Any Motörbike riders here?

octatonic

Fusionista said:

Bikes are so individual, you have to try them out, see what suits. Tried a lot of bikes: VFR 8 & 12; Triumph 8 & 1250 and the GS just outclasses them somehow.  Had a fling with the new Fireblade, and it's tame below 4000 and insane above it, as with most sports bikes these days. What I wanted was all-round/all-weather/long-distance competence (the R100 cafe is a fun summer naked and filters like a king with all that low-down torque), and the GS matches the big tourers (eg RT) and keeps up with the speed hounds at all legal levels. It's like a Blackbird or a Hayabusa, but trading top speed for comfort, protection and all-road capability. It is probably not best for a dispatch rider, but it got me through a wet and windy rush hour on the Paris peripherique, which is 4+ lanes of 'crazy frogs'. One dopey bitch actually tried to nudge me out the lane - had to smack my fist on her car and give her some loud Anglo-Saxon -she had the 'gaul' to throw her hands up in the air as it knocking me off my bike was perfectly legit!  Mind you the 2-wheeled denizens are mad as the proverbial box too - just switch on the hazards and scoot through anywhere at 30mph and above in stationary traffic, couple of 'em buzzed me way too fast and close.  In that sense the size keeps you from doing anything foolish, while the ultimate visibility - if not manoeuvrability - remains yours. With the state of the roads and the weather in this country, it was the logical choice. 

When I rode the GS I came to pretty much the same conclusion but I walked away thinking "but will I love it?"

Still not really answered that question.

I know I'd love an S1000RR, despite it being a bit cramped.

I dunno I've gone right round the houses again today.

If BMW did a proper inline 4 sports tourer with cruise control I'd be all over it.

The new R1200RS has it it but it is a boxer and the S1000XR has it but it is an adventure/sports/tourer.

The K1300S was damn close but is a bit heavy and no cruise.

I've come to the conclusion that no-one makes the bike I want and still working out where I want to compromise.

Fusionista

Well I already love mine - it is a true soldier.  However 'one bike' is like 'one guitar'

octatonic

Fusionista said:

Well I already love mine - it is a true soldier.  However 'one bike' is like 'one guitar'

You've convinced me to give it another go.

I'm going back to ride the S1000RR on Thursday so will have another blast on it then.

There are enough R1200GS about that I could buy a year old one, saving myself a bit of money which could go towards something impractical and sporty.

3 bike garage would be quite nice actually.

Still fuming about the Honda dealers high pressure tactics- why do they do it?

Don't they know it won't work and all it does is piss off the customer- I used to get my MOT done there- now I'll cross London to avoid them.

IanSavage

I got my NTV nicked and crashed last week >:( this is where we find out how good my insurers are...as a silver lining I found the faired, luggaged version locally for an absolute steal (Honda Deauville) to replace it, the lass I'm seeing was kinda liking being on the back of the NTV and the Deauville will be even better for two-up riding.

We're taking it up to the Peak District for the bank holiday weekend - the right weather and it could be amazing. Shit weather and we'll probably split up

boogieman

Not being funny, but why on earth would anyone nick an NTV? Hope it gets sorted with the insurers ok anyway. And good luck with the g/f

octatonic

I went and rode some Triumphs today.

Halfway through the first test ride (of current model Street Triple R) it stalled and then wouldn't start.

Random battery issue.

Had to wait around for a jump start, which kinda blew out the rest of the day.

I'm back on the S1000RR tomorrow and possibly the GS.

octatonic

FER CHRISTS SAKE.... today did not go as planned.

Rode the S1000RR for longer than I had before and frankly it wasn't comfy enough for it to be my primary bike and I think the thick end of £16k is too much for a Sunday toy.

After 2 hours I had a very sore back and every gear shift made my knee ache.

Getting old sucks.

I did ride the GS again.

It was wonderful, comfy, roomy, handles well for its size and everything.

It would be a really fantastic addition to the garage, I could keep the Street Triple for B roading and use the GS for long trips and crossing continents.

Still not sure about it though.

I could go for a Triumph Tiger XRX new and get a used GSXR for the price of a GS.

First world problem, I know- but it is a big decision and I want to make the right one.

MtB

Big bike warning. 

My Ducati Multistrada 1200 has come back to bite me - I've owned it from new - for 5 years. And it has provided me with 10,000 miles of faultless thrills in this time.

Second MoT this April and a turn indicator (50p LED) failure on the dash has meant that it's failed the MoT. "OK Ducati, what is the remedy. New instrument console. To you Sir £650."

Without this replacement the bike has no MoT and is unusable. New dash has a 1 year warranty from Ducati.

