Best Supermoto?

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by northwind

That does make sense, but the Dorsoduro's been murdering the shiver in reviews so far...

fair dos - it just looks a bit odd to me, the front fender, seat, radiator shrouds and wavy discs say supermoto, but the cast wheels, trellis frame, exhaust back box and the daft extra mudguard on the front wheel all say road bike, like it doesn't know what it wants to be...

judging by the RSV / Tuono / SXV bikes, aprilia know how to make one, and i've no doubt the dorsoduro will go and handle great as the reviews say, but i can't help but think it's a bit of a cynical stab at trying to grab some people who want the status/image of a supermoto, but don't want the commitment of owning one, when in reality you get something that's trying to be something it's not*, and you can buy bikes that are way more supermoto without having to commit to doing oil changes at work because you have a long commute

*waits for the cries of "hypocrite" for putting full fairings on an SV to make it look like a sportsbike, in my defence they were free and i've been thinking of going to a belly pan

he Dorsoduro's as much a SM as the Duc Hypermotard and KTM 990 SM.... depends on how you would define it and its role. I think as a commuting bike/SM combination they are certainly more practical with better road handling manners and the ability to do the offroading bit if needed. I guess its like describing the GS and XTs as trail bikes.

[northwind]

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

I can't help but think it's a bit of a cynical stab at trying to grab some people who want the status/image of a supermoto, but don't want the commitment of owning one,

I think it's just a direct competitor for the hypermotard tbh. And the multistrada for that matter No different to a triumph tiger or something that pretends to be a dirt bike.

I still want to see them launch the 750 sport bike they've been muttering about, both of the 750s so far have been a bit of a niche effort I reckon.

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by northwind

I think it's just a direct competitor for the hypermotard tbh. And the multistrada for that matter No different to a triumph tiger or something that pretends to be a dirt bike

i'd have called the tiger a touring bike tbh, not sure if it's styled like a big trailie as much as the hypermotard / dorsoduro / 950/990SM are trying to style themselves like supermotos...

but yeah, the hypermotard isn't a proper supermoto either, not by a long shot, got about an inch of suspension travel and the seat is so wide you sit with your cheeks on it, rather than around it

I can't see myself buying a ktm/aprillia/husky, and then putting offroad tyres on and taking it through some mud. I'd cry whenever I dropped it.

A drz on the other hand...

[northwind]

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

i'd have called the tiger a touring bike tbh, not sure if it's styled like a big trailie

I was thinking of the old Tiger more than the new one to be fair, the new one's stepped a long way away from the fake-trailie thing.

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by northwind

I was thinking of the old Tiger more than the new one to be fair, the new one's stepped a long way away from the fake-trailie thing.

curse my youth, yeah the old one definitely looks more off-road

So any info from anyone on service intervals?

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Tim in Belgium

So any info from anyone on service intervals?

tim, i wrote a long winded reply but the forum blip seemed to cause it to disappear, i saved it on the computer at work and will post it tomorrow if nothing else comes up

basically there are three single cylinder engines in the KTMs:

Racing Four-Stroke (RFS) - 450/525/560 SMR/SX/MX/EXC

Pros: Light, powerful competition engine, very easy to work on, bikes weigh ~ 110kg
Cons: Oil changes ~300 miles or every trackday, Valve checks ~ 1000 miles

Old LC4 - 640SM/625SMC/660SMC/Duke II

Pros: Reliable engine, service intervals ~4000 miles
Cons: Heavy, older tech, vibrates like you wouldn't believe, bikes weigh ~ 150kg

New LC4 - 690SM/SMC/Duke III

Pros: More modern, powerful and refined than the old LC4, EFI, service intervals ~4000 miles
Cons: Still heavy, Need to buy a recent bike so more expensive, EFI (depending on how you look at it)

Cheers for that, the LC4 engine seems to have reasonable service intervals.