[Closed] Nice problem - Triumph or Duke?

I've a 1050 Tiger, top bike - go British.

I had a Ducati a few years ago - complained how the anodising had 'gone', "you've not ridden in the rain have you sir?" says the Ducati Dealer...

are the dukes still running that old air cooled engine?

If I could go for the 1050 Tiger I would, believe me.

1000ss is newest incarnation of the aircooled motor, ST2 is liquid cooled.

Bonne Scrambler and cruise around dreaming that I'm Steve McQueen!!

Being a little bit bias (I work for Triumph) I would go for the ST or the RS. Unfortunately I have not ridden either but have spoken to many people who have given the RS a try and been amazed at its all round agility and handling. Try them both and see what the heart says.

Regards,
Matt.

😆 @ anagallis

The Duke 1000 wins hands down on looks

In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. 😆

Both ugly bikes imo. What other bikes were discarded from your list to end up with these two?

If I had to choose, I think it would be the Triumph. Not much in it in motorbike terms (performance, comfort reliability etc), but do you really want to own the ugliest Ducati ever made?

anagallis - could buy the t-shirt and get the jacket too from Triumph 8)

castrol - just missed out on a mint low mileage RS the other day, not many around although there's a few in the lairy yellow! Know of any independent dealers worth trying, the main dealers are asking top money as you would expect!

Mates gearbox went after 5000 miles on his Trumpet 955 😡
Newer ones seem very reliable.

Euro - you are joking aren't you? You think [url= http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2006models/2006-Ducati-Supersport-1000DSd.jp g" target="_blank">http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/photos/2006models/2006-Ducati-Supersport-1000DSd.jp g"/> ]this[/url] is the ugliest Ducati ever???

I'm on a fairly tight budget and have looked at and tried various bikes in the £3K bracket. The ST is no looker, RS is slightly better but they ride well and the motor is stonking. Can't see them from behind the bars anyway!

Bought a Sprint RS to replace a Yamaha TRX (poor man's Duke) about 7 years ago. I found the triple engine quite confused - it didn't have the balls of a twin, or the scream of a four. I'm sure to many it's the perfect compromise, for me it was compromised and it was sold on quicker than any of my other purchases.

Ducati= high maintenance but great experience

Triumph would be my choice. Ive had a speed triple great engine and reliable if not a little characterless

oldgrump08, YGM.

Regards,
Matt.

Matt - thanks v much.

Im on my third tigger. The 1050 is a beast. 😀

I'm thinking of selling a kidney... Leica's gone already 🙁

"oldgrump08 - Member

I'm thinking of selling a kidney."

well if your splitting. how much for heart & lungs 😆

singlecrack - on ebay already.

Had a RS and loved it, nicely made and comfortable. Tried a Duke multistrada (?) and found it gutless by comparisson.

All down to the way you feel about it really

Like you say, nice problem to have. 🙂

Guzzi V11 as an alternative?

Nice article on the 955i Daytona in the new issue of 'Bike'. Gets a superb write up, looks excellent value as well.

I'm fairly well qualified to comment on this I think....

I did 30,000 miles on a 955i Speed Triple and swapped it for a Ducati Monster

Triumph - Like a velvet sledgehammer! Beautiful creamy power from tickover to red line with an astonishing mid range wallop and a howling top end kick. The engine is nearly faultless, apart from being a bit fluffy at the bottom end on part throttle (think roundabouts). 42+ mpg easily, 150+ miles on a tank, silly relliable, but not cheap to run by any means. No cheaper than a Duke, put it that way. Handling is good, but heavy and steady rather than light and nimble. Also quite high up. I liked the semi sporty riding position. Feels like it's hewn from granite. Superb build quality too. Mine looked good after all those miles and living in the garden for most of it's life. Had an apitite for light bulbs and cables but that's about it really.

