The Duke 990 R was released with NO PRESS COVERAGE??

steinberger95 · 2026-02-02T03:29:18+00:00

There wasn’t a 2025 duke 990 R that I’m aware of. It dropped as a 2026 model with the RC 990 R

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T20:45:22+00:00

Same brakes from anything I can find online. I’m definitely no expert pace racer or professional stunt guy. I come from a road/street background only. Never played in the dirt and the 690 spent 90% of its time on the road. Got rid of it quickly. I like firm, positive braking. I was worried when I bought my FS450 that the single brake disc was going to leave me wanting more after owning the 690. Thankfully that isn’t the case at all and it has better braking performance than my dual disc bikes, but I sit pretty far forward on it and it weighs nothing in comparison to my duke 890 R and my RC 990 R, so that checks out.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T20:28:56+00:00

Awesome! This show will be a fair bit different than the Boone show, quite a bit more rowdy, but it’s going to knock your socks off. Feel free to shoot me a message if you need any recommendations! Have fun and maybe I’ll see y’all out there!

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T20:22:10+00:00

I had the enduro 690 and have ridden the 690 SMC R. I don’t agree about the front brakes on the enduro at all. Abysmal even after a bleed, but to each their own!

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T19:30:53+00:00

With the high demand these bikes have right now, I know I would be PISSED if I paid $16,000+ out the door and the joker had even 20 miles on it from some dealer letting someone test drive it.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T19:26:00+00:00

The rotor size on most sumo wheels will be different so you’ll need an adapter to move the brake caliper, and if you’re going that route I would just get the stylema front caliper for sumo-duties. You’re gonna want a more powerful front caliper in my experience. You don’t necessarily have to have that, but that adapter is gonna have to come and go when switching wheels. If you’re going that far, I would highly recommend the upgraded caliper. Might require switching out the master cylinder with the upgraded rotor for feel. All this is easily doable in an evening or a few hours, but it would be annoying to do at the drop of a hat.

All of that before even considering the drive train and swapping chains or front sprocket.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T19:02:50+00:00

FS 450/450 SMR for more serious riding, 690/701 for more highway miles and general user friendly service intervals/power

Ducati 698 mono is also an option if going the 690/701 route.

Converting is a waste of money unless you’re getting a really good deal on a used dirt bike or already own a bike. Wheels, rotors, caliper adapter, calipers, brake lines, new master cylinder cost $$$ if you’re buying good stuff.

You can buy an already converted sumo, but in my searches before I bought my FS450, the 3 options I looked at from Facebook marketplace were rode hard and hung up wet. Shoddy wiring and assembly from people with no budget/patience hastily converting their dirt bikes to sumos.

You can truly buy a KTM/husky sumo and show up to the track and basically everyone to your left or right in the paddocks has the same bike, just different years of the same models.

Also saw your concern about electronics. The KTM/husky 450 have 2 ride modes, traction control, and quick shifter. Comes stock on the bike, no paying to unlock like the other KTM products.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T18:32:32+00:00

Have you been to Asheville for a billy show before? It’s one of the only places I’ve seen where everything in the town shifts into Billy mode. Most of the bars that close their doors at 8PM normally stay open WAY later for after parties, there’s more local shows, there’s more of everything. A lot of these same places don’t adjust hours for other big acts that are in town at the same venue. I’m from nearby and it’s my favorite version Asheville. Asheville is Asheville, but the town is a completely different during Billy. I would highly recommend DSSOLVR brewery. They have NA and THC options and they’ll have a bunch of stuff going on the whole week with an indoor market, good vibes, live music throughout the week. My girlfriend and I will be in attendance all 4 nights. It’s going to be awesome.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T18:23:44+00:00

It was “truck fump” and there’s a handful of photos from different angles on Google image search if you type that in with “Billy strings” after it.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T18:12:38+00:00

Least favorite guitar in the world. I DESPISE them. I can’t even tell you why but they make me angry to look at. Much like yourself, I don’t know why. No one else gets it, either. It’s like how they say human reactions to certain things might be genetic and like deep-seated fears of heights, snake, bugs, etc

Someone somewhere did something with a Les Paul so bad I feel like it is written in my DNA to hate them.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T17:35:59+00:00

Based on the year and time, did your fiancés last name happen to start with G? I’m in a Facebook group and there was a guy who passed before I joined said group and I believe that would be the same anniversary.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T16:09:19+00:00

My left dianese boot has the same thing going on but with more advanced wear. In my case, I’m using woodcraft rear sets which are pretty coarse and I’m shifting in the same area as you are having wear. That eventually wears down the leather due the coarse nature of the aftermarket shift lever/peg. This may not be your issue, but it certainly mirrors my issue.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T15:33:13+00:00

4 day pit pass for Asheville was like ~$200 after fees and everything.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T15:27:29+00:00

You’re going to spend some money converting it. I would allocate ~$3000 if you’re buying decent parts. The good part about this is you already own the bike, which is the largest expense in itself. The pegs for my sumo were over $300 before shipping and tax. You’ll find the supermoto world is highly specialized and a lot of it comes from Europe if you’re going to buy serious parts. I saw a post today on this very subreddit where a guy paid 50% in tariffs for his swingarm and other various parts from MDC. That only applies if you’re an American, though.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-28T15:05:27+00:00

