Bmw s1000xr

[cleverusername]

Everyone ripping these adventure bikes and how they supposedly suck on the street, blah, blah, I wonder how many of you have actually ridden one. I just bought a GS to go along with my RT, and it's a freaking blast to ride on the pavement. Supremely comfortable, great visibility for commuting, good weather protection, awesome leverage with the bars, very quick, handles better than you'd ever need on the street, etc. I bought it because I want to extend my riding to light dirt duty as well, but if all I ever did was ride it on the street, I'd prefer it to any bike I've ever owned, save maybe the LC RT next to it in the garage.

i thought one could know everything based on a spec sheet?

 

[CurveSurfer]

Everyone ripping these adventure bikes and how they supposedly suck on the street, blah, blah, I wonder how many of you have actually ridden one. I just bought a GS to go along with my RT, and it's a freaking blast to ride on the pavement. Supremely comfortable, great visibility for commuting, good weather protection, awesome leverage with the bars, very quick, handles better than you'd ever need on the street, etc. I bought it because I want to extend my riding to light dirt duty as well, but if all I ever did was ride it on the street, I'd prefer it to any bike I've ever owned, save maybe the LC RT next to it in the garage.

Amen brother.

 

[redtail]

Everyone ripping these adventure bikes and how they supposedly suck on the street, blah, blah, I wonder how many of you have actually ridden one. I just bought a GS to go along with my RT, and it's a freaking blast to ride on the pavement. Supremely comfortable, great visibility for commuting, good weather protection, awesome leverage with the bars, very quick, handles better than you'd ever need on the street, etc. I bought it because I want to extend my riding to light dirt duty as well, but if all I ever did was ride it on the street, I'd prefer it to any bike I've ever owned, save maybe the LC RT next to it in the garage.

Until the "Like" button is installed:

 

[reidconti]

Mainstream bikes are boring, practical affairs. Any bike that's sold on an image is inevitably going to contribute more to the exclusivity of bikes that the acceptance of bikes.

I've had no problem finding boring, practical tires for my 19" front. Tourances, a few generations of Anakees.. PR3s were available in 19"... TKC80.... Heidenau K60s...

Caused no problem for this mainstream rider.

Now, if I was looking for niche sport tires with some exclusivity, I'd have to ask you for your opinion on what rubber I *absolutely need* but cannot fit on the Wee.

 

[Z3n]

Everyone ripping these adventure bikes and how they supposedly suck on the street, blah, blah, I wonder how many of you have actually ridden one. I just bought a GS to go along with my RT, and it's a freaking blast to ride on the pavement. Supremely comfortable, great visibility for commuting, good weather protection, awesome leverage with the bars, very quick, handles better than you'd ever need on the street, etc. I bought it because I want to extend my riding to light dirt duty as well, but if all I ever did was ride it on the street, I'd prefer it to any bike I've ever owned, save maybe the LC RT next to it in the garage.

And it would be better if it was 200 pounds lighter and had access to normal street rubber in normal street rubber sizes. And had better brakes.

I've ridden just about every adventure bike on the market, and none of them have all of these:
Long travel suspension
Large displacement engine easily capable of freeway cruising
17 inch wheels in 3.5 front and 5.5 or 6 rear
top shelf brakes
Weight in range of 450 pounds or less
Upright, spacious seating position
TC
ABS

The superduke has _almost_ all of them. The BMW adventure bikes are great but you make my point with the "never riding it offroad". If it's never going to be ridden offroad, it would be significantly better with 17s and bigger brakes. Sure, it's a great bike as it is, but it would be better if it wasn't getting shoehorned into a marketing role as an "adventure bike".

I've had no problem finding boring, practical tires for my 19" front. Tourances, a few generations of Anakees.. PR3s were available in 19"... TKC80.... Heidenau K60s...

Caused no problem for this mainstream rider.

Now, if I was looking for niche sport tires with some exclusivity, I'd have to ask you for your opinion on what rubber I *absolutely need* but cannot fit on the Wee.

Well, your front suspension is out of 1965, so makes sense that you're happy with old rubber.



The best part of this thread is the profound defensiveness of the GS owners.

"It's perfect exactly as it is never could be better gosh just love having to find 19 inch fronts man that sure does make me happy!"

