MT09 vs 890 Duke vs STriple R/RS?

[cg_ops]

Just sold my (un)lucky 701 sumo (and R6 and WR250, come to think of it...) and will be grabbing its replacement soon. Curious to see what some of my fellow BARFers think of these 3 bikes (or feel free to suggest another).

STriple has been the bike to beat in the middleweight category. Reviews are universally positive about it but the styling isn't really my cup of tea. RS price is on par with 890 and is similarly spec'd.

Pro
Highly praised by owners
Fantastic overall package
Motor

Con -
Not a fan of the bug eyes
Potentially inferior to the comfort of the 09
Dealer not in town

Unknown -
Reliability
Room for clutch lever on the the right bar

MT09 is the best value here. I've been a Yamaha fan since my first one, an 03 R6 I bought new. What draws me to the MT09 is the value and reliability. I'm neutral on the styling. It would need some suspension tweaks to dance like the other two but even then it would be significantly cheaper. If it FELT as light as the 790/890 it would be the easy choice... unfortunately, my 1-armedness means that the heft of this bike severely reduces its appeal for me (both for riding it and moving/loading for transport)

Pro
Reliability
Price
Motor
Rekluse has an autoclutch for it

Con -
Heavy and (relatively) high COG
The vanilla option (coming from the 701)

Unknown -
Quickshifter does up AND down?

890 Duke - I'm trying to talk myself out of going to Mach 1 today to buy this bad boy. The price is steep but it checks all the right boxes for me.... Universally praised for ease of handling. Lean sensitive ABS and TC. Fantastic quick shifter

Pro
Weight! Coming from a sumo, this is huge
Styling
Rekluse has an autoclutch for it

Con -
KTM reliability?
Price

Unknown -
890 motor reliability


Wildcard - just saw that the Aprilia RS 660 is landing at dealers. Might be the most gorgeous bike under 15k OTD that's available. The weight is insane and a twin in a streetbike sounds like a great alternative to i4 in daily riding. IT HAS CRUISE CONTROL! (Kind of a big deal when you need to adjust something while riding with 1 hand)


Hope you're all safe out there!

 

[fufo47]

Man you have some good picks right there...

I agree that the aesthetics of the Triumph are anything but nice. Wish someone sold some type of fairing to make it more of a Tuono type because those bug eyes look hideous. I had a 675 as a track bike and that bike never gave me any problem and I beat the crap out of it. Obviously a lot has changed from 2007 until today but don't think that bike would give you problems.

However, my eyes are set on the 890 Duke. I don't know why but if I had a pick I would go with that one. For me, it has everything you need, it's light, good components, etc.

 

[jmillington]

The MT-09 OEM quickshifter only does up-shifts.

You can get an aftermarket quickshifter that does both up and down-shifts, but that also requires a ECU flash.

 

[R3DS!X]

my 2 pennies

STripleR
Pro
Really well setup bike, does what you ask of it.
Highly praised by owners
Fantastic overall package
Motor

Con -
Not a fan of the bug eyes
Potentially inferior to the comfort of the 09
Dealer not in town
I find it boring and will sell you mine if you want it.

Unknown -
Reliability
Room for clutch lever on the the right bar
(I don't know what exact setup you use, Do you use a thumb actuated lever?)

MT09

Pro
Reliability
Price
Motor
I flippin love this motor. It's the star of the show.
Rekluse has an autoclutch for it

Con -
Heavy and (relatively) high COG (didn't feel bad to me)
The vanilla option (coming from the 701, I can see that, but vanilla is still a very good flavor)
I didn't care for the seating position. I heard it was supposed to be more supermoto like but it just felt wrong to me.
The suspension and brakes need to be chucked into a fire.

Unknown -
Quickshifter does up AND down?

