I prefer the "Urban" map on my 821. Should I get an SV650? V-Strom 650XT?

Lately I've been blasting around hills in the 70-100 km/h range on my Hyperstrada 821 — ever since I got the clutch fixed — and been realising I have more fun in the Urban mode, which purportedly limits the horsepower to around 75. I just get to wind it out a lot more and that feels "fun".

I've never had an SV650 though I've been aware of them forever as the "poor man's Ducati Monster". I've had Ducati Monsters, though. I've had a crush on the SV650 since it was re-released in 2016.

The Hyper is an excellent machine with a few quirks. Even with with my Rapid Bike Easy, it hesitates a bit under 4,000 rpm. I had to do the "clutch fix" just to get it performing like a normal bike. And that suspension dives a lot.

That said, winding it up going up a mountain even just at 60-100 km/h is a lot of fun.

The main reasons I'd even consider switching to an SV650
* For the price I sell mine, I could get a new bike, leftover stock. Something I've never done! (Of course the depreciation would be huge in the next few years)
* SV650 motorcycles are the kind that are loved by many. People say they miss them.
* Australian roads and speed limits are slower, and the police and fines much more aggresive. I spent most of my life out of Australia (back due to *****) and just want to enjoy the slower pace more.
* I own other Ducatis that are a lot more Ducati (a 900SS and a 1098S — dry clutches, loud Termignoni exhausts). The Hyper 821 has a lot less of that character, and I wouldn't mind trading the little it has for the reliability of an SV650.
* I'm not too emotionally attached to the 821. (the 1098S though... that's another story. totally impractical, very difficult to ride, but grabs me)

Basically, if I knew someone who wanted to do a 1:1 swap for an as-new one right now I'd do it. What do you think?

I've sat on them, but haven't ridden them. Honestly it's hard to figure out a bike without a few hundred kms in varied conditions and that's why I keep buying, chopping, changing. The only things I've figured out so far in my life are the importance of visual and emotional attachment to a bike.

If you've owned/currently have available an SV650 I'd love to hear your thoughts — especially if you've had the X.

PS I've also considered a V-Strom 650XT. Similar donk, different position, wouldn't freak out as much on the common australian dirt roads.

kuksul08 said:

I'm not sure the SV/VStrom motor has enough character to be fun. It's a great motor functionality wise but doesn't have that bark to make it exciting at lower speeds. It has to be wound out to make it fun, and you'll find yourself going just as fast (or faster) than the Hyper because it's easier to go fast.

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I read your earlier thoughts on the V-Strom 650 actually — thanks, appreciate it. So hard to tell in just 30 minutes. I'd love to do an overnight test drive.

elephantwithtrexarms said:

Why not find an older i4 400cc or even i4 250cc if you have fun revving the balls off of bikes and pushing limits? I've got my eye on the new kawi i4 250, it looks amazing. Great suspension, great power for a 250 (45hp), revs to 17k stock, and very light.

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Yeah, all good ideas. I haven't ever bought new, but the new kawi looks great. I thought I had heard they'd squeeze more power than that out of it, too.

I didn't know the MV had that motor in it!

Definitely the non-exclusivity hurts my ego a bit.

But my days with the Hyper are numbered and I've listed it for sale.

The final straw for me on the Hyper was that over the last week, after 1,000 kms or so of enjoyable riding in the hills, it left me stranded with a "check engine" light, just 5km from home on the last leg. Battery was flat (11.9V), and the (failing) starter motor didn't even turn over, so I suspect it's something in the charging system, but I have two other Ducati bikes that spend a lot of time in the workshop and don't want a third — I was hoping the relatively modern 2014 Hyper would be my reliable (but cool) bike.

Man, I really hate getting towed.

On the starter motor, I know the whole Denso motor saga. I bought this bike from a dealer. I took it back and said "it shouldn't be like this!" and they said no, it's fine, and they didn't fix it. It gives me a bad feeling about that dealer.

gatdammit said:

Dude, the last thing on my list when I bought a Ducati was "reliability". She's been a total ***** at times, but I still love her for when she's on her game, which is most of the time. I've had a similar love affair with VW for decades. There's a sometimes not recognized expectation when purchasing an "exotic" label - equating the exclusive price tag with perfection. It's very similar to the JD Power customer satisfaction studies. Usually you have affordable labels on top and all the luxury makers at the bottom. Why? Because the buyer of a new Dodge Caliber is probably not gonna demand satisfaction over some orange peel or panel gap but, you can sure as **** bet a Ferrari buyer will. I sort of lived this when I bought a brand new Acura years ago. I scrutinized that car much deeper than I would have a brand new Honda sedan. You think a V-Strom owner is pounding the service desk over sloppy welds or poor wire insulation?

My Uncle used to have a sticker on his helmet that read: "If it's got **** or wheels, it's bound to give you trouble..." Now, he was a misogynist piece of **** drunk, but there was some truth beneath the crudeness. For bikes at least, you usually sacrifice personality or some uniqueness for bullet proof quality. The bike I pick to ride out the zombie apocalypse is much different than the one I want to put a smile on my face during my morning commute.

It's a shame you don't love it like I do. I've gotten every bit of my $13K out of this bike and I've probably got more in add-on's than the bikes base value. I live to crack it through the first 3 gears and I can get very stupid with it as a point-and-shoot urban weapon. After much toiling and upgrades, it's supremely predictable and inspiring. I think it's still one of the coolest designs on the road, only missing the fancy lighting options on newer bikes.

There were some turds, but statistically a small percentage. It's a good line of bikes and Duc should be praised for it.

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Praise like yours on this forum is why I had to try it out! I feel the love — it's inspiring. I may just be having a rough week and this was the final straw. Sometimes it's hard to disentangle one feeling from another.

The wiser side of me knows it would be foolish to give up so quickly. I'll try to remember that as I pay the shop for the electrical problem (they'll be able to look at it Tuesday or Wednesday).

On your reliability point — I thought that maybe modern Ducatis were more reliable. Anyway, I just had two bad experiences (soft starter + getting stranded), but that weighs heavily in my cognitive bias (personal anecdotal evidence, recency bias, confirmation bias). I'm aware of the bias, and that diminishes it somewhat, but it'd still be hard to overcome. Brains are strange.