Forgiven Andres .... (on this occasion ...)
Re the 1290 ....
What makes a good road bike? Like a really good road bike? I'd say
I would want;
i/ Sit up and see. Blades, Gixxers, Millies ... they don't give you the vision that road riding requires. It's a road ... I want to see junctions, over hedgerows, overtakes, limit points, road signs ....
Vision is key to good (quick if yer want it) road riding. It's not just the building blocks of planning and reading the road, it's everything ... Vision is key, and a bike that lets you see easily, is already quicker down a road than one that hinders your vision.
ii/ A softer bike. Do I want a Panigale R in my garage if I win the lottery? Hell yeah! of course I would. But is it any good on the road? Yeah if it's made of marble! The sort of road that something like a Panigale is going to come alive on, is going to be that brief section of fast, smooth flowing, A road biking nirvanna. Complete heaven .... that barely lasts before the reality of bumps ruts and undulations kick you out the saddle and stop you getting the power down. Your Panigale is literally going to be a pain in the arse most of the time, and
relatively hard work to hoon down a B road.
iii/ Mid range grunt. The reality of road riding here in Europe, is that our road network is errrrrr bendy. So I want grunt out the corner. In line four top end rush is all well and good, but a road bike loves peak power in it's mid range - just as i'm picking it up and opening the taps.
So ...... take yer average off road style bike (so were talking broad brush strokes, we're generalising ... ), and it pretty much ticks all those boxes. Sit up and see, soft, grunt on the corner exit. Now add some weather protection, a decent screen, the ability to carry luggage .... and suddenly you've got a bloody good road bike.
I don't see the 1290 as a pretence off road wannabe. I see it as a pure road bike that, whilst probably a bit lardy, will be bloody good. It
happens to look like it's off road cousins, because a good road bike probably will! But not (IMO) because it's fashionable. It's the old necessity is the mother of invention! Darwinism is slowly breeding the perfect road bike. (And to give the air head / oild head GS's their due ... they probably started that Darwin ball rolling).
Off on an 1190R rant now ...

I think, with all the above being said, the 1190R is fucking awesome on the road. I love the 21" front wheel. It floats, and it steers just that incy bit slower. That's good!! The bike holds a lovely line and doesn't come off it early like yer race reps. Picture, as an example, a Right hand bend, bike buried nearside, but riders eyes glued into the limit point. Eyes are going to pull any bike off line early, and often we have to consciously push that bike nearside and try and keep it there - especially so with the race reps and the quicker steering bikes. Not so with that slightly slower to steer 21" wheel. It loves long lazy lines. The long suspension and bigger front wheel of the R make for great great road riding ....