Monster - I bought a new 696 when they first came out and kept it for just over a year. Only sold as I needed the cash. Tiny, impractical, full of charcter. The engine, although never as fast as the triumph was utterly, utterly wonderful. It just begged to be revved, thrashed and caned. It made THE most incredible roarty throaty growl right under your chin (standard cans on all my bikes) utterly smooth and glitch free, but needs a 1 tooth smaller front sprocket to make it less jerky in town. Handling was light and noble yet perfectly stable and on the sporty side of things. I could chuck it round like a little BMX. 52mpg when thrashed, 140 miles on a smaller tank. Better brakes too - Radial Brembos

Which bike was best? Well the Trumpet was a wonderful bike, took me to Italy and back easily and was doubtless big, comfy and faster. The Duke was impractial, tiny, and needed to be ridden hard. Not quite as well built either. Both brilliant bikes in their own ways.
Which bike do I miss? Easy! The Monster. I used to just sit and gaze at it in the garage. It made me laugh out loud when it roared at me. I could domiate it and throw it around. It egged me on to go faster without ever getting out of shape. A wondrerful, incredible little bike and I was smitten.

If you want a bike to make you smile and be happy, get a Triumph

if you want a bike to make you laugh and fall in love, get a Duke. No question.

Oh, when I bought the Monster I also test rode an 1100DS Multistrada. I got straight off my Triumph and rode it away. The 1100 Duke v-twin simply made the 955i triple feel flat and lifeless to be honest. 2 valve aircooled or not, those Ducat engines are brilliant.

Rusty Spanner - Member

Like you say, nice problem to have.

Guzzi V11 as an alternative? This man has taste

wish I never got rid of mine such a great bike to ride

[img] [/img]

Pass the tissues 😳

I had an ST2 and now own an ST4. Totally superb bikes and very under-rated. Get one with the factory luggage and you are laughing. Servicing the ST2 is farly easy, belt changes can be done at home but valve clearance and setting up the FI are best left to a specialist.
I've been all over France on my ST4 with no issues and i had no problems with the ST2 although i didn't go abroad with it.
I personally think the extra power of the ST4 and 4S are worth going for although you do have to watch out for rocker problems (the ST2 doesn't suffer from this).
Watch out for warped front disks, iffy regulators and worn clutches.

I'd have the Ducati every time as the engines are just so completely alive (twins in general are though, tbh)...

If you are used to a jap four then a Ducati will be a bit of a culture shock! The older bikes like the St2 etc are lumpy and horrid at slow speed (like around town) Ducati's need to be thrashed to come alive though, they hate being ridden slowly. The clutch is quite heavy as well which doesn't help.
Best mod is to change the standard 15 tooth front sprocket to a 14 tooth.

rustyspanner, peterpoddy, rockhopper, etc - so I need to ride more bikes before buying 🙂

Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated.

The older bikes like the St2 etc are lumpy and horrid at slow speed (like around town)

One tooth smaller fron sprocket usually cures that. Dukes are oveergeared to get them through the drive-by noise testing. 🙂

Rockhopper - Member
If you are used to a jap four then a Ducati will be a bit of a culture shock! The older bikes like the St2 etc are lumpy and horrid at slow speed (like around town) Ducati's need to be thrashed to come alive though, they hate being ridden slowly. The clutch is quite heavy as well which doesn't help.

Pah - the youth of today....
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Braaaap!

rustyspanner, peterpoddy, rockhopper, etc - so I need to ride more bikes before buying

Oh yes indeed! It also depends on what you want bike for.

I'd say one other thing - Don't get sucked into the 'numbers game': Forget power figures and the like, just ride the bike and see what it feels like. My 80bhp monster always felt more lively than the Trumpet, even though it was slower if you measured it. I'd value 'feel' over 'power' any day of the week. I once rode a Jap four (GSXR 600) when I had a CB500 which was less than half the power, but the GSXR felt dead to me. I've never ridden another Jap four since, I just don't want one. The Triumph had a wonderful shove in the back, but not the instant response of the Duke, which always felt like the very next bang from the engine after opening the throttle chucked you 10 feet down the road... 🙂

Another choice, if you can find one, is an Aprilla Falco. RSV Mille engine in a half faired sports tourer. Top bikes, apparently. 🙂

[img] [/img]

"Sorry Officer, it just went off in my pocket.........."

Ms S wants a Pan Euro, but I'm the one with the licence. And the short legs..... 😀

Here's my two 🙂

[img] [img]

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EDIT?

