Quote:
Originally Posted by Krasi_BG
Well, my thoughts are that yet again anything new is a well forgotten old. In this case, I'm thinking of Cagiva Raptor from some 15-ish years ago - Suzuki engine, Italian (Ducatti  ) frame, and even them Brembo brakes And it wasn't expensive!
Anyway, enough about the good old past. Carry on! |
The big difference with the Cagiva Raptor back in the early 2000's was much much more relaxed emissions and safety standards on bikes coupled with sourcing that lovely V-twin from the SV650 - a lower cost mass produced engine.
The funny thing is, since you bring up the Raptor, is that if I wanted the raptor now, I would simply get a 2017-2018 SV650. Which is close in specs to the Raptor of old, and more powerful thanks to several changes to the engine for 2017.
In fact, the first bike that came to mind when thinking about the silly price of the Vitpilen 701 was indeed the SV650. The Vitpilen is about 100lbs lighter than the SV, but you can buy a brand new SV for more than $4000 less. That is more than enough money to do a GSXR fork swap, rear shock, brake upgrades, and exhaust. It may not be as nimble because of the weight difference, but at speed the SV would easily keep up with the 701.
I have considered a 2017 SV650 as well. More than a few floor models and barely ridden trade ins out there for $5000-5500, which is a $2k savings over new,