SuperDuke 990

Anyone got one of these?

I've seen a really good deal and although the ninja is very good I think i miss the rattly brokenness of a V-Twin.

dude, haven't you had the ninja for about 6 weeks?! I suppose someone's got to keep the economy going!

Haven't tried one but they do look tasty

I've had it four months and we have a sort of love/hate relationship.
On one hand,

It's very fast, comfy, sure footed, well braked and get it on the right road and it just makes you grin

But on the other hand
It's cramped in town, boring unless screaming, likely to get me points, the riding position requires total commitment and the SV felt like it had more character.

Perhaps i'm being over critical but I was out saturday gone and managed to rip some tendons in my shoulder while riding it. This resulted in me having to take me mates mt01 home as I couldn't ride my bike!! I found I quite liked sitting up for a change and grinned through the pain most of the way home. Previous to that the ninja had made me grin a few times (found the right roads) that day but it always feels so serious1

[the_lone_wolf]

www.ktmforum.co.uk has a section devoted to the SuperDuke

If you want a SS600 with some character then try a Daytona, can't help the riding position though

Thing is i always wanted a SS600. A bit like when you want a lamborghini countach as a child. Now I have one and it's amazing for everything fast/dangerous. Its just not much use for anything else. Wouldnt use it daily, it sucks for pillions even with a bar on the back and when the motor isn't on the boil a 1200 corsa pulls harder .

My last bike as a spotty youth was a KTM 250 2 smoke and it was completely nuts. Lots of power everywhere. I assume a superduke is just the road going ballistic equivalent!

I took a new one out last year (07 onwards), and it was fantastic.

It felt planted, handled exactly how I wanted and had plenty of low down torque and had a nice bit of power about 1/2 - 3/4way through the rev range up until the red line.

The engine felt very much like my triple engine, which was nice. Although it doesn't have a torque limiter/slipper clutch as standard so the back went sideways at the first roundabout I dropped 2 gears at.

It's a contender for the replacement of my speed triple when it finally gives up.

I ended up spending 2 hours on the test ride as I got lost somewhere in north London I had never been before, but riding the superduke just felt natural. I didn't have to think about peg location, leaver adjustment , gears, brakes, etc it just felt natural, I didn't have to adjust to it, if that makes sense? But then I come from riding a twins and triples and not IL4's.

Dan

The Superduke R is on my list of "Next Bike" along with the 950 SMR , I`m a couple of years off owning one though , they look Sick in White


And here is a Superduke R which is pant wettingly tasty

[Dave20046]

God that's sexy.
I take it they handle better than the humble sv?

They out-handle one with ease , I have seen these things ripping sportsbikes a new one in the twisties ....... WP upside downies and WP rear shock are good quality kit on those bikes , not the be all and end all but definately capable kit . Read quite a few reviews of these things and all the writers have a grin , in Supermoto magazine the reviewer ended up buying the demo bike off KTM

Main gripe is windblast over 120 (as if you are going to be doing that very often) and tank range as they are around the 17 litre mark , but most of us are used to that range anyway

Somebody (a German feller) does a screen for it which is about 6" high and is shaped really well to follow the angles of the bike and that does a reasonable job in deflecting a bit of wind off the chest for shorter riders , but at 6ft 2 tall it would get deflected into my lid a bit

[Dave20046]

Do I dare ask the price?