Having had a proper RR for 3 years I couldn't cope with the cheap components they swapped out for the XR So chose the duke
There was a KTM SD GT at the Ducati roadshow at the Green Welly today. Rider was off somewhere, but his pillion was rating the back seat as a very fine place to be. Tick. As an aside, I rode the DVT, the Enduro, the Monster R and the xDiavel S today. Writeup to follow but the xD is quite extraordinary - I was hooting with laughter when I got off it and, if it had the forthcoming central footpeg kit, it would be on my list. And if they did the DVT with the xDiavel engine, I'd have my dosh down in a flash…
Sadly missed you today for a cuppa and natter but also took the XDiavel out and what a bit of kit!!! You'd need arms like Arnie if you owned one!!!! it handled surprising well at eh.... Oh yes 60mph!!!!! Took the full power scrambler flat track out had a hoot of a wee buzz!!!!!!!
Sorry to miss you - I had to clear off about 1245, after getting there just before 9! I didn't get time to try the Scrambler, but it looked fun and, yes, ownership of the XD would certainly lead to the evolution of much longer arms…
Agree with the point about the heated grips button Brakes508. It's in a really daft spot on top of the right hand control cluster. My short digits mean I have to take my hand of the throttle and press the button. Oh and false neutrals. Apart from that it's sweet.
Agree! Don't know who planned the ergonomics of that button can only be the Jolly Green Giant!! I find myself either taking my hand off the throttle or moving my left hand over to push the button neither of which is ideal but guess just a little quirky "ducatiism"
Interesting theory, I had a 2012 KTM RC8R, the later twin spark model with a completely revised engine. The mirrors were totally useless and if you went over any bumps they moved. It was a well known problem if not a serious one, just annoying. They were the same mirrors as on the original model from 2008 and people were still having to pull them apart and use various bodges to stick them in one fixed position, KTM obviously didn't give a toss or they would have modified them, they'd had 4 years to do it. I wont even go there about the bikes that would cut out for no reason and lock the back wheel up.............
Sadly with Ducati you are bound to be disappointed. No Ducati is really ok. The Multi DVT has fuelling issues and quality glitches. The XDiavel has a great engine but seating is funny. Enduro looks nice and rugged but rugged is not. Panigale is powerful, fast and expensive but R1M is faster in the track, s1000rr is faster and more powerful, and both are less expensive than the Pani. The XR was created to compete with the pre DVT multi wich was a menace, fast and furious. The DVT is not faster nor furious. But the XR is! It puts a pre DVT smile on your face after you spank it using dynamic mode. It is faster than any multi, any ktm, any adventure style hybrid. And it is cheaper and better made (not the perceived quality but the real quality). I feel that I have to apologise to myself for buying the multi DVT and find ways to justify my choice. Yeah it is prettier than the XR, it sounds better, it has character, led lights and a Ducati badge. So what if I can have a greater time riding the XR smoking any bike in a public road just for fun. Just thinking our loud
Coming fresh from riding four Ducatis yesterday and the MV last week (BMWs next week), I really don't care whether or not any bike is faster, slower or more bling than the opposition: on any point-to-point journey, the rider makes far more difference in keeping to a pace than the bike. What I do want is a bike that suits how I want to ride and delivers appropriate quality and reliability. For the last thirty years, Ducati has delivered the first of these for me, with insanely great core engineering and a reluctance to attend to the small things that make the complete package. Hence the Ducati-fettling industry that's grown up around the marque. And that's something I’ve always been prepared to put up with. Their problem now seems to be that they have increasing issues with some of their core engineering: right now it looks as though they really haven’t cracked the issues around Euro 4 compliance, with their current generation engines displaying markedly slack throttle response, a mid-range hole in delivery that’s a major backward step relative to their previous generation of machines and a level of over-gearing that does them no favours at all. Yesterday, I rode my ’10 1200S along the same route immediately after these test rides and the difference in throttle and engine response was startling. Although I’m laying much of the blame at Euro 4 and Ducati’s (in)ability to meet it, I also think that the Audification of Ducati, especially of the Multistrada, has a lot to answer for: they seem to have taken the approach of trying to widen the appeal of the Multi to the point where, in neutering much of the inherent character of a v-twin, they’ve created an engine that is neither fish nor fowl. Having now ridden multiple machines with DVT, I’m tempted to call “Emperor’s New Clothes” on it: I don’t actually think it does their machines any favours. The DVT in the xDiavel is a massive improvement relative to the Multistradas but it still doesn’t take it back to the pre-DVT, pre-Euro4 abilities of the smaller, simpler engines.
