04-16-2015, 10:49 AM
In 2007, the KTM SuperDuke won bike of the year. I bought one. It was a good bike, but had some flaws. The styling did not appeal to many people, the seat was rock hard. Exciting to ride short distance, nice power, good tranny, outstanding handler. Excellent WP suspension, but very stiff. They didn't sell worth a darn after the first 6 months or so and were eventually discontinued. Had trouble selling mine a couple years later. The new Superduke is a very narrow niche bike - even more narrow than the 2007 model. It is a very narrow focus motorcycle - built for magazine road testers who don't have to buy it and live with it.
I have owned a lot of bikes, including a 2013 CB1100. It is a good, well-engineered bike. I like it and ride it often, but it is not very exciting like my Ducatis, Speed Triples, Tuonos and SuperDuke were.
My suggestions - modify the CB1100 to fit somewhere in the middle of the performance of the current CB1100 and the models I mention. Remove the ECU restrictions, retune for 100 plus horsepower, 17 inch wheels. Make it a bit more exciting like the original CB750 was in its day.
Look how long the ZRX1100/1200 lasted - similar to the CB1100 but with a lot more power.
I think naked bikes will survive, especially after the adventure bike craze dies.
I have owned a lot of bikes, including a 2013 CB1100. It is a good, well-engineered bike. I like it and ride it often, but it is not very exciting like my Ducatis, Speed Triples, Tuonos and SuperDuke were.
My suggestions - modify the CB1100 to fit somewhere in the middle of the performance of the current CB1100 and the models I mention. Remove the ECU restrictions, retune for 100 plus horsepower, 17 inch wheels. Make it a bit more exciting like the original CB750 was in its day.
Look how long the ZRX1100/1200 lasted - similar to the CB1100 but with a lot more power.
I think naked bikes will survive, especially after the adventure bike craze dies.