General Bike Whoring
10-27-2008, 09:49 AM
#3221
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Chris went with Ben (you've not met him) - although I've not spoken to him today to see how it was. . . .
No one else went.
I'm glad I didn't go too
No one else went.
I'm glad I didn't go too
10-27-2008, 05:00 PM
#3222
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Originally Posted by smnasn,Oct 10 2008, 08:28 PM
Incidentally the noise the triple makes is awesome 
10-28-2008, 04:22 AM
#3223
Originally Posted by euan,Oct 17 2008, 11:47 AM
Very tasteful
I wanted to retain the Honda OEM unheated grips on mine, so I fitted a "heated grip kit".
You remove the existing grip and fit thin flexible heated elements wrapped around the bar before sticking the orginal grips back on.
Works very well.
I wanted to retain the Honda OEM unheated grips on mine, so I fitted a "heated grip kit".
You remove the existing grip and fit thin flexible heated elements wrapped around the bar before sticking the orginal grips back on.
Works very well.
10-30-2008, 04:35 AM
#3224
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Went to Bruntingthorpe last week with Ride magazine.
Reason was that I'd replied to their Rider Power survey and my bike - the BMW K1200S - came in the top 5 best handling bikes. Fair to say that this is a bit meaningless since its entirely subjective - owners voting for their own bikes - but what interested Ride was the fact that big sportsbike owners - Blades, R1s, GSXR 1000, Kawasaki ZX10s etc - didn't rate their bikes that highly in the handling stakes. So they invited along an owner of the top 5 handling bikes to ride their own bike and compare it with an 08 Blade. They emailed those owners who had replied to the survey, and the first one to reply - me in the case of the K1200S - got to go along.
We rode our own bikes on the road and on the Bruntingthorpe test track, and then did the same with the Blade and wrote down our thoughts under 6 headings. The results will be published in the December edition of Ride.
The other 4 bikes were, in order,
Triumph Speed 4
KTM Super Duke 990
KTM Supermoto 950
Buell Ulysses
The Beemer was 5th.
Bruntingthorpe for those of you who haven't been is an old RAF bomber base with 2 runways each over 2 miles long and about 50 to 60 yards wide. The test track uses about 1/2 of one of the runways plus some of the taxying roads.
They had a staff photographer along who was kind enough to send each of us a disk with all 170+ photos on it. The camera was a serious bit of kit - over
Reason was that I'd replied to their Rider Power survey and my bike - the BMW K1200S - came in the top 5 best handling bikes. Fair to say that this is a bit meaningless since its entirely subjective - owners voting for their own bikes - but what interested Ride was the fact that big sportsbike owners - Blades, R1s, GSXR 1000, Kawasaki ZX10s etc - didn't rate their bikes that highly in the handling stakes. So they invited along an owner of the top 5 handling bikes to ride their own bike and compare it with an 08 Blade. They emailed those owners who had replied to the survey, and the first one to reply - me in the case of the K1200S - got to go along.
We rode our own bikes on the road and on the Bruntingthorpe test track, and then did the same with the Blade and wrote down our thoughts under 6 headings. The results will be published in the December edition of Ride.
The other 4 bikes were, in order,
Triumph Speed 4
KTM Super Duke 990
KTM Supermoto 950
Buell Ulysses
The Beemer was 5th.
Bruntingthorpe for those of you who haven't been is an old RAF bomber base with 2 runways each over 2 miles long and about 50 to 60 yards wide. The test track uses about 1/2 of one of the runways plus some of the taxying roads.
They had a staff photographer along who was kind enough to send each of us a disk with all 170+ photos on it. The camera was a serious bit of kit - over
10-30-2008, 06:49 AM
#3227
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Originally Posted by Rapscallion,Oct 30 2008, 02:38 PM
good photos
so what was the 08 blade like
Performance and handling on the track were very impressive. It has the same power as the Beemer - c.170bhp - but it weighs c.50kg less. One of the other riders had it up to 184 indicated on the straight. I bottled out at an indicated 165.
A friend has a 03 Blade and that is a lot more forgiving and nicer to ride - you can tour on that bike. You couldn't on the 08 IMO.
10-30-2008, 06:58 AM
#3228
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Originally Posted by Welshman,Oct 30 2008, 02:49 PM
A friend has a 03 Blade and that is a lot more forgiving and nicer to ride - you can tour on that bike. You couldn't on the 08 IMO.
As a result I can see myself holding onto my 2005 R1 for a long time.
10-30-2008, 07:03 AM
#3229
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Originally Posted by eSeM,Oct 30 2008, 02:58 PM
Seems to me that the 600cc and 1litre sports bikes have been going too far in this direction for the past couple of years.
As a result I can see myself holding onto my 2005 R1 for a long time.
As a result I can see myself holding onto my 2005 R1 for a long time.
I agree. I could see myself with an 03 Blade for a bit of track day use plus shorter journeys around here but it'll be the Beemer for the longer distance stuff, for some time to come.
10-31-2008, 05:03 AM
#3230
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Interesting about the Blade - from what I had read about the new one, I had interpreted that it was more "user-friendly" than its rivals.
I guess that means you would survive for even shorter journeys comfort-wise on them
I'd love to try one, but could never see myself using one, other than for track-days, (which I don't do anyway) for comfort reasons.
The Beemer I found as comfy, if not more so, than my VFR.
Are you planning on upgrading to the K1300S?
I guess that means you would survive for even shorter journeys comfort-wise on them
I'd love to try one, but could never see myself using one, other than for track-days, (which I don't do anyway) for comfort reasons.
The Beemer I found as comfy, if not more so, than my VFR.
Are you planning on upgrading to the K1300S?