This was written when I was looking for a sportsbike to replace my Dorsoduro in Sept-Oct 2013
The search for a new motorcycle. Fuck I love the hunt more than the prize I think. Just the process is fascinating. You start with as wide a canvas as possible and then start narrowing it down. You do endless research on the net. Reference and cross-reference 20 reviews on the same bike trying to needle out a pattern, an imperfection coz really that’s all you’re gonna find in a modern motorcycle, an imperfection. There are no obviously bad motorcycles anymore. Its just slight annoyances that you could do without. Like the 10 extra kilos that an R1 carries over a Fireblade.
You have endless debates with your mates about the merits of one over another. You come to blows even sticking up for the mythical “character” of Italian bikes vs. the solid performance of the japs but it’s all part of the hunt.
And then you narrow it down to 5 or 6 bikes that you just can’t separate out by reading. You must ride them, all of them because that is the true test of it. Where the rubber hits the road, the wheat is separated from the chaff and the king from the pretenders.
So I hit the test ride circuit recently and this is what I rode.
1. BMW S1000RR (2010)
The search for a new motorcycle. Fuck I love the hunt more than the prize I think. Just the process is fascinating. You start with as wide a canvas as possible and then start narrowing it down. You do endless research on the net. Reference and cross-reference 20 reviews on the same bike trying to needle out a pattern, an imperfection coz really that’s all you’re gonna find in a modern motorcycle, an imperfection. There are no obviously bad motorcycles anymore. Its just slight annoyances that you could do without. Like the 10 extra kilos that an R1 carries over a Fireblade.
You have endless debates with your mates about the merits of one over another. You come to blows even sticking up for the mythical “character” of Italian bikes vs. the solid performance of the japs but it’s all part of the hunt.
And then you narrow it down to 5 or 6 bikes that you just can’t separate out by reading. You must ride them, all of them because that is the true test of it. Where the rubber hits the road, the wheat is separated from the chaff and the king from the pretenders.
So I hit the test ride circuit recently and this is what I rode.
1. BMW S1000RR (2010)
Got on this first and it really set the bench mark for the rest of the tests
Everything they rave about this motorcycle is justified. It is just phenomenally good. You get on it and it feels light and nimble and this only gets better as it rolls. The engine has a very unique sound from the cockpit. I’ve heard them go past and they don’t sound anything really special to a spectator but you get on one and twist that throttle and it sounds like a jet fighter plane cranking up, it’s insane! It didn’t even have a pipe on and I didn’t mind that at all. You’d put a pipe on it to please other people or to admire it while you’re not actually riding it.
Anyway, you roll along and the whole package feels taut and sharp. It handles great, just hooks into corners really easily and stays there. The brakes are just incredible. I always use 2 finger stops but even that may be too much for normal riding around town for this bike. The engine just revs and revs and at around 10K shit starts to get very real very fast. You really want to be out in the countryside to open the taps and brace yourself for the resulting propulsion. Unbelievable.
And I don’t really give a shit about electronics, not a big fan of them anyway. Didn’t play around with them but I’d get into it if I bought one I guess. But just the fundamentals of this bike, engine, braking and suspension are superior to anything I’ve ever ridden. It truly is the king.
2. Honda CBR1000RR (2009)
Everything they rave about this motorcycle is justified. It is just phenomenally good. You get on it and it feels light and nimble and this only gets better as it rolls. The engine has a very unique sound from the cockpit. I’ve heard them go past and they don’t sound anything really special to a spectator but you get on one and twist that throttle and it sounds like a jet fighter plane cranking up, it’s insane! It didn’t even have a pipe on and I didn’t mind that at all. You’d put a pipe on it to please other people or to admire it while you’re not actually riding it.
Anyway, you roll along and the whole package feels taut and sharp. It handles great, just hooks into corners really easily and stays there. The brakes are just incredible. I always use 2 finger stops but even that may be too much for normal riding around town for this bike. The engine just revs and revs and at around 10K shit starts to get very real very fast. You really want to be out in the countryside to open the taps and brace yourself for the resulting propulsion. Unbelievable.
And I don’t really give a shit about electronics, not a big fan of them anyway. Didn’t play around with them but I’d get into it if I bought one I guess. But just the fundamentals of this bike, engine, braking and suspension are superior to anything I’ve ever ridden. It truly is the king.
2. Honda CBR1000RR (2009)
I had gone into the test ride really hoping to like this. I like the look of it, all the reviews say it’s great, in the used market, it’s much more affordable than the euros and it’s a Honda, so quality and reliability is guaranteed.
The dealer had it warming up as I came in on the beemer. Jumped straight on and off the bat it felt heavier. Not overly but noticeably. Take off and did the exact same circuit for the test run and the difference was apparent. The engine is phenomenally good, the midrange punch is fantastic and it definitely felt quicker than the beemer at street RPMs. It turned well and braked well too. The Honda was quite like the Beemer in overall feel, just less. Less taut, less confidence inspiring, less precise, less engaging.
