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I think it gets rehashed here pretty often that it's not too hard to be safer than your average motorcyclist who crashes in those statistics that always come up.
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Aug 18, 2021 03:12
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 06:34 |
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Simply wearing a helmet and not being drunk drastically decreases your chance of having a fatal or crippling accident. vvvvvvvvv try a june bug at 60 mph. they blow up like paintballs
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Aug 18, 2021 03:14
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Anita Dickinme posted:I will never understand the reasoning of not wearing AT LEAST a helmet and gloves. Those are like pretty much guaranteed to be impact spots when you go down. I had to yell at my coworker while we were riding home at a stop light when I noticed he didn't have his gloves on. Danger aside I don’t even know how someone has a ladybug nail them in the knuckle or mouth and think “yes, wonderful, more of this.”
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Aug 18, 2021 03:15
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I wasn’t even thinking of bugs when I typed that but yeah, I sometimes feel the drat impacts of a fly hitting my visor when I’m riding.
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Aug 18, 2021 03:24
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Sagebrush posted:vvvvvvvvv try a june bug at 60 mph. they blow up like paintballs
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Aug 18, 2021 03:27
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Fuckin June bugs and dragonflies. I caught a dragonfly right between the eyes on my visor and the impact was so hard and loud that I got a phantom impact on my head. Also PeterCat please post some stories of motorcycle crashes, people need to hear that poo poo. Although this group seems pretty safety heavy so maybe it’d just be preaching to the choir. HenryJLittlefinger fucked around with this message at 03:48 on Aug 18, 2021 |
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Aug 18, 2021 03:46
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Fuckin June bugs and dragonflies. I caught a dragonfly right between the eyes on my visor and the impact was so hard and loud that I got a phantom impact on my head. Well, I mean most of the stories are pretty basic. One was a woman who ran off the road at 0200. A friend of hers was following her home from the bar to make sure she made it home Ok. IDK why you wouldn't just give someone a ride at that point. Another was a 300lbs guy who failed to negotiate a curve on a Friday afternoon. He was talking when we transported him, then crashed hard at the hospital and ended up on palliative care till the end. Had a collapsed lung and flail chest. Also kept complaining of back pain, probably from his injuries and his bulk bearing down on him while he was on the back board. No helmet and was drinking. I had one guy come up to me at a hospital helipad one day and ask if I was the guy who had flown him the year before. I said I was not, but he went on to explain that he had been struck by a car and ended up losing a leg. That one wasn't his fault, he just got pinned between one car and another. He was still riding though, and had ridden up to the hospital that day for this or that, saw us and wanted to chat. It's probably not surprising that the traumas we fly are seasonal, ATVs and motorcycles in the summer, farm accidents in the fall and spring. Fingers and hands lost around the 4th of July. Weekend drug overdoses and drunk drivers. I had one call where a guy and his buddy hit a tree and bifurcated their pickup truck lengthwise. But yeah, alcohol, lack of gear, and probably lack of skill/experience are the common thread.
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Aug 18, 2021 04:13
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PeterCat posted:But yeah, alcohol, lack of gear, and probably lack of skill/experience are the common thread. One snippet of statistics that stuck with me is that 43% of people killed on motorcycles last year in Sweden didn't have a motorcycle licence. There's no way of knowing what percentage of total-miles-ridden this category of people represent, but it has to be way way smaller than 43%.
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Aug 18, 2021 05:56
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Anita Dickinme posted:I wasn’t even thinking of bugs when I typed that but yeah, I sometimes feel the drat impacts of a fly hitting my visor when I’m riding. I had the pleasure of getting stung by a wasp below my left eye just as I lifted the visor for more air approaching a stop sign by a busy intersection. That was fun. Luckily it bounced out and on, and didn't stick around.
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Aug 18, 2021 09:27
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Supradog posted:I had the pleasure of getting stung by a wasp below my left eye just as I lifted the visor for more air approaching a stop sign by a busy intersection.  …I woulda cried.Would also just like to tell the short tale of my buddy who was running from a cop and fell off his bike at 170 MPH. He was a dumbass for running but he was wearing full gear and walked out the hospital the next day with road rash and some broken bones.
