First Day of SD Ownership

Joined last week after I put a deposit down on a 2010 SD in black/white. Traded in my 1999 G2 ZX6R Ninja for it, which was my first bike after passing my test 5 years ago. The Ninja's been a superstar all the time I've had it, and I'll miss it a lot, but I'm not the right age or shape for a sports bike (although them old sports bikes aren't as cramped as some of the newer ones, I'd not be able to do 20 miles on a 3 year old one haha). It's never let me down, gave me some massive thrills and quite a few scares from my talent being way less than my ambition or it's capabilities, but reality bites, and it had to go.

So, I picked the SD up today having never rode it

What a hoot. Obviously took it easy at first, mainly cos picking a bike up in a city centre at haf 3 in the afternoon just means traffic, traffic, traffic. But once I'd got home, showed my son the bike, then went and filled up and hit the twisties, boy, what a laugh.

It just tips into corners so easily, plenty punch out of the corners and the front wheel was off the ground a few times towards the end of the run (on the throttle with a bit pull of the bars) which I'd read about, but with me being almost 18 stone, I never thought would happen no matter how powerful the 11 stone bike journo's reckon these bikes are.I was laughing my head off for the last 5 miles of my route cos of how mental things had got (and this is only an hour or so after getting it cos rain was close and I wanted to be home before I got soaked). What a blast.

I cannot wait to get used to this cos I think it's going be a riot

Hoping for good weather this weekend, cos I'd love to do Middleton-in-Teesdale to Alston then up to Hartside

I'll get a few pics this weekend and post them up, cos everybody loves pics

LOL - nice. Another hooked on first use of crack, er, I mean SDs.

Glad to read you're enjoying it so!

Ha ha - great stuff, glad you've taken to it. This is what SD ownership is about!

You wrote my feelings when I rode it for first time I always been more towards V-Twins and owned RC8 at the time when was buying SDR, but this is just different experience being on the Duke, I truly love this bike, despite is giving me some hard time to my arms sometimes, due to vibrations
Enjoy and post some pics later on

Welcome to the nuthouse.

I bought mine without ever riding one too.

Was mid January. Got it delivered to my barracks at the time. The grounds had just about thawed out as I pulled out of the junction into the main road, gave it a wrist full causing the rear to kick out as I went down the road.

Took it "easy"....... for the first mile, then the demons consumed my rationality and transformed me into a nutjob.

When I arrived back at base, turns out my mate was on the entrance gate and saw the whole incident at the start and thought "That looked both awesome and brutal at the same time, like I was fleeing a crime scene!"

Took the SD out for a good run today with my mate on his J model ZX6R. Consett-Stanhope-Middleton-Alston-Hartside and back. Great roads, dry weather.

What a day!!! I cannot believe how well this things goes round corners. You just think about turning and it goes round bends. I gave it a good caning and it's the best day's biking I've had in the 5 years since I passed my bike test. I was buzzing when I got home.

Used to think biking was all about sports bikes and trying to be Rossi and co. How wrong I was, since buying a KLV 1000 and doing a bit of touring, and now the SD, there's way more to biking than just sports bikes.

I'm going to love owning this machine.

Andy

Bought mine without a test ride too.
I own 2 other 1000cc V twins, so thought how different can it be !
Well it is a lot different, love it.

Went for a burn through the twisties this weekend.
It is so nimble a quick, suspension ain't bad either.

Still learning the roads here, wish I was back home were I know them well.
Then I could really take it for a shake down and see what I need to adjust.

I think shifter need to angle down a little, or I need to go reverse pattern.

FUN FUN FUN.

Nitro

Aye Danny, that's the one.

Was looking on the net for a few weeks, when I was still in 2 minds whether to get one, and there was a one in Billau's in Darlington on a 58 plate for cheaper, but then once I decided I wanted an SD, it was gone. Bar the one in M&S, the next closest I could see on the usual web pages was about 95 miles away, and was pre 07 (I wanted post 07 for the larger tank etc). After that they were all 200+ miles away, so I thought, "These things ain't common, best get it bought". I'm pleased I did, what a machine

I really like the black/white contrast, and my KLV is orange, so didn't want another orange bike. Mind, I like all the colours, they don't do a bad one.

Just need to get some dough saved to start with the mods.

Andy

Love this thread, it's just folk writing with passion, nothing technical, no B*lls*it, Just the seat of the pants feeling when it all starts coming together with the feedback from the bike! You don't even need to be that experienced when the bike is giving you that feedback and that feeling of confidence that the SD inspires you with!

I've been riding for over 30 yrs and along with a few Supermotards the Superduke has certainly made me a better rider than many previous bikes ever did!

Well done chaps and well done to the guys back in Austria who know how to make a bike handle!