Yamaha MT-10 or BMW S1000r

chaparral said:
I really wish I could say yes to that (I really miss my biking trips away :(:(:()

But my 2 best friends that I used to go away with multi times a year have both sold there motorbikes some years ago due to having wife's and children..
And am not a person that enjoys travelling on my own..

So I have no idea at the moment if am going be able to find new mates to go away with...
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Sin chase has no friends either but that didn't stop him :p
 
chaparral said:
No demo's over here...:(
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View from a long term XR owner, 10,000 miles in.

Pros
Seating position is good and upright, making it comfortable for an all-day ride if that's what you need
Takes all sorts of different sized luggage
Integrated nav is fantastic
The engine is also great. Super fuelling down low, mid-range buzz is now all but eliminated and the top end is brutal, albeit rarely used for me
Handling is very sharp for a bike of this size
It is efficient and reliable. People often say that these BMW bikes lack character, but they're often also the people whose character-filled bikes break down :)

Cons
Feels a couple of litres short on range
Suspension would be classed as hard by somebody looking for a more traditional tourer
Revs higher than a twin. Doesn't feel any different but some people are emotionally distressed by cruising at 6,000 rpm
Styling is marmite, rear scaffolding for panniers if you use them (take them off if not)

I've tested a GS since buying it, and feel like I'm a good few years away from thinking about one. I'm going to try the KTM 1290 S next Spring.

Would I buy another XR? Quite possibly, although I'm less keen on the newer Euro IV models that add extra weight and bulk
 
The_Abyss said:
People often say that these BMW bikes lack character, but they're often also the people whose character-filled bikes break down :)
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Mine sometimes refused to show me how fast I was going :p

The KTM and Yamaha alternatives are more reliable than the BMW though, which actually has pretty poor reliability (at least for the S1000R).
 
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The XR seems to have a pretty good record so far, although it is still quite a new bike so perhaps there isn't enough of a track record yet to see. The Yamaha and BMW also benefit from good dealer networks and parts supply - I'm not too sure how KTM fare - there seemed to be a few dealers in East Anglia when I looked the other day.

That said, if the OP's local dealer doesn't have an XR demo available, I wonder if they're trained to service one anyway?
 
Clov!s said:
What sort of unreliability?
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Have a read of the S1000R.co.uk mechanical sub sections. There are quite a lot of known issues you can read about there.

The good news is BMW are great at sorting the issues out if you are still under warranty, but they are generally well known for their lack of reliability compared to the Japanese manufacturers.

Aprilia on the other hand do everything they can to wriggle out of a warranty repair.
 
Freeman said:
I dunno, I think if you go into the mechanical section of a forum for any make of bike you'll find hundreds of reliability threads.
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It's also the best place to find evidence based faults / issues and the resulting action (or not) by a dealer. The S1000R has a few bulletins issued for known faults and a few known faults that BMW won't issue a bulletin on but know about it (Cam follower coating failure / wear for example)
 
If you go BMW, probably the most important thing is choosing a good dealer in case anything goes wrong. I use Park Lane and they've been great, although Bahnstormer in Alton are also supposed to be very good.
 
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