The next saga of my biking journey

[menzies3032]

Hey All.

As the people who know me will know, up until this point I have been a Suzuki boy and Gixxer lover. With a K1 600 followed by a K7 1000.

These bikes helped me to fall in love with track and road riding and taught me some very valuable lessons. However at the end of 2019 I came to the realisation that something needed to change.

Having sold my K1 600 in search of more power I now realised that 180bhp+ and the ability to do 150mph+ was not all it was cracked up to be. You see what I really want to do is have fun on the roads and go home with a smile on my face in the same way that I do when I leave a track day . But I was finding more and more that to get that smile and get a thrill as I carved through that bend, as my ability improved and the bike improved and the power got bigger..... so did the speedo readings and anything below 3 figures just felt flat and boring.

With the chance of jail time, possible death if i got it wrong and a sense of self worth I realised that 1000cc sports bikes on the road just don't work (for me personally) and it was time to take some time out and think again.

In Feb I managed to sell the bike privately (did i choose the right time to sell a bike with Covid round the corner) and then my good friend Bunny67 allowed me to ride his Superduke 990 which has made me realise a few things:-
1) Street naked's is the way I want to go
2) You can have great fun on the road with 100 to 130 bhp you really don't need 180+
3) A twin engine is bloody weird and not sure if this would be the engine for me

So I am going to be buying a new bike. When I say new I mean a down payment and a monthly instalment for 3 years and then hand the bike back. I am expecting a £2k down payment and about 100 to 150 per month.

Now is so the time to do it as 2020 has been the launch of the so many fantastic middle weight naked's.
I will do the test rides now in the summer. choose a bike and order it for arrival end of Feb 2021 to kick off next years riding.
Using the Superduke 990 (2008 model) as my bench mark for all of the test rides.

I intend to use this thread as a blog post for my journey along the way and might grab a few vid recordings along the way to through up on my Youtube channel.

So here is the 6 bikes on the list..........

[menzies3032]

765.jpg

First Impression - Having ridden this on track under hire from Small Boys Track bikes as a sport bike and knowing this has got everything and is totally decked out with the best of everything this is the go to point to get me started. the only issue is it is very sports focused and the engine is rev hungry (like a 600 sports bike) which I might not want. I wont know until i ride it and compare it to the rest. but very excited about all the electronics and all the extras as standard.

Bike.....................Triumph Street Tripple 765RS
List price...............£10,300
BHP......................90.5kW (at 11750rpm)
Torque..................79Nm (at 9350rpm)
Cylinders................3
Brakes...................Brembo with braided lines
Quick Shifter...........Yes
Traction control.......Yes
Power modes...........Yes
ABS......................Yes
Screen type............5" colour TFT screen
Tyres...................Pirelli Super Corsa
Suspension Front.....Showa 41 mm upside down big piston forks (BPF), Adjustable compression damping, rebound damping and preload adjustment.
Suspension Rear.....Ohlins STX40 fully-adjustable piggyback reservoir RSU

[menzies3032]

f900r.jpg

First Impression - Managed to sit on this bike at Motorcycle live in November 2019 and first impressions were really good. the build quality was really good could see there was a lot of electronics including a quick shifter. Liked that I was seeing Brembo brakes and braided lines this really looked the part and was what I was looking for as the S1000R was just to much. However having seen some reviews since the launch i am concerned by the lack of power as its just over the 100 bhp mark and also the front suspension is not adjustable to deal with my fat gut.

Bike.....................BMW F 900 R
List price...............£9,360
BHP......................77kW (at 8,500 rpm)
Torque..................92Nm (at 6,500 rpm)
Cylinders...............2
Brakes..................Brembo Braided Lines
Quick Shifter..........Yes
Traction control......Yes
Power modes..........Yes
ABS......................Yes
Screen type............Coloured TFT display
Tyres....................Michelin power 2ct
Suspension Front......Upside-down telescopic fork, Ø 43 mm
Suspension Rear.......Cast aluminium dual swing arm, central spring strut, spring pre-load hydraulically adjustable, rebound damping adjustable

[menzies3032]

z900.jpg

First Impressions - With Kawasaki I am always really impressed with the general build quality of they bikes when I consider there engines however I always feel that they let themselves down when it comes to things like breaks and suspension that seem to be the after though and more about keeping the bike cost down for the standard trim. So we don't see any mention of braided lines, Brembos or Ohlins. But what we do see is a great dash board and a tonne of electronics and the most power of anything else.

