One of the advantages of being a notorious big-ticket impulse buyer, is that the local bike shops are always happy to let me loose on the latest "must have" piece of exotica they have on the floor.
So while I was in having my Street's 10K klm service done, the salesman virtually insisited that I take the new Buell 1125R superbike for a flang. "It's got a Rotax V twin motor making 146hp, & it handles better than your Street!" He enthused "& you should feel this thing when it gets over 7K revs. It's effin awesome!"
Well you don't have to ask me twice, with an invitation like that. So I snatched the keys off him, before he had a chance to change his mind, & went looking for a road where i could confirm his 7K revs story. & yes, it's true. It's an absolute beast over 7K. & dispite the extra weight, it does corner every bit as hard as my Street.
The ride position wasn't as uncomfortable as a D675, but I don't think I could live with it, as a daily ride. I also found the seat height a bit tall for me, & it's a bit too top heavy. But my greatest gripe is about the cooling fans, which keep running for a good 2 min after shutdown, & sound like a noisy old vacum cleaner. They'd be the centre of attention wherever you pulled up, & are sure to garner lots of negative comments. So don't expect to look cool on your Buell, when you pull into your favourite hangout, at least not until the fans shutdown.
Apart from that, it's an awesome machine alright. But I'm still very happy with my lithe & light Street. So it's No Sale, for now. Although they were just unloading the new KTM RC8 when I was leaving, & I really hope they offer me a ride on that one.
I took it up to my favourite city lookout (closest decent twisties), & took a few pics
Then I took it back home to see how it looks in my garage
Nice. But not for me.
