Hi guys,

I looking at buying a 1290R next month.

Just wondering what people's thoughts were on buying new vs. used?

New they are £14k.

Used they are around £12k for a year or two old model in mint condition and low mileage.

Is it really worth the extra two grand to be the first owner?

My opinion is you let the first owner take the value, tax, license fees etc. hit first. Also, most have added pricey exhaust and other tasty mods that you won't have to. Not to mention first service, warranty issues will hopefully have been sorted as well. This is what I am going to do for 2016, pick up a low mileage 2014 (late build) or 2015.

Unless of course you really need that new seat smell

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too, it would be nice to be the first owner but not at that cost!

If I'd had the choice I would have gone second hand. OK so you'll never really know how it was run in or treated; but any initial gremlins should have been sorted and you might get some bling bits for a lot cheaper than it would cost to add to a stock new bike.

Plus you're skipping a couple of grand in depreciation right off the bat! If you pay 14k for a new one it's worth 12k as soon as you ride it away...

My bike is second hand 2014. 1 owner 1900 miles on the clock when I bought it, had some cosmetic extras, paid 11500 for it...but i have been back and forth to ktm for a warped brake disc (which they said is within tolerance so didn't change it) still have the wobbly back wheel (just waiting on ktm for measurement to be taken before solved - already had rear hub changed) and the triple clamp wasn't torqued properly so knocks over large bumps at slow speeds (yet to talk to dealer about that) however saying that it is one of the best bikes I have ridden and I have had a variety to choose from! If I had the choice would I buy again....probably yeah...I would obviously haggle more over the price as I would have known what to look for but it puts a smile on my face and gets plenty of looks! Just go in to a dealer with your eyes open....


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My personal opinion - buy mint condition bike with as many extras as possible. For some reason people don't like to buy non-standard bikes. Personally I do not understand this, as extras cost a lot of money and buying those bits on the bike (exhaust, crash pads, tail tidy, indicators, CF parts itc) you can save a lot.
I had new bikes in the past, but more recently I rather to buy used with extras - as it is, in very good condition. This is how I purchased my 990SDR and it was worth every penny. For about £1k more I had nearly £3.5k worth (if buy new) extras on the bike.
I didn't even ask for lower price, I paid what he asked for when I view the bike

well, no one in Arizona wants a used 2014 with only 1900 miles on it, showroom condition, added some heated grips and tail tidy, that is all the extras I've put into it, had the bike for sale off and on for over a month and had one phone call about it asking if my 5k less than what I paid was a "firm" price. Mine also comes with an extended 4 year warranty good until 2019, did I mention that I had 1 phone call? My OTD price was almost 20K, was asking 14999, no tax, no nothing, no interest. I'm not desperate to sell, so I'll just keep riding it Last time I checked 5K was still a good chunk of change.