 

[cleverusername]

The best part of this thread is the profound defensiveness of the GS owners.

considering it was you that somehow mixed in the r1200gs into the thread, i'm detecting some GS envy!

 

[HappyHighwayman]

Everyone ripping these adventure bikes and how they supposedly suck on the street, blah, blah, I wonder how many of you have actually ridden one. I just bought a GS to go along with my RT, and it's a freaking blast to ride on the pavement. Supremely comfortable, great visibility for commuting, good weather protection, awesome leverage with the bars, very quick, handles better than you'd ever need on the street, etc. I bought it because I want to extend my riding to light dirt duty as well, but if all I ever did was ride it on the street, I'd prefer it to any bike I've ever owned, save maybe the LC RT next to it in the garage.

I use my GS 95% on the street and its great.

 

[cleverusername]

I use my GS 95% on the street and its great.

i don't believe it. we all know that 21" can not turn. probably have to get off the bike and walk it around the corner. especially with bias ply tires.

 

[Z3n]

considering it was you that somehow mixed in the r1200gs into the thread, i'm detecting some GS envy!

I actually didn't mention the R1200GS at all, I just mentioned that the closest most Adventure riders get to dirt is when the dental assistant forgets to take off their shoes.

Also every adventure rider chiming in to be like "yeah, all I ever do is ride this thing on the street" - thanks for proving the point here. Keep up your insistence that the bike is made better by choosing tire sizes based on marketing rather than use case.

 

[danate]

I actually didn't mention the R1200GS at all, I just mentioned that the closest most Adventure riders get to dirt is when the dental assistant forgets to take off their shoes.

Also every adventure rider chiming in to be like "yeah, all I ever do is ride this thing on the street" - thanks for proving the point here. Keep up your insistence that the bike is made better by choosing tire sizes based on marketing rather than use case.

You really seem to have a problem with using something for other than its intended purpose. Supermotos must seem retarded to you. Same with every 4x4 truck and and SUV out there. Pretty much any top end sport bike as well. Hell, the list can go on and on. People still seem to find fun in them, despite your declarations of fact.

I say this being the a-hole who opted for an RT over a GS because I spend 98% of my time on pavement and the RT is quite good at pavement.

 

[planegray]

I actually didn't mention the R1200GS at all, I just mentioned that the closest most Adventure riders get to dirt is when the dental assistant forgets to take off their shoes.

Also every adventure rider chiming in to be like "yeah, all I ever do is ride this thing on the street" - thanks for proving the point here. Keep up your insistence that the bike is made better by choosing tire sizes based on marketing rather than use case.

did I miss the part where motorcycles should only be used for the purposes that the marketing department advertised them for ?

'cause imma big fail then

 

[HappyHighwayman]

i don't believe it. we all know that 21" can not turn. probably have to get off the bike and walk it around the corner. especially with bias ply tires.

lol. You shouldn't have told me that, now I'll never make it home.

I wonder how much performance I actually do lose with a 21". Truth is it's an awesome touring bike / commuter bike. Great for the city...I drive over stuff, potholes, small children, dogs, curbs, etc And it is pretty solidly built while being cushy at the same tiem. While I've not done much off-road, I've been to Vegas and back and over 25,000 commuter miles.

Downsides: Super expensive to run. Like more than a car. The 45 MPG just off-sets the cost. 6000 mile tune-up intervals and new tires every ~10,000 miles.

But it's a flickable, easy to ride tall bike. I know Revnort likes his.

 

[Z3n]

You really seem to have a problem with using something for other than its intended purpose. Supermotos must seem retarded to you. Same with every 4x4 truck and and SUV out there. Pretty much any top end sport bike as well. Hell, the list can go on and on. People still seem to find fun in them, despite your declarations of fact.

I say this being the a-hole who opted for an RT over a GS because I spend 98% of my time on pavement and the RT is quite good at pavement.

Wait, are you saying you chose the road bike because the road bike is better at road use than the adventure bike?

NO, IMPOSSIBLE! Adventure bikes are the best road bikes! Because every time you ride it...ADVENTURE!

did I miss the part where motorcycles should only be used for the purposes that the marketing department advertised them for ?

'cause imma big fail then

I generally avoid bikes that make engineering choices based around the whims of the marketing department. That said, why not use a framing hammer to break up concrete? Still gets the job done!


