What a day! RSV4 then S1000RR, honest report.

[Beamish]

Took out the RSV4 from Robspeed in grimsby.........


I was given the usual quick control guide and how to select different riding modes (TRS Track, Road and Sport) then he says this is the party piece....
He starts it up and it sounds beautifully rough........then he says clutch in select 1st.........oh my god...... at this point a valve in the exhaust opens and a sound that can only be described as a NASCAR on idle erupts from the STD exhaust!!!!! I cant believe the noise from this beast is legal. Got to be the best sounding bike on the road bar non. Anyhoo.....
Handles brilliantly loads of grunt above 4K and sh** loads above 7K. Switchgear didnt feel like it was built to last and the dash didnt really tell me I was sat on 12.5K worth of bike.
+ Noise, weight, handling, comfort (suprisingly), road useability.
- Brakes (could just have been the test bike though), switch gear.

Overall it is a stunning bike and the test ride will remain in my memory for ever! Still in the running if the dealer can convince me that they will be reliable.

S1000RR taken out from Astle (Grimsby)


Oh my fookin god! Bear in mind I have recently owned an 09 Blade and currently run an SP2 and have just jumped off an RSV4 prior to riding this ............ This bike is a BSB on the road. The first time I took it past 7K then past 11k I thought someone had slipped magic mushrooms in my tea. This bike is soooooo fast, 110mph power wheelies the handling is perfect, the brakes are absolutely stunning, the quickshifter/ABS/antiwheely works when required and with 190+ at the back wheel (I am telling you this is 190 at the wheel not the crank) it is truly needed. I never thought i would say enough is enough but this bike is not useable on the road.........problem is, I found myself getting addicted to this new rush! The NASA like take off from 7K feels like god is pushing you from behind with a massive Monty Python hand! 198BHP is ENOUGH!

Will I be buying one.............No, it is the ultimate IL4, the rest may as well pack up and go home, how the hell can Yamaha ask the same cash for their R1? . The Ducati and RSV4 made me feel special, the S1000RR made me feel like taking up racing! It is toooooo fooking fast for the road and you need to be above 7K to feel any rush of performance.
+ Power, Power, Power, brakes, handling, electronic package.
- Neutral was a bitch to engage (could just be test bike) noise (there was nothing until 8K) No mid range at all compared to twins V4s, too fooking powerful for the road. Sure fire jail sentence for anyone that likes to enjoy over 50% of a bikes performance.

[benny hedges]

so you wouldnt recommend a smaller front sprocket on the beemer then lol
just what i wanted to hear - nice one

the rsv though, that tail would have to go imo, looks sh1t!
have you taken out an r1 with the new engine btw?

[Beamish]

No, cant stand the look of em. Not one good angle as far as I am concerned. Shame as I loved the 2001-05 R1's

[Jbrebel]

So whats the in the running then Jim?

RSV4, Ducati, C90?

What about the RC8?

Those Ape's do look very tasty indeed-one pulled up last weekend whilst I was out with a Termi on it. Agree about the noise-epic

Heard the tank range can be worse than the SP though probably down to bad fuel mapping.

The BM'er sounds crazy very nearly took one out from Rainbow the other month when I borrowed that GS. They look very interesting...

Cool write up-nice one Enjoy

[Beamish]

In this order
Second hand 1098/848 Ducati
Keep my SP2 and add something cheap with touring ability.
Something completely leftfield that goes quick but will tour comfortably (who knows what make)

Sorry, the more bikes I try the more I appreciate what I have already got and the more confused I get about what I want from biking .

That K1300S was a revelation. Blindingly quick and loads of gadgets to play with Just not sure I am ready to hang up the sliders

[Jbrebel]

Sorry, the more bikes I try the more I appreciate what I have already got and the more confused I get about what I want from biking

Snap

After riding a couple of bits (not that I'm in a position to swap or change) I feel exactly the same.

I really enjoyed the KTM-it was superb. Is it 4 grand better than the SP? No'p

[Beamish]

Jb the funny thing is the stealers have offered me between £4900 and £6K bit of a variation. You can sort of tell which marques of bike are struggling to sell! The guy at the Ape dealers said they just cant shift the r1's not suprised really when they are priced the same as a Ducati/BMW/Ape and 1K more than a Blade.

[Jbrebel]

I suppose they'd look at putting yours back up at 5-6 if you px'd. And I bet the SP would sell pretty quick.

Was talking to a guy with a Storm yesterday and we were on about buying/selling. He said "if I were you I'd just keep the SP and buy another bike-you don't see many..."

I'd already thought that anyway-riding other bikes and reading genuine reviews of stuff just makes that view even stronger. I reckon I'll keep saving my pennies and buy a cheap "do it all" for crappier weather/general running round/commutes.

Loads of stuff avaliable for peanuts.

Maybe you might be better keeping the SP and doing similar (obviously something newer/better suited) how much £ would you want to chuck at a second bike? If you don't mind me asking?

You could still get something really tasty that's a bit different

[sirch345]

Well done Jim nice write-up. It's good too hear your opinion on these two bikes. I must admit the RSV4 has always looked good to me, so it was even more interesting reading your experiences.

Just to throw the spanner in the works, I bumped into an old mate of mine last evening at one of our local bike meetings. He's now got a Ducati 1198 and rates this bike very very highly. He should know what he's talking about as he used to race at the IOM (previous bike was 999R).

Here's his bike:-


Chris.

[Beamish]

Arrrrgggghhhh Chris! Its the 1098/1198/848s looks and the test rides that are making me even consider changing bikes. I just dont see any down side bar the outlay of cash.
1. They are now reliable
2. Residuals are v good
3. Up to date more modern SP (IMO)
4. Good local dealer
5. Brilliant to ride with great fuelling and sublime handling.
My ideal would be a 1198 sat next to a ? (GS/K1300S/BUSA/ZZR/SMT) see what I mean....... I cant afford that combo so the SP might have to be my Duke then find something like an older Busa or BM or Kwak for the long hauls. I have a feeling that I will just have to own a Ducati once in my lifetime to be truly happy.

[sirch345]

Arrrrgggghhhh Chris! Its the 1098/1198/848s looks and the test rides that are making me even consider changing bikes. I just dont see any down side bar the outlay of cash.
1. They are now reliable
2. Residuals are v good
3. Up to date more modern SP (IMO)
4. Good local dealer
5. Brilliant to ride with great fuelling and sublime handling.
My ideal would be a 1198 sat next to a ? (GS/K1300S/BUSA/ZZR/SMT) see what I mean....... I cant afford that combo so the SP might have to be my Duke then find something like an older Busa or BM or Kwak for the long hauls. I have a feeling that I will just have to own a Ducati once in my lifetime to be truly happy.

Yes I agree Jim, it is the 1098/1198/848s looks.

I also think you may be better off keeping the SP and adding another bike to it, unless you win the lottery of course

Good luck with it,

Chris.