Tell me about Superdukes

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

It's not very BCF I know, but I'm going to test ride the bike I'm considering buying rather than purely relying on opinions from here , but does anyone have experience of the 2007 onwards Superduke, or what the reliabilty, servicing etc. is like on that family of bikes. So the Superduke, 990SM, 990 adventure etc. as IIRC they use the same LC8 motor in various states of tune.

Also if anyone's ridden/owned one and knows how they stack up against generic supersport 600s that would be cool.

Hopefully getting a test ride next week as the demo bike at my local dealer is back then.

So far I've heard of iffy fuelling, clutch salve cylinder failure and oil leaking out of the base of the cylinders. How common are these and is there anything else I need to look out for?

Thanks

Chris
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[Dr. DaveJPS]

I've got a 950SM (LC8 engine but with carbs)

I've had the clutch slave seal go on mine (had it replaced and it went again in a few days so had to have it done again, luckly it was on warrenty at that point) there is no way of telling if one is going to fail unfortunately. The only other mechanical issue is the noise torque limiter occassionally when i start it, but i think they fixed this in later models.

as for comparison to 600 sports, a lot more fun. I went for mine as when I was trading in my fazer I test rode a few 600's (and the 650 daytona) but they didn't give me any buzz or feeling of anything extra over the fazer. But the KTM did, oh yes.

servicing is a little expensive but not as bad as it could be. Though this has been helped by the fact that i've barely ridden her this year (damn thesis needed writing)
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

What the heck is the noise torque limiter?

What are the service intervals like. 10k miles valve check isn't it?
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[Dr. DaveJPS]

sorry *noisy* torque limiter
as described here... https://www.ktm950.info/how/ktm_950_issues.html

can't remember off the top of my head what the service intervals are but t'interwebz suggests 4.5 and 9K.
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[olionel]

hello;

Not from first hand experience but; people with KTMs (general ownership not just supermoto) end up spending a lot of money on repairs... hope this helps... I think the quality is hit n miss. I think it's also a bit of luck. I know two people who have the same bike (LC4 engine mind) one had no end of trouble the other had none...

Maybe go and ask on a KTM forum also...
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[hmmmnz]

the torque limiter is a sprag clutch, its a common issue with most older ktm's, rotaxs, and some speed triples, its a pretty bad design, but a really easy fix when it happens, sounds like death when it does though

a mate of mine has the ktm, and ive ridden iot a few times,
think tlr1000 in a light supermoto frame,
its pretty damn fun, i'd buy one if i could afford to do so
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[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Alex A]

Seriously looked at one last year, took a long test ride, etc.

Excellent handling.
Excellent brakes.
Very quick.
Looks pretty mean.
I thought it fuelled very smoothly, but not IL4/Ducati smooth.


On the downside, it felt gutless compared to the SP-1 I had at the time. No doubt Akras would have gone some way to bridging that gap.

The second thing that put me off was the condition of the used bikes I looked at. Many had only a few thousand on the clock but had rusty bolts and fixings, and paint flaking (especially around the Radiator).

But, all in all, you probably won't care as it'll be a riot. If you go for one, and you don't need a pillion, try to find an SD-R.

[MarJay]

I test rode one a few years back before I bought my last Buell. It was very good.

However, I couldn't live with one. The throttle was so sensitive that you'd need to be some sort of professional trials rider to have the throttle control to keep it steady at low speeds. I once read a review that said "The KTM Superduke makes even experienced riders look like CBT candidates below 30mph". I didn't believe this, until I actually rode one. This sensitivity, coupled with the unyielding suspension, tall seat height and impracticality meant that I quickly forgot all ideas about buying one. I figured I'd crash it after a couple of weeks. One overconfident smidgin of throttle and I'd be smearing rubber down the road, and skidmarks into my underpants before you can say "Road sky road sky ambulance!".
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[dougon2wheels]

The most fun you ll ever have on a four stroke motorcycle,i had an 06 model from new for the last 5 years,it was probably the best handling,best braked bike i ve ever ridden,huge grin inducing fun
the snatchyness is virtually cleared by a set of cans and a remap and a softer throttle cam if you want to go that far.....
The only thing id say against them is their no use on a motorway,but why use them when you can have so much more fun on the back roads,really regret parting with mine now,think i might get another next year

[LuckyDip23]

Anyone reckon you can live with these as your only bike and if theyre comfy enough to do a fair bit of commuting (i.e. once or twice weekly trip from manc to birmingham along the M6 so 100miles give or take)?

A duke 990 is also on my short list for a big naked litre(ish) bike along with a speed triple, the new 848 duke streetfighter and maybe a KTM SMT (basically a duke with ABS and a fugly faring - but that fairing is horrendous )

Even better if anyones ridden the duke and any of the forementioned to give any comparisons

Cheers

Gaz.
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