Test ride day
Posted: 19 Apr 2018, 22:28
Today I went to the local BMW dealer to try out some possible replacements for the MT-10, it will be next year before the PCP is up and either needs a big payment/HP finance or hand it back so I was looking for inspiration and was also off work today and couldn't let such a nice day go to waste
First up, the mothership, (GS) the salesman said that it would blow my mind and get me used to the boxer engine before riding the R1200rs
It did blow my mind, it felt like it could U-turn on a manhole cover compared to the MT and was not slow at all, sounded lazy being a twin and a little vague on the front but that didn't stop it attacking some of my favorite twistys at indecent speed... And I had to raise the seat to the high position to avoid pain in my right hip, the MT pegs are really low, they must be.
It was good on fuel too and surprised me when I set it to Dynamic, the standard exhaust started popping and cracking with use of the shifter/blipper which works almost down to idle with only the 1-2 upshift being less than great.
Back to the dealer, coffee, chat on with the next one. R1200rs? No!
What can I say about it other than it made me ride like a proper Jeremy Hunt, yes it vibrates but no numbness and £50 gets a set of heavy bar ends. It handles really well, perfect shifter/blipper and the brakes may be able to detach retinas and made me wonder what I could do the the MT to make those as good.
I think it is as fast as the MT. In Dynamic it pops and cracks, I found it comfortable and the seat holds you in place, the screen keeps the wind off with very little buffeting but it is not much better on fuel than the MT... Still on the maybe list though.
Back to the dealer, coffee, chat on with the next one. R1200rs
This is what you get if you take the running gear from the ever popular GS and fit a sporty body, I think it looks great, the most comfortable of the trio and just as eager to turn as the XR, slightly slower than the MT but a good shove of the bars has it settled in to a turn, riding a bike like this confuses my mind with the lazy sound of the boxer at odds with the acceleration and blurred scenery. Mid range punch is what this thing likes, with all that torque and the sure footed feel it fires out of corners, also a favorite passtime of the MT, however, the RS is low and long, no wheelies or fear of them so it just gets on with driving hard. The MT will punish/reward kak handed throttle inputs with a wheelie. Good on fuel too.
A genuine contender to replace the MT when the time comes
First up, the mothership, (GS) the salesman said that it would blow my mind and get me used to the boxer engine before riding the R1200rs
It did blow my mind, it felt like it could U-turn on a manhole cover compared to the MT and was not slow at all, sounded lazy being a twin and a little vague on the front but that didn't stop it attacking some of my favorite twistys at indecent speed... And I had to raise the seat to the high position to avoid pain in my right hip, the MT pegs are really low, they must be.
It was good on fuel too and surprised me when I set it to Dynamic, the standard exhaust started popping and cracking with use of the shifter/blipper which works almost down to idle with only the 1-2 upshift being less than great.
Back to the dealer, coffee, chat on with the next one. R1200rs? No!
What can I say about it other than it made me ride like a proper Jeremy Hunt, yes it vibrates but no numbness and £50 gets a set of heavy bar ends. It handles really well, perfect shifter/blipper and the brakes may be able to detach retinas and made me wonder what I could do the the MT to make those as good.
I think it is as fast as the MT. In Dynamic it pops and cracks, I found it comfortable and the seat holds you in place, the screen keeps the wind off with very little buffeting but it is not much better on fuel than the MT... Still on the maybe list though.
Back to the dealer, coffee, chat on with the next one. R1200rs
This is what you get if you take the running gear from the ever popular GS and fit a sporty body, I think it looks great, the most comfortable of the trio and just as eager to turn as the XR, slightly slower than the MT but a good shove of the bars has it settled in to a turn, riding a bike like this confuses my mind with the lazy sound of the boxer at odds with the acceleration and blurred scenery. Mid range punch is what this thing likes, with all that torque and the sure footed feel it fires out of corners, also a favorite passtime of the MT, however, the RS is low and long, no wheelies or fear of them so it just gets on with driving hard. The MT will punish/reward kak handed throttle inputs with a wheelie. Good on fuel too.
A genuine contender to replace the MT when the time comes