999 Thinking Of Buying

I have 07 deep sump as local dealer said was the one to have. After 2 years i cant fault it. So good i have just got myself 999R.

 

All good, my local dealer had an early 999 and he said it was the one to have :Hilarious:

Joking aside, I had an early 999S, my mate had an 03 base until recently, never an issue. Price point dependant on which you go for, but you will find a massive difference in prices so buy carefully. If you can find a low mileage 05 / 06 999S and it's in budget then go for it. Some will ask £7K but pay nearer £5K if your lucky before Christmas

 

03/04 model years - grey swingarm (introduced back end or 2002) and 4 vents in fairing upper - 05 / 06 model years - black swing arm and 2 vents in fairing. S Models have Ohlins, late S models have radial Ohlins.
No 07 model unless registered late.

 

early bikes had a coil pack/ spark plug cap with a connector located directly on the cylinder head. most of these should have been changed out by now as they were prone to corrosion and creating earthing errors and closing down of the cylinder( normally the front was worse) the later models post 2004 had a coil pack with a long lead that let the connector be located away from the heat and moisture.

 

I sold my 2004 999S last year for £4700 with under 7000 miles - it was up for £5200 for 4 months without selling. A dealer bought it for £4700 and sold it for £5700 so be careful and buy wisely (I paid £4500 the previous year). You can get an early S or a later base for that kind of money.
It is coming up to the right time of year for buying.

 

There will be other opinions, especially from people who are thinking of selling - if you want an R you can have one of mine for £20K and a bag of whatsits

 

Aside from the early coil-stick as Nathanu mentioned I don't think there's much difference in reliability of older and later models. I bought a later model 999S because I preferred the black swingarm and I wanted Ohlins but I'm sure an early standard bike would be an excellent buy at the the right price. I also chose a Mono with the Termi end-can but you may want to carry a pillion ( really?!). Mono tail and Termi looks waaay more sexy imho...

 

I dont know abiut reliability or performance differences but a post 05 ( easy distinguished by black box swing arm , red frame and 2 vent nose , looks much better , go for S model if poss ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i. Hope you arr buying to ride and enjoy , not as an investment !!!