I’ve given up on big screens as the turbulence and associated noise is always awful. The Sport screen on my R1200R L/C is just fine. The only touring bike I have ridden that had a ‘quiet’ screen was the O/E on the Original Aprilia Caponord. 800 miles in a day in a still pocket of air. It’s very often the taller the screen the more buffeting and noise.

I totally agree with the headlight, its a real pimple on ya bum. I saw ur idea with the Kawazaki nose fairing n it pulled the bike back into proportion. The standard headlight looks like its been punched in the face. Not the only bike to have this, but all shit. I have fitted the RS bars on my R n love them. Some RS guys r fitting R bars to their bikes. To each their own. Super impressed with the brakes especially at silly speeds. I have found a bit of a weave from the back end comes in with very heavy breaking at hi speeds, banked over, panic mode, I think thats the result of the ABS. Not a tank slapper but it sure gets ur attention.

Reviewers should talk about maintenance costs.

5ft 7. Another shorty doing a review. What about people who are 6ft +?

How do you compare it with the s1000r?

I have a 2023 BMW 850 GS. I too find the throttle response difference between Road & Dynamic mode very noticeable. First reviewer that has noticed this big difference and/or commented on it. Much more than the difference i ever felt on three previous 1200/1250 bikes. While the 850 has plenty of giddy-up in Road mode, changing to Dynamic gives the impression it has just become a 1000cc engine. Impressive. But i find Dynamic mode a bit too 'dynamic' when riding on tight twisty roads and Road mode is much more progressive and controllable and just better (for me). The engines are mechanically noisy which is a let down imo, but they have proved to be reliable for the length of time they have been used in the 850 models. The exhaust has a nice mellow, deep sound when throttle is applied and again when throttle closed coming into corners etc. Could be a tad louder for me as i wear earplugs to deal with wind & engine noise. Helmet communicators work much better using ear plugs with the extraneous noises reduced. Over-all i like the bike and do not miss the bigger engines or bikes. Though the 850 GS is heavier & taller than i would like it to be. The bike works good off-road as well, especially with forks that have absolutely no adjust-ability of any kind. They can be improved at a cost but not sure warranted for the riding i do.

Cracking video. Really enjoyed that and very helpful as I'm just about to test ride a new one, and like you I have s1000r (gen3). Also what's your secret for great audio 😀. Thanks

Touring screen looks better...

Engine bolt you rung should be opened from other side

Nice vid. I’ve owned 3 XRs (2 x Gen 1s, 1 x Gen 2) and I can tell you the vibes are much less on the latest models. The first model they brought out in 2016 I think was horrendous but my newest model is fine. It’s a motorbike not a Rolls Royce ! Ref screens have a look at the MRA Vario. I’ve had them on all 3 of my XRs - they are much better than the stock screens although they do induce some buffeting but not much. I’m 6’2” so need a bigger screen.

Excellent , well produced video.

Interesting, I was exactly the same, good to start with and then no height later on, very frustrating 🙂

It's just a well balanced machine: Well damped but firm suspension (I don't find it fidgity but road surface can play a role), great transmission, corners on rails, progressive brakes with great feedback, and a sweet sweet engine. Every input is rewarded and it all works together. It all adds up to a lot of fun before you know what hit you and the bent coppers wave you down. I think someone with stiff upper lip might say: A fine road machine. - in fact my lip is not particularly stiff, and I say it's a fine road machine.

What length exhaust?

thanks very helpful

Thank you.

I've got a 650 REV and was tempted to do away with the airbox and get D&A filters straight onto the carbs like this, do you find they make any difference at all? Can you sync the carbs using them?

Para la prueba, la camara instalada en el casco ha sido un error

How come when there is wind noise, the speedgage becomes blurry? LOL

Great review. I recognize many issues you have addressed. But in general this is an outstanding bike. The bést i have owned in 30 years! This torque…amázing. She is a Tesla and Porschekiller!!!

Thanx Ricky. Appreciate all the time & money put into this. Have the R1250RS ( standard pipe) and been considering upgrade. This gave me a lot to reconsider on whole subject 👍👍

Good on you Becky. Just goes to show who are your real friends are , surprisingly people forget how much help Mel has given the. All .

Love the looks of the MG V7, but not willing to risk a purchase given some of the issues others have reported about the bike. Likely going for a Triumph

Ktm is overrated and ugly

Thanks for not spewing tech specs on us and focusing on the info we can't Google. Great job!

