Ducati Monster Forum

Anyone else planning on going to this?  Its on the weekend of Nov. 21st-23rd.

http://www.motorcycleshows.com/motorcycleshows/static/staticHtml.jsp?id=358889 (http://www.motorcycleshows.com/motorcycleshows/static/staticHtml.jsp?id=358889)

Yeah, I realize it seems to be the same vendors every year.  But it's not a bad way to waste a couple of hours that day.

Hope they have more companies involved for the demo rides this year.  If the KTM truck is going to be out there, wouldn't mind trying out a Super Duke...

I'm planning on going. You're right Frank, not a bad way to waste away a few hours.  [thumbsup]

Looking forward to seeing the KTM RC8!  [evil]

that RC8 is a goodlooking machine. I really would like to see it up close.

It's a GREAT event.  I go every year, I'll be there on Sunday.  Bring your riding gear and you can test ride bikes from a lot of manufacturers there.

Cheers.

If I'm up & running I'll be there.......probably a Saturday for me, though......

http://www.progressiveagent.com/pdf/ims.pdf?=imsemail (http://www.progressiveagent.com/pdf/ims.pdf?=imsemail)

Link to a coupon on admission for anyone going to this.  Enjoy!

So... I get a heads-up from Gone-Ape that the KTM and Ducati trailers will be at the show with their demo bikes (thanks, Paul!). 
Looks like I'll be showing up bright and early to sign up for specific bikes before they're gone.

I might go too. Sat. sounds good.

I'll be there Sat and Sun to demo lots of bikes.  I'll be in my one piece silver Aerostich Roadcrafter and driving an '09 Ford F-150 pulling a 28 foot trailer with '09 F-150 all over it. 

John

We'll look for you...28ft trailer should be a dominant landscape feature!!!

AAAArgh! I wish I could go demo some bikes.  Too bad I'll be going to New Mexico for some snow boarding...

Okay, looks like it'll be Saturday for me also. 

Paul and Ivo, any idea of what time you guys plan on getting here on Saturday if you're still coming? 
Some of us had an idea of meeting up with the Austin group for lunch or an early dinner if possible.

As for the demo rides, I'm still going to try showing up early to get a spot for the more popular choices. 
Any idea what exactly it means by "no reservations" on their Houston schedule?
http://www.motorcycleshows.com/motorcycleshows/data/articlestandard/motorcycleshows/322006/364997/Houston-OEM-Demo-Info.pdf (http://www.motorcycleshows.com/motorcycleshows/data/articlestandard/motorcycleshows/322006/364997/Houston-OEM-Demo-Info.pdf)
Does this mean I cannot choose a specific later time slot, and only they get to pick the first available open slot for me?

So far the plan is to leave Austin at 7:30am.

Hey Frank,
 Ivo, Tim, Rich and I are caging it Sat am....should leave Austin around 7:30 if Rip Tear can get out of bed on time...there seemed to be heavy conversation bordering on confrontation last night @ Mings as to what constituted proper weekend protocol for wake up call.  We'll get there one way or the other....

Having never ridden a tester @ a show I don't know what to expect......I guess we're kinda on our own to figure it out.....

I'll give Joe a call as soon as we hit the H-Town city limits to hook up a meet location....

Hey Gone Gape,
Yeah, got ur call hombre. We'll see ya when you get here. Make your way over to the Reliant Center. When you start getting close to the Galleria (Hwy 59 & 610 Loop) gimme a call since that's pretty close to the rendezvous point.

You preachin' to the choir withthe "proper weekend protocol for wake-up." Don't I know about this.  Remember? You remember.  ;)  [laugh]  Glad I can laugh about it now.  ;D

Frank, I'll give you a call tomorrow evening to set up a meet up point and time.  [thumbsup]

He said choir    heh  he heh heh heh

Cool.  Looking forward to seeing you guys tomorrow.

Remember to bring your leathers so we can drag some knees on those demos.

