Shorter? Not a fair test..the power was off. So you cannot select preload. One non skyhook and one sky by hook to sit on. Both felt the same is skyhook, so no I cannot confirm OK. I don't like the finish, decals nor control... Feel mass produced and cheap. Exhaust valve appears identical to 2010- 2013 machinery. Cables still rub on front fork leg. BMW RG style controls, so an improvement for winter gloved hands, not pretty or required if you have heated grips. Dedicated hazard button, so we probable won't get a software fix? LcdScreen is a big improvement as are m4 brakes !! Engine demo and spec look great. I've a 2013 pp and nothing visually indicated I should change.
Had a good look over it Paul and you could see the changes it did have the lower seat on it, but then show bikes do seem to be shackled to the floor, so do feel lower, the switch gear was notibly different, a tank pad, & the beak at the front, oh and the led lights, subtle changes nothing like stepping from the 1000 Multi to the 1200 like Count said,
Sorry did they make you leave your guide dog at reception? All 3 of us sat on it and unless your 5"0 it was not very friendly, the screen would have sent the airflow at chest height, u couldn't see the clock, and as for the clutch pressure, you'd have needed to be Popeye, we sat on the black one sigh the regulator on display ( what was that about ) sorry just from sitting on it wouldn't want to ride it
Went today and it was bloody rammed. Could hardly get near anything interesting. Didnt even bother looking at Suzuki or BMW, but for different reasons. The Ducati stand was good and the new Multi looks nice, but the 1299 is lovely. Picked up a few things, but instead of buying a one piece Alpinestars from the show, I ordered it from Demon Tweeks as they couldnt match the Black Friday offer. Good to try it on though
I like it. Most of the things I would have wanted improved over the 2010-14 Multi have actually been dealt with, although a few things evidently have not. The styling is, I think, an improvement too. I have almost decided to get a new one next year.
Went on Friday. My other half sat on the new Multi (Skyhook and non Skyhook versions) and reckoned it was significantly lower than the current version. He test rode one of the early 1200 base models, and the height was one of the main things that put him off. Retro seemed to be a key theme this year (combined with the new wave custom/spirit of Shoreditch thing). The Ducati Scrambler - low seat, very narrow, light feeling (though there was only one you could actually sit on) - was not the only retro in town. A welcome development was the greater emphasis than I remember from previous years on lower capacity machines (sub 400cc) which actually looked cool/desirable rather than just being budget commuter machines or dull 125s to be ditched as soon as a test is passed. It seems the manufacturers might be waking up to the dogs breakfast of the current licencing laws and trying to win a new generation of customers. I'd never heard of Herald Motor Company but their little 125s and 250s, which want to be Triumph Bonnevilles and Royal Enfields when they grow up, seemed to be pretty zeitgeisty. No idea if they're any good! At the other extreme, we were interested to see the prototype electric Harley (project Livewire) - the other half was grilled by market researchers for his thoughts on it. A brave move from a marque normally wedded firmly to the past. Also on the crazy/futuristic spectrum was Kawasaki with the H2R - continuing the Transformers theme from the Z1000, all angular bodywork and rather cool green trellis frame. The real revelation for me was the CCM GP450 Adventure. Lightweight, BMW 450cc powered bonsai Dakar bike which, miracle of miracles, actually came with a super low seat variant that I could virtually flat foot. While I'm the sort of road rider that gets tense on a gravel car park surface, I could almost be tempted off road onto the muddy stuff by a bike like this. A further bit of good news on the short-arse front was that Paradise Motorcycle Tours NZ offer the BMW F700GS in their range, which comes in a low suspension/low seat variant which I could flat foot. New Zealand is on my biking bucket list - I can see an expensive holiday plan hatching ...
Great reply Mrs C you should write for MCN. Get your hubby down to seastar superbikes in Norwich, they do really good deals, And to get over your fear of gravel etc, join an Iam affiliated club and take the advanced test, Make the bucket list a reality, I did Sturgis a few years back
