i took one out last year., lucky to have a warm dry day and some top roads to try it on. could track day one of those things, rapid and corners amazing. It is just when going steady it did not work for me for character. Could get into a lot of trouble on one.. If they had done that bike with the Boxer twin engine BUT at the same weight. A winner. Maybe the boxer engine just carries too much weight, with the shaft drive not helping the situation. shaft drive btw, great on a tour. But to save weight and improve gear change would be happy with a chain.
I changed an R1200RS for the S1000XR, and while the RS did what I needed it felt on the heavy side and was noticeably down on horsepower. Nevertheless a good bike for long journeys with luggage and ok for riding without. I haven't done enough on the XR yet, but I have high hopes. No doubt we'll see in time! Tom.
My R1250RS is nearly always ridden with my GF on her new S1000XR. The two bikes both have the same equipment, TFT, cruise control, Quick shifter, etc. The RS has much more lazy low down grunt but only 136 bhp and about 240 kgs. The XR has 165 bhp and is about 30 kgs lighter, but at the same speeds on the same journey the XR uses around 20% more fuel.
That: with a Laverda frame, 180 motor, and modern suspension. Maybe fuel injected. Current Brembos, though they were fierce c.1980. Modern electrics. Bigger rear chain. Poss. belt drive primary. Beefed up alternator.
Others mentioned the V4 Tuono and I can vouch for it, awesome all round bike which if you’re not chasing big triple digit action has pretty much everything. I’ve a 2017 Factory so it has the sexy digi dash which I expect you could get for around £10k! Depreciation is no more of a problem on these than other bikes and I’ve done several 3-4 day, ~1,200 miles of west coast Scottish twisties several times with a Ventura luggage system. Absolutely perfect, unless you have a pillion.
I loved my S1000XR, that was an awesome bike. Full system and remapped, it was batshit crazy. But only ever at its best at full chat. How do I upload a video on here?
That is a near perfect bike. Could do with a little more power, a slightly bigger screen and an exhaust that doesn't cook your foot when you're on it. EDIT: and the ability to carry decent amounts of luggage too. They only recommend a medium top box 'cos the sub-frame is too light to cope.
The screen is perfect for me as it leaves the helmet in clean rather than turbulent air. We put the smaller sports screen on the girlfriends XR for the same reason and it reduced the turbulence and the noise by a significant amount. The bigger screen belongs on the RT in my opinion. No problems with the exhaust, I have a Dominator end can on mine which looks great and saves 5kg for less than £200. My feet were not cooked when doing the 2 week Corsica trip, but I come from a 939 Supersport which used to cook everything from the waist down in town traffic. Not sure that I need any power, not sure that I have even used all 136 bhp yet, and have had it to 242 kmh on the GPS.
One problem with this question is that unless you have driven it , how do you know. Through the years there have been many bikes that I would have given body parts for but they were way out of my price range. Imagination also plays a part here because when you see yourself flying down paradise highway it's never raining and there's never any traffic. One of my favourite bikes happened by accident when I bought 620 monster for my son. I drove it for a few months and when he passed his test I was gutted to let it go. Low to medium power with decent running gear is an amazing combination. Fear , old age (57) and license preservation mean I'm a bit slower/safer these days , I still like to give it the beans but generally keep it below 100mph. Add to that my frustration with ECU tech then I'm happy to say that I already own my perfect bike so I will be putting the Monster 1000 away this month and prepping ...... (drumroll) ..... 900ss 1997 Supersport for next year <---- the perfect bike
Interesting comments Conrad. I think we all tend to keep the speed down as we age. Anyway it does help to preserve the licence as you you have said. Good luck with the Supersport.
My 2006 Multistrada 1000 seems pretty close to the right bike for me still. I'm a bit achy at 63 years and don't need to prove anything with super speed. I ditched the instrument cluster in favor of a motogadget Motoscope Pro which is waterproof, adjusted the foam in the seat, put some risers on at the triple clamp, ditched the cat and remapped the ECU. I also added real lights to see and be seen. Did an 890 mile ride for a visit and the same on the ride back a few days later. I hate the fuel level sensor in that weirdly shaped tank. Have learned how to do most of the maintenance, (tires, belts, valve shims, etc) and at 65000 miles I would love to find an excuse to replace the bike but just can't find one.
I’m lucky as I have my perfect bike with the v4 and it is without doubt the most amazing thing I’ve ever ridden! I am toying with getting a BMW M1000rr but the bike I really want is a Suter 500 smoker! If I could find one!!
I went and bought another KTM 990SMR after selling my first one that I owned for 5 years to buy a Superduke back in 2016. It's the most fun bike I've ever ridden on Irish backroads/lanes and bumpy mountain passes. The perfect bike for just going for a blast without having to plan a route. I have a Superduke too which has basically replaced a sportsbike for road use and lets me do 400/500km spins across a wide range of roads and is far more enjoyable at road speed for me than any sportsbike. I think these two are my favourite options for enjoyment. For longer trips I'd probably want something else but don't really do much of that!
Might be interesting; Ohlins back and front. Wonder what the gearbox will be like..or with a qucikshifter?
I used to think my S2r 800 was pretty much my perfect bike with its looks, sound, sorted suspension and brakes then I got the 748/853. The 748 is not perfect as my wrists can testify but (for me) it's not far off. Perhaps I need to try something newer to see how far stuff has come in the last few years, I've always fancied a Hypermotard or an 848 but then again, perhaps I shouldn't !
I’m on my third Multistrada now after having had a pair of Tuono V twins previously. The Tuono’s were great but a pain in the arse (literally) on a long trip. I find the Multi pretty well perfect for my riding, more power than I need, but I can tolerate that.