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Aug 18, 2021 10:45
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PeterCat posted:Had a collapsed lung and flail chest. Also kept complaining of back pain, probably from his injuries and his bulk bearing down on him while he was on the back board. Are airbag jackets common enough yet for you to have an opinion on their effectiveness? Also: https://www.reddit.com/r/tooktoomuch/comments/p36ps1/just_when_you_thought_youve_seen_it_all_toledo_oh/
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Aug 18, 2021 10:46
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Anita Dickinme posted:
ok but did he get caught
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Aug 18, 2021 10:58
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busalover posted:ok but did he get caught He walked out of the hospital so that counts as a clean getaway
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Aug 18, 2021 11:10
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busalover posted:ok but did he get caught He got charged $5000 for getting wasted, which sucks, but he got to keep his guns and ammo which is the main thing.
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Aug 18, 2021 11:20
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busalover posted:ok but did he get caught Carth Dookie posted:He walked out of the hospital so that counts as a clean getaway He got a reckless driving ticket.
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Aug 18, 2021 11:59
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Anita Dickinme posted:He got a reckless driving ticket. After running from the cops? Lol.
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Aug 18, 2021 12:03
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knox_harrington posted:Are airbag jackets common enough yet for you to have an opinion on their effectiveness? The majority of riders where I live ride cruisers and don't wear any gear at all.. you do see people riding other than cruiser bikes wearing helmets with the adventure bike riders wearing the most gear. I would doubt anybody in the area owns an airbag jacket.
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Aug 18, 2021 12:35
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Slavvy posted:He got charged $5000 for getting wasted, which sucks, but he got to keep his guns and ammo which is the main thing. it took me too long to realize this was a GTA reference and not just commentary on how hosed up America is
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Aug 18, 2021 14:43
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Jazzzzz posted:it took me too long to realize this was a GTA reference and not just commentary on how hosed up America is Not that GTA itself isn't kind of a commentary on how hosed up America is...
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Aug 18, 2021 14:58
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Supradog posted:I had the pleasure of getting stung by a wasp below my left eye just as I lifted the visor for more air approaching a stop sign by a busy intersection. I’ve also been stung by a inside my face mask. Lifted it at low speed in town and a wasp got sucked right up into the upper right corner. I feel like there’s another member of this club around here, maybe JSB?
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Aug 18, 2021 15:04
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ought ten posted:I’ve also been stung by a inside my face mask. Lifted it at low speed in town and a wasp got sucked right up into the upper right corner. I feel like there’s another member of this club around here, maybe JSB?  No wasps here, did hit a bee swarm on the highway a while back, it felt like getting pelted with gravel. I was doing around 90 MPH (don't judge me, highways around here that's really just keeping up with traffic speed) and mostly tucked so it wasn't as bad as it could have been, a few of them made their way into my jacket and started stinging my back though. Visor was fully closed so nothing in the face thank god. Cruising around with no gear I will never understand, catching road debris alone is enough of a constant thing. I had a coworker who was one of those Harley guys, trying to prove to the world how tough he was, and bragging about getting pelted with poo poo while rolling around with only sunglasses on his head.
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Aug 18, 2021 16:03
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I’m in London and I’m assuming the giant L on the front of bikes and mopeds is when they’re a “Learner”? If not that my second guess is “LOOK OUT I’m drivin’ crazy over here!”
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Aug 18, 2021 16:06
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Rolo posted:I’m in London and I’m assuming the giant L on the front of bikes and mopeds is when they’re a “Learner”? Yes* Say you're a pizza place/whatever with a fleet of delivery scooters. Some of your riders may be fully licensed, some (most (all)) may not. There's no harm in getting pulled over with an L plate on a full license, but there's huge poo poo if you get done on a learner permit without the L plate. So they just put L's on all the bikes so they're covered no matter who gets on which bike. If it's Uber eats/deliveroo/whatevs, they're probably on a constantly renewed learner permit.
