[Mario Landavoz]

After months of wanting, I bought a left-over 2017 Dragster. I have about 70 miles on it so far, and my first impression is; Wow!



Coming from a 690 Duke, it's a little intimidating, It's more demanding than the Duke, but the Dragster suspension is light-years ahead of the KTM. After getting to know this bike I think this will be my new 'best bike ever'.



I removed the passenger pegs, and installed a tail-tidy last night. The tail tidy install was fairly uneventful. I had to remove the exhaust to reach the taillight wiring in front of the swing-arm, but it was otherwise a simple operation. It really improves teh look of the bike. I really did not like the batmanesque rear spray-guard.



This AM I'll de-sticker it. Does anybody know if the tank side stickers are removable on the matte-black bikes? They look like they are applied over the paint, unlike the bikes with gloss paint like the RR, etc.



More pics later.

 

[Black_Gold_Saw]

Always scary when you open up your bike for first time.
But you get to learn her

Wise choice on the tail tidy. Looks BETTER, bequase stock place looks cool aswell and the aftermarket makes it look more aggresive.

 

[Mario Landavoz]

First full day of riding... OMG, what an amazing bike. There are turns on the road that I live on that I have been riding for 20 years that I know how fast I feel comfortable with. One in particular is 40MPH. Maybe 41. Today I rolled through at a comfortable speed on the Dragster and looked that the speedo' as I exited the turn.... 43. I've never exited that turn that fast. I think I love this bike.

The other thing I learned today is that this bike is an attention magnet. A guy at a light in a Lexus rolled down his window, "Niiiiice bike!" Customer at Cycle Gear, "What kind of bike is that?" Dude at the gas station, "Damn....., that is a cool bike. Flag man at road work, "That bike is sick."

And I though my KTM was special.

 

[jhollis]

First full day of riding... OMG, what an amazing bike. There are turns on the road that I live on that I have been riding for 20 years that I know how fast I feel comfortable with. One in particular is 40MPH. Maybe 41. Today I rolled through at a comfortable speed on the Dragster and looked that the speedo' as I exited the turn.... 43. I've never exited that turn that fast. I think I love this bike.

The other thing I learned today is that this bike is an attention magnet. A guy at a light in a Lexus rolled down his window, "Niiiiice bike!" Customer at Cycle Gear, "What kind of bike is that?" Dude at the gas station, "Damn....., that is a cool bike. Flag man at road work, "That bike is sick."

And I though my KTM was special.

I have to say I agree, I am one month into my ownership and loving the bike. Handles great, never have I scrubbed new tyres in on the road so quick. I have the QD exhaust fitted with the baffles still installed and even like this it sound so cool.
I do think however it seems to jump over any bumps rather than ride over them. I have not fiddled with the suspension as yet but could also be the short wheelbase.

 

[silentservice703]

Adjust your suspension to your riding style.

 

[Tirefriar]

I would consider setting up the suspension as the most significant mod that should get top billing. Everything else should follow.

 

[cherche]

I will install a new shock on my 18 Brutale 800 RR.

Cannot adjust it to my needs.

Also the spring rate seems to high for me.

We got a lot of twisty roads here with bad asphalt from time to time (Germany).
I also do app 2500 km in the Italian Alps where the Asphalt is terrible :|

 

[gotfolk]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the Dragster!!

 

[DesignCorse]

After months of wanting, I bought a left-over 2017 Dragster. I have about 70 miles on it so far, and my first impression is; Wow!



Coming from a 690 Duke, it's a little intimidating, It's more demanding than the Duke, but the Dragster suspension is light-years ahead of the KTM. After getting to know this bike I think this will be my new 'best bike ever'.



I removed the passenger pegs, and installed a tail-tidy last night. The tail tidy install was fairly uneventful. I had to remove the exhaust to reach the taillight wiring in front of the swing-arm, but it was otherwise a simple operation. It really improves teh look of the bike. I really did not like the batmanesque rear spray-guard.



This AM I'll de-sticker it. Does anybody know if the tank side stickers are removable on the matte-black bikes? They look like they are applied over the paint, unlike the bikes with gloss paint like the RR, etc.



More pics later.

Congrats on the purchase, We love that colour scheme on the Dragster and these shots may give you inspiration by one of our customers.

Enjoy the rider.

 

[tweakbz]

Damn that's a gorgeous bike.

I still haven't put a tail tidy on my Brutale but I need too so bad. I would love to have a belly pan on mine as well - just like the Dragster. I can't find one anywhere that seems to fit. Does anyone know if it would fit and where I could source a part?

