BMW S1000R
I’m really starting to rack up the miles on the Beemer now, and I’m still loving it. I thought maybe the novelty of having a bike for the road might wear off a bit, but I guess that could change if I get caught out in the rain. Thankfully that hasn’t happened yet, so for now it’s still filling me with excitement when I know I’m going for a ride… I just love being able to jump on it and get somewhere in half the time, and that smug feeling of passing queuing cars puts a massive grin on my face!
Now that the nights are drawing in rapidly, I have been caught out on a few night-time rides – a first for me and an interesting experience, to say the least. It makes you ride completely differently; even with a clear visor, the glare from the oncoming headlights is the most bizarre sensation... the first time, the double vision was so off-putting that I thought I was tripping out on something. I think my biggest fear is if a rabbit, pheasant or a deer jumped out in front of me – you just wouldn’t see it coming. But if it’s going to happen, there’s not a lot I can do, whether it be daylight or darkness.
Obviously, the headlights don’t go round the corners so you have to be much more cautious, but I will say that the BMW lights are absolutely brilliant in a straight line. Its biggest let-down, though, is that the bike would really benefit from having backlit switchgear! I had a fuel warning light pop up on the dash and I couldn’t see the buttons to know which one I needed to press to clear the warning. I ended up fumbling around with whatever my thumb touched first, which resulted in a load of other icons flashing up on the dash… not what I needed. The switchgear on the S1000 isn’t the most simplistic at the best of times and I still haven’t done enough with the bike to know exactly
what’s what, but other than that, it was alright in the dark… and I’m especially loving the heated grips.
I’ve been riding a modern sportsbike all week so it really was a treat to jump back on my termer. Back-to-backing a sportsbike to a naked really highlighted the brilliant riding position of the naked but, most surprisingly, how well it went around corners. In fact, I’d honestly go as far as saying it cornered better than the Daytona 675R I’d been riding prior.
I had so much confidence in the corners; admittedly, the new tyres helped with that but geometry-wise the BMW felt awesome. But there is a price to pay with this bike, especially at this
time of year now winter is here. Jeez, it was cold riding home with the wind directly onto my body. I didn’t think I was getting much wind protection on the sportsbike with the small screen, but I soon realised how much of a difference that little screen made when I jumped back on the naked bike.
Maybe that’s what I should try and get my hands on next, or is that against the rules with naked bikes?
And finally I’ve got the pillion seat and pegs mounted. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was a doddle to fit. I removed the plastic cover (using the key) and replaced it with the foam seat, which simply clicks into place. As for the footpegs, they come subassembled and just bolt on the subframe, which is threaded and ready to go. I didn’t torque them on because I couldn’t find any numbers, so I just nipped them tight and that was it… job done. I’ve not had the chance to take my girlfriend with me yet, but I did get her to jump on the back seat. I can’t say it looked all that safe... maybe it’s not such a good idea after all. The pillion seat is pretty skinny; it might be okay for a small child, but to go two-up with two adults perhaps isn’t a brilliant idea, and I shouldn’t think it would be very comfortable over any decent distance, either. The little Beemer is built for speed, performance and nipping around – less so for taking your missus for a ride. But at least I have the option now.
I’D HONESTLY GO AS FAR AS SAYING IT CORNERED BETTER THAN THE DAYTONA 675R.