There were a few frustrating years of Superduke ownership. It seemed that the Superduke problems were only skin deep. It never left me stranded and never let me feel like it wouldn't. I love the nature of the Superduke and have not been on a motorcycle that behaved even slightly similar to it. I collected a fair amount of ancillary parts through the years. Mostly crash replacement parts and track day plastics that were always on my bike up to the day I put it up for sale. I ran knackered scratched parts for fear that if I left the new pretty parts on they would inevitably hit tarmac and ruin the pretty ones. It has been about two years since I sold the bike and I'm pretty sure no-one on this site except for Jmann was aware of my foolishness. Quite frankly I was embarrassed. Well today i purchased a 2008 White SD with 23104 on the clocks. I like the white ones and If I remember correctly they crash a little softer. This is from some pictures I saw of SDnerd's bike from many moons ago. I'm digging through it now and cleaning up the years of neglect this bike has lived with. I do not understand how a Superduke owner could have such low pride of ownership when they are-were blessed with an incredible piece of machinery. The sight tube was so stained from dare I say burnt oil that you could not discern wether it had oil in it. No it did not and upon further inspection I found it was only a half quart low.
There are items that I want to do to this bike that have been discussed on many occasions. That said I feel that I have earned the right not to get the "use search" bullshit thrown this way when I ask for help with certain problems. I have entertained your fat asses off and on for dam near twelve years leaving many here scratching there heads in wonder whatthefuckisheonaboutnow? I remember reading about the easy hook up for a battery tender lead from bic but don't recall what he typed.
Anyway here we go.

For the last two years I would say If I had a Superduke and you had a feather up your ass we would both be tickled, I'm all giggles

Everyone has memories of old bikes, and through the rose coloured filter of nostalgia it is easy the want what you use to have, the pull of the past is strong..

Thing is, I have spoken to (and read) many 990 SuperDuke owners who have moved on only to regret selling their pride and joy.

Mine has had it's issues, within the first months of ownership I had to do the water pump seal, ok I was expecting that..
The following Spring she started loosing a bit of coolant from somewhere. I was busy with other things and had just saved enough money to upgrade my tourer so I moth balled the SD and instead focused on the selling my old & buying a newer bike. Now have an 1190 Adv in the garage, and she is nice, and fast!:D

This Spring I bought new coolant hoses & rad cap for the SD, clean the air filter (motohooligan), oil & filter, and ACF50 treated her... even bought a compressor & spray gun so I could do that properly (and because I've always wanted to own a compressor).

So this last weekend was my first proper ride on her since last August, so good to be back. Next year I will be able to afford to upgrade her to a 1290 if I wanted too... I'm just not sure I want too.

Ha!!! Welcome back comrade dribble viewtopic.php?f=8&t=26976&p=329172&hilit=battery#p329172

Comrade Dribble: Yes!!! That quality rim-tape is exactly what I've been looking for. I'm sure somebody with lots of experience will chime in. I believe its very popular with the IL3 set

Ahhhhhhh glorious rim tape! Shall we continue with what engine oil is best in 2019?

At least it's white. The fastest color. Good for 10+ additional horsepower over those more pedestrian colors. I think white 990s weigh less than the other colors too - who knew?

We know the man is a craftsman, and will get this neglected thing sorted. Yes, some may argue that the golden age of motorcycling ended when fuel injection became ubiquitous. While I still appreciate a set of well sorted carburetors, I contend that FI has been liberating. It's the e-nannies have become the real departure from motorcycling purity. When the machine's function is no longer entirely controlled by the rider, there is something lost - some of the craftsmanship of riding. By my metrics, the 990 SuperDuke is among the last bikes of the "golden age".

Ride it well DribbleDuke, ride it well. Glad you're back.

I reluctantly sold my luverly White SD in 2017 to be able to afford my 2017 1290R. It's the one bike I've ever owned, that I regretted selling, but wasn't wealthy enough to be able to keep both.

Nice to know about the clocks!

