New member - not yet an owner

[Myles]

Hello,

My name is Myles, I'm not yet an owner but am looking at getting one. I currently have an A2 licence, ride a Yamaha XJ6. I am getting my full licence and from the research I have done online and sitting on an XR (unfortunately not taking it out for a spin) I believe the XR is exactly what I am after. Joining up to go through the forms and see what I need to consider when I can finally shop around 

[chuckxr]

Welcome and you'll find lots of good info in here about the Gen1/2 S1000XR. Sheesh, it seems like getting a motorcycle license in the UK is overly bureaucratic and complex.

[Col_C]

Welcome Myles
Good luck with your full cat A test 
The XR will be a big step up in power and handling, enjoy! (safely)

[Mareng1]

Myles-  good luck with the bike when you get one.  Check how much insurance is going to cost you first, and go carefully! 

[Myles]

Originally Posted by chuckxr

Welcome and you'll find lots of good info in here about the Gen1/2 S1000XR. Sheesh, it seems like getting a motorcycle license in the UK is overly bureaucratic and complex.

Thanks, I'm currently thinking gen 1, I have read about vibrations but have seen about ways to reduce this. It is a bit of a pain, but it gave me time to learn to rode without going straight to a powerful bike and maybe doing something stupid.

[Myles]

Originally Posted by Col_C

Welcome Myles
Good luck with your full cat A test 
The XR will be a big step up in power and handling, enjoy! (safely)

Thank you and yeah looking ot will be over double the power and a different riding position so that will take some getting used to a some self restraint at the start. But from most I've what I've been told what I'm looking for the XR fits perfectly. You can do big tours comfortably but also have a great deal of fun on it.

I can see why they limit what you can ride at a young age but the cost to go up licence categories is a pain

[Myles]

Originally Posted by Mareng1

Myles-  good luck with the bike when you get one.  Check how much insurance is going to cost you first, and go carefully! 

Thank you, I am currently planning for the summer as my target to get kne as the current weather isn't what I tend to ride in.

Insurance wasn't as expensive as I expected, I have kept my A2 license for some time so hopefully that helped

[Antares]

Originally Posted by Myles

Thanks, I'm currently thinking gen 1, I have read about vibrations but have seen about ways to reduce this. It is a bit of a pain, but it gave me time to learn to rode without going straight to a powerful bike and maybe doing something stupid.

Hey I was in the same boat as yourself, gone from a Kawi ER6F to an S1000XR as soon as I got my Cat A about a 1.5 years ago. If you were confident on the XJ6 it'll not be a crazy step up. For me the XR was very easy to ride immediately, it's a flattering motorcycle and fills you with (real) confidence. I got lucky with my first year insurance as some sort of glitch, not on my end, caused my insurance to be £106 for the year. 2nd Year I'm paying around 580 all in all, so not too bad. If you've got at least 3-4 years NCB I can't imagine insurance being crazy expensive, that said they're quoting higher for me next year than i'm paying this year... 

Anyway, back to the bike. If you move from the XJ6 I'd imagine it'll just be a little "more" in terms of everything. The main difference between my ER6, which in fairness is a twin, and the XR wasn't when you initially got on the throttle, it's what happens shortly after. The ER6 would jump and then settle into a steady acceleration, the XR would do the same but then keep ramping up the acceleration as you approach higher and higher RPM.

Take full advantage of the electronics to begin with, ride the bike in Rain mode, that basically doesn't allow you to wheelie or slip the wheel on dry roads in any way, and also stops the bike from accelerating faster and faster in 1st and 2nd gear, it'll basically make acceleration linear and predictable after ~6000rpm. I'd say, avoid Dynamic Pro until you're comfortable with stretching the limits of Dynamic as Dynamic still offers full lean ABS, TC and Wheelie control all around, whereas in Dynamic Pro, you get no wheelie control, TC is very relaxed and lean ABS effect is heavily reduced too.

Re comfort and buzzes: If you are comfy sitting on it in dealers it'll be amazingly comfortable bike for you. When I did the same everything just "fell into place" no awkward arm position, painful leg angles, unsupported back, it's a very comfortable bike. The buzzes are a myth I promise you. It's coming from K1600GT and Kawi ZX14 riders that are used to baby's bottom smooth bikes. The XR's bars do vibrate, bar ends get rid of 80% of it, the updated rubber bar mounts get rid of another 10%. The XR's bars vibrate way less than most competitors such as the Multistrada 1260, Africa Twin 1100 or even my ER6. It's only annoying if you're looking for it, kind of like when someone tells you to notice your breathing. And if you do get buzzy fingers, all it takes is a couple seconds with the cruise control.

When buying, just double check if the model you're looking at is a factory lowered or full height version. If it's not directly stated a way to tell is on the lowered the fork stanchions rest below the mudguard and the forks stick out about an inch from the triples, whereas on the full height the forks rest in line with the top of the mud guard and the forks only stick out about 1/4 of an inch. I'd recommend the full height if you can comfortably handle it. I'm 5'11 or so and whilst it took a bit of getting used to, I have no problems with it whatsoever, and even my 5'6 friend managed to ride it, although he did admit he wouldn't want it as a daily rider.

If you have any questions I didn't mention don't hesitate to ask!

and 

[Becksy]

Originally Posted by chuckxr

Welcome and you'll find lots of good info in here about the Gen1/2 S1000XR. Sheesh, it seems like getting a motorcycle license in the UK is overly bureaucratic and complex.

Happened to stumble across this yesterday which explains quite nicely how licences work in the UK. Not really that complicated, just depends on age.

[Warree]

For what it's worth I have great fun and learning on my XR at:

1. Trackdays - enjoy and have plenty of instruction.

2. IAMS training. www.iamroadsmart.com
    I am in Kent so can't speak too highly of the people and training at KAMG. https://kamg.org.uk/

I reckon that both may benefit riders at any level