I've been away this last year or two, still have my '07 990 but life/work/trackdays etc have meant I've had little time to get out on it.
Having dropped in again I just noted how quiet it is here these days..? Is everyone still here? Who won the whole 1290/990 debate/discussion/squabble..? I had a go on one and, well, didn't think it worth the asking price..
Also I tried the MT10 SP last week; it felt like riding something dreamt up by NASA - do I really want a laptop wired in to my bike making all the decisions for me?
Other stuff I tried: BMW S1000R, '17 R1, KTM GT, Tuono. None moved me to part with the 990 (or my '04 Fazer thou for that matter).

How is everyone?

hello,

yes it's quiet but still lives ehehe

I suppose the 990 crowd is happy with all the right mods done sucessfuly and the 1290 crowd prefers the facebook apps with the same questions everyday

if potential new members are having the same carry on i had trying to get registered then no wonder it's quiet. ive been riding superdukes for 3 or 4 years now and only succeeded in getting my account authorised a few weeks ago. can't remember when i first applied but must have been a couple years ago. applications were ignored and then i couldn't apply any longer as i'd ran out of email addresses to use. i understand there's been admin issues and forum spamming issues but without new blood it will gradually fade away

Facebook is what is killing bike forums. It is far more instant and easier to use for photos and vids. However it is shite as a knowledge base as it can't be searched.

Yeah it's quiet.

I was here years ago, came back a few months ago with my 'new' SDR990. I've done a few things to it, posted enthusiastic comments and enthusiastically commented on other threads.

No one replies.

So why fooking bother??

An element of successful forums is getting replies - the only ones who do seem to be the favoured few.

So - from someone who tried and is now over it - bye.

Comrades: There's a reason nobody replies and the reason is that if we replied to all the dicks that can't read and provide the correct information the first time then we'd be doing it 24x7.

As part of that there are a number of common failures:

The application that just says "Please activate my account" - could be anyone and can't read the instructions.
The application that provides an address that is clearly wrong - like a parking lot.
The application that provides an address that is a business address.
The application that provides an address that seems Ok but is being sent from a different location such as China.
The application where names don't match - it uses somebody else's email address.
The application which somehow doesn't seem right. An international phone call gets "Sorry the number you have called is not connected".
The application where an answering service announces a different name to the applicant - and the number doesn't pick up.
The email that says the active user has forgotten their password. Could we change it? Yes we could if the applicant provided all the correct information however most times this is completely different from the active account. Should we just change it so the rest of us start getting our accounts hacked? After all it was the idiot user that forgot their password not me.
The application where the user cannot remember either their user name or password.
The application where the user has clearly done two or three of the above then gets told their email address is already in use.
It's amazing how many people that have problems ask for a change but are unprepared to provide for example a phone number so we can talk to them. No couldn't do that because it compromises their privacy!! As an aside let me tell potential members that in the modern they have NO privacy. Superduke.Net is the least of their worries.
Even today I notice a thread where there are some parts for sale. It's so interesting that the member includes his email address because the email address we have on file is completely different. So it's ok to publish to the whole world an email address if one is selling parts but keeping an identity secret if just registering.

So this is just an abbreviated list. Yes, already in the past we had a member that took down the whole of the site and then was surprise, surprise was uncontactable.
It'll happen again and when it does it'll be because a mod activated an account in good faith. The majority will suffer because of the few.

Klinky is right. Selling a bike seems to make this forum far less relevant.
Speedfiend is also right in that sometimes post don't receive responses. Unfortunately, the vast majority of members are Leechers rather than Contributors. We can only encourage members to be contributors.

There's another problem that is adding to the demise of forums like this which require third party photo hosting.

I'll post it up on a new thread.

The ridiculous bickering about 990 v 1290 and whether the 1290 is a "real" Duke doesn't help either. The world of KTM Superduke ownership is a pretty small one to start with. If its going to be tetchy and insular the on-line part of that world is obviously going to get smaller still.

