revtothelimit - motorbike forum

Old fatty needs some new tyres.

Bit parky out today.

Nice day today and no bike training to do so got the Ducati out for a play as it’s not been out much lately. Filled up with fuel and off around a few of the coastal and inland roads. About 110 mile loop and back home for a cuppa.

Heated grips on lowest setting, leathers on lower half and textile jacket on top half and nice and warm



Back to the auld Fazer tomorrow

A stolen couple of hours today.

No parking my ass!

In your defence, it's not M25 busy is it

not 'your' bike as such but today i rode this.

2021-12-16_04-19-18 by Steve Weeks, on Flickr

I think it's a BMW R1200R.... or that's what's written on the tank.

I know it as the 'fucking weird thing going round corners'

One of the neighbours is into bikes too and had bolloxed his rotator cuff, his bike hasn't moved for 4 months and won't again for ages, so he says "i need to ask one of the mates if they'll take it out".... To which my reply was "hold my beer, i'll ride it"

Part of me enjoyed it, part of me regrets riding it. The engine was nice, pretty darn nice indeedy. But the handling... well that was weird.

It was part weavy, part stable, all bars and no lean. When you're going along it's like the bars turn 45 degrees into turns, the slower the turns the more pronounced the bar turn, it's like you sort of turn the bars into the corner instead of pushing down in a counter-steering way. It was just weird. I scrolled through the dash to see if it told me the pressures. 2.1bar and 2.4bar... i don't know what bar is... but sounded OK and it wasn't flashing any lights. So i just got on with it for 25-30 miles.

Brakes were excellent and responsive.

Forks don't move under anything, braking, cornering, anything... no dive, i actually thought it was a telelever front end for a while, i stopped for a pic and saw it's a standard fork !

Seat is soft and comfy... the shock, well that's kinda.. well... bouncy !!!! bouncy like a bouncy bouncy ball...

The dash is a bit weird, with a speedo on the left, but then a weird line rpm counter on the right... It sort of half knows what it wants to be and half doesn't.

As you may gather, i'm not sold.

2.1 bar is about 30psi and 2.4 around 35.

Sounds low to me,I'd imagine it would feel ponderous.

Skub wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 5:31 pm 2.1 bar is about 30psi and 2.4 around 35.

Sounds low to me,I'd imagine it would feel ponderous.

Yes but not bonkers low. Not low enough to make something really quite unpleasant.

weeksy wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 5:31 pm

Skub wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 5:31 pm 2.1 bar is about 30psi and 2.4 around 35.

Sounds low to me,I'd imagine it would feel ponderous.

Yes but not bonkers low. Not low enough to make something really quite unpleasant.

Down to the individual,I suppose. If my front tyre goes much lower than the usual road going 36,I notice it and don't like the extra work.

Mind you,it could be just the beemer,they do have their quirks!

Doesn't sound right at all.

I don't know if the model changed but it was telelever front end at one time and was supposed to tip in quite merrily. Never had that particular model, nearest I got was the R1200ST and don't remember anything iffy about handling/steering at all.

What reg year is it?

MCN said:
Telever front suspension (relies on a single main spring under the steering head) is unique to BMW, as is the Paralever shaft arm. Used on its touring models the whole system is a testament to stability and a role model for coping with UK roads. Now lighten the steel-based frame, add sports-like steering and you get a bike, the BMW R1200R, that rolls over quicker than a nervous spaniel. Traffic dodging and A-road blasts are simple and fun, which sums the motorcycle up completely

OK I know, it's MCN ...they liked the engine too.

Skub wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 5:31 pm 2.1 bar is about 30psi and 2.4 around 35.

Sounds low to me,I'd imagine it would feel ponderous.

Should be around 36/42, no wonder it felt ponderous.

weeksy wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 5:31 pm

Skub wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 5:31 pm 2.1 bar is about 30psi and 2.4 around 35.

Sounds low to me,I'd imagine it would feel ponderous.

Yes but not bonkers low. Not low enough to make something really quite unpleasant.

More than enough on a heavier bike I'd think. I'd certainly feel it if the pressures were that far out.

Count Steer wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:31 pm Doesn't sound right at all.

I don't know if the model changed but it was telelever front end at one time and was supposed to tip in quite merrily. Never had that particular model, nearest I got was the R1200ST and don't remember anything iffy about handling/steering at all.

What reg year is it?