Bike......................Kawasaki Z900 performance
List price................£9749
BHP......................92.2kW
Torque..................98.6Nm
Cylinders...............4
Brakes..................Nissan with rubber lines
Quick Shifter..........No
Traction control......Yes
Power modes..........Yes
ABS......................Yes
Screen type............TFT colour instrument screen
Tyres....................Dunlop Sportmax Roadsport 2
Suspension Front......41 mm inverted fork with rebound damping and spring preload adjustability
Suspension Rear.......Horizontal Back-link with rebound damping and spring preload adjustability

[menzies3032]

gsxs.jpg

First Impressions - Considering my love for Suzuki I could not go without adding a "S" to the list. however I have to tell you at this point before I even start any test rides this is at the bottom of my list. The one big thing this bike has going for it is cost.... its cheap. However that's about it. the exhaust looks god awful and would have to be changed before it even left the for court, not impressed with the suggested suspension, brakes and lines (as per Kawasaki) general styling looks a bit on the drab side and its not setting the world align with the performance figures. Also they promote that the engine is from a K5 Gixxer if i wanted a K5 gixxer then would have just bought one of them and changed the handle bars So its going to be very interesting to see what my thoughts are after riding it and if I feel like you have to chase the red line to have any fun.

Bike.....................Suzuki GSX S750Z
List price...............£7499
BHP.....................84kW (at 10.5k rpm)
Torque.................81Nm (at 9k rpm)
Cylinders..............4
Brakes..................Nissan with rubber lines
Quick Shifter..........No
Traction control......Yes
Power modes..........No
ABS......................Yes
Screen type............Black and white LCD
Tyres....................Bridgestone Battlax S21
Suspension Front......Inverted telescopic, coil spring oil damped
Suspension Rear.......Link type, coil spring, oil damped

[menzies3032]

duke 890.jpg

First Impression - Really bloody interesting. If you consider a 2008 to 2010 Superduke 990 and compared it to this then its a lot more of a straight fight then trying to compare with the new Superduke (that is so powerful when you accelerator hard the world spins just that little bit quicker). It looks really good, the dash looks great, its has tonnes of electronics, the WP suspension we know is good we can see trick Brembos with braided lines and every review of this bike talks about how much fun it is. My only concern at this point is its a twin but as its an in line twin and not a V twin will be interesting to see how that engine responds

Bike....................KTM 890 Duke R
List price..............£10,399
BHP....................89 kW
Torque................99Nm
Cylinders..............2
Brakes.................Brembos and braided lines
Quick Shifter.........Yes
Traction control.....Yes
Power modes.........Yes
ABS.....................Yes
Screen type...........Multicolour TFT Desplay
Tyres...................Michelin Powercup II
Suspension Front.....WP APEX 43 fully adjustable
Suspension Rear.....WP APEX – Monoshock fully adjustable

[menzies3032]

mt9.jpg

First Impression - I cant tell you why i don't really like this bike, but i don't really like it. I think the styling is a bit odd with the bike flat middle back and then rising up at the front this seems to make me think i am looking at a bike modelled on a stag. I am hearing reviews that the suspension is really soft and that does not sound good but considering the Ohlins rear shock and general adjust ability would hope I could get it dialled into cope with my fat blubber. i'm not so keen on the very odd shaped dash that seems not as friendly on the eye as the KTM, 765 or Z900, Not liking the rear mud guard / licence plate holder and again rubber brake hoses and Yamaha's own brakes..... Ok so I can tell you why I don't like it. But still want to ride it and see if that changes my mine.

Bike......................Yamaha MT09 SP
List price...............£9747
BHP......................84.6kW (@ 10,000 rpm)
Torque..................87.5Nm (@ 8,500 rpm)
Cylinders...............3
Brakes..................Yamahas own with rubber hoses
Quick Shifter..........Yes
Traction control......Yes
Power modes..........Yes
ABS......................Yes
Screen type............Black and white LCD diamond shaped small screen
Tyres....................Bridgestone S20
Suspension Front......Rebound and compression adjustable
Suspension Rear.......Ohlins fully adjustable

[menzies3032]

OK so now we have the list of contestants fighting for the right to be my next bike the first job at hand was to contact the main dealers and get some test rides booked.

Always wanted to do this but have never booked a test ride as i did not want to buy a new bike and thought that was unfair but now that I do want to buy a bike expecting they will bite my hand off.

Living in Teignmouth it seemed a good idea to reach out to Exeter so first email was to Bridge Motorbikes as I know that they are the main dealer for 4 of 6 bikes on my list. The response was we don't have a Suzuki or a Yamaha for you to ride and don't expect to get one and if you want to ride the Kawasaki or the Triumph we recommend that you come back in September or October as they will have more staff around to help me.

Really not the response I was expecting.

