Been Very Naughty, It Was The Free Coffee Honest

[Snowbird]

I'm with you Lee, too many gizmos for my liking, then again I barely go anywhere so don't need them. orry:

[peter-may]

For me a motorcycle, is one engine, two wheels and keep all as simple as possible. Less to go wrong.

With you on that one Lee. I suffer fuel injection for its lack of maintenance. ABS is a mystery and a curse! Don't even want to think about scrolling menus or intelligent suspension...

[leehenty]

Apparently a lot of the ESA shocks are sealed and unrepairable,£1000 to replace it.



Sticking with the old tried and tested Niner.

It might be an old nail, but it's my old nail and I know it's reliable. I'm not a fan of TFT dash either.

I'm told I'm a Luddite, so no advertising is directed at me. Suits me fine.

[bjorge]

Interesting input on new bikes with an increasing number of gizmos... I'm in the process of buying a new bike, being a bit tired of fixing my old Mk1😐. Also, wanting abs, fi and just-aim-to-turn behaviour of newer bikes. Today I was to schedule a test ride on the new Tracer9, but this discussion got me thinking....

The dealer has a used Tracer700 as well, so maybe this would be my first attempt. Dunno, really.

[hallrob1]

Apparently a lot of the ESA shocks are sealed and unrepairable,£1000 to replace it.



Sticking with the old tried and tested Niner.

It might be an old nail, but it's my old nail and I know it's reliable. I'm not a fan of TFT dash either.

I'm told I'm a Luddite, so no advertising is directed at me. Suits me fine.

 

I'd heard from BMW owners that it's nearer £1500, as is the ABS module which is a know issue. Talking to them you either take out an extended warranty or sell it when it expires!

[Matlock]

I've been looking at the BMW XR900 as a possible Crosstourer replacement :hide: , so I joined one of the Facebook pages and the amount of problems people are having is worrying, the most common ones being:

• Clutch getting grabby to the point of being unusable
  
• Oil leaks from the sump
  
• High oil consumption on some engines
  

 

The strange thing is that as the bike is new, everyone is still under warranty and they just seem happy to get it fixed at the dealers, nobody seems to be angry, or complains to BMW. Presumably none of them depend on the bike for daily commutes, or they all have alternative transport. The other notable point is that there doesn't seem to be any issues with the gizmos - ABS, ESA, TFT dash, etc., all seem trouble free. How true that will be when they've got a few miles on them I don't know.

[leehenty]

When my TDM expires I'll probably be at the point of expiring too.

If I ever upgraded it will be to a tenere 700 rally. Like the look of those.



The Honda CT will last easily 100K no issues.





Edit, whoops I spoke too soon..

This post was last modified: 07-08-2021, 10:14 AM by leehenty.

[bjorge]

Test rode a new T9 and a '19 T700 with <1000kms on the clock. I must say the T9 engine is fantastic! Purrs happily on low revs and the midrange is crazy!!!! Also light steered, decent suspension (on par with my heavily modded Mk1) and superb brakes. Only puzzling thing is that the bars are a lot closer&lower than on tje old cow. Imust admit it's hard to walk away frim that engine - even if I don't need it. Think I may have reached 7k revs, and it kind of scared me (albeit in a good way😁).

So for the T700: I *think* something was wrong with it, as it requred a firm push on the bars to turn. Last time I rode one I felt it was super easy, this one was harder to turn than my Mk1😐. And the engine......well.....feels more spirited than my agricultural TDM but after the 9er it felt dull. So I'll look for some ~100bhp alernative, I believe 😎

[peter-may]

Neighbour of a friend's 1200GS has seized , dont know the reason yet, but it's being replaced. Turns out he's paying £30+ a month on extended cover.....trying to get my head round this BMW thing...

[curlylegend]

I've been looking at the BMW XR900 as a possible Crosstourer replacement :hide: , so I joined one of the Facebook pages and the amount of problems people are having is worrying, the most common ones being:

• Clutch getting grabby to the point of being unusable
  
• Oil leaks from the sump
  
• High oil consumption on some engines
  

 

The strange thing is that as the bike is new, everyone is still under warranty and they just seem happy to get it fixed at the dealers, nobody seems to be angry, or complains to BMW. Presumably none of them depend on the bike for daily commutes, or they all have alternative transport. The other notable point is that there doesn't seem to be any issues with the gizmos - ABS, ESA, TFT dash, etc., all seem trouble free. How true that will be when they've got a few miles on them I don't know.

 If they're anything like their range of Playstations and X Boxes......sorry, I mean cars, they'll cost a fortune to keep the "gadgets" in working order.  That's why you'll see BMW cars being offered for buttons !  Self-levelling rear suspension...£1500    Headlamp assembly...£1500   Sat Nav system....£1500   Door Lock system....£1500     And this is before you even get into the really serious MOT failure points !

