Excellent enjoy it, there are some nice roads around there so you can get a decent feel, hopefully the weather holds. I just saw an email from him asking for your details, so good you got through. Definitely going to try and cash in on it. 
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Just spoke to Yamaha Powerbiking High Wycombe. They said that R6 is sold out globally until at least the end of the year .
Ducati Aylesbury have a demo Panigale V2 coming in. Gonna speak to them next week and book a visit.
Also may try out the R1 in a couple of weeks with Powerbiking.
Started looking around so I can make sure to find something to compare the S1000RR to and ideally find a sub 1L supersport to try. Thought about the Ninja 650 or the CBR1000RR Fireblade. Sadly the next bike with lower power thank the Fireblade is the CBR650R, which is just a CBR650 (cafe racer) with sports fairing.
Might have a mosey into a few dealers for Kawasaki and Honda. Anyone got opinions on sports bikes from those two?
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Did you ask InMoto if they can loan you a V2? ask for Cristian (runs the place) and tell him I sent you.
And if you get a test ride, let me know and Iāll come with you.
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Had the test ride in a terrible week. Was much needed rest from some absolute bullshit weāre facing with estate agents after moving earlier last week.
Short and sweet summary
Loved it, lots of fun, but Iām not convinced.
Full Thoughts
The Good
It was the first supersport Iāve ever ridden. I knew that supersport bikes are hard on your wrists and core strength, and arenāt for comfort, but despite expecting that I was surprised by how much the bars dug into my hands and as to how high my feet/knees were!
However, 30 mins into the ride I felt confident on the bike. Man the engine is smooth as butter. Was a delight. No gaps in power delivery, no fucking around with winding the bike up or balancing the clutch when Iām between the lower gears on my MT-07.
The other thing I loved was how precise the handling felt. It was as if the bike read my mind as to where I wanted to go. Such a precision instrument, and for me this gave so much fun and confidence in the corners. Iāve never felt so sure that a bike was going to grip in my life, especially at super high speeds. Was just amazing.
Not to mention, when you get the revs up it sounds amazing and when you let go of the accelerator at the lower end of the revs the exhaust pops, bangs and grumbles. Lovely.
Also I loved the TFT and dash design. Gorgeous.
The Bad
Sadly though, itās too much for me I think. All I wanted to do was fly, for two reasons.
First, the handle bars kinda dig into my palms. Above 40 mph this isnāt really a problem because the wind resistance supports you. In towns/cities I was gripping the tank with my legs or using my core to take some pressure of my hands and give them a break. But the most comfortable way to give my hands a break was to get the speed up and use the wind. You could also use the cruise control (which was really, really cool), but not so practical in traffic, obviously.
Second, itās just downright fun. By habit I was rinsing the fuck out of any open gap I had. What a feeling, but too easy to break the speed limit.
All Put Together
Iām kinda sad that I donāt want it more because itās so gorgeous and so fun. But for now, I only have money and time for one bike, and it turns out that it probably needs to be a bit more comfy and encouraging of keeping under the speed limit haha.
That Ā£18k gets you tonnes of fun above 50mph, but below that itās not really that fun. As much as I love the way it looks and sounds.
In the future, I can definitely see myself having a supersport in my roster.
Alternative
When I got back I talked over my thoughts with Aldo. We took a walk around the showroom and picked out the S1000XR, the tourer with the same engine as the S1000RR. He gave me a go on that for a while too. What an amazing ride that was.
Super fast, sounded just like the RR, but really, really comfy. Unreal to be sat so comfortably but to be able to accelerate like that. Just a shame itās uglyā¦
So are supersports off menu now?
Well I want to try out the Panigale still. Just for the fun of it. Itās not that I hated the S1000RR or my supersport experience, I just donāt think Iāll get my moneyās worth without getting on the track more or spending more time on open, twisty roads.
Butā¦ yeh, I think theyāre off menu.
So what you gonna buy?
Iāve found a new appreciation for my MT-07 by test riding the S1000RR and the S1000XR.
The MT-07 is the only bike Iāve ever rode for more than 1 hour, so before then I didnāt really understand what it was good for. Itās pretty comfy, pretty fast, agile and gives me confidence when handling lots of traffic and filtering.
But I still want to replace it. The 1000cc engine was so, so easy. I loved that I didnāt have to wind it up, drop gears, or balance the clutch at low speeds. I also loved the crazy acceleration and the handling of the XR and RR, which was better than my MT-07. The fairing on the RR and XR was also a welcome experience. Needless to say Iām smacked all over the place on dual carriageway ways by the wind on my MT-07. Lastly, I think my MT-07 is pretty uglyā¦ and I want to love the way my bike looks.