As much fun as stirring the pot is, though, the reality is that adventure bikes are super popular because they're the only place you can find something street usable with super long travel suspension. If there were good options for UJM type bikes with 10 inches of suspension travel and a decent marketing campaign (get it endorsed by Brad Pitt or some shit) then adventure bikes would pretty much drop off.

 

[cleverusername]

I actually didn't mention the R1200GS at all, I just mentioned that the closest most Adventure riders get to dirt is when the dental assistant forgets to take off their shoes.

Also every adventure rider chiming in to be like "yeah, all I ever do is ride this thing on the street" - thanks for proving the point here. Keep up your insistence that the bike is made better by choosing tire sizes based on marketing rather than use case.

i still think your focus on a 17" front tire is misguided because the bike you describe is an all-rounder and not a supermoto. 19" delivers a nice expansion in capability and flexibility for the platform. lucky for all, the PR4 is available in 19" and i'm pretty sure that isn't some bias-ply, exotic, or incompetent tire. revzilla might even sell them. and for those who will want it, the 19" TCK80 will allow for dirt work after a long slog to get to someplace "adventure" worthy. imo, you're giving up less on street performance w/ 19", vs what a 17" compromises in the dirt. and that is a better tradeoff for an all-rounder.

btw, look at these poseurs w/ their 19" vstroms doing colorado passes. can you believe they even rode the same bike on a paved road afterward? such idiots. http://www.stromtrooper.com/west-southwest/34829-rate-colorados-passes.html

 

[louemc]

i don't believe it. we all know that 21" can not turn. probably have to get off the bike and walk it around the corner. especially with bias ply tires.

Wot?

 

[cleverusername]

Wot?

lou, i think you're great. with that said, be sure to read the entire thread for context.

 

[Z3n]

i still think your focus on a 17" front tire is misguided because the bike you describe is an all-rounder and not a supermoto. 19" delivers a nice expansion in capability and flexibility for the platform. lucky for all, the PR4 is available in 19" and i'm pretty sure that isn't some bias-ply, exotic, or incompetent tire. revzilla might even sell them. and for those who will want it, the 19" TCK80 will allow for dirt work after a long slog to get to someplace "adventure" worthy. imo, you're giving up less on street performance w/ 19", vs what a 17" compromises in the dirt. and that is a better tradeoff for an all-rounder.

btw, look at these poseurs w/ their 19" vstroms doing colorado passes. can you believe they even rode the same bike on a paved road afterward? such idiots. http://www.stromtrooper.com/west-southwest/34829-rate-colorados-passes.html

Here's the thing: I spent quite a few days chasing down a buddy on a 640 adventure on my 690 SMC - I had no problems keeping up with him in anything but the nastiest shit, on takeoff pirelli supercorsas. Another buddy of ours was on a R1150ST at the time, and while he was slower, he still made it everywhere we went (although he added some nice dents to his headers in the process...).

Adventure bikes are good in spite of their narrow tires, not because of them. Modern rubber goes a long ways towards making anything better, but at the end of the day, anytime you're on the road, the additional width and grip of a 17x3.5/17x5.5 or 6 setup would give you more safety margin, more grip, and better performance all around.

Just about every rider in this thread says they use their adventure bike on road 95% of the time. Why compromise 95% of your use for a minimal benefit in 5% of use? It's silly, and motivated by the marketing, not the reality. That's why I'm making fun of it, it's exactly the same shit as guys that buy into the image of assless chaps and hogs, or guys hanging off their sportbikes in jeans. Adventure bike tires sizes are based on stroking the egos of their purchasers, not the type of riding that is done.

 

[louemc]

lou, i think you're great. with that said, be sure to read the entire thread for context.

I did, before I replied...I find it easier to turn a 21 inch wheeled dirt bike, than any other size...

And.. no matter what the size, I don't depend on the front tire, for traction or turning.

Front tire might be on the ground...Or might not.

 

[iehawk]

With all that in mind, the only reason adventure bikes don't resemble something like that is because they only get sold and are popular because they market an ideology rather than a bike. The BMW/KTM Adventure lines are great touring bikes, but that's inspite of their marketing and design compromises made to fit that marketing. Looking at the use cases that 95% of ADV riders have, they'd be a lot better off with better rubber, better electronics, better brakes, and suspension travel designed for street use, not "offroad?" use.