For my part I thought the 1290/990 'rant' was just a bit of fun, both are amazing bikes. The 990 just happens to be a bit more amazing, that's all...
I don't have a Facebook account, refuse to tweet or Instagram - if i need to be ignored on a digital platform I'm perfectly happy being ignored by email alone. But it's sad to hear members are migrating from SD.net - in the 10 years I've owned my 990 I've found it massively useful and, sometimes, funny as well. Although not always for the right reasons. Maybe the image hosting is part of the problem - I've always found it a fag posting images. Could that not be addressed though?
In any event I'm keeping the 990 and will still be dropping in here from time to time.

Kinda left the Forum 2 years ago. Guess there's a lot happened in Interweb since.
Came back after managing to try and buy a 2017 1290SD.
Much of the banter we had "Back in the day ". Was mostly coming from this side of the World.
When we were the only ones with proper 990SDRs (Just about the most useless streetbike I have owned/ridden.IMHO

I'm still here. Problably visit 2-3 times a week. It's the wit that missing nowadays.
Banter ruled this site in its heyday.
What gets me is the amount of 'read' threads that generate almost no responses.
Still have my Superduke.net modified SDR.
I've never, in 44 years of biking owned a bike for so long. Into year 6 of ownership now. Pretty well only use it on track and that's mostly in sunnier climes than the UK
Portimao is a stunning track if anybody wants to try a foreign track.

In December this year I will have owned my '07 Superduke (black one, fastest one, best one) for ten years. I think I found this forum very soon after I bought this bike although I didn't do much to it for the first six months whilst it was still in warranty. I got the dealer to fit the Akra exhausts from new so never rode it with the OE silencers and was very keen to junk the airbox and do all the recommended mods that I read on here.

Back then it was a really thriving, buzzing forum. I was a bit overwhelmed by the response to every posting and there was a lot of banter, advice and it felt like a club that you really wanted to become a part of. It was apparent that there were already a lot of old hands on there and some that had contributed a lot and were no longer with us. Dr. F, now immortalised in "Dr.F's words of wisdom", had only just died and his expertise and work on the original SD was still very much alive in the threads. "Thunder Pumpkin" guy was always around with his strange mix of knowledge and hippy weirdness which also highlighted the strange symbiosis between the US members and the UK guys. My own personal memories are bound up with people like Twisted Jester, Schnauser, Colonlel Klink and Shade the Changing Man, who (it seemed like at the time along with myself) seemed to be on permanent response mode to anyone who posted a thread. At those times even the most banal of posts would get a barrage of ten, fifteen posts within a few hours offering support, advice or a healthy dose of piss-taking.

And let's not forget the people like Motorin who were just there to rip anyone apart, dole out hilarious, bigoted comments and generally keep the place buzzing. This forum was an amazing place to be between 2008 and 2010 And there has always been a great set of Aussie guys, some of the most consistent people on this forum. You know who you are and I love you all. Maybe I will never meet you but you are all close to me in my feelings for this forum.

As time has passed the place has changed. But I have always tried to make an effort to keep on posting, and contributing, and trying to keep it similar to what it was. I don't think I can bring anything like the level of humour and banter to the place that it once had. It's not my style or personality. I'm glad that Colonel Klink is back (Craig - I respect you the most as a genuine SD owner, a great forum member, a bloody talented rider, a true contributor but most of all for your tenacity in sticking to your political views through any situation - of which I have seen you battle valiantly against some vile opposition over the years! Ha ha).

Anyway, I have no intension of packing in logging on to SD.Net and posting up the stuff I post. I'm not getting rid of the SD soon and still think it will be a keeper. I spend more and more time on my 1975 Kawasaki triple but still enjoy getting blown away by the abilities of my 990 when I swap back to (relatively) modern machinery.

I agree with a lot of what has been posted, I hate the fact that the ecu is so difficult to crack and has meant that those owners interested in performance are left with little option but to be dictated to by the factory. This in my case is killing the possibilities for the 1290. The 990 on the other hand was a work in progress for many years and because of this gained an enthusiastic following of like minded owners. This shared interest often breads the passoinate camaraderie that was present a few years ago.

