Popped into Joe Duffy today and got a test ride on one of these.

Been interested in trying one for a while.

Quick review.

Firstly, I don’t like the colours, particularly the red, it just doesn’t stand out at all. The white is ok and I could live with it, but for such a premium bike, the paint jobs are a let down for me.

Same for the overall look of the bike, it just doesn’t grab me at all.there’s nothing that I would say is unique or a signature design feature. Its a decent looking bike, but its not got that wow factor at all imho. Maybe an aftermarket can would improve things.

The engine on he other hand, is superb. Very, very smooth power delivery. The test bike had a quick shifter and it makes a nice difference, especially downshifting, where it is more useful. Gear change is very smooth with or without it. I found the clutch lever a bit heavy, but the one on my smt is super light so perhaps I’m spoilt a bit there.

Low down in the rev range it is very well behaved, a big change from the smt, and to be honest I find that a little dull! Mid range is fantastic, it pulls like an absolute train and the power delivery stays very linear, its not jumpy or snatchy anywhere in the rev range from what I can see. It would be a far superior bike for all round riding than an Multi Strada imo, albeit based on driving the multi probably 18 months or so ago, not the most recent version. The BMW is just far better in 1st/2nd gear, you do not need to be feathering the clutch at low revs the way I found myself doing on the Multi. Fuelling on the BMW therefore far superior in my view.

BMW feels nice and light, and seat height is grand for a small dude like me, 5’8”. It doesn’t feel as light as my smt, but that’s to be expected as the smt is ridiculously light.

The handling on the BMW I found to be superb, I was instantly confident with it and it seems to have a shortish wheelbase which makes me much more confident when leaning it in.

The brakes are first class also. Brembo so to be expected :cool3:

I kept it in ‘Road’ mode all day pretty much, that’s full power. I’m not a big fan of electronic gizmos on bikes, but they are here to stay so its worth getting to know them and trying to find a benefit from them.

Riding position is very nice, you feel very involved on it, its very comfortable and I found myself sitting quite forward, which I like as it is kinda supermoto feel.

All in all its a fantastic driving machine. I reckon you’d be really working it after only a few outings, because the fuelling and handling just make you feel very at ease with it. Its very, very well set up by bmw.

My only real issue is the looks and aesthetics. I don’t mind admitting that they play a big part in a bike for me, and this bike really doesn’t get the blood pumping in that regard.

Also, the pannier racks that it comes with look terrible, and some of the finish, such as the plastic at the end of the tank to prevent marking, looks a bit cheap and nasty.

I’d give it an 8/10. I’d happily have one, but I wouldn’t go to the extremes to

get one like I did with the smt. And at the price they want, it would have to make me want to crawl over broken glass just to look at it. And in that area, it just doesn’t do it.

Great engine, shame about the appearance. A wolf in sheeps clothing!