Stick to a TDM !

[leehenty]

The consumption of metal polish and time needs to be considered for a Triumph T100 owner...

[peter-may]

I've got few old t-shirts I can donate if it helps Lee...

[dablik]

Neighbour of a friend's 1200GS has seized , dont know the reason yet, but it's being replaced. Turns out he's paying £30+ a month on extended cover.....trying to get my head round this BMW thing..
.

 

You better hurry Pete as you have a beemer    er thought you were collecting ?

Bloody hell Lee, you could fry eggs on that when camping..

[peter-may]

You better hurry Pete as you have a beemer    er thought you were collecting ?Bloody hell Lee, you could fry eggs on that when camping..

Yeah but...mine's an Italian, Austrian, chinese ditch emptying pump version, as complex as a meccano steam engine!!...anyway...yeah things got a bit hectic, sorry...I'm away from home next week, so I'll reschedule with you after that. Thanks for your patience mukka.

[leehenty]

This polishing things lark is an affliction, might have caught it from Catsbum,, even clay barred the TDM and spent hours with polish and wax. Looks nice though.

[Matlock]

Edit, whoops I spoke too soon..

 

Yes, I saw that on the FB pages, it was an Eastern European guy who's bike hadn't been in for the shaft drive recall for the earlier model. He was lucky there, it didn't lock up the back wheel.

 

[bjorge]

Tested a Tiger 900 Rally pro a few days ago. Was really in for an "850" but it wasn't available for testing. A really nice bike, albeit a little slow on the steering - I believe that's got to fo with 21" front. Nice gearbox, good ergonomics, the best turn signal switch I've tried and decent engine and brakes. Would I want the cheap version of this bike, with poorer suspension and a slightly dulled engine - probably not.

Next project is to try an F900XR 😎

[bjorge]

Went for a test ride on a '21 F900XR tonight, and I think I'm lost.... a crazy bike, not HP wise but all the rest. Gonna call the bank and then the owner tomorrow 😎.BUT - I also decided that the old Mk1 is too good to be sold for pocket money. I'll ask an old friend if he would like to use it or just stuff it in the back of his enormeous garage.

The bike was bought for £16.700 in march and I'll pay £13.700. This price equals the price of the clean base mdel. I'm really not sure about how I will thrive with a bike packed with gizmos, but I've decided to give it a go. It has 5,000kms on thf clock, and is immaculate. What impressed me thr most was 57mpg on my test ride 😀. The owner commuted at an average of 62...

Just came to think of how this would look...turning 60 on monday
...and desperatly trying to catch up with the new world...😎

[LewisBlackburn]

A nice bike. I was the opposite and was looking forward to all the Gadgets on my Multistrada. 

I found the Cruise control is great for use in average speed cameras, 

The Bluetooth links my phone, satnav and headset together, and lets me control the volume and music from my handlebars.

I don't have the active suspension because its got all Öhlins gear on there but there are is no doubt plenty of other tech too that you could argue is so good its not even noticed. 

 

The main thing for me was going around a corner in 2nd without having to ride the clutch. And opening the throttle in a high gear and being able to smoothly pick up speed rather than chugging. 

Not a big issue, and not something that probably couldn't easily be solved with almost any Fuel injected bike, but at the end of the day, that's a computer too.

 

Where some people see gadgets as a hinderance or distraction (and I partially agree some things are), I think in general, technology takes us forward and it's quite the opposite. Taking away concentration on exactly how the bike needs to be ridden leaves more time for eyes and attention on the road. 

 

That being said, it may result in higher repair bills and less owner fixability. 

 

On BMW's, I particularly like the R1200rs and keep insisting it would fit the bill for what my brother is after at the moment. One of the last true Sports oriented tourers? A cracking bike either way. 

[bjorge]

Okay, now I may seem ridicolous.... I had second thoughts, and abandoned the BMW right before I was to call the owner to make a deal  :hide:

Went back to try the '19 Tracer 700 again, and had confirmed the reason for heavy handling was indeed a flattish front tyre. But - the owner (commission sale) had changed his mind this very morning and was coming to pick up the bike...

So still no bike decision; Then it occurred me that maybe some Yam dealer still had T7s for sale, and voilá! Within 30 minutes I'd signed a contract. Still not tested the bike as there are no demos around...

 

I have been afraid to make a wrong pick of my next bike. But (judged by the total lack of both new and used T7/T700s in the Norwegian market) I thought it would be safe to ive it a go and probably be able to sell the bike on if I have a chenge of heart.

 

Not sure if I'd keep the old Mk1 as I originally planned to - at least I'll try to sell it. The T7 is about as close to the Mk1 as you can get. I doubt the Mk1 will bring me more than half the price of the upgrades and new parts it's equipped with, a pity you guys are too far away for buying the goodies....

 

So - a few interesting days ahead: New bike on friday, new age (60) on monday !