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Aug 18, 2021 16:14
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Key info is that in the UK you can ride a bike up to a 125 without doing a full bike test. The CBT lets you drive scooters for 2 years but you need to have a L-plate. Supposedly the idea is to progress to a full license but lots of people stick with the CBT forever.
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Aug 18, 2021 16:33
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This is true for most states in the US as well, except you can ride whatever the gently caress you want on your learner's permit. I was amazed at the number of middle-aged dudes on Harleys in my MSF class that had been renewing their learner's permits for years and were only getting their actual endorsement because they caught a ticket for violating one of the few restrictions the permits have (no passengers, no highways/interstate, daylight hours only, must wear a helmet and eye protection). At least half of them couldn't ride for poo poo either, and that was just doing parking lot drills.
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Aug 18, 2021 17:01
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I am convinced that no more than 50% of the people in the U.S. who ride regularly have an M license. There are some restrictions on the learner's permit, IIRC in WI it's something like this: 1. must wear a helmet 2. no passenger 3. can only ride during the day 4. learner's permit can be renewed twice, good for 6 months (1 year maybe? don't remember)
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Aug 18, 2021 17:22
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knox_harrington posted:Key info is that in the UK you can ride a bike up to a 125 without doing a full bike test. The CBT lets you drive scooters for 2 years but you need to have a L-plate. I am delighted to learn of yet another context in which we can make CBT=cock and ball torture puns.
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Aug 18, 2021 18:58
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Rolo posted:Anyone here get a chance to see or ride an R7 yet? I am so curious about those. OK. I rode the R7 the other day. Unfortunately for you, viewer, I’ve never ridden the R6 or the MT-07, so I can’t really tell you how this bike splits the difference. I have, however, ridden the RS660 and the R3, albeit briefly, which I think are two bikes a lot of potential buyers will have in their mind (coming from an R3, cross-shopping with the RS660). I got my license about the same time as you and have only ridden a handful of bikes, so keep that in mind. From ergos/rider position, the R7 is more aggressive than the RS660 (and R3, obviously). The bars are lower and farther away. The first thing I thought when I sat on it was “wow look how long this tank is.” I think the seat height is lower than the RS660, though. When I sat on the RS660 it felt perfectly sized for me, while with the R7 I didn’t get that immediate impression. My elbows lightly grazed my knees. On the R3 my elbows actually crashed into my knees to my surprise (I'm 5'8"). I think it’s just because the bike is a little small/cramped, so it feels more aggressive than it actually is. My knees and elbows didn’t touch at all on the Aprilia. My right hip immediately cramped once I put my feet on the pegs, but I think that happened with the R3 as well (I don’t remember that happening with the Aprilia, but I couldn't say for sure). I guess I’m just an inflexible old man  Before we set off I actually pushed down on the bars/fork because a review or two I saw remarked the fork was on the soft side, which I think is correct. Honestly it felt very similar to my Honda CB300R. Given this is more of a track-capable street-bike than a street-legal track-bike like the R6, I think that’s OK. Any racer is going to immediately replace the suspension anyway, and the amateur track day rider is probably fine with it. The damping is adjustable. I suspect they had it in a softer setting since they were going to have variety of “unknown” riders all day and being ridden at a fairly relaxed pace. The dash was easy to read and everything felt obvious. On the RS660 they had the bike in "time attack" mode (lol) so the dash was just littered with numbers (all the different levels of ABS, traction control, engine braking, wheelie control maybe?, gear, speed, time). Everytime I looked at the dash on the Aprilia I was just overwhelmed and confused. If I had taken the time to figure out what was what before we started it probably would have been fine, but the R7 was limited to basically speed, tach, and gear, and it was all obvious with a glance. The front brake felt really good, to me. In fact, on a few of harder braking zones I slowed down so much I actually got back on the gas a little. The engine definitely had a lot of torque seemingly all the time, but I think the Aprilia pulled harder. The R3 you have to kept spun up, but I don’t mind that to be honest. I think it's part of the fun. The tires were Dunlop