san2000

can't do Friday. Only thursday or sat

Dan Hale

What time is your secret thing on Friday??

Welshman

Our demo bike was registered and licenced today so someone had to do the thankless task of starting the running in process.

So I set off from Gloucester got on the A40 to Ross on Wye, down the A449 to Raglan and the turn off to Abergavenny, and down to the cafe at the Abergavenny bus station and a cup of coffee. The coffee was mightily welcome as it wasn't very warm and after 47 miles my hands were very, very cold.

Here's the bike at the station:



I set off for Hereford and on my way out of town spotted another bike at a garage so stopped for a chat. He was an R1 rider on his way to Aberystwyth. He was kind enough to take a photo:



Then it was on to Hereford on the extremely nice A465 through Pontrilas and a stop for petrol before heading back to Ross and then through Newent and back to Gloucester. 107 miles all told.

My impressions:

The bike is extremely impressive. Front end felt absolutely planted. Turn in quick but progressive. Quickshifter is lovely. Mirrors are very good. Instrumentation is good. When the fuel light came on you got range to empty instead of the trip mileage. The fuel light came on when the range was 30 miles. Standard screen gives you a nice pressure on your chest so cruising at high 80s/90s was pleasant. The roads were dry so I stayed in Sport mode throughout. Throttle response was nice. They have got the fuelling spot on. It is ballistically fast. It will be an awesome road bike as it's very comfortable. I'm 5' 11" and average build. It felt a lot more comfortable than the 08 Blade I rode 18 months ago. No pressure on the wrists. I could easily ride this bike 300 miles a day and probably for longer.

All in all I cannot wait for my bike to arrive.

Nottm_S2

very tidy...

i've barely used my cbr in months and from feb i'll be working in london for a while, back for long weekends. need to do some more training

Dan Hale

Nice, very nice.

Not convinced by the funny headlights yet though.

No heated handle grips then?

I fancy a quick shifter for the R1

lucky77

I love the styling and for me thats the best colour option.

Look forward to your full review

Welshman

My reply to anyone who says that they're not sure about the headlights is that when you're riding it you can't see them

And yes, I did need heated grips yesterday.

And for £1 more you get the DTC and an extra 20-30 bhp etc. so it's definitely priced competitively.

Welshman

Review will follow but wait until some point after w/b 8 March when it's scheduled to be delivered.

san2000

I'll have 2!!

Paper Lawyer

Am I the only one who sees the irony in an R1 owner making such a comment?

Lovely looking bike but I think I'd have it in black