Absolutely couldn't agree more! When is a Ducati not a Ducati! When it's a DVT! To a lesser extent it started with the Twin spark!
I visited the KTM shop last week to check out the new GT. I was really surprised of what I saw! The whole bike looked like a damn toy, I mean I had just stepped off m DVT and was expecting to see some great bike. I watched around and realized that even the old 1190s look better. I don't think that the GT is meant to be any competitor of the DVT because it looks nothing like it and I would never would plan to a travel on that thing further than 100 miles because I can hardly fit my pyjamas and sleepers on those tiny side bags neither would be able to sit on that seat for longer. I am not sure about its market area because it is not a supersport bike neither an adventure bike, I'd say it looks more like a faster version of a Hypermotard. But if I'd want that I'd rather go for the Super Duke. Bottom line is that both BMW and KTM they have tried to put a foot to the market door that Ducati had created by starting the newer Multistrada concept in 2010. However instead of going through the 5 year development road they both chose to convert existing models to it by simple modifications and tempt the consumer with the increase of power. I am not attracted by those and I believe still that the DVT despite its minor flaws is a marvel of engineering something that both the XR and the GT are far from.
I had a 13 Plate MS 1200S and then got a DVT MS, and the DVT is not slow, but I agree it lacked something at the bottom mid range, that was until I stuck a Termi on my DVT, completely different bike, no holes anywhere, smooth at bottom, instant punch on a twist of throttle in any gear, give a little twist more and a 2nd kick in, get to 6k up and more surge, it is an extremely fast bike that does not seem as fast as my 13 plate, till you look at the speedo. You have to forgive Ducati that is is trying to win a far larger sluice of the market, that they needed to to survive, means you have to make a bike a little more middle of the road. As for Euro 4, will all makers now want to get bikes to the market as quick as possible to get this big market surge in bikes today, as with all makers teaks need making in the next gen to improve, I bet the next MS will be a bigger step up over the jump from the 1st gen to twin spark gen.
I really think I'll switch to an older KTM 990 SMT. No troubles or worries, just an excellent engine in an excellent chassis. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Well I went out on my S1000xr today, the one without the electronic suspension Guess what.....it was absolutely bloody marvelous. Ridiculously fast, handling far out stripped many a superbike I've owned and it was even comfortable. It even vibrated.....but I guess it would do whilst being pinned in 4th and surpassing @##mph Honestly, I can't see why there's a 5th and 6th gear Look, at the end of the day bikes are just bikes.....I buy different ones from different manufacturers and enjoy what they offer...... When you're at a certain level brand doesn't mean shit
I've heard a number of people say the same. I do have a slight problem though with shelling out £1800 above the cost of the bike, just to make it work properly. A better move would have been for Ducati to offer a (cough) 'track only' exhaust as a low cost option, enough that most owners would shell out for it without hesitation rather than screwing the great unwashed for a premium priced add-on.
Horses for courses and all that. My personal preference is for the lither forms of sports tourer, travelling (relatively) light and fast, hence my continuing fondness for my ST4s. My Multi is, by comparison, a bit of a blunt instrument. So for me the SD GT pushes a lot of buttons. Having seen one though, I'm not entirely whelmed by a deal of the finish (the welds on the rear subframe are awful) and it's so far proving impossible to find one to test ride. The SD GT is a fair size – I certainly wouldn't call it a small bike – and why would KTM try to compete with the DVT when it covers niches that partially overlap with the Multi? the 1290 SA comes at it from one direction and the SD GT from another. Which broadens choice for us, of which I heartily approve.
I had the 990 SMR and the throttle was spot on. Just had the rear wheel nut loosen right off on the multi. Felt the rear wobbling and had to return home pronto to torque it up. Luckily I'd only gone a mile. It was definitely torqued up when the wheel was changed as I watched the guy check the torque in his book before doing it. When I got home it was only the pin doing its job that had kept it on.
