I would like to thank Tristar for giving me the chance to try out the KTM SuperDuke since I really like this motorcycle, so I will be comparing the bikes for the different feel and just writing the feel of th bike not specification comparison. But Im happy as hell I get to ride this bike, and the addition looks oh so good. Its one hell of a temptation. Now this is service, they value there customers and know who is addicted to their products.
I just think that these two look like siblings next to each other an they are two different machines that arent comparable since they both have different applications on the road, and I adore my Robo, and SuperDuke would be a nice addition. I know he isnt to everyone’s taste, but I usually just go by my own taste and feel.
This is the new 2007 Ducati 1098 that they have kept quite about! Its an amazing and fearsome looking bike! This the most powerful Twin-Cynlinder bike out there right now! I have to say that I like this bike a lot, and Im impressed with what Ducati has done with it! This is a 160 bhp and 90.4lbs/ft of torque engine! They also kept the weight really low. The aggressive look is very enticing, and I have to say that I like it more then the 999. They just took the old Ducati formula and worked with it.
They have 3 models coming out for this year
- Ducati 1098 ($15’000)
- Ducati 1098 S ($20’000)
- Ducati 1098 S Tri-Colore ($25’000)
I went riding the other week, and I felt like sleeping in a bit. So before heading over to my cousins’ place I got on my bike for an hour or two of riding. And the roads were relatively empty so I head over to Marina Cresent to stop for a bit to get something to quinch my thirst. I took the gulf road all the way to Marina Cresent and the place was packed with people and load music all over the place, not music from cars but from speakers.
I saw the NBK sign with the Lamborghinis sitting under it. It seemed like it was the day they were going to do the draw for the vehicles. And there were two other covered vehicles, and the from the body of them I could tell they were Aston Martins but which one I wasnt sure. And now these days they have the Ad saying Yabeela Aston Martin. After taking a look at the cars I kept walking to Starbucks to get my stopover drink and keep on riding. As I was walking someone was calling my name but I couldnt figure out who it was from the whole damn crowd so I kept walking and I got a phone call. Turned out all those bikes were from the BMW/Ducati riders and I saw them sitting at Costa so I stopped by and said hello. Turned out the person who owns the Ducati Paul Smart 1000 was a friend, and I didnt even know. From there I went to back home to pick up the Dvds I was burning and headover to my cousins’ place.
I know I have posted about this work of art before, but after seeing the new pictures of this machine I couldnt help but drool over it. It looks amazing and based on the effort and work put into it I dont think it is anything short of fantastic. Just looking at the pictures I dont get tired of it! How can you put a price on a work of art, I dont know but this piece will cost a pretty penny. Bimota did an exquisite job making this motorcycle into what it is, and they keep learning from all their previous work and putting more effort into it. There are more pictures below.
This is me on the Daytona 675 and Eric on my Yamaha FZ6. Its fun as hell riding with a friend, and after a while of riding with me we figured out each other’s comfort zones, but sometimes Im afraid he is too close! hehehe! We had a fun time that day starting off on Highway 9 in Los Gatos taking it all the way up and stopping for a break at Alice’s cafe then taking the other highway in the mountain back to highway 92 so we can get back on 280. And boy were we going nuts! The Daytona is such an agile bike turning at the flick of the wrist. It was non-stop and Eric was riding one the best learning bikes around. I think the FZ6 is a great bike, but its lacking some suspension modification and the brakes are bit spongy, but its a great bike and I changed the tires because the stock tires sucked. We had a good time that day, and we were having fun on 280 since its a 4-5 lane highway with beautiful sweeping curves!
More pictures below
I have to say that I am a happy camper with this piece of exquisite engineering. I had high expectation for this exhaust system since it came from one of the premiere aftermarket exhaust system manufacturer.
Positives:
- Fit perfectly out of the box
- Extremely lighter then the original exhaust system
- Great build quality
- Perfect Deep Exhaust tone, thats why I keep reving and down shifting.
- High quality carbon fiber which matchs the bike
- Heat despertion is fantastic, it runs cool compared to the old chrome can.
- More torque then before, more horsepower at the top as well.
- You can feel it breath better.
Negatives:
- None that I can think of.
Price: 600KD (Shipped from UK)
This the best upgrade I have done on this bike, since it looks better, sounds better, and performs better. It covered evey form of improvment for my bike. I cant be happier with this purchase.
