Better Late Than Never....

Hi folks,

I’d been away from bikes for far too long due to ravages of a climbing accident back when Pontius was still a Pilate.

My knees work better than they have in years, and I’ve had my shoulder modified now so it moves almost properly again, and when two wheels became a realistic proposition again I found that the DVLA had managed to ‘lose’ my bike entitlements when I changed my licence to the new style photo card type. I re-took my tests seeing as though they don’t apparently make mistakes, and the copy of my old licence hadn’t been certified as a ‘true copy’ by a solicitor...

A buddy had a bike he no longer had time to ride, and so it came to pass that I find myself with a 2011 BMW F800ST which is great for commuting but has fairly aggressive positioning and I am looking for a more ‘relaxed’ machine (at least that is how I am going to sell the notion to my wife), with more room on the back for number two child (he loves being picked up from school on the bike, kitting up in front of jealous class mates!)

Short of giving my life history, when I was retaking my tests my instructors both drive Triumphs; one a Speed Triple and the other a Speedmaster and they love them to bits!

So here I am, and since I am not intending to chop and change bikes regularly I am wanting to learn and make the right choice for a long term love affair.....

 

I try not to listen to the voices, but sometimes they have some GREAT ideas!

 

I wasn’t going to jump back in after 20 years without some kind of refresher so I decided to look at it as a positive - even if one enforced by the incompetent intransigence of government sponsored imbeciles - which including getting to find some amazing people!

 

The BMW is like a girl I knew at school.

A great ride, but not one you’d necessarily want to be seen with!

 

Thank you for the welcome folks.

Been having a browse, and there is so much information floating around. Going through arrange a test drive or two in order to sort out which styles fit me better (since most of my riding has been on bikes trending towards the sports end of the market), but I have a feeling that waiting on the Speedmaster Bonneville to arrive and try before I part with money may be wise!

 

Well I popped up to Triumph at Ongar, and was made very welcome.

All I wanted to do was sit on a couple of bikes to get a feel for the fit (bars-seat-pegs-gears/brakes) and take a look at the new Speedmaster (which they don’t have yet, regretfully).

Before I knew it I was out on the road test driving the bobber, which was the closest they had to the new Speedmaster in fit and functionality.

Riding position was very fixed. I am used to riding a bike where I can actively shift my weight for the corners; the peg and seat made me part of the bike - weight firmly on the bummel - which isn’t a bad thing, it just took a bit of getting used to.
Likewise I am used to the BMW indicators so the left bar switch required thought, made more difficult in that the switch is soft and squidgy with no positive clicking when the selection or cancel is made. I did notice that because of this my attention was drifting however fleetingly towards checking the lights to confirm that the selection/cancellation had been made - rather than on the road ahead where it should have been.

Gears are so dreamily smooth the BMW is put to shame - and the BMW itself is far from clunky! The adjustable clutch lever is very user friendly.

The layout of the cockpit is very intuitive - everything is where you expect it to be, and the display is clear and well lit. I was too busy riding the thing to do a full run through of all the options on the controls (sorry about that - was having too much fun!)

The bar end mirrors are positioned well - just far enough out so you don’t have to twist yourself around to get a great view behind you. (Obviously they don’t replace lifesavers, but checking behind you is effortless)

I am not a cruiser driver so again I found the brakes very different to operate. On my BSA I’m never going fast enough for poor brakes to be an issue, on the BMW with twin disc Brembos on the front if I need to brake I know that the stopping power is there. Yes the basics are the same but how to get the best out of them is a whole different ball game.
My general philosophy is that I try not to put myself in a position where I need to grab a handful of front brake.
On the Bobber you NEED front and rear brakes in equal measure for efficient stopping. The rep gave me a heads up on that and sure enough he was absolutely correct (I found a straight, empty bit of road to experiment). The bobber favours the foot brake - though that will probably change with the 2018 twin disc model.

The two 600cc pots are so torquey it will happily run along on idle if you want it to; the gears make it so easy to drive, you just let the bike pull you along - it is almost like your gear selection governs the cruising speed as the engine plods along happily - and if you want to go faster just give it a gentle squeeze and she’ll pull like a Royal Navy Gun Team!
The driving style is very different to the parallel twin BMW as it is far more laid back and easy going but if you want her to go some she is willing and able!

On the subject of laid back, the bike is low to the road, disconcertingly so to someone used to a relatively commanding ride height. But time and familiarity would fix that issue.

Am I sold on the bobber? Absolutely not!

I don’t mean that in a bad way because it is a lovely machine - my son loves being picked up from school on the bike, which means a pillion seat is a must have which the Bobber doesn’t cater for.

The only negative of the test ride today is the poor switch quality in the controls. I hope it is a one off rather than a general malaise because the lack of tactile feedback there was a let down in an otherwise lovely bit of kit.

On the whole I had a great time learning to drive a different style of bike and it has whetted my appetite for the Speedmaster! There is only one issue....

I love the blacked out look of the Maverick ‘inspiration’ kit with the quilted single seat, but the practicality of the Highway kit makes more sense - I just think there is too much bling there for my taste - the notion of chrome taking the proverbial shine off a bike is strange - talk about first world problems!!!

 

Updated my thoughts on the Bobber, and tidied up some of the grammar!

 

Once you’ve gone black.....