You're on the dot, Z3n. But we know most people are more likely to buy when they are emotionally engaged. We all have heard a saying similar to, "In case we want to, we can go there.", even if it only happens once or twice in one's life. Of course this is supported by one's ability to afford it.

Multistrada continued in making a more sense bike, more of what people need without forgetting what they want or aspire to be. So they took their idea from the GS, the ultimate jack of all trades and build something with more on-road bias. In my opinion, the more accurate Multistrada role model is the Tiger 1050 (literally a jacked-up Speed Triple).

The dream bike for me on the small displacement size is an SXV chassis with a Ninja 650 engine shoved in it. Would be around 330 pounds, but 65hp, twin that can easily handle freeway, massive brakes and loads of travel. Perfect city bomber.

The dream bike for larger displacement setups like that is the +4 inches of travel on a superduke mentioned above.

This depends on what you want to carry. If you are only going for a day trip or truck the bike over then ride around... then yes. But when you want to carry all the camping gears and supplies, you'll need beefier frames. Want to ride longer on the bad road... beefier transmission and cooling system. These components add to the weight. One reason why the difference between R1200GS and the Adv is about 60 lbs. (including the extra gas).

Where the S1000R's donor bike gets away with a sportbike's weight of 460 lbs (wet), the S1000XR carries more extra to accommodate more, ie. more of a 2-up riding and/or luggages.

Yes. That's exactly the design brief for the Multistrada ("multi road"): a comfortable, high-performance sporty bike with longer-travel suspension suitable for all manner of roads, including bad ones and the occasional gravel one. Not really intended as an offroad bike.

And this BMW is a clone of it.

I rarely need >6.7" of suspension travel on the road, so it's close to the ideal (though I find the GS to be a better touring bike).

Shouldn't it be more of the Multi cloned it from the R1200GS, Tiger 1050, Vstrom 650/1000? Not saying it's bad, it's actually really smart. Just like how they did it with the Diavel, a cruiser that weigh more like a sportbikes.

BMW had always been happy with the GS line up serving as more of the on-road adventure bikes... but people want something that can also win the specs war when in Starbucks... so they are partly just providing what people want (go where the money is).

And it would be better if it was 200 pounds lighter and had access to normal street rubber in normal street rubber sizes. And had better brakes.

I've ridden just about every adventure bike on the market, and none of them have all of these:
Long travel suspension
Large displacement engine easily capable of freeway cruising
17 inch wheels in 3.5 front and 5.5 or 6 rear
top shelf brakes
Weight in range of 450 pounds or less
Upright, spacious seating position
TC
ABS

And I'll add carrying capacity (mentioned above). All of these add weights. Unless one is willing to pay for the exotic lighter materials which would add even more to the price because it will also making the bike not as mass-produced capable.

Tiger 1050 was pretty close, but it was from the pre-TC era, the last model got ABS. Then it was replaced with a lighter bike, the Tiger 800, which Triumph followed BMW F700/800GS formula to keep the price lower.

By the way, if you count the S1000XR in dry weight, I think it's pretty much fit your list, Z3n.

The superduke has _almost_ all of them. The BMW adventure bikes are great but you make my point with the "never riding it offroad". If it's never going to be ridden offroad, it would be significantly better with 17s and bigger brakes. Sure, it's a great bike as it is, but it would be better if it wasn't getting shoehorned into a marketing role as an "adventure bike".

The best part of this thread is the profound defensiveness of the GS owners.

"It's perfect exactly as it is never could be better gosh just love having to find 19 inch fronts man that sure does make me happy!"

Just like all of the SUV owners, right? But from what I've heard, the GS owners buy the bikes because of the riding position, how balanced the bikes are, and no excess weight... compared to the touring siblings RT, GT.

 

[bpw]

The problem with 10" travel street bikes is almost no one can get a foot down. Sure you can deal, but its a common issue when people go looking for bikes.

I actually would kind of like a 19 on my multistrada instead of the 17. Sure the 17 is nice on the street, but I feel like I gave up more than I gained compared to bikes I have owned with 19 inch wheels up front.

I think a lot of people buy "adventure" bikes because they are some of the best all around street bikes available today.