Very close to ordering and just wonder if any one has had a ride on the 1200r and if so their thoughts. Obviously lots on Utube re journalists but wonder about the thoughts of 'real people'.
Saturday will be a great day! Please let us know first impressions. Expecting mine, as said, end April or May but getting the odd wobble. Love Ducati's but wondered about test riding the BMW s1000r but can only compare to my ride on the Monster 1200s!
Although the most logical / practical bike for me to get (having a BMW car), the S1000R just didn't do it for me. I CAN'T get over those god awful headlights !!
Had a ride on the s1000r yesterday! Went like a bullet-but not for me. Exhaust sound horrid, very high revving and looks do not have the wow factor. Nevertheless if many years younger would be a very exciting bike to have for 11k. Spoke to one of the dealers yesterday who had the 1200r on the roads of Cannes on a Ducati invitation day and he said it was amazing- handles and corners superbly, relaxed ride if needed- and nothing but praise. Will wait to hear Ian's report.
Rode a 1200R this morning at the Ducati roadshow. I dont think you will be disappointed. Its a sportsbike with a slightly more relaxed riding position and a peach of an engine. I don't think i have ever ridden a quicker accelerating road bike engine, something confirmed to me by the Ducati employee who rode with us who said last weekend in Wales it was quicker than all the other bikes there from 60-90mph roll-on including the 1299.
I'm looking forward to seeing it compared to the current crop of super-nakeds. Can't help feeling the M1200R is still lacking when in comparison with its peers, but hope to be proven wrong.
Key thing here is usability imho. Lots of peaky and powerful engines, but the one that is most usable will be the fastest on the road. I had a ride on the latest 2016 Speed Triple R last weekend, and although it is significantly down on paper compared to the 1200, it was absolutely brilliant. Quality of finish on the latest Speedy is a real step up too. I'll be looking to try the big Monster for comparison, but I can definitely recommend trying the new Speedy. 135hp is a sweet spot for any road bike really to make fast (and often illegal) progress.
Every time I see this, it looks so angry! By contrast does anyone think that the BMW 2 series (from the front) is apologising for the way it looks?
I do really like the KTMs but they are silly money for what they are, they don't look and feel like a near £15k bike and lose money so quickly. I bet the M1200R holds its value far better. KTM overhyped it with the marketing and the reports since have not matched the hype.
Well, here is me picking up my M1200R. Still getting used to it but smooth as you like engine and fluid riding with my limited miles. I've not ridden for 27 years, so getting used to things slowly Lol. Restricted to 6000 revs for 620 miles, but that's not an issue at the moment.
Usability v 'peaky/difficult' engines. I want the latter. For me a super-naked should be an angry bastard that needs thought to ride. I hung onto my 1098 streetfighter waiting for the next revision, that didn't come. Appreciate I'm not where the current market is. Speed Trips are great bikes, but I always wanted more!!
You haven't ridden one then...? They're 14K not 15 and I paid 12 for mine - end of year discount. Suddenly that makes it very competitive, which is why I bought it. (KTM dealers are good for discounts if you time it right). In terms on performance they're not over-hyped at all. Its an astounding engine. My Streetfighter since having engine tuning work done makes about the same bhp but even though it pulls like train it can't match the KTM's torque. 105 lb/ft at 6500 rpm (it revs to 9800) says it all. Its got 80 lb/ft at 2000 rpm and it ticks over at about 1400. Its not so much what its got but where its got it which is bang in the middle of the rev range, exactly where you ride on the road. The mid-range thrust is mind bending. It is still the fastest roll-on accelerator MCN have ever tested. And the chassis is a joy. I'm not knocking the 1200 M. I'm sure its a great bike. But the 1290 would have been a game-changer if it had been 2 grand cheaper. The reason it isn't is because it was a ground-up new bike from chassis to engine. None of the parts were sourced from existing models. Those bikes are very expensive to produce. The 1290 Super Adventure and 1290 GT are 16 grand but they every it as trick as an MTS PP. Which again makes them pretty competitive. But one thing I'll say for KTM is that you generally get the full spec. They don't play the extras game to load the bill. Ducati seem to have inherited that trick from Audi. Whether KTMs are your cup of tea or not, they've upped the game in many areas and put a bit of a rocket under other manufacturers backsides. That's good news for everyone, whatever they ride.
