Motorcycle and Scooter appreciation

Multistrada?

Obviously fairly outside your remit but also oddly ticks boxes...

Totally don't agree dude. Better to wait a little when the circumstances change. Having had two bikes nabbed so far (one being a triple), I can wholeheartedly say I'd rather defer. It's not pleasant, and leaves a bitter feeling for a long time.

My first bike was recently found in Bulgaria. The costs to bring it back are astonishing and Police wanted nothing to do with it.

@Nahguavkire SO hideously awesome!

@PhilDAS Why not a Triumph Sprint? They go for well cheap and it's a triple to boot! Come to think of it, I'm gonna go ebay this shit.

So damn ugly though

Hmmm. Sprints do look good but I’m not sure I’m ready for a litre bike

I’ll look into it! Cheers

More a tounge in cheek comment really although do agree with you. Personally if I couldn't lock my bike up out of sight not sure I'd own one, or certainly one I cared so much about. Fortunately haven't had anything valuable nicked, must be horrible.

I’ve got a hefty oxford chain and lock that goes through the back wheel to a ground anchor on the street, a smaller oxford chain that locks the rear wheel to the frame, a short kyrptonite chain around the front wheel and a big disc lock on the front wheel.
Steering lock, in gear.
The fear is real.

Bloody hell, that's a reality check.

There used to be a guy across the road who parked an R6 on the street with no lock so I just used to park next to him safe in the knowledge that it would be his bike that got nicked and not mine but it hasn’t been there in a while.
Probably did get stolen.

If you've ridden a 600, you're ready for a litre. It's really not that much different. obviously power transfer is at warp speed, but the reality is actually just more usable power. It's not outright "BWAAAAAAARGH'.

It sort of is...in a way.

I was initially apprehensive about doing a tour on a Multistrada 1200 with a pillon, but it ended up being an utter delight. I'd go as far as saying angry 600's are more wild than potent but relaxed 1000's.

@jambon ah, fair fair, I apologise for jumping the gun. It's a pain worrying all the time. Last thing that got stolen was the muffler. It wasn't even anything fancy, but replacing it was just a hassle.

I just googled it, saw 123bhp and 160mph top speed and thought nah. I would have that around a tree in a heartbeat I reckon.
The 750 is a beast already, 104bhp, 0-60 as quickly as you can hold on

@PhilDAS great analogy, in some respect you've got to give it to the theives if they're successful with all the locks.

@Chak must get tiring very quickly always being on edge, I was like this with my 125 back in the day. Agreed even if it's replaced still must leave a bitter taste.

That's the thing. I thought the same, but you won't. With a pillon, your hooliganism drops several notches, and the bike simply won't allow you to be as much of an muppet as you normally are (I say the same for myself). They'll be far more softly sprung, and the power delivery isn't as brutal as you might expect.

Go test ride some bikes fam. Guarantee you'll change your mind.
It was @Jung that gave me the idea to go test bigger bikes.

@jambon I really really want something nicer (Tuono!) to spin up on a Sunday morning, but it's a reason I still have the SV. It still makes me smile, and it's shit looking enough sumbags will ignore it.

With precious cargo on the back I could ride a twin turbo busa around under the speed limit no problem. I’ll mess around on my own but not when the boss is relying on me.
I do want to test some bikes but I just feel awkward about going to view private sale bikes and then saying no. I feel like there’s an expectation to buy if you’re coming to view it.

London fucking sucks for bike theft. I can leave my XR (with no ignition key at all - kick and go) parked in Hollywood for lunch entirely confident it will be there when I get back. It's incredibly refreshing.

Holla holla son, I'll come with.

Okay sweet. Might hit you up.
I bought some fizik bar tape off you before, you remember? I came to Evans, soho (noho) way

This unfaired look seems a bit ugly around the radiator. Maybe it looks better from different angles. The radiator looks like it was designed to be hidden.

Is it in the F range? I've been keeping an eye on that range to see when it might work money wise for me. I didn't realise the one you're looking at comes in under £3k, that's been my sort of magic number too. I guess the faired version is more expensive.

I quite like the idea of the new G310GS for a town bike. They're £5k new though so a few years from now they might be a good choice.

I think the problem with the 800 class is higher revs if you're doing a lot of motorway mileage. It's really much more powerful than you need in town but nice to have that power in reserve.

You are living the dream. It's the worst time I've known in London for bikers. Partly to do with the rise in cycling for good reasons, cyclists need encouraging and protecting. It's left motorcyclists with very little space to play with though. Once you add the theft it's borderline worth it these days. Eventually I think the cost of insurance will stop a lot of younger riders from taking it up.

It's not just about coming back to find your bike gone, it's getting held up with a knife for the keys and maybe getting into a fight over it. I'm looking at the fun you're having in the desert and wondering what I'm doing living in c. London.

One or two of them are around the 3k mark
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-F-800-R/143189276400?hash=item2156bef6f0:g:onUAAOSwa2tcmzwu

It does definitely look like its missing a lower fairing now that you mention it

It's bound to be a decent bike to ride. It's particularly angular bodywork on that series, I think that's a style which we'll come to associate with this era. It goes very well with flip front helmets and textile suits. The popularity of the retro scene definitely shows that something is missing from the style of modern bikes.

I've never ridden a bike with that engine but I guess it will be quite quiet while it produces torque low in the revs. When people talk about BMW not being exciting that's a big part of it, they don't waste much energy getting the bike to tell you how excited you should be.

I think it looks a bit better in the photos from the ad.

Yah mon! Seems a lifetime ago! Just give me a shout and we can go check shit out.

@Airhead I've always been curious about those, but they've never really fit within any segment, so a bit of a dark horse. Not sure about the lack of fairings or at least a high standard screen; but they seem really strong and sturdy. Every time I see one, I do a bit of a slow down.

Theft, cameras and traffic lights killed a lot of the joy of motorbikes in London for sure. The 90s and the early 00s were SO much fun. Throw in how difficult and expensive the test is, ULEZ and it's a wonder anyone bothers to learn. A desperate shame considering the UK's motorcycling heritage and that they're a genuine solution to congestion.

That said, riding around the city here is boring as hell - surface streets are mostly dead straight and pockmarked worse than Baghdad. Drivers are so much more inattentive / distracted and accidents more frequent. It is extremely convenient though with the traffic and you can ride year round in comfort apart from a few days of rain. License is absurdly easy and insurance cheap.

Some great riding outside of town albeit inland sizzles in the summer. Desert season is more or less over now until October.

It is good though, no doubt. If I wasn't so paranoid about getting nicked for something I'd probably have more fun on the road!

I've only ridden in LA one day in my life so not much experience of it! Thing I remember is it took hours to get out of the city even on giant roads. We were there in April which was a great time for the weather. I really liked the west coast and the parks, just haven't had the chance to get back there.

Anyone starting in London today wouldn't have a clue how we all got away with the speeds we were doing. I would be embarrassed to be caught doing it these days.

Main issue I have with almost any of the modern BMW's is the carrying capacity across the pillion seat and the odd shaped panniers. Nothing has beaten the R80 style panniers and seat area for me, great flat loading area.