Tough, but it's gotta be done - John Wheeler on the tester's year
A year ago we started to feature bike tests in this column and in that time we have tested 33 machines. Nice work if you can get it, our friends say.
It is, but not without problems. Unlike the British scene, none of the main manufacturers were present here until BMW established its Irish office in October. Other makes are usually represented by local companies who have some form of franchise.
"Insurance difficulties" and "the small market" are the oft-quoted reason for distributors not having test bikes. Irish customers, with rare exceptions, are expected to buy on trust without a test ride.
Admittedly, given the very wide range of bikes on sale in our market, it would be unrealistic to expect a test ride on every model. Eventually, before we could begin to test bikes we had to overcome the "insurance problems" - The Irish Times arranged its own, fully comprehensive cover for our testers.
The reaction of some distributors to testing has ranged from the highly co-operative and enthusiastic down to "not interested" - and it can vary from time to time. Even if, with all the objectivity one can muster, you mention a shortcoming, it can lead to disgruntlement - even to no more machines from that source. If your favoured make features rarely or not at all this could be the reason.
Sometimes the very model we would like to feature is so highly-priced or in such short supply that we have been able to feature it only when a private owner has kindly lent a machine to us. Then, inevitably, there are rare times when we can be offered more machines than we can handle.
In all we have ridden thousands of miles on three dozen machines in about every weather condition one could imagine.
Classifying machines is a subjective art. "Sports tourer" can be flexible, covering, according to some manufacturers, anything from an out-and-out track-orientated missile to what many would think of as a commuter.
Our main criteria are: "Does it do what it says on the tin?" and "How well does it do it?" We try not to let personal preferences obtrude, but some features do creep in.
We dislike mirrors that are more suited to admiring one's elbows than giving a decent rearwards view. We think that any chain-driven bike ought, at least, to have the option of a centre stand to make chain adjustment easier.
We expect, if a bike claims to be a tourer, there should be at least some luggage carrying space. Ifyou have to invest around €1,000 for proper hard luggage, it's not a tourer but a bike that could be made into one.
In this day and age when bikes have become so refined, so much more reliable, it's nearly impossible to name a "best" or a "worst". Thankfully there are few bad bikes - virtually all are, by any yardstick, good or better.
Some machines impressed us more than others. In the "commuter" class BMW's F 650 CS Scarver impressed for its looks, finish and precise behaviour. The best "learner legal" was the Kawasaki BN 125, a vice-free, utterly forgiving cruiser-style lightweight. Harley-Davidson's XL 883 Sportster heads the cruiser category.
Of the four big scooters we tested, the Suzuki Bergman 650 impressed most. In the proper touring bike category, Honda's ST 1300cc Pan European was best.
We could test only one of what we would call the super tourer category, the Honda GL 1800 Gold Wing. It pleasantly surprised us with its comfort, performance and agility. We have yet to see how it compares with BMW's K 1200 LT.
Kawasaki's ZZR 1200 proved to be a seriously good example of the sports tourer, proving to be both comfortable and surefooted in atrocious conditions. By a very short head, Honda's CBR 600 RR just headed off Ducati's 749S.
In the motard category Suzuki's DL 1000 V-Strom seemed ideally suited to Irish roads, while for cutting-edge performance the Ducati Multistrada is a very close rival.
BMW's R 1150 GS Adventure ought to have a "super motard tourer" category all of its own - it's ideal for the Andean-bound adventurer. CCM's R 30 Supermoto turned out to be a good example of what can be done with high power to weight ratios.
The retro/classic segment was covered by Vespa's final production of the classic PX 200 Scooter - and Royal Enfield's 500 cc "65", now 6,000 miles into a long-term test and delighting and infuriating in equal measure.
Forced to choose one machine out of such a varied selection then, we would go for the Suzuki DL 1000 V-Strom on the basis of value for money, comfort, performance and usability for everything from the daily commute through "canyon carving" to fast, long-distance touring.