it's been ages...

6% over my absolutely top-end budget.

Are you /sure/ you're not a project manager?

 

V-Strom.

 

No it's not. That's a 998cc 2v air-cooled
engine, aka an M1000. You can tell 'cos
it doesn't have a radiator, just an oil
cooler.

If you want the water cooled 4v engine
then you need an S4 or S4R, which is
the same as on the 996. These have
both oil coolers and radiators.

If you want the 998 engine, which was a
testastretta, then you need the S4RS.

/pedant

 

FFS, my 620 engined SS will do 139 down the back
straight at Donington - how fast do you want it?

The 900 is well known for having plenty of useable
power, and even more so if you change the gearing.
Just fit a 14t front sprocket; cost is £15 and
takes about 15 mins. You'll lose 10-15mph from
the top end but you'll save a hell of a lot
in front tyres.

To be honest I'd go with the older 2v engine as
there's far less to go wrong, the design is over
15 years old and there are plenty of parts and
bikes around to choose from. Servicing is half
the cost of 4v engines and the monster is easy
to get at anyway... and nobody will really
notice the difference when looking at it unless
they have their Ducati Corse matching jumper
and anorak on.

 

useful advice - thanks. I'll look out for an ordinary M900.

 

BUT I've just emailed you a link to a rather nice
black S4R with 3k miles that has just had a service
and it t&t'ed going for 5 grand... ;-)

You could buy that, ride it all summer then sell it
in the autumn without doing a thing except keep it
clean and probably not lose any money, or certainly
only a couple of hundred.

 

Meh. 6% is just haggle room.

heh. But my experience of PMs is that *they* are the ones hidebound
by such artificial concepts as 'budgets'.

 

Yes, but the 5K figure includes all my contingency, and is actually
10% more than I'm "happy" to spend.

Well, yes, but they tend to be fairly cavalier with estimates given to
them by techies.

 

How about an Aprilia Falco ?

They get consisently good reviews as a second-hand buy. The burgundy
ones are stylistically challenged, but I saw a yellow one this morning
and it looked pretty good. Also available in the One True Colour, I
think.

Too much plastic, perhaps ?

 

too boring.

Look at the sort of mongs who ride them...

 

Depends, you can get loads of luggage kit for KTMs.

 

What he said. And go for the 750, as well, rather than the 900. It's the
best engine of all the 2v air-cooled lumps. And it has a proper wet
clutch, that lasts, as well.

And as has been pointed out, the air-cooled Monsters look *much* better
and cleaner than the water-cooled jobbies.

 

Nah - go for the 750. Rarer, but better.

 

Well, true enough, but as an ex-techie I know that the estimates that
I gave to PMs were almost complete guess-work

 

Well, sure, that was one variable.

I've since concluded that firm requirements aren't worth having
anyway, as people generally don't know what they want until they get
it anyway. Hence my (slightly evangelic [1]) support for Agile
Methods

[1] so don't get me started, ok?

 

*pokes champ*

 

"There can be only one", you fucker.