Moving to the sticks, practical needed bike for up to £8K
Discussion
Looks like it's finally happening, after umming and ahing for a few years my gf and I are moving from London to the sticks (well, 40 miles outside of London!) in a couple of months all being well. Looking forward to it loads but I'll be commuting in 2-3 times a week via train/car/bike depending on how the mood takes me, but for the latter I think I need something a bit more practical that my Street Triple R plus I fancy a change. Love the bike, looks great, sounds great but isn't massively comfy to sit on for long journeys even with a gel seat and the wind blast on motorways is a bit of a faff. Other considerations:
1) Think I want panniers or tail box as a fairly heavy rucksack for 20 mins through town is okay, but not for 1hr+.
2) Also quite like the idea of rider aids like ABS/TC if poss. While I'm reasonably handy at chucking a car about, on a bike I'm very cautious and having some aids as a safety net so I can learn to push a bit harder with confidence really appeals. Never had the guts to do it on my aid-free STR
3) Also quite fancy electronic adjustable suspension if in budget
4) Although the 105 bhp on my STR is plenty, you have to rev the nuts off it to get it which frankly I don't, so fancy something in the 1000cc+ range that I get the performance from a bit easier (pretty much the opposite of what I like in a car
)
5) Still needs to look good!
So, what say you BBers? Budget £4K-£8K. At the high end I think I might be able to stretch to a Multistrada 1200S which I don't think anyone has ever said a word against, but then you can also get a Sprint ST 1050 for half that or less which seems like all the bike you could ever need. Then there's the less pretty/sexy stuff like K1300Ss but which have all the toys and fall somewhere in the middle. Answers on a PH postcard....
1) Think I want panniers or tail box as a fairly heavy rucksack for 20 mins through town is okay, but not for 1hr+.
2) Also quite like the idea of rider aids like ABS/TC if poss. While I'm reasonably handy at chucking a car about, on a bike I'm very cautious and having some aids as a safety net so I can learn to push a bit harder with confidence really appeals. Never had the guts to do it on my aid-free STR
3) Also quite fancy electronic adjustable suspension if in budget
4) Although the 105 bhp on my STR is plenty, you have to rev the nuts off it to get it which frankly I don't, so fancy something in the 1000cc+ range that I get the performance from a bit easier (pretty much the opposite of what I like in a car
)5) Still needs to look good!
So, what say you BBers? Budget £4K-£8K. At the high end I think I might be able to stretch to a Multistrada 1200S which I don't think anyone has ever said a word against, but then you can also get a Sprint ST 1050 for half that or less which seems like all the bike you could ever need. Then there's the less pretty/sexy stuff like K1300Ss but which have all the toys and fall somewhere in the middle. Answers on a PH postcard....
snorky782 said:
Z1000SX....Ticks every box apart from the electronic suspension, but easy to adjust manually and no idea why you'd need it so readily adjustable.
I wouldn't need it so readily adjustable, just seems like a nice to have as I quite enjoy cars with different driver modes as you can change their character to suit your mood. Presume with bikes it's similar 
snorky782 said:
Mario149 said:
I wouldn't need it so readily adjustable, just seems like a nice to have as I quite enjoy cars with different driver modes as you can change their character to suit your mood. Presume with bikes it's similar
Not really. Plus if you're not that confident on a bike then there's little value in changing your suspension as you won't know what's going on. Well, if there's not a lot in it then we can downgrade that priority 
....I think the width worries may be a bit overstated. The bars on the STR are really quite wide, got to be something like 5+ inches wider in total than when I had a Daytona for the day which was a filtering weapon. Then add mirrors Also, I'm not a London bike commuter who looks for a gap the width of a fag paper and goes for it. If I take the bike from Putney to work in North Ken now it takes me 25 mins or so. I could probably shave 5 mins off if I filtered more aggressively and ignored the keep left signs on traffic islands, but it's too much stress and not worth it. I'm more worried about stuff like shonky gearchanges and heavy clutches like on the F800S I had which was a bit of a nightmare in traffic.
Also, I'm not a London bike commuter who looks for a gap the width of a fag paper and goes for it. If I take the bike from Putney to work in North Ken now it takes me 25 mins or so. I could probably shave 5 mins off if I filtered more aggressively and ignored the keep left signs on traffic islands, but it's too much stress and not worth it. I'm more worried about stuff like shonky gearchanges and heavy clutches like on the F800S I had which was a bit of a nightmare in traffic.spareparts, I see where you're coming from with your advice, but the whole idea of having some electronic aids like TC/ABS is to help me explore the bike's capabilities with more confidence on the road knowing I have a safety net. I've done a day at the Ron Haslam Race School, learnt some useful stuff, but I'm not about to start riding like I did there on the road without at least the psychological feel good of TC/ABS.
