I had a 2 hour ride today. I currently own MY 15 GS and MY 15 MTS DVT. This is a ballistic sports bike with the all day comfort of a GS.....THAT'S THE ONLY COMPARISON WORTH MAKING WITH A GS IMOP. The GS IS WHAT IT IS....an easy riding all round competent ride with a punchy engine and brilliant handling in the Mountains. The engine is perfectly mapped/fuelled with immense smooooooooth 4 cylinder torque across a wide rev band. In 6th you can pull from 20mph, about 1300 rpm, to V-Max without any hesitation. Just smoooooth power delivery. At about 6000 rpm this thing takes off like it's been shot out of a cannon, below 6000rpm it gathers pace in a civilised manner with a growing and predictable surge. I was getting 40 mpg in mixed, using the revs, riding. I'm sure high 40's low 50's are possible riding the bike on it's torque. The gearbox quickshifter is so good that I would say it's nearly a must have if you like a bit of fun........so quick and slick. Manually the box is fine although there was some reluctance changing down but this bike had 350 miles on the clock. Clutch lever span is a stretch ( I take an XL glove) and needs a hefty tug. Ergo is fine with just a hint of forward lean for my long back 6' 2" height. I could flat foot my 31" inseam legs. The screen is OK with some wind noise but good for stock screen. Steering is very precise and predictable yielding a near sports bike agility albeit from a tall seat position......good feedback from the rubber and confidence inspiring. The brakes, front and back, are amongst the best. The front is immensely strong and easy to modulate......BMW just seem to be ahead of others with brake set up. By example my Ducati has the best Brembo callipers but the set up is average compared to BMW. Truly great brakes. The standard exhaust is a hoot and makes a great sound and the Agragoni option must be terrifyingly loud. Downsides. There is inline 4 vibes at 5000rpm (70mph in top) for 500 revs. Curiously the mirrors were fine and always provided a detailed view. I managed the vibes by either cruising at 77 mph or just riding through it.......I do think the bike would be better without the vibes but it's not a big issue for me but will be for some, the trade off of riding a brilliantly fuelled engine is more than worth it but that's me! Suspension gives good wheel control but both the front and more-so the rear shock kicked into overbanding and road surface imperfection and jarred my lower spine but I am used to Ducati's brilliant take on Skyhook magic carpet ride. It's almost like the rebound needs adjustment but I guess. So, for me, this is a bonkers road bike for Sunday fun and Mountain touring. A brilliantly fuelled engine connected to a perfectly integrated quick shifter and brakes. This bike does fill a new niche for BMW and makes good business sense. For the punter who wants a fast long distance all day comfy steed it makes sense too. Plus those Sunday fun runs will be a BLAST as well.
That is the question! Interested in your reply, I own a MTS skyhook and whilst I loved the DVT it's so much money! The BMW makes more business sense! I have a test ride on one coming up.
I have a S10000000000XR on order and due for delivery Mid July. I will take the MTS DVT to the Pyrenees for a 3000 mile trip late next week. This will tell me if it's a keeper.......I know the answer I think! I will take the BMW to the Alps first week in September and, again, this will tell me if it's a keeper......I do not know how that will work out! Both bikes are very different. I tend to buy bikes for the way the engine performs. If it draws you in and demands interaction and in return exhilerates then I'm happy. So my 'L' twin, Boxer twin and inline 4 all have different and rewarding character. However, from past multi-bike ownership experience, you tend to default to the one that you enjoy the most. Time will tell. Of course my wife may have an influence as well..........'why do you/we need 3 bikes and a Sports car?'. iT'S FOR FUN DARLING.
A bit difficult to compare these two bikes as they are really built for two different markets. One comes with dual purpose long lasting tyres, its built to carry two people comfortably with a large accommodating pillion seat and has a good carry capacity to make it possible, all whist have reasonable gearing that wont have the engine turning over at annoyingly high RPM at highway speeds. The other comes with pretty much the opposite, right down to having dedicated sports bike tires as standard. I would not be surprised if the XR was a bit quicker through the canyons, hell it should be as that's all it was really designed to do. I see it as simply a more comfortable version of the S1000R (which is a good thing, don't get me wrong) What would be a slightly fairer comparison is if you were to put the Rosso 2 tyres on the multi, I cant help but wonder how much of a difference that would make
That's a good summary that I can agree with. The MTS is deceptively fast with sharp handling. The tyres are pretty sticky with good feedback and much better than the old Scorpion tyres. I forgot to look at the XR tyres which also gave good feedback.
I can't help but feel this bike should have been a K1000S. Proper seat unit from the XR and a half or full fairing, normal height suspension. Ability to use the old K1300S/F800 panniers or the new ones from the R1200. I don't understand why the XR needs to be tall just because the Multi is. All these tall sport tourers have a whiff of piss-stained crimplene slacks and Yamaha TDM about them - the Tracers, those crap eco Honda things, the XR. Also while the S1000R is good value at 11K. 16K for the XR feels like a rip off given the build quality isn't great.
I had a GS Adventure for a few years, great bike only kinda let down by a lacklustre engine (it was a pre liquid cooled). I see the S1000XR more like a GS with a fast engine, or so I'm hoping. But looking forward to trying a multi as well.
