Picked up Superduke today - Sept Track Update

A little about me. One of your gracious members referred me here, and I've enjoyed watching up until now. I'm 43 years old, and former amatuer racer, and I've been an instructor of MSF courses for 13 years. I've enjoyed a lot of different bikes, about 17 to this point, from an '80 XL185s enduro, to a YZF1000 thunderace... three VFR800's probably typify my interest, comfortable bikes that can haul a$$... My 4 years with an '03 Tuono 1000r made me want something with a lot of usable power, that doesn't require chiroprator visits to enjoy regularly... which leads to today's activities:

well... it's been an interesting fourth of july so far at the Fetter compound. The YZF450 Supermoto went to a new home in Kentucky... and I'm sad to see it go. I obviously underpriced it, as I've cancelled the ads I created for it and my phone is still ringing off the hook.

But, there's a new kid in town. The unusual story behind this from the seller:
Guy X that created the ad: It's his fiance's bike (lady Y). She was married to a guy (Z) that passed away about 3 or 4 years ago. He worked for KTM and Triumph. This KTM 990 Superduke was a show bike that was toted around the US in 2006 (confirmed European 2006 bike), a year after the 2005 release of the model in Europe, but a year before the 2007 release in the US, it's Fuel Injected like our '07 though. After that year, they let guy Z buy the bike and it became part of his bikes in 2007. A bit of riding, and guy Z passed. It was inherited by lady Y.

Lady Y got mixed up with Guy X. moved in and the KTM came with. It's been ridden about 6 times in the past 3 years by her, and approx 12 times by Guy X. but mostly, it sat on the front porch. In the sun, especially on the right side of the bike.

So, they decide to move to Montana, and two months ago Guy X makes a craigslist ad that Lady Y asked him to. One guy showed, he was 16 and had his license 2 weeks, Guy X said no. I like Guy X for this.... Anyway, lots of callers, but no visitors... ( I called about it, but didn have my truck yet). So today, after the ad has expired on Craigslist, and I've watched several Superdukes appear and sell, some for good prices, and some for high prices, I go to look at the bike. It's an honest 5.5 hour drive, so this is dedication.

The bike presents as weather worn, greying of some plastic, hazing of white over the lenses on the Instrument Panel (IP), but it starts and runs well... despite the awful flat worn tyres that are dry rotted... as much as I enjoyed the test ride, I was worried that the tyres would fail me at any moment... so, passion may have overwelmed good sense, but I bought it and brought it home...

Burned the crap out of my arm while loading it... but 5.5 hours more drive on the way home.

http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f104/ ... 0purchase/

To do:
Clean... clean again... clean some more...
change oil and filter, brake fluid, coolant,
install new tyres,
inspect brakes
restore the plastic and paint... the IP should polish out.
recover the seat, or replace.
refresh suspension
a little street riding to acclimate, then, track day...


Would welcome any help from the group. Thanks!

Welcome Sir - and and what a story!
First, even though it's not a new bike, it's worth using fuel stabilizer. The crap fuel here in the US catalyzes tank expansion!
There's loads of great advice on here for tweaking the bike to suit you and a lot of great guys to elicit help.

Enjoy!

Welcome. Where do you live?

I got an 06 as well that came from Canada and was impounded in Colorado. Sat outside for a few months but other than some fading plastic in a few minor spots, did not look anything like that. That seat is horrible!

Consider your work a labour of love. You will not regret it as this is an amazing bike. So is the VFR and compliments the SD very well. Watch the oil sight tube, coolant level (water pump seal), and starter back torque limiter. Those are the issues I've had with mine, all fairly easy to fix at home. Also had a horrible idle problem for the last year but I think that was fixed yesterday by adjusting the throttle return stop screw.

Amen and ditto. Welcome to the crazy clan.

Welcome and good luck with restoring the superduke to its former glory!

welcome. That bike sounds familiar - I think it's been discussed on this forum in the past :agree:

Welcome, that bike needs some serious TLC......

I seem to recall reading something here about an early import in the states that had been used as a show bike and found its way in to someone's collection or was up for sale...
Anyway welcome - apart from the hideous seat it doesn't look bad at all.
I think you'll enjoy it!

Welcome. Poor baby just needs somebody to lover her again!
Some spit, polish, and a few new pieces and you will have her shining in no time.

How can people treat a bike like that?
Found on trailer trash breezeway, a rare piece of art, go figure.
I dont envy your task at hand but the reward is wonderful
Thier is nothing that money wont fix on that bike. Just think you have a perfect example of the bike that started it all. Unmolested and unloved still looks molested.
Welcome, your treasure awaits every chemical treatment under the sun.
You'll need a few more toothbrushes too.
I would love to hear and see the rebirth on this site in glorious detail.

Thanks for the welcome! I'm in Chattanooga, TN... and lucky to have some of the best roads in the country at my disposal.

I've started ordering parts, and the seat was super easy... except it's not orange. I like the look of the orange, but my experience with having colored seats (had a red one on my '86 Ninja 250 new, that's going a ways back!) was that they never look as nice as they did when new... Got some good advice on some frame sliders... but I need to spend some more time searching the forum now that my questions are more specific.

I'll make sure and take pictures as I progress through the restoration and post them.

Welcome to the orangeness!

As said somewhere above, I'm looking forward to the rebirth.

