Test Rode a KTM Super Duke (*UPDATED*)

[R Doug]

*  EDIT: review added below in thread... « Reply #19 on: June 08, 2007, 12:43:15 pm » *

*  EDIT: purchase update added below in thread... « Reply #21 on: Today at 09:10:12 pm » *


A dealer was kind enough to lend me a brand new Super Duke for a little test ride today.  It was only a 13 mile test, but it was more than enough to make me want to leave the 675 behind and depart for home on the S Duke.  

The roads I was able to travel on consisted of...  1 mile of city traffic, 1 mile of 4 lane type road, and the rest country road twisties.  

If I could only have one word to describe the bike, it would be FUN.

If I were allowed five words, they would be as follows:  (giggle in your helmet) Fun, Torque, Comfortable, Confident, and (a little) Pricey.  

Whenever I'm done owning my super sport (the 675), I'm really thinking of replacing it with a hooligan naked sport bike.  On paper, it's narrowed down to the Super Duke, Speed Triple, Brutale, Monster, and Lightning.  As I get to test ride the others over the next couple of years, they are going to have to do a lot to impress me after riding this today.

BTW, the thing is much better looking in person than in pictures.  It looks best in black.

[Mookie]

Cool.  I really want the black one with the orange frame.  It makes me  

[garry]

Don't forget to add the Aprilia Tuono to your short list Doug. And maybe the Duc Monster S4Rs.

Lots of overlap (aside from luggage) with the FZ-1 though, no?

[RideWV]

There should be a poll for how long it takes Doug to buy that bike?

James

[kendenton]

You Lucky Fook!

[garry]

Add the Hyper Motard too. Check out the pic in the Ducati forum of Reuben Xaus on the HM with a knee down, leaving a darkie and waving to the camera...

[R Doug]

Don't forget to add the Aprilia Tuono to your short list Doug. And maybe the Duc Monster S4Rs.

Lots of overlap (aside from luggage) with the FZ-1 though, no?

I listed the Monster above and the S4Rs would be the only one I would consider.  But the Tuono , oh yea... I'll have to add that too!

I really don't see the FZ in the Hooligan class of sportbikes.  It's too big.  But, that's exactly why it's working out to be an excellent touring bike for me (w/ the luggage of course).

There should be a poll for how long it takes Doug to buy that bike?

James

 

Add the Hyper Motard too. Check out the pic in the Ducati forum of Reuben Xaus on the HM with a knee down, leaving a darkie and waving to the camera...

Yea, I remember drooling on it at the bike show this year too.  So many choices.  Lucky for me I don't have to worry about making any now because I know Sheri would kill me.  

Edit to add...

Wow, what is Reuben ... 6 foot +??? There's no way I'd be able to drag my knee on that thing.  Mad Skilz...

[RideWV]

Ducati Hypermotard is pretty sweet.  That one might be able to sway me.

I love the Tuono but the other two bikes have a pared down minimalist look that gets my attention.  Like there's nothing more to remove and still have a functioning bike.

James

[AV8OR]

What dealer was that Doug? Nice ride!!!   Test ride a Tuono man.....I dont think you will have a prob deciding!!

[R Doug]

We need to go over to Oakland together and drool over the bikes at the Aprilia shop.  

[AV8OR]

Im game for that anytime!! What dealer let you ride the katoom?

[R Doug]

Believe it or not, it was our local dealer!  But, they begged me not to tell anyone.  So, you might be able to ask for a test ride.  Just don't let them know I told you, I don't want to ruin any future test rides.  

[AV8OR]

Im sure they let you ride it because you bought the Yammer there (you did right?)...maybe Ill go see what they can do! Dont anyone buy this katoom!!!  hahaa

[R Doug]

You're right.  It's most likely a combination of that and the fact I've purchased over $3,000 worth of parts, gear, and tires from them over the past few years and had my track bike worked on a good bit in their service department.  

They're like a vacuum hooked directly to my wallet.  

[AV8OR]

Looks like the owner wants it so its not there. Bummer....whats gonna happen with the 675?

[R Doug]

I think the owner or Matt has been riding it home.  

The 675 is safe, I still owe nearly 12 months of payments on the FZ.  So, I'm unable to make any moves right now w/o it costing me more than it should.  Meaning, I would have to make it up to the wife if you know what I mean.

[AV8OR]

 Meaning, I would have to make it up to the wife if you know what I mean.

Dont get me started....I have no bike right now...remember

[FlowBee]

My local dealer has a SD990 demonstrator.     You just need to have a decent dealer.

[miles]

Cool.  I really want the black one with the orange frame.  It makes me  

Sorry.  The R spec bike isn't available in the US.

[R Doug]

Quick bike review...

I’ve  put this off for far too long.  When I posted the initial report w/ pictures above, my intent was to let my thoughts on the bike sink in for a day and come back and post them here.

As the days went by, I thought about how silly it would be to post up this late.  But, I got over that.  

So, FWIW, here are my thoughts on the Super Duke…

I’ll start by saying I obviously love this bike.  To me, it would be the perfect bike for, commuting, short-rides, day-long trips, and maybe even a weekend trip w/ a tank and tail bag.  

The ride quality was excellent, it not only handles very well, but the suspension isn’t so hard that it makes you feel like you’re on a sport bike.  The engine is to die for, it appears that no matter what RPM / gear you were at, you could roll on the throttle and go.  Also, the engine is very rev happy.  It revs much quicker than say an SV650 and even a tad bit quicker than my old Duc ST3.  During the test ride, I hit the rev limited twice on the Super Duke without trying.  This may be due to the fact I’ve become so accustomed to riding my FZ and 675 Daytona (where I like and need to keep them above 5k).  Now, I’m sure with more seat time on it, that would stop as I once again adjusted my riding to a large sporty twin.  

