What do you get for your money?
Nothing fancy - or at least, nothing much. The electronic steering damper was big news in 2007, but since you couldn’t actually see it (it’s hidden under the yokes) and it’s extremely unobtrusive in action, most people probably don’t realise it’s there... So, for the rest of it, this is just a perfectly normal motorbike - albeit a very highly developed one. The fully adjustable suspension and radial brakes were lifted wholesale from the 2006 model, which was no bad thing. The chassis and engine were pretty much all new, and so was the bodywork, though it was recognisably a development of the old model rather than a clean-sheet revamp.
No rider aids, switchable maps or complicated electronics. The 2007/8 model didn’t even have an ABS option though when that did arrive, it was the excellent computer-controlled C-ABS that automatically altered the balance between front and rear braking as well as cutting-in right on the edge of tyre grip. Where older ABS systems came in way too early for hard racetrack use, this was good enough to be used as a guide to absolute brake capability, rather than a limiting factor in itself.
Apart from the optional ABS, differences between 2007/8 and 2009 versions aren’t really big enough to write home about certainly not enough to make it worth paying a premium for a later bike if an earlier one is in the same condition and with the same mileage for less wedge. 2013 does mark more of a change though - ABS comes as standard but it’s the suspension that stands out - the Showa Big Piston Forks are a nice bit of kit.