The bad influence on me that is working at the NEC bike show (I seem to end up with a new bike afterwards each year) continues. Today this lovely beastie arrived, having been brought down from Carlisle. Battery was flat (bike got picked up the middle of last week and I've got a GPS tracker) so I whacked her on the optimate and the first port of call, before even taxing it, was to eliminate that fender! I got the J-tech tail tidy, worked very nicely, although I couldn't help but feel a slightly lighter steel or ally might have been appropriate, given Honda went to the trouble of shaving 300g or something from the rear sub frame on the SP model. And the wee little tail tidy weighs as much or more as the whole massive fender that came off. Anyway, once the battery was up to speed and the bike put back together I got a chance for a little whizz out to Ace Cafe and back. Pretty cold out there and she's still on Supercorsas so I didn't push it, but super interesting comparing the 2019 SP to my old RR6. Riding position pretty similar, felt at home very quickly. There's room too if you want to scooch your backside back and tuck in. I started in mode 3 (street) as I was unfamiliar with the bike and was immediately shocked at how placid and easy to ride it was. Went up to mode 2 (sport) and then mode 1 (track) and the bike was still not as rampant at low revs as the RR6. Not sure if that's a mapping thing - the RR6 has got baffle-less pipe, power commander and dyno map (vs an emissions managed 2019 bike). But I was quite surprised that basically my RR6 in default state is more wild than the new bike in its most aggressive. I really did appreciate the adaptive suspension though - can hugely tell the difference between S3 (street) and S1 (track) and what a boon that will be. Didn't get to properly drop into any corners, but immediate feelings from the riding I did get to do was that the new SP is very nimble, it *wants* to turn. Genuinely feels lighter than the older bike. It's very smooth, power delivery builds quickly and it feels like such a quality piece of kit. Pity that I'll be having to stick to the 50 profile on the back, as it feels like it would really like a slightly taller tyre. Full comparison will have to wait until I've got some more appropriate rubber on (getting some S22s on tomorrow, still not the best winter option but better than the supercorsas) and get the opportunity to do some proper riding but can't wait
Congrats. Wish I could have seen you at the show. I think it's a rare beast the 2019 SP. Not sure if many sold, because most of the market purchased the 2017 - 18s. I certainly don't see many 2019s of even the std model on the roads or even parked at my local dealer.
Nigel have you got the SP or the SP2? A quick cruise of howmanyleft.co.uk suggests there are: 2017 SP: 252 2017 SP2: 16 2018 SP: 191 2018 SP2: 66 2019 SP: 32 2019 SP2: ? So the 2019 SP would seem to be a rare beast indeed.
I have the 2018 'J' model SP2 from first batch of the 2018s. (delivered March) To the best of my knowledge and belief, there was no 2019 SP2 because the production run of 2018s completed the 500 required for homologation purposes. Cheers for those stats.
Lovely bike @dmc12, as is your rr6. Definitely an exclusive club you're in there having the 2019 SP. Mind me asking what deal you got?
Seems I got a downvote for my initial post. First one! I wonder who/how I offended? In the meantime I've got new tyres on the bike, that chat about the manufacturing oil left on the surface isn't an old wives' tale - spun up the rear with no juice at all a mile down the road! Good thing I had traction control set up at 8! Decent weather out so went out for an hour then to try and bed them in. Hard finding any corners you can actually crank the bike over around London during the day to get those sides scrubbed in but felt a lot more confident by the end of it. Now need to get back down to the bike shop to collect the old (but still good) tyres - I felt riding home with them round my waist wasn't the best idea!
Yeah, agree. Will be an error. That member has an SP2 and would not downvote the content you've made. Maybe you'll be more than happy with those tyres and not even find the need to change them in summer? Probably a few on here who'd buy them. Not me though. They'd be well out of date by the time my originals are due to be changed!!
I need new tyres in the new year will be the 1st time I will use mode 3 when they 1st go on good to have all the settings cranked up.....
Congratulations on your new 19 SP. I have the 19 SP as well which I got early summer and I have really enjoyed this bike, particularly the handling as you mentioned. I've stuck with the Pirelli SCs and very happy with them at least in the dry but S22s are also reported to work very well on our bikes. (Please post a review after you've put some miles on them). I've yet to see another 19SP in the metal (my dealer only had the one which I purchased). I didn't realise they were so rare.
I traded my RR6 I'd had from new for an SP. I'd found the RR6 uncomfortable in Europe on switchback roads. A relatively heavy clutch wasn't ideal. So the main difference for me was that that discomfort was eliminated on the SP. Other than that, I wouldn't bother changing. The RR6 is an awesome bike and no slower on the road.
10 or so of those 19 bikes will be IoM marshall bikes, so it seems it us true that the 19 bike has been a sales flop.
I remember seeing the 2019's at the NEC last year and thinking to myself: 'What the heck's the difference, aside from the wheelie control, over the 2018. I guess the same could be said of the differences between 2018 back to 2017 - couple of different splashes of paint. So, as you say, sales 'flop' is nearly an understatement, and endorses so many views we've read on here over the past year of Blade owners migrating to (in particular) Yamaha and BMW. Will be very interesting to see the early market trends of 2020!
I don't think the new pirate blade will sell at all well. Bikes like the RR6 sold 1,600 units year in year out. That market has gone.
Edit to add, BM seem to have sold 4k S1000rr in 10 years, so clearly something has changed massively in the market.
Could this be a consequence of fewer riders to our fold because of testing and licencing fees? Seems to be a point frequently raised. If people don't get on to scooters and 125s there's not going to be a market for the sports bikes. Could this also explain the dominance of older guys (and one gal) on here? Purchased my CB750 in 1971 when I was 19. That just about can't happen now for the under 20s.
The biking demographic is skewed old and male, that's for sure. I felt like a mere whippersnapper again spending after over a week at the NEC bike show I think cars are easier to own and cheaper to get into now than maybe back in the day? I wonder if that's a factor. Also - whisper it - but maybe bikes aren't cool any more?
