So I’ve had the bike for a week now. I needed to get some miles on it so that I could get the 600 mile service out of the way. I have some trips planned and really didn’t want to have to try to sort it out in the middle of them. A ride down to Dartmoor and a trip to Eastleigh to see a new client did the trick nicely.
Everything I mentioned before remains the same – the low centre of gravity makes the plot agile belying its weight. The smaller fairing and larger screen combo again, makes it feel smaller than it is. many of the on-board computer’s settings will probably prove to be little more than gimmicks – as, frankly, was the music system on the R1150RT. This time around, I eschewed that as I already know I’ll never use it. While I enjoy music when driving, when riding, it is a distraction. As I use it, I will see soon enough which settings are useful and which are not. One I immediately found useful is to have a digital speedo display. I got used to it on the Renault, so having it on the bike is a boon. I find myself tending to use that rather than the analogue display. On the other hand, a wet ride back from Devon saw me switching the mode from Road to Rain and, frankly, the difference was so subtle, I can’t say I noticed. Either way, the fly-by-wire throttle is responsive and the motor just keeps on pulling – even from low revs. But what else would I expect from a big twin?
I do like that fact that the scroll wheel on the left handlebar can also be used to set the SatNav. I opted for the BMW badged Garmin this time around. Garmin and BMW have been cooperating for a several years, but the version five is more integrated with the on-board systems. Sitting just above the instrument cluster, it is not only ideally placed in the rider’s line of sight, it is also spot on for my focus – as I now need glasses for reading and any closer is just a tad too close.
So there we were buzzing across Dartmoor and I was wondering just when the bike would go onto reserve. It did so at around 230 miles. Bearing in mind I had used it for a CBT check ride the previous weekend, I expected fuel consumption to be a bit lower on this occasion. Having filled up, it then went onto reserve again when the odometer was showing 497 miles. This bike is currently averaging in the region of 60mpg – a full 10mpg better than the 1150. And, no, I’m not hanging about. This was including urban riding, motorway work, dual carriageways and twisty single carriageways. For a large mile-burner this is very good fuel consumption and I’ve not seen anything like this from a machine this size for a long, long time. I’m impressed.
Overall, it’s early days but the portents are good. Improved handling, improved fuel consumption and a much improved gearbox. Yes, this is a very fine machine indeed.
I’m really glad that you like the bike LR, after spending that kind of money I can only try to imagine the sinking feeling that you would get as it slowly dawned on you that you hated it. Once when I was at my local Triumph dealer getting a couple of spare parts, I noticed what I thought was a Thruxton at the other end of the showroom. After making my purchases I wandered over to have a look and saw that it was a nearly new Moto-Guzzi in similar retro style to the Thruxton. On chatting to one of the staff, I learned that it had been bought by someone who decided that he didn’t like it and had traded it for a Triumph. I can’t remember which model but I think that it was something totally different like a Tiger. At the time I mused on the kind of person who could afford to buy a bike on a whim and then just trade it straight away because he didn’t like it.
I knew what I was getting. The likelihood of me not liking is is so close to zero as makes no difference. I know myself well enough to know what I like. I’ve never bought a bike and wished I hadn’t – well, unless you count the Aermacchi Harley Davidson bought for a few quid to tide me over until I was able to get my hands on my TR1. That was spectacularly awful, but I knew that and it was strictly temporary.