I just sold my 04 749R to make room for a 1098S!
My reasoning was as follows: -
1) In my position it's a good idea / advert to have the latest / best kit, the 749R filled that role for three seasons but now had to go to make room for the latest kit. And I was REALLY sorry to see her go - I honestly nearly backed out the deal!!!
2) As lots of you know, the R was a dedicated track tool, the first thing I did was remove the carbon fairing for some fibreglass race gear. The rest of the mods I did were add ons like clutch, quick shifter etc.
I will do these to the S anyway.
3) If you remove the fairings from both machines, the spec of the identifiable componentry you can see is very similar -
Ohlins front / rear / damper (although latest spec on S)
Forged rims front / rear
Magnesium Rocker covers
Brembo Radial Brakes (although S has far higher 'Monobloc' spec)
Carbon front fender
However on the S, the package is 15kg lighter (including magnesium front subframe) with another 40(ish)Bhp.
This was the perfect solution for some of my requirements on the track.
Conversly the R has the high spec titanium engine bits!
4) I have ridden both machines in a track environment, even if they had the same bhp - The S would still come out top (it could be argued that i'm splitting hairs here but the S really is fair bit better in every department!)
5) The looks of the 1098S - it's drop dead gorgeus, every time I look at it I see another angle i'm chuffed to bits about!
My 749R was/is an absolutely stunning looking bike with an internal and external spec to really boast about and be proud of, but then again - so is the S!!!
It was a very hard decision for me to make at the time so point 1) above helped me along the way somewhat - if it wasn't for that I would be struggling.
I really don't think there are going to be many bugs. At the end of the day it is: -
A variation on a successful chassis.
Ducati are masters of the single sided swinger, it's exceedingly well made, I don't foresee issues.
The subframe is beautifully made - almost over engineered and finished.
The suspension / wheels are tried and tested and speak for themselves.
Brakes - same as suspension
Bodywork is incredibly well finished, more solid and better than any bike I have seen thus far.
Electronics / ECU are a variation of 999 setup, associated bugs were ironed out a while ago and considered very much sorted with the latest machines. The only question mark could turn out to be the dashboard but I know Digitek dedicated a lot of energy into making this unit dependable!
Engines are normally very robust - as previous independant test have shown!
The 'bug' argument, although a reasonable consideration doesn't concern me in the slightest.
I guess in conclusion it's like this : -
Need / want more performance? ..... buy 1098S
Can't live without 'R' exclusivity? ..... keep 749R
Down to looks? ..... buyers choice
Whatever you do, it's no easy choice!
Mart
P.S. Just read this back, talk about sitting on the fence