R1200R Classic

The street triple R is no doubt a cracking little bike. But the Beemer orbits at much lower revs. If my example is typical, it feels strongest at very low rpm, say 3k to 4k rpm, then a little flat in the middle with another surge of torque towards the top. One thing I've realised is that the twist grip has more rotation than a modern jap four. So if you want full throttle you can only just get it without contorting your arm. Let's say it needs an exaggerated wrist movement. For good strong acceleration above 4 k rpm it seems to need a good fistful of throttle. It responds very well then. The gearbox is very slick, especially the top 3 ratios, which are satisfyingly close. There's a slight clonk changing up from first to second (the demonstrator was exactly the same) but you only get that when setting off from rest. I've missed a couple of gears but only when really pushing the thing to its limit (which is not what this bike is about) and I've realised it's due to the exaggerated throttle movement. Just takes practice.

If you're coming off a scooter a lot of what I've said there will be irrelevant for a good while I guess. Fitting the akrapovic can definitely enhances the riding experience and doesn't appear to change the torque curve noticeably. Removing the end restrictor it sounds gorgeous without being unsociable. That seemed to fill out the mid range a bit without spoiling that lovely bottom end torque. I contacted BMW to check the bike would operate ok like this but they never responded. That motor is quirky but the more you live with it, the less you'll want to let go. I rode a mates VFR1200 last year for about 80 miles and although it made mine feel a bit slow, I couldn't wait to get back on mine. Speed is definitely not the key to enjoyment, at least not the only key.

Comparing it to my brothers 1050. I notice the lull in the midrange on mine and although mine picks up quite strongly at the top, it still doesn't feel quite as strong as the speedy. Bottom end grunt feels good on my bike by comparison. (His speedy does have an Arrow system on which has probably librated a bit more top end anyway). The handling stacks up very well against the speedy, very stable. Accurate, unless you've just jumped off a sportsbike! My gearbox feels a lot better, especially the top three on the downshift. Mainly its just that character of the boxer motor.

ROLL ON SPRING!