Rating: 
I wanted to go riding thursday and didnt feel like just sitting at home. The weather was great and I needed to get out. I wanted to push my limits a bit. I wanted to clear my head of everything! I knew I had to fill up gas, and I was tired after work but I felt like just going for it. It was such nice weather that I wanted to keep riding for a while. I went through the highways to beginning of the Gulf Road from Shuweikh to start from their and go down. There were a few nutcases on the road, but I was happy that I passed a few bikers who were wearing full gear as well, it felt good that they were wearing full gear at least. When the road was empty and the right song came on I felt like pushing it a bit and damn it felt good to have your blood pumping and this rush of energy just coming through. So this is how superman feels when he is catching up with a jet plane. I just needed that after that thursday of work. It just felt fantastic when I was riding and the sun was hitting my back and I could see my shadow on the ground. Just great! I hope everyone had a good thursday too, I have a feeling Im in for a storm at work this week.
Im making professional photographers out of the guys at the gas station!
I parked next to a Buell Firebolt, first time I’ve seen one on the road, and its not the best bike Buell has but it is original! Never tried one, but curious to try one.
I have been riding for a while now, and the one thing I learned is not to ride the first couple of days it rains especially in Kuwait. In the last 36 hours I have seen at least 7 cars slide and crash. And yesterday as I was going to a meeting I took a turn at normal speed then I felt the landcruiser spin a good amount and I turned the steering wheel to adjust while keeping the throttle the same, and it caught traction again and readjusted. (Gotta love the Landcruiser)
When it first rains it forces all the oil and dirt deposits in the road to come to the surface. So its turning into a slipslide situation. I want it to rain a couple of more times before I go riding in the rain. I recommend riding in the rain for those who have been riding for a while, because it hones your skills and forces you to pay extreme attention to what your doing. I have ridden in the rain a lot and its a great feeling if you have the right gear not to get soaked, but not the beginning of rain season. You want the rain to wash all the dirt of the roads so that you lower the risk of falling.
This is the SuperDuke! I have been looking at this bike for a while now! I think Robo sould have a sibling to play with! This is one spunky machine which needs curves to get the best out of it. For some reason I have this attraction to “different” looking bikes or something you can tweak to make it your own. The SuperDuke kept getting amazing reviews and everyone who has one is very happy with it except for the milage and the instrument cluster could be better, and I really dont think those two are an issue for me. Its a true street fighter and handles amazingly, and KTM is a very good manufacturer so the quality is fantastic. So many bikes so little time.
Tristar is selling it for 5200KD which is a bit of mark up since in the states they sell it for $15K, which is about 4400KD. Still is a bike worth looking at.
Link: KTM
I wanted to go to the beach house just to visit some family and have lunch, but I know on fridays there arent any gas stations that are open until 1pm. So I had enough gas to take me around the area, but not to the beach house area and back. So I decided to hit starbucks in Marina after taking a decent ride down the gulf rode. On my way there when I was next to Salwa I suddenly saw a Biker in full gear Black from top to bottom riding a white and red 01-03 Yamaha R1. I was honestly happy as hell seeing somebody else wearing gear. That was the first time I saw somebody else on a sports bike riding sensibly. As we were passing Rumaythiya another bike joined our little duo to make it a trio, and this one was a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R 2006 in green and he was in green as well. He was in full gear as well. I was really happy again, I was grinning like the jocker under my helmet. So we were all playing off each other and helping each other through openings and being considerate to make sure the other person can stay in the little group. I was leading for a while until I got to Marina and parted ways. As I was entering Marina I saw another rider on a Honda CBR wearing full gear riding out! I couldnt be happier! I felt that at last they get the message, its for them more then anything else! The protection will protect them! I stopped and saw about 4 Harleys and one Ducati Special Edition Paul Smart 1000. When I was heading back there was this one guy with his family who were looking at my bike, he was euro but not sure from where exactly, he just said nice bike and he was explaining to his son how great it was. I couldnt have been happier! I was thankful for nice people like them. I said thank you and let his son sit on the bike to take pictures.
As I was walking to the starbucks at the other end I was walking close to the railing and holding the helmet in my right hand, and people wouldnt stop staring. I felt like suddenly I was melting from Superman’s gaze! But damn some of them wouldnt stop even after I was staring back it was rediculous. But honestly that couldnt stop me from being happy that other riders were in full gear! That made me happy as hell!