Potter wrote: ↑Sat Sep 24, 2022 11:36 am
mboy wrote: ↑Wed Sep 21, 2022 3:49 pm
What do you actually want this bike for? How is it going to get ridden? How much road to of-road ratio…?
Currently in the last 3yrs I've done less than 1,000 miles on a bike, probably less than 500 miles actually, I don't keep count.
I want one for no other reason than I want one, I'm not being flippant, it's just that I cannot justify buying one for any practical reason.
Similarly I can't justify one bike over another because of wheel size, or mpg, or speed, etc, none of those matter when the only use it will get is the very occasional sunny afternoon riding it for no other reason than I feel like it.
There are some things I don't want, e.g. a race rep is off the cards because I don't enjoy the riding position or speed.
At the moment the Ducati X would tick a box from childhood when I wanted that style of bike but couldn't afford one, it probably wouldn't be a keeper, I'd likely have it a few years then sell it as one of those very low mileage bikes that makes you wonder who owned them and why.
In that case, 100% for sure buy the Ducati Desert X... And take my phone number, gimme a shout in a few years when you come to sell it on with minimal miles on it, I will be waiting with cash!
Seriously though... Like you I want one for no other reason than I lusted after a Cagiva Elefant back in the early 90's as a kid obsessed with Rally Raid motorsport! I do way more mileage than you though, so need to justify my purchases a lot more. 3200 miles on my 1290 Super Adventure S in only 5 weeks and I'm pretty familiar with it now, good points and bad (fortunately very minimal). At your quantity of miles then the primary justification you need is that you like looking at it in the garage! Riding it is almost a secondary concern...
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Have you owned the 1190 ? if so, how does it compare to the 1290 ? How much of an upgrade is the 1290 in reality.?
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No I haven't owned the 1190, have several friends with them though. I had a Gen1 1290 Superduke GT which was same era electronics etc. though. Anyway... People love the 1190 cos it's quite raw, feels very sporty for a big Adventure bike. The engine has quite a punch too, it's only 10-12bhp down on a 1290 but the bike is a few kg lighter too. They're quick bikes, and for many the relative lack of electronics will be an appeal. I did consider dropping maybe £8k on a nice 16ish 1190 Adv but figured I'd be going back to some of the criticisms I had with my SDGT, in that the engine was a quite lumpy/reluctant below 3k, issues with the electronic suspension preload adjusters on bikes of that age and the fact that I had the cash in the bank anyway so justifying spending a bit more wasn't hard... I held out, found the cheapest 21plate 1290 SAS on the market privately at the time (with a cray low 1480 miles on the clock!) and snapped it up and haven't looked back. The current 1290 is hugely more refined, but it's still a lot more raw than its main competition (GS, Triumph Explorer), and the lower tanks have improved the weight distribution noticeably and the electronic aids and refinements have really moved the game on if you're spending plenty of time in the saddle... Radar adaptive cruise control for instance, you think it would be totally redudndant, but on a 9 day tour of a foreign country where you're spending upwards of 6hrs a day in the saddle, it proved its worth time and again when cruising on more open roads but also in towns too... The extra £4k my 21 1290 SAS cost me was a no brainer now I look back at it, but one of my friends still loves his 1190 Adv and won't consider parting with it, where another bought his 1190 Adv and loved it, but quite quickly replaced it with a 17 1290 SAS and has already told me that if/when I sell my 21 bike to give him first refusal as he's already looking but is going to wait til they come down under £10k he said...
