Hey all! So, there comes a time in every man's life when he decides to upgrade. Of course with family commitments and all three is only a specific budget and such. I'm looking for some advise, as some of you may know, I've had a ducati 900SS for about a year now, i've done some mods; Power commander, straight through remus pipes, open K&N airfilter box... totaled out to about 82hp. Really love the bike. I have a budget of about £4,000. Looking to get something with a bit more power, more fun, and prettier I've spent hours and hours of autorader browsing, hours of MCN reviews, and in the end it has narrowed it down to 3 bikes. I was curious if you could advise me a bit? I know this may be a bit biast as it's a ducati forum .. and that's fine. here goes: 2005 Ducati 999 (red or yellow) 2005 Aprilia RSV 1000 and here is an odd one 2008 Buell 1125R I've read endless reviews, here are my opinions: Ducati - pretty and sporty one (my preference I think thus far) Aprilia - dont know a lot about, but looks nice, good reviews, same BHP as ducati same price Buell - didn't think about this one till saw it online, VERY cheap prices, newer year, apparently great torque, very linear BHP graphs, some dont like the looks, some complain about it being american. just FYI, using the bike for pleasure riding, but will commute with it as well, about 5 miles (very close). What do you think?
HAHA, I knew there would be one... So I never thought of Buell at all. Never mind buying one, but from reviews it looks like a good bike, the engine was made in Austria, not like all the other harley based engines, and it is really cheap for what you're getting, to be honest I dont mind the looks... Of course the 999 does sit heavily on my heart... I thought I'd see if any of you had any of those or any advice you can offer?
... thanks, I'm sorry I don't mean to be rude, but I have not heard any legitimate reasons yet... just that you don't like it. Please give me some good feedback. The buell is a 130-140 hp bike stock, very nice linear power curve, for the £4,000 I can get a 2008 with aftermarket pipe, upgraded racing ECU and K&N open box, ally dyno tuned at 156HP, that's a lot of bike for the cash. The 999 is closer to my heart, i love how it looks and i've loved my previous duke. I'm not going to be taking the bike to the track or anything but not sure how it'll do keeping up with friends on Japanese r6's r1's gsx's and so on? Again not racing them but keeping up on twisties and such. Also anyone know what a stock 999 actually puts out HP wise? ducati website said about 140hp, reviews on MCN say 120HP, other's say closer to 150HP.... anyone actually had one tested? I apprecaite any constructive feedback. Oh, my 900SS was actually very reliable, how is the 999? Any comments on the Aprilia?
Buell is a joke,get life membership of the AA and a van to follow you everywhere picking up the pieces.:wink: Aprilia decent bike with easier servicing (no belts)than Ducati, but some may say a poor mans /womans Ducati. 999 comments not required if you like Marmite. (Dives for cover :biggrin: )
Have you tried a Moto Guzzi Griso ? Your opinion if it is prettier or not but really good fun , bit more power and loads of torque. I went from a 900ss to a Griso and loved it until some twat in a van reversed into it while it was parked. More like the Buell than the 999 or the RSV though.
aprilia - if you are talking About the factory with ojlins etc then it is a good bike. comparable to the 999s spec wise. ive never ridden one but they must go about the same performance wise. aftermarket - there is huge choice for the ducati. not so much for the rsv. the buell I really do t know much about. that decision will come down to the type of riding you like to do. they are different genres bikes and not comparable to a sports bike.
If it were my money, i'd be heading down the Aprillia route, mainly as I already own a lovely Ducati, but I'd like a Tuono not a Mille. But seeing as its not my money and a Ducati forum, my vote would be for the 999 as its a seriously good road bike, that is becoming a classic and remains heavily underrated. The Mille is also a great bike, but is a different beast. Its a lot broader and doesn't quite have that wow factor that the Ducati has. As for the Buell, they have a terrible reputation for reliability and the fact they are butt ugly is never a good thing. With the current state of Buell after being dropped by HD, Im not sure what the aftersales service is like, however, saying that the Lightning looks and sounds amazing :smile: The best advice is to get a few test rides. If you can do different rides on the same model, which will help overcome one particular bikes shortcomes (shitty brakes/tyres etc). With £4k burning a hole in your pocket, you are in charge and just remember, condition is king. Good luck and well done for staying away from IL4s
I had a rsvr was a very nice bike but I found it really uncomfy to ride at slow speeds more suited to the track I reckon lol was horrible on the wrists at 30 mph, my 748 is loads better believe or not, only thing I know about buells is a guy at work has one and it shakes like foooook ha ha ha
Have owned a 2005 Ducati 999, was a great bike, no issues, loved it. Have heard of some over heating problems with 1125 Buell, they were known to run hot. Youe choice to make.
I have a 05 749s ,Picked it up on eBay (after hunting for a few months) just over a year ago for £2850. Needed a small amount of love. 115hp as standard well worth the money in my opinion. handling, looks and engine are cracking, I imagine the 999 has a load more grunt. Being on a Ducati forum I think your only gunna get one answer from everyone on here!
I can't offer an opinion on the Aprilia as I don't know enough about them, but I can for the other 2. My 999s has been reliable for over 2 years, has fantastic power delivery, great build quality, and in my opinion looks stunning. A good mate had a Buell 1125 and it was absolutely shocking. Too bad to even believe. He persevered with it for longer than most would, but then had to sell it due to all the problems. There are some good ideas on the bike but they're not executed well enough, and some of them seem to be different ideas just for the sake of being different. It was a proper turd. They are cheaper because they aren't as good - simple. Another mate had one of the old Buell Lightnings. It handled amazingly well, and had amazing torque but it was a good job he's a keen mechanic, as the thing was constantly in bits.
have you looked at the ktm RC8 they must be ablut 4k now for an early one. marmite looks. but an excellent poor mans ducati haha
I had a Tuono, and it's the best bike I've ever owned. They are a quality bike and an absolute hoot . Ducati's do have a certain something though that the Aprilia didn't.
My brother had a RSV Mille and while it was a nice bike I found it way too top heavy for me, bit like the MV's are. Buell, a friend had one and like others have said parts kept 'falling' off, decent to ride though. Ducati, well its a Ducati, some love them , some hate them, I have had 6 so I know what camp I'm in. KTM RC8, loved mine, bit biggish compared to some but rode lovely, don't know why I sold it actually, Or my RSV4 now that I come to think of it,
