As the title says but, for the first time in my life this is really difficult. I sold the hyper on Friday....By all accounts he's having a good time on it...! Anyway the reasons were for selling it as follows.... 1. Our car got written off, got the wife a new car - really nice one as well, so I thought id go for a small bit of expenditure and "go up a level" on what I had... 2. Up til mid last year I had my RSV4 and the hyper (what I just sold) and for me that was perfect. 3. August last year bought a mates KTM525 that had a life of being dumped into puddles way deeper than itself on Salisbury plain. Bought it off my mate and proceeded to turn it into a supermoto. All has gone well, its almost done (just the electrical stuff to sort out) and then I look and think "well, ive now got 2 tards" one has to go and seeing as the ktm isn't finished, and its not even left the garage and ive owned the hyper for a couple of years I thought id sell it on and go for a naked (one of my favourite styles of bikes...) then ive got Supermoto, naked, and sports (my perfect garage) which I never thought id ever have the chance to own, let alone one bike but 3....bliss. What an amazing wife I have..! And here's the problem...finding something....originally I thought "Streetfighter1098!" perfect....but hell, are they expensive, plus theres none around and what is around IMO is pretty overpriced for what they are, ive seen 2 possibles but they've both gone before I had the money to shell out, that's life though.... So, for the first time in my life, literally I went for a test ride yesterday on an s1000r.....out for an hour, came back and the salesman was I think expecting me to say "when can I have one?" - no...what it did it did really well, but it was almost too nice, im used to the hyper and the rsv4 "making you work for the thrill" as it were. That's not to say I wouldn't buy one though...its was nice but totally different to the duc. In all fairness when I bought the hyper even when it was delivered I was thinking "have I bought the right thing" but as time went on, I did... Other bikes im looking at (seeing as I cant find an SF): Z1000 2014 model: I did used to have an 04 z thou which I really liked...I love the angular styling and the short fatness of it - gonna try to get a test ride later on...the thing I liked about the zed is that when I sat on one last week in the showroom the closeness of the bars put you bolt upright which I liked, a lot...most supernaked these days make you stretch a bit... Speed triple: I never ridden a triumph anything before and its not really on my list but seeing as fowlers is a mile away I thought what the hell...may as well, it might surprise me... Now I know im on a ducati forum and expect to hear the "get an sf" but I don't want to spend my hard earned on a 5 year old semi corroded bike when I can get a brand new one for the same price...but, at the same time if I could find one that's been looked after with a few mods done then its definitely an option and probably a primary one at that...and an s would be my option... I know ive posted in a couple of other threads about this but now the hyper has gone and ive got cash burning a hole in my back pocket I thought I open this and put down what I think as I test ride stuff - totally new ground for me this is...
Just to add to the post (typing was getting a little slow) - I liked the s thou - as the hour drew on I got to enjoy it more, I did like the quick shifter more towards the end as I would hold the throttle open more and more and shift through the gears making it surge more and more....definitely needs to be noiser though...it was embarrassingly quiet...
Oh I didn't put down that a tuono is off the cards - nothing wrong with them its just that ive already got a v4 and don't want another - trying to keep it different...
Now ..... compared to your hyper did the bmw 'feel' more powerful , yes we know the bm will have a load more rwhp but the twins always feel more powerful and the engines just seem more brutal in the power delivery . Last year I was out on my hyper 1100 sp and had a doo on my mates gsxr 1000 .... 160 rwhp or whatever they are and was very underwhelmed , yes when they get up the Rev range they go ballistic but on back lanes riding you carnt accesss that power and the tighter back lanes you just carnt go that fast anyhow . Perhaps on bigger more flowing A roads you could use that power but the roads our group ride on 100 mph is probably as fast as we ever get . Not knocking the Beemer .... different strokes for different blokes and all that . If you ride back lanes a lot I think low down grunt is more usable the peak bhp
Well, this is what the ktm is for....the "next bike" would be primarily for work....10 miles of dual carriageways and a little bit of inner city traffic... No, the BM didn't feel anywhere near as violent as the hyper...forgetting about "soul" which even the riders salesman quoted the other day...the ducati motor has a "character" to it...and its one I like, lot, coupled with the noise...! Eg looks is a big thing for me....ie this vid The shape, short, fatness of that, minimal stuff sticking out, noise (louder, inline 4) that's something I like...and the kwak is at the bottom of the power and electronics pecking order as well (and, the cheapest of all the options)...that to me looks nice (and if that was mine) id loose the front indicators and use bar end ones, loose the rear indicators and get an integrated rear light...small strip plate as well...