FWIW I did read the late Mr. Pirsig's tome while it was still on the NYT bestseller list. IIRC, it was on the list a long time ... Yes, I was a child (long ago ...), and probably needless to state, have re-read it since. My mother, a voracious reader, had purchased it so it was on a shelf collecting dust when she was done with this. The motivation was the title seemed intriguing then. I'm pretty certain I scammed a "book report" (oral) out of it, recalling vaguely the perplexed (and bored) expressions of both teacher and instructor when trying to describe events and their relevance.

Thank you for the kind invitation - will look at the calendar for this. Going to ride at LS in a couple+ weeks - looking forward to it.

My first read was in my future wife's dorm at SDSU. I have also reread it a few times. I have actually purchased used copies and given them to friends that recently purchased motorcycles and have fear and anxiety over their ability to perform routine maintenance on their new toys. I can't say that any of them read the book and judging from their trepidation into servicing my guess is they did not. This particular bike was butchered by few and its my belief that the only reason it did not show more piss poor craftsmanship is the maintenance was never performed.
That said my last purchase was a 94 r1100gs and there was not one maintenance item performed that did not leave something else broken. Over time I found ugly at every turn of a wrench some else had performed on that bike. I still have it and it and I have bonded well. I took it to Texas for the GP round with two laners through Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and Texas. Great trip.
Fill me in on Laguna track day, maybe I'll ride up and watch you crash. I did, an SV650 in turn ten. Tucked the front and slid a lllloooonnnngggg way. Dam near ended up in the paddock and then hospital. Ouch. Sold the bike after I put it back together because I was sure that it was the bike's fault. Willh may be sliding through here around the same time from his go south trip. Maybe, just maybe we can meet up.

I rode the bike in anger today a thirty six mile loop around the stomping grounds she is sweet and capable with little difference between this one and the first one minus the quietness of this. I think I like quiet. I am concerned that in order to get the fueling better I will need a richer mixture and with running the stock catalyzed exhaust tweaking the ECU will open a can of worms. I do not need more horsepower but more horses came with better fueling which came from less restricted exhaust. I wonder idk I can have my cake and eat it too.
Has anyone played with Tune ECU while leaving all other factory conditions the same? SAS block off plates have been installed on this bike which begs the question, Is the secondary air in place to help oxygenate the unspent fuel therefore creating an easier condition for the catalyst to stay in a heated environment creating the ability for the converter to work? hit me with the science so I can understand what is already fuckedup.
I need a black ergo seat the standard seat sucks.

I have copy of Peformance bikes that did a special on the 990SD. Their tuner said that the fuelling on the stock Sd was not bad, it was the ignition map that needed tweaking in order to improve the throttle response at the lower end.

Might it be worth just taking to a tuner to have the a full custom remap done?

Congrats
If you have a laptop, put tunECU in it and download the smoothened maps. I will bring the cable with me when I come through. Boeing caused me some flight issues. Flying into LA tomorrow and driving to Joshua Tree.
I’ll give you a call Friday.

Edit. Have the touring flyscreen around here somewhere if you want it. Let me know ASAP. Packing this evening.

Bring the cable if you can leave it for me to ship back to you at a later date. my neighbor has a PC laptop he can help me with. I guess I have ninety thousand posts to read on Tune ECU

I pigtailed directly off the battery with a few swearwords and grunts while laying upside down with a headlamp and thick reading glasses. Once you add another terminal to the battery that asks you to hold all that shit together and knock the terminal nut unto the floor several times before you finally back the nut up with some foam rubber all the while trying to cramb ten pounds off shit into a five pound container you realise just how important a lower center of gravity is. Do you suppose that KTM forgot about the need for a battery and then sold the idea of its placement to the marketing department to espouse the engineering marvels at KTM? Jmann its done and now I can charge my battery conveniently. These battery tenders only supply less than two ampere of pixies, I think a person could jump a thin lead off a ACC2 lead inside the headlamp assemble and fashion a USB type charging system for all motorcycles. Hell you could charge the battery from any Starbucks all across the world.
My replacement oil tank showed up today and to my dismay the oil drain bolt was semi-stripped as well. It had no crush washer in place and you know what that means? You just keep tightening till it quits dripping. I wonder if poor mechanical craftsmanship applies to certain makes and model bikes and gorillas prefer KTMs. Willh called from Joshua Tree this morning. It looks like I get to entertain He and his Wife on Memorial day. I'm sure there will be no mentioning 1812 . I'm looking forward to the occasion and if I'm lucky we will get a ride out through my neck of the world. Ive had SD owners that lived 16 miles away I have never met and one from Italy that rode through and stopped for a nice ride-visit. Trust me I will apologize profusely for our political position and swear I had nothing to do with this shit.
Remember I'm BLUE

Sorry I’m with Jmann on the battery thing

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=27738&p=335820#p335830

Note battery tender lead under seat with battery.

