NineT accidental test ride

ChasF

ChasF

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I went to the local dealers open day in Perigueux yesterday with the idea of riding the R1200RT and the XR ( just for a laugh - not my sort of thing). Unfortunately, it was a nice sunny day and the booking chart was pretty full for the next three half hour sessions. I said to the girl behind the desk that I'd like to ride the RT ( air-tee giving it my best French pronounciation) and was duly booked in for 3.30. When the bikes came back we sat ourselves on the RT and waited for Bernard to bring us the key. Bernard arrived saying that we had booked the NineT not the RT. Now if the XR is not my sort of bike the NineT is not even a bike in my world. Anyway although we decided the bike wouldn't take both of us I thought I might as well go for a spin and folded myself onto it. The cut outs in the tank forcing my arse onto the back seat and my knees bent at an angle their not used to. My wife didn't help telling me that I looked like I was riding a monkey bike.

You're all thinking by now that I'm going to be converted after the test ride! But no, the bike goes well - propels you to speeds where you need a screen or fairing very quickly, makes a nice noise, brakes are a bit grabby but I do like the simplicity of the dash and handlebars. Other than that I just couldn't take it seriously, couldn't see the point of it.

Getting on the RT I felt like a serious motorcyclist again.
 
I have got one and an RT as well and I actually agree with your conclusions. The R9T is not a great bike for doing more than 70 miles or 70 miles an hour. My children are too scared to come on the back as they say they feel they are falling off. It doesn't handle that well (the standard suspension is pretty rubbish giving a very choppy and harsh ride).

But...

When the sun is shining, and I need to blast to the shops or out with some friends (or with my wife on her Harley! :D) and suddenly the unbaffled exhaust sounds great, and it goes like stink, especially when Geoff at Hilltop has breathed on it... Just puts a bloody great grin on my face, and leaves the Harley for dead, and sounds much better.

So, completely pointless, but brilliant fun. Which is my wife's conclusion about her Harley...

Puggy
 
We must be getting bigger or the bikes are getting smaller.
I remember when the Norton Commando Fastback was a giant of a bike.
 
patzx12 said:
I remember when the Norton Commando Fastback was a giant of a bike.
Click to expand...

Pah...my Interstate was bigger. :D In the days when nearly all bikes were naked bikes. I reckon that most shirt and jacket collars are too small for me is because my neck muscles developed from all that time spent at 80 - 90 mph on my Commando.
 
Schtum said:
Pah...my Interstate was bigger. :D In the days when nearly all bikes were naked bikes. I reckon that most shirt and jacket collars are too small for me is because my neck muscles developed from all that time spent at 80 - 90 mph on my Commando.
Click to expand...

And your arm muscles developed by having to adjust the Isolastic suspension every bloody weekend... :p
 
I agree on the size, sat on one few weeks back in the showroom.....tiny thing ! They look great , but I would want to ride it not just look at it .
 
I had a ride on one a while ago and loved it :D pity they only do it in a small cos if I could get an XL I`d have one :D
 
Mike O said:
And your arm muscles developed by having to adjust the Isolastic suspension every bloody weekend... :p
Click to expand...

Vernier adjusters on my Mk3. I had them done up tight to make it handle a bit better. In fact, it was just after an adjustment that I got nicked for 54 mph in a 30 around Edinburgh's Meadows - seeing if the vibes disappeared at 2,400 rpm in 5th. Once a week maintenance was confined to dismantling the primary drive in order to persuade the hydraulic primary chain tensioner to at least attempt to do its job for the next few days. :rolleyes:
 
ChasF said:
You're all thinking by now that I'm going to be converted after the test ride! But no, the bike goes well - propels you to speeds where you need a screen or fairing very quickly, makes a nice noise, brakes are a bit grabby but I do like the simplicity of the dash and handlebars. Other than that I just couldn't take it seriously, couldn't see the point of it.

Getting on the RT I felt like a serious motorcyclist again.
Click to expand...

I feel the opposite, I have an RT LC to, it's efficient, to a point of being soulless, but it suits my purposes as a tool for getting to work with a weeks worth of gear and the odd tour around Europe.

Every time I throw a leg over my Nine T, I feel like a proper motorcyclist again (whatever one of those is), the RT makes me feel more like a bus driver. I rattled off a couple of hundred miles around Wales a fortnight ago on the Nine T, and smiled all the way, I don't get that feeling on the RT.

I'm 6'1 and 18 stone so probably look ridiculous on it, but I probably look the same on the wife, and she still makes me smile
 
DC said:
I agree on the size, sat on one few weeks back in the showroom.....tiny thing ! They look great , but I would want to ride it not just look at it .
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They're proper bike sized. Same dimensions as an airhead twin shock. We've become accustomed to comically oversized vehicles. When you are used to airheads the new bikes from BMW and others just look ridiculous.
 
I have only had one bike in my life that had a fairing, k1200r sport, and have ridden many many thousands of miles. I Typically do a 5,000 + mile road trip every year with 800 to 1000 mile day. I was told you really can't ride an HP2E very far and somehow without a faring or huge boxes bolted on I have done this year after year. You can do anything you want. People have ridden honda 90's around the world. I'd grab up the r nine t and ride the hell out of it.
 
I have an RnineT to go with my GSA and I love it because it is soooo different. Only ride it solo and it goes like hell. I have a small fairing on the front like the old R80S in the 70's and it looks the dogs.
 

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As a few others have pointed out the the R9T is the proper motorcycle , not pointless at all, and the RT / GSA and their ilk are all overblown barges that do however provide a more comfortable place to be.
:thumb
 
Had an RT, just could not get on with it. heavy, clumsy and hard work to keep it spinning along, the GSA on the other hand:)
 
Mac47DG said:
I have an RnineT to go with my GSA and I love it because it is soooo different. Only ride it solo and it goes like hell. I have a small fairing on the front like the old R80S in the 70's and it looks the dogs.
Click to expand...

Don't know why I'm looking in this section, just thought I'd have a nosy and glad I did! That picture of the R9T is fab!
 
I had a go on a R nine T today and thought about swapping my S1000XR for it until I rode the XR home. But I did like the R nine T a lot.
 
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