Last one from the Brno pictures ..... Must be a bit of a sales in Europe campaign going on. Quite e decent presence at the MotoGP event. Bradley Smith's racing bike, or his team mate's - not sure
The Pinto engine in the Capri wasn’t a high revving engine by any standards. It was known in Ford circles as a “boat anchor”. Even my 60s MGB made more BHP per litre. It must be an active decision on their behalf, and power isn’t everything. But it does smell of style over substance tbh. I quite fancied a Buell for a while, then rode one and Jeez they are a bag of nails. I have been spoiled by Ducati and jap Vs I think.
I understand what you mean - I understand that it only has a few horse power, rattles like bag of nails, slow, poor brakes, only good for trips between burger joints. But it is still a nice looking bike.
Actually it's not as bad as that. M8 engines don't rattle or vibrate. Brakes are not great but they are adequate. One of the reasons other than style that is has a single front disc is because of the extreme amount of rake. A kicked out front end will wash out much sooner that a conventionally weighted chassis, so they're deliberately under-braked. It's slow in outright acceleration compared to a European or Japanese naked or sports bike because it spins slowly and can't build rapid revs, but torque is enormous. It's like walking leisurely down the road but with an elephant pushing you in the small of the back. The numbers don't spool up in a blur but you get a great sense of motive force instantly, everywhere and without the need for revs or big throttle openings. That comes with it's own sense of satisfaction. The trouble with bikes like the Breakout and the Fat Boy is the handling. They resist dropping into a turn and want to sit up again. The Breakout does this because it is so long, so raked and has an enormous 240 rear tyre with an almost car-like profile which resists dropping in where the 240s on a Diavel or a Rocket 3 do not. The Fat Boy is odd because of the fat front tyre and the gyroscopic inertia of the solid wheels. Countersteer does nothing, nothing, nothing and then suddenly whooa, way too much. And when you do force either of them to commit you instantly run out of ground clearance (more so with the Breakout). The Sport Glide, Low Rider S/ST, Heritage, Road King Special and all the big baggers all handle vastly better. The SPort Glide is actually incredibly light on it's feet. It a shame they've discontinued it. With the 117" engine and twin discs it would have been not just a good bike "for a Harley" but a very good bike full stop. And it's comfortable. But the most comfortable bike I've ridden ever is the Road King Special. It is just sumptuous.
So you’re saying my Multistrada is a pile of shit ? you a dick head or just trying to be funny ? What shitter do you ride out of interest
The clue was really in it’s a Ducati forum and the pile of stones/ shite in the photo But hey-ho say what ya see.
Interesting - particularly the handling characteristics of the Breakout. If they were giving the things away cheaply I might be tempted, as an extra bike - but that is quite expensive. The bikes on my radar at the moment are these : The more likely choice next year sometime ..... ........and in an ideal world - this:
I'd need an extensive test ride on the V4 Diavel. The seat looks very low with not much leg room between seat and pegs and the bars very high. They're trying to create a bruiser/cruiser stance but it can be very uncomfortable over distance. I'm alert to this issue because of the more extreme example of it in the Harley I owned, which caused me to get rid ot it. My 1260 Diavel with the stock seat was too low. I wasn't taking enough weight on my feet which was not only uncomfortable as it put too much pressure on my spine, but I didn't feel completely in control of the bike. Fitting the comfort seat wich lifts you up 40 mm pitches you forward to the bars and turns a cruiser stance into a regular roadster which is not only more comfortable but wieghts your hands and feet correctly so your core feels engaged again when riding. If that's the X-Diavel V4 I'd want to ride that and the regular V4 before committing. At the moment, I feel no urge to swap my 1260 for a V4. The twin is plenty powerful enough and has so much grunt and character it makes every ride an event. Now the ergonomics have been corrected with the seat and the engine opened up with a Termi and remap it's just a glorious thing to ride. And it was ten grand cheaper than a V4. I'm sure they're a cracking bike though.
Thanks for the very interesting insight, very useful about bikes I know zero about if I’m honest. I do find the idea that they are under braked to prevent them washing out to be a bit crazy though. So you hit a car as you couldn’t stop in time but at least the front end didn’t wash out seems an insane way to design something. I guess I can just never get past the idea of making something as good as you can with looks secondary. If I'm honest I don’t find my Multistrada a ‘pretty bike’ but ‘ kin ell it’s a great machine!