Replace the dash - and time for a new bike.

Quandry. Buy the new 2015 Multistrada or trade down - 800 Triumphs look good???

Added to which the Triumph dealer is a 10 minute walk away, whereas the Duc dealer is 25 miles away.

But the new Duc is 160bhp of fun, the Triumph is 94bhp ..........ho hum...... 

Daneff

octatonic said: FER CHRISTS SAKE.... today did not go as planned.
Rode the S1000RR for longer than I had before and frankly it wasn't comfy enough for it to be my primary bike and I think the thick end of £16k is too much for a Sunday toy.After 2 hours I had a very sore back and every gear shift made my knee ache.Getting old sucks.
I did ride the GS again.It was wonderful, comfy, roomy, handles well for its size and everything.It would be a really fantastic addition to the garage, I could keep the Street Triple for B roading and use the GS for long trips and crossing continents.
Still not sure about it though.I could go for a Triumph Tiger XRX new and get a used GSXR for the price of a GS.First world problem, I know- but it is a big decision and I want to make the right one.


I have a Kawasaki Z1000SX as a compromise between speed, power and practicality. The engine is very torque-y down low, front end will happily come up in 1,2 and 3. Never seems to run out of power higher up though. It doesn't have the high end insanity of a pure screaming super sports, but it's very fast still. Having the lower down engine sound makes you underestimate your speed! I bought one second hand in which the previous owner lavished every extra you could want on it, including the Givi quick release luggage racks. So I can remove the luggage+racks in a matter of minutes when not using them for touring. Gel seat and heated handlebars, adjustable screen angle etc. etc. I did 3000 miles over 6 countries on it, with 2 side cases, 1 top box and the girlfriend on back. It did not sweat it one bit. Cruise all day at near triple digit speeds comfortably on endless highways or get your knee down around stelvio pass. Such a lovely bike. Daily commute to work is a breeze. Has ABS, traction control but no cruise control unfortunately, still a huge spec bike for the prices they are.

boogieman

MtB;582153" said:

Big bike warning. 

My Ducati Multistrada 1200 has come back to bite me - I've owned it from new - for 5 years. And it has provided me with 10,000 miles of faultless thrills in this time.Second MoT this April and a turn indicator (50p LED) failure on the dash has meant that it's failed the MoT. "OK Ducati, what is the remedy. New instrument console. To you Sir £650."

Without this replacement the bike has no MoT and is unusable. New dash has a 1 year warranty from Ducati.

Replace the dash - and time for a new bike.

Quandry. Buy the new 2015 Multistrada or trade down - 800 Triumphs look good???

Added to which the Triumph dealer is a 10 minute walk away, whereas the Duc dealer is 25 miles away.

But the new Duc is 160bhp of fun, the Triumph is 94bhp ..........ho hum...... 

Have you tried asking on the Ducati UK forum about the dash bulb? I'm sure there must be a way of getting it repaired rather than forking out so much money. A quick search through it brought up that there's a company called Scorpio Electronics that do dash repairs.

MtB

The issue is condensation inside the instrument console. This can lead to a number of issues - one very common is that you get a "bleed" of voltage across pcb tracks. This shows up as both the oil light and neutral light both dimly glowing most of the time when the ignition is on (and when the bike is not in neutral and there is plenty of oil and oil pressure!). 

 Yes, I've contacted Scorpio this week. The issue they have is opening the unit up. To try to resolve the condensation issue Ducati decided to seal the console with silicon sealant. The only way (according to Scorpio) that the console can be opened is with a hot knife cut around the periphery - messy! 

It would then be a leap of faith for someone to buy a bike that had an instrument console that had obviously been opened up ....... what mileage did you say the bike has done?  ;-)

boogieman

Wow. Good old Italian electrics eh? :-S

octatonic

Daneff said:

I have a Kawasaki Z1000SX as a compromise between speed, power and practicality. The engine is very torque-y down low, front end will happily come up in 1,2 and 3. Never seems to run out of power higher up though. It doesn't have the high end insanity of a pure screaming super sports, but it's

very fast still. Having the lower down engine sound makes you underestimate your speed! I bought one second hand in which the previous owner lavished every extra you could want on it, including the Givi quick release luggage racks. So I can remove the luggage+racks in a matter of minutes when not using them for touring. Gel seat and heated handlebars, adjustable screen angle etc. etc. I did 3000 miles over 6 countries on it, with 2 side cases, 1 top box and the girlfriend on back. It did not sweat it one bit. Cruise all day at near triple digit speeds comfortably on endless highways or get your knee down around stelvio pass. Such a lovely bike. Daily commute to work is a breeze. Has ABS, traction control but no cruise control unfortunately, still a huge spec bike for the prices they are.