My struggle is that I now have competing priorities:
- Must be comfortable at lower speeds
- Must be gorgeous and provide excitement aesthetically
- Must deliver faster acceleration than the MT-07
- Must give excitement in the corners that reaches towards the likes of a sports bike
Other additions Iām interested in post test ride:
- Interested in the bike having some decent fairing after experiencing what a non-naked bike is like on fast roads
- Quick shifter ā never used one before, must have for me now
- Luggage. Iāve been using my bike a bit more in the city with my parter and panniers would be handy to store our helmets in
I canāt think of many bikes that are rapid, super fun in corners, beautiful, yet comfortable and hold some sense of practicality. Rapid makes me think sport (not comfy at slower speeds). Corner fun also makes me thing sport bike (not comfy at slower speeds). Comfort makes me think adventure bike (not many are good looking).
I think Iād like to give the Multistrada a try, since I think that doesnāt look too bad. And I think the MT-09 or MT-10 would be very interesting for me, but although I think they look cool, Iām not 100% sold on their style. Street Triple might be worth a shout alsoā¦ (cc @nivag)
I think Iām going to spend a few days riding between several dealers, talking to them, getting a load of test rides.
Basically, back to the drawing board and open to anything suiting those criteria!
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Did you do any of the test ride with a pillion? You may find they absolutely hate the position they sit.
I did not, but that is exactly what the sales person said. They said if itās more than a trip to the store, theyāll hate it.
So it seems thatās also a blocker on sportsbikes, unless I get to a position where I can have an everyday bike and a toy bike 
.
You up for this sometime next week? PM me 
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What about the naked s1000?
Nice write up.
If youāre looking for a litre bike the Speed Triple is also something to look at if youāre going to try the Street.
It wonāt have the high top end speed of the sports bike but has tons of useable power down low. Plus not as aggressive riding position.
You can be super lazy and use the torque to cruise around or click a gear or 2 down to really get a move on.
Fair enough, I guess because I have been on a gixer for the past 5 years part of which I was commuting into London I have gotten accustomed to it. It was the least wristy of all the sport bikes i test rode then. I find the bmw to be even more comfortable, than that. Having said that the S1000R was almost like a sofa so get where you coming from.
I agree it is silly easy to ride fast so gotta be disciplined and not do nonsense on the road.
Well if you think this is uncomfortable, I think the V4 will be worse. They look like your in a constant nose dive.
Not a fan of the dash or overall looks so much 
.
Does sound interesting, although Iāve just realised that itās the same CC as my MT-07, so perhaps I wonāt see the power delivery? But like you say, thatās more usable power and if the 3 cylinder engine gives that smooth feel then Iād be interested.
Yeh I more so want to feel another supersport, just for experience. I want to go see the other options Ducati have too.
If Iām right in thinking you want sporty looks, good performance and comfort can I suggest looking at some off the 1000cc sports touring things out there? Typically spin offs from the 1000cc superbike equivalents
Good bang for buck is a used gsxs1000f or z1000sx
European more exotic version if you donāt like looks of S1000r would be the tuono? Someone on here owned one at some point I seem to recall
The Speed Triple is larger than your bike and I think would be a great option (Street Triple would be equivalent in cc but from what Iāve seen in the real world still more power no idea on figures).
Always check servicing costs as well if youāre doing anything over Starbucks mileage. Cost of a spark plug change can vary massively between something where the tank can be got off in 15 minutes (speed triple I well imagine) vs complex fairings and tightly packed v4s (looking at you Ducati)
Did anyone mention the MT10 yet? I know that got pretty decent reviews when it came out
That would be @me_groovy
But Iām not sure how much his worked of the time he owned it?
The tuono is a good shout, really pretty bike.
There is also the KTM superduke but looks are a bit marmitey
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I had the 2nd gen tuono, the V4 that came after it arenāt as visceral to ride.
As my mate put it, you have to bring your A game with the Vtwin. That being said, I loaded it with luggage and went on several holidays, I called it the Tourono.
Are you sure he didnāt say bring your AA game? 
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RAC dear boy, Iām not posh enough for the proper AA
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Funny thatā¦ AA was cheaper than RAC for me
Anywayā¦ gone way off topic here. Sorry @kylejs 
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I test rode the Speed Triple RS recently and loved it. Great ergonomics, great engine, good handling and it had just the right amount of power for me, it wasnāt over powered so you could really wring its neck and you feel like youāre getting far more out of the bike, which makes it much more enjoyable.
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