Test-ride day, part 1
A test-ride day turned up at a circuit near home, so I went. My own bike was in the shop for the long haul, and even a short ride would change the mood.
They had 17 bikes from several makers, and two laps of a fairly small circuit. The popular ones had a queue, so I started with the ones nobody was waiting for.
These are only what I thought at the time.
1992 BMW R100R
1992 BMW R100R
I wrote about this in an earlier post. I did not expect to be able to ride one here.
I got on it with high hopes, and the result was a question mark. Age, I suppose. Every control was heavy and sticky. The bike is not light to begin with, and this was a different heaviness, one that stayed with me. Maintenance would probably sort it. As it sat, I could not imagine being happy on it. The throttle was heavy too. I wish they had at least sorted that.
In the corners the tire slipped a little, and the stability was very BMW. Something was still missing. If I had owned one since new I might love it. Buying one now, that half-finished feeling would bother me. I like the engine and I like the shape. I had expected too much.
2002 Ducati Monster 900
Ducati Monster 900
My first Monster, and I was looking forward to it. The dry clutch rattles, the desmo ticks, and that fragile-sounding Ducati noise is the point.
The riding position had been set up, and it was easy. A light bike turns cleanly, and it pulls when you open it. It does not have the outright power of a current bike, so if you do not want this particular flavor you may be disappointed.
The sound would be hard work on a long day. On a pass, a circuit, or a short tour, I think it would be fun.
2012 Honda NC700X
Honda NC700X
Around 40 km/L, and a liquid-cooled twin of about 50 hp.
I sat down in front of a digital dash, which I do not like. Once it was running I could barely feel it was a twin. On the move it was so smooth it felt like an electric motor. I kept wondering whether it was a multi.
That is what development does. Nothing was wrong with it, and nothing made me want to ride it.
The fuel tank is under the pillion, so if you have luggage you unload it every time you fill up. The bike is meant to travel. I do not know what they were thinking.
2012 Honda Integra
Honda Integra
A 669 cc big scooter with a dual clutch, and a switch between automatic and a manual mode.
"Manual" here means a shift-up and shift-down switch. I clicked at it for a while because it was new, then remembered I was sitting like I was on a scooter and left it in automatic.
It also changed gear halfway through a corner, so I could not ride it the way I meant to. The bike seemed to be telling me which speed the corner required. I never worked out what the technology was for.
2012 Yamaha TMAX 530
Yamaha TMAX 530
I assumed I simply do not enjoy big scooters, and I got on the TMAX without expecting much. It was nothing like the Integra.
The TMAX is 530 cc, about 140 cc more than the Integra, and it felt stronger than that gap suggests. Gearing, and the way it rides. This one was exciting. Yamaha's line, enjoying the excitement of the ride with an automatic, is accurate. I could imagine a winding road being fun.
It is hard to say exactly what is different. The people who designed it understand motorcyclists. I kept noticing that.