Q3+, and I felt plenty of feedback through the front. I personally don’t have as good as feel through my butt, but the rear felt plenty planted. This track actually has a pretty rough surface in a lot of spots, and the rear on my CB300R was sliding a lot over, especially over the bumps at the final hair pin. I’m not sure if this is an issue with tire grip or my shock’s rebound being too fast, or maybe a little of both! The demo was lead/follow in the C group, so we didn’t really get going too fast, and I never really got on the gas too hard. Sometimes we were honestly going way too slow, but that's just how C group is. That’s one area where Aprilia is much better than Yamaha; they let you take the bike out in your normal session and ride at your own pace. Both times I’ve demo’d a Yamaha, it has been lead/follow with maybe 6 riders. The guy leading has a tough job because he has to keep an eye on people behind him and trying to set a pace that everyone can maintain while also dealing with all the traffic. The Aprilia method of “here’s the bike, the tires are cold, have fun!” is way, way better. I get Yamaha doesn’t want to bin $60k worth of bikes over the weekend, but people don’t want to crash either, even if it's not their bike. No one crashed at the Aprilia event, and you definitely walked away from the bike with a better sense of it. Anyway, if you’re interested in buying one, I’d really recommend you go sit on it, since they probably aren't offering test rides at the time. It didn't seem uncomfortable, but on the track you move around on the bike a lot whereas on the street you don’t (or at least I don’t). I was also only on it for 20 minutes. It still has a pretty aggressive rider triangle for a street bike even if the engine and suspension are much more street-friendly. Setting aside issues of price and reliability, I’d most likely buy a Tuono 660 over the R7 for a street bike. If I were planning to take it to the track a lot, or even turn it into a track bike, then the R7 becomes more appealing to me than the RS660 (cheaper, slightly more analog, still plenty capable, and probably better after-market). The Aprilia definitely is more high tech and both looks better and sounds a lot better, not that the R7 is ugly. Taking into price and reliability then I think the R7 wins out, but that’s a personal calculation. If you only plan on riding on the street then honestly an MT-09 or something is probably better (I haven’t ridden that bike, just conjecture!). I have about 6 minutes of video before my camera died. I tried to upload it to YouTube, but it's taking absolutely forever. I can upload it if you want but it's basically just a view of the tank/dash and not much excitement.
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Aug 18, 2021 19:13
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Jazzzzz posted:This is true for most states in the US as well, except you can ride whatever the gently caress you want on your learner's permit. I was amazed at the number of middle-aged dudes on Harleys in my MSF class that had been renewing their learner's permits for years and were only getting their actual endorsement because they caught a ticket for violating one of the few restrictions the permits have (no passengers, no highways/interstate, daylight hours only, must wear a helmet and eye protection). At least half of them couldn't ride for poo poo either, and that was just doing parking lot drills. In Massachusetts you can also get a D learners permit and drive away in one of these:  I feel like you should need a special license for anything with a bathroom and a flat screen in it but apparently the commonwealth disagrees.
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Aug 18, 2021 19:38
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Strife posted:In Massachusetts you can also get a D learners permit and drive away in one of these: I like that the motorcycle impact zone is easy to replace.
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Aug 18, 2021 20:04
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Strife posted:In Massachusetts you can also get a D learners permit and drive away in one of these: To think I've been led to believe that everything is illegal in Massachusetts.
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Aug 18, 2021 20:13
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knox_harrington posted:Key info is that in the UK you can ride a bike up to a 125 without doing a full bike test. The CBT lets you drive scooters for 2 years but you need to have a L-plate. To expand on this, a CBT cert costs £100 every 2 years and some places will pretty much just pass them out like candy even if you're terrible (though the government has been clamping down on this lately). A full motorcycle test theoretically only costs £100 once, but that doesn't include the rider training and bike rental that you will absolutely need if you're going to pass. It's also very easy to fail, and the cost of resits adds up quickly. The only real incentive to ever take the test is if you want to ride bigger bikes.
