I'm old school.

Do you know the strip cartoon called Ogri from the 1970's? I'm like that dude. Not always right but stuck in my ways.

Here's my top ten rules for how I respond to posts on this site. Anyone professing views that contravene this code will probably get some shit from me!!!

Off the top of my head, no particular order - a bit drunk, the kids are in bed and a few bottles of wine are gone.

1. So I like my bikes naked - done my time with fully faired sport-bikes and hyper performance. Not for me anymore. You should have to hang on and tough it out at over 100mph. If you want to ride a race bike then get a racetrack where all that shit makes sense. Really, clip-ons. rear sets, tuck-in fairings, all that stuff, get on the track with a RC8 and prove yourself there, don't ride a Superduke and be a twat on public roads. So most things that people do to make their Superduke into a high performance race bike are doomed to fail. It is what it is. But the SD is meant for a singular purpose so understand it and get into it! (It's not race bike - it's something else)

2. Trying to make your SD look like a race bike does not make you a race god. Fairing stickers, advertising stickers, fork stickers, any sort of race derived branding stickers does not mean, a) your bike is faster b) your bike is better prepared c) you are a better rider d). It just makes you appear like an idiot to most other bikers. If all you can think of doing to your bike is adding stickers then I pity you and, as a biker, am just waiting for you to get bored, sell up and re-distribute your bike and gear into the serious biking fraternity.

3. Rule numer 3 is all of the above but applied to rim tape. The crime for doing this is ten fold. Seriously, I think this should be a capital offence. Yes... I do mean the death penalty.

4. In my book bikes should be mechanically understandable to the average person. That means you can work on them yourself for most major jobs. If you don't know how your bike works then shame on you. Dealer services suck. If you just want it ride a bike but have no interest in how it works, or keeping it going, then I pity you because you are missing out on a lot of stuff. And modern manufacturers, modern bikes and modern dealers are gradually ripping away the total biking experience and changing the face of motorcycling forever. They just want to make money from you. The change from the 990 to the 1290 is a good example of the decline of inclusive, interactive motorcycling. If you only post about rim tape and not valve adjustment advice then you are already on a slippery slope. And I judge you so.

5. Relating to number 4. Modern bikes with loads of electronics and things you can't fix at home suck. They might make the bike perform better but they erode the concept of owning a bike IMO. It just makes owning a bike less rewarding and more expensive. In my world bikes should be mostly mechanical not electronic. I have no time for electronics unless they never go wrong or are cheap to fix. ((ha ha - in my dreams) The fact that many of you (1290 owners) have to post endlessly about electronics is a sad reflection of the state of play - not you, the bikes.

6. It's debatable whether electronics make a better rider out of you. My opinion is that it dumbs down the experience and I don't want that for me. Enough said on this issue.

7. Try riding back home on a misbehaving bike with a super narrow power band and knackered clutch or failed brakes and a misfire, in the rain or snow, and say you don't learn something about life. Or have the agony/joy of mending your breakdown at the side of the road with the help of some amazing person that stops to help you out. Modern bikes will just stop dead and tell you, via a shitty fault code, that your bike will not go again. And then you are meant to ring your assisted breakdown cover etc. blah, blah. I don't want my bike to ride itself for me. Thank you. Nanny-state riding accessories do not do it for me. This forum is increasingly full of comments about dealers, warranties and faults but not about every day repairs, roadside fixes and getting on with bike life.

8. Bikes can be different things to different people. Commuter vehicle, poser accessory, utility transport, holiday adventure, introduction to mechanical stuff, collectors asset etc. To me it's just been a way of life since I was 15 and actually all of the aforementioned things at some time or another. And more. Bikes are a means to multiple experiences and I celebrate all those and like hearing about others. But I have little time for people who just buy into the biking scene because they think it's cool, on a whim, and get all the gear and buy into a lifestyle. Sorry guys but you stick out like a sore thumb as pretentious, shallow participants that will be soon into another fad if you don't kill yourself first. Superduke.net has suddenly become full of people who are not quite the same people who once made this forum a great place to be party to.