Also just got word that Colin Edwards will be at the Yamaha display.  So bring your stuff for autographs.

Go Colin.....I wish I had some Castrol era stuff to sign.........

I'll be there when they open Saturday.  I'm in Katy right now.  The drill for test rides is simple.  Sign up at the table for the bike you want to ride, first come, first served.  It's gonna be cold, bring gear.

See you pregnant doges there.

John

That was fun.  [evil]  Demo'd the following:

1. Hypermotard S
2. KTM SuperDuke 990
3. Kawasaki Versys
4. KTM RC8
5. Kawasaki Concours

FUN! FUN! FUN!!!  [evil]

Versys is on the short list.

Hmm. Versys + used 749 or new Multi 1100S  Descisions. Descisions.

Dude. That Versys is deceiving. The engine spins up really easy. Pulled a few wheelies without even trying. FUN!!!! With a capital F!  [evil]

1.  KTM Duke 690
2.  KYM Super Duke 990
3.  KTM SMC 690
4.  KTM RC8
5.  Kawi ZX-6R
6.  Kawi Ninja 650-R
7.  Hypermotard
8.  Some Kymco scooter

Impressed with the RC8.  Torquey motor.  Very stable.  Mucho riding position adjustability.  Only gripe was the engine heat.
Very impressed with the Super Duke 990.  It's a urban hooligan machine.
Hypermotard...  meh, it's okay.  I was expecting something a little more.
Kawi ZX-6R.  This (and the other current 600cc Supersports) is basically a race bike in street trim.  Hard to imagine how narrowly focused the Japanese have made these bikes within the past few years.

We were rocking the Kymco's.  Vinucci even dragged some metal on a corner or two.

Go Frank Go!!!!!    Scooter Mania in H-Town!!!  What, no Harleys?

Man how late did you guys stay?  That's a lot of testers....when we arrived the que was about 10 deep for KTMs so we blew it off...the DRONE back to the ATX was uh, dull dull dull.....thank God we weren't on bikes.....it was great to see you guys...no, Joe I won't post the pics of the ear treatment!

"So called Bike-o-the-year" aside, that Versys is one fugly motorcycle....period....my favorites were the Roland Sands Specials and reminiscing about with Johhny O's Mugen and Glover's Factory OW (got to see them in anger back in the day)...oh yeah, Vale's M1 was pretty cool too....

Really disappointed about the lack of Factory participation/Vendor displays....like anything else, I guess it just comes down to money

Got to ride the following:
1.  HD Nightster (looks very nice, but that is about it.  It sounds dissapointing and the seat is very hard)
2.  Yamaha V Start950 (so comfortable and smooth. It's like coasting on the highway on your cush recliner with your legs and feet way out there!)
3.  Ducati Hypermotard (hard, snappy ride. I was expecting more.  A Termi and tuned ECU would make a huge difference)
4.  Kawasaki ZX6R (scary powerful and uncomfortable for any street riding)
5.  KTM SuperDuke 990 (Just awesome on the street.  Big grin on my face.  Did not care much for the weak exhaust sound though)
6.  KTM RC8 (My butt was cooking hot from the engine, but it's the best of them all.  Turns quick and the most comfortable bike I have ridden)

Nice to see you Austinites!  Tooks some pictures of Joe and Frank have the best pictures but I'll hold off posting them for now  ;D 

Great stuff,

I test rode in this order:

Ducati Hypermotard "S" with full race Termi and slipper clutch
Yamaha R-6
Kawasaki Zx-10R
KTM RC8
KTM Super Duke 990
Yamaha FJR1300

Great stuff.  I was shocked at how telepathic the R6 was, it just went exactly where I wanted with no effort.  The RC8 was fantastic, great riding position and instant torque, Super Duke was everything I wanted the Hypermotard to be.....the Hyper?  Too Hyper.  Handlebars make it too twitchy, crazy responsive and great sound and super light....nice 4th or 5th bike.

