• Welcome to PiBoSo Official Forum. Please login or sign up.
 
March 28, 2024, 07:31:47 PM

News:

World Racing Series beta14 available! :)


Itching to replace my bike, I tried a couple of recent ones.

Started by HornetMaX, November 04, 2018, 12:05:03 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

HornetMaX

I have a 2012 Honda cb1000r of which I'm fully satisfied (even if it has only 100cv, as in France bikes were limited to that before 2016). It has only 16500Km and is in perfect conditions.

But the devil is always around the corner, and this time the corner arrived in the form from a local delaer (well, like 150Km from my place), selling a demo Aprilia Tuono 1100 RR with 1600Km (2018 model, registered June 2018). The Tuono never really convinced me on the paper, mostly due to its look. But worldwide it's probably considered as the the best roadster out there (if you're looking into the extreme category that is) and got this confirmed first hand by some contacts & testers in the bike press world. So, I decided to try one. Big mistake :)

Saturday morning, roads are wet due to night rain. The garage still allows me to try it (they don't allow to try it if it's raining).
Guy says 30min, I give him a look, and he says OK for 60min, and he starts the 2018 Tuono 1100 Factory.

I don't consider myself a skilled rider, far from that. Had a bike since 2007, but only non-mad stuff (an Hornet 600 and the 100cv cb1000r).
If I had to desrcibe the Tuono with as few chars as possible, I'd say daunting. Maybe even fokin' daunting.
On it, you lose the sensation of speed. You lose your usual references for it.
Starting from a traffic light, you've not yet fully released the clutch and you're already doing 50Kmh. This happens in a 6 meters space.
If you are in 2nd gear and you blink your eyes, you're above 100Kmh and you're asking yourself why all the other vehicles are stopped.
The brakes are from another planet, at least for me. The shifter (up and down) is something you'll never give up once you try one (one that good).

From a practical standpoint, it's a bit of a nightmare: no space at all under the saddle, non fuel gauge (?), it was only 18 degrees but in the traffic the bike was already roasting my left thigh (guess that will be a problem in summer here, usually 30+ for 2 months min).

I didn't push the bike at all (even for my noobish level) because I was not comfortable/accustomed on it (and because the road was very wet). Question is: do I want to get accustomed to it ?
Anyway, I give it back, jump on my cb1000r (which now of course feels like an elephant with arthritis) and head for my local honda dealer to try a new (2018) cb1000r.

Funky looking bike the new cb1000r: not a big fan of the cafe racer stuff but have to admit that when you see one in front of you, the build quality is just of another level, even for Honda. And it has 140cv, so shouldn't be exactly a slug.

I jump on one that has a shifet (up and down) and an arrow exhaust (without db killer).
First impression: it feels like a toy. Not because it is a toy, probably because its lighter than my own cb1000r (which is good) and because it feels shorter than both my bike and the Tuono (but the three has the exact same wheelbase, down to the mm).
What strikes me immediately is that I instantly feel at ease on it and hence I feel I can push it more on the same road I tried the Tuono on (but to be honest, the road is now less wet than before). The sound is unimpressing (even with the arrow), but the bike is very agile, engine revs all good, the quickshifter is a joy to use (gear up it's almost seamless, gear down it works much better than I thought).

From a practical point of view, it's way less radical: some space under the saddle, it doesn't roast you legs and ass, you're sitting upright (wrists tend to like that).

In the end, the 'almost new' Tuono would cost me as much as the new cb1000r. So now I'm left with a dilemma: I'm 45 with family and kids, so the cb1000r (which I think is plenty fast and fun) is a match. But the Tuono ... how to say it ... the idea of twisting the throttle just a bit (it's short) in the underground parking of my workplace and have the whole building shaking ... :)

h106frp

Not often that life offers such pleasant decisions to make  ;D

Personal experience is that the more extreme the bike the less it gets ridden. Top/front heavy, turning circle of an oil tanker, too much power(fast) Probably  for normal roads (licenece fretting) and too 'precious' all put you off using it on a regular basis. Probably easier on the continent with less crowded/policed roads though  :)

matty0l215

S1000R ?

Mental Nature when push but also (apparently, According to Royal Jordanian on Youtube) a commutable bike and capable of going touring if that floats your boat.

