I have quite a few things going around in my head and I don't know what to do so I am looking for some pointers. My last two bikes have been a 10 plate and a 13 plate Fireblade. I have been thinking about scratching my Ducati itch for a while. but I have never done it but now I need to get it out of my system. I was considering ordering a 959 for March delivery, but the exhaust has put me off, and the price to get the exhaust looking as it should takes it too close to 1299 pricing for my liking. These are the thoughts that are going through my head. The exhaust offer on the base 1299 is good, but it would obviously be on a 15 plate and the bike would sit in the garage until around March and then as soon as the new plate comes out it's a year old. Also, I am not sure if I am missing something, but the standard exhaust sounds good, so are the Akras that much better? So I would be paying £17025 for a 1299 with Akras, and possibly whatever else I could get thrown in. Can't see myself going for this option because I hate loosing too much money. Go for a 15 plate 1299, cheapest one I have seen is a standard spec for 13k. Go for a 15 plate 1299S, standard spec ones seem to be going for 17.5k. There was a standard one on fleabay starting at 15k and in the description it said it had a low reserve, but there was no reserve on the actual auction. I half-heartedly put a 15k bid on it and then someone bid 15,600 in the last minute. I don't know if it sold though. Get a 15 plate 899 for god knows what price because I will never be able to ride a 1299 to it's potential anyway. The 15 plate 899's from CSS are tempting, and they seem to be going for just over 9k. Oh, what to do. So what would the people that ride these bikes do?
Does it matter if it's on a 15 plate though? I would go with a 1299 with the exhaust offer personally, or a used 899 but I personally wouldn't get a California superbike school one having seen an ex Ron Hallam school bike up close
My thought process re the 15 plate, is that in March it would drop in value again as soon as the 16 plate comes out, and I would not be using it until around March because I am a fair weather rider.
don't even think of the end value or you would never buy one ,, not trying to put you off but start of this year I got 13.5k part ex on a 18month old 1199s with termis value around 20k,
Are you buying it outright or pcp? If pcp don't worry about depreciation it will be worth £9251 in 3 years time whether it has 6k or 18k on it if you take it to a dealer. My personal view is your asking the wrong question. Get the bike and don't worry how much its worth even if you aren't riding it. If that's a concern don't buy expensive bikes or cars new. I've owned an 899 and pick up a 1299 with akros tomorrow. 899 was good, very good. I had a demo 1299 for nearly 3 weeks. I was staggered at how good it is. Is it £3.5k more fun than my 899. I text my bike mates this on the second day. £17k!! But. Worth every single penny.
I know what you're saying re the end value but I always think about values. You will always lose money, but I like to think about it so I lose as little as possible.
If you factor in smiles per £ id go 1299 base with akros. The S is great but I didn't think the extra 4.5k worth of gadgetry was all that noticeable on the road. On the track im certain it would come into its own.
In that case get the 1299 base with akros. When you come to sell they will be worth at least 1500 on their own to 959 owners.
Most comments so far suggest that I should not worry about the re sale value and get the 1299, with Akras. A 65 plate 1299 with free Akras will cost £17025, a used 15 plate 1299 will set me back 13K, that's a £4025 saving. If I wanted to put a brand new set of Akras on for £2600, that would only save £1425, but if I wanted to put a new set of termis on for £1500, that would save me £2525, and that was if I was that bothered about the exhaust because in my mind they are only cosmetic because the sound of the standard cans is very good.
If you are spending £15k on a bike, you really should not be thinking about how much money you might lose on it. Work out how much it will likely cost and then decide if that's acceptable to you. Bikes are not an investment however you look at it.
1299 with Akra's FTW! In relation to the ex-CSS bikes, they really shouldn't be dismissed. They are looked after meticulously, they remove the standard fairings, replacing them with track fairings and then re-fit the standard ones once they list them for sale and they also slap on brand new hoops. So for £9k you get a CSS school bike with brand new fairings/tyres and normally around 3k miles. I know not everyone likes the idea of owning one, but personally I wouldn't have a problem buying one from them.
Depends what kind of rider you are, and what you enjoy from your bikes in my opinion. If you are man that enjoys scaring the crap out of yourself and is a bit of a straight line hero, get the big old girl. If you like feeling like you're in charge and carrying lots of corner speed, the 899 is the bike for you. Coming from a blade, it's difficult to say how you will take the swap. They are very different bikes, having spent a lot of time on a 14 blade myself.
Personally this is what I'd do 1. Forget the 959 it looks shit unless you spend a pile of cash on it, then you may aswell of bought the 1299. 2. A 15 plate bike is still a new bike in my eyes but a hell of lot cheaper than one out of the box. 3. Wait till after Xmas and look for a used 1299S with standard cans. The S will hold its value better and a second hand 15 plate S will be be about the same money as a brand new base model 1299 and in a few years who cares it's only one year. 4. Wait and decide about the Akra exhausts. Some people are of the opinion there not worth it from a noise point of view, however they do lift torque slightly and smooth the power delivery. They will become cheaper in time. Everything is top whack at the moment as its all new stuff and there isn't much of a second hand market. Whatever you do it's a nice problem to have. Good luck!
I had very similar issues before I went out and bought my 1299. In the end, I thought - what do I really want to be sat on and it was the 1299s, the local boys offered up the Akro's for free so it was a no brainer. I know where you are with the money element, but for once I didn't give it a third thought, I was lucky enough to have sold all my previous 3 bikes at a profit and had a few quid down the back of the sofa. I've spunked over £10k on holidays over the past 4 years and have nothing to show for it. We lose money on almost everything we purchase. Take the plunge and go BIG
It sounds like everyone's advice is to go with your heart not your head, which isn't entirely a bad thing! We are all passionate about it, I assume also that the cost of the 1299 may be a stretch rather than the kids not having a school u inform or food on the table in which case, yeah, don't buy a 1299! One thing is for sure, I'm not sure an 1199 is the option (I know your didn't say it was) but when u start looking at figures u will naturally look at the 1199s as a somewhere in the middle option. It's a great bike but honestly I think it's too manic for the road and you will wish u had a 1299, that's just what I am getting from all the posts around here and my own experience of the 1199 which just feels too edgy. I think u will end up with a 1299 and think u should ignore the model year, it really doesn't matter so much in the grand scheme of things and now is when u will get the best deal on a bike that is a 15/65 designation of the model of the bike is listed as a 2015.
If you're worried about not having the right plate, just buy some other plate for peanuts with a number signifying nothing. Then no one will know what year your bike is (or care). Buying a superbike is not a rational decision in any case, so there is little point trying to bring rationality into the argument. Just get whatever you want or can afford.
I'm a Luddite but how about the left-field choice ... a really nice proper Ducati ... a 1098 or earlier. You could get something spectacular for that kind of money, much rarer, and likely to actually appreciate in value if you choose wisely.
Any potential appreciation ( depending on the extent) can often be offset by increased servicing & repair costs due to lack of warranty. Just something to consider.
