My thoughts exactly and i was being a bit flippant with the stickers comment but you must be able to get a better wrap than that for £800 bearing in mind there’s barely anything to cover (if you’re that way inclined). I’m seriously considering one over the winter got a decent trade in price for my 899 this week too, just need to test ride one first as I’ve never ridden a s/m on the roads over here.
QS is about 240, a decent sticker kit is about 250, that’s about 1000€ saving compared to the RVE, plus the bike won’t look the same as all the other RVEs. I’ve a few bikes to sell over the next 6 months and as they go I too am seriously considering a 698.
I agree WCP, i’ve ridden with the fella on the CRF around that area and there are far better routes for that bike with those tyres.
It surprised me KH stated the fella leading had given his bike the once over, indicated he set his suspension to its softest setting and let air out of the tyres but never said ‘those tyres are useless mate’. It reminds me of the time Baron Von Grumble took a GSXR green laneing on road tyres.
Part 2 he takes him on more suitable terrain for those tyres. The Hollybush cafe at the start of the clip is a great stop off for a bite to eat, not that you’ll likely have the opportunity.
Ducati 698 Hypermotard RVE – First ride review: (Recent bikes include KTM 1098 and KTM 890R) Bike is 10 months old and has 2k miles on it. First thing to notice is the poor fuelling under about 5k revs. Pulling away is snatchy and not pretty. Once you get the hang of balancing the clutch and using the right gear (it’s fussy about the gear!), it’s much better. But rather lets it down. Sport mode around town is particular fun! The bike over 5k revs is like a different machine! The power delivery is smooth and the pull is a joy. This half of the rev range is a bike Ducati can be proud of. Until the fuelling gets sorted, I’ll plan my rides accordingly to avoid stop-and-start town riding. The front brake—wow! It's a tiny bit more urgent than recent bikes, but it has loads of stopping power. I even felt the back brake working well, too. There were a lot of wet leaves around, so I didn’t try the ABS! The handling felt nice and confident inspiring, better than I expected. Scrolling through the settings is a bit cumbersome, I couldn’t seem to exit a setting/menus easily, maybe I should read the book On delivery the bike cranked well but wouldn’t start, it took a few attempts. It seemed better during the day, but not as I would expect. I’ve had some Ducati sports bikes and understand they have some special noises, but this engine noise is not great when riding. You don’t notice it when revving at a standstill, but on a run, the ‘ticking noise’ is grating after a while. I’m told this is the desmo valvetrain. However, to be sure I’m back to the dealer this week to compare riding noises with another 698 they have, they can also take a look at the starting issue. For me, it’s a fun bike, for me to get my ‘fix’ in short rides and seek out those B roads around here. I’m just hoping the noise issue is just my bike and can be fixed, otherwise some loud exhausts may be needed!
this poor little bike is getting "type-cast" as having poor fuelling below 4-5K but it's not true for the majority - there shouldn't be a problem. I rode @Sharky698 's bike for long enough to confirm this, it was absolutely fine, a total hoot. I can't remember if Termis fitted by then? - i think they were.
Euro 5 doesn’t help with the fuelling when pottering round town or if you get stuck behind a slow moving vehicle. My GG is the same so I ride around the issue, it will on occasion cut out but not often. But then again it isn’t designed with that in mind is it? You still haven’t bought a 698 Chris?
Hi, I'm sure some 698's must be worse than others. For my first mile of the ride, I believed the bike was not fit for purpose due to its snatchy, horrible pullaways. (Around town, it is barely better than my 916 was in the late 90's, the clutch pressure and heat nearly made you want to walk that thing!). The dealership that sold me it, will need to do some convincing later this week. Low rev performance and engine noise is not good. Am I beginning to regret not buying the 950 SP?
Sorry to hear, i don't understand how this is happening to a new bike - i believe someone, somewhere, knows the answer. I wonder if they used more than one "map" on the same spec bike for example. If i had bought your bike knowing what i know then i would be camping on the dealer's doorstep every morning waiting for them to open for each time a "fix" didn't work. In the good 'ol' US of A i think people would be demanding their money back, and getting it, if it really is that bad.
I feel sorry for whoever picks this up as a carefully looked after one owner bike. Superbike factory material.
An interesting fact. Add the baffles to the full race spec system and the bike behaves like a bastard below 5k - very poor and haphazard throttle response. Remove the baffles….all is well. Super smooth including the pullaway. Loud though!