Sounds aggressive as well with a bit of end can swapping :P

That or go mad and get a Super Duke 1290 R and wake most of the Mediterranean up :P
For faster responses, please visit the discord server- HERE

HornetMaX

@h106frp: tend to agree, but fact is I did 9000Km in 4 years with my previous one, so I'm already in the camp of those who rarely use the bike. The cost per Km I do is just insane :)

@matty: s1000r and 1290 were obviously in the shortlist, but they are just a tad too pricey. If I had an offer for a 1290 comparable to the Tuono one (price range, condition) then I'd probbaly go with the SuperDuke R. Just as mental, but somehow more usable on the road.

matty0l215

What about giving a Triumph Speed Triple a try? I can certainly vouch for the nice ride and smooth power (although lacking compared to something like the Tuono or 1290 so maybe not if that's what you are looking for)
For faster responses, please visit the discord server- HERE

HornetMaX

Never been a big fan of it aesthetically (but I liked the Street, that I didn't buy just because it was heating my balls like a barbecue you're sitting on).

I find it a bit overpriced too: the creme-de-la-creme RS starts at 16.2 KE and lacks a quickshifter ... at that price it's a Tuono or SuperDukeR fight (even the S is probably more expensive than the Tuono, at least here).

P.S.
Other annoyance with the 2018 Tuono: Euro4 means it has an exhaust valve in the silencer, not in the collector.
So it is almost impossible to replace the big stock exhaust with a better looking (and road legal) aftermarket one. Yawn.

matty0l215

Fair point (the Triumphs are overpriced even in the UK. They seem to do a lot more finance bikes than straight sales)

Exup Bypass should be an easy Mod. Disconnect the actuator cables and leave the servo twisting away merrily.
For faster responses, please visit the discord server- HERE

HornetMaX

Quote from: matty0l215 on November 04, 2018, 06:05:10 PM
Fair point (the Triumphs are overpriced even in the UK. They seem to do a lot more finance bikes than straight sales)
Ducati docet :)

Quote from: matty0l215 on November 04, 2018, 06:05:10 PM
Exup Bypass should be an easy Mod. Disconnect the actuator cables and leave the servo twisting away merrily.
Sadly, no. You need a specific little thingy to bypass the valve without the ECU noticing it, or you're screwed (dash error + engione limited after a few Kms). And after that, you need a re-map of the ECU too, bu tof course most Aprilia dealers are OK to sell this to you only if you buy a full Akra line from the (1600-2200E, and I don't even like the look of it). So yeah, for once the OEM exhaust  is likely to stay on :)

matty0l215

For faster responses, please visit the discord server- HERE

HornetMaX

I'd blame Aprilia more, plenty of other bikes are Euro4 without the need of that complex stuff (the valve actuator itself is 1Kg!).

matty0l215

Quote from: HornetMaX on November 04, 2018, 07:25:30 PM
I'd blame Aprilia more, plenty of other bikes are Euro4 without the need of that complex stuff (the valve actuator itself is 1Kg!).

I think I'd have to put up with the engine warning light or find a way to bypass  :o

The stock Daytona is a similar setup. Luckily a handy piece of software and a Bluetooth ODB tool and poof! exup disabled and fault light gone ;D
For faster responses, please visit the discord server- HERE

BOBR6 84

The Aprillia comes with ohlins suspension and brembo brakes right?

Id choose that for when the mid life crisis hits  ;D

HornetMaX

Quote from: BOBR6 84 on November 05, 2018, 11:31:51 AM
The Aprillia comes with ohlins suspension and brembo brakes right?
The Factory has ohlins, the cheapo (sort of) RR has only Sachs Gold. For my usage, both are way too much.
Brembo M50 on both Factory and RR: more stopping power I hope to ever need.

Quote from: BOBR6 84 on November 05, 2018, 11:31:51 AM
Id choose that for when the mid life crisis hits  ;D
That's my reasoning too, I'd soon be too old for something insane.
So yeah, YOLO ... or in the Tuono (and similar bikes) case, YODO (as in You Only Die Once).

BOBR6 84

Quote from: HornetMaX on November 05, 2018, 11:42:17 AM
Quote from: BOBR6 84 on November 05, 2018, 11:31:51 AM
The Aprillia comes with ohlins suspension and brembo brakes right?
The Factory has ohlins, the cheapo (sort of) RR has only Sachs Gold. For my usage, both are way too much.
Brembo M50 on both Factory and RR: more stopping power I hope to ever need.

Always better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it  ;D ;)

matty0l215

Oh now come on Bob. The extra money saved is better spent setting up the suspension than the shiny Ohlins ;D

We expect to see the Update picture either on the road or in the hospital Max ;) ;D
For faster responses, please visit the discord server- HERE