Real world rides, real world riders
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Lucky men
Honda's CB1300, a gas guzzler? Not if ridden sedately...
Lots of letters recently re MPG and bikes. Now Hershon is at it. We already have the bikes that will give excellent economy if ridden in the same manner as most drive their cars. Like Maynard Hershon, I to do a bit of cycle race marshalling and being forced to travel at the pace of racing cyclists the economy from my Transalp and CB1300 can be 50 per cent plus better than normal. But am I relieved at the end of the day's races when I can enjoy a proper ride home? The manufacturers could make bikes that only sipped fuel but we would find them dull as ditch water. I like them as they are with the choice of how we ride them left entirely up to us. Aren't we lucky?
Dave Corner
Surbiton
Stylistic heights
I’d like to comment on two matters. First, the discussion of fuel economy is long overdue. May we have more owners reporting on their experiences?
For example, last year on a round trip from Swansea to Wakefield to visit the Andy Goldsworthy show at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park on a nicely run in TDM 900, I averaged 82mpg. That was without any modification of my habitual riding style, so did not involve any sense of inhibiting my speed. I was also using hard luggage and the traffic between Shrewsbury and Glossop was surprisingly heavy. I’ll say that again – 82mpg. That makes the claims of Royal Enfield less persuasive.
Second, I have been reading MSL for 40 years, and although I am a subscriber, I have noticed that the writing style has deteriorated. I have lost count of the many examples. However, I think you might get back on track by following three simple rules of thumb. First, try to keep sentences short. Second, try to make each sentence carry one idea. Third, try not to repeat descriptive terms or phrases within the same sentence or paragraph. Long sentences, overloaded with ideas, using repetitive vocabulary, are not fun to read and suggest hastiness or lack of imagination.
If the writer sounds bored the reader will surely follow. You will not always be able to apply these rules but I feel if you try the overall effect will be positive.
I shall continue to read MSL and look forward to noticing how you scale new stylistic heights.
ONE FROM JOHN
I’ve just bought a 2000 model BMW R850R to keep my 1996 R1100RT company. Conventional wisdom seems to have always dismissed the 850 on the grounds that for not much more money you could have the R1100R. Maybe so, but perhaps that’s missing the point.
What you get is a light (for a BMW) easy to ride all purpose motorcycle. BMW call it a Roadster. That has a rather old fashioned ring to it but it describes it very well. It’s never going to set the world alight for the knee down brigade, but for everyday real world riding on the A roads or round the lanes, commuting, or a bit of touring it has all you need. It may be a bit bland, but with 70 horses it’s no slouch. Acceleration is crisp rather than
earth
-shattering. Bend swinging is fun and secure rather than frightening, and with fuel consumption averaging almost 59mpg on a run it has a range of comfortably over 200 miles. The seat is all day comfortable and the upright riding position is very relaxed. Gearing is nicely chosen too, with the ability to pull from below 30 in top; 50 comes up at 3250rpm, and the top of the power at around 5000rpm equates to 75 on the road. The redline is at a staggering 7500rpm which means around 115mph, but being a boxer it’ll run all day long at close to that level if required.
But that’s really not what it’s about. It’s about enjoying the journey as much as reaching the
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ONE FROM JOHN (CONT)
destination, about taking time to notice where you are. It’s a very relaxing bike to ride. It has the BMW build quality and reliability, the trouble free shaft drive but the simplicity of any naked bike. It may be light and simple but it’s not flimsy, and you have the feeling it would take you anywhere you wanted to go comfortably and securely, however far that might be. It’s a quality that has struck me ever since my first BM, a 1986 K75C that’s still giving my son a lot of pleasure. They may not be pretty, they may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you had a long way to go and it was late on a dark, stormy night there’s no bike you’d sooner be riding.
I’m fortunate enough to live in Norfolk where we still have plenty of quiet country roads, and I’ve just spent a day cruising round the lanes from the Fens to the Broads, then a bit of foreign travel (well, Suffolk anyway), calling in to Norwich to shop on the way. Today I’m commuting on it. It does all these things very capably, without fuss or drama. But if I fancied a blast then it would oblige, or if a trip to France beckoned, well it could handle that comfortably too, just fill it up and go.
The RT is arguably the best continental tourer, one on which I’ve covered many miles and hope to do many more, but somehow it’s always saying ‘schnell, schnell!’. The 850R is quite different. It’ll still do the miles, but it’s saying ‘hey man, relax’. Rather un-German really.
John Gudgeon
Downham Market