Dunno what's happed here, sorry......... 🙁

[img] [/img]

sounded awsome with those pipes 😆
[img] [/img]
not as quick as this though

Oh flip, just stop it all of you.

peterpoddy - Falcos are a helluva lot of bike for the money, but they are big b*ggers. Nice guzzi, do you still have it?

Like I said - nice problem.

Get the BMW 🙂

Seriously you need to ride the bikes and to decide what you are going to do with them. I'd have the triumph sprint 'cos I have always done big miles on my motorbikes. I tried the Duke ST when I bought my BMW.. too uncomfy for me. I didn't like the triumphs that I tried but I didn't try a sprint which is a highly rated bike.

TJ - just can't find a beemer within my budget that hasn't been hit with a very big ugly stick!

I'm having fun going around trying bikes at the moment - dealers seem to appreciate somebody turning up in winter and are taking time to talk me through the options they have. Trouble is I love the things, every visit I make I find a bike I want!

oldgrump08 -
... 1000ss is newest incarnation of the aircooled motor

rode the last incarnation of the 900ss with that motor... would get more excited about starting my lawnmower.

rode it back to back with aprilia rsv... no contest.

however your choice is triumph or ducati... ducati great for polishing and looking at, triumph great for the real world.

Even R1100? I had an RS but they don't do a 1200 RS. The 1200 motor is supposed to be a vast improvement over the 1100

Oldgrumps should be on BMWs

I had a Ducati 996s 2001 model from new.No problems whatsoever apart from taking out a second mortgage for a yearly service at £ 800 to £1000 a go. Only sold it this year with 28000 on the clock.
I got fed up with keep spending that sort of money and not useing it as is was always raining in the summer.GO FOR THE TRIUMPH.

TJ - R1100S would be the one, but didn't come across one I would buy.

oldgrumps become less of a grump on any bike, push or otherwise 🙂

BMW 😯

Don't worry about high mileage on BMWs - I bought mine with 5000 miles on the clock and it wasn't even run in until I thrashed it another 5 000 miles. 55 000 when I sold it 5 years later and it was still sweet as a nut.

Ktm 990 Adventure. No contest.

yeh but BMW 😯 😯 😯 !!!!!!

lol

Have to be open-minded singlecrack 😉

😀

Fantastuic bikes the old Beemer. I did 4000 mile weeks and 800 mile days no worries and fast enough to play with the sports bikes in the twisties.

modern ones are lighter than the opposition and have you seen the new 1000 sports?

BMWs are for riders not posers 🙂

T J

what about all the posers on their GS adventures ? 😉

Ah - I forgot them. You got me bang to rights. Make the above statement all beemers except the GS

To be honest a bike is a bike

what ever you get you will enjoy it just ride it in all weathers touring/scratching/or just to the shops

1000ss is newest incarnation of the aircooled motor, ST2 is liquid cooled.

1000ss isn't quite that new any more, they're 1100cc now (except for the Sport Classic for a new one)... The 1000cc motor was a MASSIVE improvement in so many respects over the 900cc version of the old 2 valve air cooled motor though. Not only does it have about 15bhp more, but much smoother, more efficient, more refined etc.

ST2 is a 2 valve air cooled motor, not a 4 valve (hence the "2" in ST2, versus the "4" in ST4). For some reason though it was an odd capacity, at 944cc. Think they did it to make it slightly torquier than the 900ss and Monsters of the time as it was a heavier bike. The newer 1000cc and 1100cc motors are still miles better.

Why not consider an ST4 or ST4s? What's putting you off? Water cooled Ducati engines are only a pig if not serviced properly and on time, the only extra expense over an air cooled motor to run is basically the shims as they're twice as many of them because there's twice as many valves...

Most fun bike I've ever had a go on was someone's Monster ST4 (sadly not the S version with the 998 testastretta motor), it was just a riot!

One of these days will finally get my old 748 back on the road too I swear...

Not quite right Mav, the St2 is a 944 watercooled motor (despite what the Ride mag buyers guide said a few months back).

If, as you say, you're more likely to be doing short trips, why are you considering any sensible options?

It makes no logical sense to me to buy a motor bike for fun and wind up with a pipe 'n' slippers of a bike.
There should be no sensible option.

