The S1000RR rocks!

[David]

#3930

Well, for those of you who thought I was a 'Longhauler' for ever there is a new love in my life! I had read all the articles and lusted after the technology that might help keep an old fart alive on a superbike. Last June-ish, with the compliments of Experience Motorcycles I took a S1000RR for a decent test ride from Auckland to Wellsford and back via the windy bits, SH16 and Woodcocks Road, accompanied by Ingel on the K1600GT 6 cylinder. Having just stepped off my R1100RT/R1100S I couldn't ride it properly to save myself! 100kg lighter it is… Leave it in 'rain' mode said the salesman….who was I to care about 150 vs 193hp, my 'RT' was 90hp and the 'S' 106 with the Remus pipes ( what an awesome noise they made 🙂 ), and for those of us who have never ridden a sports bike before 150hp is truly orgasmic! I went home and had to answer 2, er 3 questions, could I ride it to my dear ol' Ma's place, Auckland to Levin, did it really hurt when my body was parked in that 'sportsbike position' and could I afford it? The first one was yes, no sore bum after a 300km test ride - must be good! Second, from the waist down the position was the same as the 'S', just the vibration was different 🙂 and the top half takes no weight on my wrists, the ergonomics on this bike are brilliant! The third answer was interesting. After telling everyone I met I loved the bike but couldn't afford it my wife took me aside and gave me a bit of a telling off, yes you can, she said, sell the other 2 and you can buy the RR!! A week later, after struggling with the concept I asked why she said I could when all other wives known to man tell their husbands to not be stupid and buy their grandchildren a safety trampoline or something! The reply was "well, you're getting old now and it's what you and your friends do." I was a bit taken aback about the old bit, 'old' people don't ride S1000RR's! The other bit was very true, my best friends I have met through motorcycling, occasionally they go off and do other things but they are still my best friends! And I loved my wife dearly BEFORE she ticked me off!After a few conversations with dealers Mount Motorcycles were prepared to trade both R1100's on a new S1000RR.What excitement, it was like I was the winner of the motorbike world cup or something (and I didnt even have to play the French to win 🙂 ), the emails ran red hot with joy 🙂 Arne, our Tauranga local, went to Mt Motorcycles and took pictures of the bike coming out of the crate and emailed to all. When it was assembled Darryl from Mt Motorcycles sent me another months worth of broadband of pictures of the finished article, ready to collect, complete with Akrapovic muffler, TPX speed limiter (aka radar detector) and 3M paint protection film from http://www.paintprotectionservices.co.nz/ . Alan came in on a Saturday morning to install it just before I turned up.To digress a little you may have thought I had 2 bikes to get 200km to the Mount? Well, my mate Graham bought a Ducati 1098S from Bayride at the same time and he offered to pick me up saying he would trailer his Duke home. Having dropped offf the RT I was gob-smacked when he turned up in the Porsche! No trailer? Here he said, you take the Porsche and I'll ride the Duke, it's such a nice day I had to drive the toy. I had never driven a sports car in my life and now I understand what the attraction is, what an absolute buzz! I drove it like I stole it and I still couldn't keep up with the Duke! So, then, a wee while later PeterZ, Ingel and I rode down/across to Mt Maunganui to meet Arne and pick up my new (I've never had new in my life) bike. It was limited to 7000rpm while running in, just ride it normally said Darryl. Yeah, right! This bike is a wolf in sheeps clothing, it totters around town in top gear at 46kph. I can stop at the traffic light, look down, and see I'm still in top gear!!!!!!  If my gonads were big enough I could roll on the throttle from 46 to 316kph in top gear, what an amazingly fantastic road bike it is. Aside from that, on the track I'm still learning to go fast, on my R1100S I would be doing 220kph at the end of the back straight at Pukekohe, this machine is going 220kph about a quarter the way along the back straight..... when I roll around Castrol corner and wind on the throttle it goes absolutely bloody ballistic! OK, back to the other facts, it arrived with Conti Sport Attack tyres, I'm now at 6760km, three track days and the odd road trip (yeah, right) and I have a track day left I think, they're fine, I cant complain about them. My two problems are the harshness of the suspension on the road and the lack of somewhere to put the drink bottle, LOL, you old R1100RT rider you! I've adjusted the suspension ( Mt Mcycles put me on the bike and effectively set it up for the track ) and it is 'almost' right for the road and a bum pack takes care of the drink. For you old longhaulers out there that think it's time for something new, an S1000RR fits the bill, make sure you get all the fruit, the S1000RR rocks!

