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Bikes I rode at Americade this year.

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  • #1

    Bikes I rode at Americade this year.

    During Americade I got to ride quite a few nice bikes, here is a short reveiw of each:

    BMW K1200GT - This is a really nice sport-touring machine with all the stuff (heated grips and seat, electric windshield, ABS, Electronic suspension control etc, cruise, optional GPS). Very NICE bike, but for $18,800 base price it needs to be. Very comfortable upright seating position, 152HP, power good everywhere. I want one of these!


    BMW K1200S - This is the sport bike from BMW, 167 HP and a nice growl when you punch it. Handling and brakes (ABS, ESC) was awesome! Ergos are much like a Sprint ST, or maybe a Hayabusa, with lower bars and rearward pegs. Not like a GSXR or R1 but still uncomfortable after a few hours. But who cares..did I mention the 167HP?


    BMW F650GS DAKAR (ABS) - This is an enduro type bike, single cylinder only 50HP. One of the ride leaders owns one of these and told me to ride it like I stole it, and keep it high in the RPM range for maximum enjoyment. I has vibes, but handles the curves solidly. Nice choice for some off road/ on road riding. And added plus was the low seat height. When I got back from the ride you couldn't knock the smile off my face with a crowbar!!


    Triumph Scrambler - I love the look of this bike and was going to buy one. I decided I needed a more off roady bike and ended up with the KLR. This bike is a 900 twin, has decent HP and mine came with an off road exhaust. Great sound! The only bad thing I have to say is the pipe rested on my fat leg, not burn hot but warm...skinny guys may not notice this. Tires are enduro type and they are loud at 95MPH.... This bike is a winner and only about $8000, check one out!


    Triumph Sprint ST (ABS) - This bike is flat out one of the best sport touring bikes ever made! I does generate some heat, and I would change the seat but the suspension, brakes and handling are wonderful, we were ripping through the corners! Two thumbs way up for this one! It does have a slightly forward position on the bars, but I am sure a handlebar riser would fix that. 123 HP is a nice kick in the pants as well.


    More to come later, I rode Harley, Buell, Victory, Kawasaki, Aprilia, and Moto Guzzi.
    Gary Granger
    Remember, we are the caretakers of mechanical art.
    2013 Suzuki DR650SE, 2009 Kawasaki Concours 1400, 2003 Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Moto Guzzi Breva 1100 - This bike honestly reminds me of my old Bandit, not as much HP (only 86) but it is a great handling do-it-all type bike. Straight up seating position, comfortable seat, Side cases, top box and windshield are available to make this a great sport touring or touring bike. I think it looks fantastic! I was scraping my boots in the corners on this, so it will handle. Stops well to with brembo brakes. ABS will be offered later this year. Moto Guzzi is no longer making cruisers....You can get a demo on this bike at a Moto guzzi dealer...try it and see. The fun factor meter was pegged on this one.
    Gary Granger
    Remember, we are the caretakers of mechanical art.
    2013 Suzuki DR650SE, 2009 Kawasaki Concours 1400, 2003 Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono

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    • #3
      Harley Davidson Street Rod - I really wanted to try this bike because, I tried the V-rod last year and liked it except for the awful riding position. This bike has the 120 HP Porshe motor, a reduced rake and pegs underneath the rider where they should be! I found a couple problems, first the rails on the side of the tank hit your legs, and the seat is uncomfortable to say the least. We did see a Night Rod (black denim paint, blacked out motor etc.) that had a custom stepped seat that was lower and more comfortable - also had bags and a windshield, much more to my liking...we ran out of time to ride it though.


      Harley Davidson 1200 Sportster - we rode two different ones since there was no line. These bikes did not seem to be popular. Oe had pull back bars and the other was the flat track looking one. They shake, rattle and roll...the foot peg was falling off one of them and they scooted it into the truck as soon as we got off. The sporties are the entry level bike and and are what they are. I do really like the orange and cream color scheme.
      Gary Granger
      Remember, we are the caretakers of mechanical art.
      2013 Suzuki DR650SE, 2009 Kawasaki Concours 1400, 2003 Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono

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      • #4
        And the kingpin
        Bruce Gerken
        '79 XS1100SF
        "The Black"
        '2009 BMW k1300GT'
        The Red Sled.
        St.Augustine (354-430 AD) wrote,"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page . Well motorcycles turn the book of the world into a page turner. That is often impossible to put down.

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        • #5
          OK Bruce here is the skinny on the Victory Kingpin-

          I actually rode two different ones, a regular and a Deluxe model. The Deluxe model has the full bags and windshield. I found this bike to be a very nice ride. High praise indeed for me on a cruiser. The riding positon seemed very natrual, my feet were right where they wanted to be, my hands were right where they wanted to be. It does have floor boards and a heel-toe shifter. The power from the 100cuin (1638 cc) motor was good and the 6th gear made highway cruising a no vibration option. I was most impressed by the fact this bike actually turns well compared to most others, a smaller front and narrower rear tire made this possilble. If I was going to buy a cruiser bike, this would be it. Victory also give out ride at local dealers, try one and see what you think!