I looked at the Z1000SX. Ince bike but I really want cruise- now I've used it I don't think I can live without it, at least on the touring bike.

I've spent the morning running through my options.

Currently I'm deciding between going for a full blown GS with all the trimmings (keeping the Street Triple as a B road blaster) OR selling my Street Triple and getting an S1000R and a Tiger XRX.

I need to figure out how much touring I will be doing.

The GS is more purposeful as a tourer than the XRX- it has a bigger tank, is more comfy but we are talking about 5 grand more once they are similarly equipped, which is nearly half the price of the S1000R.

hywelg

I am seriosuly considering getting a bike again after 30 years, now I no longer need to spend huge amounts of cash on gigging gear I'm looking with increasing seriousness.

I have always wanted a Ducati, I wanted one in my 20's (apart from the times when I wanted a Laverda!)  desperately wanted one when I really couldn't afford one in my 40's, and now I can I'm too old and stiff to assume that riding position, its a complete non-starter. So I'm thinking of a Rocket 111 or Thunderbird 1700.

Someone talk me out of it.........!!

boogieman

hywelg said:

I am seriosuly considering getting a bike again after 30 years, now I no longer need to spend huge amounts of cash on gigging gear I'm looking with increasing seriousness.

I have always wanted a Ducati, I wanted one in my 20's (apart from the times when I wanted a Laverda!)  desperately wanted one when I really couldn't afford one in my 40's, and now I can I'm too old and stiff to assume that riding position, its a complete non-starter. So I'm thinking of a Rocket 111 or Thunderbird 1700.

Someone talk me out of it.........!!

I went through the same thing a few years back. Went back to biking after 30 odd year's layoff and got a VFR800. I soon discovered old age, a dodgy back and sports tourers don't mix very well and switched to a CBF1000, which is much more upright and easy to ride. Those Thunderbirds are seriously heavy bikes though, you might want to start off with something a bit lighter.

sinbaadi

hywelg said:

I am seriosuly considering getting a bike again after 30 years, now I no longer need to spend huge amounts of cash on gigging gear I'm looking with increasing seriousness.

I have always wanted a Ducati, I wanted one in my 20's (apart from the times when I wanted a Laverda!)  desperately wanted one when I really couldn't afford one in my 40's, and now I can I'm too old and stiff to assume that riding position, its a complete non-starter. So I'm thinking of a Rocket 111 or Thunderbird 1700.

Someone talk me out of it.........!!

It doesn't have to be a Panigale to be a Ducati.  Hypermotard is awesome fun, Multistrada is brilliant, and they're all a bit special imo.  Diavel is a bike I would buy instantly if my numbers came up.

rsvmark

Ring a breaker?

MtB

@hywelg - Irrespective of my earlier post I may well still chop my 5 year old Ducati Multistrada in for the new model.

Each time I drive the bike the performance takes my breath away. 

You don't have to contort yourself into all sorts of weird shapes these days to ride a Ducati. And even the Multistrada is soooo much faster than the older models. You don't even have to be worried about whether there's too much power - with 4 power modes available you can acclimatise yourself to the number of horses available.

Reviewed in the May 2015 edition of Bike Magazine.    

midiglitch

@mtb the multistrada looks like a lot of fun. Just wondering how you find the wind protection - is the fairing big enough to cruise comfortably for extended periods of time at near triple digit speeds?

octatonic

hywelg said:

I am seriosuly considering getting a bike again after 30 years, now I no longer need to spend huge amounts of cash on gigging gear I'm looking with increasing seriousness.

I have always wanted a Ducati, I wanted one in my 20's (apart from the times when I wanted a Laverda!)  desperately wanted one when I really couldn't afford one in my 40's, and now I can I'm too old and stiff to assume that riding position, its a complete non-starter. So I'm thinking of a Rocket 111 or Thunderbird 1700.

Someone talk me out of it.........!!

All bikes are uncomfortable to a degree but the big cruisers aren't necessarily the best for comfort- you are bending quite a bit at the waist, lower back can hurt quite a bit.

Also the Rocket 3 is a massive bike that you have to muscle through the bends.

It is on my list to own at some stage though- that torque!

Maybe back in Australia where the roads are a bit different.

A neutral sport touring/touring posture (K1300S, FJR, R1200RT) is pretty comfortable and these days a lot of people go for adventure bikes.

I still find that after a couple of hours of any bike that I need to get off and stretch my legs.