Is the "R" worth it

I'm obviously going to say yes! buying all the goodies separate would be a hell of a lot more than £800. i bought my 2014 "R" just over a year ago and it was less than your budget..and that was from a dealer..mind you that was in February when they are open to offers

 

"If you have to ask, you can't afford it.........................."

 

i think the R will probably hold it's value better, although you might not notice the difference in handling unless your pushing it, there will always be that "what if" in the back of your mind if you got the standard one..you could always pick up a 2nd hand exhaust cheap for any R that only has the factory exhaust..or you could get the standard and upgrade things over time..decisions decisions

 

pretty sure they will be up for a cheeky offer..just don't look too excited about the bike!! I'm sure you will love whatever one you go for

 

If you rely enjoy riding that bit faster in the twisty's then the R with Ohlins and Super Corsa's is worth every extra penny. If you are not that bothered then the standard bike is excellent.

 

When I bought my 2014 ST with 1400 miles the dealer tried to get me to go for an R they had - 2013 with 12k miles for £200 more saying "they tend to hold their value much better than the standard model".
They still had it 2 month after I bought mine and had to reduce it £500.
TBH, if the standard suspension isn't good enough for you on the road, you probably need to go racing!!

 

Ohlins do look nice mind ..........

 

I had a 2012 ABS that I put 12k on and loved it to bits, time came to move her on and I tested a few other bikes and came to the conclusion the speedy was just about perfect for me, I'm a 17ish stone London rider. So after much deliberation I bought my second speedy, this time a 14 plate R with ABS and the Pvm wheel option, I've had the bike a bit over two years now and it has 18k on the clock. All in all both bikes are great bikes and I'm sure you wouldn't be disappointed with the with the non R but the R is a better bike in most ways and the most surprising thing is, for my weight I find it much more comfortable she just soaks everything up in her stride.
There is one drawback though and it is a big one......I feel now it's time for a change as I've had her a while now so tested most of the new super-nakeds including the new speedy and the s1000r and none have taken my fancy, so much so I'm now contemplating chopping it for another R with low miles....

 

Without a shadow of a doubt....the front end inspires more confidence, the brakes have a bit better feel (the old brakes were very good too), it turns in a bit easier and as I said the ride is better (that might be due to my weight somewhat)
It's no quicker though. I tested the 2016 as soon as they came out and didn't find it any better to any great degree, needs a few more HP I recon

 

I have a 2016 R and very happy with it, but I only weigh 11 stone and find that if the road is really bumpy I get thrown out of the seat a bit. I am looking to have the suspension setup to suit my weight next month to hopefully stop this happening.

 

Is there any chance you could get to ride one or two, to help with the decision ?

 

With the range of adjustment they have you should be able to add some spring preload as this will help with the forks and rear shock, i would try the standard bike settings first and if you find it a bit soft front or rear just ask the dealer to add some preload so you can compare it before you even think of changing things. Once you are happy with the initial spring rate you can then play with the bump and rebound. At 13 1/2 stone i have wound of a little preload on the front and dropped the forks through the yokes 5mm, wound the comp of 2 clicks front n rear and i might even go softer yet.

 

That won't be the case, I'm a fair bit heavier than you, I'm four turns out from fully soft on the preload at the front and don't use up all the travel (zip tie on stanchion) and I regularly get to the edge of the tire on Metzeler Racetec RRs