So Now What?

With the BMW R nineT now being out of the equation, I have tried to determine what I am looking for, and it broadly comes down to a retro looking bike with modern mechanics. I was already looking at something like this some years ago, as I had a test ride on the Ducati SportsClassic GT. At the time I thought that bike to be ideal as it came with one of the best engines Ducati ever made, a simple air-cooled twin with the proper amount of torque. The chassis and suspension were top notch and very up to date, and it looked great. The problem is that since then Ducati have stopped making these, preferring to focus on more modern and sporty bikes. The sales figures for the GT would show that it was not a bike the market was looking for, but perhaps now with the success that BMW is having with a similar concept they may just re-consider and bring out another attempt at this. But for now there was no Ducati option.

We then have a group of some classics that are quite closely matched: Triumph Bonneville, Kawasaki W800 and Moto Guzzi V7. These are all really nice bikes, and having tried them all I would go for the Kawasaki. As much heritage that Triumph and Guzzi have to their credentials, the Kawasaki just seemed a little bit more accomplished. However, all three of these suffer from being a bit too limited in power. Going from 140hp and insane amounts of torque to something like 60hp is a little bit too much of a step down. I know that although I would enjoy these bikes, within a week I would really be annoyed by the ultimate lack of power, and so these three were ruled out of the equation.

Some may at this point say that I should have a look at a Harley. Often people that do not ride bikes refer to Harleys as the real motorcycles, whereas people that do ride tend to refer to them as rather agricultural! There is always a fair amount of snobbism within biking, especially between the Harley crowd and the “rice cooker” crowd. I don’t really share these traits, and keep an open mind. I can admit that some Harleys are actually quite good looking, but the riding style simply does not correspond to what I want. The feet-forward position just doesn’t work for me, and if I qualify the Bonnie and Kawasaki W800 as too limited on power, then don’t get me started on a Harley Davidson Sportster 1200. Besides, my wife would not let me in the house again if I was to come home on a Harley!

So what else is there? Honda came out with an incredible remake of their CB bikes of the 70’s and 80’s in the CB1100. It looks stunning in real life, and this year’s EX model is even better as they have added wire spoke wheels and dual exhausts. It certainly looks the part, but for me the problem may be with the four in line engine. I have basically always had twins, and simply prefer the feel of a twin in a bike. From what I have read, the Honda has an amazing engine, but also one that lacks feeling and soul.

Moto Guzzi have also had another bike around for almost ten years that on paper is very similar to the BMW; the 1200 Griso. The stats are almost a carbon copy of the BMW, and it also has a bit of a neo-retro look as well. It also comes with an air-cooled twin and a shaft drive. Also like the BMW it comes with a proper 180 sports tire in the rear, but on this one mounted on wire wheels that also allow for tubeless tires. Finally the price is very close to the BMW, with the bonus that I can find an almost new one with several thousand’s knocked off.