Overall I was left a bit underwhelmed, which I was disappointed about because now I couldn’t talk myself into buying this over the beemer and still pretend like I got an equally good motorcycle for 5 grand less. I had thought that the difference between the 2 would be apparent only the highest level of riding and since I’m not a racer, just an average punter, will I really be able to make out the difference. The answer is Yes. Even average punters will make out the difference in the ride quality, the beemer is just better, everywhere except midrange engine power.
3. Suzuki GSX-R750 (2010)
The dealer had it warming up as I came in on the beemer. Jumped straight on and off the bat it felt heavier. Not overly but noticeably. Take off and did the exact same circuit for the test run and the difference was apparent. The engine is phenomenally good, the midrange punch is fantastic and it definitely felt quicker than the beemer at street RPMs. It turned well and braked well too. The Honda was quite like the Beemer in overall feel, just less. Less taut, less confidence inspiring, less precise, less engaging.
Overall I was left a bit underwhelmed, which I was disappointed about because now I couldn’t talk myself into buying this over the beemer and still pretend like I got an equally good motorcycle for 5 grand less. I had thought that the difference between the 2 would be apparent only the highest level of riding and since I’m not a racer, just an average punter, will I really be able to make out the difference. The answer is Yes. Even average punters will make out the difference in the ride quality, the beemer is just better, everywhere except midrange engine power.
3. Suzuki GSX-R750 (2010)
Realizing my cunning plan of buying a Beemer with a Honda badge at a bargain price had been foiled, I activated Plan B. The GSX-R 750 has always struck me, on paper, as the perfect motorcycle. I like motorcycles that handle really well. I want my motorcycle to turn in really easily and be easy to flick around. I am happy to compromise mid corner stability for this. So if I have to buy an inline 4 and the best inline 4 is the BMW S1000RR and it’s a bit expensive then what’s the best bargain inline 4?
I was hoping it would be the GSX-R 750 so I jumped on one. OK, all they say about this one is true too. It does handle incredibly well. I’ve never actually ridden a 600 supersport so I can’t confirm what all the journos say “handles like a 600, powers like a 1000” but fuck it handles great. You can chuck it into corners at the last minute. I was really revving the shit out of it and getting carried away with lane changing when a guy riding a K1600GT in a t-shirt went past me flapping his arms about. I thought he was trying to tell me I looked fully sick so I gave him the thumbs up but he didn’t look too impressed. I then pulled alongside him and he started screaming at me. The only words I got were “…..Cop…..fucken…” but I decided not to pursue the matter. He was probably one of those few “good” cops we keep hearing about. He didn’t pull me over or anything, just wanted me to slow down. To be honest, I WAS riding like a muthafucka! But that’s what the gsxr makes you do. It is ridiculously easy to throw around and revs so high so quickly that that’s the only way you want to ride it. It doesn’t have the mid-range of a 1000cc so no, it does NOT power like a 1000cc but you just rev it more I guess, it spins up pretty quick…
I liked it! It seemed a bit more uncomfortable than the Beemer and Honda but I’m young, I can handle it.
4. Honda CBR1000RR Repsol SE (2009)
I was hoping it would be the GSX-R 750 so I jumped on one. OK, all they say about this one is true too. It does handle incredibly well. I’ve never actually ridden a 600 supersport so I can’t confirm what all the journos say “handles like a 600, powers like a 1000” but fuck it handles great. You can chuck it into corners at the last minute. I was really revving the shit out of it and getting carried away with lane changing when a guy riding a K1600GT in a t-shirt went past me flapping his arms about. I thought he was trying to tell me I looked fully sick so I gave him the thumbs up but he didn’t look too impressed. I then pulled alongside him and he started screaming at me. The only words I got were “…..Cop…..fucken…” but I decided not to pursue the matter. He was probably one of those few “good” cops we keep hearing about. He didn’t pull me over or anything, just wanted me to slow down. To be honest, I WAS riding like a muthafucka! But that’s what the gsxr makes you do. It is ridiculously easy to throw around and revs so high so quickly that that’s the only way you want to ride it. It doesn’t have the mid-range of a 1000cc so no, it does NOT power like a 1000cc but you just rev it more I guess, it spins up pretty quick…
I liked it! It seemed a bit more uncomfortable than the Beemer and Honda but I’m young, I can handle it.
4. Honda CBR1000RR Repsol SE (2009)
I really wanted the Honda to wow me and I couldn’t believe I wasn’t impressed with it so I gave it another shot, maybe that particular motorcycle was shit. I got on a 2009 Repsol SE and took it for a short spin. It did indeed seem better, the suspension seemed more responsive and less vague than the other but to cut a long story short, it still left me without any strong passions either way. It just did everything with minimum fuss and with no particular brilliance, except the midrange blast.