I like that bit about your having read it in your now-wife's dorm room. How you got any reading done in there, well I guess that's between you two.

I do like those big 'ol GSs - roller crank, no? Pretty sure those motors are thermonuclear resistant. Sounds like you had a fantastic ride on that thing. Pirsig would have been proud of you for just keeping it lit on a big roll like that.

I too like it quiet on-road. The Akra EVO cans I put on mine, not only shave about 12 or so Lbs off the bike, but with the baffles in (removeable), its seems quieter than stock - even WFO. Take the baffles out, and its a whole other thing when wringing it's neck.

Philosophical question (or is it metaphysical?): What is it about the 990, that simply encourages you to ride it like an asshole, in anger, and preferably when it's dark out? Serious question. Sometimes, I'll go downtown on a weekend night on the thing - after 10 PM - and roll it hard light-to-light dodging the drunken tourists, pedi-cabs, and various lift-share operators. I can almost hear people thinking "... goddamn, what an asshole ...".

Agreed, I believe that the SuperDuke battery placement was an afterthought. Like "Oh scheiße, wo legen wir die batterie?" Post-panic, it's location got marketed as a "feature". We all know how good KTM is at marketing. Geniuses, really.

Advantage Lithium Battery. Less weight, far better starting capacity, physically much smaller, and will live much, much longer. They also hold charge a remarkably long time. So much extra room, I had to stuff the battery box with closed cell polyethylene foam to fix the battery in position.

Sadly, my favorite domestically produced LiFePO4 battery company (Ballistic), ended late last year.

One upside of some of the newer - again, domestic - LiFePO4 battery products, is that they no longer need special chargers. The electronics are integrated in the battery. E.g. Full Spectrum Power Pulse IPT.

Some Battery Tenders produce as little as 800 mA. 10W is a bit much for USB, but you're right - microchargers should exist. The USB standards are also an inconvenient voltage.

I hope you and Will have a fine visit and ride!

I don't know how many of you saw The Book of Eli with Denzel Washington but there was a seen in it that he gets a lead acid battery charged up at the local Smithy so he can listen to his iPod classic on his journey. One, no one is going to get me sticking one of those new fangled electron storing and disposing boxes on my SuperDuke. For one reason they have the name Lithium and I have seen the kind of people that need it in their bloodstreams to cope with reality, two, just saying the words lead and acid bring back fond memories of our industrial revolution.
Flint may have a hard time with lead and the pacific northwest may have a hard time with acid rain but I fully plan on firing up my global warming machine with those two ingredients starting the process. Further more I use the same iPod for my listening pleasure and still have a phone with a headphone jack to plug my speaker system into. The next thing I'll be reading from you hipsters is that I have to step into this bluetooth arena. I'm sticking with lead acid and am happy to use those two worlds till the government strikes them from existence.
By the way I was hiding in the dorm room while she was in class. I'd ride my RD350 down for visits whenever the opportunity presented itself. It was a long way but it was worth it. As a side note the Governor of Ca. signs the diplomas and my wife's diploma and my son's diploma are both signed by Jerry Brown.

Then lead and acid it shall be for you! The upside of that (and the only one I can think of), is that its completely recyclable. Lead is Green!

I like that bit about Big Brother Brown having signed 2 generations of diplomas, of mother & son. As CA law currently stands, it seems that Moonbeam will have opportunity to rubber stamp 800 new laws a year again, in a couple years. Like Putin! How we continue to leave that gate open, I simply don't understand.

