Sounds like you made a wise choice. I have now had my R for 1.5 yrs, and have put on half of the 21k miles, I bought mine used. No problems so far. I had to sync the throttle bodys 1 time, and other than regular maintenance such as oil changes, new tires and valve lash checks its been a trouble free bike. I did replace the stock seat with a custom Bill Mayer saddle, great seat buy the way.
I know some guys buy bikes for awhile and then find something wrong with them that makes them buy a different make/model, I really believe this bike does everything well and wont hurt you doing it.
By that I mean, its powerful, but not so much that it will get you in trouble like the co-worker who flipped his R1 while taking off from a light 2 days ago, or the other guy who bought the hard tail chopper, when he hits a bump at highway speed, it takes him out of the saddle. But he looks good doing it! Its fairly nimble in traffic, and will cruise with the best of them. I commute on mine weather permitting and the 45+ mpg is nice with the high fuel costs. But the best thing about the RR is taking the ride to Tortilla Flats, a local canyon ride that this bike was made to ride. Have fun and keep the rubber down.
R1150R for First Street Bike
Moderator: Moderators
Almost 500 miles
Well I'm almost at 500 miles. I know some of you hit that in a morning of riding but remember this is my first street bike. I thought I would share some of my thoughts.
1.) What a great bike. I don't think I could have made a better decision. Sporty, great looks, fast enough for me, loads of brakes, quality feel and great people to hang with, (I spend some time on other boards lurking and this is the best place (no nonsense / all bikes).
2.) Learn to love the funny oil check routine. It's a pain at first but if you get over it and learn to love the strange ritual.
3.) I feel very comfortable with the bike. I still ride scared and think everyone is going to cut in front of me. I always gave bikes extra room and even cut the guys that cut in front of you with 2" slack. What's with the people following right on your bumper when you have a car in front of you?
4.) My bike has the low seat and I don't real have an issue with it. I'm 6' and want to try the high and if I see someone with a Sarget I will love to try it. I have the strangest problem getting on the bike with the bags mounted. If on the center stand I step on the left peg with the left foot and step over, no problem. If it's on the side stand I throw my right leg over, (lifting high to clear the bags). Instant cramp. Drives me nuts.
5.) Rode errands this morning in cold, drizzle. Still had a big grin on my face. I had to laugh when meeting a follow biker in that weather. You get a very enthusiastic wave. The heated grips are great. Mentioned them to my friend who ride Harleys. I didn't know they don't have them.
6.) The bags. I don't like the look of the bike with them on but they stay on. I love the storage.
7.) This board is great. I have joined as a lifetime member. Thanks for all the help and advice.
1.) What a great bike. I don't think I could have made a better decision. Sporty, great looks, fast enough for me, loads of brakes, quality feel and great people to hang with, (I spend some time on other boards lurking and this is the best place (no nonsense / all bikes).
2.) Learn to love the funny oil check routine. It's a pain at first but if you get over it and learn to love the strange ritual.
3.) I feel very comfortable with the bike. I still ride scared and think everyone is going to cut in front of me. I always gave bikes extra room and even cut the guys that cut in front of you with 2" slack. What's with the people following right on your bumper when you have a car in front of you?
4.) My bike has the low seat and I don't real have an issue with it. I'm 6' and want to try the high and if I see someone with a Sarget I will love to try it. I have the strangest problem getting on the bike with the bags mounted. If on the center stand I step on the left peg with the left foot and step over, no problem. If it's on the side stand I throw my right leg over, (lifting high to clear the bags). Instant cramp. Drives me nuts.
5.) Rode errands this morning in cold, drizzle. Still had a big grin on my face. I had to laugh when meeting a follow biker in that weather. You get a very enthusiastic wave. The heated grips are great. Mentioned them to my friend who ride Harleys. I didn't know they don't have them.
6.) The bags. I don't like the look of the bike with them on but they stay on. I love the storage.
7.) This board is great. I have joined as a lifetime member. Thanks for all the help and advice.
Silver '04 R1150R
#487
#487
Tipstall,
Thanks for the 500 mile update, glad to hear your grin is getting wider everyday. Did you see the $100 Tall/Comfort seat on http://www.ibmwr.org Oilhead/Accessories For Sale? I don't know how it would look paired with the stock passenger seat, it may eliminate the step between the seats. Sarah
Thanks for the 500 mile update, glad to hear your grin is getting wider everyday. Did you see the $100 Tall/Comfort seat on http://www.ibmwr.org Oilhead/Accessories For Sale? I don't know how it would look paired with the stock passenger seat, it may eliminate the step between the seats. Sarah
I just bought the GS handguards too but I didn't like the stock inboard mounts because it looked like I would have to stress the handguards to get them to fit. I just got the plastic and fabbed the rest. If you are interested I could supply a pic. If you are really interested I can supply a rudimentary drawing in .dwg format.tipstall wrote:Found a tall seat online so I have something new to play with. Also ordered my battery tender II, GS hand gaurds and a signal minder.
It snowed last night in Chicago but got to 45F and I was able to go for a short ride this afternoon. Had to be careful around corners for left over ice, gravel and piles of salt.
Drove by the Union Railroad Museum, http://www.irm.org/
Stopped for a picture of the R.
http://www.geocities.com/massettfamily/Ratthetrain.jpg
It may have been the last ride of the season, thought I'd share. Coming home I drove past a Harley dealer. Just smiled as a thought about how I was thinking that was what I wanted in a bike.
Drove by the Union Railroad Museum, http://www.irm.org/
Stopped for a picture of the R.
http://www.geocities.com/massettfamily/Ratthetrain.jpg
It may have been the last ride of the season, thought I'd share. Coming home I drove past a Harley dealer. Just smiled as a thought about how I was thinking that was what I wanted in a bike.
Silver '04 R1150R
#487
#487
-
scottybooj
- Lifer
- Posts: 1336
- Joined: Mon Mar 21, 2005 12:16 am
- Location: Long Island, NY