As for clever electronic suspension, as I mentioned in another post, it's not about absolute performance, but if it changes the character of the bike like it does on a car, I know I'll enjoy it Plus if I want to stick my gf on the back for a spin, it'd be nice to get it set up for both of us with just a button push rather than a tool.
Ref power, it's not about the absolute max power the bike produces, it's about what is available at any given revs for me i.e. torque. Your advice to learn to ride better is true, but it's also true for 99% of litre bike owners who could just get a 600 and learn to thrap it to death.
As for F800GT, I've already had an F800S. Fine for going up and down the motorway, nightmare in town with heavy clutch and its gear foibles. Not going there again!
As for clever electronic suspension, as I mentioned in another post, it's not about absolute performance, but if it changes the character of the bike like it does on a car, I know I'll enjoy it
Plus if I want to stick my gf on the back for a spin, it'd be nice to get it set up for both of us with just a button push rather than a tool.Ref power, it's not about the absolute max power the bike produces, it's about what is available at any given revs for me i.e. torque. Your advice to learn to ride better is true, but it's also true for 99% of litre bike owners who could just get a 600 and learn to thrap it to death.
As for F800GT, I've already had an F800S. Fine for going up and down the motorway, nightmare in town with heavy clutch and its gear foibles. Not going there again!
defblade said:
If you're planning to go litre+, there's simply no way you'll be exploring the limits of the bike while commuting (unless it's a Bandit 1200 
).
Totally agree (although I've never ridden a Bandit 1200 so couldn't pass judgement on that comment ). ), my phrasing was bad in hindsight. What I'm trying to get across is that I need to be able to commute on the bike, but if just going out for fun I might want to try and improve my skills, with the bike providing a safety net with ABS/TC etc. Do I need a litre+ bike to do this? Clearly not But like for a lot of people, the effortlessness of their power delivery appeals and the absolute performance is largely irrelevant. And if I can afford it, why not, life's too short In the same vein as no-one buys a Ferrari F12 because they'll actually be able to use all 700bhp+ to be faster from A to B on the road.accident said:
Mario149 said:
So, bit the bullet the other day and placed a deposit on a BMW approved used K1300S with Dynamics pack Should be arriving this Sat and I'm really looking forward to it, first bike change in 4 years 
big fairing ,tons of power,clever suspension. Should be arriving this Sat and I'm really looking forward to it, first bike change in 4 years what could possibly go wrong?
....specially after seeing your PH name!
Might have bought myself some new boots to go with it. And a helmet. Ooops. To be fair they were needed, sort of. Expensive week.....!defblade said:
You're going to love it. So easy to ride gently, so easy to ride very very fast
Sleep tight now, best get an early night
Sleep tight now, best get an early night
Actually really enjoyed my last ride on my street triple this afternoon. Think I'll be back on a triumph at some stage, if only for the triple noise
Haha! Unfortunately no! Bike arrived yesterday and I managed to get 40 mins on it before family duties kicked in again. Didn't manage to get out on it today unfortunately as had family round for lunch....booooo! First impressions are that it is everything I hoped for and I'm very, very pleased Had a doze on the sofa after my first ride and even had a dream about riding it Sporty, but very comfy and very easy to ride despite its size. I want to do a proper mini review of it and get some piccies up after I've spent a bit more time on it in a few days First commute through town on it will be tomorrow morning most likely, will be interesting to see how much (if at all) slower I am due to its width!
Shout out to Bowker Motorrad, delivery went off without a hitch, bike as described and in very minty condition. Chap who delivered it was also very helpful taking me round the bike, genuinely felt like I was taking delivery of a brand new item, customer service from them has been very good.
Had a doze on the sofa after my first ride and even had a dream about riding it Sporty, but very comfy and very easy to ride despite its size. I want to do a proper mini review of it and get some piccies up after I've spent a bit more time on it in a few days First commute through town on it will be tomorrow morning most likely, will be interesting to see how much (if at all) slower I am due to its width!Shout out to Bowker Motorrad, delivery went off without a hitch, bike as described and in very minty condition. Chap who delivered it was also very helpful taking me round the bike, genuinely felt like I was taking delivery of a brand new item, customer service from them has been very good.
Edited by Mario149 on Sunday 13th March 17:33
First week's ownership review: I bloody love my bike
Highlights:
- goes like a f*cking rocket, really difficult keeping it under 90mph
- sooo comfy
- very confidence inspiring, very stable. ESA works a treat although only really noticeable out of town
- looks awesome
- love the duolever front suspension, it great being able to grab a handful of brakes with nearly no front end dive
Lowlights:
- goes like a f*cking rocket, really difficult keeping it under 90mph
- footbrake very soft
- she's a big girl and more difficult to get through traffic than than my Street Triple, but probably only adds 2 mins to my 25 min commute if that.
