bic_bicknell
Back in the day I bought a brand new 2007 Superduke and joined this forum because it was, well, just the best place to get info from a huge number of Superdukers who had been modding their first generation bikes for years and had built up a massive amount of info and knowledge. I'd previously let go a Ducati 900ss and had been hooning around London on a KTM LC4 Supermoto for a few years. The 990 seemed to be a good move back into a super bike world but with a twist. On Superduke.net there were lots of regular characters who all frequently posted up news and info and there was a HUGE community spirit on here. Colonel Klink, Shade the changing man, Millar, Jehad Joe, No.47 and many, many more. There was a golden age when we were all on this forum all the time. I guess it was between about 2007 and 2010. There were ride outs and the legendary Crash-fest races at Cadwell Park every year.
Something happened when KTM started development of the 1290. Lots of people wanted to get one and were looking forwards to the new model. Quite a few were a bit sceptical at the time. But as the new 1290 became available the forum had to include these new owners and bikes. The bikes needed little modifications to improve them because the factory had done it all. The new owners were not that bothered with modifications and upgrades - we used to joke that all they could do was fit a loud pipe and rim tape! It was definitely a different kind of owner who had a 1290 compared to the old-school 990 owners.
But gradually the 1290 became the main bike and all the discussions on here were much more about bling and ready-made aftermarket upgrades, not actually messing with the bike's engineering or performance. I went out on a few test rides on the 1290 and it was devastatingly powerful and a better bike than my 990 but I could never justify the price tag. The added performance wasn't worth it really and I (like all other 990 owners) had invested so much in upgrading and fettling and perfecting our outdated bikes that we weren't convinced to trade in our 990s for a 1290.
Gradually I visited this site less and less. Big problem was that the host doesn't really support photos and images and when Photobucket went down the tubes with subscription charges suddenly the site lost thousands of picture that supported informative posts and comments.
But the real travesty is that somehow no one is posting anything interesting anymore.
I still run my 2007 Superduke all year round, it's my main bike for long distance, commuting, track-days and if I'm ever out with a big gang of modern bikes it can still hold it's own easily. But I don't come on here very often anymore. Just checked in now and after ten days or more there is only one new post.
Just one.
It's pretty sad really.
The 1290 killed this site.
Something happened when KTM started development of the 1290. Lots of people wanted to get one and were looking forwards to the new model. Quite a few were a bit sceptical at the time. But as the new 1290 became available the forum had to include these new owners and bikes. The bikes needed little modifications to improve them because the factory had done it all. The new owners were not that bothered with modifications and upgrades - we used to joke that all they could do was fit a loud pipe and rim tape! It was definitely a different kind of owner who had a 1290 compared to the old-school 990 owners.
But gradually the 1290 became the main bike and all the discussions on here were much more about bling and ready-made aftermarket upgrades, not actually messing with the bike's engineering or performance. I went out on a few test rides on the 1290 and it was devastatingly powerful and a better bike than my 990 but I could never justify the price tag. The added performance wasn't worth it really and I (like all other 990 owners) had invested so much in upgrading and fettling and perfecting our outdated bikes that we weren't convinced to trade in our 990s for a 1290.
Gradually I visited this site less and less. Big problem was that the host doesn't really support photos and images and when Photobucket went down the tubes with subscription charges suddenly the site lost thousands of picture that supported informative posts and comments.
But the real travesty is that somehow no one is posting anything interesting anymore.
I still run my 2007 Superduke all year round, it's my main bike for long distance, commuting, track-days and if I'm ever out with a big gang of modern bikes it can still hold it's own easily. But I don't come on here very often anymore. Just checked in now and after ten days or more there is only one new post.
Just one.
It's pretty sad really.
The 1290 killed this site.