Reply With QuoteDon't worry, I've corrected that for youOriginally Posted by learningtofly
Well, I spent a wonderful couple of hours at Hertfordshire Triumph today, getting to know the Street twin, Scrambler and T100. All felt very manageable in terms if sitting on them, manoeuvring them and generally assessing the riding position and controls. Surprisingly, the one that made my heart beat the fastest was the scrambler, although the guy who was helping me thought that the T100 looked the best suited when I was on it. All three will be available to test, and it seems that I should be able to get my hands on any of them in matt black without too much difficulty.
Tomorrow I'm off to Ducati Aylesbury to have a look at their Scrambler(s). The Classic and Street Classic are the ones I like from what I've seen so far, but it'll be interesting to handle them all.
At this stage, i think it's definitely a naked retro bike for me, so the MT-07 has probably dropped off the list.
Theory test in less than a week, so I'm studying/practicing every day.
Don't worry, I've corrected that for you
Haha... you're probably right. It was the one that I was slightly less convinced about, although I have to say the finish is beautiful, and I do like the separate analogue tachometre. And the twin exhausts, one on either side. And...
Well, the world is your lobster (so to speak)
So many good bikes out there!
An enviable position - but also bombarded with choices!
There are some bikes (I feel I have 3 such) where, when you park up................. you walk away and can't resist a backward glance at your bike. If you do that - you know you have bought the right bike !
If you have a mind to go slightly mainstream - I can really recommend the BMW R1200r. Does everything (scratch, tour etc). A very underrated bike.
Seconded!
I had my heart set on a Scrambler but it disappointed on the test drive.
I went for the Bonneville Spirit as I preferred the ride much more...
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Thirded
Nice bike. What is the wind protection like at speed with the screen?Thirded
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Hi Tony,
Just found this thread. So I sound a few months ahead of you. I did my CBT May 17, owned a YBR for a year, did my DA this April and just bought my first big bike - a 2013 triumph street triple 675 R.
I absolutely love the retro looking bikes, just look so classic and cool. This video about the bonneville’s quite funny (https://youtu.be/RsKFsce5phw) and his comment about not wanting something that looks like a jet ski really resonates... also liked the look of the w800 he has a cracking video on.
DA was on an MT-07, and I was pretty nervous about it being 5 times the size of the YBR and starting in rush hour Vauxhall. It was really easy to ride and wasn’t intimidating at all. But while very solid and everything, it didn’t excite me riding it, and I was a bit worried the retros would be the same.
Friend at work recommended a street triple, and knows someone with a pristine red 2011 one. I was pretty smitten, but the more I thought about it, I just couldn’t justify no ABS to myself. So last week I bought this beauty and finally was able to take it out last night for a good hour around central London, I absolutely love it - really easy to ride but feels exciting, it always wants to go faster.
It’s not where I thought I’d end up, but I’m very happy to be here! Good luck with your search, I’ll be interested to see how you get on
That's BMW is certainly a lovely bike.
I'm not ignoring the fact that there are some superb alternatives out there, but there are some things that are important in shaping my shorlist.
1) It needs to be lightweight and agile around town, narrow enough that I can filter through traffic, etc without too much difficulty, and easy for me to manoeuvre when stationary.
2) I like retro-styled bikes. Not because I'm a hipster, but because they're a throwback to my younger days. That's what I like, and what I want.
3) I'd rather have less power and use if fully, than more power that never gets needed. Even the relatively low-powered Triumphs will achieve 110-120 mph, but that's far less important than having power low down, which is where I'll need it.
4) I'm not an a really tight budget, but by the same token I don't want to spend money unnecessarily. All the 1200cc bikes that are being suggested, particularly the Beemers, are far more than I need to pay.
I admit I do have a bit of a thing for Triumph, though
Fantastic - gorgeous bike, and I hope you enjoy every minute on it.
Interesting that you were tested on an MT; my school uses Suzuki (SV and Gladius) but both felt pretty comfortable when i sat on them. I do have three days intensive training on them before my MOD 1, so I'm hoping I'm very familiar with them by the time I go on the road for my MOD 2.
How demanding did you find your MOD 2?
