I've had eyes on the B4 series for a long time, and it was this November I finally decided to trade my second Diavel 1260 for a Brutale 1000 RS. To extend why I was into it; I was simply looking for a naked other than Ducati Streetfighter V4 that has a style and power to add to my garage next to my sport touring purpose TV Rosso.
I've had the chance the ride the original B4 RR for a whole 2 days early this year and did have a lot NOT to love about it, aside from the looks and the engine. Seat was uncomfortable, seating position was nowhere near naked but a super-sport, and the bike hates daily rides trough the traffic because of the seating position and those bar end mirrors.
I asked myself, what would I do with that bike? Joy ride? NO(we have congestion through nice bike routes every single day in my city—Istanbul). Long trips? Hell NO. Track Day? MEH(you can only do so much with a bike without a fairing/windshield).
I was informed that there's a little bit more comfortable, and cheaper version of B4 incoming. And the day it announced, I was hyped but I had to see it first.
As soon as it landed on the dealer, I simply sat on it and bought the next second because that was it. RS unchecked almost all NOs from my RR experience and I knew it by without even test riding it first.
I paid some deposit, and the country dealer was my friend I just tipped him that I'd steal the bike from the showroom for a short trip without him knowing. AND I DID! I stole the bike which had no paperwork yet and took it for a spin for about 20 mins. What I didn't know was there was no gas in the bike, not even to take me to the gas station. So, GOT BUSTED!
. Anyways he just laughed and let me ride it for another hour. I can't explain the joy of that hour.
And this week the paperwork was done, and me and a girl friend got out for an action shooting day ride. She rode a B4 RR, me on my RS, my first real trip with it. I will post the professional shooting day photos in this thread once they're out, but they're good
Impressions
Overall, I can just say RS is the best naked I've ever owned in my entire life(past: yamaha mt-09, bmw k1300r, brutale 800, yamaha mt-10). The reasons are as follows:
Verdict
This bike feels more of a joy ride for me, rather than what I'd do with a 1K CC naked(my original impression was I'd go hooligan only). I noticed I actually ride slower than how I ride with my TV for traffic involved situations which gives me an additional mood for riding this bike. What I can't wait to do is do a track ride with this one. But for all else, this bike is now my jewel.
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I've had the chance the ride the original B4 RR for a whole 2 days early this year and did have a lot NOT to love about it, aside from the looks and the engine. Seat was uncomfortable, seating position was nowhere near naked but a super-sport, and the bike hates daily rides trough the traffic because of the seating position and those bar end mirrors.
I asked myself, what would I do with that bike? Joy ride? NO(we have congestion through nice bike routes every single day in my city—Istanbul). Long trips? Hell NO. Track Day? MEH(you can only do so much with a bike without a fairing/windshield).
I was informed that there's a little bit more comfortable, and cheaper version of B4 incoming. And the day it announced, I was hyped but I had to see it first.
As soon as it landed on the dealer, I simply sat on it and bought the next second because that was it. RS unchecked almost all NOs from my RR experience and I knew it by without even test riding it first.
I paid some deposit, and the country dealer was my friend I just tipped him that I'd steal the bike from the showroom for a short trip without him knowing. AND I DID! I stole the bike which had no paperwork yet and took it for a spin for about 20 mins. What I didn't know was there was no gas in the bike, not even to take me to the gas station. So, GOT BUSTED!
. Anyways he just laughed and let me ride it for another hour. I can't explain the joy of that hour.And this week the paperwork was done, and me and a girl friend got out for an action shooting day ride. She rode a B4 RR, me on my RS, my first real trip with it. I will post the professional shooting day photos in this thread once they're out, but they're good
Impressions
Overall, I can just say RS is the best naked I've ever owned in my entire life(past: yamaha mt-09, bmw k1300r, brutale 800, yamaha mt-10). The reasons are as follows:
- Handlebar mounted mirrors: They're not perfect(seeing mostly my elbows), but at least I don't have to turn into a clown to see what's behind me.
- Plush seat: Again, not the same level of insane comfort of my Tourismo Veloce seat, but so so much better than RR
- Seating position: The perfect balance between the sporty and upright position. I've had zero fatigue during the all day ride of %40 insane traffic filtering and 60% country ride.
- Engine: It's like 350 cc scooter until 6K revs(some may not like this and even hate the whole bike for it), like a torque monster between 7K-9K revs, and a wild animal after 9K revs to limiter. This returned such an experience for me where I could cruise through 120 to 160kms comfortably, and go hooligan if I wanted to, even though it meant I had to step down a couple gears.
- Suspensions: An experience from TV, the Lusso or RC models had the electronic suspension but without thorough settings which turned me down. That led me get a Rosso with manual Marzocchi's set by my mechanic to my riding needs. RR was also too stiff even with the lowest settings and the smallest bumps gave me super uncomfortable moments. RS has the manual Sachs/ZF back and big piston front Marzocchi's in the front. I haven't taken the bike to get the suspensions tuned for me yet but factory came settings are serving me super well so far. Very, very comfortable for a naked on bumps, and super rigid on corners.
- Safety features: As bike goes nuts after 9K revs, I was intimidated at first but the Brembo Stylema's do their job and give me the confidence of slowing down. And the bike wheelies almost in all gears as long as you go full throttle. Now' this part was interesting and needs a bit more explanation to why MV calls the wheelie thing but NOT Wheelie Control but Front Lift Control. This was a first time experience to me: Bike wheelies to a level you notice you're on single wheel as you ride and keep throttling on, but doesn't cut power or anything or let it down. It keeps the front wheel up at a safe level until the bike finds its own balance and finally decides to touch the front wheel down. I've tried this in high speed corners as well and this works so well in conjunction with the cornering parameters of Continental MK100, I can't explain the amazing moments I had with it. I confirm that it's not wheelie control but a controlled wheelie
Verdict
This bike feels more of a joy ride for me, rather than what I'd do with a 1K CC naked(my original impression was I'd go hooligan only). I noticed I actually ride slower than how I ride with my TV for traffic involved situations which gives me an additional mood for riding this bike. What I can't wait to do is do a track ride with this one. But for all else, this bike is now my jewel.