 

[Angelo-MV]

The other thing I learned today is that this bike is an attention magnet. A guy at a light in a Lexus rolled down his window, "Niiiiice bike!" Customer at Cycle Gear, "What kind of bike is that?" Dude at the gas station, "Damn....., that is a cool bike. Flag man at road work, "That bike is sick."

And I though my KTM was special.

They don't call it Motorcycle Art for nothing ?

 

[Mario Landavoz]

I have about 350 miles on the bike now. I adjusted the chain last night and my small torque wrench took a dump before I could re-tighten the hub. Drove to work (in a car) today which sucks anyway in Silicon Valley, but it was particularly bad knowing the Dragster was home alone. Bought a new torque wrench on the way home, and I'll be back on two wheels tomorrow.

I took the passenger pegs off and put the NRC Tail Tidy on the first night. I've been looking at the after-market gas caps. That yellow looks nice, but I think black will be the choice for me. Can there be too much black on a black motorcycle?

I took this pic over the weekend.

 

[Mario Landavoz]

BTW, what is that exhaust? Looks nice.

 

[esq'z me]

BTW, what is that exhaust? Looks nice.

I think that is the stock exhaust !!!

 

[Mario Landavoz]

I think that is the stock exhaust !!!

Ahhh, not the one directly above, the one in the UK back a few posts. The one with the pie-cut pipe. I'm pretty sure that's not stock.

 

[lucydad]

Superb choice. I may tweak my suspension a bit, seems a bit harsh depending on road. 2018 Dragster RR here... need some dry weather and being in town to put some more miles on. Very fun bike! Congratulations! Ride safe.

 

[Mario Landavoz]

I experienced the oft-mentioned "head shake" yesterday while exiting a turn. It wasn't anything like a "tank slapper". Just a little wiggle due to the front lifting. My KTM Duke did the same thing when exiting a turn with a lot of power. I don't think this is a big deal. It's just how short wheel-base motorcycles behave.

The above happened while chasing down a BMW Z-4 through the canyon that I've lived in for 20 years. As I came up behind the Bimmer he suddenly decided he was going too slow. I shadowed him for about a mile, and then put the pressure on. He gave up and signaled for me go by after 5 more turns.

Damn, this bike is fun.

 

[Atom]

I have about 350 miles on the bike now. I adjusted the chain last night and my small torque wrench took a dump before I could re-tighten the hub. Drove to work (in a car) today which sucks anyway in Silicon Valley, but it was particularly bad knowing the Dragster was home alone. Bought a new torque wrench on the way home, and I'll be back on two wheels tomorrow.

I took the passenger pegs off and put the NRC Tail Tidy on the first night. I've been looking at the after-market gas caps. That yellow looks nice, but I think black will be the choice for me. Can there be too much black on a black motorcycle?

I took this pic over the weekend.

Mario PM if you have any questions. I’m in Campbell and we’re practically neighbors. Been riding a 2015 Dragster RR for two years now with 24k miles put down.

 

[Mario Landavoz]

I did the 600 mile service two nights ago. The oil change is easy compared to my other recent bikes that had multiple filters and screens to deal with.

The oil was darker than I expected, and there was a lot of particles on the drain-plug magnet. Nothing chunky, it was all very fine to the touch. The filter had a few very small aluminum chunks. One about cm long. I've seen a lot worse on new motors. See pics below.

The bike shifts noticeably better with the Synthetic oil. That was a pleasant surprise.

For those that intend to do their own service, I learned a few things that I'll pass on:
> Wrapping the exhaust in foil is a must. When the filter cover is removed, oil goes everywhere. The foil saves a lot of clean-up later.
> A front stand isn't necessary, but would have made the task much easier. The #15 pin for my front Pitbull stand didn't arrive until the next day. The stand lifts the front wheel about 100mm. That makes access to the belly of the bike much easier.
> The filter cover screws are Torx. That was a surprise considering that virtually every screw on the bike is an Allen. Go figure....

 

[Bruce Taylor]

I experienced the oft-mentioned "head shake" yesterday while exiting a turn. It wasn't anything like a "tank slapper". Just a little wiggle due to the front lifting. My KTM Duke did the same thing when exiting a turn with a lot of power. I don't think this is a big deal. It's just how short wheel-base motorcycles behave.

The above happened while chasing down a BMW Z-4 through the canyon that I've lived in for 20 years. As I came up behind the Bimmer he suddenly decided he was going too slow. I shadowed him for about a mile, and then put the pressure on. He gave up and signaled for me go by after 5 more turns.

Damn, this bike is fun.

Good job you do not live the other side of the pond, for in the UK the cameras would have got you:baddeal::baddeal: