i've recently swapped in my 1100s hyp for the tuono aprc (v4 tc,wheelie, launch etc) i loved the grunt of the hyper but the tuono is a treat to ride, lots of settings to try, and generally keeps you below the 100s ,they will go quite fast if you can hang on. not the prettiest but i have the 916 shape bike as-well. so have a test ride, plenty in the shops to choose from...
He had s 996 too, and took his tuono to portimao Oct, just run in, and saw 160 plus on it with revs to go. Said amazing, if not hard to hold on, on track
Agree with that. I test rode one before I bought the Streetfighter. I had a Speed Triple at the time. The standout features of the BM were the suspension and the fabulous brakes, even though, for me the ride height felt wrong being too low at the back. Its a superbly competent bike but somewhat clinical. I loved the Speed but I wanted another naked with a bit more go. The BM had it but in the wrong place. It might be grunty for a four pot and its certainly got more lower down than the SR100RR but the midrange felt weedy next to the Triumph and non-existent compared to the Streetfighter. The Triumph was one of the easiest bikes to go fast on I've ever ridden. I understand why they're so popular. But I found the lack of top-end to compliment the bulging midrange a frustration. The S1000R is the other way round. The SF has both and for me its the perfect naked. I wouldn't swap it for an S1000R because regardless of numbers, through the seat of the pants its simply a more exciting bike to ride. If you want hooligan look no further.
No, i can't see a Scrambler coming my way. I like them but they look far too civilised for me and I think I'd get bored pretty quick. I took a new Monster 1200S out at Silverstone and was happily ragging that to within an inch of it's life so that's kind of my benchmark for fun at the moment. I'd love to have one, but wouldn't mind something a little more wild.
Earlier this year I decided to move on from my 2010 1098SF (which I did love) and rode the S1000R (too clinical, no character), Super Duke R (didn't like the fit and finish but a close second) and the Tuono V4R. Ended up buying a new Tuono, its a great bike, has plenty of hooligan for me (turn off anti-wheelie). EDIT - Should add that Aprilia/Piagio UK dealer network, parts availability, after-sales and customer support is a joke! I doubt I'll buy another Aprilia, which is a shame as the bikes are superb. I got a test on a Monster 1200S from my dealer. I was hoping it was going to be an honest replacement for the 1098SF since they binned that model but was really unimpressed. The M1200S is certainly not wild and miles from a hooligan. I found it dull and soft. Ducati do have a real super-naked shaped gap in their range.
Must admit, that's what ruled out the Tuono for me. Maybe less of an issue if its an occasional toy rather than an only bike? Well, that and comfort, but I guess you can do something about that if your really smitten.
A wise man. To add some balance I could add that I've only had one issue; the cowl plastics where they join the air intake was misaligned. Took the dealer (who's no longer a dealer, also fed up with Piaggio) and Aprilia months to sort out. The initial replacements were scratched and damaged, second came with no decals, third were fitted incorrectly... Joke. The Tuono is a great bike with flawed parents. Having said that I'll chuck it in without a second thought if Ducati man up and release a modern SF/super-naked!
I dont think I ever would have gone for anything else but the dealer network was what put me off the RSV4 when I was buying the Panigale. I think Ducati have got a really good balance at the moment as they are still exotic but big enough that they have a good dealer network to support.
Not to hijack this thread but I fear Ducati may be going down the high volume sales/life-style marketing machine path. Their current range is stuffed with safe bets that lack that old sparkle. For me anyway.
With all this in mind NF, why did you get rid of the Streetfighter? Edit: I think you're right about Ducati management. I think you'll have a long wait for another mad naked like the SF. If they do one they'll snip its balls like KTM have with the 1290SDR. By the way, a 1290 with Akros is nice but is doesn't sound a patch on a SF with Termis. :Happy:
I had the streetfighter for a good few years and wanted something shiny and new. Mine was a standard, non-S model and I fancied something a touch more modern. I'm a sucker for super nakeds with silly power and unusable performance so decided the Tuono was just the ticket. I do miss the SF. Mine had lots of tasteful mods including Termis and loved it. Perhaps I should have hung onto it though...
Fair enough. I went the other way, from a virtually brand new Triumph to a four year old SF. It was a bit of a wrench to sacrifice the sparkly newness but I wanted performance, and a particular type of performance. Mine is also the standard model and I love the fact it doesn't have any fancy electronics. Its just a big ballsy engine with a wheel at each end and somewhere to sit. They'll never make em like that again. To be honest I only realised it was an absolute keeper when I had it custom mapped at CJS. Its a different bike after that. So much so that I'm taking it back this winter for full blueprinting, head skimming, cam dialling and another remap. Its got 150 bhp at the back wheel now and Rich Lewellyn is confident the above work will release at least another 10% (as well as smoothness, reliability and effectively a brand new engine). I've no plans to go any further than that. That'll put it in 1290 SDR territory, at least in HP and snapping at its heals in torque which is plenty for a naked road bike. By then the bike will have cost me about £11,500 all told. I'd be fascinated to see it put through a group test against new super-nakeds to see how it compares.
I never got into that with mine. The rank fuelling below 3k was something I got used to; all the Ducati's I've ever had suffered the same. Character ;-) End of the day I can relate to what you say, the 1098SF was the last honest super-naked Ducati produced and it saddens me that it probably will remain so as the company moves deeper into the lifestyle bike markets.
Trouble with BMW is that they do bland mediocre design to a greater extent than some would say the japanese do. I'm no fan of the mutley but I'd have that over the bmw any day of the week. I was briefly tempted by an s1000rr as mate had one, but when you get tired of the speed and start to look at the fit and quality of the parts its a bit placcy. I'd sooner have the K5 Gix that inspired it. If ever bland soulless efficiency could be attributed to a bike, its this one. I know I like jap bikes but I think they have more soul than these. It will be duller than a John Major lookalike competition and will only increase sales of hi-viz bibs and derry boots.
I placed the K5 GSX-R in the game changer category much like the original fireblade and R1. They changed the rules and added +1 to everything that had come before. But do they have soul? That's an interested diversion. Soul, and its dirty friend character, are impossible to quantify of course. Getting back to the super-nakeds here, for me the S1000R doesn't have any. The KTM SDR does (the ride, attitude). The Tuono does (the engine). The Monster 1200 also has character but no edge or sparkle.
Soul and character come from flaws and imperfections. Hence Ducati, MV, Harley have them. Jap bikes rarely do...as do German bikes
