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Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 17:03
by Ruffian
Mv agree. Great bike but lots of faults.
Triumph well you went to the wrong dealer.
To change modes just push button pull in clutch and roll of throttle to change whilst moving.
Kawasaki z900. Nice bike as bambam
But same again wrong dealer.
Be better off up at Fowler's again.
Unfortunately with everyone trying/dealing with covid restrictions it's going to be hard. (Not defending dealers) but it is awkward through and through.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 18:22
by Streetmann
If bank balance would allow i would buy the z900rs tomorrow I love the retro look with the modern touch bet it's a buet to ride all day
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 20:01
by Dan_RR
Do you know the name of the guy you dealt with at bridge? When I was looking at a few bikes end of last year/start of this year I test rode a street triple 675, a guy called Ian, friendly South African bloke but he was keen as mustard to get me onto some finance and part ex my current (at the time) fazer for pittance.
I did however enjoy the test ride and the bike itself was faultless just not the correct bike for me at the time as I wanted some more fairing protection and after other test rides, on various bikes, landed on the blade.
Good luck either way, will watch your reviews when I get a minute, always interesting to hear peoples first hand experience of new bikes.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 20:34
by Fozz
Bridge are a strange lot to deal with,i took out a Tiger 800 road in 2011 as they were the only local dealer with a road demo at the time.Turns out the bike was a customer cancelled order,test road it,loved it,sat down to look at figures and they wanted the full price for it[£7,995] fair enough as no dealers were giving a discount at the time due to demand,plus full book price for all the extras there customer had got them to fit before he cancelled order!.Err no take them off and il have it?.They wouldn't budge so off to Total Triumph.
(Just to say i had no part exchange and wanted to buy the bike outright).
Sorry sir cant get any stock and no discount available.
A phone call to fowlers revealed they now had two bikes in stock so off i go.
The young Triumph salesman couldn't have been more helpful, he said he couldn't move on the price £7995, but if i bought it today he might be able to throw in some extras!,
poor lad was backwards and forwards to his manager for the next half hour.
Came away with higher screen,rider and pillion gel seat and pair of panniers,bargain.
Kept the bike for 5 years and sold for £5,500 so not bad.I would definitely give Fowlers another go in the future if they had the bike i was after.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 21:03
by TLS-Moose
Ruffian wrote: ↑Aug 18th, '20, 17:03
Mv agree. Great bike but lots of faults.
Really? Such as? Other than the well known (and now resolved) sprague clutch issue, the 800 triple is now a pretty reliable unit (though still not, perhaps, as good as the fours).
Quality design & construction will always shine through

Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 21:25
by Jug
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 21:46
by TLS-Moose
Looked at the date of the thread? 2015, back when it was a new model. As I said, the Sprague clutch is/was a known issue with the early bikes but is resolved now.
Also, bear in mind MV were in a very different place financially at the time, and as a consequence build quality suffered.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 22:02
by TLS-Moose
Oh, I was forgetting the rear brake issues of a recurring soft pedal .....
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 18th, '20, 22:22
by Jug
Well 2016... which doesn't seem like that long ago to me.
I doubt the company has completely transformed itself since then. They don't sell in great numbers anyway so there will be a lot less actual occurrences of faults, and thus even less reports on the web... but that still doesn't decrease the chances of yours being a lemon.
The clocks is truly bad though.. and for me that's a big thing as it's the part of the bike you spend most of your time looking at.
It is a very pretty bike though. I saw one of the Dragsters the other weekend and it looked and sounded awesome!
Services are bit more regular than other bikes though, which will add to the cost of ownership. OiI change every 3,700 miles and valves checked every 7,500 miles.
Might want to bare that in mind Rob, get some service quotes from the dealers.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 19th, '20, 03:01
by Ruffian
TLS-Moose wrote: ↑Aug 18th, '20, 21:03
Ruffian wrote: ↑Aug 18th, '20, 17:03
Mv agree. Great bike but lots of faults.
Really? Such as? Other than the well known (and now resolved) sprague clutch issue, the 800 triple is now a pretty reliable unit (though still not, perhaps, as good as the fours).
Quality design & construction will always shine through
Ok faults was probably too harsh a word quirks is probably better. Yes the engine is great but it's just the package just overpriced and complicated.
I really wanted one when they first came out with the spokes wheels.
Which then drove me towards the speed triple.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 19th, '20, 13:49
by menzies3032
I must say I found some “faults” with the bike when test riding and at the time recognised them but having ridden the faultless 765 I have to say out of the two so far the MV wins hands down. Check out my you tube videos (links on previous page) and your see what I mean.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 19th, '20, 15:14
by Jug
Even on that group test I mentioned (performance bikes) the MV had a fault.
It's low fuel light (or sensor) failed which meant that it just ran out of fuel without warning.
The other two bikes were fine all day.
That said I have no doubt the MV will be fine, and you'll only have for 3 years anyway. Just make sure the dealer has the ability to give you a loan bike indefinitely for just in case the bike has to stay with them for longer than a day. This is something that I wasn't even aware could be an issue until Ming had his problems with SP Motorcycles, as they couldn't loan him a bike overnight due to insurance restrictions.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 21st, '20, 01:21
by menzies3032
Ok so rode the BMW F900R today
Youtube video plug -
https://youtu.be/NhCt2Z10Fxg
I found it really interesting the electronics is what makes the bike it is very special. However a bit of a cramped riding position the bike was heavier then expected but handled the road very well and found it nimble even at slow speeds.
Being a twin delivered power very differently then a 3 or 4 cylinder and was happy at slower speeds. With the revs running out at 8500 then top speed is also going to be limited but certainly can crack on with speeds below triple figures in a very positive way which again is the intention and one of the goals of the bike change. Also got to rate Oceans BMW in Torbay they really looked after me and really cared. Very impressed.
So now 3 rides in I think the MV is leading it followed closely by the BMW then the Triumph in 3rd place. lets see what Monday and Tuesday brings with the remaining 3 test rides.
Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 21st, '20, 06:33
by Fozz
You should have tried the Xr thou,could always leave it in rain mode

Re: The next saga of my biking journey
Posted: Aug 21st, '20, 18:00
by Scotty
Rob, was the F900R as much fun as the 990 SuperDuke you've been borrowing? More modern and refined, almost certainly, and the 990 has no electronic aids whatsoever, but I bet the SD is more fun... Of course, you're overlooking the best naked road bike, probably due to budget as much as anything - the 1290 SDR - guaranteed to generate more smiles/mile than any other bike on the road, plus it's all-day comfortable, economical, and has sports bike go, stop, and handling without the associated crippling ergonomics, and character. Go on, get a test ride....