Feeling a little pissed off I rang SP Motorbikes to try and arrange for a test ride on the KTM and was told they do not have a demonstrator bike, they don't expect to get one and they don't think there will be any demonstrator bikes anywhere in the country. This model is super popular so they are not getting one for people to ride.

At this point stating to think that people dont want my business.

Lets hope I have better luck with BMW and will now also try to reach out to other independent dealerships to see if i get a different answer.

[julesh]

Total Triumph in Wellington will have a 765rs test mule 2018+ has the newer revised engine (more mid range, no flat spot) only other one i'd consider purely on looks is the MT09, having test rode both bikes in the past my money would be on the RS

[Ruffian]

I just like the face that we have been trying to tell you rob that for about 4/5 years that nakeds are the way to go.

Well dont rule out the grunt of the speed triple. Or an older z1000. Maybe even the bmw s1000r.

If you want to go silly but playful there is always the aprilia also.

Also businesses will want your money but with this climate its awkward to write off the demo money from new bike and as the 890 has just come out it might be worth taking a 790 out instead.

I would contemplate riding a few more also. Mt-10 is nuts but cracking. Mt09 as said above also a good bike but suspension a little lacking. Kawasaki z750 older again but a decent bike. (Still miss mine)

[billinom8s]

The idea is to get away from high 3 figure speed bikes on the road though Ruffian. Hitting the monsters you just listed puts you back in silly speed territory.

[Jug]

Getting a test ride on a newly released KTM has always been difficult at first. Their production output isn't that big. They also have a high initial demand worldwide from both the biking press and also a shed load of fan boys (and early adopters) that will put their deposits down on even a whiff of a rumour of a new model. I expect most if not all KTM dealers will have a list of customers wanting to get their orders in on the new 890R already. Give it 6 months or so and you should start to see them in dealers.

The only thing I can think of to add to your info above is that the BMW has a flat plane crank so is a twin that fires in standard order (like most IL4's do). The KTM 790/890 have a cross plane crank so has an offset firing order like a V-twin even though it isn't a V.
This is the same crank configuration as used on the newer R1's and then on the MT07 and MT09 engines.

However I would say not to judge all V-twins against the 990 Superduke as that is probably one of the roughest out there. My V-strom 650 was as smooth as silk and very forgiving, as is my 1190 Adv to a degree. The 990 is just a very angry engine in comparison, and I wouldn't want it to be anything different.

Have you watched the review 44 Teeth did on the 890R v 765RS - it was filmed in southwest too.
TL;DR - they preferred the 8980R

https://youtu.be/JDtlBy7RlyQ

[bkingalan]

I know it’s a bit of a trek for you Rob but when I was at Moto corsa (gilingham) 3 weeks ago they were expecting a 890 demo any time soon.
There loads of middle weights out there at the moment just got to get out and find out what suits you the best,have fun trying them ALL

[Streetmann]

Getting a test ride on a newly released KTM has always been difficult at first. Their production output isn't that big. They also have a high initial demand worldwide from both the biking press and also a shed load of fan boys (and early adopters) that will put their deposits down on even a whiff of a rumour of a new model. I expect most if not all KTM dealers will have a list of customers wanting to get their orders in on the new 890R already. Give it 6 months or so and you should start to see them in dealers.

The only thing I can think of to add to your info above is that the BMW has a flat plane crank so is a twin that fires in standard order (like most IL4's do). The KTM 790/890 have a cross plane crank so has an offset firing order like a V-twin even though it isn't a V.
This is the same crank configuration as used on the newer R1's and then on the MT07 and MT09 engines.

However I would say not to judge all V-twins against the 990 Superduke as that is probably one of the roughest out there. My V-strom 650 was as smooth as silk and very forgiving, as is my 1190 Adv to a degree. The 990 is just a very angry engine in comparison, and I wouldn't want it to be anything different.

Have you watched the review 44 Teeth did on the 890R v 765RS - it was filmed in southwest too.
TL;DR - they preferred the 8980R

https://youtu.be/JDtlBy7RlyQ

Love how the ktm is doing poppers and snorting lines of hookers

[menzies3032]

Have you watched the review 44 Teeth did on the 890R v 765RS - it was filmed in southwest too.
TL;DR - they preferred the 8980R

https://youtu.be/JDtlBy7RlyQ

Yes this was one of my watches (have lugged some comments on it as well) along with many many others to try and look at online review. the KTM seems to come out very well in most reviews. Interestingly after everybody saying how fantastic the 765 is I seem to see a shift now that everybody is now saying it too track focused and you have to chase the top end to get any grunt which is fine for the track but not so great for road riding. Think I need to ride one and fine out my personal preferance.