Rince,
Thank you for the comments. I was trying to figure out exactly how to talk about the decision process to buying a Monster over other bikes and hadn't quite put my finger on the right intro!
But, thanks to you!
Special thanks to Miles, James, Rusty, Ken, Vern and especially my WIFE as well as the rest of my friends of who have had to endure my often detailed OCD anal-retentive decision making process.
Let's start with my basic street bike requirements: MUST have ABS. MUST have reasonable Ergo's. MUST be LIGHT. MUST be relatively "minimalist". . And MUST be a bit...unusual...perhaps a better word might be more on the "unique" side.
Anyway, if you take just the first three requirements the field of potential bikes gets horribly small. ABS + Ergo's is a brutal combo - and candidly that weeds the vast majority of bikes out instantly. Toss in "minimalist" and "light" and the field becomes small...and make it somehow unique?
In the end there were three potential bikes. BMW's R1200R. Triumphs Speed Triple 1050. Ducati Monster 1100 EVO.
Special Mentions: Aprilia Tuono (*no ABS...sigh). VFR 1200 (weighty). K1300S (shades of Christine anyone?). A return to my beloved R1100RSL (no, I need not spoil my fond memories...).
*Wha? No J4 (Japanese big 4 manufacturers) bikes made the final cut? No, sadly. I'm just not a J4 fan. They make great bikes (and their Yamazaki Single Malt really is quite good!) but they leave me remarkably numb. That, and the J4 makers don't do much in the leg-room department.
Right, ergo's. I'm 42 and my right knee is, well, weird. It gets numb if it's at the wrong angle. Pretty much anything this side of 78 degrees. Yeah, I've figured that out. I spent hours on cycle-ergos.com checking numbers. For instance, a K12/13S is 78 degree of knee...but a VFR is 76. My buddies VFR kills my right knee in 30 minutes. But the K12 was 400 mile comfortable. Go figure.
Anyway, back to riding impressions. In order of test rides...I give you:
2012 Triumph Speed Triple 1050. (Compliments of SoCal Brea Triumph)
Man, I so wanted to love this bike. I had an '01 S3 for a little while and the '12 S3 certainly is a huge departure...and yet so familiar. The seating position, the engine, the ergo's...yeah, I know this bike. The suspension and chassis were a HUGE improvement over the '01 and I really felt like it was up to the occasional track day. The seating position was, literally, all-day comfortable.
And yet the S3 was the first bike that got cut even before any other test rides. Why?
The ergo's just don't put enough weight over the front tire. This came back to me so quickly on the first freeway on-ramp. It's far too easy to sit straight up on the bike...this seating position also meant that it's harder to tuck down and even harder to position against the wind. Miles has always told me that wind isn't a problem under 70 mph - he's right. Problem is, I live in SoCal - 70mph means you're a target. I got buzzed doing 85 the other day near Pendleton.
The other thing is the engine. It just doesn't do it for me. Oh sure, makes GREAT power and it just sounds awesome, but the absolute linearity of the motor also makes it boring. Yep, boring. It's so 100% totally predictable that it's boring. 3k rpm feels exactly like 9k rpm, just change the HP output. There's just no peaks and valleys to know what the motor was doing.
Honestly, I was disappointed. Engine character is a big, big deal and it's just not the right character for me.
Ducati Monster 1100 EVO (compliments of Ducati of Newport Beach)
So Ducati of Newport had a tarted up Monster (full Termi's
) ready for demo. How could I say no? I jetted down to Newport right after the S3 ride and handed over my license and insurance for the test.
Key in the ignition and the Termi's boomed. Yeah, that's too loud for the street!
But dayum! That sound! deep resonance that vibrated in the chest. I couldn't help but blip the throttle and enjoy the thunder.
Ease the clutch out and...there's shit for power below 4k. LMAO!
Fueling is fluffy, light, kinda like a nice meringue pie. The clutch is a tad grabby but that might well be because the bike is showing less than 200 miles on the clock. Gearbox is light and clicks quickly into place.
Here's what I remember: the smile. I was grinning from ear to ear! The sound, the instantaneous throttle response, the smooth gear transitions, the revised rev limiter (which absolutely sucked ASS on the 2007 model!) was very nice. I felt the road...the pebbles, the asphalt transmitted right to my hips and hands. Seating position was sublime...I could hold the bars with no weight on the wrists - just a perfect blend of "sport meets comfort" - gee, imagine my surprise when I discovered the ergos were virtually identical to BMW's K12S?
But is it perfect? The engine was a bit raw and rattley, and it vibed below 4k (*but smoothed out perfectly at 5k-7k). There was real engine character with the vibes. I KNEW what the motor was doing and where it was.
I got the rear brake a few times and the ABS felt very close to the BMW R12GS that I have. I didn't get the traction control to engage but I wasn't trying quite "that" hard on the street.
Sitting at a stop light, listening to the exhaust booming, all I could think of was "Damn, this is a BIKE." Unadulterated bike. Two wheels and a motor.
Other things I really, really liked: the electronics package in general is really sweet. Volt-meter, count-up fuel counter, ABS, 4 stages of Traction Control, Data-telemetry tracker (just add plug in), lap timer (yeah, that's actually a big deal to me), built in battery tender. I'm sure there's more...but a lot of this was stuff I wanted on a bike as an "add on".
