That's right!! be jealous if you want. I am a hard sell on a four cylinder bike, don't really care for the way they feel ( this is just a personal opinion, so no flaming me, ok? ) But, Faauk the new beemer is SWEET!!! Shift assist and slipper clutch are wow! Rides very smooth, not harsh at all. Doesn't have the torque of my duc, but we all know that. It does have great power, very smooth also. I didn't hammer it too hard, but I did work it. Turns in very easy and feels like quick flicks are no problem for this bike. I have to admit I am surprised as I didn't think that I would be impressed. Maybe you can find out for yourself, if you're really nice to me..... yes I like chocolate and Gentleman Jack's ;-)
So cool. So tempting. How'd it feel, ergonomically? Do you think it's a bike that could be ridden all day?
Mike, I felt really comfortable. The clip-on angle is a little different than my bike, but I think I could adjust. As for the rest of it, absolutely could ride it all day.
OK, I'm game although I prob won't be able to use the factory rear set left side but nothing ventured, nothing gained I always say. How about a Milkyway bar
yea that was my question can you ride it all the time? or is it just a bike for Hot Italian Bike Nights??
Dave... have you noticed that V bike riders don't get excited by I4s anymore??? anyway here's that S1000RR vid I was talking about... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfdxFSbrBUM
After seeing Miri on one I wouldn't mind warming up the seat when I come to visit. Oh soosososooo sexy!
Larry I am curious as to what this video is showing, the only thing I see for sure is the bmw has more power down the straights. Looks amasingly familiar to those crazy greek biker vids only on the track. There were times when the V4 was in the back that you could tell he was not riding to pass the frontleader, am I missing something. I would like to see a comparison with two top level racers doing numerous laps then switching bikes and doing it again.
Carl... I gather that the BMW owned the straights whereas the Aprilia RSV4 owned the corners... Kenny Noyes tested Troy Corser's BMW at Portimao and says its a fast bike but demanding to ride... he also thinks BMW should have built a V4 or at least copied Yamaha's cross plane crank I4... maybe the old cammy hit screamer I4 days are numbered... "The new BMW is, hands down, the most powerful of the seven bikes I rode at Portimao. The new S1OOORR is one of the most thrilling bikes I have ever ridden as far as sheer power. In fact, only the early 990cc MotoGP Desmosedici was more of a thrill to open the throttle on. Troy Corser's BMW comes on hard and explodes through the power band all the way up to the rev limiter. But you would need an airport or a NASCAR oval for this to be an advantage over the rest. It was too much, too bright and too hard to control. making it the fastest but also the hardest bike to ride. The Kawasaki and the Suzuki were not much better and while the Honda was nicer coming out of the corners it didn't come close to producing the confidence and the control I felt on the bikes with V and big-bang engines." "The only bike that was a little harder for me to feel confident on was the BMW. With a brand new bike and team the top German motorcycle manufacturer could probably have been reasonably happy with its first year in the World Superbike paddock if it weren't for those black and red Aprilias. All the talk about taking a year to learn the track set -up, tires, power management, etc. doesn't really work if the other new bike in the Championship is finishing on the podium. BMW had a real professional 2009 effort with two fast riders, (as well as a test team headed up by this year's Endurance World Champion Steve Martin) dedicated to improving the S1000RR. The bike looks cool and, as I said at the start of this article, is the fastest bike out there but it's also the most demanding to ride. The frame is very rigid and even at a slow pace I felt vibration under braking so chattering has got to be an issue at some tracks. The handling itself is pretty neutral and balanced but the combination of the rigid chassis and very strong power makes the bike a real handful coming out of the turns." "The team is working on different solutions to improve the bike's general ride ability and traction in Superbike trim and I'm sure the bike will be better next year but the problem is simple: The Yamaha and the Aprilia will also improve. With such a history making different motorcycles with boxer engines and drives shafts I was surprised to see BMW build a Japanese-like 1000cc Inline Four to go Superbike racing. If the company had decided on a V4 or_a_big bang engine_configuration surely the bike would have been closer to the front."
Larry, as always, thanks for your insight as your response was exactly what i was looking for, an educated person telling it the way it is as you see it, and with experience and first hand knowledge to boot, not just looking at the bike in pictures and saying , "whooooo" Thanks again Larry as I always value your opinion.
Thanks for the input Larry, always makes more sense when reported by a true rider vs the ad people. :hurray:
Larry, I agree. I find the V motors much more fun. The point is that the S1000RR that I rode was impressive as it was not like the japanese I4's, not buzzy at all. Carl, I saw the same thing as you. Looked like the first lap the BMW rider went wide on a couple of corners and what I found inteesting was the light for the traction control going off a lot. I would imagine that part of the problem in riding this bike is with so much power it is hard to get on the gas coming out of the corner, so thank god for traction control otherwise I think that it would be a handful.
props to bmw for shaking up the SBK world as it has, now i'm even more curious to see the big 4 retaliate if possible!! Great time to be a sbk buyer/fanatic!!
Dave is not a good judge for what makes for a comfy bike. He can ride the 1198 all day without complaining! I'm with you Dave, I don't like inline 4's either, twins and singles are the way to go. Even my Triumph triple is a little too much like a four, but not as bad. It doesn't have the annoying high frequency buzz of a 4, but it is similar to a four in the poor traction department. Trying to go fast on a wet road is the real test for me.
Anyone who can ride a 1198 all day without complaining has a titanium butt... Manufactures have address rider's complaints about the buzzy, second-order vibration of 180º I4s by employing some of the engines available HP to spin counter balancers... same old I4 but smoother... but Yamaha's new R1 crank phasing not only addresses the buzz but also you feel that the power delivery is more linear like a V4 or V2... you know this I4 was a game changer when it's exhaust signature stopped screaming and started droning like a virtual V4 or V2... So technically speaking Yamaha's cross-plane crank can be in perfect primary... after a balance shaft is added... and perfect secondary balance because of the 90º piston phasing... brilliant!!!
I just don't like the sound of the R1, even though the technology is awesome. Thats just personal preference.