geoffm
20th July 2008, 20:56
Well, I went and had a nosey at bikes since the Beemer k100RS-16v is soon to be the property of the insurance company...
I am 6'2" tall and 95kg (so that is where the pies went) - so finding bikes that fit can be hard. I find some sports bikes fit well and some are just impossible, as the joints don't take being folded up that well these days. Keep that in mind with the following comments on fit.
AMPS didn't have a demo of the ST, but Holeshot did - a new red one. By new, I mean 12 (count em - 12) km on the clock, so I took it out for a quick ride. Being so new, giving it a proper revving wasn't an option out of consideration to the future owner, so I kept around the recommended limits.
This was hard, as it is a motor that likes to rev. The motor is a beauty, wanna go? just open the throttle and you do, smooth and effortless, anytime anywhere, and you can make good speed on real roads as a result. The motor really is fantastic, and sounds good too. I would have liked to rev it out -it showed so much promise of good things to come.
Handling was good, with the bike tracking well over bumps and going exactly where you want to. This bike could frighten some more sporty machinery when ridden in anger.
The 07-08 model has higher bars and screen than the 05-06, and I would say they are pretty good for a long trip. Mirrors are better than the funky shape would lead you to believe, with a good rear view and stayed clear throughout.
Things I didn't like:
The seat was the main one. The distance between the pillion hump and the tank isn't that big and it locks you into position without being able to move and it slopes into the tank so you slide forward. I really wanted anothe rcouple of inches further back - I had more space on a R1. Dodgy hips make this more noticeable for me these days than when I was younger, and a Corbin or Rider seat might fix it. The Blackbird seat at Cyclespot next door was noticeably roomer, but with lower bars. VFR was a pretty damn good fit as well.
Minor niggles:
The underseat exhaust fires heat over your right leg in traffic. Not a biggy, but noticeable. They have added more heat proofing to the exhaust over the 05-06 model after complaints the pillion seat got to hot.
The gearbox was notchy and a bit clunky - this is probably more a case of being new. Ditto a bit of snatchiness in traffic (of which there was plenty) at low revs.
It comes standard with the panniers (a good selling point), but IMO they are nowhere as good as the BMW ones, which I will admit have Tardis like proportions, if somewhat boring appearance. The later (K1200+) panniers weren't as good, with a big cutout for the upswept exhaust. The BMW ones attach at 3 points, giving a solid mounting, the Trumpy ones hook over the top rail and that's it. I don't know if it is an issue in practice. The Trumpy ones look better, with colour match painting, but doesn't have the rubber bump strips of the BMW luggage. Wonder how it stands up to the bangs that luggage gets? The official Triumph top box is extra - $1100 extra! I think a Ventura packrack bracket, homemade adapter bracket and Givi top box would be the go as long as the panniers still work, if not as sharp looking.
The ride wasn't long enough to really make a proper judgment, but I really wanted to like this bike. The only thing that I really had against it was the seat and position. I think it needs a longer ride to be sure...
List price is $21k + ORC and includes panniers, plus I would add things like heated grips and a packrack for daily use - say another $1k fitted. ABS is a theoretical option for another $1k. They don't bring the ABS version in, and if you wanted it, it would have to be ordered in with a delivery of 'who knows when".
Other bikes in this market area include a number which are cheaper:
Honda VFR800 or Blackbird ($17k + $1500 Givi racks) - i think the Bird is only second hand and Honda don't have a replacement listed.
another BMW ($33k - yeah right!)
1250 Bandit ($14k ish with bags - prefer the ST although the bandit is undoubtedly value for money)
Maybe a Busa ($21-23k + bags)
and probably some others.
BTW good service from Holeshot (which is coincidentally where the BMW came from 8 years ago). No worries taking the bike out, so long as I was back by closing time. The same policy worked to make me me the Beemer before...
Another dealer, who shall remain nameless although has a similarity to a WW1 pilot, in previous times before I bought the Beemer insisted that I follow a certain route, about 7km long. Not a good way to test a big bike when you can't get out of first gear and so it was no sale when I was seriously looking.
Seriously people, you can't expect someone to drop this sort of coin without a proper test ride. No demo, no sale, end of story. It is a cost of doing business. i buy bikes to keep for a long time, if only as I cannot afford to replace them, so a bad decision is around for a long, long time and cost s a lot of money.
Anyone have any comments on Triumph parts prices and availability and ease of DIY servicing? I have heard bad things about Triumph NZ, and how they would put BMW extortionate prices and service to shame. US & UK prices didn't seem to bad for typical bodywork parts I looked up on the 'net. NZ does tend to be ripped off in this regard.