          Click here for Kingpin photos from Victory

          Gary Granger
          Remember, we are the caretakers of mechanical art.
          2013 Suzuki DR650SE, 2009 Kawasaki Concours 1400, 2003 Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono

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          • #6
            Yamaha Roadliner - I really wanted to ride something else but all the FJR's and FZ1's were taken for the day. So we decided that a Roadliner or Stratoliner (same bike except Strato has bags and sheild) was better than nothing. I don't think the Yamaha reps liked me calling these Freightliners - oh well, I still got a ride. This bike is big, 1900 ccs, and has power to spare. Ride was very comfortable (seat was like a pillow on mine). Yamaha had a nice twisty route too, but this is a bigger bike than I usually do the twisties with. My wife loved this bike, said it was like riding a cloud, she was on the bike in front of me. I thought it was a nice job by Yamaha, if you are looking for a big cruiser, (which I am not).

            Gary Granger
            Remember, we are the caretakers of mechanical art.
            2013 Suzuki DR650SE, 2009 Kawasaki Concours 1400, 2003 Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono

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            • #7
              Aprilia Caponord - I thought I knew how this bike would ride...boy was I wrong. Since I have an Aprilia Tuono I figured the engine would act the same, but it was very different. My Tuono is tuned for power (128HP)...and gives up a little ridability as a result. This motor is tuned for low and midrange grunt (98 HP) and was a pleasure to ride. This is their adventure-touring bike and competes with the Suzuki V-Strom, Triumph Tiger, KTM 950 Adventure and the like. It has a lower seat height and ABS for this year. I flat out loved riding this bike, it's big with a comfortable riding position, and comes with bags, trunk, windshield and even hand protectors. If I was looking for a new swiss army bike (thats what I call the adventure touring bikes) this would be at the top of the list. Shown here with out bags and trunk:
              Gary Granger
              Remember, we are the caretakers of mechanical art.
              2013 Suzuki DR650SE, 2009 Kawasaki Concours 1400, 2003 Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono

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              • #8
                Buell Ulysses - I wanted to love this bike because all the magazines did. I found I liked the bike but there were a couple of things that really bothered me. The first was seat height of around 35 inches, they had an optional lower seat but it was still hard for me to get on this beast. The second was the bad vibes at low RPM, the thing shook hard under about 2000 RPM. Both of these problems dissapeared after you were moving so as I was riding it, I was thinking "yeah I could handle this", but reality set in and I thought of all the other bikes in this catagory.



                Kawasaki Ninja 650R - Don't let the name Ninja scare you, this is no Ninja. I didn't even know they made this bike. Sporty looking, high bars, cheap and a parallel twin no less!!!
                This was the surprise bike of the show. Easy to handle, lots of easy to use power, and comfortable. My wife came back from her test ride and told me she had it to 110MPH and I should try to do better!! 3 of us rode this and all 3 loved it. I can see a beginner riding this or an experienced rider. This is definately worth a look, and at only $6299 MSRP seems like a great deal.



                Well thats it for this year. Riding new bikes is fun and can be dangerous (to your bank account), the excitement wears off in a few days. The Aprilia I rode a few days after Americade at a local dealer...they are not doing the show circuit this year.

                Gary Granger
                Remember, we are the caretakers of mechanical art.
                2013 Suzuki DR650SE, 2009 Kawasaki Concours 1400, 2003 Aprilia RSV Mille Tuono

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                • #9
                  .. neat thread Gary, if you dont mind, i would like cut in with an impression of one that i rode the other day
                  .. this one is the new Triumph 675. it's a very good looking bike, very light and it has a sound all of it's own. by the time i got to ride it, the owner had already changed the muffler and had a new down load added. it was the Triumph closed course muff and it didnt sound all that loud.. all i can say about how it rode is OUCH! this bike has to be thee most uncomfortable bike i have ever riddin!.. i only rode the bike about 10 miles, and my back and neck are still sore.. Ok, with the bad stuff aside, what a great power plant! i cant waite to see one of these motors stuffed in a standard style bike [a speed triple maybe?]. i only got it up to 95 mph, but that was in 3rd gear and at only 11 grand[red line is at 13,500!]. what a freaky little bike, this thing could be fast! the power in the lower rpms felt pretty good, not weak like you would expect a whiney little sport bike to be. the bike was feeling pretty good at around 8,000 rpms, but the real excitement starts to happen at around 10, grand!. ok, this is getting long.... my impression of this bike is: i love it, but i hate it.. this bike is not for every one, i would test one before buying it.

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                  • #10
                    .. ok, how bout another one. today i got to ride one of these beasties:



                    .. when Ray had first shown up on this bike, all i could think of was "man what a big ugly bike".. after riding it for a while today, it turned out to be a really nice bike! real nice power, it didnt seem to matter much what gear i was in, it just got up and went! if i was a man of better means, i would have to own one. i still think this bikes appearance leaves something to be desired. but hey, beauty is in the eye of the beer-holder...

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