Maybe you should try a Speed Triple. You can buy a nice pre-2011 model for little more than half your budget. You'd save a wodge of money, even after tricking it up a bit. (Married life permitting, you could salt a stack of dosh away for your next bike). They can't match the power of the SF or the S1000R but they shouldn't be overlooked. They're still taut, agile back road scratchers and I reckon a good ST will out-hustle a Z1. There's little scope for engine improvements with the triple (the 1098 engine is a blank canvas to tuners) but its a strong unit capable of amassing huge mileages. Do you need massive power? You've already got that when you want it in the RSV4?
Yep - a lad in work had a late 11 plate speed triple (not an R) and I really liked the look and sound of it...as I say fowlers is but 5 mins away so im going to try one....never considered it before but now I will.... Id love an sf like yours gimlet but I reckon for a nice one (current values) im gonna be coughing up 10 plus which is getting stupid, for a 3rd bike! Yeah the RSV4 is the one I use for long journeys, trips and the like...so, yes, your right....agreed on the SF, z, comparison but you've gotta admit it the z looks nice!! and id say nicer than the ST
Main things with the 1098 sf ... just my point of view mind .... Get the renthal bars .... something like 002 or summat , brings you bit more up right and back , 1 tooth down in front cog , I found standard gearing a bit tall and spend money on the suspension I found the suspension was to sports bike like , quite harsh and over damped , needs to be more plush and forgiving ... but this is because I ride the back lanes nearly all the time . The clutch gets tiring after a while , they are quite heavy on the lever , I fitted the 1mm bigger slave cylinder ... ya know the nice anodised ones ... forget the name now , but even with that after a few hours riding it's tiring on the hands ..... you won't have the strength to choke your chicken after a ride out comfy ..... and we know how you like that !! Don't let this put you off CS i think you will like the SF but I reckon you will miss the hyper aswell .
I do miss the hyper - but once I get on the ktm then I think ill, maybe, prefer that more...not sure....after going on the s thou yesterday im thinking today....should I get that, not the best looking, but the best features, electronics? am I looking for the right things...mindset is saying, its the same type of bike as the rsv4 but with straight bars and no fairing, so I should expect the same performance and handling, or should I go for the z as its no where near as extreme but fills the gap in my garage moreso...this really is difficult....right now im kind of writing off the sf as theres just none around (not that fit my expectations) one of the main reasons that is most of them are stock piped, and a couple have just the tail pipe and the systems are literally stupid money (full systems from what I can see are 1.4k!!! youre talking a grand for just the tail pipes)....ie I can get a stainless header set for the z for 500 quid...which I think is reasonable...
Triumph Speed Triple 1050 (2005 - 2010) - Naked - Motorcycles - Visordown Or what about this. It wouldn't be my choice as an only bike but you're not looking for an only bike, you're looking for a third bike and specifically a ballsy naked. Box ticked. Its within budget and its an IL4 closer in spirit to the SF than the BMW: MV Agusta Brutale 1090RR first ride review - Road Tests: First Rides - Visordown
Not considered an MV - very much like a hyper though from what I can see - different angle though - I think they have one in fowlers....
A lad at work has exactly that model (the Speed Triple) - (special edition green) sat on it a few weeks and and it did feel nice...
An expensive one.. Low mileage examples turn up cheaper than that. There might be another advantage with the Speed Triple: I've just bought a KTM SMT. Not suggesting that bike for you - I specifically wanted an Adventure bike. Point is though, I was looking at the 1190 Adventure or BMW GS. £10/11K bikes starting price. I looked at the SMT after riding a Triumph Tiger 800. That brought home the advantages and the fun of smaller, lighter, cheaper. Now I've spent £4000 less than I was contemplating I've found I've got a real world everyday bike that I can get on and enjoy rather than an expensive toy that's cleaned me out and feels too precious.
Yep true....that was the reasoning behind the z....i ve seen them for 7.5k which gives me room for a pipe and other bits and pieces...
But 7.5k gets me a bog stock sf1098 that id need to spent at least a 3k on to get it how i want it....
If you are thinking of a Speed Triple, look for a 2012 'R' version, its the only model that comes with the forged PVM wheels which makes a big difference to the handling. They sound great on the Arrow single side can too...
Yeah...looked at one today in fowlers...tried to get a test ride but there was only one salesman and it was busy....i will try one i think....
