KTM vs aprilia vs duc?

[AnGrYTreE]

Got a buddy who is looking at the monster s2r, hypermotard, compared to the ktm superduke or the aprilia shiver. He's asked me for some advice and since I want to look like a genius I thought I'd get some help from you folks!

I'd like to hear what experienced duc riders have to say about the general characteristics of duc vs ktm's vs aprilia in terms of build quality, reliability of bikes, and maintenance costs.

[doc zoom]

Cost for any of those upkeep-wise will be a bit pricey because they are imports.

[longrider]

A quick note, the Shiver is a 750 the closest Aprilia to the SuperDuke would be the Tuono. The SuperDuke is too new to really have a maintenance history, however I have not heard any complaints. (I work in a dealer) Aprilias are as reliable as anything Japanese and Ducati has been improving reliability but the S2R is still old tech.

[Motard-Menace]

This is my first post, so hello to all.

I do not have any experience with Aprilla or the KTM SuperDuke but the build quality on the KTM looks great, I went to the dealership to have a look at KTM's in general because I'm looking to add a sportbike to the garage and the new RC has my eye. I've heard the biggest concern when it comes to Aprilla is that at times parts can be hard to come by but most that I have spoken with like the bikes.

As for the Hyper I can speak for that since I have one in my garage. Build quality excellent and the motor is like a freight train. Gobs of low end torque. With the Termi Full race pipe and 14 tooth front sprocket 1st, 2nd & 3rd gear power wheelies without much effort. Sounds like a thunder storm coming too...... It does lose out some on top but the bike is not really made for that. Its best suited for tight technical twisties and urban warfare. You have a nice comfortable seating position up high making it easy to see around and over traffic and from stop light to stop light it moves out. It has a few short coming too such as a small gas tank and can be tiresome on extended super slab runs because there is no wind protection. Overall I love it and it does exactly what it was meant to do. I could go on and on about it but the best way is to go ride one.

[hugehead]

So how is it on the butt and lower back for extended runs MM?

[Motard-Menace]

Its not as bad as it looks. I just put the DP comfort seat on and I'm still breaking it in but put on about 120 miles Sunday and no issues for me anyway, a little monkey butt which is expected IMO when riding any motorcycle over 50 miles. I ride on a motorcycle a lot however so I might be slightly more used to be sitting in a saddle then some. (Around 20,000 miles a year to give you an idea) I'm not going to tell you that it is the most comfy seat ever but I think 300-400 mile days would be manageable. With the small tank you are forced to get off the bike to fill it up around 90-100 miles so you get a little break. No problems with the lower back at all. As I stated I just replaced the seat with the comfort seat and I only have a few hundred miles on it. My stock seat was broken in a little more and seemed more comfy but I need to log a few thousand on this seat before I can tell which is better. Hope that helps..........

[jcrocker]

I'm a 690 duke fan but if i was looking for speeds over 100 I'd go aprillia dorsmoduro
http://www.aprilia.com/modelli/road/modello.asp?id=135

Originally Posted by AnGrYTreE

Got a buddy who is looking at the monster s2r, hypermotard, compared to the ktm superduke or the aprilia shiver. He's asked me for some advice and since I want to look like a genius I thought I'd get some help from you folks!

I'd like to hear what experienced duc riders have to say about the general characteristics of duc vs ktm's vs aprilia in terms of build quality, reliability of bikes, and maintenance costs.

[Firerider]

Originally Posted by doc zoom

Cost for any of those upkeep-wise will be a bit pricey because they are imports.

LOL, aren't all bikes imports?? At least the ones worth having?!

I have had a Tuono Racing, Ducati Hypermotard, and now a Super Duke, all within the last year, I have issues..
If a person were just buying a bike for twisties, and the occasional commute I would probably go with the Hyper. However if you ride a lot and especially if you are gonna do a great deal of commuting, or any long trips I would definitely go with the Duke or the Ape..
JCIII

[Chaun]

Originally Posted by AnGrYTreE

Got a buddy who is looking at the monster s2r, hypermotard, compared to the ktm superduke or the aprilia shiver. He's asked me for some advice and since I want to look like a genius I thought I'd get some help from you folks!

I'd like to hear what experienced duc riders have to say about the general characteristics of duc vs ktm's vs aprilia in terms of build quality, reliability of bikes, and maintenance costs.

I was looking at the hyper-tard and the shiver but settled on the duke 690 because of price and better reviews. I have an R6 that fullfills my speed-junkie needs. But if I only had to pick one bike to do it all I'd go with the SuperDuke... that bike is badass all around. Take it to the track or go on an Urban assult, it's good to go.

BTW - the Monster is a girls bike.

[RideOrange]

Originally Posted by Chaun

I was looking at the hyper-tard and the shiver but settled on the duke 690 because of price and better reviews. I have an R6 that fullfills my speed-junkie needs. But if I only had to pick one bike to do it all I'd go with the SuperDuke... that bike is badass all around. Take it to the track or go on an Urban assult, it's good to go.

BTW - the Monster is a girls bike.

Exactly the Monster is definitely a girls bike.
I've ridden the hypermotard a couple times now, and I do kind of like the looks of it, but I thought it felt under powered, and the maintenance on Ducati's has always pissed me off, its too expensive and a pain in the butt. I've never ridden a shiver, but I've put a ton of miles on a Tuono R, and that is a fun, great bike.
I do like the Duke alot as well, I've ridden it a couple times now, once on a track and once on the street, but I haven't the chance to put too many miles on it. I am used to bigger displacement bikes, having owned a few jap liter bikes in the last couple years, so although the Duke was fun it was lacking in power for my tastes.
But I would (and did) go with a Super Duke. I also am still a big fan of the Triumph Speed Triple also, which I still own. But the Super Duke has much better brakes and suspension, and is more comfortable too. My speed triple is probably a little faster in a straight line, but the Super Duke is way faster in the twisties for me at least. At higher speeds (over 85) the Super Duke isn't the greatest, you get blown around too much and the front end gets jittery. A steering damper would help.
I do still miss having big power though and keep kicking around dumping the speed triple and getting another CBR1000 or something for my high power/speed fix, and then commute most days with the Super Duke. On the other hand, my odds of getting a reckless driving ticket are a little lower right now so maybe I should forget about going fast!