Looking for a new bike this year which will be used as my go everywhere bike and hopefully some track days. Initially I been looking at new rs660 which I think is a nice little bike. Looking at rs660 I found that 959 with lowish miles are quite a lot less money. A new rs660 is here in sweden around 12500 pounds while a 959 with about 15 000 km is around 9500 pounds. Since the aprilia would be new I would expect less problems but needs more mods to get to were I want it. A used 959 have pretty much everything right away. So how is the reability of the 959? Any common problems or major issues? Or should I just buy new and have a more carefree life? Also I wonder how difficult is the desmo service to do? See that most people just leave it to the dealership and I find very little info other than the workshop manual. I did it on my 1098 which I did not find very difficult only time consuming.
I've owned both (and done track days on both), the RS660 is a great little bike, but apart from comfort and riding position, the 959 is in a different league, much more refined and lots more power. I cant advise on how hard the desmo service would be, but I'd definitely go and ride both before deciding. I got bored of the RS660 very quickly, the 959 is one of the few bikes I regret selling.
Thanks alot Psenior1 for the response. Will take both for a test ride. Being bored of the rs660 is what I'm a little afraid off. Coming for the 1098 and other faster bikes, I'm afraid the 105 HP on a sport bike will feel to slow even with mods. For a few years ago I had a cbr 600rr. It has about 120 HP and very flickable. I was hoping the rs660 would be something similar after mods but with more style. Did you have any problems with your 959?
My 959 was perfect, never had any issues, I think I did around 10k miles on it in total. Apart from servicing, the only other thing I can remember was the fork seals needed replacing. The RS660 makes a great sound, but it will feel very pedestrian compared to a 1098!
Why would the 899 be the one to go for other than the low slung exhaust? The 899 cost the same as 959 here but comes up for sale more rarely. I could go with either but I think newer is better age wise anyhow. Less stuff being broken just from being old. Sounds good Psenior1. Just regular stuff. From my Google searches there seems to be no major issues.
Had both and the 899 is more fun to ride with your mates at the weekend, feels more like a super sport than the 959 imho. Fine lines though.
Supersport in this case you mean the 899 is more relaxed and better for street riding? 959 is more track oriented? For comparison I think my 1098 is a great street bike. Very relaxing if you don't go full throttle.
Let’s face it the 675 is the greatest sports bike for the road for smiles per miles ever. How you can mod it relatively cheaply to ride it and sound sensational too. Such a shame they haven’t made the765 any less boring to look at and expensive to buy since they released it too.
Wait now, red899, are you on about the Daytona now? This does not help me understand the difference between 899 and 959
