Jay why don’t you sign up for a Ducati track day and see if the 1098 or Hypermotard are for you…Cheap way to eliminate those bikes from your list innit 
JB…You telling him to get an MV?..I’ve been looking for my crack pipe…Guess I know who’s got it…If he has reservations on security for a 1098, the MV ain’t gonna be a better bet dude 
Plus the MV is a backwards step to the K5 (especially his)…Although I’d say it was a forward step in looks.
the guys i know who run them dont seem to have much hassle as it happens
er how is the 312 a step back in terms of either performance or handling?
Reviews I’ve seen is that its noticeably heavier than the Jap fours and doesn’t handle any better…Not to say the handling isnt brilliant though.
If you consider that the stock K5 weighs about the same as a first gen R6 (dry weight) then imagine what a non stock (Jay’s) will weigh and how that will affect the handling.
I think the MV is expensive for what you get, but then a Ferrari don’t come cheap neither, even though a lot of Jap performance cars has many models beat at much lower prices. (Evo 8 for me if I had the cash).
I think you can’t really get that much unique in the sports bike market, but if I had the money and insurance and security weren’t an issue…I love the Bimota DB5…Not a good suggestion for Jay.
Jay I think you should try something like a Speed Triple if you wanna get nekkid.
Fair dos, but trouble is what it is all about!!!
think we’re taking this way off topic now buddy. to be fair, jays bike weighs about the same as it started. changing the exhaust helps a little but unless you carbon everything, and change the wheels, the diff aint much from stock
the mv prob does weigh a bit more. occassional track day peeps arent’ getting the most of these things so its more about the bike that you love riding around, get off and go ‘f**k me thats a good looking machine’. well it is for me anyway. loved my old 748, wasn’t the fastest lightest mo fo of a bike, cost a fair bit but still traded the r6 for it in a heartbeat
still not sure what point you’re making about security. the r1 is the most stolen bike in the country. doubt the gixxer is much better. an MV or a ducati would prob be less of a concern if anything!
Quote : “2x the hassle of security and ownership costs” er really? how did you work that one out? "
I used to work in Hertford near Bob Hill’s (Ducati and Suzook dealer)
I lost count of the number of Dukes I saw pushed up the road.Very few Suzuki’s in comparison.
For what it’s worth
In my quest for better handling I found the following: you can have the best suspension and the lightest wheels, but it will never feel the same as a bike with less engine inertia. If you want better handling and you don’t need 170bhp, go smaller.
I used to ride a 1000 K5, Ness has a 600 K6 and I now ride the 750 K6. The 2 smaller bikes definitely handle much better than their big brother. Even between the 2 smaller scoots, there is a noticeable difference with the 600 tipping into bends with much less input. Having tried everything from expensive suspension & magnesium wheels to carbon bodywork, I realised that after overall weight, it has to be the engine inertia that makes the biggest difference to handling.
I rode Foxy’s K7 750 to work today and had a riot. Though the difference between that and my K5 wasn’t like night and day, only in terms of torque, but it was certainly great fun being able to use more throttle coming out of corners.
I think if you stuck mag wheels and quality suspension on a bike like that then it’d be worth changing to one, but otherwise there’s not enough in it to make that decision. Improving the k5 would make an already great bike, phenomenal, imo.
Still, I have time before I need to take this research further, the money’s tied up elsewhere at the mo.
JB, my K5 is about seven kilos lighter than stock. It all helps, but I’m not chasing lightness, you need to spend a lot of money to do that and make many compromises 
B borrowed my K5 last night as he had a puncture, and he said the warp-drive was impressive, as was the handling. If it impresses him, then perhaps there’s something to be said for keeping it and improving the handling further (already has handling upgrades).
Adz, you’re welcome to take it out for a day, but of course it has to be returned in the condition it was taken in
I can see your point about the Japs being stolen more, but once a bike’s been taken then the thefts happened, doesn’t matter if the bike was more or less desirable to the theif.
Right back on topic…
I’ll throw you a curve ball…Fighter that biyatch.
Bike would look as good as it goes then 
fair play - what have you done other than the exhaust?
ok put it this way. wet weight of a k5 is 205kg. in my case i’m 6’3" and a good 95kgs so 300kgs over all. 7kg reduction (and its sprung weight) is just over 2% diff. the agusta +me would be about 5% heavier than the K5. i could get the agusta and eat a few less pies! 
lighter wheels are supposed to be the daddy - less rotational mass and inertia/gyroscopic forces.
prob shouldn’t be thinking about it at the mo but if you do look into that option let me know. might be worth considering askin for a discount for more than one set…
Have you looked at the K1200R? I rode one and was very surprised.