Yamaha XSR700/900?
(not trying to influence LTF - who has very good reasons for his criteria )
But - this shows the capabilities of the R1200r (and a quick rider - albeit, there are a couple of questionable manoeuvres)
Tony if you get some decent boots this should give you close to an inch extra reach to the ground, not see any Alpine Stars with Cuban heels though
Give it a try and let us know! (pictures too please)
Thanks - just survived ride 3!
I imagine you'll be on the road pre-Mod 1 - maybe they're a bit more budget, but my school basically just found quiet roads/car parks to practice the manoeuvres on, all of which we rode to (starting at Vauxhall). After initially being fine, the more I practised my u-turn the worse I got so was very nervous about that, but passed.
Was much more relaxed about Mod 2 - I know how to drive, felt reasonably confident on the bike, and you're also not expected to filter which I have limited experience judging when to and when not. So I failed that... Was all set to overtake a stopped bus, he indicated to pull out, I braked and examiner decided that was a major as the car behind had to brake pretty hard. Obliviously I spent the rest of the test glad I'd spotted the indicator
Oh blimey - the kind of thing you'd be hoping wasn't going to happen. Bad luck.Thanks - just survived ride 3!
I imagine you'll be on the road pre-Mod 1 - maybe they're a bit more budget, but my school basically just found quiet roads/car parks to practice the manoeuvres on, all of which we rode to (starting at Vauxhall). After initially being fine, the more I practised my u-turn the worse I got so was very nervous about that, but passed.
Was much more relaxed about Mod 2 - I know how to drive, felt reasonably confident on the bike, and you're also not expected to filter which I have limited experience judging when to and when not. So I failed that... Was all set to overtake a stopped bus, he indicated to pull out, I braked and examiner decided that was a major as the car behind had to brake pretty hard. Obliviously I spent the rest of the test glad I'd spotted the indicator
I'm glad to hear that you weren't asked to filter - I'm also worried about that, but hopefully yours was the standard approach.
not really quick at all, its also going to cost a fortune in new pegs as you can hear them grinding away everytime it goes round a corner :) , if you want a BMW for the twistys get a 1000r or any other of the super nakeds.
OP if you end up with the triumph make sure you join the triumph RAT forums - lots of usful info there
https://www.triumphrat.net/forum.php
A lot better than the previous two I tried! It came with a tiny smoked screen more for protection of the back of the instrument binnacle than anything else, so I ordered the next size up which was an improvement but still a lot of buffeting at 70mph. I ended up with two of the medium size screens due to buying a badly described one that I thought was bigger, so the screen it has now was originally on my mates 2015 R1200R LC, we swapped it over for one of my medium ones just before he p/x'd it for a different bike. This one is a vast improvement and you can sit comfortably at 70+ with minimum buffeting (I'm 6' tall) although once above 80 the buffeting starts to be felt again, however if you tuck down slightly (just a few inches) the buffeting stops at those speeds. It's a good compromise as I really didn't want a screen any bigger than this!
The combination of naked bike looks and decent enough wind protection make It a good all round proposition. Unfortunately I've reached the conclusion that I don't enjoy long distance motorway cruising on my bike. Much prefer to take the car and leave the bike for b roads. Hence a naked might suit me a bit better than my VfR
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Well, I had another fun day today, this time at Ducati Aylesbury. I had an opportunity to sit on/manoeuvre pretty much all the Scramblers, including the 1100s. The 800s actually felt quite small (and clearly easily manageable), whereas the 1100s felt much more like the Triumph T100 Bonneville.
I did have a chance to sit on the Yamaha XSR700, and - as suggested in some of the reviews online - it was too tall and quite uncomfortable in comparison to those I've shortlisted. Ironically, they also had a very low mileage example of the bike I can really see myself ending up with, as apart from meeting all my criteria it's the coolest f*cking thing on two wheels. The Bonneville T100 Black - 900cc of pure deliciousness.
Last month I had an hour test ride on the t100 black and it’s a great bike, I was very tempted. They had a deal with quite a bit off new bikes... think it was £7.7k for a new one?
