The Next Best Bike in The World Ever......Thread :-)

If any of you ladies are now regretting having got shot of the more powerful and iconic 1190 in favour of this years 'must have' or, you just missed the boat?

Well, have a lookee HERE, it may not be too late to unravel your misguided decision :D

No charge :beerjug:

Andres
 
A question to any new 1290 owners especially Arsey as he seems to have had the chance to ride a demo S and owns an R

After just having had my 2104 GSA LC written of by the insurance company, I have been looking to change marques.
I am already leaning towards a KTM 1290R and my biggest thought is in regards to the handling of the bike with 21 inch front wheel.

I know some will say get a test ride on both and do plan to do this but due to work and other things i have already had to cancel two pre booked test rides and wanted some real world feed back over what i expect will be my clouded judgement in riding a fairly well desired bike for me.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
 
V10SWC said:
A question to any new 1290 owners especially Arsey as he seems to have had the chance to ride a demo S and owns an R

After just having had my 2104 GSA LC written of by the insurance company, I have been looking to change marques.
I am already leaning towards a KTM 1290R and my biggest thought is in regards to the handling of the bike with 21 inch front wheel.

I know some will say get a test ride on both and do plan to do this but due to work and other things i have already had to cancel two pre booked test rides and wanted some real world feed back over what i expect will be my clouded judgement in riding a fairly well desired bike for me.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...


If you are not used to a bike with 21/18 wheels then you will find the front a bit more lively than a GS or similar.
But many people such as myself prefer the feel you get,especially if you like back roads/hairpins etc as the front feels much lighter compared to the S or a GS-the turn in is a lot easier/quicker.

Giles went from a 1190R to 1290S and will no doubt say he prefers the S.

It's personal taste . You really need to try both.
 
Many thanks for such a prompt reply,

Its been a while since I rode anything with 21 inch wheels and was wondering on the feel, the R appeals much more than the S to me at the moment though.

Looking on ADV Rider I see at least one person has had smaller size rims built especially to suit the R so my man maths tell me that if it was a problem then i could go that route.

Although I can not complain about the previous GSA's that I have owned. I am looking for something that puts the buzz back into riding.
 
V10SWC said:
Although I can not complain about the previous GSA's that I have owned. I am looking for something that puts the buzz back into riding.
Click to expand...

It will do that, without question. After 20 years on a GS, I wouldn't go back now.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
Having gone from an 1190 Adventure (17'/19") to the 1190 Adventure R (18/"21"), owned back to back, I'd say the the larger front wheel makes the turn in slower due to gyroscopic effect, and require a more positive effort. It also makes the bike far more stable through sweepers and it's easier to hold a desired line. This suits my riding style(?) much better than the smaller wheeled version and I'm very happy with it.

Negatives: It's very easy to ride right to the edge of the tread if you "corner with enthusiasm", and so there's always a little nag at the back of my mind that I might go over that edge, but I've not had any moments because of it.

tyre choice is quite limited, but the TA2s are great for me, so it's not a problem.
 
And you get a calendar
bb86369b51ef792081a967589c22ecbb.jpg
 
Can't help feeling a printed calendar is a step back in time, and just the sort of thing that would suit BMW, as they seem obsessed with the whole retro thing.
 
cookie said:
Having gone from an 1190 Adventure (17'/19") to the 1190 Adventure R (18/"21"), owned back to back, I'd say the the larger front wheel makes the turn in slower due to gyroscopic effect, and require a more positive effort. It also makes the bike far more stable through sweepers and it's easier to hold a desired line. This suits my riding style(?) much better than the smaller wheeled version and I'm very happy with it.

Negatives: It's very easy to ride right to the edge of the tread if you "corner with enthusiasm", and so there's always a little nag at the back of my mind that I might go over that edge, but I've not had any moments because of it.

tyre choice is quite limited, but the TA2s are great for me, so it's not a problem.
Click to expand...

Agree with all of that (other than owning the 2 models back to back for me).
There's a little bit of gyroscopic effect to overcome on intitial turn in but it's no big deal and the positives outweigh that for me.
TA2s work really well, great tyres. DO NOT try the Dunlop Trailthingies, I've got them on at the moment and they are truly horrid in comparison, I hate them and am about to change back to TA2s long before the Dunlops are near being worn out.......

Andres
 
Thanks for the info everyone,

As previous posts i do fancy the R, Bike is mainly used for euro tours these days and some trips out at weekends.
Have re-booked a test ride for Saturday on an S (only demo they have).

Hopefully it lives up to the hype, then from feed back given I will hopefully order the R.

Any more feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
Outtomunch said:
DO NOT try the Dunlop Trailthingies, I've got them on at the moment and they are truly horrid in comparison, I hate them and am about to change back to TA2s long before the Dunlops are near being worn out.......

Andres
Click to expand...

Trailsmarts? I thought Giles spoke well of them a while ago?
 
Ha ha ....
I liked the trailsmarts !!

As the others have said with the 21 front, it's a little slower to steer but will hold a long curving well. Sometimes with the aggressive angles of say a sports bike and a 17 front, you only have to look at something on the road and the bike is taking you there straight away. Whilst that's great for track days, sometimes it's a pain in the arse for road riding. The 21 front slows all that down a bit and of course rolls over those bumpy back roads with a bit more comfort.

The trade off is of course exactly what cookie was talking of. Is that skinny tyre going to give up if you really push it into a corner? Probably not, but for me it was a bit of a nagging thing in the back of my mind, and I always felt that it held me back a tad when I wanted to be a bit lairy.
The 19 front of the S is a better compromise for me and I much prefer that front end 'under yer bollocks' feel ...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
At last I get my 1290 S tomorrow, can't wait
 
I take this guy's reviews seriously because I've seen his offload riding skills on other movies, here is a review:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1V6urKLaZRo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
now watch him ride from 9 mins onwards:
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8b31J9-VKug" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
Hilltop, done.
 

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EVskij said:
I'm sure it feels much better, but those figures are rather disappointing when comparing before and after.....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

You're focussing on the figures too much. Look at the graph, and the amount of torque that has been released down low. The bike is a whole new beast.
 
The Nutty GSER said:
You're focussing on the figures too much. Look at the graph, and the amount of torque that has been released down low. The bike is a whole new beast.
Click to expand...

Lovely and smooth, just how it should be :)

Still down compared to the iconic 1190 after a 'Hilltop' though.......................................never mind though, the 1290 has a TFT display and can show you what tracks are playing on your iPod :D

Andres
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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