I can't tell whether you'll be happy or not, but I can assure you you will not reach either bike's limit on the road anytime soon. After a ... ahem ... spirited ride, you will be thinking you could've gone much faster still. And yet be way past unreasonable speeds for the street.

Don't get me wrong, the 1098 will still have more grunt and all, but you won't necessarily be going faster.
One thing is for sure, on the 1098 you will always have a second thought "oh wait, is this really a good idea?" before opening it. Not so on the 848.

And yeah, I just went with inspection in person. Some guys claimed their bikes were babied, but you look it over and maintenance intervals were skipped. One bike in particular was crazy. 2500 miles, owner claimed it was top notch. Turned out the rear tire was worn to the cord in the middle, and yet still had all the new nibblets on the sides, only one oil change in 3 years, no other maintenance had ever been done, chain wasn't tight. It looked mint cosmetically, but was a potential mechanical a disaster. I imagine the guy rode it from his garage to the local ice cream shop ... can't be sure he ever let it warm up properly before flogging it. Arbitrary/Safe decision, I passed.

On the other hand, when I inquired about what was to become my bike, the guy was a bit uneasy "errr, yeah you're gonna have to give me a couple days heads up, because right now it is stored for the winter, I've replaced the coolant, changed the oil, it's up on stands, the battery is in the basement on a trickle charger ...". That's exactly the stuff I do, and I knew right away he knew how to take care of it.
Despite this I had 2 minor issues with the temperature sensor (had to replace it) and steering nut (needed re-torquing).
Those are things you wouldn't have to worry with a new bike.

Honestly, if you're not going to do the work or maintenance yourself, a new biek with warranty is a great idea.

 

848 I just was that close, went with 746 Monster instead.

 

What kind of limp-wristed coffee shop poser 996 owner said that?

 

Probably a limp-wristed coffee shop poser.