+1 : Yellow 748 for me too. I raced it briefly with New Era, but I wasn't very good! I had a yellow 900ss before that, but only for 3 weeks.

NosherDuke - shame on you! It was a fantastic summer for riding, one of the best for years, with or without the DSC - not sure why a bit of water should prevent you from enjoying the 996; only you know the answer to that! Trackdays would have made you more confident in the wet, perhaps?

Euro - you are joking aren't you? You think this is the ugliest Ducati ever???

No i'm not, and yes it is.

For £2-2.5k you could have a low mileage '97 VFR. Not even close to being the fastest bike i've owned but the one I miss the most. Hassle free smiles, easily fast enough for the roads (although a bit out of it's depth on track) and it'll still look like new years after the Duck and Triumph have gone to bikey heaven. Stick an open pipe on there and listen to the V4 angels.

With 3k to spend, you have a pretty good choice. I'd recommend a proper test ride before you buy any bike though.

PP - you thought a GSXR6 was flat compared to a CB500??? Did you have the engine running 😆

Singlecrack - those Mille's are lethal. Sold one for a mate recently (sneaked a few goes on her fisrt), so much fun.

It's always got to be the Ducati (but I am also a long term Guzzi owner)....

Having re read the first post and having had a think. If you really are only going to be doing short rides - sunday morning blasts I'd get an aircooled ducati monster with a large engine - 900 at least. Best looking, plenty of power delivered nicely, decent handling, customisable plenty around. The two valve aircooled motor is plenty in this sort of bike. Unless you are going to be doing tours then the ST series duke are a waste of time.

The triumphs you mention are a great bike but as a fun toy the monster has it. You get a newer lower milage monster for the same money as an ST

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If you want to tour get the Sprint. So comfy! I am being torn between the 1050 Sprint and Tiger at teh moment, some test rides are getting planned for once the weather improves.

Going to trade in my Speed Triple 955i for one - I love the 955, the engine is an absolute peach and by heck the thing can shift! If you are looking for a bike really just for short blasts... get a Speed Triple 🙂

Me - I am looking to tour more, and carry the camera bag at the same time (in a top box) on some epic journies and fancy a bit of wind protection, though it is going to be wrenching getting rid of my current beastie 🙁

Euro - I bow to your better taste 😉 Surely the Multistrada takes the ugly cake though?
Definitely going to try before I buy, so no worries there. Perhaps I should clarify short rides - 2-4 hours short, so a little bit of protection would be good for this old bod! Take the point about Duke STs possibly being ott though.
TJ - that Monster looks good, but I've not yet seen one that looks so good in the flesh (metal??).

Am also developing a soft spot for these:

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If the retro thing appeals, could well be worth a look.

Not that many about and they seem to hold their value, but everyone who's got/had one seems to rave about them.

Older Bloor Triumphs are look like great value at the moment, and they all appear to be massively over engineered.

"And before anybody suggests it, for various reasons I'm not going for the faster ST4s, Daytonas, etc. "

I havent ridden many bikes at all but what about the latest street triple r? (tricks him into having the daytona engine under him in a different bike - even if a little tweaked over the daytona version) I tried the 2010 model and love the weight,size and look of it (not to mention the sound) Even back down to 2007? theres not much between them all.Its nice to be on a bike that feels like a heavy DH bike.even pushing it around on the ground feels like its got no engine in it! ..well,compared to my zx9r.The bike that has stopped me in my tracks from buying the str because of having to justify the price of the triumph.. to downgrade from the kawasaki engine with all that power in each gear and not to mention the gear change.It still looks dog compared to the triumph and weighs more but it was only when i went back on the zx9 after the street triple r test that i found that to spend all that extra money in the trade in..for something that is nowhere near as good in many ways,important factors.. that i couldnt do it.

Once the street triples come down in price i will look into it but for now its sticking with the bike that i have found to have overcome so many niggles that magazines moan about on so many diffrent models over the past few years.
You get fed up of reading that so and so lacks in this area.. and this bike cant do this etc etc.. it gets confusing reading the mags. you end up moving your eyes away from the magazine,looking at a blank wall with a frown and telling yourself "mine doesnt do that.. or mine CAN do that.. with no problems?!" Behind all the hype with so many bikes you can soon put 2+2 together and realise that with each year,bike dont really change THAT much.

what peter and TJ says. When it comes to motorcycle they are the one to listen too. Me I would just go for a commando 961 to get best of both world, but I have only too kidneys. Plus I can't get my head in having more than one cylinder 😉

BTW - A pal has a bandit 12 going very cheap.

