Motorcycles
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@louisbosco Visordown has posted full details on the BMW HP4 Race.
215 bhp and 171 kg fully fuelled are the headline numbers.
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oh boy
that's the price of a new gtr35…. -
At about a fifth of the price of the HP4 Race, but with about half the horsepower, the R nineT Racer is surely better value. And leaves more money to buy denim afterwards.
There's a great comment from Ola Stenegärd, the bike's designer, about the lack of comfort.
"Seriously, there is always a great danger when you try to compromise too many wills and functions into one bike, the main message easily gets washed away. This bike is not about bags or long distance comfort - we have other bikes that cover this ground much better. This bike is about the looks and spirit of an old-school race bike. And I think that'll take you a long way, wouldn't you agree?"
Have you had a go on one yet @Sam?
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@Graeme
I'm currently trying to save my pennies up but they keep disappearing! I've not been for a ride on it yet although i did ride that BMW that came by a few months ago and it felt amazing. My bike at the moment needs an MOT so i can't get up to Alton to check it out… i could get the train but i've had enough of trains lately!Since owning a house i've found that you can no longer have fun! Or maybe i'm just doing it wrong? who knows... but i'm thinking next year i'll have something saved up for myself that WILL go on something two wheeled.
Thanks for the reminders though! You've become my main source of motorcycle news and inspiration
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I've avoided buying a house @Sam, largely because of real estate prices in London and Melbourne, so I can still afford a motorbike.
Glad you enjoy the posts.
I need to take a trip down to the local dealership to see the R nineT Racer for myself. It looks like they arrived here a fortnight ago.
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The new range of BMW motorcycles made it over to Australia a couple of weeks ago, and since @Sam hasn't been to see the R nineT Racer, I thought that I'd have investigate.
They even had a matching M4 DTM in…
One of the reviews said that it looks better in the flesh than in photos, and I'd agree. It's one of the prettiest bikes out there.
The seating position is very stretched out. It's reminiscent of the Ducati Sport Classic that I was tempted by some years back, and that @summ3rhays used to own. (You need another bike Mike!) I'm not sure how comfortable it would be over distance, but being long and lanky, it fitted me well.
It looks pretty straightforward to modify. The mirrors are mounted on the fairing subframe, and could be unbolted without leaving holes. The front indicators are on plastic fixtures that are screwed onto the oil cooler, again easily removeable. And the exhaust support could also be removed if you wanted to re-route it.
If I got one, the licence plate support would be the first thing to do. Rizoma offer a side arm mount that would clean up the back end, when paired with combined indicators and stop lights, such as the Club S or Leggera S. Bar end mirrors and indicators would tidy the front too.
The downside with the bike is that it's got bargain basement suspension and brakes, whereas the original R nineT is better equipped, particularly for the 2017 model year. I'd want to swap these for something like the Ohlins Retro 43 with a matching shock, and a Brembo M4 or M50 caliper.
It is a cool bike, and if I didn't have the Thruxton, I'd be tempted.
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I didn't think to get a shameless selfie. Next time I'm in I'll ask one of the staff to take one. I wouldn't mind taking it for a test ride too.
BMW don't offer suspension upgrades. A few riders have upgraded the original R nineT, Wilbers forks are popular, but I suspect that the S1000RR occupies the performance niche, and the heritage bikes are intended for hipsters.
Personally, I'd love to see a bike like the Racer with the new water-cooled Boxer, and the trick electronics from the S1000RR. There were rumours of a new R1200S a couple of years ago, but nothing ever eventuated.
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Perfect stretch of road to hit 10,000 miles. I was near Goblin Valley in Southern Utah.
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@Sam I got some shots of me sitting on the R nineT Racer today. Looking at your measurements, I'm an inch taller than you, but have 3" more in the inside leg.
The pegs are a few inches further back than on the standard R nineT, and the bars are slightly forward, but also down. It feels more spacious, and also bigger than the Thruxton.
I got chatting to an owner, who'd bought one in preference to a Thruxton. He really liked the bike.
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How tall are you, Graeme?
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@Streetwise Hercules I'm about 6'3" / 190 cm. I think that @Sam is 6'2".
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A few more from last weekend. It was stupid to venture out during a snowstorm. What I thought was going to be 10 miles of snowstorm turned into 90 mins. Definitely a learning experience. Thank god for heated grips.
Canyonlands National Park
Dead Horse Point State Park
Making friends
Dusty Wild Ones.
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Love to see some time-lapse video of you riding those roads @summ3rhays … if you have the means?
@Graeme Amazing! Thanks for doing that. My bike is getting fixed this week so hopefully by next week i'll roadworthy again and able to go up to Alton. Great to see someone tall on the bike though! I like my legs are short for my height so with a longer torso and long arms i might be ok. I'm always of the mind that no matter the bike i'll want to do long journeys on it… How long do you think you could stand to ride in that position for? and comfort-wise how does it compare to the Thruxton?
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@Sam I'm not used to riding with low bars, so I can't comment on whether they'd prove painful.
I've found the Thruxton a touch cramped in its stock state.. My longest ride so far has been about 100 to 150 miles, and I didn't ache after that. I'm wanting to fit the low bar kit, which drops them a couple of inches, but also pushes them forward a similar amount. That makes the seating position feel a bit more spacious, at the expense of more weight on the wrists.
The Racer feels a bit longer. I think that it feels a better fit than the Thruxton, but I've not ridden it yet. The best thing would be for you to take a ride on one. Get that bike back on the road!
The riding position reminds me of the Ducati Sport Classic that @summ3rhays had. Contemporary reviews described that as being akin to a medieval torture device, though when I sat on one years ago I thought that it was reasonably comfortable!
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@Sam:
Love to see some time-lapse video of you riding those roads @summ3rhays … if you have the means?
...
My GoPro was on the fritz. I'd like to get some video as well.
Yeah, I loved the Sport Classic, but torture was right. It was more low speeds than distance. If you kept above 75 mph the wind kind of held you up. City driving or low speeds was brutal. I'm still not sure how I put 20k miles on that bike.
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Love my new Shark Vision R helmet, it ticks all the boxes, it's light, has a good field of view and has a nifty internal sun visor which eliminates the need for either sunglasses or spunking 60 quid on a tinted visor which is going to get scratched over time. I wasnt sure about the chin strap system but it's so much easier and quicker to operate than a traditional D ring. It also has a de mist setting which opens and locks the visor a couple of mm.
Looks good too.
