Could you elaborate on the advantages and disadvantages of the 1330 relative to the 998?
Many Thanks!
I guess that is aimed at me since I mentioned it earlier.
I guess it's a IMHO case but I came from a 998 RT to 1330 RT and missed some of the characteristics of the 998 when I changed. If I was buying another RT, I would definitely consider finding a low miles 998 and upgrading its week points to get the best of both bikes. My partner has has two 1330RT's so, including mine I've dealt with three 1330RT's and they've all had similar characteristics and poor points.
I very much liked the V-twin engine. I'm 70 and been around engines since I was wee and the V-twin is the only petrol (gas) engine I've ever come across where the throttle could be fully opened at any revs and the engine pull hard without flatting off from too much throttle, even at low revs. There is the V-twin burble of course, which is good but a little V-twin vibe too - I was fine with it but others may feel different about that.
The 1330 engine is generally buzzy; it has a vibration at low revs which will shake the bike, about 1400 to 2000 ish revs. Opening the throttle slowly in neutral will vibe the bike until the revs rise enough and then it smoothes out nicely. Unfortunately, you pass through this point every time you move away from standstill; it's normally only fleeting because you're accelerating away but irritating nevertheless and if one happens to be constantly moving away slowly, such as in a traffic queue, it's a pest. I have got used to it and am relaxed with it but that doesn't mean it's gone away.
The 1330 has 6 gears and the 998 just 5 gears - for me, 6 gears it's just another gear I've got to change but it's needed to make the bike as fast as the 998 is, and it doesn't quite manage it either! The top speed of the 998 is less than the 1330 so it runs out of steam at the top end but it's a quick, sharp motor everywhere else.
The 998 has better handling front suspension and it can be improved further, as can the 1330 but not up to the 998 standard. I can only speak about my 998 but it had solid but lubricated front suspension wishbone bushes which gives a good, firm location for the wishbones so the front end was under good control. The down side was they needed greasing as a service procedure - not difficult, just something to be done. On the other hand, the 1330 has rubber bushes which don't need lubricating but give very poor location for the front suspension. Also, my 998 had adjustable preload front dampers (shock absorbers) which allowed setting of ride height and stiffness for different riders' weights and front trunk loading. The 1330 has fixed dampers.
The first 1330 my partner had was 2014 year and it had a DESS failure and it left us stranded, the other two 1330's are later years and, so far, have been fine. We carry a spare. If you are considering an early 1330RT then bear the DESS issue in mind.
All three 1330's have had brake issues - to be more accurate the brakes are fine but the hub mounting face - where the brake disc mounts - is inaccurately machined and has too great a run-out so the discs sit canted at an angle which eventually causes uneven wear of the disc surfaces with the consequent juddering, vibrating braking that, reading this board, appears to be a common fault.
I say the brakes are fine but in reality the brakes are just adequate on the 1330RT, however, on the 998 they're pretty awful and care needs to be taken until one has adapted. There were a few times I thought I might not stop but did manage to, but it was a little alarming, nevertheless.
The transmission did become a bit whiny in the low gears on the 998 as it racked up mileage but the 2014RT also became seriously noisey, engine and transmission rattled like a bag of nails. We got rid of it at 17k miles and the two others are fine so far.
Now, how to improve both of them. Good front wheel alignment is crucial but to this end good front wheel control is also important otherwise while the front suspension is working the wheel alignment will change under load. This is where the 998 wins by not having rubber bush front wishbones. (You can test this on a 1330RT by standing by a front wheel, lean over the suspension to align the top and bottom wishbones by eye, now lift up on the front of the mudguard and watch the top wishbone move easily in misaligment to the bottom one - and this only under hand pressure, how the suspension moves when the bike is cranked up at speed in a bend and runs over a bit of road surface imperfection I can only imagine.) In this regard the 998 with its rigid bushes is superior but the steering tie-rods are too flexible, again pull up on one of them and watch the consequent wheel movement. The 1330 is better in this respect because the tie-rods are a larger diameter but they're made from aluminium tube which negates some of their increased diameter benefit. Both can be improved by fitting rigid tie-rods. Both can be improved by fitting suitable car tyres too, though my partner is happy with the Kendas now she had the rigid tie-rods and feels the front wheels' control is satisfactory - I still find it waney when I ride it though. (I use car tyres.)
The upper front suspension ball joints have a short life and the tie-rod ends appear to vary considerably in tolerance from new, it's possible to get a nice tight one on one end of the tie-rod and one with play in it, straight from the factory! They need to be tight for good control.
So, there you have it. I've likely missed some stuff which hasn't come to mind, if anything occurs to me I'll come back and post it.
