Today (and for the next week), I will mostly be.... sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring whilst simultaneously reading up on all the info regarding the various bikes I want next. KTM still coming out on top so far, the XR forum makes me think I should wait for them to make a few changes first.
May as well have Gimlets....you know the history and its been well looked after and not had a great deal of use.... (ill take my cut by paypal @Gimlet)
What with the protection I have had from BlackHorse, I think i'll continue to pay the little extra and finance my bikes on HP. Don't think Gimlet arranges HP. I'm looking for a 2013 (or late 2012), ideally with full luggage and exhausts. I'll then set about fitting new air filters and getting it dyno'd etc... Turn it into a bit of a hooligan (they already are anyway).
The only thing I would say about the SMT for JH he's going to be taking Mrs JH on the back is that its not my idea of a perfect two-up bike. It'll do it of course but the pillion accommodation isn't that roomy. You can adjust the suspension (mine has had a rear shock pre-load adjuster fitted) but its still a chore and not in the same push-button adjustment league as the big true adventure bikes, and its real calling in life is a light, taut, agile and somewhat shouty general purpose bike for a solo rider, a nimble back road blatter, and a light tourer. If that fits the bill then they're ideal. Edit: mine has a set of new (used once) Trax 37L hard panniers and the frames (but not the top box) and a deeply sexy Zen Overland rear carry plate which allows a large soft tail pack to be fitted without the risk of exhaust burn, and its had all the uncorking mods done. It has a stage III DNA airbox, SAS removed, Leo Vince decat cans and a custom remap from BSD Performance (bills and dyno printout included). New battery this spring. New taper roller headstock bearings last year, new front wheel bearings two weeks ago. Also Palmer screen which actually works, plus two original KTM screens. Comes as is with all original parts included but the Trax luggage would be extra. Rides sweet as a nut. But no, I don't arrange finance... Can't organise my own never mind anyone else's.
Of the 14k miles I did on the multi last year, i'd say she was only on the back for a max of 2k of those miles (if that). Mostly it was just me riding around with a few things thrown in the top box. I always ride to have fun and corners are my fun. I have had a 990 SMR before and had that with a top box but the fuel range was a bit shit. I think the SMT will be spot on for my style of riding. I never touched the suspension on the multi, it lived in sport mode. I also like shouty, so long as it'll pass a trackday
I'm not a fan of big tourers Gimlet but it looks well looked after...more of fan of the SMR myself...
Careful what you wish for! I think you should be heading towards a Yamaha dealer! Yamaha topped the ratings of reliable motorcycles, with just one in 10 bikes built between 2009 and 2012 requiring a repair over a four-year period. It was followed closely by Kawasaki and Honda. Most repairs concerned lights, instrumentation and switches (21%), followed by brakes (20%), electrical (16%) and fuel systems (15%). One in three BMWs had an issue, followed by Harley-Davidson motorcycles (25%). Japanese build most reliable motorcycles - Motorbike Writer Bizarrely, Harley and BMW owners are most likely to buy another. Gluttons for punishment (a bit like Ducati owners).
I loved my SMR, realistically i'd still have it if it hadn't been stolen. The tank range is really restrictive though because it is impossible to ride conservatively. I spent too long riding it like an SMT though (long journeys and with a top box) so I figure, why not just get the SMT.
Funny enough we were talking about this yesterday. Mechanic who worked on the multi engine said Yamaha are the only manufacturer he likes mechanically. He said he's known them to accept tons of out of warranty claims and are very fair with everything.
Is it just the 2013 models that have this standard or do the 2012's? Looking at the pics of some advertised, I can't make it out.
Not really. A long run say to Germany could burn enough oil That, if the circumstances were right and Venus lined up with Mars, could cause a blow up And any drop really needs a full engine strip and refresh. Even if off the stand.
Haven't tried it at the track so can't comment on the noise test. It is pretty rorty though, especially with that airbox. I started with a foam Rottweiler box but the DNA breathes just as well if not better and its not quite as loud and harsh. Leo Vince cans are some of the fruitiest even with the baffles in so worst case it might mean a pair of second hand track cans. As long as they're cat-less and straight-throughs I can't see it altering the fuelling enough to worry about.
Not sure. I have a feeling its the 2013 bike only but don't quote me. You'd have to check with a KTM dealer. If its the same item as the one from the accessories catalogue which I fitted to mine, its still fairly primitive by current standards. It makes adjustment possible - which it absolutely wasn't before by way of a C spanner. But the adjuster travels up and down on a very fine thread and you've only got a 10 mm nut to turn it with using a T bar and it takes an awful lot of turns on that little nut to get one mm of preload on the spring, so its still an arduous process. (When fitting the adjuster you need to use a battery drill to wind it on to the shock tube or you'll be there all day). Its great for doing a infrequent suspension set-ups and fine tuning at home but its not exactly a quick-adjust option for touring. When I loaded my luggage and measured the static sag I'd lost 20 mm so I made notes and started winding in preload to restore the bike's posture. After 50 stiff turns of the nut I'd only recovered 10 mm of sag so I thought sod it and left it at that. A half way compromise for both laden and unladen riding, which to be honest worked very well.
I had akras on the SMR and I used to set off next door's car alarm when I set off of a morning. The fella was a biker too so would just lean out the window and give me a nod and a wave.
Just got off the phone with BlackHorse. They have stated that the failure has deemed to be one of a manufacturing fault. They will be calling me later today to explain in more detail and give a solution. I’m shaking with relief! The assessor has recommended a full engine rebuild but I know they will price that up and deem it not worth it.
Really its not whether bikes go wrong that bothers me (within reason.. ) but how they are dealt with. Ducati its seems to me have a reputation for quibbling and wriggling. Yamaha, apparently do not and that makes all the difference. KTM I have to say, do not either. They are rather bureaucratic - zer are procedures.. but they there's no back-chat or equivocation, not in my experience anyway. Both the KTM dealers I've dealt with, AMS where I bought my 1290 and Crescent the local one, have been excellent giving swift service at sensible prices.
One thing I don't get about the Austrian firm of KTM is how the got away with White Power suspension! :flushed: Does the boardroom look like the kids bedroom in American History X?
