Well it’s been almost 10 weeks since the loss of poor Alice - my beautiful custom S4. Despite daily scumtree\eBay searches not so much of a whiff of the bike or any of its parts have shown. I can only conclude that she is gone for good – but not forgotten.
So, as they say, onwards and upwards. The insurance settlement came in and I assessed my options for a replacement. I settled on either an S4R or and RS depending on which came up first. Fortunately for me, it was a latter and on Saturday after a glorious test ride I put the money down on this:
It’s a 2006 trade-in with just over 12k on the clock, 1 owner from new (in his 70’s apparently), full service (with the big 12k done), Termignoni slip-ons, alarm etc… it really is in superb condition. I really wanted to find a blemish or two so I could knock the dealer down with the price but it was in showroom condition… it hasn’t even contracted the flaky engine paint disease yet!
So, first impressions after the test ride? After spending the last 4 years exclusively on the S4 I noticed a few major differences immediately. Firstly, it definitely felt a lot lighter. The combination of the plastic tank and lightened wheels seemed to me to make a big difference and made the bike feel more agile and easier to lean quickly – this could also be those expensive shocks at work. The second major difference was that it felt instantly more comfortable. I think I am so used to the clip-ons on my S4 that I naturally expect my shoulders and wrists to be under strain when riding. The raised bars on the S4RS seemed to take a lot of strain out and it felt much kinder - also the Ohlins suspension felt a lot less jarring that then Showa setup on bumpy roads – I felt I could ride this bike all day and not get tired. Lastly… that engine! Wow, I can’t say I
really noticed the extra 25bhp or so over my S4 but, to me at least, it is the refinement of the 999 motor makes all the difference. Where as the 916 motor felt quite edgy and raw the 999 just feels sweet and balanced, it pulls harder and smoother in all the gears and the power delivery is just sublime.
Overall, it was everything I thought it would be and more. The only small criticisms I would make are that the levers didn’t feel as nice as my old ones… for some reason they felt a big and ungainly to me but this can be easily changed. I also felt the clutch was heavier and more grabby and needed a fair bit more sensitivity then the S4 off the lights – I could just be me out of practice though. Oh and finally the sound… my S4 had “race use only” Termis and it definitely had more of an angry bark to the exhaust note. These Termis and stamped with a C marking on top and I think perhaps they are the tamer EU certified pipes (can anyone confirm this?)… it is still loud but I can’t imagine it setting off car alarms like my old bike used to – still I guess I’ll be more popular with the neighbours.
So this turned into a very long post in the end but I am incredibly excited – I’ve got all my bikey stuff here at work and I should be collecting this week. Hurrah!
Oh... and that ridiculous Shell sticker is coming straight off before anyone asks!