Had to go in for a minor bit of warranty work this week and I had an R1200 R loan bike which got on my tits after about 20 mins - ridiculously light throttle and pretty much no wind protection. Engine was nice though, felt exceedingly light and nimble, would love to try the R1200 RS provided the throttle wasn't silly though. Anyway, when I got back on my bike it was like a hallelujah moment, had an awesome 30 min ride home, so pleased to have it back
Highlights:
- goes like a f*cking rocket, really difficult keeping it under 90mph
- sooo comfy
- very confidence inspiring, very stable. ESA works a treat although only really noticeable out of town
- looks awesome
- love the duolever front suspension, it great being able to grab a handful of brakes with nearly no front end dive
Lowlights:
- goes like a f*cking rocket, really difficult keeping it under 90mph
- footbrake very soft
- she's a big girl and more difficult to get through traffic than than my Street Triple, but probably only adds 2 mins to my 25 min commute if that.
Had to go in for a minor bit of warranty work this week and I had an R1200 R loan bike which got on my tits after about 20 mins - ridiculously light throttle and pretty much no wind protection. Engine was nice though, felt exceedingly light and nimble, would love to try the R1200 RS provided the throttle wasn't silly though. Anyway, when I got back on my bike it was like a hallelujah moment, had an awesome 30 min ride home, so pleased to have it back
Little update on how the K1300S is going....
I've done about 1300 miles on her, 90% of it commuting (50 miles each way, Hampshire <-> London, 1h10m each way) and most of that in the last few weeks. I only go to the office 2-3 times a week hence why not so many miles and I got uber lazy for a couple of months and only took the train (2 hours door to door
).
Bike is going great, seems to be a fantastic all rounder. Sporty enough for me in terms of riding position, but still very comfy. Engine is still hilarious but manages to achieve nearly 50mpg on my commute. I still always turn back to have a look at her as I walk away, and the feel and noise of firing her up early in the morning still makes me smile. Also fitted a Givi V47 top box (using method here http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=36186) which makes her really practical when needed. Shaft drive has also been brill, given that I'm so lazy I love not having to worry about a chain.
Only negatives I can think of are:
- ideally I'd like a a slightly bigger fuel tank, I can't quite squeeze enough out of a tank to do 2 return journeys which is a little irritating, so I either stop to refill what feels like an "extra" time or I top her up at home from a 5 litre can which probably takes longer truth be told! Although the silver lining is that it means our 2 lawnmowers are very well cared for given that they end up running on super unleaded
- dare I say it, the bike is almost too competent. Sometimes I half wish I had a naked bike again so that you felt the speed a bit more. Sometimes I wish it only had 100bhp so you had to work it at least a little bit to go fast. Would be great to have something like a Thruxton or R nineT alongside it as a complete contrast.
I've done about 1300 miles on her, 90% of it commuting (50 miles each way, Hampshire <-> London, 1h10m each way) and most of that in the last few weeks. I only go to the office 2-3 times a week hence why not so many miles and I got uber lazy for a couple of months and only took the train (2 hours door to door
).Bike is going great, seems to be a fantastic all rounder. Sporty enough for me in terms of riding position, but still very comfy. Engine is still hilarious but manages to achieve nearly 50mpg on my commute. I still always turn back to have a look at her as I walk away, and the feel and noise of firing her up early in the morning still makes me smile. Also fitted a Givi V47 top box (using method here http://www.i-bmw.com/showthread.php?t=36186) which makes her really practical when needed. Shaft drive has also been brill, given that I'm so lazy I love not having to worry about a chain.
Only negatives I can think of are:
- ideally I'd like a a slightly bigger fuel tank, I can't quite squeeze enough out of a tank to do 2 return journeys which is a little irritating, so I either stop to refill what feels like an "extra" time or I top her up at home from a 5 litre can which probably takes longer truth be told! Although the silver lining is that it means our 2 lawnmowers are very well cared for given that they end up running on super unleaded
- dare I say it, the bike is almost too competent. Sometimes I half wish I had a naked bike again so that you felt the speed a bit more. Sometimes I wish it only had 100bhp so you had to work it at least a little bit to go fast. Would be great to have something like a Thruxton or R nineT alongside it as a complete contrast.
black-k1 said:
As regards the tank range, has it had the filler neck mod done? If it has, it’ll have 1 or more holes drilled in the top of the filler neck. If not, do a quick Google on how to do the filler neck mod. It makes tank filling a lot quicker for the last 2 to 3 litres and can mean getting as much as another 2 litres (20 miles) into the tank as you can fill it right to the brim.
Don't think so, will take a look 
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff