s1000rr and s1000r impressions.

[Tim85]

So this will be of no use to the majority of you that either own or have ridden these bikes but i thought id give my two penneth to the world anyway and its always good to see some pictures of nice bikes.

So today i took out both the r and the rr for a couple of hours each for test rides. Ive always lusted over the rr since its arrival in 2010 as the biggest badest fastest thing since...erm sliced bread... but ive never ridden one only heard the hype and other owners experiences.


i took out the r first but it reads better if i do them the other way around. The s1000rr... i really thought id get off that bike and instantly swap the r1 for one. I wanted to. I love the look of the rr and the child in me likes the headline pub figures. Well ive never been so underwhelmed getting off a bike. It was noticably a fair bit faster than my big bang r1 but thats it. It was so bland and sterile with no character at all, and by the time you got to the exciting rush of power your 9k rpm plus and going way too fast for 99% of the roads... and in my case with your eyes closed screaming. It felt very stiff and obviously theres no doubts it makes the better track tool but as a road biased sportsbike id pick the big bang r1 everytime.

cool kid peace sign photo...





Now the big surprise of the day was the s1000r. Holy crap what a machine. I had a grin from ear to ear from the moment i set off to the moment i had to hand the keys back. I love the weird cockeyed look of the bike but i didnt realise how much of a confidence inspiring bike itd be. The only downside was that it really did make me drive like a dick everywhere. The elbows out sit up style made me feel like a hooligan and the pull of the 160 or whatever horsepower felt awesome right from 2k rpm. I loved it. The adaptive suspension seemed a bit gimmicky, i had a faff around and it made a noticable difference but soon just left it on the normal setting as race or dynamic what ever it was called had the bike skitting over bumps a bit too much.

If they had a 2nd hand one for sale id of been hard pushed not to swap bikes. It still had a little spark missing. I read all reviews and people saying oh theyre just too german and just do speed so well without effort and i can finally say i understand what they meant. I think its just after riding the big bang engine its just full of character, spins up so fast and just really does put a smile on your face everytime it revs. these two bikes for some reason just didnt give me the same buzz. The s1000r came very close but i think that was just the nature of having so much horsepower in a naked bike, but it still just fell short of the thrill i get from riding and hearing the r1.

I will say for a naked bike at 70 cough plus mph on the motorway the wind buffeting was excellent. It just cliped the top of my helmet and with a small screen would of avoided me completely. I didnt have flopping neck after anyway.







Im still over the moon with this bike and just wish it was spring already so i can get more use out of it.

[Tim85]

Fred Leicester said:

Thanks for this Tim85. I haven't yet tried an RR, let alone an R, but having tried a number of different bikes last summer to replace my CBR I've been left a bit underwhelmed by them all.

Perhaps it's time to try an R1.... Love the sound and if it has the character you say I can imagine loving one.

I really wanted to love the rr and if I could afford any track bike it'd be one in a heartbeat. I don't think the r1 is for everyone but personally I love it and can't think of a better road bike engine. I'd definitely try one before you buy something though.

And the single r is just an incredible road bike. I'd have one tomorrow if I could afford two bikes

[Tim85]

blade7 said:

I had a similar thoughts about the S1000RR after test rides in 2011/13 but it really does grow on you. Maybe you have to ride it differently to an R1 but it feels quick enough from 6k. They tend to loosen up after 2 or 3k miles and I'd be surprised if any R1 is a better road bike.

It's all horses for courses I guess. I would never say they're bad bikes by any means and theyre obviously popular so must be good. It's just the feelings i got after a 2 hour ride. I'm not saying it's slower than the r1 by the way it's obviously a fair bit faster I think it's just the power delivery is different and seemed very Tracey which this model r1 doesn't at all. The r1 feels like a fast tractor

[Tim85]

Don't know who Tracey is

[Tim85]

spareparts said:

The RR and R are fast bikes. But they just don't do it for me. The RR is boringly fast. As memorable as Valium, but an effective tool for going quickly. Great for journos and bike test comparos at Brunters. But as an ownership proposition when going 4-8/10s, there are many other more satisfying litre bikes which will be just as quick if not quicker.

The R is too light imho. A naked muscle/power bike should have power and loads of feel good. The R is clinical, it sounds and feels synthetic. It's too edgy, lacks fluidity. It dances, just not with you. Compared with a Tuono or SF1098 which have less power, the R will make you go OMG, just not with the same sense of feel good satisfaction. A lot of bike for the money tho.

This pretty sums up how I felt.
The way I explained it to my mates was the r felt like you had a stretched elastic band on the front of the bike and it just pulled you effortlessly into the distance. No drama no noticeable power band just endless almost electrical feel in the pull.

I really really liked the r. Almost loved it but there was just a tiny something making me not want to swap.

[Tim85]

chibbard said:

Spot on, I had a Fireblade before moving to an HP4 and would agree. Also, I like to know that my bike isn't likely to leave me stranded somewhere, which is why I didn't go down the Ducati route and as for the being bland/dull comments (well each to their own !!). I'm happy !!

This sums it up really.
Were in a lucky situation where we are spoilt for choice in the performance car/bike market. There really is something for all tastes.
To say the s1000rr is anything but an exceptional sportsbike is silly. It's obviously proved it's self in popularity /racing/pub figures and every other situation. Different strokes for different folks and all that

The point of this thread wasn't to bad mouth any brand or bike. I always thought I was a die hard inline 4 man and at the moment in my mind the rr is the pinnacle of machines available and I expected and wanted to love it and buy one. Having had the big bang for a short time I'm in love with the engine characteristics and maybe it's time I tried out a more modern v twin. I'm just scared as all that vibration usually turns those 'twinners' or 'twinks' as I like to call them a bit weird...

I do like the image above of two really rich guys debating which is worse a 911 turbo or gt3. What a first world arguement ha.