I agree entirely, test rode the S1000R in anticipation of the XR and loved it, so much so that I would probably have gone for that instead of the XR. It's a huge price hike for the upright riding position. Then I rode the DVT, collect mine next week
My sentiments exactly. Had a sit on the xr at the NEC. Big disappointment tbh with the 'oversized' feel, when the s1000r felt so right in comparison. Big price difference as well for what? A few bits of fairing... A shame. My ideal bike would be a road orientated Multi/half faired flat bar sports bike, and that's what I was hoping the XR would be. Instead they seem to have followed the 'bigger is better' route. I cant be the only punter waiting for a comfortable flat bar bike with a decent weather protection half fairing, 150+ ish bhp, good handling and top spec components? Surely doable at around £12k as well. Seems to be a lot of naked bikes that would 'nearly' fit the bill with a bit of tweaking.. Tuono 1100? would need better fuel range + big screen. S1000R..half fairing Super duke..only needs a f#cking screen The japs offer a few bikes but they fall short on performance, desirability and components IMO.. Suzuki gsx1000 thing Kawasaki zx1ooo Out going FZ1s ( very capable with some suspension and performance mods)
I agree that there is a market for a touring bike but tallrounders sell in growing volumes.....it's just a different market and the manufacturer's chase growth segments. Thats just my take.
That's where my money would go if its quality was up to H2 levels. As it is, I'm having to suck up the power loss and will probably get an MV Turismo Veloce or R1200RS when I decide to sell my Pikes Peak this year.
I had a test ride today on the BMW S1000R and S1000RR to get to know the engine character to expect on the S1000XR. They also had the S1000XR at the BMW test centrum, couldn't ride it but got to have a closer look and a first feel on how it feels in the saddle. I also already had a test ride with the Ducati Multistrada with electronic suspension a few weeks back. Based on my test ride of today i think these two will be very close competition. I have a test ride booked for june 19th with both bikes and then will make a decision. First thoughts are these: + the S1000RR had the quick shift on it that the XR will also have. This will be a sales argument in favor of the BMW because it works beautifully up and down. + the engine in the S1000R which is the same as in the XR was super smooth but clearly couldn't hide its race background. It is an engine that loves to revv and makes a race bike sound when it does. This will make it perfect on the track. + the engine in the Multistrada as i remember was every bit as strong but sounds more bass. The engine also revvs high and is super smooth but it feels more relaxed if i remember correctly. This will make it more oriented to the normal road where i spend most time. + the exhaust on the BMW makes a lot of sound. It makes those small explosive sound when you close the throttle and it was hard to decide if it wasn't too much sound at times. Especially on the highway you hear the exhaust make a lot of sound at cruising speed. + brakes on the BMW and on the Ducati are same at the front and very good, rear brake on the BMW is excellent but on the Ducati almost non existent + suspension on the S1000R was with ESA but felt hard, even in comfort mode. The Ducati was much softer if i remember correctly. So my conclusions at the moment are these: BMW has these things going for it: engine smooth, quick shift up and down works excellent, excellent handling, GPS integrated in the design, good looking bike in red colour (except those side bag mounting bars which are ugly), good reputation, price lower then Ducati. But it also has these things going against: i hope the suspension on the XR will be softer with ESA, want to hear the exhaust sound if it is not too loud, delivery delay could be too long (if it is only available in september then i will not order this year). Ducati has these things going for it: smooth engine and more touring oriented, excellent handling, nice tft dash, very good suspension, even more beautifull then the BMW in red, side bags nicely integrated. But it has these points against: no quick shift possible, gps not integrated, higher price and higher maintenance cost, reputation for reliability not always very good. It still remains a very difficult choice between the two. Hope that the test drive in two weeks will make the decision easier if i can ride them on the same day.
Bridgestone battleaxe t30 are standard fit in the uk,looked today after my demo,was thinking of changing the Pikes Peak and moving away from Ducati just for a change,xr was top of the list,i am afraid being the shallow fecker i am i just cant see past the stuck on decals,massive exposed radiators,cheap looking silver handlebars and mirror stems,rough cast engine block to name just a few,keeping the PP and not testing the dvt as i know if i test ride one i will end up buying one.
Quite right! I am not a fan of dinky bikes for touring/ longish commutes ... I like the comfort of an adult sized bike not a mini moto..
I have been riding a BMW F800st for about 7 years and decided it was time for a change. Of course I love the F800st it is a great sport tourer, but my best mate bought a GS and I needed to step up a little. So I took a test ride on the S1000XR thinking it an obvious progression for me. However I wanted to test another machine before I committed,.. enter Multistrada. Today I test rode the 1200 Multistrada and after the ride I bought it.I simply didn't feel I wanted to do that after the S1000XR test ride. As others have said, the BMW is pretty much a perfect ride, so so smooth and very quick, the slick gear changes are amazing and the fact you can switch on cruise control in 5th gear for a 30 mph village pass is stunning. I'd say and said today the BMW is clinical. When I rode the Ducati my first impressions were, well its a twin and what ! You mean I have to change gear to get a smooth ride !! And ...its not a BMW. After about 30 mins I was thinking ..this machine sounds awesome and I am liking the feel of the bike,i thought its like riding a stallion !! Is that not why I ride a motorcycle ? To enjoy the thrill of taming a beast and making it do my bidding. I got back to the showroom and knew that this was the machine I wanted to ride. I hope I have made the right choice, i know the BMW is a fantastic machine but it didn't make me want to buy it straight away, the Multistrada did.
Patrick VN and trickyricky, great reports and very honest. I have to agree with your conclusions. Enjoy the ride!
Trickyricky i understand your points and i am certain that you are going to enjoy the Multistrada a lot. For me it is still in the middle. That's why i want to ride them together on the same day. Then i really can compare them on the roads i know and in the same weather. Still 12 days of waiting ahead for the final testdrive
