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Post by spuu on May 9, 2024 15:51:22 GMT
Saw that KTM are pushing test rides at the moment, so upon finding a dealer is local to me I applied and got a test on the new 1390R Evo Superduke. No paperwork or a single form to fill in, just sign on the dotted line and away you go - very easy stuff. I went without knowing the numbers and I;ve just looked them up - 201kg fully wet and 107ft-lbs on hand. This bike is the ultimate licence looser - litre bike power at 7k rpm is just insane. So glad I booked it as it was an absoulte hoot. Suspension/chassis, brakes - all superb, quickshifter was abit shit.  9/10. |
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Post by mekon on May 10, 2024 9:00:14 GMT
Yeah, I get the impression if you buy any KTM you will possibly do something stupid. Even when I had the RC390 it inspired me to ride stupidly (mainly as it has no power). It's the sort of bike people who bought FZR thous had back in the 90s. "got a FZR thou me" and were called Crazy Dave or similar.
Actually thinking about it, it's rare I see anyone riding like a fucking madman on the roads now. Back in the 90s everyone was off like fuck and fast gang rides were quite common.
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Post by spuu on May 10, 2024 13:40:23 GMT
Same reason Fast Bikes mag and all the others went extinct. It’s a shame that the audience of Ride magazine would rather read a few pages of thermal socks reviewed over a sports bike test.
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Post by beefus on May 11, 2024 14:44:14 GMT
Big KTM fan, on my 2nd….1290 SA-S…brilliant bike….comfortable, fast and handles really well given it’s size/weight.
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Post by neilf on May 12, 2024 19:11:56 GMT
During an eventful road trip a couple of years ago (holed radiator), I had to ride pillon from North Wales back home to Gloucester and went on the back of two different bikes; a BMW GS1250 and a KTM 1200 Adventure GT "thing". Talk about contrasting engines! The BMW was silky smooth and predictable, the KTM was "angry" and was always waiting to be thrashed... it didn't like to cruise, which is weird considering that it was meant to be a tourer!
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Post by mekon on May 14, 2024 10:53:44 GMT
I don't get the point of these massive fucking engines. Even my SV650 has loads of torque, can accelerate faster than anything on four wheels less than £100k and yet people, who looking at their tyres, clearly dont ride that fast need 1290 or whatever.
There was a touring gang of BMW boys we overtook at the weekend, massive engines all tootling along. I just don't get it. What exactly do they need all the power for ?
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Post by neilf on May 14, 2024 11:03:49 GMT
I don't get the point of these massive fucking engines. Even my SV650 has loads of torque, can accelerate faster than anything on four wheels less than £100k and yet people, who looking at their tyres, clearly dont ride that fast need 1290 or whatever. There was a touring gang of BMW boys we overtook at the weekend, massive engines all tootling along. I just don't get it. What exactly do they need all the power for ? They want the extra torque so that they can carry loads of luggage and a passenger, even if their panniers and top boxes are virtually are empty! |
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Post by spuu on May 14, 2024 14:33:52 GMT
I don't get the point of these massive fucking engines. Even my SV650 has loads of torque, can accelerate faster than anything on four wheels less than £100k and yet people, who looking at their tyres, clearly dont ride that fast need 1290 or whatever. There was a touring gang of BMW boys we overtook at the weekend, massive engines all tootling along. I just don't get it. What exactly do they need all the power for ? If you ride a 1390 you’ll find out. |
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Post by beefus on May 15, 2024 10:40:15 GMT
I don't get the point of these massive fucking engines. Even my SV650 has loads of torque, can accelerate faster than anything on four wheels less than £100k and yet people, who looking at their tyres, clearly dont ride that fast need 1290 or whatever. There was a touring gang of BMW boys we overtook at the weekend, massive engines all tootling along. I just don't get it. What exactly do they need all the power for ? The average 600/650 would cripple me. Most of my riding miles are doing distance and I need a big bike for comfort and luggage carrying. I’ve done the sportsbike thing, toured on a Blade and a RSV Mille but I could never physically do that now. For older riders like me these “Adventure sport “ bikes are the best thing to happen to motorcycling, you still have plenty power/torque when you want it but also comfort, handling, practicality and easy mile munching when needed. Having a big engine doesn’t equal having to ride balls out fast all the time. Do we need 250-300+Bhp cars?….no, because you’ll never use all the power on the road unless you want to lose your license, but you can still enjoy driving it. |
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Post by spuu on May 15, 2024 17:38:22 GMT
Well said.
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Post by neilf on May 16, 2024 7:23:01 GMT
I don't get the point of these massive fucking engines. Even my SV650 has loads of torque, can accelerate faster than anything on four wheels less than £100k and yet people, who looking at their tyres, clearly dont ride that fast need 1290 or whatever. There was a touring gang of BMW boys we overtook at the weekend, massive engines all tootling along. I just don't get it. What exactly do they need all the power for ? Most of my riding miles are doing distance and I need a big bike for comfort and luggage carrying. I’ve done the sportsbike thing, toured on a Blade and a RSV Mille but I could never physically do that now. For older riders like me these “Adventure sport “ bikes are the best thing to happen to motorcycling, you still have plenty power/torque when you want it but also comfort, handling, practicality and easy mile munching when needed. Having a big engine doesn’t equal having to ride balls out fast all the time. Do we need 250-300+Bhp cars?….no, because you’ll never use all the power on the road unless you want to lose your license, but you can still enjoy driving it. If Suzuki still made a GSX-R750, but the same size as the K5, I'd buy one in an instant. The K6 model onwards were way too small for me and my knees were screaming after a 20 minute test ride: on the track was fine, but that's not where I do most of my riding. My new 1000 is actually slightly smaller than my K5 750, but at least I can lower the pegs as standard for road riding. |
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