Have a 23 w M Motorsport addition and live in Houston, TX. Motor blows hot air on both sides at calf level and feet and is very hot above 90degF OAT. Vibrations are not bad to me. I put a WRS windscreen on it and give it 8 out of 10; very nice. And put a Wunderlich seat on it, and give it 7 out of 10, it moves you back and you have some room to move around, but its not comfy after 2-3 hours. Love the bike and agree, it always compromises...

Coming from North America I am shocked how narrow your roads are. Beautiful scenery but basically what I would call paths we use for bicycles over here are the same size as many of your roads.

There are absolutely NO reason talking numbers if not all bikes are dynoed on the same dyno.....it can EASY differ 20% between dynojet setups and even more on mustangs. So, do a bog standard run on the same dyno you will do your pull with mods and then talk % up.....all other things are pure nonsense.

When they build a XR with shaft I think it may just be BMW’s best all round bike

22 XR M Sport rider here. The best mod I have done is BT stage 1 and 2. The bike transformed to great!

Barry Sheena did the same to me and underneath too at Gerard’s. Great memories …

Have the tripple black 2023 love it it is dr jekill and mr hide bellow 6000 he is a handsome puppy above it turns in to a pittbull .only troubles i had is with the keyless ride when i brake the tft tels me the key is not in range an i can,t restart

Thanks for the comments Ricky. I am loving my 24 M sport, but I guess I need to check my bolts. The 24 M seat is not perfect though. In jeans I slide up against the tank. However in leathers it’s great 🤔 Also I got the tall screen and it sucks buffeting like crazy so I put the small on back on until I find a deflecter

The older I get the more I subscribe to the "It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast, rather than a fast bike slow". I'm at a biking junction right now, been a long time GS PCPer but the current GS/GSA are so hideously ugly I'm not upgrading again, so will be handing my GS back. That leaves me with the X-ADV, which is my fav bike anyway. I do like having two bikes so will most likely get a 2015 GSA as enjoying servicing bikes too. Glad you're enjoying the XR 😀

Interesting one Rikky what have I gleaned from watching ?well that bike isn't for me 😉 to heavy to revvy wouldn't get the best out of it and I have moved to an old mans bike now to reduce weight and be flat footed because I am officially an old and I ride like one 😂. although I miss my old XJR12000 already with better breaking and I think more umff but hey who needs umff anyway gone from fours to a twin and man is it different . Do I like it ? well I've used it twice and the jury is still out . But for you I notice the screen woes still continue and now with vibes but I am sure it's still good fun 😉 👌👍

Cheeky bar steward! 😯💁🏻‍♂️😄

I really wanted one, test rode a ‘24 model Triple Black. Sadly after cruising between 110-130kph the vibes in the pegs, tank and bars were bad enough to put me off it unfortunately. So went and bought a new R1250RS Sport. I’ve had too many twins to do otherwise. Many happy miles and years with your XR, looks fantastic.

I would love one of these fabulous machines, however....returning from a recent trip to Dorset I was threading my way through the 30+ mile queue of traffic and was held up by a guy on a K1600 who was unable to filter due to the bikes width. This one issue is a deal-breaker for me. Little point being on a bike with the filtering capabilities of a car....

Everyone has their likes and dislikes with a bike but in my experience with both my 2022 and 2024 XRs I have to disagree with some of your cons. Vibes - never been an issue for me. Not a Rolls Royce but just normal bike vibes. Screen - had the short screen on both of my XRs and had a clean blast of air with no buffeting. Dislike tall screens as they generate buffeting. Heat - again not a big issue. Occasionally in high temps with heavy traffic it’s noticeable but no more than any other bike I’ve had. Seat - didn’t have a problem with the “bucket” seat on my 2022 but the 2024 is definitely an improvement. Just my personal opinion 😬 Anyway great vid Rikky. Enjoy your reviews 👍

Great review and that you are enjoying the XR. Be safe

i can not get my head around the bolts coming loose like that after 2000 miles? i have 15000km's on my Z900 (also an inline 4) and never even have to tighten screws on my mirror extensions.

Such a nice fellow to wave as he passes by.

I have had the 2024 XR now, for four months. I’m loving it. Vibes ain’t a problem and I find the suspension very compliant, the feed back through the front end is quite phenomenal considering the tall nature of the bike.