890 Duke - I'm trying to talk myself out of going to Mach 1 today to buy this bad boy. The price is steep but it checks all the right boxes for me.... Universally praised for ease of handling. Lean sensitive ABS and TC. Fantastic quick shifter

Pro
Weight! Coming from a sumo, this is huge
Styling
Rekluse has an autoclutch for it

Con -
KTM reliability?
KTM reliability
Price

Unknown -
890 motor reliability


Wildcard - just saw that the Aprilia RS 660 is landing at dealers. Might be the most gorgeous bike under 15k OTD that's available. The weight is insane and a twin in a streetbike sounds like a great alternative to i4 in daily riding. IT HAS CRUISE CONTROL! (Kind of a big deal when you need to adjust something while riding with 1 hand)
I really like Aprilla but their parts take forever when you need them

Hope your all safe out there!

 

[OVerLoRDI]

I think you can nix the STriple based on how you feel about its looks. Its your bike and if you don't like how it looks... that's kind of lame.

So between the MT09 and 890 Duke:
- MT09 could be as good as you need it to be with mods but you can't change how it carries its weight.
- 890 Duke is turn key and checks all the right boxes for you

Oh yeah and I'll echo the Aprilia parts thing, they can take forever. When I owned an Aprilia I never felt like it could be my only street bike. Granted that was an RSVR which is a much different beast than modern Aprilias.

 

[motomania2007]

I can't say anything abut the Triumph.

I love my FZ09

If I wanted a totally hooligan fun bike and probably not a great hop on it and ride 400 miles today bike, like I do the FZ09, then I would be getting the KTM 890 as that bike looks totally awesome package of fun!

I have no experience on the KTM other than a couple of rides on KTM dirtbikes and a few rides on a 690 Duke. All the KTM rides were impressive so I am extrapolating that the 890 would be a ton of fun on the street.

 

[cg_ops]

I think you can nix the STriple based on how you feel about its looks. Its your bike and if you don't like how it looks... that's kind of lame.

So between the MT09 and 890 Duke:
- MT09 could be as good as you need it to be with mods but you can't change how it carries its weight.
- 890 Duke is turn key and checks all the right boxes for you

Oh yeah and I'll echo the Aprilia parts thing, they can take forever. When I owned an Aprilia I never felt like it could be my only street bike. Granted that was an RSVR which is a much different beast than modern Aprilias.

You might be right, it's the one I used to be most excited about a couple years ago but it doesn't excite me now. I want to love the STriple but I don't for some reason. Love that dash though!

my 2 pennies

Here's the setup I use on the R6, R3, and WR250. Works great until I need to bang through gears quickly coming into a turn or an emergency stop. The sumos don't care about kicking it down without the clutch but street bikes really need a blip or clutch (I learned that on the R3 in AFM)

I can't say anything abut the Triumph.

I love my FZ09

If I wanted a totally hooligan fun bike and probably not a great hop on it and ride 400 miles today bike, like I do the FZ09, then I would be getting the KTM 890 as that bike looks totally awesome package of fun!

I have no experience on the KTM other than a couple of rides on KTM dirtbikes and a few rides on a 690 Duke. All the KTM rides were impressive so I am extrapolating that the 890 would be a ton of fun on the street.

Wait, since longer rides are a big part of why i'm saying goodbye to the 701, you say you'd take the duke or the 09 for longer rides? Why?

 

[R3DS!X]

Have you ever tried a thumb clutch setup? I can only imagine it would be easier to brake. also looks like the throttle housing might get in the way of clutch work.

 

[NoTraffic]

As an FZ09 owner, I'm a bit biased. I love the triple, it's one of the the liveliest bikes I've ridden given it's weight, torque, and handling. I have beefed up the fork suspension which has improved the suspension greatly for very little $$.

It would help to know what riding you're looking to do with your next bike. I would say the one downside of the FZ is wind protection and tank range. I can only get up to 120 miles per tank and wind really gets to you if slabbing on the hwy for more than an hour. Canyons, city/country roads, track, is what this bike is made for. If I were to do touring, I'd go for the Tracer GT.

The 890 Duke is very attractive but it's a parallel twin setup, I'd take a triple over parallel twin for fun. There is no other sound like a screaming triple coming over a hill.

 

[R3DS!X]

There is no other sound like a screaming triple coming over a hill.

