1290 in Sport Rider Mag

Killer!!!

My friend - you are bit behind ... That was last month's issue with the 1290R ... In this month's issue (July, 2014) - you will find a descent STREET ONLY comparison of the 1290R vs. S1000R vs. 2014 Monster 1200S vs. 2014 Z1000 vs. 2014 version of the Tuono.



(BTW - I demo'd one of those Buell's last weekend ...)

Just read the July issue. The 1290 does well!

yup only complaint was slippery foot pegs
that was my only complaint till i got a few
miles on
our bikes really kick ass !!!!!!

If we can consider the Sport Rider and Motorcycle.com reviews even remotely objective then the 1290R is basically the bike of my dreams. Combining a comfortable riding position that includes plenty of legroom with what could be the greatest street bike motor of all time and fantastic brakes to slow it all down in a hurry. The handling sounds like a nice combination of quick enough in the twisties yet still smooth and stable for longer trips. I still plan to demo the BMW because it also sounds like a great overall package and the price is definitely better than the KTM. However, from just reading the review the KTM seems like the best bike for the type of riding I do.

I agree. I was a sceptic as well. Gave up a Monster and Griso for the damn thing. Not looking back at all!!!

I took the old 990 out last weekend, rode to the BMW dealers and then rode the S1000R.

The BM was easier to ride, more comfortable, had better brakes and suspension and at the very top end was faster but.......

The SD had more punch, sounded better and was without a doubt more fun. Yes you had to kick it without mercy, try harder and accept the head shakes and other wobbles but that all added to the pleasure.

I'm sure the 1290 is a great bike but I doubt I could get down an actual road any faster riding one than I do on my old 990, certainly there was no real difference in average speed between the BM and 990. Certainly it has all the good bits about the BM + a more amusing engine but for me its the idiosyncrasies of the old tractor that make it so engaging and amusing on the road.

Sometimes less is more. I'm looking forward to having a thrash on a 1290 when the chance comes but I bet the old Black 990 remains in my garage for a long time to come.

Of course sometimes more is also more and I do have a ZZR1400 as well, nominally for two up touring but also for occasional dips into my warp speed / max acceleration addiction that although reduced is still in there somewhere

So do you need 8? Or is it 5? These statements are so conflicting, and me being stupid make little sense.

I think if you like the 1290 you should buy one and you won't be disappointed. I love mine and it has been in the shop a week. I am going to ride the piss out of it this weekend to get it all broken in and service it. Then hopefully I will get on the Race Track with her and I will let you know how she does.

I think the magazines are good reading on the toilet, but they are a poor substitute for seat time. My RC8R felt big and slow turning compared to the 1290. I will get time on the bike today, so I will have a better idea after I run all my favorite twisty roads.

I appreciate the fact that most folks don't think you need 180hp, but I think that is a matter of subjective rather than objective opinion.

Falls in the category of if you only allow 10 rounds in a handgun it is safer that 17 rounds, because it makes no sense either.

I do not think, with the electronics supplied on the 1290 that the 180 hp is excessive. It actually is pretty cool.

But, I voted with cash, my RC8R and 990 Superduke to get my 1290. YMMV

All I can say that I'm having fun on a bike again! (this despite the shit straight roads here)

Alright then how about-
The 1290 is a rip snorter.

+1 on Mr De-Flowered and methinks CrotchetyRock could use a name change...

Ha All bikes are good. The best one is the one you enjoy the best. I did a demo ride on a S1000rr when it first came out. It took me about 20 minutes to realise that it was the best sport bike out there. It still is. If someone would give me any sport bike for track use I would probably go for the HP4...either that or a beater 600 that I could thrash and crash without worry It is a lot easier to push the pace on a bike that won't cost a fortune to repair. I did my fastest lap on my track only salvage title RC51 with the good DOT race tyres that only the trackside vendor sell. Anyway, I have been riding bikes since the late 1960s, and, in my experience, this 1290 is the best road bike I have ever ridden. I read all the tests about the 1290 and they seem fairly accurate. No doubt the Tuono V4 and S1000R are fantastic bikes too. I would never talk trash about them because what's the point. They are great bikes, but not interesting to me as I prefer v-twin engines. One of the great points I like about the 1290 is how fun it is to ride at any speed. Slow and cruising is so fun. Fast is fun. It is such a fun fast bike to ride slow What is the worst road bike I have ever ridden? Easy choice. A Harley Sportster rental in Hawaii. Handled like a barge and the engine was close to tapped out at 70mph!

Yep!

I'm just gonna wait for used ones to hit the market or KTM to do the eventual price lowering. Actually I'm just a broke bitch and can't afford one right now

For me the 1290 quite simply does everything I want to do extremely well.
I'm not a latest and greatest guy, I have an 06 SD prior to this FFS and this is the first brand new bike I have ever owned.
I dont do track days so do I need 180hp? Probablt not, lets just say that it makes the 990 a little duller and that after is is why I ride, for the fun of it and if anything, the 1290 is fun. Thats progress.
Is the 1290 a total piece of shite? Far from it so why pay out on peoples choices if they are in a postion to be able to own one, people do upgrade bikes, some quite often. Good on em.
I have been on this forum for a few years and have gone through the SD-SDR dick swing, this is worse but still dont get it.
I enjoy sitting back and watching this banter but inevitably I dont give a fook what anyone thinks one way or the other, the 1290 is simply the best bike I have ever owned or ridden and thats all that matters to me.

I'll just put this here.

Super Duke also holds the naked bike lap record at Wakefield Park at 1m216s, which is just one-hundredth slower than the lap record held by the Painigale 1m104s

Just giving you my opinion as I have both bikes and covered plenty on Km on both of them .

I have a 1988 Honda Hawk that is lucky to push 50hp and I can get down a curvy road as fast as any bike I own. I have the 1290 and it is a docile beast unless provoked. Easy and friendly to get along with unless provoked. It's like carrying a 45 when a 9mm would do the job...I just like knowing its there for when the time comes to unleash hell. To each his own and if you like one you should buy one and if you don't then ride what makes you happy. My 1290 has been the best and most exciting bike I've ever owned. Its quite a thing to be excited when thinking about the next ride. Does my old Hawk do everything I need a bike to do? It sure does but the 1290 does it in a completely different manner. A motorcycle should bring out emotions that aren't released on a daily basis in the ho-hum world in which most of us live. The 1290 does this for me and many others.

this is the most fun bike i have ever owned
however i have only been riding for 47 yrs
and have always had at least 2 bikes in
the garage at any givin time
this bike really gets the looks !!!!!

In all honesty, I have never owned a sport bike. Meaning a fairing style, MotoGP replica/superbike, etc. I love naked bikes, street fighters and Cafe Racers. Love this bike so far. I couldn't care less about track time. When I need to get onto an on ramp on the 405, this fooker gets me there when I need and leaves me smiling! Don't mean to get anyone's panties in a binge!

"The track is for punks. We are Road People. We are Cafe Racers."
- Hunter S. Thompson

HST was a good writer at times and wrote a couple of classic mc essays-Revenge of the Sausage Creature and Midnight on the Coast Highway.

http://cbr250.com/forums/general-motorc ... ghway.html

Tragic figure in a way, as he did a lot of drugs and alcohol, allowed his fictional character to become his reality, and shot himself in the head after he became debilitated as he aged poorly.

Some of his classic books are Fear on Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Hells Angels.