I heard of a top tri option bike from last year, fully loaded, up at 7k and struggling to sell..I darent spend money or there could be a 6k offer going that way lol
I could only see 2 private 899's on eBay, one was a Cat N and the other was white, why would anyone buy a white Ducati?! If they don't tell you to fuck off after the first offer, you're not trying hard enough!
Hi Stu_grant, I recently purchased an 899 from a dealer (not main dealer). Was up for 8700 and got it for 8000. Happy days for me as I set a max budget of 9k. I started by looking online, sending in a cheeky offer and seeing what response I got back. BTW, I opted for the #havecashready message. some said “feck off” some said “let’s talk, come and see it”. I also looked at the 959 but something about that exhaust doesn’t work for me, I found a few that had been converted but costs got a little high. The bike I purchased had some nice mods Termi can, upmap, dark screen, cowl, FSH etc with added benefit of having all the original parts, receipts etc. I was going to buy a bike without looking as some of them where many miles away. However I ended up, driving around and looking at a few and highly recommend you go and look at them and don’t buy without seeing them. People’s view in terms of “excellent condition” or “as new” differ immensely in my opinion. Some of the bikes I looked at didn’t meet my expectations, although I am a fussy f*cker. in terms of the bike itself, I love it. It’s my first bike in about 7 odd years, last bike was an R1. Some of the bikes I looked at in Jan are still up for sale, so you might get a stonking deal given everything that is going on. cash should be king at the moment. Watch out for the bikes nearing 15k miles as that’s a whopper of a service. Believe it’s between 800 and 1000 great British pounds. BTW, save some cash for personal tweaks.. it gets quite addictive. Oh, and I think I am personally to blame for Coronavirus. I purchased the bike late Jan, giving me time to tweak, take apart, refit etc during the wet weeks that followed.. but since I have purchased it we have had nothing but rain followed by the lockdown... can’t wait for this lockdown to be lifted.
I'm sure i've seen you get upset a few times about the prices of 899's over the months.. it really gets to you doesn't it? Like every bike the price drops considerably at first and then slows. For example my dads 12 year old bike cost him £9,100 in 2008 and still worth around £5,000 now. A bike is only worth what someone will pay at the end of the day.
Lol no not really. But I do fancy one, but wont pay the price of a 3yr old s1000rr for a 6 year old 899
It’s all part of a cunning master plan to bring the price down so he can pickup a bargain! It’s the reverse of the other forum members master plan with Panigale R’s
They do have a certain hypnotic appeal ..... Resistance is futile! (I’m hoping this gets picked up as a forum meme!)
Hi Stu, I was in a very similar situation, I bought a 696 before I’d passed my test, passed my test and immediately went out and bought an 899, it was too soon for me, as an ex skydiver, I like a touch of Adrenalin, however, I never felt comfortable as I always wanted to go everywhere with the throttle pinned. It was a steep and on some occasions traumatic learning process, it was too soon in my riding career. As Rob says though....the throttle goes both ways. I sold the 899 and invested in a DVT but I took some 121 instruction on a track to understand the limits and just how capable the bikes can be, I’ve never looked back. Best of luck with your search, whatever you decide
beauty is in the eye but i certainly believe the earlier shape of the 1199 and the 899 is the prettiest. not only the the awful exhaust on the 959 ruined the looks but the front vents and seat cowl are overly fussy. I have noticed also that second hand 899s were creeping up in price relative to 959's it has to be for the reasons mentioned above that and comparatively they weren't made for very long. if it was my money id be looking for a well cared for low mileage 899 with some nice additions.
The other thing about the 899, is that it's a fair wedge lighter, if you ride a 899 with Termi's on then ride a 959 even with the pipes on it does feel a bit heavier. I think there is around 7KG difference but the weight distribution probably has an effect also. I personally feel that the extra power on the 959 is totally negated by it's longer gearing over the 899. They claimed they could run the longer gears because they had more torque spread but honestly I think it was purely for emissions as the revs would be lower per road speed.