Welcome

Welcome mate

Your pics seem to show a bike that has just been neglected. There's nothing a good clean and oil will not fix there - it actually looks very new and underused - my '07 bike shows a lot more wear and tear than that. There's lots of mods you can do to make this a better bike - just start reading through all the threads on here and you'll start to pick up the general gist of things.

If there was ONE thing you should do immediately. Junk the silencers now. They are placed high up at the back of the bike and weigh an absolute ton! Take it off - feel the weight, dig a hole at the bottom of the garden and bury them. Don't offer them for sale - no one wants them, they are worthless!! Put on a set of aftermarket cans and down load the akra map to richen up the fueling. Or better still fit a PC111 or Tune ECU and gat a custom map made on a dyno. You will definitely end up at this point in the future so you might as well do it at the beginning.

It's a very different bike to the VFR. I had one of those for a few months and wasn't that impressed to be honest, great engine but very, very soft rolling chassis. The SD is a very sharp, honed tool for precision rideing and the frame, suspension and brakes are right up there with the sportsbike class.

Enjoy.

Got yourself a SD !!!
if you're going to ride hard on that bike first thing i'd do is push those tubes down into the triple clamps about 3/16ths inch. or push them down by about as much as they are currently sticking out of the clamps.

There's a great video of a guy racing at Infineon Racetrack and ya could see his front wheel tuck under just before the front washed out and crash. I push my bike as hard as i know how through lots of twisties in Bay Area Ca. and always felt the front feeling it was tucking on me - when i saw the video i said to myself " That's what my bikes doing " The recommendation is to buy the Nichols triple clamps ( 800 $ Kit ) or push the tubes down which i did and what a world of difference and feel so much safer now riding with confidence the front end doesn't feel like washing out anymore.

Welcome and congrats on the purchase.
Nice to see she found a good home and she will be sparkling again after some TLC!
You got the right idea anyway on what to do and plenty peeps here with advice if you need it.

Welcome - Nice one!! It'll be fine.

Those orange seats can be had for a song. Shame about the lenses because you'll have to get second hand units just for the lense - not so cheap.

Have fun.

Your bringing a SD back to life, the reward will be well worth it!
Oh and Welcome.

hi
welcome to the forum
what a shame the bike has been let to get like this . i am sure you will bring it back to its former glory..
you will have to post some more pics when sorted .

New tyres, oil and coolant.
http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f104/ ... ly%202012/

Took it for it's first ride tonight to our local 'Bike night' called 'Nightfall' It was a great ride.

So, first impresssions, I'm noting for future retrospect:
- very tall first gear, can't even shift to second in the neighborhood... it's too fast for second gear in the neighborhood.
- stalled four times during the ride tonight... about 40 miles round trip. I've got to get used to slipping a little more compared to the VFR, or other four cylinders. I think the Tuono was similar at first, easily adapted.
- holy cow.... fast as sin in the 5500 to 8500 rpm range if kept in the right gear. seems to be where the bike wants to run.
- the gauges and the front of the bike as a whole disappears as soon as your rolling... nice effect... the bike is small compared to most I've owned.
- lots of interest at the local bike night... many people have never seen one.
- 1/2" chicken strips just on the local ride through neighborhoods to down town. Tells me that bike is immediately comfortable to me.
- Steering seems a little too light. Worried that it's gonna need a steering damper for real attack mode.
- damping from the stock suspension suprisingly harsh for bumpy city streets... need to do a better eval on good local twisties.
- I'm in love with this bike so far. The position seems so natural to attack the twisties... need to put the bike into this situation and burn some fuel and tyre.

More later, gotta ride this thing some more.

Good to see you got it up and running already!
About the tall first gear: if I'm not mistaken, the first gen sd came with 17/38 gearing. 07+ came with 16/38, and a lot of owners (myself included) switch to 16/40, this really makes a huge difference for town riding.

Hello mate, welcome to the forum..

Been working through my list of tasks:

Oil change and new tyres.


Yes, they were original

Put some Pilot Powers on it... my favorite general sport tyre.

Cleaning... lots of it:



After a little riding, restored the gauges yesterday:

method an Adventure owner on ADV recommended worked... the Mothers brand headlight restore kit has a "Severe Damage" package inside that includes four grades of wet sand paper on foam backings... really gets into those tight corners well and keeps itself wet. lots of sanding and polishing, and they really look good (picture is tach only for comparison).

Frame sliders on order, the tank pivot brackets have arrived... and it's first track day is two weeks away!

Wanted to get a little track time before making any modifications.... so I got out on Little Talladega for a day on my birthday, September 8th:



Impressions (I'm recording here to go back later):
- had a few very light headshakes under acceleration, could use a steering damper.
- need a little better tyre next time (ordered Power One's to replace the Pilot Powers, the rear was burned up in one day).
- softly sprung, and poor rebound damping. I added a few clicks, but I think it's important to service the suspension before my next day (Oct 20th).
- Too quiet, really couldn't hear the bike at all.
- feels like it's "corked", like there is more power there, but it's being held back... but Tally is a 2nd and 3rd gear track...

All in all, a great day, really got a lot more comfortable on the bike, had a ton of fun, and no incidents...

So, last night the new FMF Apex carbon exhaust arrived, also the Tune ECU cable, and the SAS plates... tonight: Rottweiler air box... gonna be a busy weekend.