Aegis Bearing Mel
Post missing.
I have a stock '07 SD and previously owned a Rocket III.
They're very different!
The Rocket is manoeuvrable once it's moving, but I pick up my kids and walk a mile back pushing the SD along-side me like a push-bike! Its a fairly flat route, but 100 yards would be impossible with the Rocket!
I get a minimum of 130 miles until the fuel light comes on.
It's important to ride a Superduke like a lunatic because....
oh, I forget, now...
but I'm sure I was told something sometime by someone...
Anyhow, the battery is in the lower fairing behind the front wheel, so they're really trying hard to get the centre of gravity low.
The engine is from the Adventure and the finish is notably better than my last two bikes that were Hondas and far better than any Triumph. All the other mass-produced bikes (even the Rocket) are made to be mass-sold. To move off the shop-floor fast and get their money from service and parts. The engine coming from the Adventure is an important part of separating this bike from others. All the KTMs I've seen seem to be built properly. Look at all the bike forums you can find. Check out the technical problems they have. Triumph forums are mostly about bits falling off and 'is this supposed to happen?' threads. The worst I've seen here is the torque setting for the oil sensor being too low and a few oil drips as a result. The Rocket forum even had screw falling off inside the gearbox and locking it up, exhausts and indicators falling off (the latter happened to me, amongst other things). Suzuki and Honda forums seem to have fewer technical problems than others, but then Honda try harder (usually) and Suzuki parts are so cheap that nobody gets to upset if something isn't perfect.
The SD is easy to keep clean just with WD40 and a rag: no fins, few fiddly bits or dirt-traps (especially if you fit a shock-sleeve from ).
The bike is fantastic for customising and adding things onto. There are electrical accessory sockets inside the Headlight Mask, so you don't have to break into the loom to power your sat-nav, intercoms, heated grips etc. (I have an Ice-Pick on the end of a solenoid that stabs me in the leg when I forget to cancel the turn indicators).
People universally agree that the bike sounds great. I deliberately roll off the throttle as much as possible just to hear the burbling.
On the down-side, fitting luggage is not obvious, but there are threads here which solve most needs. The back of the bike gets hot.
Handling-wise, the thing is mind-controlled: there's no other way to describe it. Every time I get into trouble (I go for 'daily'), I just imagine where I need to be to get safe, and somehow I appear there. The wheels grip where they shouldn't, at angles they shouldn't and I've ridden cobbles, thick mud, gravel and been very impressed. I'm no great rider, I'm used to getting into trouble but on this bike, when I the rear slides its just fun. When I need to stop, it stops: fast. When I need to go, it goes fast, and when I need to steer, I've gone where I'm going before I need to think about it. Its how a bike should be.
I recently did a tour of the lakes, dales and peaks. Eight hours continuously in the saddle for three days. I didn't notice my legs or arse at all. It beats the Rocket and Honda CBF1000 my miles for comfort! How mad is that?!
You'll make your Rocket friend very jealous, especially when you can park and their side-stand just sinks into the hot tarmac
Make sure you show them the tool-kit that comes with the bike: that'll really rub the quality issues in