RD350B, and later a 400. After a nice go on a GPz750, an RZ. Every once in a while, I'll see a KR bumble bee for sale, and reminisce. I miss the smoke. I was a skinny little shit then, and after you learned to keep it "on the pipe", damn if you could make those little things go. At least, that's what it seemed like. I would occasionally take trips on those things - can't imagine doing that now, but maybe that's a reason to have one again? It's true successor is the dominant YZF-R6. While the term "on the pipe" is no longer applicable, another bike where if you learn to keep the revs up, and speed through the corners, it can be rewarding ride. That is, if you're <= 5'4 and under 150 Lbs.

I digress ... this thread has compelled me to behave badly on the SD today.

An update
willh and his lovely, gabby, happy to laugh wife made a stop by our humble abode for eats, drinks, and be merry. Willh is wonderful person with striking blue eyes and good hearted hard working attitude. I think also that he could kick my ass if it boiled down to it. Just saying.
Willh and I took a short ride through my stomping grounds. Cat Canyon to Foxen Canyon to Alisos Canyon to home. It is not spectacular by any means but is representative of what California agriculture and oil extraction lands up and down the state look like. Workers in the vineyards, cows grazing oak strewn hills, pump jacks keeping a slow even beat and coastal fog taking its precious time to clear. I sent them on a rarely used road that takes them from a Freeway running North- South through Ca. 101 to the Pacific Coast Highway , Nacemiento Ferguson Road. It meanders through coastal farm range, a portion of a large army base ( Fort Hunter Liggett) and puts you high on the coast for a spectacular view. Anyway it was great entertainment and my pleasure to meet up with another member of this community.
I registered my bike with the ca. dmv yesterday. I had an old personalized license plate that I had on a 1983 vf750f that I used for the SD. Who knew that there are fees generated for the reinstitution of old plates. Who knew that the fee structure for registering a motor vehicle can reach a 19 line item event totaling $708.00. The plate was befitting the old Interceptor as it was in pristine condition. CHASTE, one of the definitions of chaste is "without flaw". I like the double entendre of the word in pronunciation it becomes chased which is what I will be when riding with others as I will be in front. I have the SD looking and acting chaste and am very happy with my purchase. Just waiting for my ergo seat to arrive and the bike will be complete for a spell.
nerd I know you will read this so PM me when you travel through here for another great member meet.

COT works too, cot napping caught napping

Does this mean you still have your original SD? I hope that rats was behind the front tyre. Was your pinched neck due to riding? how did your battery hold up under the R down time, was it on a tender? I was mowing my lawn this morning and I thought of you. Funny you should appear posting once I came in from my chores. I was thinking about how hard it is to find old growth Doug Fir and how the new farmed wood is pushed out of the ground with fertilizers and better sunshine from thinning the herd. This reminded me of you as you are now probably considered OLD Growth

Yep on dual 08 SuperDukes in this household.
If you don't have the stock 28 pound muffler cat you can have mine as a gift.
I don't take kindly to bikes that leave me stranded, so I gave no love to the SDR, no life support as in a tender for a year.
It got a few days on the tender before I dug into it, found the bad wiring ground lug, and dam if it did not start right up.
Almost a year sent to the corner of the garage as I enjoyed the GSXR 1000.
Yea, I am getting old'er and thought if I don't scratch that GSXR itch soon, I will not be able to.
Have to say my last real ride on it was epic, east of home over the Cascade Mountains and back, 300 miles or so.
Been working my ass off, came home last fall and fell asleep in the Lazy Boy and my head rested on my chest.
I woke up with a real pain in the neck, thought it would go away, but it did not.
Got x-rayed, which showes Author Rides its built up on the spinal cord / vertebrates which is blocking the nerve bundles.
Lost feeling in my lest hand thumb and first finger.
Started up my Honda XR650R last week...had to flip the choke lever on first under the tank next to the cables and wires.
Reached down to flip the lever off when it started and dammm...could not feel the difference of the lever from a cable...
But hey...I am still riding at 67 and I thought I would never see 18.
Not sure how many miles this old frame has on it but I thought I counted up 500,000 miles ...10 /15 years ago or more.
Might have something to do with my pain in the neck.
I think you need to stop in my neck of the woods on your ride about so I can show you around.....
We had a hell of a winter and lost a lot of old trees.....good for guys like you...
We can visit a log mill that can still cut the big stuff..maybe they can set you up with some old growth Doug Fir CVG.
I have also been busy sitting on my ass building a motorcycle collection of photos and .....er ...other stuff on ADVrider.
I will add some links....Your going to like these....buy beware..they are huge time sinks...
Post up when you get closer to heading this way north ans we can work out some good RR.
Later..

