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Soldato
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Quickshifters and blippers are awesome, especially where you live.

Get the KTM. You've had a Triumph, plus you're not looking at the 2018. The Ducati is - well - a Ducati. An old Italian girl that will ultimately disappoint. Especially on point 6. You've been interested in the KTM for a while, so give it a go.

Question: if you loved the Aprilia so much and never really got much mileage out of it, why isn't it on either list?

Another question: what point are you trying to make about non-British insurance?
 
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They paid back the full price that I paid for the Tuono with no questions or fighting, even though I owned it for 9 months. They also gave me 2000 chf for any damaged items of clothing without receipts needed.

So even though I lost no money from the accident I don't want to spend it all again.

I loved the aprilia but it had some electrical issues that never got resolved and the local garage stopped being an official aprilia dealer. Plus is heavier than I'd like and was hard work to throw around hair pins.

Edit: the 790 is a brand new bike so I'd take a big hit on the depreciation. It's also an unknown quality, particularly with its custom components rather than off the shelf parts like triumph uses.
 
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Soldato
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Ah ok, I just thought the comment about non-British insurance companies was making a point about something. I have gap insurance on my bike, so for what works out to be £35 a year extra I get the full retailer price back, not the price I paid. No receipts required for gear either, nor luggage contents.

I completely empathise about the Aprilia situation - I've been there and moved on. While other manufacturers expand, Aprilia seems to keep contracting. If you can find a dealer that stays open long enough, they're still reliant on the factory to supply parts. Which is something of a lottery.

The torque of the KTM should be good fun in the Alps. Hopefully the 790 is less agricultural than the 1290.
 
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I got screwed in the UK with insurance when an idiot decided that the red light wasn't for him. Insurance just seems to work better here.
 
Soldato
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Well, I guess you only have your own personal experiences to go on. I think everyone here knows you don't live in the UK any longer - the majority of your posts do explicitly remind us :p - but it just seemed an odd statement to make, and a rather irrelevant one to the actual question posed.
 
Man of Honour
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I suppose so. All I meant was I don't want to spend the same amount on a bike as I did the last time.

It's not because I can't stretch to it, I'm just being tight.
 
Soldato
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Fair point.

Still KTM :) When me and my mate did our trip last year we had a running joke on the intercom. Every bike was either a GS or not a GS, but to be fair KTM ran BMW pretty close. There's probably a good reason for that. I need to arrange another test ride once the weather's a bit better, as the 1290 I rode last year was poor enough to contradict all the rave reviews, to the point where I'm now convinced I had a bad one.
 

IC3

IC3

Soldato
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I would say the 765, but you already had a triple. I'll throw something else into the mix... What about a Husky 701?
 
Soldato
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Street Triple it would have to be for me, I've had 2 Street Triples over the last 6 years and i'm tempted to get one as my next bike, I've not rode the new 765 but my experiences on the 675 was an absolute hoon! I had the quickshifter fitted to both mine and the sound it produces with an aftermarket can is unbelievable.
 
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You want a KTM so badly you've even listed two in your shortlist. I suspect you really want a KTM but fear suffering buyer's remorse as you'll take the biggest hit on depreciation.

Buy the 790, suck up the hit and enjoy a (fantastic) brand new bike. You owe it to yourself after your tractor incident.
 
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You want a KTM so badly you've even listed two in your shortlist. I suspect you really want a KTM but fear suffering buyer's remorse as you'll take the biggest hit on depreciation.

Buy the 790, suck up the hit and enjoy a (fantastic) brand new bike. You owe it to yourself after your tractor incident.

What is holding me back on the KTM is the fact that they are working on an R version, and I really regretted not getting a Street Triple R.

There are also no reviews for the bike yet and I can't test ride it until it's out and by that point it will be hard to get hold of. The non-adjustable suspension may be an issue but as all the components are custom built and not off the shelf parts you can't get a feel for the bike before it's released.

I'm tempted to get a cheap bike for now and pick up a nearly new 790 or a new 790 R later on. I am very tight with my cash, I've been looking for a new TV for four years now :p
 
Soldato
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Street RS.

To this day it's still the best bike I've ever ridden and I've tested quite a few now including KTM.
It's nice and light, it goes round corners smoothly and seems to stick to the tarmac up if it becomes bumpy around a corner.
The brakes are by far the best I've ever used. They were smooth and brought me to a quick stop without feeling like the bike was going to squirrel around.
I like the seat position and how high it is off the ground relative to other sportier bikes, but then that's just a naked I guess.
It has a huge amount of power for such a small bike and sounds amazing @ stock when you hit 5-6k+
It's a relatively decent price for the amount of bike you get.

What didn't I like.
I didn't like the LCD screen. It was messy, difficult to use and when it was sunny I couldn't see it.
I am 5 ft 11 and the bike felt a little small for me so bear that in mind but I'm sure you'll be fine considering you've had Streets in the past.
The ride by wire felt a bit distant and unresponsive at slower speeds. Blipping was difficult.
Switch gear is horribly complicated.

Only reason I didn't buy it because it wasn't convenient for long, muddy, wet, cold and windy commutes. It's definitely a toy :)
 
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A very different bike to the final version. The suspension and brakes are very different for a start.

What puts me off the Street Triple RS is that it's missing a lot of the tech in the competition for a few thousand more on the price tag. No blipper, no cornering ABS, no cornering traction control, no cruise control, no LED lights etc.

I enjoyed riding the RS on both test rides though, and my current plan is to test the KTM 790 when I can. If I like it I'll buy it, if not I'll get the RS.

This thread was to hopefully discover that one perfect bike that I have been overlooking, but I'm not sure that it exists.
 
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