[Mark Mackay]

#16275

Nice Little bike Dick,will it make it on another presedents/secatary ride on gravel roads in the middle of winter? 

[Robin]

#16276

Congrats Dick!あなたの"幸せな場所"を発見した！(You have found your happy palce!)

[Jim Young]

#16277

It's not a bad looker either (The bike I mean not Dick  8) )Nice write up Mr T

[Anonymous]

#16278

I liked your story too. Make a poor cycle camera bike Dick but who cares you won't have time for that kind of slow fun.Enjoy Brother , I know you will cause I have seen your face through the visor on your trials 😀 ;D

[Dave Ross]

#16279

Well done Dick, follow your dreams. It is an amazing machine. Well, I haven't ridden one, but your story has led me to that conclusion.

[Arne Rohde]

#16280

Dick, it was fun watching an 'old' guy waiting to get the keys to the whole candy store.  🙂If you need more space than the bum pack provides, then Hepco & Becker make small soft side cases for the bike. Available from Wunderlich and probably several other places as well.Most important question - have you ridden the bike to Levin and back yet to visit your dear old Ma? If so, did you survive?

[David]

#16281

Yes Arne, I rode it to Levin and back a couple of weeks ago, I wore a backpack which is not really ideal but it did the trick. On the ride down the suspension was a bit harsh on the body and after the Paraparas I was not enjoying myself. It turned out I wasn't stopping and hydrating often enough and after a decent drink and injection of chocolate I happily completed the ride, 579km from home. I came home SH1/27 to Matamata then cut through to Ohinewai due to time constraints and arrived back trying to work out how I could turn this into a proper Longhaul machine, LOL.  The buzz you get when riding far is different to the buzz you get when riding fast, the activation of endorphins verses an injection of adrenalin/fear! The Kaoko throttle friction device makes it very do-able on the right wrist, I see they've reduced the throttle tension on the 2012 model so hopefully this problem is prevented in the future.I'll try another tweak off the rear spring preload to try and soften the suspension a teeny bit more, the last tweak made a good difference and I'm still within the rider-sag tolerance, getting battered on a rough road rattles the fillings and blurs the vision!RichardK, it doesn't like gravel very much, gets a bit skittish in the loose stuff. I did once stand on the pegs and roll on the throttle but me thinks any attempt at motard style riding would scratch the bike  😮  The Gentle Annie would be fine as long as they haven't dumped loose chip all over it. 2600km in January including a trackday, cant do that on most pure sportsbikes that I know of.Thank you all for your positive comments, see you all on the road  8)

[Russell Taylor]

#16282

Blasted one around Ruapuna a few weeks back. Well, I thought I as blasting it, until I realized I had the thing in rain mode.It's 3 times the bike I need, so won't be owning one, but it' as sure a fun bike to ride. I bet it'd take me 2 years of track days to get anywhere near it's limits.I as in Jeff Grays the other day and the race bike as there. The REAL race S100RR. Not sure what it was in for, but it was an amazing piece of stripped down, Teutonic brutality.Good on you for taking the plunge.

[Anonymous]

#16283

Looking forward to seeing the race bikes in the flesh at the opening round of the World Superbike Champs in a couple of weeks time, be good to hear one of those things fired up in anger.Nice bike but you would have to surgically remove me from the machine and take me to a chiropractor if I had done a 600 K club ride on one of those.......It's not fair we should all be able to have at least four bikes each...bloody money gets in the way of everyones fun !!!

[Robin]

#16284

Hey Dick, viewing only!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqZe4ASEMdo&utm_source=Media+00&utm_campaign=ffb9c2f87b-Chris_Teach_McNeil_warehouse_movie3_5_2012&utm_medium=email

[Anonymous]

#16285

Hi Mate. Are you still enjoying it? I'm seriously thinking of taking the same plunge, mainly for track fun.

[David]

#16286

Absolutely loving it!  ;DThere is a trackday at Pukekohe this Sunday 22nd April and Hampton Downs 20th May, I'll be there.  8)

[Author]

Posts