Any Motörbike riders here?

Nunogilberto

Thanks for the nice comments all. 

And @martinw - a great story and some beautiful bikes.

robinbowes

I put a few miles on my bike over the weekend. I rode from home to Kirkbymoorside, through Dalby Forest to Hayburn Wyke, then up to Whitby (for fish and chips) then back home over the North Yorks Moors. 

Here she is in Whitby:

roundthebend

I was looking forward to my first summer with a bike, but I've landed a job working abroad and there's no chance I'll be able to get the bike there or hire one due to only having my licence for 6 months.

But when I go home at weekends I'm trying to get some riding in. This weekend I took my wife on a short pillion ride through some nice local lanes to a smart coffee shop. I also took my son's friend's Lexmoto Michigan 125 for a little test ride as my wife showed interest in learning to ride on something light and not too powerful.

A few weekends ago I took a Honda Rebel 500 for a test ride because she absolutely loves the look of those. They're pretty awesome - doesn't sound great but it's so nippy and easy to ride. I'm tempted to get one of those as my current bike is heavy and old. Then she can ride it up and down our drive to get some familiarity with the controls.

roundthebend

Anybody here read MCN?
I'm featured in their Rider Clinic this week, learning how not to drop my bike when pushing it around.

quarky

roundthebend said:

 few weekends ago I took a Honda Rebel 500 for a test ride because she absolutely loves the look of those. 

I am not a huge fan of 500s, or Hondas. That is a really nice looking bike though. I great choice if she goes for it.

roundthebend said:

Anybody here read MCN?
I'm featured in their Rider Clinic this week, learning how not to drop my bike when pushing it around.

Excellent! Might go and pick it up. The one thing I always struggle with is picking bikes up. Even the Daytona I struggled, so god knows how I will pick the Street Twin up. I know you are supposed to put your back to the bike and then use your legs, which I have never tried, but I am not in a rush to do so either.


https://i.imgur.com/m1a2vyE.jpg

Went for a ride to a pub not too far away. Good food, and great fun on the Street Twin!

jaytmon

So in the realm of first world problems, and being motivated by some of the bike related passion on this thread, I’ve been searching for a new bike that re-inspires me to ride, to replace the big GS. I have test ridden:

Multistrada 1200s
Multistrada enduro (twice)
Multistrada 1260
Superduke R
Superduke GT
R1200RS
S1000XR
R1200GS adventure

and the conclusion I’ve come to after all this is that actually my current bike is the right bike for me! The other option is to buy a cheap, fun second bike. 

Those KTMs were mad, devilish fun mind and probably shouldn’t really be allowed...

octatonic

jaytmon said:

So in the realm of first world problems, and being motivated by some of the bike related passion on this thread, I’ve been searching for a new bike that re-inspires me to ride, to replace the big GS. I have test ridden:

Multistrada 1200s
Multistrada enduro (twice)
Multistrada 1260
Superduke R
Superduke GT
R1200RS
S1000XR
R1200GS adventure

and the conclusion I’ve come to after all this is that actually my current bike is the right bike for me! The other option is to buy a cheap, fun second bike. 

Those KTMs were mad, devilish fun mind and probably shouldn’t really be allowed...

This is the issue I have as well.
There are faster bikes than a GS.
There are cooler bikes than a GS.
I haven't found a better bike than a GS though, when it comes to what you actually do on a bike, except for track day stuff.

The problem for me is a GS in Singapore is £30k for a one year old one.

roundthebend

@ ;
Mate if mine just got a new Honda Africa Twin, ahead of the GS. He loves it.

TheBigDipper

roundthebend said:

@ ;
Mate if mine just got a new Honda Africa Twin, ahead of the GS. He loves it.

That's nice - it would be awful if he'd bought the Africa Twin and wasn't happy. The GS isn't for everyone, but...

1999 - I bought an 1150 GS
2005 - I bought a 1200 GS
2013 - I bought a 1200 GS LC
...and each one was a step up from the one before.

When I was looking in 2013 I tried really hard to buy something different. The sales figures and "Ewan wannabe" syndrome was starting to get to me. I liked it when buying a GS was the choice of a wierdo. So I test rode far too many bikes, including Ducati Multistrada, KTM SM990, F800 GS, R1200S. I completely failed, bought my third GS and I don't care! 

Moe_Zambeek

If you like the feel of a flat twin, not much else will tick that box. V twins have a different feel and KTMs twins are something else again. 

TheBigDipper

Moe_Zambeek said:

If you like the feel of a flat twin, not much else will tick that box. V twins have a different feel and KTMs twins are something else again. 