MCN said:
Telever front suspension (relies on a single main spring under the steering head) is unique to BMW, as is the Paralever shaft arm. Used on its touring models the whole system is a testament to stability and a role model for coping with UK roads. Now lighten the steel-based frame, add sports-like steering and you get a bike, the BMW R1200R, that rolls over quicker than a nervous spaniel. Traffic dodging and A-road blasts are simple and fun, which sums the motorcycle up completely

OK I know, it's MCN ...they liked the engine too.

It's a later model, the R12R went to forks in about 2014-ish.

It might have the Active Suspension, which is excellent, bit not sure what that would feel like with soft tyre pressures.

Rockburner wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:41 pm

Count Steer wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:31 pm Doesn't sound right at all.

I don't know if the model changed but it was telelever front end at one time and was supposed to tip in quite merrily. Never had that particular model, nearest I got was the R1200ST and don't remember anything iffy about handling/steering at all.

What reg year is it?

MCN said:
Telever front suspension (relies on a single main spring under the steering head) is unique to BMW, as is the Paralever shaft arm. Used on its touring models the whole system is a testament to stability and a role model for coping with UK roads. Now lighten the steel-based frame, add sports-like steering and you get a bike, the BMW R1200R, that rolls over quicker than a nervous spaniel. Traffic dodging and A-road blasts are simple and fun, which sums the motorcycle up completely

OK I know, it's MCN ...they liked the engine too.

It's a later model, the R12R went to forks in about 2014-ish.

It might have the Active Suspension, which is excellent, bit not sure what that would feel like with soft tyre pressures.

Ah. Cheers. Guessed they must have couldn't find anything about handling with anything other than telelever.

Needs to get those hoops pumped up and get out there again for Review #2.

Year of reg, no idea, never looked

weeksy wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:57 pm Year of reg, no idea, never looked

We can see from the photo it's not Telelever!

Rockburner wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:28 pm

weeksy wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:57 pm Year of reg, no idea, never looked

We can see from the photo it's not Telelever!

Yer...my original post was a bit garbled in trying to get my head round the idea they might have made a neat handling bike with what some might think of as a whacky front end lacking in 'feel' into a conventional boingy one - with crap handling.

17% down on tyre pressures front and back is quite a lot. Odd that the percentages are exactly the same....or maybe not.

Count Steer wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:52 pm

Rockburner wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 8:28 pm

weeksy wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 7:57 pm Year of reg, no idea, never looked

We can see from the photo it's not Telelever!

Yer...my original post was a bit garbled in trying to get my head round the idea they might have made a neat handling bike with what some might think of as a whacky front end lacking in 'feel' into a conventional boingy one - with crap handling.

17% down on tyre pressures front and back is quite a lot. Odd that the percentages are exactly the same....or maybe not.

I've ridden the R1250RS with active suspension (forks and Paralever), and above about 40 the handling is brilliant, best cross-country bike I've ridden.












Below 40 it's like 2 pogo sticks bungeed to a wheelbarrow.

I took advantage of the mild weather & got out on the Street Tiple for a couple of hours earlier,the roads were greasy & muddy but no grit or black ice so I made the most of things.



I might get out again over the weekend,if I don't at least I got a nice few hours in today

My Nan and Grandad lived in Chippenham, Wiltshire when I was growing up and my brother and I would spend school holidays with them visiting all the local places, historical or otherwise, so I've always felt at home in those parts. The only in-between meals snack my Nan ever had was rock cakes in her cake tin and she'd halve a packet of Opal Fruits between us when we went out for long walks because "Opal Fruits, made to make your mouth water" was the slogan and she thought that we wouldn't get thirsty if we had a good supply of them.

Fast forward 30 years and around about Christmas I've ridden to Stonehenge for a rock cake as it's a fair distance and can be a bit of a challenge.

In 2018 I ran the event "Rock Cakes at Stonehenge on the shortest Sunday" for the club. Starting and ending at Newlands Corner I was eager to get back before it got too dark so kept a good pace going all day. I was pleased with my success at the end of the ride and rode home content. 10 minutes after getting home my Dad phoned to tell me that my Nan (106 years old) had died and when he told me what time, it was exactly as we were arriving back at Newlands. It seemed that she was waiting for us to get back safe and then she went to sleep for the last time.

I ran the event last Sunday as it was the shortest Sunday of the winter. I have never ridden in so much mist and fog, over 200 miles of it. I bring homemade rock cakes (mainly because of the price English Heritage charge for them) and people have started bringing their own cakes too so next year I may call it "The Stonehenge Bake Off". It went very well - one of those days when you feel even better on your sofa with your dressing gown and slippers on at the end of it.

Stonehenge by Trinity 765, on Flickr

Bakeoff by Trinity 765, on Flickr


To my Nan