Forum menu
Most roads have a natural limit well below the capabilities of them, and motorways and dual carriageways look like honey traps for fast bikes, and it’s pretty boring going fast on a road like that until you’re well over 120mph.
I’m trying to remember the last time I was passed by a motorbike going warp speed, most are going probably only 10-15mph faster than me in my car.
That's why bikes like the Street Triple are popular at the moment. Not silly powerful but sublime handling so it really shines on twisty but not silly fast roads, which is most. It's probably why sportsbike sales have fallen from 38,000 units in the UK in 2000 to less than 8,000 last year.
Yep, the bikes may have silly amounts of power, but the way they’re designed to exploit it isn’t at the top end. Where they excel is whizzing along a quiet b-road in third, hovering around peak torque making the corners come alive. Even a 1290sas, with a ludicrous 160bhp, is pretty useless above 110mph. But between 40 and 80 it’s the most sublime way to waft along annoying the power ranger brigade.
OoooOOOooohh. I'm interested, tell me more!
That's nice TTP - nearly got an xsr700 before I found my Guzzi - yours a 900?
Yep. XSR900. Just fitted with the Akra pipe so sounds amazing.
Best bike I have ever ridden.
The plan going forward is a Velocity Moto 900LC conversion to look like this:
Just a cool vid.
I picked this up at the weekend 🙂
Grr why does the embedding not work !!!
Street Triple is a fantastic first big bike.
I have a 765RS in track trim, with a SC Project full titanium system it makes 132BHP at the rear wheel on the Powertech Dyno in Blackpool.
Ummed and ahhed about a SMR for a while but saw sense and I'm collecting this beauty on Sunday:
Took a while to find a decent one but I'm well happy. Low mileage, full Akrapovic system, all crash bungs and bobbins, remapped to get rid of the alleged rubbish KTM FI throttle response, lots of orange KTM bling. Just need the weather to perk up now.
Nice bike Flying Ox. They sound lovely with Akra’s (mine pops and bangs gloriously on overrun, it’s a carburettored 950 SMR).
Nice nice nice love that!
Yeah, can't wait to get out on it. Picking up from near Derby, was going to ride back to St Andrews via the Peak District, Pennines, A66, A7/703. Instead the weather is utter pish so it's going in the back of the van and I'll probably not get to use it until I get back from work in April 😔
I haven't read all 12 pages of this thread but passed my cbt last year and bought a 125 scooter and loved it but now I am looking to swap it for a geared 125 bike as my commute jut got longer and I want to re-practise my gears. I don't regret the scooter and twist and go has been a no brainer but its time to progress ahead of the A test in the summer.
I admit to not 'passing' the first CBT I did and am happy they didn't, as a cyclist I didn't get the fact a brake lever was a clutch, got it sorted second time but hence now wanting to get some miles in on a geared bike. I've now done the theory test so am slowly slowly, at my pace, progressing and staying safe. and loving it. 🙂 I hope the OP got sorted, haha.