Because the 1290 came from the factory with a brilliant motor, great fuelling and reasonable handling, there wasn't much left to do besides sort a few rear hub issues and the odd rotor problem. Owners could bolt on all sorts of bits and pieces and/or even make a few parts but thats about it. That becomes boring real quick…..
Now if you also consider the impact that the photofucket bullshit has had, it leaves a forum that is the shadow of its former self because, as is demanded these days, a picture is worth a thousand words! And as a form of instruction it is invaluable.

When I first joined this forum, and as a new 1290 owner, I worked my way through all the 990 tech info I could find so I could get an idea of what the new model might be like. As interesting as this was I doubt there would be many new members that would do such a thing. No one wants to invest any time into anything anymore!

Sometimes you have new members posting that they have a problem and are desperate for an answer. Then when some experienced member takes the time to posts an accurate reply we never hear back from the original poster about how their issue was resolved - to much selfish one way traffic - and these individuals will keep doing this until they move onto the next big thing that is shown is flashy media releases! Money buys you toys but time invested buys you priceless experience that others admire because they can't buy it.
I hope this forum keeps going and can overcome the onslaught from social media because as Klinck stated faceboooook is instant gratification for those interested in using it but it can't be searched so is useless as an instructional tool.

Have to reiterate.
990's been done to death 1290 SD's better than anyone, can better.
All Powerparts are accounted for. ( Apart from those 2017 shortie levers .

Oh! And Hooliganism is illegal(Official) and paranoia is rampant.

Quite quiet then?

Yes I'm reading almost daily, 6mths ago I picked up an 05 39k

Knowing that it would have issues, By reading old threads I've been able to find answers and fix's to miner issues so far (photo links dead)

Should I be commenting more (maybe) but as I'm short on knowledge on my wonderful machine I'm leaving it to the experts to answer.

So I thank all those that have come before me and built this place of knowledge

PS I found activation happened quickly

THAT WAS bANTER ffs.

jAESUS bANTER IS Fastbuk.

Surely. F'n @Bante3r Isn't Hooliganism.

Good grief I could show yous Nakit Picturs of my Wife.

That is not HOOLIFAKISM/.(OK Maybees.)

Nope KTM = WAS that you?

PISSIN' OFF every Clint

Seen to be arseholed . Was the Ethic, I remember.

With dodgey MODS and whatnot.

Can't happen!

I have been dealt with. ( This is is no longer acceptable.)

If they changed their ridiculous marketing strategy and brought back a decent sportsbike (like an RC8 with the 1290 engine) they'd get a shit load more buyers.

I can't believe they've turned their backs on sports bikes. Idiots.

IMO the biggest mistake was killing the 990 Super Duke and bringing out the too tech-y 1290 SD. KTM should have left the 990 SD in place and introduced the 1290 SD for the customers that were not satisfied with the Best Bang For The Buck naked, hooligan bike that made that segment what it came to be. Should have left it alone and just made some small improvements (upped it to a 1050 at the most), with maybe an R or S model with different suspension components, wheels, and track features. Should have kept the 990 SD base for those that appreciated it for what it was and could actually afford it and didn't want ABS, TC, blah, blah, blah,. Bet it would have still out sold the 1290 SD 2-1. I'd have to bet the percentage of 990 SD owners that switch to other brand bikes (or didn't switch at all) is far more than 990 SD owners that switch to a 1290 SD. Sure KTM got a bunch of new customers for the 1290 SD but they lost more (IMO) customers that would have purchased a slightly improved 990 SD with it's great 1-litre V-Twin performance and bang for the buck value. Screwed the pooch IMO and lost a big part of the following. Sorry but the 990 SD rider and the 1290 SD rider are a slightly different customer and that's okay and we still get along but KTM left one of us behind after that customer brought them to that point. I've owned a Duke/Super Duke since the first one in 1994 (still have it) and have owned or ridden every Duke/Super Duke KTM has ever made (have four of them now including my '06 990 SD) including the 1290 SD but KTM lost me when they killed the 990 SD for the 1290, I just didn't want a bike that the mods were not worth the price or fun doing to the 990. IMO KTM needs to go back to their roots and re-introduce a 1050 SD on the same platform as the 990 SD, with minimal tech and retro look and see if they can get back some old owners and for sure they'll get some new customers too. And no KTM I'm not interested in the 800 non-V, that again is not the customer that loved the 990 SD.

