Sold the SDR - and signing out... (ish)

Hi all,

It's been a while since I was a daily contributor here (so some of you are thinking, who the F is Dutch?), ...but after deliberating for almost a year I've finally taken the plunge and actually sold my beloved SuperDuke R, (...to a lovely fella called Nick from Haywards Heath).

It was my sixth or seventh KTM, and my third bike with an LC8 engine, so not owing a bright-orange Austrian V-Twin is gonna be very odd, but in truth my tastes and needs were changing. As I get older I'm losing the head-down, elbows-up aggression that I used to have to conjour-up to do the SDR justice on the roads. Riding with less conviction than 110% on an SDR is like asking Angelina Jolie for a hand shandy when she's offering toad in the hole... To underline my aging outlook ("no, son, let's WALK down the hill and f*ck ALL them cows") my second girly-bike - a Ducati Sport Classic 1000 (see below) became my favoured daily ride, just cos it was just easier to have fun on, even on a track day. Weird but true.

Over the last two weeks I rode the Superduke more than ever, knowing it was gonna leave me soon, and I fell in love with the beast all over again... but not enough to keep her standing there in my back yard, expensively insured and depreciating fast, while I pansy-about on a cafe racer. She deserves a better life in more appreciative hands.

The Superduke was, and is, one of the greatest bikes ever made, and those who ride them are an opinionated, maverick bunch of wankers, whom I have loved to know and ride with. The new version with 1200cc won't be as good as the original, cos KTM broke the mold on that one, and I will look back with pride at having once owned such a notorious, ground-breaking, class-defining, machine, and riding with such complete lunatics with two fingers up to polite riding, and gathering a host of biking stories to keep me in free beers for many years to come.

Due to an admin error , I'm still a moderator here, so probably need to relinquish that responsibility now, but I will still lurk around sometimes, and I hope to still see the likes of Shade, Klincky and Co on the road in Norf Londahn, and you never know, when I get rich I may still build that Uberduke I used to go on about. (In fact I'm still researching it)

Meanwhile, Catch me at http://www.thebikeshed.cc

Here she is looking her best,



...and here is my other ride.... still a naked, Trellis-framed, European, 1000cc V-Twin.

You'll regret it

See you in a few months.

definitely one of the nicer looking SDRs I'd seen - sorry to see her go. I took a deposit on my SD over the weekend so I'll be joining you soon to wallow in the pool of regret

When we were children the road was to motorcycle ownership. Paper routes, selling Amway door to door. Saving our allowance and mowing Mrs Ott's lawn on Saturday morns. Then it was the road to other roads and sneaking your bike to the town next door because they had a Mickey D's and those Big Macs were so good. Then it was Dirt tracking your XR 200 round a made up oval next to the railroad tracks thee weekend after you came back from your first San Jose Mile. Then giving your girlfreind a ride on your brand new RD350 and thinking she will never let go of my waste and if this is how I have to get a girl this close to me, I will own a motorcycle forevet.
The motorcycle isnt the road, the road is the motorcycle. You can never take a wrong turn, just a differant veiw. Travel down that road, it crosses many paths, wrench on.

Shame you had to let her go! But you've still got a lovely bike! Ever week the zard exhaust system with one silencer under te seat, and one lower down? That looks mega on those bikes!

m8 that is sad news Although that is way too nice a SDR to be sat around and not released to cause mayhem to all around her I'm sure small children either ran for cover or stood open mouthed as she came down the road Must have been a tough, tough call and I guess all the time you took in doing it shows that.

Must do a beer soon. My bike will be back in one piece in a month or so, so maybe a spring meet up somewhere.

Kind regards.

I just hope that in 20-30 years time you don't end up saying to the daughters boyfriend "Umm yes I used to own a Superduke. If I'd have known that
they would be worth that much (some very high figure) I'd have kept it ..."

They will be collectors items you know.

Cheers anyway.

I now live in Haywards Heath. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Hope you are dead wrong about the 1200 duke

AGRO, Dribble, Cheers fellas.

Klincky - def up for a beer, and want to see how your SD comes out.

Bic - The new owner, Nick, is a sound guy. Ex RC8 and Fireblade owner (saw the light at last).

Nampus, the list of mods for the SC range is even bigger than for the SDR - so look out, she'll get prettier and prettier - and quicker too. 100bhp at the rear wheel on a 175kg bike, with top spec suspension, that looks like it was made in 1972, is where I wanna be this summer.

Samba - Hmmm. If you fancy a supermoto, I'd look at a Husky 510SMR. Awesome bike, and as an ex LC4 and SMC owner, I'm not ashamed to admit that the Husky is the better bike. In fact I might get one myself. It'd give the SD a run for it's money in the twisties. The LC4 is a tractor by comparison.

fatbob - I hope I'm wrong too, but IMO what KTM should've done to the SD is simply lost 25kg, lowered and shortened the whole thing by 10%, upgraded the suspension further, added a sliper clutch as strandard, and sorted the fuelling. Job done.

...The last thing the SDR needs is more cc (on a naked bike ) and electronic rider aids, so that idiots can ride them as well as more experienced riders. I liked being in a exclusive club of riders who had a level of skill that allowed them to ride such a peice of kit. Anyone can ride a S1000RR or Panigale these days. ...Boring.

I think KTM Also need to move on with thier design department. A few curves wouldn't go amiss. The first SD was the prettiest - look at the lovely curved tank.

I've wanted one of those Ducatis for a while; they look amazing with the right mods. How does it ride? (compared to the SDR )

it's the look on childrens faces that make me laugh. They are either running scared to behind Mums legs or stood in open mouthed amazement.You can see words forming in their little minds "I want!" My ex next door neighbours son is 7 and he could stand looking at my bike for ages, almost as long as I can lol. Any chance he had to sit on it he'd be there like a shot. I think his Dad actually began to hate me as he is really into cycling and his son lost all interest in cycles and wanted motorbike mags instead I think he was glad to see the back of me when I moved.

Dutch, if you don't mind disclosing, how old are you? The reason for my impertinent question is that I am 62 and have been having a lot of thoughts about riding, skiing and other activities. I am near the rear of the intermediate pack on track days and I notice I can no longer keep pace downhill with my 34 yr. old ski buddy. So I've been wondering hang up the bike and skis? Just slow down? Get a touring bike? Get off my fat ass, get myself in shape and try to push back on father time?

Dutch, what seat/cowl are you running on your SC?