Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > 999 / 749 > What year 749s

[veetwinducati]

I bought my minter bike last April when it was about 13 months old according to the service book. How can I tell if it is actually a 2003 or 2004 spec bike? Can I find this from the frame/ engine code or is it easier to identify different equipment fitted to it? If it helps it has Showa suspension?

Many thx.

[KeefyB]

'04 bike should have a tinted running light in the screen and no light switch.

[veetwinducati]

Keefy..I think you have saved my life again! Definitely no light switch. Also has steering damper? Not sure if the 2003 had one or not? OOOh so that means I hot the gift of an extra 7bhp does it not?:P

[Twinfan]

I think they both had steering dampers. If you've got no light switch then it's an '04. And yes, you will have extra bhp, but it's that much of a difference (or so I'm told).

[Carbon749]

749s always came with steering damper, the give a way is the lack of light switch. 2004 bike for sure ..... unless it's a 2003 bike that has been binned and fixed with newer parts

[KeefyB]

Originally posted by veetwinducati
Keefy..I think you have saved my life again! Definitely no light switch. Also has steering damper? Not sure if the 2003 had one or not? OOOh so that means I hot the gift of an extra 7bhp does it not?:P

Yep,you have another claimed 7bhp.I think the 749 Dark was the only bike not to have the steering damper.

[misterpink]

there was a year where they changed the way they quoted horsepower figures - could it be the 03/04. 7 hp is a lot ??? and well worth it if it is true

[Twinfan]

The engine spec certainly changed for the S in 2004. When compared to the same year base model and dark there is around 7bhp quoted difference.

[Carbon749]

Originally posted by Twinfan
The engine spec certainly changed for the S in 2004. When compared to the same year base model and dark there is around 7bhp quoted difference.

Regardless of year, I always thought the "S" made more power than the base models.

[ricco749s]

nobody responded to the question so...a bit late but...'03 749s same engine/bhp as standard 749bip, but superior suspension etc. This didn't impress the buying public (except the original owner of my 03's', so Ducati introduced engine mods/increased bhp to 04 749s', leaving the standard bip's engine same as previous year's 749s/749bip.

HOWEVER, as already referred to in this thread, for '04, Ducati introduced revised method of measuring engine power to match, so they said, the way the Japanese manufacturer's did their's...much artistic licence, in other words..so an increase as much as the quoted +7bhp for 04 model in my view to be treated with some suspicion. Likewise, with the increased bhp's that came right across full model range for '04.

Perhaps just a shrewd way of keeping things going until they could introduce all the serious mods made to the entire 749/999 range for '05, all first seen (or certainly a good number) on the '04 999r, hence the enraged 04r owners when they saw their £20,000 bikes virtually recreated in the '05 999s for £6,000 less....

The overview is perhaps that its better for Ducati to upset a few of its punters and survive rather than having a conscience and going bust... and buy an 04 999r for 's' money...