cant believe you have by passed the 996R and the 996R or even the 996R. its the 996R you want to ride, if you cant find one wait for a 996R to come along, they are lovely to ride. so just to make sure you have understood all that you need to get a ? :D

Wasn't there a red bull rep as well ??????

Well spotted that man.
You are correct.
Only twenty produced in the UK by Marcol Moto/Reve Racing Team.
996 BP base then lots of trick/carbon bits/polished alloy added plus full Sil Moto exhaust and racing chip/full Red Bull paint job/Marchesini wheels and brass serial plate.
Signed certificate by J R and S E.
I have got number 16.
Cheers
SPS

Two "kinds" of 996R, those with a plaque, the first 500 sold on the net then those without, 150 extra made because of demand. 996R everytime.

Not sure that's true?

I understood that they built 500 only, with 300 available for sale on the net (for the road) and 200 available for race teams.

If some were produced without plaques (why?) these may have been for the race teams only?

Its great that you're looking at the archetypal shape and not the new "japanese" models;)

Besides - you must get a 996R or at a push a 998R - especially if you're into carbon parts.

I'm glad to see that most recommendations on here are for the 996R.

AS andyb states, there were fewer 998S monos sold in the UK its true, but there were also less Reliant Robins sold in the UK than minis, that doesn't make them better though!!! ;) ;)

Well I would strongly recommend the 996SPS

But then I would wouldn't I !

Well being a creep i'd agree with Adam, Rattler & Beancounter coz i've got them both.:D Both great bikes but different.

I was a normal bloke until that fateful day i met Rattler, my hero and rolemodel who converted me to first the SPS then the R. You have a lot to answer for and my wife is after your blood mate!!!! Beware.:devil: Good job Surrey's a long way away.

Re the 996R plaque, the one i've bought was a late model (judging off the engine number and registration date) bought from a dealer, not of the internet (obviously the dealer may have bought it of the net). It came without the plaque but the original owner got a plaque direct from the factory, complete with letter from the factory.

Don't blame me!!! I only said what I thought about them, its down to you to buy the bloody things!!! ;) In fact, its down to you that I bought that DRZ, so maybe we're equal ???ish????

Mind you, I'm jealous as hell that you've got both a SPS and a 996R - we'll see how this year goes with the ZX - maybe I'll be calling you soon for a little "discussion" about that SPS!!!;)

As for the 996R sales, all the 996Rs were pretty much made and sold at the same time. Later-registered ones were ones that had been sitting in dealerships for longer without getting registered, but all were initially sold via the internet I believe - around June/July 2001.

I don't know how many are left around now though?

Tim:ninja:

BDG, much better avatar than the last one.
Can you get the camera man to zoom in a bit though, and ask him to set it to high res while he's at it :lol:

Octo, I have a nice 996 looking for a new home if your interested (see my avatar) ;)

[Edited on 16-2-2005 by John W]

Thanks for that piece of info, I looked at a 996R last week and it had no plaque, made me nervous of it's history but maybe it came like that.

Anyway I dont think I can quite stretch to the R, so I'm looking for a late 996SPS in the next few months (awaiting bonus!)

Thanks for all this info, I've been lurking for a while :)