Spring is coming (too soon? ), the Superduke will be 2yrs old and my brain has wandered off into where next territory. And it's a slow morning at work. I like the Duke but I'd not pay current prices for a new one of the same spec and my local dealer also went bust a few months ago. I'd also not really want to keep it out of warranty after my recent dealings with KTM UK over a leaky rad. So I'm putting a test ride list together for next year. Anyone ridden any of these or thoughts? Aprilia Tuono Factory Ultra Dark - Owned a few Apes over the years, recent brief stint on an RSV4 about 18 months ago, so I know the up's and downs. Wheels are knocking these out for about £14500, dealt with them before and they were decent. Nearest dealer is about 35 miles away and I'm not 100% believing of the year after year glowing MCN reviews. Sort of up there on the list though but I'm hearing it's happier when being ragged around, some low speed jerkiness, on off throttle. BMW S1000R Sport - Literally adding nothing to the standard spec other than the M perf chain for just under £15k. Loads of kit for the cash, but I'm sort of getting the bland message in company of the other litre nakeds. Dealer's also a bit of a trek at 35 miles away. Supposed to be one of the better allrounder's though, decent at lower speeds and comfortable (important at my age). Not interested in the M versions. This one's probably currently top of the test list. Ducati Streetfighter V2 - looks decent and have a decent dealer not far away. Supposed to ride well although I'm hearing similar to the Tuono, not overly happy in town/low speed. £16k for the base bike and I'm not sure if I really want the ownership experience. I know probably similar to the Ape but I've got a decent indie down the road to sort Aprilia issues. Triumph Speed Triple RS - owned a couple of Triumphs in the past, last one was the 1050RS and I know the dealer well, it's just down the road. Reading loads of moans about the suspension being too hard for the road even with lots of messing around. That's in reviews as well as the forums and being a 10 stone lightweight I'd not spend £15.5k and do major suspension work. Still hearing of really laggy screens and hard neutrals. Looks nicely put together and after riding the RR I thought the engine was decent. Yamaha MT10 SP - just sort of a thought this one, not over keen on the styling and these are now looking like £16.5k with not overly much of an update over the last model. Hear the engine's ace but the fuel consumption is still crap. Don't mind paying for petrol but living in a village I don't want to spend most of the time trekking over to a petrol station. Still not finding any in local dealers to look at either. Top 2 to ride at the minute are the S1000R and Tuono. Could possibly add the CB1000R Black Edition, think it might feel even more bland though and maybe underpowered after the SDR. Think I might find the Beemer a bit boring, but we'll see. Randomly I could also pick up a Speed RR for ££££'s off at the minute. Didn't really make me buzz when I test rode it a few weeks back and the riding position was a bit of a pain, literally. Thought the engine was decent and liked the electronic suspension.
Hi. I've ridden three of those on your list, and came away not convinced. So am keeping the Blade (but making some mods to make it more comfortable for me as a road bike). But thats just me, I like my faired sports bikes My thoughts on those that I rode: BMW S1000R Sport: Lots of tech, love the dash and the riding position (with almost straight bars). Comfortable and reasonable fast. Engine sounds like a bag of bolts at idle!! But is great when you are moving. I rode a S1000RR on the same day, and it blew away the naked bike!! Overall a very good and capable bike. I'd be worried about servicing costs, have heard its not cheap. But they do hold their value. Aprillia Tuono V4 Factory (with Akra): Fantastic sounding engine, amazing suspension and elctronics. Traction control is almost telepathic, and allows you to pull floating wheelies at will. Almost too much power at low rpm, and you are just managing it all the time as the bike just wants to run away from you. But once on the open road, its ALOT of fun. I can see why MCN love it so much. I didn't buy it because I thought the dealer was ripping me off. Triumph Speed Triple 1200RS: Quality of the finish on the bike is amazing, and great brakes. But the bike just doesn't gel together well, and is awkward when riding. The engine and suspension seems at odds with each other. Lots of good points in isolation, but as a bike I would wait until they facelift it. Oh.. and the demo bike had electronic glitches, with the Cruise Control and Power Modes not working right. Lots of nearly new bikes being sold on Autotrader, at massive discounts, tells a story. I would say that they are all great bikes in their own right, but which one has the best mix of features for you?
@Saqib thanks for the reply. I'd sort of got the S1000R at the top of the list at the minute, although the dealer's just told me it's going up by about £600 from the 1st Jan. That puts it about a grand over what I can pick the Tuono up for. So I've just pinged Wheels to see how they compare px wise. The 1200RS would have to be very keen offer for me to bother taking a test ride. As out outsider I might take the 1200RR for a spin again as the px and quote I've had is making it look cheap. Wasn't overly keen on the riding position and I'd need to consider the residuals in 2yrs time when I get the itch again.