DD wrote:
"I got a hankering for the pacific northwest and may find myself up there sooner than the eighteenth of June Maybe Boise then turn left. I don't know how far north but probably not as far as Seattle."
Hey DD.
Hum....you know Cali and Oregon are BIG states...right?
How much time ya got ?
Instead of a big but burn, maybe do a quality ride instead of quantity ?
Columbia Gorge.
Mt Rainier.
Mt Hood.
John Day Painted Hills.
Oregon Coast.
Crater Lake.
Boise can be hotter than a $2 pistol, but go north of there in the Sawtooth it cools down.
Love northern Idaho. Look up Lolo Motorway...Not Hwy 12...Lolo MOTORWAY...land bridge on mountain tops trail used by Indians trading gooods between PNW and the plains.
But you need an ADV bike..or a bike you can bash the bottom belly with out leaking fluids.
Lewis and Clark used the trail and you can use the same camp sites they used. Little if nota changed.
The home of Grizz and elk..wilderness.

Seattle sucks on a bike...you need a cage to get around up there, but it still sucks..

Hum,,,no feed back from my links, eh?...Guess some are learry on where it will take them....it's all good stuff...no BS...

I'm half packed and will leave Tuesday. I have to be back the nineteenth for a wood ceiling install on a new hotel. I looked at your links and decided to stay left and hit areas around Corvalis? Crater Lake and have lunch on that eighty-five foot long table if I can find it. I got an old buddy that lives in fort Jones Ca. and will ride through there and take in hi way 36. All camping and riding probably not land at a campground for more than a night. We shall see. I'm not nuts on ocean scenes or sand camping so coastal range meandering is my M.O.
I have no idea where the hell you are but I have a feeling I will not north of Eugene or East of Bend. I have no goal or have to see items sort of ride and stay way away from anything that claims to be Interstate. I was even going to slow it down further and take my 88gs but it needs an exhaust flange welded and I forgot she is out of service. Two layers and smooth fire roads.
If you are south of Eugene we will drink.

Back to the title topic
I remounted my forks today I told my springologist that I was perfectly happy with the compliance of the forks and that I just wanted new seals and a oil refresh. I said I don't need or want a different feel. He said that the forks had 122mm of air gap and that 110mm was the factory spec but he left them at 122 as that is what I had. They were not leaking and maybe just maybe the level could have changed from years of minor seepage but either way if he thought that it was an issue I believe he would have voiced concern, he did not. What does this site think?
I have heard of air gaps being a way to tune suspension along with viscosity changes but I am not educated on such items. We were both busy and I guess I should have asked but...
I am buying a summer home in Tennessee so I will locate the Superduke to that place as the roads are shit here and quite frankly It really serves little purpose here except maybe on a track. I'll be in Tennessee-North Carolina the week of the Fourth of July finding a pile of fixer-upper with a secure garage.

DD,
I am a few miles from Corvallis.
Aim for that town.
Been a long time since I hung out on this web site.
Don't see a way to send a PM (personal message).
Need your phone # or e-mail address or...? ?
join ADVriders.com
We can send PM's EZPZ. free..
I am on ADV a few times a day.

ps...It's getting hot up here.