SD#1

Yeah Agro I don't agree about the angular design either. If you want a bulbous tank and curvly lines then get a Bonneville.

I love that I can park my decade old motorcycle next to any 2017 bike (Z900/Z1000, FZ/MT10, S3, CB1000r) and it will still look modern.

Also just to give an example of the interesting people and discussions that we're had on this forum: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=8901

There's no one on this forum racing 1290's like this and not spurring massive discussion about changing the bike.

Sad to read that the 1290 let them down so often in 2015: http://gotagteam.com/blog/2016/01/23/af ... -trash-can

\just bought a new "I love you " Washing machine"LC8" motor. KTM. "Beast". "1290R""machine",

WTF. Have no recollection of posting this

what? don't let it die, I just got here!

I have to admit I'm quite disappointed in these super duke forums... i was in the R1 forum and speed triple and Everyone was so helpful........ here the answer is always look at this threat that is 50 years old and 3 million pages long... like anyone is gonna answer you.....

Shame because it's the only thing i dont like about the bike....

Well said, Steve.

I was luck enough to join Superduke.net in 2007 when the new '07 model came out and there was just a MASSIVE vibe on here. The first generation model had loads of fans and the work that had been done to improve and upgrade that first bike had reached it's Zenith but almost of the learning was transferable to the newer model. There was a great buzz and much sharing of information and swapping ideas and trying new things out. Some of the characters on here were truly legends - I know the ones who are still here will remember them all!

I spent hours back reading all the threads on engine and chassis mods and gradually built up my own knowledge from talking with these guys, trying it out for myself and in-turn sharing that with other new members.

IMO the main problem with the new generation of members and the main reason why this forum has become less dynamic is because the new 1290 and the people who buy these bikes seem far less interested in genuinely modding them and trying to improve their performance, This is, of course, because they are already pretty awesome bikes and there is probably far less to add to them to make them better. Putting on KTM official accessories is not modding them by the way, it's just adding a load of after- market parts. Putting on rim tape is not modding them it's just adding on a load of crap. Adding a sticker kit isn't modding them either.

I haven't witnessed anything like the level of involvement or comradeship or sharing of useful knowledge on here from the 1290 owners in the last two years as there was with the 990 crowd. Any bike forum is only as good as its members and they are only as good as the kind of bike people they are.

Just saying.

Comrade: As a moderator I have thought long and hard about my response to your post. Indeed, as a moderator I felt compelled to sleep on it and tone down my response. Having slept on it and thought about how it was in the old days in terms of comradeship and characters who's provocative posts reflected the hooliganism of the bike and the type of owners they were, I've concluded that I have a right to respond as a simple member (rather than as a moderator) and to call it the way I see it.

As such:

If you don't like the forum then just fook off back to Facebook and the IL4 crowd!!!

That's another option, we're all big boys around here

Truly sorry we couldn't live up to your expectations of what a forum should be.

I can see where you might be a bit dejected that no one answered your post back in February: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=27729&p=335752#p335752

However you couldn't even bothered to post it in the 1290 section of that forum.

I say this as a member of the forum and nothing else:

Your 8 posts have truly set the bar for what all forum contributors should aspire to be.

I apologize if I seem bitter, I just feel that most of the new members believe they're owed answers without ever contributing anything of there own. This is a repository for information, yes. However it's also a bit of a social place to hang out, talk to like minded people that enjoy the same bike you do, learn about other members activities and form relationships with people you may never have interacted with outside of motorcycling.

And maybe some of these responses are also why this place is so quiet nowadays.............

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Not sure if he wants a hug when he tells us how disappointed he is...