Buying a 2008 990R Today...

Looking at buying a 990R today with 2.2k miles on the clock. Anything I need to be on the lookout for before I hand over the wad of cash (enough to choke a horse... )?

And the stupid second question: Will this make a decent commuter? My Aprilia Factory is killing me on the occasional commute to work (two or three times a week). I started out looking at Triumph Speed Triples, then Monster S4RS', and wound up eyeballing the SuperDuke.

Thanks, folks! Seems a like a loony, well-informed group here, and I'll make an intro as soon as I own her...

superduke R will need forks and shock revalved or you'll have the ride on so cal freeways.

roads up in the mountains are not much better. you won't like riding up there at more than 8/10 pace.

I've been commuting on my RSVR the last few months. I do have bar risers. some wind protection is nice when it's cold out.

The suspension on my SDR is fine for any road I've riden on and I can aside you they are not that flash, just set it to road setting and should b fine, seat might b a pain in the arse though. Anarchy throttle might give you the shits as well.
Otherwise enjoy the ride, they are a great bike

a riding friend has the s4rs and I have ridden it on a few occasions. the sd is miles ahead of the Ducati in the connection between man and road. The Duc is a cool bike none the less and is where the SD heritage stemmed from but KTM took it to a whole new level. Buy It and Smile.

LOL. it does feel light I'm humping a football.

twitchy/surging at low throttle

$30 O2 eliminators will cure it.

bike has aftermarket exhaust? you'll need the 2031 map done by a dealer.


you'll need to cut an inch off the ends of the bar if you want to lane split. the rsvr can still fit through a smaller 'hole'

IIRC I took an inch off each end.

or as much as you can and still fit the switches and levers on the bar. get some handguards like the acerbis street. when you bang into mirrors it won't push your clutch or (worst) brake lever

OK, She's mine.... Initial pic in the intro section... Let the modding begin! LOL!!

And about that anarchy throttle, um, yeah--I now know exactly what you guys are talking about! I need to fix this pronto! Fueling sucks down low, and there are some weird surges... So, O2 sensors should be replaced

I commute on a 2008 SDR. Yeah it is a little insane at times with the bike bouncing you off on holes/bumps, the hard seat and the throttle sensitivity/power surges at low RPMs. But I love it and have a blast. I now know where all the bumps/holes are on my commute (17 to 25 miles one way) and I usually lift my butt one inch off the seat before hitting them. That does not bother me as I am used to ride dirt bikes and riding standing up most of the time.

I split traffic a lot. I did not cut the bars and do not feel the need for it.

Have fun and speed safely!
Pierre

For a slight quick-fix to the snatchiness in traffic, grip the throttle AND bar weight at the same time, this stops the stiffer suspension giggling your hand about over bumps resulting it some of the snatch