Looking like a deal for the Tuono Factory is more or less there. Best px price so far, lowest APR currently too and about £3k off RRP although I'd never pay that for it anyway. Could be Aprilia no 7 on the way, glutton for punishment. Pinged the local Triumph dealer about their RR to see where they'd come in, bit of an outsider but if it's cheap I could live with it for a while.
Amazing bike. Btw - the bike I rode was a 2021 and had the Akra system and the Factory engine remap. No issues with jerky throttle. Which exhaust you picking out for it?
We're just discussing that. He wants a grand for both. I've got Aprilia Performance 10 mins down the road so I'm tempted to order stock if he's not budging and see what they say. Always been partial to an Arrow on Apes.
Got myself into a difficult decision now. The outsider, Speed Triple RR, I've just got into a decent position. £10 under £14k and £72 per month less than the Tuono Factory. Same terms and deposit. I could even take another £500 out of the deposit and still save about £50 per month. Triumph - liked the engine, brakes and quick shifter, it's also we a decent dealer I've had 8 bikes off before and is just down the road. Found the riding position uncomfortable and I'm not 100% I'd acclimatise. Aprilia - again a decent price for the Factory really. I've not ridden one but I did have an RSV4 for a short spell and loved the engine. Still seems to be the love child of MCN and various other mags. Having owned 6 Apes over the years I thought this was nailed on and I'd be leaving a deposit this morning. It's sort of more a heart based decision. I'd have a 35/40 mile ride for a service. So I need to decide, which one do I want to live with for a couple of years. First world problems I know.
A good problem to have! Both good bikes, and at a decent price. Given the cost difference (per month), it makes it a much harder choice.
Yeah I was all set to leave a deposit for the Tuono until the Triumph quote landed in my inbox. Was surprised how cheap it was in comparison considering there's only about a grand in it. BMW quoted me for the S1000R Sport pre-Jan price rise. Same 36 months terms, £150 a month, erm yeah, no thanks.
There's a lot to be said for a decent dealer and another because it's so close to you. If the reliability of the Ape is something not to worry about then dealership position doesn't make that much difference but it would be a pain in the arse if you had to travel 35 miles each way to sort every little thing. In the end it's as you said, 1st world problem and only you can solve it. Good luck.
Yeah that's part of what's on my mind. I have owned an Aprilia for 4 yrs and had no issues at all, only spent cash on servicing and tyres. Probably more likely it'll need something sorting that the Speed RR though. The Tuono's a bit more of a heart decision growing up on their 2 strokes. Although I have heard of quite a few issues with the two 1200 Triumphs since launch too.
The BMW may be more expensive.. but BMW factor in higher payments, so you pay off more of the equity. Come trade in time, you know the S1000R will still retain much of its value, and you will therefore get a bunch of cash back for another deposit. That was my impression when talking to my local BMW dealer.
I've owned quite a few BMWs over the years, cars that is. They like to tell you that! Realistically you have to factor in losing the deposit and them offering you something for taking another car/bike. They get a bonus from BMW for a new registration and returning customer. They then look to use some of that, plus whatever they feel like balancing the trade in against the new sale. Depending on how the dealership and sales are going sometimes it's decent, sometimes it's not.
@Saqib interestingly I had a look at the various different finance proposals I was sent, Triumph, Aprilia and BMW. All more or less the same purchase price, it looks like BMW are expecting the S1000R Sport to depreciate £2-3k more than the other 2. That explains the big difference in monthlies. I'd guess that's due to the 2 others having fairly big discounts off RRP, but the Beemer was at RRP.
Thanks. I've been looking at the S1000R and S1000RR for nearly two years now, and they hold their value very well. So its all payments towards equity in my mind. Tuono is in the bag now.. when are you picking it up?
Be interested to see what you do when the time comes. Looking like delivery on the 6th. Slim chance of the 30th, but it sounded like he'd got a lot of bikes going out of the door before the end of the year.
Sounds good, you may have some mild weather to even ride it! None of the bikes I test rode felt like the right balance for me. So I decided to keep mine, and make it more comfortable for me. I ordered Helibars for my Blade, and will fit them in the next few weeks. I love the performance, ride quality, and the fairings. So will keep it for the next season, and decide after that. Ideally I want a S1000RR next I think.
The Tuono will get an easy life until spring. Need to get a garage built after moving house. The Superduke's living in one of the downstairs rooms for now and it was a pain in the arse getting it in. So the Ape will take it's place, garage built, then ride time.
Seriously, do not have it registered 2022. Tell them you want it registering after the new year. That'll make the most difference when it comes to trade in.