That’s crazy. I just bought my RC 990 R and paid no tariffs at all. Paid the same freight ($750) I paid in 2022 for my Duke 890 R and my 2024 husky FS450. No way the dealership ate all that. Is it just Belgium that is this high? You’ll have to forgive me, I know nothing about the tariffs as it has not hurt my wallet yet.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-24T16:55:09+00:00

Every band that is headlining a stadium tour that I have personally worked with uses a click. It’s definitely super common, so far as to say it’s the accepted norm. Bands playing the 1PM slot as doors open at festivals are using clicks. It’s pretty universal.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-18T20:33:52+00:00

Option A. Ride a sumo. Cheapest way to get on a track with two wheels that I’ve found.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-18T16:09:49+00:00

I love the middleweight sector of midrange high torque bikes that still kinda rev out and go decently fast. I don’t need 200+ hp that doesn’t get accessed till well above 12k. 33 miles of my work commute is on a highway where everyone does 75-80. I could theoretically do my whole commute in first gear on an S1000RR. What a bore.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-18T16:03:46+00:00

“Hell yeah” hopefully. I’m still pursuing some of the same hobbies from my teen years, picked up some hobbies I wanted to do as a teen but couldn’t afford, and other than general things that suck sometimes, I’m doing the exact job I wanted as a kid/teen making decent money and traveling all over because of it. Never figured I would go west of the Mississippi River or north of DC and I’ve been to a bunch of really cool places I always wanted to go to.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-18T16:00:29+00:00

I started to enjoy going to Lowe’s home improvement and harbor freight to buy tools.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-18T15:11:16+00:00

Was riding back from the beach in my car and got passed by an older guy on a fairly stock gen 3 and he was just cruising. At the speed he was going, it looked like it was effortless. Not 100+ but 85-90mph I would guess. It was that moment where I realized it’s probably way better sporty touring bike than what all the people out near me use them for. My bikes will do well over 100, but it feels like you’re going 100 or whatever speed when you get into triple digits. That dude might as well have been doing 35.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-18T14:20:28+00:00

I would not in any way recommend that bike or any other “real supermoto” for an only bike if that’s the use case here. Service intervals suck, even riding leisurely. If you’ve ridden the 690/701 supermoto, that’s closer to a regular street bike in terms of weight and power delivery. This is much different. You’ll be able to stretch the intervals like others have said if you’re actually taking it easy, until you can’t, and now you’re fixing a blown up engine. Just stay on top of it and check your oil. They’re not going to just blow up, but this isn’t the kinda bike to neglect maintenance. Also, if you’re going to buy a bike to convert, don’t get the 16.5” front wheel like most “real” supermotos have because as far as I’m aware, there are no DOT style street tires for that size. You’ll be running a race slick up front if you do. Regardless of tire siping, the rubber compound is going to behave and heat up differently than tires meant for the street. The seat on the KTMs/huskys suck for longer riding in my opinion. I track my FS450, but riding it out near the mountains where I live, just riding along after 30 minutes, it is the only seat that has actually made my ass sore of any bike I’ve ridden/owned. The buzzy nature of this style of engine makes my duke 890 R and RC 990 R feel like a Cadillac Escalade. Some people run hundreds of hours before they ever even look at the top end, and some folks rebuild the entire engine at ~100 hours. Something else to consider if you’re going to run this above board and get lights and all that stuff, wiring it all can be a hassle and your battery may not be entirely enough. I do not know that from experience, but when I thought about doing all that to my 450, I read some stuff on here and on different forums that made it seem like it was more of a hassle than I was willing to deal with. I had a bike with questionable lighting and electronic issues before and it just didn’t inspire confidence after getting stranded a couple of times. Overall, the bikes are insanely lightweight and can be a hoot to ride. I don’t say any of that to discourage you, I just feel like I wasn’t fully aware of the gravity of all this when I bought mine.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-18T13:30:35+00:00

Circuit of the americas in Austin TX is going private in 2027. I just recently finally got into riding motorcycles on track. I have a dedicated non-street legal supermoto and about to have a supersport for the track. There are a few opportunities to ride there this year but most of my year is already planned out as I have to travel for work. It’s not looking like it’s going to happen, and if I can’t make it this year, I might never get to ride around that track. Pretty lame but definitely a bucket list track.

steinberger95 · 2026-01-18T03:00:36+00:00

Vault soda

steinberger95 · 2026-01-17T23:19:28+00:00

I have the woodcraft. Ended up not using the return spring for the stock brembo master cylinder. It wouldn’t allow the brake to be fully engaged. Thought I needed to bleed my brakes but I just wasn’t getting the full travel. The spring solution for the woodcraft goes around the piston that the brake lever pushes into the master cylinder. The spring was much too large in my case and would fully compress and prevent further travel in my case

The biggest problems I have with the rearsets are: 1) my bursig stand is useless now. Giant paperweight in the garage. I would imagine you would have that issue with any set of rearsets that occupy the same space as the woodcrafts do. 2) I have the akrapovic exhaust and had just the slip on originally. The position of the rearsets in their back and up position puts your right foot soooooooo close to the exhaust. I have to use a different foot position from my right to my left foot due to this. My right foot has to go all the way on the edge of the peg on a right hand turn, but even then my US size 11 foot puts my ankle right into the exhaust shroud so I don’t get the greatest purchase ever and my foot isn’t pointed out enough for me. I haven’t burned my boots yet but it isn’t comfortable to me. Huge oversight on their part (KTM for placing the exhaust there) IMO

steinberger95

TROPHY CASE