So on my 60th birthday...
So Ocean wanted the RS back and mine's not ready
So they brought this round as a swapsie
First thing that struck me was the clutch adjuster that looked like something off my old SR500. Then I tried to get on it and nearly cricked something, may be I wasn't warmed up as it got easier later. Seat is a bit high and I felt perched on top of it, I was worried on our uneven drive I was going to tip it over. So light though compared with K, RS or GS. The bars are way lower than the K so initially I felt very awkward. The dash is smart but the text is very small, I eventually realised the funny squiggles in the middle were a lean angle indicator and G force indicator.
Mode was Rain, Sport or Track so I chose Sport and wobbled up the road. Having successfully got out of town I gassed it up the hill. I literally had to check at the next roundabout if the speedo was set to mph not kph. Off again having established those were miles not km I ran through the gears but found at low revs it was very buzzy/vibrating generally, so started to stay n the lower gears. Frankly 3rd does all you need. The acceleration is addictive but tiring, and certainly in Cornwall you never get enough space to let it rip, consequently its on the gas on the brakes fast slow fast.
After half an hour I was starting to get used to it but felt I was only tickling the bottom end of its capability. My feet being tucked up under my bum even more so than on my K with the low seat was getting uncomfortable. I was able to move around on the seat a bit, but found that I needed to grip the tank with my knees pretty hard most of the time to keep the weight off my wrists. It may have been easier if I was moving around more but finding a piece of road that I could get to lean more than 39degrees without worrying about going too fast for the surface and or oncoming traffic was not happening. The brakes are excellent needless to say. This has been the first bike that I have ever felt I was in danger of falling off the back of and having to hold on tight. It is sooo quick. However there is no way I would want to ride it to Holland.
The S1000 quickshifter is better up and down than the one on the R1250RS Sport but as I said above you are rarely at a constant speed. I'm getting reasonably handy at clutchless shifts up and down the box on my K now, the shift assist is quicker when accelerating hard but otherwise I wouldn't miss it.
Compared with my K the throttle action is very light, maybe my cables need lubricating
The mirrors were pretty poor, style victims. I struggled to adjust to see more than my arms, and when I could see behind they are slightly too small I think. Not that you need to see what's behind you on the RR...
I've ridden the 1000XR and found it too frantic and after a short while uncomfortable as I was wedged in position unable to shuffle my bum. Going back to where is our K replacement, I think the 1000 4s are too sportsbike/race bike oriented. I want to go to the TT not win it. A detuned 1000 engine with more at lower revs might make sense. Remember the first Fazer with the detuned R1 engine? Maybe that's a better route for the 1000.
