modify a 749 or trade up for a 749R?
 

What's the general thoughts of people in the know about either trading my 749s in for a 749R or alternatively to just get my 749s tuned by somewhere like JHP?

Reason for my asking is that i go riding with a friend that is definately a slower rider than myself, but no matter how many times I catch him on the brakes and in the bends, his old blade always manages to pull away from me out of the corners if there's no room for me to pass. I had thought of changing to a 999, but i'm turning agains that idea at the moment, since I quite like the handling of the 749, and those with more knowledge on here seem to suggest that the bigger capacity bikes aren't as good for cornering as the 74* series. ( I could be mistaken, and welcome corrections).
But if what I said is true, then i'd just like that bit more torque/power just to try and help reduce the advantage that my friend seems to have with his '98 (i think) blade.

Obviously I know the best way to become quicker is to get some tuition and practice, but this is being considered also...

Dude buy a 999 :D

Complete nonsence,the only differance is the size of the rear tyre.Easily remedied by fitting a 180 tyre on the back of a 999.
Go for the bigger 'un!:)

Before you go throwing serious amounts of money around try going up 2 or 3 teeth on the rear sprocket. You will sacrifice top end, but, will pull stronger out of corners. Just keep it reving and change up quickly.

Alternatively, arrive 1 minute behind your mate and enjoy the looks from the public as they walk past your mates old plastic fantastic to look at your gorgeous Ducati.

I have already done both, and both are imensely satisfying :D

I have gone 748 to 996...much easier to keep up.......main difference will be how much you can crack the throttle open on a bigger bike..bit more scary with the extra power :o & bit more caution needed but the extra drive is incredible

Whilst I ride a 749 and love the handling, I have had a 999 and it is a much quicker bike. As for the handling on the 999, just as good as the 749 ... I think the diference is the fact that you arrive at corners 30mph faster and can be more of a handful when coming out of corners. That's what I found anyway.

Trade up for a 749R :cool:

Just came back from le mans on my 749r and we did all the B roads and well worth it, in the group there was a gixer1000, new blade and r1 and a few 600,s exciting bends as long as i was just on peak power the 749r pulled like a train and thay all said thay had props trying to get past me and i aint no troy bayliss. i have modyfied mine with a big system and power commander and i have seen 170mph twice on my clock so my opinion is the 749r its awsom, and the looks it got in le mans was very pleasing people just didnt bother looking at my mates bikes sometimes.

At the end of the day, no matter what upgrades you make to your "S" it won't have the "R" engine in it. That's the 'meat and potatoes' of the "R" - it's got the higher compression engine with shorter stroke, bigger bore.

An R will only ever be any good if you can make use of it - they're not so easy to live with. I reckon a better upgrade route would be a bigger bike. There is no subsitute for cubes at the end of the day.

You mentioned that the reason you are looking for more power has mostly to do with your mate's ability to pull away from you in the corners on an 8 year old bike.

Before you go about spending a lot of money on upgrading your S, or even considering an R, perhaps you might just solve your problem with a simple change of sprockets first?

the 999 is 2 kg lighter than the 749, it's the same bike but more power so go for the 999,
it's that simple, same frame same engine but the sidewalls are thicker on the 749.
:burn::burn::burn::burn::burn:

Having considered all the above points with some interest
I would have to put my hat in the ring and suggest finding a

'slower Mate'

A cheap solution to a tricky problem

Is this the reason that you changed from the 999 to the 749?
To be honest, at the moment, i'm inclined to fit a set of termi's (54mm full system?) PCIII and see what difference some training will do. I know on the 748's that there was the 853 kit from sigma and the like, but not sure about the reliability aspect, and also the cost may be a bit high assuming there was something similar for the 749, though if I was to mod my engine, i'm not sure i'd go that far.

Really want to get myself on a CSS day, but they're all down south :(. So guess I should start looking for a good bike friendly hotel for a day or 2 near silverstone or Rockingham, i think the courses are.

When I got the Fila999r it was always a short term deal as I intended to sell it on make a few ££££ :D But, I did find that it was a good 30mph quicker than my 749s in most situations. I went down roads I know quite well, and on my 749 I would be doing a 100mph ish and it felt quick, down the same roads the 999r I was doing 130mph and it felt effortless. I did not sell the 999r cause it was a hand full, but, I did think that it would be easy to lose your license.

I went to the 2004 749r because I have always thought these will be the classic R to have. Great looking bike, homologation model, big tank and all the kit as standard.

I'd say if you have the cash go for a 749r. Buy 2nd hand and let the initial owner pay the depreciation. Pay no more than £9k and be happy in the knowledge that you will get most if not all of your cash back when you sell in a few years time.

Bet your mates on the Jap bikes can't say that.

As for CSS, go for Rockingham, book a Travelodge at least 3 weeks in advance and stay for £10 mid week, £26 max. Depending if you are north or south Manchester I would have thought you could do Rockingham in 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

[Edited on 23-5-2006 by Carbon749]

Make sure he or she has a harley aswell:D:D

Go for the 999.
I was going to buy a 749s last year but thought it was too expensive for what it was so I bought a K5 Gixxer 600 instead. After I crashed it, revved the arse of it and did 3000 miles in three months (including a trip to France) on it, I realised I hated it and I'd broken my golden life rule: Never compromise.

I bought a new 05 999s in July and even though it was over twice the price of the Gixxer and significantly more expensive than the 749s, I absolutely love it. I also tried a used 2004 749r and I've got to be honest, I didn't like it all. The 999 has got so much pull and set up on the shortest setting (i'm 5"8), I find it really comfy. I found the 749r really uncomfortable (although the dealer (3X) didn't even bother setting it up), the bigger tank seemed to affect the position and the clutch/gear selection felt nowhere near as sweet as the 999.

i don't really have any trouble with the bigger tank, as i've got one on mine. Travelled round europe a bit with it last summer, never found it to get in the way. Actually think it was fortunate I had a bit more capacity, what with all the wrong turns :)

you could get almost everything as good or better by upgrading a 749S, but the engine in the 749R has a different bore and stroke. I had a 749R myself and there is something special about them

how long did you keep it?:lol:;)

As long as I could afford to :(

....and bought a new k5.........got to be similar money?:puzzled:

I have had a 999S and now a 749R and I much prefer the 749R. I have ridden a standard 749 and it feels no where near as taut and well balanced as the 'R', whether it is the ohlins suspension or whether the settings are different on the 'R' it feels like a completely different bike.
When out with the new 600s and 1000s I have no problem either keeping up or passing them on the twisties and I am not something special.
On a long straight the 1000s can come by but coming into corners then back out they cannot keep with the 'R'
I have spent a fortune on mine as have a lot of others and there is nothing I would swap mine for at the moment unless I got a xerox cheap or if someone offered me silly money for it !
I will see what the new model is going to be like next year but I for one do not need 1200cc especially so with all the speed cameras and new technology coming out so if they bring out a new 'R' I could be tempted.
Go for the 'R'

Awww.... don't feel bad about it.
She's having lots of fun :D

Great threads, just goes to show, everyone likes something different!

Hello,

Following on from this aged thread.. I'm having a similar issue, where I have 2003 749 bp & my pal has a 2010 ZX10R, obviously, he's bike is much quicker then mine, but I really need some tips on how to improve my ridding style to @ least try to keep up...

Any info on how far I should be revving to.... his bike is rev happy being a Jap, I just want to ensure I'm doing justice on my 749..

so in essence... when I've tried revving hard in 2nd/3rd gear, I get some interesting vibrations... is that the norm....

Any views would be great