Agree on the KTM. The finish just looks cheap, the plastics are too much like their motocross bikes... good for taking the abuse, but not what I'd expect on a £14k naked (before extras!). Re the new M1200... looks photogenic, but up close I think the Diavel has it licked for quality and detailing.
Im afraid the new monster from what ive seen in numerous posted NEC pics across forums looks frankly dull as dish water. Its still very small looking and if im honest it looks a bit dated. I get the monster thing and appreciate keeping a certain look, but it looks pretty cheap to me, and its not actually cheap so thats not good.
must say looking at both at the show the gap narrowed for me the monster would need £££ spending on it to make it stand out but it has the potential - - the KTM well it is what it is and I think it would just be parked in the garage and left pretty much stock Parked up outside the café well yes the KTM is going to get the approving looks However I don't think any other brand has the passion appeal like a Ducati ,,,,,,, Will test ride both in the spring :smile:
I looked at the KTM and they seemed to have tamed it quite a lot. Also it felt as wide as a bus the seating position made feel like I was doing the splits. The bars are similar to an MTS. The monster was a far more comfortable position, bars, feet and can sit flat footed too. Yes the drawbacks are that it's very plasticky and as char mentioned above would need a lot of money spending on accessories etc. The new Triumph Speed Triple R looked good, but again is quite wide too.
After looking and sitting on the KTM, Streetfighter and the lardy Monster 1200, If I was in the market for something naked I preferred the Aprilia Dorsoduro 750 or an old air cooled Hyper. My old KTM supermoto had about 60BHP and hand on heart it was a the most fun ever proving that you don't need 150+ horses.
Im not convinced that remains nowadays being honest, Ducati are far too big a company to be trying to trade on intangible buzz words like 'passion', it's almost like people want to believe that crap but it simply isn't like the old days. its just marketing bollocks. Ducatis either need to be beautiful OR top of the tree in regards to performance / lunacy IMO. For example, the multi isn't to everyone's taste in looks but in the group of bikes it's up against it dominates, similar with the diavel so they tick the top of the tree box the panigale looks pretty IMO so again does what a ducati does. the new 1200 monster? Misses the mark on both accounts so it's just no different to a 'look at me' fashion accessory. either make it the best in terms of spec, performance and lunacy or make it pretty.
The KTM isn't worth the $$ given it's cheap finish and feel, and the Monster S4RS is best left original. If you want the real giggles of a raw and unadulterated supernaked... GO TUONO!!
After working in Babylon Lane most of the day you should have bought a jet ski, has P&H given you an ETA?
If you were working in my lane you should have popped in. Arrival is vague but likely in a few weeks. As I have the first black one it may or may not be good. There are a couple of people ahead of me but they have ordered orange so I'd leapfrog them but obviously if they only get orange ones for a month then I'm waiting. As the weather is lousy, I'm fine waiting.
Comparison test in this week's MCN with a Speed Triple and a Tuono V4R. Their only major gripe (apart from the lofty price) is the lack of personalised memory on the rider aid settings. The same laboured moan came from two different testers. Now if they had read their own paper from 23/10/13 they'd have noticed that a KTM bigwig says there's a dongle available to address this. Problem solved. No mention of this in today's article. That's MCN for you.
Its a great bike but not worth the asking price IMHO. That MCN article also reckons the Tuono is the better buy..............until it goes wrong.
I still think its a great bike but not quite as 'beastly' as the pre-release hype made it out to be with respect to the safety aids reverting to full fat once the key is removed. I was chomping at the bit to pre-order and get on one but have decided to keep my 1098SF and test ride first. I'd sooner own a Ducati so will be looking at the Monster 1200S as well before making a decision.
I wish I shared your optimism. Ducati struggled to sell the 1098SF and with the recent announcement of the new water cooled mid-sized Monsters I predict that the 848SF will be dropped from the range in 2015.
Austin Racing are developing a system at the moment. Looks nice. I would sat this is what I should have looked like "out the door" - although noise and EU regs would have stopped this. If you bought a 1290 and then got a pipe from Austin and it looked like it does on their page for 12k at the end of it then that would be acceptable and only just, for me. Based on the fact that just the end can for my RSV was touching 700 quid people will be remortgaging for this full system... As I said I think I will always go the 2 bike option from now on. Ive only owned 2 bikes recently and had bikes in some shape way or form for the last 25 years. The problem ive always found is ill get bike "A" see someone riding bike "B" and then want that....vicious circle....whereas now ive got the 2 types of bike that I love, Racing (RSV4) and sit up (Hyper 1100Evo) then I never want. 1290 looks nice, lovely bike but ive got a hyper which covers that plus I can go full on if I want to (RSV4). Perfect.