Cheers

Look just under the posters info you'll see PM also at the title bar you'll see new messages
I'm PMing you now with critical information

Okay, so here is the deal. Remember when I said or should I say typed that it would be cool to hook up a Battery Tender lead that did not have to hang out in the same place as the battery and terminals. Well I went for my new exhaust anchor maiden voyage today to check out a new job site. Pulled the bike out, got ATGATT and turned the ignition key...nothing. Pushed the bike back in feeling dejected and familiar as this has happened to me on too many to count occasions. Pulled the trusty other bike out and headed on my way after seeing my wife off in her Honda reliable car. I cursed the SD and told her I hope this bike doesn't behave like that last pieceofshit I had. She said "you should have bought a Honda" . Well upon return I diagnosed the problem while searching the inter web and then back out to the bike. The or should I say A relay was ticking away under the seat and I diagnosed my problem to be a faulty relay. Took nap returned with the bet that I should dig deeper into the ground issue. Doug deep and found a busted terminal on the ground side of battery. By terminal I mean the battery post was broke loose. Problem solved with a new LEAD ACID battery showing up in a couple of days.
So now, it may have been that the extra wires and terminals that were put in place to install the Battery Tender lead caused undo stress on all the goings on down there. That said I am bound and determined to fashion a lead that uses the SAE terminal connector that joyfully plugs my battery tender in connected to spade connectors that plug into the ACC2 terminals. I'll dangle the lead out just far enough out the headlamp assembly for easy access and this will allow pixies to flow into the battery during non use periods. I think.
It was a bit strange to see lithium iron batteries down to the same price range as the more expensive( but probably no better) lead acid batteries. I want to just hop on my bike and ride like I use to do when I rode Hondas. You know how many bikes I have brought back from the grave, remnants leaning on the outside of a garage wall with a ripped tarp covering one third of the bike. Rub clean squirt oil pump up WD40 massage kick and away they go coughing and sputter ing themselves back from the grave, why can't the Superduke behave. Its like the uncoachable little leaguers.

Having sorted all the little issues/niggles on mine I sat back contented... Obviously my 1190 Adv saw this and so last week decided to start leaking from the clutch master. That'll be £55 for a clutch piston kit then sir....

Welcome back! And check your PM's

Thank you nerd that is exactly what I was looking for. I did not dislike the ride before maintenance and was happy to have it stay the same. Funny thing is , it did not stay the same. I will adjust things soon but I was told that the setting would not be messed with during the work performed. I want to say the forks are harsher at initial bite in their travel and rebound has not changed.

Back from my Tennessee trip and bought a house in Elizabethton will move a pickup truck and SD back there in the fall if all goes well. The roads I took around those parts beg for two wheels only and I am well on my way now to creating the dream. I need to find a quality home inspector in the general vicinity.

Awesome.
Did you miss the quakes?

Well
Just a few modifications to planned life changes.
First off, remember when I said that I like the SD decibel rating with the stock exhaust. Well what I do not like is the little bit less performance form stock factory creations. There was a thread started that begged the question from a person who resides in the town in which I was born, Livermore Ca., "Do the cheap E-Bay exhausts from Eastern Europe have enough quality to make them a good purchase?" My remark to said poster was buy the used Akrapovic you won't be disappointed. He didn't and they kept begging my attention, they got it and now they sit in my garage waiting for my machined parts that were missing to show up. So all that searching and posting and PayPal transacting was now for not.
Soon to be scAring mother's and children in Tennessee.
Yes Tennessee. My original house purchase fell through from me being too greedy. So I bought a lot site unseen In Elizabethton TN.
I planned to build a little house and big shop, yes that is the word planned. Planned all the way up to the point in time when I flew back to check out my land acquisition and as I was putting that town in my rearview rental car mirror I chanced upon a for sale by owner house that is perfect for my needs. It is little house with a huge lot right across the street is a river.The Doe river. Anyone want to buy a lot three blocks away from my new house?
I'm selling my house in Ca. as I cannot afford maintaining both and live the life style I have become accountable to.
The new house closes in November, possibly sooner so I will pack up a few items and winter in Tn.
I am pleased that I bought the SD and that bike and more likely my Duke II are going to be a kick in the pants up some of those Hollow Roads.
As a side plus when I was early to the Knoxville airport on my way home I had time to do Hiway 129 to the tail of the dragon in a rental car. Yes it was a fuckinblast. Drive it like you rented it.

I was in myrtle beach mid August and was wondering how you are going to like the south.
I know, botts dotts and curves...