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Aug 18, 2021 20:13
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Renaissance Robot posted:... some places will pretty much just pass them out like candy ... My CBT was done in a small centre owned by a guy who raced bikes to national championship level for a long time. The slow speed yard was on a slope and had a camber. He had designed it this way. It was a good centre and he taught me things. If I did not learn the things, he would have failed me. He made also 9 hours of very boring Youtube videos to watch before I went there. My goodness. GuestBob fucked around with this message at 21:24 on Aug 18, 2021 |
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Aug 18, 2021 21:22
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Toe Rag posted:OK. I rode the R7 the other day. Unfortunately for you, viewer, I’ve never ridden the R6 or the MT-07, so I can’t really tell you how this bike splits the difference. I have, however, ridden the RS660 and the R3, albeit briefly, which I think are two bikes a lot of potential buyers will have in their mind (coming from an R3, cross-shopping with the RS660). I got my license about the same time as you and have only ridden a handful of bikes, so keep that in mind. Thanks for the write-up! I would like to sit on one but who knows when that could be. I got lucky and got to sit on an RS660 in B-vitamin-pee yellow and I liked it. Fingers crossed one makes it to me soon so I can see how much I like it.
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Aug 18, 2021 22:46
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GuestBob posted:My CBT was done in a small centre owned by a guy who raced bikes to national championship level for a long time. Yeah, there's good places too; the one my girlfriend went to back in February had to cut the road segment short after an hour because one of the learners was riding so dangerously and just not absorbing any criticism that they couldn't keep going in good conscience.
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Aug 18, 2021 23:17
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Back like 10 years ago, I seem to remember the KTM SMC R 690 being popular or at least mentioned often around CA. In a sumo battle with the hypermotard, which one ends up at the parts department first? They're probably equal on electronic goodies, the smc r has a significant weight advantage (but less power, so maybe a wash?). KTM brought it back in 2019 after a couple year hiatus, allegedly revised LC4 and cheaper than the red rival, which is rare for the orange menace.
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Aug 19, 2021 05:25
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The 690 getting a mission critical fault takes about as long as the belt replacement interval on a desmodue. It is not related to the earlier lc4 in the 640 and others, which is a terribly unrefined paint shaker that lasts forever, ironically. I can tell you a hyper is much, much faster, they aren't really comparable imo. A 690 is more like an SV or mt07, they got recommended lots because a certain poster got a KTM new and decided they were the greatest thing in the universe, and then the rest of the world caught up and the bikes aged a bit and here we are. A hyper equivalent would be more the 990 SMT but having ridden one, it's not even close - super tall, heavy, crude, basically a 640 with an rsv mille engine poorly shoehorned in by people who don't yet know what they're doing. Which is exactly what they are.
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Aug 19, 2021 05:43
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Haven't ridden either, but the Ducati has an extra cylinder, like 40 HP and 17 lb-ft. The KTM is over 60 lbs lighter. Used to ride with a buddy who had a 701. That thing was a weapon in the twisties but he would drop like a stone when we got to fast sweepers or a long straight away. It was apparently also a real drag on the freeway. Not much top end and he would get knocked around a lot. I view the Ducati has a compromise between that and a high end naked bike. Was cross shopping the Hypermotard SP with the Super Duke R. My local dealer wasn't going to get one in this year though and I found a nice deal on a slightly used Gen 3 Super Duke R. Was leaning towards the Super Duke anyway because I think it will be better for some light touring. 
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Aug 19, 2021 05:51
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Oh hey I just picked up a '12 KTM 990 SM-T a couple weeks ago. It's great and I love it so it so far. It's really dumb for them to call it any kind of 'motard' but so far it has been an extremely capable sport/touring machine, and a whole lot of fun.
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Aug 19, 2021 17:17
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Anyone ever have their motorcycle COVER stolen before? Went out this morning to find my bike sitting there without a cover (someone had also rifled through the box I had sitting under it with my oil drain pan and half-empty oil cans). Nothing else missing or hosed with that I can tell, but now I'm worried. I'm in an apartment parking complex, I put my bike in front of my car and hook the cover up to the front bumper, always figured that would be a minor deterrent to anyone poking around. Picked up a replacement cover today, along with a chain and disc lock with alarm. I have a dashcam in my car and am going to try to figure out how to hard wire it to a constant power source so I can use the parking monitor mode.
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Aug 22, 2021 03:59
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