Funnily enough, it's not the engine that makes the bike for me. That's quite boring, flat torque curve and power delivery. I much preferred my 916 Ducati engine (which is why I tried a Multistrada). If they could get the Triumph triple engine into the GS I'd buy it. That's a great engine in a poor (IMHO) bike when in an Explorer. 

It's the whole package - well integrated, easy to ride, comfortable over long distances and does everything (on the road) really well without being the best at anything. I'd ride a 125cc if I was going offroad and own a Panigale (or similar) if all I ever did was track days. 

They hadn't announced the S1000 XR when I was looking. If they still have it in the lineup when I'm changing, I'll give that a spin, I'm sure. 

Moe_Zambeek

I agree on the engine, I find the BM flat twin to be one of the most boring to ride. I do like GS’ I just have no need of such a behemoth, and to air a grievance it’d be nice if people stopped trying to commute on them with the boxes on, getting stuck in traffic and blocking the central lane for the rest of us

If I was touring Europe a lot I might consider one of course. Then I’d still buy something else

octatonic

TheBigDipper said:

They hadn't announced the S1000 XR when I was looking. If they still have it in the lineup when I'm changing, I'll give that a spin, I'm sure. 

I had the S1000R and tried the XR multiple times.
It is too buzzy.
The wide bars means the engine vibrations will numb your hand after an hour or so.

jaytmon

Oh I tried the Africa twin too - great bike but (for me) just lacking in power. 

@Moe_Zambeek I came to that conclusion - there’s something about the smoothness of the flat twin that just works for me. I really liked the RS too, but the riding position didn’t do it for me. 

@octatonic you’re right - there are bikes that do many things better, but the overall package of the GS feels more complete than anything else. And £30K?!! Ouch!!

the S1000XR is basically a sportsbike - great if that’s your thing, and the engine really howls, but not for me. 

I did wonder about the new tiger 1200 - triple engine and all, but I’m having a rest for now. Maybe I’ll buy an old speed trip instead!

Corvus

Road trip -

Been without a bike for 4 years and finally was in a position to right that wrong. Headed up on the train early morning and back down the A1 today.

Your correspondent having a quick break near a field somewhere in England -

http://www.alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/cb/correspondent.jpg

Corvus

28-yr old Lewis Leathers and 90s dizzy bag for water & sarnies

http://www.alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/cb/lewisleathers.jpg
http://www.alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/cb/dizbag.jpg

Corvus

And -

http://www.alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/cb/pipes.jpg

Pipes surprisingly sensible. Might have to replace with a Yoshi can, because Yoshi ...

http://www.alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/cb/front.jpg
http://www.alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/cb/dogg.jpg
http://www.alleykat.co.uk/images/stuff/cb/side.jpg

It's a CB1300, cleaner than a clean thing. Tons of torque, handles surprisingly well for a big lad.

Soon as I sat on and fire up it was like it was yesterday since I last had 2 wheels. Feels ace to be back : )

(edit - it's not really pink ... candy red.. phone cam and user failure)

Nunogilberto

I spent the afternoon wandering around a fairly local Harley/Kawasaki dealer, looking at Sportsters and a more sensible Kawasaki Vulcan. 

More than happy with my Marauder at present but a Harley is where the dream eventually lies for me. I know people knock them, and much like Gibson they’re not cheap, there are better  manufacturers and you’re paying largely for the name and image. However, it’s all about the noise and look for me, rather than efficiency and technology.

Yeah, I’m a Gibson fan as well  

quarky

Awesome vintage jacket And nice looking exhausts on the CB1300. 

@Nunogilberto, I would never buy a Harley (I'm a Triumph snob, which are not to everyone's taste either!), but it is all about personal preference, so if you want it, go for it!

MtB

jaytmon said:

So in the realm of first world problems, and being motivated by some of the bike related passion on this thread, I’ve been searching for a new bike that re-inspires me to ride, to replace the big GS. I have test ridden:

Multistrada 1200s
Multistrada enduro (twice)
Multistrada 1260
Superduke R
Superduke GT
R1200RS
S1000XR
R1200GS adventure

and the conclusion I’ve come to after all this is that actually my current bike is the right bike for me! The other option is to buy a cheap, fun second bike. 

Those KTMs were mad, devilish fun mind and probably shouldn’t really be allowed...

I've had two GS1200's (3 years each), a 1200 Multistrada (5 years), a Super Duke GT (1 year), and now a Super Adventure S - and the last one beats all of the others.

I'd seriously recommend you try one @jaytmon ; 

They have 4 ride modes - sport, street, rain and off-road, 4 damping modes - sport, street, comfort and off-road  = all of which can be changed on the fly. 
Electronically adjustable suspension pre-load settings
Traction control
160bhp (or there abouts)

For me, it beats all of those that I've had before - as a do it all really well bike.