916 all day ride ?

[bubba zanetti]

A second bike is in my future. No, maybe not today, not tomorrow but soon and for the rest of my life... I tend to waffle between a Thruxton, V11 LeMans and a 916. Any of which would nicely compliment the KTM.  Lately the 916 has been tugging at me again. Now I am no spring chicken, hell I may actually be a fall rooster    but still fairly flexible and reasonably fit apart from knee issues.  Which brings the question. Apart from admiring the 916 with a glass of perfectly chilled Prosecco extra dry in hand,  and a few brief rides to Nelson to impress "teh chciks", could/can it be ridden all day or are my perceptions of the ergo's accurate and before noon I would tell anyone where the secret rocket base was just to get off the beast ?

[ray916mn]

I'm 52, 5'6". 175 lbs.

I do a 600 mi. twisty day at least once a year on my 916 and have done 7 day sport tours averaging 350 mi./day on it. I regularly do 400+ mi. days on it as well as my '08 CBR1Krr (Heli bars and Honda Comfort seat. The mileage limiter for me on the bike is my neck, since I have a bulging disc between C5/6.

Couldn't do these miles with the bike in stock trim. Frankly I couldn't take much more than 80 mi. with the stock bars and seat. Heli bars and a Karbarcher seat were a huge improvement in comfort.

I think the answer will depend on your particular body dimensions and your comfort on doing miles to begin with. When I had a ZX11, 1000 mi. days were okay too.

[bubba zanetti]

I am 6' 1" or so and about 215lbs and a 35 inch inseam and long arms.
I imagine the bar change makes a huge difference but I also imagine the biggest challenge for me would be seat to peg height/angle.

I can do long days if need be. My preferred mileage is 500-600 miles which is about where the knees say it is prudent to throw back some ibuprofen and alcohol.

[Flyer]

My preferred mileage is 500-600 miles which is about where the knees say it is prudent to throw back some ibuprofen and alcohol.

Who deserves to ride a 916 through the Kootenays??
Dahmmm the ibuprofen! Full speed ahead!!  
Any bike can be modified to be "comfortable", but you'll need to stay fit and flexible.
Especially after some Austrian High-chair experience.  

[couchflyer]

368 mile jaunt through the Hill Country of TX on my 916SPS.  It can be done.

[Orson]

I tend to waffle between a Thruxton, V11 LeMans and a 916.

can it be ridden all day or are my perceptions of the ergo's accurate and before noon I would tell anyone where the secret rocket base was just to get off the beast ?

While in Scotland, I had a chance to ride notarian's 1098 for about an hour.

I would say the ergos are similar to the Thruxton's although the Thruxton's seat is a bit plusher. From my impression, I think I could ride a 1098 all day and not be crippled. I'm 6'2" with a 32" inseam.

For me, the major detraction for the Thruxton would be it's woeful suspension and that it lacks about 20 ponies at the top. The engine has wonderful character and sound but, while riding the fast sweepers in Scotland, I found myself longing for my V11  

I would say the V11 is a happy medium between the Thruxton and the 1098 although, I may be biased  

[Desmo Demon]

I'm 42, 6'1", and 250 lbs without gear and I ride my stock ergo 2002 748 for 300-400 mile mountain rides all the time. When you first get one of these bikes (or don't ride it for several months), it may take a while to get used to the bike, but once you log a few miles within a a months (2-3 weekends), it shouldn't be a problem at all. On the other hand, I don't think I could ever Superslab on the thing at all. I believe riding in the mountains, shifting my weight, and having that much fun simply helps make the riding position "better".