The style, fit, and finish on the bike is very good.  The look of the bike appears to divide people into loving it or hating it.  I think it’s a work of art. The bike has so many little details, you pick up something new every time you look at it.  And, the lines are clean.  The components of the bike are high quality.  I’m not a fan of the plastic tank, but it’s a higher quality plastic than on something like a Buell.  Also, on the note of quality, the parts KTM chose to put on it are top notch.  For example, it has 4-piston monoblock brembo front calipers, and it uses a hydraulic clutch.

The ergos are what I found most appealing.  I’m 5’8” and could touch flat footed (w/ a little effort) and the peg to seat and set to bars were excellent for me.  The bars aren’t was wide as my FZ which makes for a more comfortable long-day experience.  However, I was not a big fan of the gauge cluster.  It was laid out OK, but the KTM orange all over the place made it look a tad busy.  Plus, when you’re wearing a full-faced helmet, it takes some effort to see the speedo and tachometer.  On most bikes, I can move my eyes down to check my speed, but on this bike, I had to move my head down to get the chin of my helmet out of the way.  With that said, I did like the effect of seeing nothing but the road in front of me.  There is something to be said for that.  Most of the ride, I didn’t even see the bars, it was just me and the road.  It was like being on a magic carpet or something (not that I’ve ever been on a magic carpet, but I’m sure that it what it’s like.    )

All in all, I’m absolutely in love with the bike.  The only other bikes I would consider in its hooligan class would be the Duc Monster, the Speed Triple, the Buell Lightning, and the Aprilia Tuono.  

I know, I have an FZ1, isn’t that a hooligan bike?  I don’t think so.  To me, the FZ1 has too long of a wheel base to be a true street-fighter hooligan bike.  I really like my FZ as a different type of touring bike (the way it’s set up).  All of these other bikes are much more fun to ride at a sporty pace than the FZ.  

The only things really holding me back from getting a Super Duke right now are as follows:

(1) Versatility:  The Super Duke is a lot of fun, but so isn’t my sport bike.  There's a bit of give and take here.  The Duke would be more comfortable, but a nice sport bike would be better for track days (IMHO).  A true sport bike has better ground clearance and I just like clip-ons much better than dirt bike bars on the track.  And because part of my motorcycling hobby revolves around track days, it’s important to me.  Maybe someday it won’t be as important.  

Also, the Duke isn’t a long-distance bike you can do extend tours with and it isn’t easily converted to one.  There are very few luggage options for the Duke.  It would have been nearly impossible for me, for example, to take something like the Duke on my 5-day ESTN trip this year.  But, it would be perfect for a nice weekend trip to Mid-Ohio for the Vintage Days.  Besides, who buys a hooligan bike thinking they're going to tour on it (madjack!?)  

(2) The Price:  It ain’t cheap.  But, neither are the Monster (S4Rs) and the Tuono Factory.  They’re in the same price range.  A $14,000 price tag for something that’s not very versatile is a consideration.  

The bottom line, for me, is…

If I didn’t like my Daytona 675 so much as a fun day and weekend bike plus a track toy, I would trade it in on the Super Duke right now.  The true test for me will be when it comes to replace my 675.  Will I want another super sport?  Will I want a super bike?  Or, will I want to get a street-fighter?  Street-fighter hooligan bikes really appeal to me.  But, so do track days and I believe a pure sport bike is better set up for such events.  

[garry]

I need to check one of these out. I'm drawn to that same group of naked hooligan bikes. The Ninja bike is great fun, but if it wasn't for the bike payment that would be required, it would be swapped out for a Tuono, SD, etc some time this season.

[R Doug]

Since my test ride of this bike back in May, I have NOT been able to get it out of my head.  Plus, I've been able to find (thanks to James) much better luggage options for this bike which would allow for longer trips!  

The Daytona sold last Saturday, I'm just waiting for the check to clear (and it should).  And, escrow money has been put on the FZ1 via escrow.com.  So, it's pretty much sold too.

So, I went to my local KTM dealer today, negotiated a heck of a deal on a demo bike, and put down deposit money.  Once the dust settles w/ the check on the Daytona and the transfer of the FZ1, I'm going to pick up the S. Duke and purchase the Ventura luggage system for it.  I can't wait until she's in my garage!!!  

I took some pictures of "my" bike today and changed my avatar.  Expect a full report upon completion of said transactions and after a nice ride on some of my favorite roads.  

[kendenton]

Congrats!!!!!

If our paths cross again I'll be beggin' for a ride!

[Rincewind]

   Gotta say I'm a bit jealous.  Looking forward to your report and pics.  

[Orson]

So, I went to my local KTM dealer today, negotiated a heck of a deal on a demo bike, and put down deposit money.

you suck!  

 

[Guy]

you suck!  

 

WTF! One of the original Guzzi fanatics jealous of a KTM? So it ain't so Joe! Careful Orson, from envy to ownership is a small step, that can lead to full blown renouncement of Guzziology  

[Corbeau]

Congrats to the brand new owner of a belle Autrichienne (i.e. a beautiful female Austrian)

[Mookie]

Nice one Doug.  I'm almost in exactly the same boat as you, trying to decide what I'm going to do with my immanently trackable 675 while lusting after a KTM.

[Orson]

WTF! One of the original Guzzi fanatics jealous of a KTM? So it ain't so Joe! Careful Orson, from envy to ownership is a small step, that can lead to full blown renouncement of Guzziology  

The Guzzi fanatic thang is just an act  

I'm actually a lover of all motorcycles...even lowly Royal Enfields  

Lately, I've been pondering getting a big thumper supermotard and the Super Duke seems an extension of that genre with an extra cylinder attached.

Being a v-twin doesn't hurt either