So why did I buy one ?

I passed my bike test a couple of years ago, and bought a (much derided) Honda Deauville. This is a commuting/light touring bike with Honda's ancient 52 degree V-twin engine, in a 650cc watercooled guise. I still think it's an excellent Sensible first bike, if that's what you're looking for.

After 15K miles on the Deauville, I was beginning to run into its limitations, and was fortunate enough to be able to afford a new bike to replace it, so I started looking around, based on this list:

  1. A bit more power than the DV
  2. That I could get insured on
  3. Reasonable running costs
  4. Low maintenance requirements
  5. A fairing with good wind protection
  6. Manoeuvrable and narrow enough for filtering
  7. Comfortable for a tall rider (I'm 6'4)

I considered almost everything, and test rode these:

  • Honda ST1100A Pan European: Very smooth, fast enough, and surprisingly light-footed once it's rolling. I was a bit intimidated by the 290Kg DRY weight, the width, and the stock screen caused the windblast to try and rip my helmet off. Good deals on offer from Lloyd Cooper, as the STX1300 had just been announced.

  • Honda XL1000V Varadero: Big laffs from monster trailie powered by a variant of the V-twin Firestorm engine. Surprisingly smooth for a twin, accelerates faster than the Pan, very chuckable once you are confident to reach the required lean angles. Once again, the standard screen was no use at high speeds.

  • Yamaha FJR1300: A new sports-touring contender this year, with a fantastically strong and torquey motor. You can leave it in top gear and execute snappy overtakes with absolutely no need to change down. Once again, the screen was fairly useless for me. The list price is way too high at 10.5K quid with luggage - the dealer was offering 9.5K, but it's still an unproven design in terms of longevity.

  • BMW R1150RT: The first time I rode a boxer, which was a mixed experience. Enough power, torquey and excellent weather protection, but the bike was very vibey (badly needed a service I think) and displayed the much documented surging problem. I also don't like the look of the RT very much, it's just a bit too sensible.

  • BMW R1100RS: Now this is more like it. I thought it offered an ideal compromise for me between sportiness, commutability, tourability, handling, insurability, looks, practicality etc. The reach-adjustable bars in particular were great, because I could avoid the slouch that the other bikes tended to force me into. The 20K mile example I rode first was much smoother than the RT, and even the much-maligned 5 speed box was OK.

    So I bought a Pacific Blue R1150RS from Sawbridgeworth in Hertford, after riding two different 1100's and finally the owner's new 1150. So far I've found them to be very helpful, and I'd recommend their service.

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