BTW - A pal has a bandit 12 going very cheap.

TJ- thanks for the thought, but I don't want a 4. SV1000s maybe....

Juan - its an import from France 🙂

Nearly bought a used Ducati ST2 once but bottled it as it didn't have a complete service history. Triumphs don't seem to light my first but if it was for a bike that would be used regularily I'd prefer one over a Ducati - although I'd prefer a BMW or Honda over either.

Service history is not as important as some would like you to believe, the 2 valve bikes are fairly easy to home spanner. I did the belts on mine with no problems but if i was buying a bike with no history i'd have to get the price of a big service knocked off. Loads of recepits and an indication that the owner knew what he was doing would be okay though.

How cheap TJ?

couple of grand IIRC - I'd have to check with him French / European import, Not many miles and no rust but a bit scratched in places

I don't remember the details exactly but its under book price to get shot of it. Will be MOTed for sale.

Rob S - I chopped in my 955 S3 for a ST1050. I wish I'd kept the S3! The ST is a good bike, but it is noticeably heavier and no faster (but smoother). I got it because we intended to do some touring on it, but we haven't. My partner says the pillion is a bit better than the S3, but she sure is high up! This is my fourth Hinckley Triumph and I love 'em, but I think the build quality has slipped a bit recently. Test rode a Street Triple last year - wow! They are a seriously quick and fun thing. May get one next. Or a Tiger (a bit tall for me , though). Or another Speed Triple ......... Or sell a kidney and get a Commando 961.
Get a Triumph!

I am spooked at this thread! Recently decided I want out of queing on the m3 and m25 and wnat to get back out in the air. First choice: triumph tiger 955i. Second choice Triumph speed four, and a friend is selling his monster on eBay right now, but don't fancy a naked street brawler for a 90mile round trip commute. So as you can tell, feeling kinship right now. Isn't mid life crisis fun!

My commutes have mirrored yours (M40 then M25).

You need a fairing, comfort and heated grips - last three bikes Tiger 1050, (old style) Fazer 1000 and zx9r all gave that.

[b]zx9r[/b]
Good for speed, handling and surprisingly comfy (40mpg) - did over 50k
[b]fazer[/b]
Never happy with it, badly balanced in that the rear tyre was always spinning or the front sliding - even with decent tyres - and worse in the wet... (45mpg)
[b]Tiger[/b]
Its BIG, but very comfy, safe (abs) and very economical (55mpg) - drivers seem to give it more 'space' - don't know why, but maybe 'cos I had a white one.

Commuting 90 miles megascooter every day - comfy, weather protection blah blah blah

Well... I didn't get the 1050ST. I had an accident a couple of days back and paid a deposit on a 2009 1050 Tiger instead. What can I say, loves me Triumphs 😉

Alas I blew the new mountain bike budget at the same time... but it does have full luggage and I blagged heated grips and a price I was "happy" with! It should be with me a week on Friday! Next step, open the air box and snorkel, fit a high flow filter and pop a more free flowing exhaust on, should get it up to 1050 Speed Triple levels of grunt 😉

br - my mate got a Fazer Thou after getting his 600 T Boned... he doesn't really like it either, thinks the 600 is a much nicer machine to ride! It's just interesting hearing someone else saying that they aren't necessarilly as good as many would have you believe.

I had a ride on it myself and just didn't like it.

Good choice Rob S

Z - a Triumph man also.

Just back from a trip to Kyle of Lochalsh from Inverness on the zx9r.roads were so quiet and dry.once you get out of town on it you soon realise that its a comfy bike for what it was designed for. Its just a pain at slow speeds around town or touring around the likes of Plockton just around the corner from Kyle! the sun behind me lighting up the snow capped mountains with a bone dry road up through Kintail was heaven.wild goats and deer were the only probs but all stayed put without running out onto the road..

just get a bike and ride it asap before the best of the winter scenery goes. ;O)