I probably enjoy not having a bike payment for a few months. I'll divert the funds I would have spent on teh BMW into the spent boingers of my Beloved Bandit. I'll be looking for a Hypermotard or 990 Supermoto around the first of the year.
I have vowed to make the K-bike my last new bike. There aren't any of the bikes I want used yet since they are both 2010 models.
I've owned one and currently own one.
KTM was a blast to ride! Tranny was smooth, engine was powerful and suspension was spot on. WP forks are top notch. Just not a lot of people heard of them. The only reason I got rid of it was it was too big for me. Not the weight, but it was just too fucking big for my short ass. When it moves, the weight wasn't noticeable at all. If KTM would have made the bike a little lighter and not so damn bulky, I would definitely think of getting another one.
Duc is well, a sexy ass Duc! I actually traded in the KTM for the Hyper. Plenty of power, light weight and is smooth. BUT...the forks suck fucking shit. Absolutely horrible. I noticed this when I first brought my bike home. Any little bump and you'll feel like you're going to be thrown off the bike and it will definitely throw you off your line. It wasn't even fun riding around town. This was why I was wanting to sell it. I'm planning to buy replacement guts from Race Tech. This should fix the problem with their poorly made fork guts. The only difference on the forks between the regular model and S model is that coating on the forks. They look pretty, but is garbage. Just be aware of this if you decide to go Hyper.
(taken from Ducati.ms)
So far I found :
*/ Ohlins by DucShop at 1450$, excellent feedback
*/ Racetech, at 1299$ with the pikes peak result we know.
*/ GPsuspension, 1200$ with good review
*/ Gubellini, €612.36 (tax included here), no review
*/ Andreani group (folks behind Ohlins 46mm fork I beleive) are offereing a 20mm cartridge, for €405
*/ Maxton, £295.00 plus V.A.T, waiting for feedback
Maxton sent me a generic pdf file about the Hypermotard., here is a copy paste :
FRONT
The forks on the Hypermotard are Marzocchi upside down forks and do
have problems. Externally they look like very good quality forks, but
internally they are very cheap.
The forks have a lot compression damping, especially when they move a
small distance - over little bumps on the road. This shows itself by giving a
very hard and twitchy ride. The springs in the forks are too soft so the bike
dives a bit under braking. The Hypermotard forks also spring back at you
when you let go of the brake, this is because there is not enough rebound
damping. A lot of people also describe the front as being "vague" and
not getting much feedback from the front end, this is a combination of
the forks being over damped on compression and under damped on
rebound and under sprung. The range of damping adjustment in the
rebound and compression screws is very poor. When you change the
damping adjusters you do not notice any real difference in the
performance unless you go from maximum to minimum.
Unfortunately the damping cartridges are sealed, everything is pressed
and peaned together so you can not strip them down without damaging
the cartridges. Because of this our conversion is to manufacture new
Maxton cartridges. The forks are still adjustable for preload and rebound
and compression damping and are sprung and valved to suit the riders
weight. After the conversion the forks damping adjusters work a lot better
and have good range of adjustment. The cost of the Maxton cartridges
is £295.00 plus V.A.T, plus seals which cost £24.00 plus V.A.T. To service the
forks and install the cartridges costs £100.00 plus V.A.T.
We make the Maxton cartridges to lower the ride height by 10mm, this
helps the bike turn quicker and hold a better line out of corners. It also
helps prevent the bike wheeling as much.
REAR
The standard rear unit on the Hypermotard is an Ohlins unit. The unit is
good quality and the set up is good for a 12 to 14 stone rider, but if you
are lighter than 11 stone you may need a softer rear spring. To respring
the Ohlins unit and dyno the shock (to set the damping adjusters to a
good base setting) costs £80.00 + V.A.T.
We have not been asked to build a unit for the Hypermotard yet, but if we
did the unit would cost £550.00 + V.A.T. This unit would be adjustable for
rebound damping, high and low speed compression damping and
preload.