Geoff
I am 6'2" tall and 95kg (so that is where the pies went) - so finding bikes that fit can be hard. I find some sports bikes fit well and some are just impossible, as the joints don't take being folded up that well these days. Keep that in mind with the following comments on fit.
AMPS didn't have a demo of the ST, but Holeshot did - a new red one. By new, I mean 12 (count em - 12) km on the clock, so I took it out for a quick ride. Being so new, giving it a proper revving wasn't an option out of consideration to the future owner, so I kept around the recommended limits.
This was hard, as it is a motor that likes to rev. The motor is a beauty, wanna go? just open the throttle and you do, smooth and effortless, anytime anywhere, and you can make good speed on real roads as a result. The motor really is fantastic, and sounds good too. I would have liked to rev it out -it showed so much promise of good things to come.
Handling was good, with the bike tracking well over bumps and going exactly where you want to. This bike could frighten some more sporty machinery when ridden in anger.
The 07-08 model has higher bars and screen than the 05-06, and I would say they are pretty good for a long trip. Mirrors are better than the funky shape would lead you to believe, with a good rear view and stayed clear throughout.
Things I didn't like:
The seat was the main one. The distance between the pillion hump and the tank isn't that big and it locks you into position without being able to move and it slopes into the tank so you slide forward. I really wanted anothe rcouple of inches further back - I had more space on a R1. Dodgy hips make this more noticeable for me these days than when I was younger, and a Corbin or Rider seat might fix it. The Blackbird seat at Cyclespot next door was noticeably roomer, but with lower bars. VFR was a pretty damn good fit as well.
Minor niggles:
The underseat exhaust fires heat over your right leg in traffic. Not a biggy, but noticeable. They have added more heat proofing to the exhaust over the 05-06 model after complaints the pillion seat got to hot.
The gearbox was notchy and a bit clunky - this is probably more a case of being new. Ditto a bit of snatchiness in traffic (of which there was plenty) at low revs.
It comes standard with the panniers (a good selling point), but IMO they are nowhere as good as the BMW ones, which I will admit have Tardis like proportions, if somewhat boring appearance. The later (K1200+) panniers weren't as good, with a big cutout for the upswept exhaust. The BMW ones attach at 3 points, giving a solid mounting, the Trumpy ones hook over the top rail and that's it. I don't know if it is an issue in practice. The Trumpy ones look better, with colour match painting, but doesn't have the rubber bump strips of the BMW luggage. Wonder how it stands up to the bangs that luggage gets? The official Triumph top box is extra - $1100 extra! I think a Ventura packrack bracket, homemade adapter bracket and Givi top box would be the go as long as the panniers still work, if not as sharp looking.
The ride wasn't long enough to really make a proper judgment, but I really wanted to like this bike. The only thing that I really had against it was the seat and position. I think it needs a longer ride to be sure...
List price is $21k + ORC and includes panniers, plus I would add things like heated grips and a packrack for daily use - say another $1k fitted. ABS is a theoretical option for another $1k. They don't bring the ABS version in, and if you wanted it, it would have to be ordered in with a delivery of 'who knows when".
Other bikes in this market area include a number which are cheaper:
Honda VFR800 or Blackbird ($17k + $1500 Givi racks) - i think the Bird is only second hand and Honda don't have a replacement listed.
another BMW ($33k - yeah right!)
1250 Bandit ($14k ish with bags - prefer the ST although the bandit is undoubtedly value for money)
Maybe a Busa ($21-23k + bags)
and probably some others.
BTW good service from Holeshot (which is coincidentally where the BMW came from 8 years ago). No worries taking the bike out, so long as I was back by closing time. The same policy worked to make me me the Beemer before...
Another dealer, who shall remain nameless although has a similarity to a WW1 pilot, in previous times before I bought the Beemer insisted that I follow a certain route, about 7km long. Not a good way to test a big bike when you can't get out of first gear and so it was no sale when I was seriously looking.
Seriously people, you can't expect someone to drop this sort of coin without a proper test ride. No demo, no sale, end of story. It is a cost of doing business. i buy bikes to keep for a long time, if only as I cannot afford to replace them, so a bad decision is around for a long, long time and cost s a lot of money.
Anyone have any comments on Triumph parts prices and availability and ease of DIY servicing? I have heard bad things about Triumph NZ, and how they would put BMW extortionate prices and service to shame. US & UK prices didn't seem to bad for typical bodywork parts I looked up on the 'net. NZ does tend to be ripped off in this regard.
Geoff