No. But, under the control of the world’s pro riders, it definitely looks like silly fun. Haha. I would’ve bought a 1090 ADV, when I bought my Triumph, as the dealer offered either at the same price. But, again, no cruise control on the KTM was a deal breaker. The thought of hearing that engine through Akras was enticing, though. At this point in life, I’ll be steadily reducing size/weight.
This was rumoured for a while with the move to a parallel twin. Supposed to be easier and cheaper to manufacture the p-twin. Who knows.
I actually like the look of it. Very much like the Duke 890R styling. Will not perform like the KTM but should be less cost/maintenance so a great streetbike for the masses.
Totally agree, wish they made the 'Strom version better looking though. Only thing that I don't care for is the OEM accessory saddlebags are the throwover type instead of having dedicated mounts.
There is no such thing as a better looking 'Strom. They're just born ugly. It's a universal truth Yeah, it's kinda like they're saying you can only sport tour on it solo. Fuck them passengers. They better get their own damn motorcycle....which, actually, onboard with that. Everyone should ride their own.
They looked a lot better a few years ago, now they look like the bastard child of a late 70's RM and a Tonka truck. Even solo riding I like secure, waterproof storage on all my bikes.
No way on the R7. 66 hp stock. In WERA SS build form, 75 - 78 HP max. Spend $10k plus on a MA Superbike build motor and you are at best 95 - 98 HP on spec fuel.
Drop in cams and air filter you are at 83-85 on the R7. R7 claimed stock HP is 74 RS660 claimed stock HP is 100 GSX-8 claimed stock HP is 81 When you consider the new GSX-8 weighs 445 lbs that puts the R7 and GSX-8 close in performance. The RS660 is in another league. We need more options for LW twins legal bikes and in my opinion this bike fits right in with the R7 and RS660.
Someone turned that off a few weeks back. It was still funny but it is almost as funny no one really noticed until now. grapefruit!
Comparing mfg. claimed HP or weights is pretty useless... there's no standards followed. Nobody knows yet what the GSX will do in race trim- it may be a great fit or it may be a dog. If it wakes up easily with exhaust and tune/flash then allowing it in LW classes won't give us more options...it'll just replace the SV. Not an appealing scenario to me with my collection of SV's and SV crap.
Only time will tell…. but we need to move on from the SV at some point. Trust me I feel your pain I have 2 3rd gen fully built endurance bikes. I would like to move to a new platform other than the R7 or RS660. Hopefully Mongo will give it a chance.
The numbers I posted above are from a MA R7 builder who dynoed each scenario on the same dyno and are rear wheel horsepower numbers. The OEM claimed stock HP of 74 is most likely at the crank.
That is my point.... The GSX-8 81 HP is also likely at the crank so both bikes have similar power considering the R7's is 30 pounds lighter. Once bikes start to hit the track, we will know better but my opinion is to give it a chance.