Mind was nearly made up, but then I rode the t120. Maybe it’s because i’m used to bigger bikes but the t120 just did it all a bit better. I decided that’s where I was going to go.
Then I rode a scrambler with arrow pipe, loved it and it was great to be able to ride a bike at full throttle. Lots of fun.
Then I test ride the xsr900, loved that....
Then I rode the new cb1000r, loved that....
See where this is going. You won’t go wrong imo, they’re all great bikes so just get the one you want to open the garage to.
Beauty Tony will suit you nicelyWell, I had another fun day today, this time at Ducati Aylesbury. I had an opportunity to sit on/manoeuvre pretty much all the Scramblers, including the 1100s. The 800s actually felt quite small (and clearly easily manageable), whereas the 1100s felt much more like the Triumph T100 Bonneville.
I did have a chance to sit on the Yamaha XSR700, and - as suggested in some of the reviews online - it was too tall and quite uncomfortable in comparison to those I've shortlisted. Ironically, they also had a very low mileage example of the bike I can really see myself ending up with, as apart from meeting all my criteria it's the coolest f*cking thing on two wheels. The Bonneville T100 Black - 900cc of pure deliciousness.
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I had the Ducati Scrambler Icon 800 as my first bike ... it was great as a first bike - but I sold it after 11 months. It was a little small for me and I wanted something a bit bigger. I did add the comfort seat which raised it a bit and maxed the pre-load on the rear shock to raise it some more.
Loved it .. and also made my mind up that I preferred airhead twins over 4 cylinders (they just sound so much better!) ... I traded it for a R9T last month.
Any questions on Ducati Scrambler ownership - let me know ... I used to take mine to Ducati Aylesbury for servicing and other work.
Last edited by I a n; 31st August 2018 at 18:25.
The T100 is a great choice, if that's what you ultimately decide on.
I have an older, slightly customised, model T100 Black - great fun.
Sorry - I thought he was a quick rider, and that bike's low down torque certainly helps out of the hairpins. The R is also the better all-rounder compared to any of the naked-multis - range, comfort, luggage-carrying.
Very interesting thread. Been after a 2nd bike for a while and found this immaculate 749s for £3k. For a sports bike it's surprisingly comfortable and although quick it's not silly ballistic either. Good luck with your search, the right bike for you is out there...Studio_20180830_232916-506x317-253x159.jpeg
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Why doesn't that happen to me? I went second bike shopping yesterday (ok, technically fourth bike shopping) and the one I found was £16k.
So I didn't buy it.
Just a thought, if you think you might accessorise your bike at all, it's worth spending the time to find a used one where someone has already bought and fitted the bits that you want.
Or at least price up what you think you might want so that you're going in to it informed.
When I had my last Harley, I fitted genuine parts and accessories that totalled more than the new price of the bike (significant engine, brakes and suspension upgrades, not chrome bits). When I came to sell it, it was worth about 5-10% more than if I'd left it completely stock.
The bike I was looking at yesterday had non-standard bars and I was interested to discover how much it would be to fit the same bars to a similar bike. A bit of investigation this morning and I discover that the parts cost alone for the bars/cables/hoses/wiring is around £600, and there's fitting on top of that!
Of course if you accessorise your bike yourself it can be a bit cheaper!
Last edited by Gyp; 2nd September 2018 at 10:50.
Don't forget you're buying into the lifestyle! Harley Davidson have been the market leader in after sale sales for many years, from bike upgrades/accessories to clothing. They're all at it now and BMW and Triumph can't be too far behind. My bike came with most of the available upgrades and accessories factory specced but I still bought a set of factory panniers and top box (no brackets as they were on the bike) and a Nav6 which came to about 15% of the purchase price of the bike.
Gyp has a valid point, my bike was one year old when I bought it with less than 800 miles on the clock. It was originally provided to one of their employees as part of BMW's company vehicle scheme and the first owner had specced it with virtually every factory extra, it would have raised the original cost over a stock model by about 40% when new. I bought through BMW's used approved scheme from North Oxford Garage which is my nearest BMW motorcycle dealer and I paid roughly a 10% premium over a comparable year old stock model for it, that included the first annual service, a two year manufacturer's warranty and they bought the bike down from another BMW dealer in Loughborough for me to view.
