Alanf’s blog…
Scattered thoughts

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

The best bike I can\’t buy…

Author: site admin
Category: Bike Updates

As I mentioned in a blog posting last December, I’m looking to add a new bike to the garage this year. After a few months of looking, I’m still not ready to lay down cash but the field has been cut down to just a few candidates.

Before talking about the contenders, let me explain how I narrowed the field. First, I got to spend two weeks riding the new BMW R1200GS during our recent Edelweiss tour in Spain. The new GS is a fantastic bike but ultimately it doesn’t differ enough from my current R1150GS to justify an upgrade. What was most apparent is that the new GS is lighter than the older model. I’m not convinced BMW has really gotten more ponies out of the motor but with less weight it feels that way. When it does come time to replace the R1150GS, the new 1200 will be the one but not this summer…

Another option was to replace my old FT500 Ascot based track bike with something newer but that was a long shot from the beginning because of how little I use the thing. Jonna really loved the F650GS during the Spain trip and has expressed an interest in replacing her SV650 with the Beemer. That leads to a possible situation where I sell the Ascot, turn her SV into a track bike and then get her a F650. However, when we looked at the cost difference between the Suzuki and the BMW, that option seemed less attractive. Again, maybe in the future but not this summer.

So with those two alternatives postponed I’ve started seriously looking at sport bikes. Any of the liter bikes are pretty hard to justify, given that they have more power and better handling that I’d probably ever use on the street, but when are bikes really a logical thing? If I can buy a 185 hp, tire shredding, asphalt melting monster why wouldn’t I? The Suzuki GSXR1000 and Kawasaki ZX-10R top the list of sport bikes that I’ve been checking out.

KTM 990 Superduke

But there is one bike that I’m passionate enough about that I would buy it immediately: the KTM 990 Superduke. The bike just seems perfect…light weight, upright seating, lots of power but still tuned and geared as a brutal supermotard bike. I like the bike’s looks and think the KTM V-twin motor is really in its perfect environment in the Superduke…a physically small motor but with big power. Now for the bad news: KTM isn’t importing the Superduke into the US in 2005. A few of the local shops have them but only for display purposes, not for sale. KTM USA hasn’t announced any plans to import the bike in 2006 either, so the chances of the bike being available this fall looks pretty slim. For the moment, the closest I can get is surfing the 990 Superduke web site and watching the promotional video over and over.

If anyone from KTM USA is reading, consider this one vote for bringing the 990 Superduke to the States. If there are any grey market importers reading, then forget KTM USA, lets talk!

[image from the Sport Rider web site.]

3 Comments so far

1.

Chris
September 17th, 2005 at 11:57 am

Hey, I love the KTM 990 and I was reading what you said about not being able get it. I was wondering, how much does the 990 cost. I have seen some prices but they seem quite high, like $22,500. I find that quite expensive. If you could tell me how much they are in US I would appreciate it. Thanks

2.

alanf
September 17th, 2005 at 12:31 pm

The KTM SuperDuke 990 isn’t imported into the US so there is no US price available.

KTM will be importing the 950 Supermoto into the US in ‘06 and its listed at around $13,000, about $1000 less than the 950 Adventure. I’m guessing that the SuperDuke would come in around $14,000, if it ever gets imported.

(Presumably the reason the SuperMoto is making it to the States is that it shares the 950cc motor with the Adventure and the Adventure has already been through US Dept of Transportation certification.)

Thanks for reading the blog!

3.

someone
November 6th, 2005 at 2:54 pm

been riding my black SD for over 6 months now, with a huuuuuuge grin on my face… this bike has made me happier than any of my previous bikes, it’s such a blast to ride… so happy that i actually set up a message board at www.superduke.net/forum to share experiences & tips with other owners… give it a try, there’s some great info on there thanks to the (admittedly) few but great members…

hope the SD gets imported to the US soon, you guys are missing out on a trully thrilling bike!

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