Next up! BMW's R1200R Camhead Motor. (huge compliments to Brown Motorworks)
Yeah, you just KNEW I'd have to toss in a BMW, right?
But I've always liked this bike and just loved the look of the black and white 'classic' model with spoked wheels. The ergo's looked too upright and the saddle gets largely panned on the web for being too restrictive but hey, they're just plain inter-web reviews, right?
Ok, let's talk about Brown BMW for a second. Not my usual dealer but then my normal shop didn't have an R12R to demo. My conversation went kinda like this:
Me: "I'd like to test ride this bike"
Brown: "Sure thing. Drivers license and insurance please"
Me: "Yep here you go. What's the route?"
Brown: "Be back by 4pm." (it was 10am...)
Me: "Seriously?"
Hands me the key. "Yep. If you don't mind, would you please return her with a full tank?"
Serious kudos to BMW for understand what a test ride is all about. I set out for an Ortego 160 mile loop.
The BMW R12R. Really, I wanted it to win. I love BMW and they do great bikes. Another day and another time and I can see this bike in the garage. Heck, I can see it as a compliment to the Monster right now.
So how can two bikes that are so similar in mission be so different?
First things first: the Motor. Goodness! R12R Camhead boxer motor is FABULOUS! No question, this is THE motor to beat of the three. It makes POWER from 2500 RPM and just flat rips. Totally communicative motor - you know exactly what the motor is doing. But the vibes! Oh the vibes! They are the BEST and HIGHEST quality vibes I've ever felt on a twin of any kind! Seriously. Just go ride one. I don't know how to explain it. They are massively refined vibes - smooth, not shocking, gentle even. The kind of vibes that can take you 1000 miles in a day with no effort.
The Camhead motor is far and away much more refined and more powerful than the previous R12 generation motor. It is THAT significant and noticeable.
Ok, the suspension. I've long stated that Telelever might be the BEST street suspension out there. I stand by this statement. It's fantastic. Sure, it gives up a bit of feel - the bike is definitely a bit disconnected compared to the Duc. But it handles like a dream. Light and precise handling that isn't harsh.
The gearbox is great. No issues at all. Easily on par with the Duc's. Dead smooth and the gear ratios on the R12R were flat perfect. Which is damn good thing because you can't change final drive ratio's!
Motor? Yeah. Handling? Yeah. Gearbox? Yeah.
And then it fell apart for me. Oh it was close. Soooo close. If I wanted to do more touring, this bike wins. Period. Electric grips and an e-vest plug are a big deal. But...
This bike needs a different seat. I couldn't believe how close the pegs were to the seat! Really, the specs don't do this justice. The angle of the pegs under the seat also put my right knee to sleep in just over 2 hours. I felt that knee for the next two days...and that was just a 160 mile ride!
Oh, the seat. Right. It locks you into one position and one position only. Can't move around on the saddle, can't really hang off. Tough to body shift.
Add a small windscreen and the ride position might work, but directly in the wind it was far too upright. I took a huge amount of windblast in a very upright position and it made it hard to hang on at speed.
But...and here's the final nail. The bike felt like a juggernaut. It picked up speed and held onto it and didn't want to slow down. Momentum. For a bike weighing barely 20# more than the S3 I was stunned. Transitioning from throttle to brakes and you felt every single pound. Compared to the Duc, well, it was spooky heavy. (*for the record, the R12R is at least 75# lighter than my GS...go figure.)
If I had a small windscreen and intended to tour, this bike would win of the three. It was the EASIEST to ride. Seriously, it was easy. Benign. You didn't think much of it. Just twist it and go. And then my mind wanders...I can add a GPS, set of Foggies, Farkle-Box under the seat, spare e-vest hookup and a USB charger, head covers, hardbags...
Feck. Why bother to sell the GS then?
And why bother with all this Frippery?
The new Camhead is a peach of a motor and far and away is the best motor of the three.
And the Duc Wins. Not because it's the fastest (S3), or has the best sorted suspension (S3 for sport, BMW for tour), or the best motor (BMW). Sure, the Duc wins on looks (gee, surprised?) and it wins on ergo's (seriously???). But the Duc also wins for being connected. I literally felt hardwired to the bike - I just KNEW what the bike was doing.
The Duc wins because it FEELS like what MOTORCYCLING is all about. I remember talking to Doc Gil a few years back about his Guzzie..."You know, I love this bike. It rattles and hums, and it's not really all that comfortable. But it handles great and I don't care much for days over 250 miles anymore anyway. It's the motorcycling experience that counts and this bike does it for me."
Piss on you Gil. I just got old like you.
The Duc also wins for one more significant reason: Garage appeal. Five years ago I used to hang out in my garage and lear at my beautiful R1100RSL. I loved the lines, the look, the feel. It was yellow and it was mine. I knew where every stripped fastener was and every silly nuance was. The frayed leads and more. I loved that bike. It railed with sportbikes and toured with Goldwings. I bled for that bike and it bled for me. I would go to the garage with a nice scotch and just sit in a chair with a rag...and do nothing. My wife would laugh at me...asking if I wanted a blanket to keep the bike warm.
I have never looked at the GS that way. Never looked at the S3 that way. Never looked at the ZX11 that way.
I just took a break, the Monster was calling me. That tank needs a polishing. Don't mind me. I need to spend a bit of time in the garage now...
In the end, my wife said it best. "You need the experience of an Italian Mistress in your life. And I'm willing to accept this one as long as she's red."
