunt you will be disappointed with an 899, mine had Termi slip ons plus the up map, 1 tooth smaller on front sprocket and it still didn't compare to either my 848 Evo or my 848 streetfighter.
It's not just down to ability well I don't think anyway but I have had 2 x 749's, 848, 848 Evo and the 848 streetfighter, they have all had that mid range punch, rolling along at 50ish in 6th open the throttle and they just pull away no drama, the 899 is lacking that I feel and the only way to get that back is more cc's hence why I have just traded mine in for an 1199s after only having it a year, looking back I really miss my 848 evo.
Like my misses says, size isn't important, it's what you do with it that counts. Bike's to me are about fun though. Even commuting every day on one has to be exciting. I remember riding side saddle all the way to work one day on my 35HP DR650 just for something to do, stepping off at traffic lights and jumping back on when I pulled away. Ultimately though, the more power you have the more you learn about throttle control. I envy the youth of today with how electronics have made speed safer, but i pity them also because they'll never feel like they were actually riding a bike. A big girls blouse would take the 899 saying how great it was and how fast they could ride, a man would get the 11/1299 and talk about ludicrous power wheelies, massive slides and panic braking as the next corner arrived too fast.
i had my 899 6 months before trading for a 1199. the 899 was good but i just wanted a bit more. probably didnt need it but wanted it
I've had bouth my 848 Evo and my 848 streetfighter wheelie just on the throttle in 3rd at 80ish, my 899 struggled to do that in 2nd (standard)...... boring. I liked all the trick bits though DQS/TC and 3 riding modes I want to keep those but want the fun of my 848's
What's wrong with just wanting to own the bike because you can. I have no need to justify if I can ride better than the bike or not. Honestly, I couldn't ride any of my bikes beyond their limit and my KTM has way too much but I want to own it so I do. If the bike makes me feel good and I enjoy the ownership then I go with it.
How very true!. My 749 had more than enough power for me but I went on to own a 1098 then an 1199 simply because I wanted to and was lucky enough to be able to afford it. :Happy:
Any bike over 600cc is fast enough for the roads. No matter how many cc or how powerful any bike is you just cannot use all of the power of a modern day superbike for normal road use. Even wringing the neck of a 600 on twisty B roads is plenty fast enough and no matter what cc bike is with it you can only go a certain speed around a corner. Get to a straight and its a different matter but any bigger bike will be faster. Its like all these magazines doing their road tests when they slate a bike for being 'slow' because it is 3mph slower top end or .05 seconds slower around a track than the current king of the road. Any superbike these days is not 'slow'. If you are a regular track rider then I suppose the bigger bikes will kill the smaller cc ones but then again it is all down to the rider. A good rider on a 600 will kill an average rider on a 1200. I have had or ridden many bikes from a VFR400 to a 1098, RSV4, RC8, Blade etc along the same routes that I use regularly and yes some give you a bigger buzz when they tear out of corners and feel like they are pulling your arms out but all of them can only go a certain speed ( Give or take ) around a corner and the difference in the time to do a specific journey is negligible. If you can afford the 1199/1299 then go for it, as AndyB keeps saying a bike is only as fast as how much you turn the throttle, just because you have an 1199 it doesn't mean to say you have to ride it at its full potential. I bought the 899 mainly because I couldn't afford the 1199 and on the back of other riders reviews and the general opinion that it is a better road bike which is what I personally want the bike for. I have had an 848 and that was as quick as anything from A to B including R1's, Blades, etc so going for the 899 was a right decision for me. Its a personal choice really, how much you want to spend, is it going to be mainly a road bike, insurance costs, what you want out of a bike etc etc.
You both obviously have far to much spare cash and should donate some to the Vince 899 fund all donations greatly received
I rode the 848 evo the 899 and the 1199s back to back i was disappointed with the 848 evo i really didn't like it ! I then got on the 899 and loved it apart from the front brake and the 1199s in race mode was an animal and hurt my arms and eyes lol i ended up getting the 899 as i felt i could ride that quicker on b roads than the 1199 but that's just my opinion ! The bike i had before the 899 was a well modified 2010 zx6r 123hp at rear wheel quick shifter ebc discs bendix pads braided lines suspension set up for my weight and a few other bits and bobs and i could hustle that around track pretty well 2min 8s at snetterton ! I just wanted something with a little more grunt and better handling and thsts what the 899 has but ive got the termis up map and filter in ! Maybe in a couple years time the natural progression will be an 1199/1299 but for now the 899 is in my riding capabilities and im pretty sure down a decent windy b-c road id keep with an 1199