Naah, I don’t think I could live satisfactorily with it. You must understand that nowadays I ride only once in 2 or 3 weeks, except the odd evening blast to clear my head. I do not commute on it but everytime I get on it, I want an exciting experience. I just don’t think the Honda can give that to me unless I’m riding at the limits of my own abilities and giving myself the wrong kind of excitement. But I can’t put my finger on what’s missing, it’s such a fucken cliché with Honda and I went in with an open mind about it but I can only say what I feel. And this is how I feel.
5. Yamaha YZF-R1 (2010)
Naah, I don’t think I could live satisfactorily with it. You must understand that nowadays I ride only once in 2 or 3 weeks, except the odd evening blast to clear my head. I do not commute on it but everytime I get on it, I want an exciting experience. I just don’t think the Honda can give that to me unless I’m riding at the limits of my own abilities and giving myself the wrong kind of excitement. But I can’t put my finger on what’s missing, it’s such a fucken cliché with Honda and I went in with an open mind about it but I can only say what I feel. And this is how I feel.
5. Yamaha YZF-R1 (2010)
The sound of a Big Bang R1 with decent pipes is probably my favourite sound on a production motorcycle, including Ducatis. It just sounds incredible and this along with the reviews raving about its mid-range grunt had always attracted me to this motorcycle. I had also heard that this is the heaviest and laziest handling liter sportsbike. I desperately wanted this to be untrue and I resolved that minor handling drawbacks would not hold me back from owning a motorcycle that sounds this awesome. As soon as you get on the bike though, it looks and feels bigger than any other sportsbikes. And then you start it and fuck, you hope again that the weight will disappear once it gets going. That engine is not only aurally overwhelming, it is the overwhelming presence on the R1. It pulses through the tank in a mild, pleasant way, in tune with the glorious noise and if the world was flat indeed like the ancients said and roundness was myth, this would be the motorcycle to buy. But the world is round and corners exist and thank fuck for that. Again, the pundits have got it right. The R1 is resistant to turn-in compared to every other sportsbike I’ve ridden. Turn-in is just unacceptably sluggish, fuck it! I knew it was over as soon as I hit the first corner. I barely noticed the rock solid mid-corner stability through the realization that I could not possibly live with this motorcycle. As I powered on to exit the corner, the bike just hooked and blasted through, all the time sounding brilliant. But it fucken lost me at corner entry. The brakes were great, it looks great but it just has this fundamental flaw.
I wonder if this can be fixed via suspension mods, raising the rear height etc…I don’t know but ic ant take a punt on it as it stands. I really wanted the Honda and R1 to do what I want them to do but sadly, neither of them did.
I said to the agent, I want the handling of the Honda with the engine of the R1. He calmly walked me over to this....
5. Aprilia RSV4R (2011)
I wonder if this can be fixed via suspension mods, raising the rear height etc…I don’t know but ic ant take a punt on it as it stands. I really wanted the Honda and R1 to do what I want them to do but sadly, neither of them did.
I said to the agent, I want the handling of the Honda with the engine of the R1. He calmly walked me over to this....
5. Aprilia RSV4R (2011)
It was just sitting quietly in a corner of the shop, looking all pretty and potent at a standstill. I breezed past it on my way to the Repsol Honda, this shiny thing was just over my budget. But I came back to it after neither the R1 nor the Honda did it for me. The bike is really small as everyone says. It doesn’t feel as light as such a small motorcycle should feel but then you forget about that as you fire it up. It sounds fucken awesome. I must say though, I still like the sound of the R1 better. But then you get going and if the R1 was built for a flat world, the RSV4 is made for a city of chicane linked roundabouts. It is so fucking light, I think it outhandles a GSX-R 750. It is so ridiculously easy to tip in, you forget you’re on such a powerful bike. Very very impressive. And that v4 engine is pulsing away under you, revving up really quickly. The suspension is firm and gives heaps of feedback. I imagine it would get uncomfortable after a while as it just feels very hard but fuck its great fun. And the brakes, fukn 1 finger jobbies. Not sure if they’re as good as the beemer but they’re pretty fucken close. Yes, this is an incredible motorcycle and it arouses the right kind of excitement.
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So at the moment I’m thinking – spend 16K on a used BMW or an Aprilia. I would probably pick the beemer over the Aprilia but might give both another ride before deciding.
Or
Go budget and pick up a near new GSX-R 750 for 10K. I’m convinced this is the best grins + performance Jap Inline 4 for what I need.
This is what happened next
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So at the moment I’m thinking – spend 16K on a used BMW or an Aprilia. I would probably pick the beemer over the Aprilia but might give both another ride before deciding.
Or
Go budget and pick up a near new GSX-R 750 for 10K. I’m convinced this is the best grins + performance Jap Inline 4 for what I need.
This is what happened next
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