The Aprilla V4 would like to have a word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3WdxhXlLpc

 

[dtrides]

Wildcard - just saw that the Aprilia RS 660 is landing at dealers. Might be the most gorgeous bike under 15k OTD that's available. The weight is insane and a twin in a streetbike sounds like a great alternative to i4 in daily riding. IT HAS CRUISE CONTROL! (Kind of a big deal when you need to adjust something while riding with 1 hand)


Hope you're all safe out there!

Where did you see that info?
DT

 

[cg_ops]

Riding use: Very mixed. Canyon carving, occasional track days, trips to Nor/Socal, cruising the boulevard, hooning, etc (This was why the 701 was a great fit, it did it all fairly well aside from the long distance stuff)

Where did you see that info?
DT

https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2020-Aprilia-RS-660-5010664096

Where did you see that info?
DT
I'd take a triple over parallel twin for fun. There is no other sound like a screaming triple coming over a hill.

What characteristics are you referring to? I've been on i4 v4, singles, and twins.... haven't dipped my toes into tipples yet aside from crippling my R6 for a bit

 

[NoTraffic]

The Aprilla V4 would like to have a word.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3WdxhXlLpc

I will agree, that is another sound! (I was also going to recommend the Tuono).

The two stroke Honda NSR500 is also another wavelength. :cool



But I have never heard a parallel twin sound snarky (incl. mine).

 

[FourThreeSix]

J-Lo,

I haven't rode the new 765, but it's been on the list for a while. I love me some triples and put lots of smiles on my 675 version. The 890 has taken over the top step for me now though. I wouldn't trip out about the reliability. You have a good relationship with the guys over at Mach 1 and I'm sure they would take care of you if anything weird happened. I'm envious!

 

[dtrides]

Hmmm, looks like they are only accepting "pre-orders" on the RS 660 and the price is only a " estimate, final price may very".....
Well, hope they show up sooner than later, like the Duke 890!
DT

 

[Blankpage]

The ktm is exactly the type of stripped down bike I like but its a ktm so probably has a lot of issues.

 

[NoTraffic]

Riding use: Very mixed. Canyon carving, occasional track days, trips to Nor/Socal, cruising the boulevard, hooning, etc (This was why the 701 was a great fit, it did it all fairly well aside from the long distance stuff)





https://www.cycletrader.com/listing/2020-Aprilia-RS-660-5010664096




What characteristics are you referring to? I've been on i4 v4, singles, and twins.... haven't dipped my toes into tipples yet aside from crippling my R6 for a bit

I would say for hooning, weekend joy rides - the FZ09 is hard to beat given it's price and reliability. I can't speak to the Aprilia or Triump categories, but the FZ09, XSR, FJ09 has a huge community following, pretty much anything and everything that can be modified has been tried and lots of good support.

Going to Socal, I would second think about taking a FZ09 which is why I threw in the Tracer GT option (same engine, just more touring oriented with cruise control, windscreen and prob. a more substantial subframe for luggage).

Since you had a crippled R6, the sound is somewhat similar but I would say a triple is a hybrid of a V-twin and a I-4. It can rev really high like an I-4 but has instant torque like a v-twin. You don't need to "wind it up" to get going. It boogies from the get go. As far as maintenance, the FZ09 is now rated to do valve adjustments at 24k!

 

[cg_ops]

Well... I was so excited and stoked about street riding again that I jumped the gun. Bought an 890 Duke with 5 year extended warranty (6 total). Mach 1 was great to work with, as usual, and will be uncrating it for me tomorrow. He was even kind enough to give a shot at moving the clutch lever over to the right for me so I could ride it home!

Buyers remorse? 100%. But I've had it after every bike purchase and it always fades away after the first unrestrained twist of the wrist!

 

[R3DS!X]

Well... I was so excited and stoked about street riding again that I jumped the gun. Bought an 890 Duke with 5 year extended warranty (6 total). Mach 1 was great to work with, as usual, and will be uncrating it for me tomorrow. He was even kind enough to give a shot at moving the clutch lever over to the right for me so I could ride it home!

Buyers remorse? 100%. But I've had it after every bike purchase and it always fades away after the first unrestrained twist of the wrist!

I'll ride it home for ya

 

[Dubermun]

omg ive had the mt09 for less than a year and i already want another bike?!!! that 890 looks sick