Incidentally the warranty was worth its weight in gold because at the last service I had the headlamp, the filler cap, the main stand and the instrument binnacle replaced for various (admittedly very minor) defects and the headlamp alone is over £700 new.
Coincidentally mine came from North Oxford as well and was loaded with options (basically the premium and comfort packages). It was 3 months old and they told me it had been owned by one of their more mature customers, which indeed it had. Turns out he'd owned it for just a week, during which time he'd fallen off of it. Prior to that it was their demonstrator. They'd not mentioned that bit.
Something else that's come to mind is checking on the price of servicing and if you choose, extended warranties. BMW wanted to charge me close to £400 a year to extend the warranty. That, to me, doesn't show much faith in the product. By comparison, Kawasaki wanted £330 to extend the warranty on the supercharged H2 by 3 years.
I must admit the bike counter staff at NOG leave a bit to be desired! My headlamp had minor fogging which was there when I bought the bike, I mentioned his when I bought it and I was told it should clear, if it doesn't we'll look at it at the next service. When that service came I was told it's not a problem as it clears once the lamp is lit. After saying my mates identical bike didn't have any fogging I was told that with two bikes side by side one can have a fogged headlamp whilst the other won't, it's perfectly normal sir!
This got my back up so I dug my heels in and told them it had better be changed under warranty as it's obviously faulty and when he asked will there be anything else I mentioned the binnacle which had some moisture ingress months earlier. I'd taken a photo of it at the time and happened to have it on my mobile which was handy. As it had cleared the next day and never came back I'd forgotten about it! I also mentioned the minor corrosion on the centre stand and the scratch on the filler cap that was there when I bought it.
Had he agreed the headlamp was faulty in the first place I wouldn't have mentioned the other points as to be honest I'd forgotten all about them.
This thread is lethal... It has got me seriously contemplating another bike... I love it!
I took Mrs C to buy a new curtain rail yesterday afternoon (I know, rock and roll eh!)... it just so happened that there was a Triumph dealership round the corner!
The new Speedmaster does look to be a compromise we could settle on, with the endless kits and upgrades we could convert to a single seat if I ride alone... when she wants to come it can be a 2 seater with a back rest type set up that she insists on.
I have been without a bike for approx 2 years now and thought I had all that out of my system... apparently not.
Admittedly, I am a fair weather rider these days so if I wait until next spring there may be some good deals to be had in the pre owned market that have already been done... something like the below perhaps?
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FYI .. Speedmaster got a lot of criticism form MCN in their review for poor comfort.
This review?
https://www.motorcyclenews.com/bike-...ter-1200/2018/
"The Speedmaster is based on the proven and hugely successful Bobber and is arguably more desirable, comfortable and practical"
I must be mis-remembering some fake news ... the article I remember was one of their MCN250 rides .. I'll see if I can find it .. on the other hand my memory may be playing tricks.
from May 9th ..
Looks like a comfort seat could be the answer
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Damn. This is 1200cc and a slightly less advantageous seat height, but good god, it's lovely (the R NineT Scrambler).
The seat is actually very narrow, though...I think I may have to go sit on one.
Edit: Actually, it doesn't sound like it would be anything like as suitable for me as the others. Looks damn good though!
You can specify the low seat on the Scrambler Low, which also has slightly lowered suspension and factory bar risers should you so desire...Damn. This is 1200cc and a slightly less advantageous seat height, but good god, it's lovely (the R NineT Scrambler).
The seat is actually very narrow, though...I think I may have to go sit on one.
Also, the seat isn’t that narrow - it’s perspective as the R9T tank is quite flared.
That r9t with those tyres is just the job for scrambling up the pavements out side Starbucks.
Low seats = virtually zero comfort after 200 miles.
Brown seats = white socks with Oxfords.
Last edited by Tifa; 3rd September 2018 at 12:49.
Got you.
Don't worry, I'm reverting to plan A!That r9t with those tyres is just the job for scrambling up the pavements out side Starbucks.
Low seats = virtually zero comfort after 200 miles.
Brown seats = white socks with Oxfords.
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