9. My product design background means that I have a fundamental belief in the right approach to design. I believe that form should follow function, that gratuitous styling is repulsive and unnecessary, that motorcycles are functional machines that should honestly reflect their intent and that, in most cases, every component and facet of a motorcycle should look and feel like it was meant to do the job necessary. I will always judge harshly anything that does't adhere to this philosophy. This includes gaudy paint schemes, heated grips, orange anodised fooking anything, and of course rim tape.

10. I'm a very troubled person. I'm afflicted by aesthetics and brand ethics before any other consideration. So I see other people's bikes through this professional lens that makes me judge them by my instinct and passion. I just look at something or evaluate what someone is saying about their intensions for their bike and I judge it straight away. No messing. It's brutal - I have view and I will post it back up on this site quick as fook. I'm not always subtle or sensitive or diplomatic. But I have my views.

I'm sure I will get a load of shit for some of the things I've said in this post but at least it will be entertaining to read.

Bring it on!

EDIT: Fixed YouTube link.

I actually agree with you 100%

Get something carbureted, like my Yamaha. It always needs love and oil and a kick to get it started. I beat the hell out of my KTM as much as I can get away with on public roads with no traffic. I do enjoy that I don't need to turn a wrench on it to make it "perfect" every time it starts. I press that start button and something magical happens...it starts every time. Maintenance is solely done by me (except for tyre (sorry tyre) changes) along with all the preventative crap like the water pump, chain tensioners, drive chain and sprockets.

Have a beer instead next time, wine seems to be making you too emotional.

I do agree with the stickers. Being noticed for anything can lead to tickets.

You have been judged.

Well said Bic, have to say that I agree with many of the sentiments expressed therein. Fortunately most SD owners (those who are members on here at least) seem happy to wield the tools when they have to.
I'm a firm believer that form should follow function and have no time for decorative add-ons that serve no functional purpose.
A mate of mine is similarly "old school" (he's ridden my 990SD and loves it) and laments the fact the younger and/or newer riders didn't have to serve an apprenticeship of slow unreliable bikes that didn't handle, corner or stop with any aplomb whatsoever. Instead they reap the rewards of our hard work as test mules and step straight onto modern bikes that are effortlessly reliable and competent and as a result they recoil in horror if handed a spanner....

Now, where did I put that rim tape...?

One thing about bic, he's not lazy when It comes to blowing his own horn. Me, I'm far more superior than all of you out there and just too lazy to fill in the details. This could be stating that I am a poser elitist and will be judged accordingly. So be it. My first motorized two wheel instrument was a home made mini bike with no motor cause the kid I bought it from lied and said he'd get me one. I paid my sisters Necco's wafers to push me around the back yard. No motor, no electrics wizardry, hell no electrics at all. According to bic, I was shitting in tall cotton
By the way did anyone capture the fact that his first design companies trademark corporate identity was ripped from a kid's playground

Well, I just bought the SD and followed that up with a family cruise where I made the mistake of attending the "art auction" with my bride. So, no "add ons" for me for a while...unless they ARE stickers LOL. That's about all I can afford...and those need to be free.

Performance improvements are always good, as well as crash/fall protection. I am looking forward to taking the SD on the track. It will be a different riding position, which I'm looking forward too. My knees just don't bend like they used too. No more sportbike for me.

Ah, but judge away...I'm good with it. Now....where can I find cheap rim tape??? lol

I don't care what u think of my bike ( with stickers and rim tape) Or me. it's my bike, I bought it, I'll do what I want to it

I was drunk again I'm afraid.

Thats not an excuse, unless of course it was a top quality single malt. Na good read, your drunken opinion, and quite funny, I've just brought a GT with all its wizardry, i have a multistrada, with its TTX wizardry , I've have a souped up 640, basic and fun. I do lots of long trips, the GT will make these trips fun, and pleasurable with the panniers, loving the GT. and also loved the 1290R. Oh PS, my GT has some sexy rim tape.

WHAT'S UP!

I see what you are doing here. Good job.

Ah CRAP, I'm everything bic hates PLUS rim tape..........

Super jealous of the carbon wheels. I missed out on a set of BSTs a few years back. There was a forum member selling up and he wanted about a grand which I just didn't have at the time. I guess this kind of chance is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I didn't take it.

That's nice, and thanks for sharing.