Fort Worth Motorcycle Riders

https://www.cyclenews.com/2020/11/artic ... fter-2020/

Hope this is not a trend

I think sport bikes are doomed overall

They all have gotten too focused on making them quicker, and sharper controls, which is great for the track. They really need to go back to designs from the early 2000's where they were more comfortable and usable as a daily ride.

Yamaha's decision may have been influenced by the price tag to comply with increasing regulation, especially in Europe, and the competition from others who are delivering street-able sport bikes at a better price point. It looks like Aprilia has taken Matt's advice to heart. The new Aprilia 660 appears to be targeted at street riders with slightly elevated bars, plush suspension, and a parallel twin engine that delivers power low down, despite the sport bike fairings. And I would say the stock ZX-6r is a little more friendly than the R6 or the GSX-R600. But the naked sport category exploded in recent years. While the new re-released SV650 hasn't captured the spark once held by it's predecessor (some would argue it is closer to being a "standard" than to a "naked sport"), the other bikes in the category are doing well. I have seen quite a few mid-size naked bikes (MT-07/09, Street Triple, Duke 790/890) at the track this year. But we also see growth in sales for the liter+ hyper naked category, with the new Ducati Streetfighter V4 in particular generating a lot of excitement, though I think it is too soon to see if sales will hold on, especially given the price. I've also read good things about the Z-H2 (for the street, not so much the track), the updated S1000R, and the SuperDuke. The Tuono had been at the top of this category, and is still probably in the top 2 (or 3 depending), but a small dealer network and hard to get parts seem to have held it back in the marketplace some, along with fear (justified or not) about reliability. We'll see if that dampens the enthusiasm for the new 660.