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Great bike! - When it's not broken.....

Having coming from a long line of Honda sport bikes, 900rr, 919, RC51's - I decided it was time for something new. I wanted something light, yet powerful. I decided I wanted a motard. I was always a fan of KTM's style motorcycles, and wanted to try something different for a change. After finally fin...ding a 625 SMC outside of California, I immediately test rode it and was amazed. No sport bike can entertain like this supermotard on the street. The low end grunt, the flickability... made my RC51 feel like a Cadillac.

Now to the bad part. Reliability. Now, before I completely talk the bike down, I should say I think the previous owner did not take good care of the bike. Regardless, here's what I experienced. The bike was very difficult to start while cold, and this is in Florida weather. The rear shock was leaking and finding someone who is capable of working on the German "WP suspension" component was not easy - I had to ship the shock out. Ended up being the shock shaft was bent - $190 just for a new shaft. Parts in general for this Austrian bike are not easy to come by and are not cheap either.

And then the kicker - the day I get the shock back and install it in the bike - the transmission locks up, causing a crack in the engine case.

But you know what? The bike was so phenomenal to ride, I still can't wait to split the cases and take care of the problem. I would still recommend it to all of you that have outgrown your sport bikes, and never actually utilize them properly on a race track - where they belong.
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