The Hitcher

I have a 4x4 and people who slow to a crawl over speed bumps or struggle to park them are as annoying as f**k to me too!!. Not being able to fit in small spaces is a bit of a negative point to having one, on the plus side I don't bang my knee on the centre dash even with the seat fully back like I would in a Ford KA, that and they're much more fun off road .

Right, so after owning one for a little while now I feel I can write a decent review and even a comparison to the S1000RR. First off I've got to say this is the best handling bike I've ever owned, the way the chassis is set up and the way the engine drives out of corners gives so much mechanical grip and confidence it's unbeliveable, that's before you even get to the electronics, I've not really noticed them much unless I've put them on a very high setting and deliberatly taken the piss opening the throttle while lent over, but they do work, and work very well, for general,quick road riding though they don't come on very much, the anti wheelie is seperate to the traction control and has 3 settings plus you can turn it off so it doesn't have the irritating up-down-up down pogo effect of the S1000RR system under hard acceleration, I find level 1 works well on the road it will allow a little lift but will very smoothly put it back down while not breaking the acceleration of the bike,I can't really say anything about the Launch Control as I've not used it, it has 3 settings but not wanting to look like a complete tit at the lights revving the bike to 10k I can't say I've tested it out yet. The Engine is one of the best things about this bike, it pulls in a completely linear way all the way through the rev range, which can feel a bit deceptive at first if you're used to inline 4s, it's also very smooth but revs high like an inline 4 and is much more comparable to one than a V Twin in my opinion- the exhaust note is argueably better than both!!. It is however a good 15 BHP down on the S1000RR at the top, you don't really notice it unless you're doing top end runs all the time and what it lacks in top end power it makes up for with how useable and driveable the engine is out of corners, I've noticed I'm quicker on it through twisty roads than the S1000RR, that's not to say the S1000RR handles badly, it's a great handling bike which I enjoyed owning very much, they just go about their pace in slightly different ways. Comfort wise the BMW wins, the RSV4 chucks out more heat and isn't nice at all to ride in London, it also has a heavier clutch and the gearing isn't as good as the BMW for town riding. Another negative is the thirst, it's noticeably worse than the S1000RR was and any of my previous inline 4s, I will get 80 Miles until the reserve light and another 20 on reserve tops from a 17 litre tank. Hope this review is helpful.

The R6 does seem the most obvious choice, it's good value,handles well and spares are plentiful. I've ridden an R6 of that era briefly (it was a friends bike) and remember it being fun, I did own one of the early CBR 600 RRs and it would be a good choice but they're more expensive. Only main issue I've heard about on the older R6s is an issue with losing 2nd gear, does anyone know if there was a fix for this?, or does it mean potentially a new gearbox if it goes?. A 929 Fireblade would be a contender too as I have very fond memories of how well my 954 handled on the road and I think it's exactly the same chassis just missing a bit of power but again they're a bit more expensive.

I've sold the S1000RR and am going to be buying a used 1199 Panigale soon which as great as it would be on a track I'm not willing to risk throwing something that expensive down the road-I'd be in tears. I want look into getting a track bike- budget would be £2000-£2500 max, decent handling and ability to set it up well are a must, the only real contender I've got in my head at the moment is an old R6,possibly a CBR 600 RR but they are more expensive, I'd pretty much rule out having an old 1000 as I'm looking for agility over power and the 600s of that era handle better. Anyone got any experience with the GSXRs or ZX6s from that era either?, would be handy to know.

In fairness we were only trying to make the thread better by talking about a decent show .

John Frusciantes latest solo effort, it's different I'll give it that.

I got an iphone 5S in January and this is the second replacement I've had, and the battery is shocking on this one, honestly preferred the Blackberry I upgraded from, ok it might not have looked as good and it was crap for using the internet on but at least it worked properly and the battery lasted 3 days. iphones and ipods always seem to be going wrong, their computers are good though, I've had my mac laptop 5 Years and it's still going strong, won't be buying an iphone again though, first and last one ever.

And the second, her sister, irritating ditz that she was.

I've got to admit that V6 TDI engine Audi do is a real gem, auto box was nice too.

Bike was ex-demo and they stuck a fresh set of rubber on for me - they chose the PR3's I've got BT023's on my GSXR - they are a good tyre too. I've got a thing about Bridgestones since they spun up completely out of the blue on a Fireblade on a roundabout and caused me a shattered collarbone. I'm thinking about trying the Metzler M5s next time, guy in the tyre shop said a lot of people on S1000RRs have swapped to them and said good things.