FJR was just turbine smooth.

If I had to pick one bike......RC8 if I lived in the Hill Country.....Super Duke for where I live in flat land Louisiana.

Cheers

Yep, the RC8 would be perfect for the twisties (and racetrack) while the SuperDuke would rule in a flat urban environment.  Again, great engines on those bikes.  I'm just interested in how dealer support is for the brand if I ever decide to purchase.

Wanted to try out the Yammie R6 and compare it against the ZX-6R that I tested.  Heard from guys who rode both that the R6 was even more track focused than the Ninja 6.  IMO a regular rider off the street will be hard pressed to use even half the full potential of these bikes.

Was good to see the Austin guys Paul, Tim, Rich and Ivo.  Too bad you didn't have time to demo a bike or two. At least a couple of you got to go home with some new gear.
We arrived at 8:30 in the morning and didn't leave until 3 or so.  Demo area seemed less crowded than on Saturday.  I think some people were turned off by the forecast of potential rain for Sunday.

My favorite bike was the black ktm 690 supermoto smr. It was the ultimate take over town, drive through ppls lawns, ramp off driveways and gap some big shit sort of. :P. The rc8 was good though I didn't really experience the engine heat but then again I ride a 749 so... As for the hated on hyper you really didn't get the chance to open it up. With that said I'm sure its bad ass just look at that ruben xaus video clip where he is tearing it on the hypo. And as usual the best part was the betties
\hotties\stripper models and or that dudes girlfriend I was hitting on ;p... 'Nuff said

How do you think the 690 SMC would be outside of town in the hill country?  Is it fast enough to keep up w/ the group?  I'm looking at getting a second bike next spring and really like the motards but am worried it won't have enough power or range.  Would the Super Duke be better for the riding we do?

The Super Duke will be better. It's got style. And you know you want it.

I didn't get to try out the 690 but I can tell you that the 990 Super Dookie was NICE! I didn't really get a chance to open it up but the torque and power band were pretty linear and smooth on the few occasions that I did get to accelerate hard. Handling was nice, very similar to the monster with a quick turn in and light effort at the bars. The pegs did feel a bit buzzy around 5K RPM, a bit early IMO. As far as keeping up with the group, the 990 Super Dookie will definitely fit right in with the style of riding you Austinites do.

I agree with Joe on the 990. If you happen to be in California you can test ride them:

DECEMBER 2008:
December 5-7 - Long Beach IMS Trade Show - Long Beach, CA - Street Ride
December 13 - Malcom Smith Motorsports - California - Street Ride
December 14 - Mission Motorsports - California - Street Ride
December 19-21 - San Mateo IMS Trade Show - San Mateo, CA - Street Ride

Tim,

I remember PowerHammer having reservations about riding with us because he was deeply concerned about fuel mileage...something like 60 per tank on his Husky...if you get the S/M, we'll have to rig up some kind of gas can addendum to the tail section or something....
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t113/theducatifan/beerhat.jpg)

Or perhaps this....
(http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t113/theducatifan/tyco_us1_3941_exxon_tank_trailer.jpg)

With all the praise that Vince was throwing at the KTM 690 SMR, I wanted to take a ride on it but never got to due to time constraints.  The SMC was the only 'motard' model available at the time.

I was not impressed with the 690 SMC.  Perhaps it's because of my inexperience with dirtbikes or my differing expectations of it, not exactly sure.  But the thing needed to be revved high to keep it in the powerband, clutch shifting was notchy with a few missed shifts, and power was completely either on or off, no in-betweens.  Had to quickly smooth out that throttle hand.  Again it's probably me and not the bike itself.  The SMR is heavier than the SMC, so it may also be tuned a bit differently. 

Tim, the Duke would be the better choice of the two in the Hill Country with your type of riding.  I can't see the SMC or the SMR having the advantage over the Duke unless you were in a city environment or on really tight backroads.  And even then it's debatable.