It's all about the Hollywood mags. Personally I think it's crap, I way prefer Breaking Bad although the wife gets on my tits and series 4 onwards gets a bit silly. I can't stand the wife in Breaking Bad either, Saul Goodman is hilarious though, best character in it.

I think the ideal way was said by the dwarf in Game of Thrones when asked how he wanted to die: Tyrion Lannister: In my own bed, at the age of 80, with a belly full of wine and a girl's mouth around my c**k.

Let me guess, you've got K3s on your S1000RR haven't you?, I've wondered the same thing myself with those tyres but have grudgingly come to accept 2k miles out of a rear . Michelin PR3's. Seem pretty good so far, and reviews seem good too... bikes been in the workshop all week after springing an oil leak.. I get it back tomorrow so hopefully get to burn some rubber That's a pain!!, out of interest did you buy your bike with them on or swap over to them, I really love the K3s but would like a slightly better wearing alternative that still offers plenty of grip, I used to use 2CTs on my Fireblade and liked them but they wern't that better wearing than the K3s.

I think it's terrible, the plots are more than far fetched, they have shoot outs with automatic weapons and a lot of the time no one dies, as you say murder charges dropped like speeding tickets etc, True Blood or Battlestar Galactica has more realism than SoA!!.

I really like the A5s, I had an SL55 AMG last year and had the pleasure of driving an A5 3.0 TDI Quattro S Line for a day instead and was really impressed with it, 5.8 secs and 40 MPG, I'd have swapped the SL for it there and then!!, saying that I did have a love hate relationship with that car and wasn't that sad to see the back of it.

Let me guess, you've got K3s on your S1000RR haven't you?, I've wondered the same thing myself with those tyres but have grudgingly come to accept 2k miles out of a rear .

I've got a diesel Range Rover, I've had a few more interesting things in the past but I've given up on them now, stuck in the same traffic jams as everyone else wasting petrol and never get a chance to use them properly, at least this way I get comfort, don't have t worry about speed bumps and a bit of green laning is fun. If you want to go quickly a bike is much more fun, not to mention much more cost effective.

Of course cripple spots are a moral no no, I'm not I'm not completely cold hearted you know .

Nothing wrong with diesels if you get a proper one.. loads of torque right through the rev range, and you can drive them like a hooligan without the screaming engine noise drawing attention to yourself.. totally agree there would love a audi a5 with that 3.0 v6 tdi I've had a quick drive of a 3 litre A5 and was very impressed, quick and efficient.

Only if you want to experience the full force of sleep deprived parents. I would make a point of parking really close next to anyone I see do that... Dents in my old banger dont matter! To be honest it's not something I make a habit of, but the supermarket near me has literally loads of them and if it's late and I want to use the cash point or buy some milk etc I don't particularly want to park half a mile from the shop. Also the kid spaces are a relatively new invention, how did people manage in the decades before . You're welcome to park close to my car it might not be an old banger but it's constantly covered in mud which is a form of paintwork protection .

Parking in a Disabled bay is a bit out of order, the child ones are usually fair game though.

We are totally on the same page there mate. My BMW convertible hardly gets used these days. Its a nice toy but parking spaces are getting smaller and people just have no respect for others peoples cars. There's just no point having a nice car anymore. So my current plan is to sell my BMW, sell my beaten up old VW passat estate, sell my trailor and replace with a big "armchair on wheels" pickup that offers a bit of comfort inside (leather seats, air con, etc), as well as space in the back to chuck old bits of junk and soggy dogs and hopefully my enduro bike. I'll be down to just two cars then. Audi A6 Avant for family days out and pickup for manly stuff. And i'll free up garage space for more bikes. There will be the odd day where you miss your convertible BMW, I know I occasionally miss the SL, having the roof down on a sunny day, that V8 noise etc but what I don't miss is having to crawl over speed bumps and sit in the same traffic jams as everyone else but getting 12 MPG. If you live in Rural Scotland I can see the point in having a fun car but not in the SE of England, a bike is a different story though, at least you can get past people and enjoy them. A pickup is definitely more practical for your needs but I would say don't discount a 4x4 depending on your budget either.

I quite recently went from an SL55 to a diesel Range Rover for most of the same reasons you're describing, there's just no point in having anything fun car wise anymore, the traffic is terrible, there's speed bumps everywhere, potholes, crap weather, for my fun fix I have a bike which is so much better than any car, so I quite like the whole armchair on wheels thing, and its been great with the flooding, not a problem, just drive through it . Nothing wrong with a Navara, decent, useful vehicles I would say go for it.

Don't you have to condition the battery properly on the first charge?.