Newbie in N.W. England

[andybury]

Hi all, came to the conclusion I needed to move on to a more modern bike from my 1977 BMW R75/7.(better handling and suspension/brakes} I started looking at the options of replacement and most newer bikes were big and clumsey (OK when you get out on the road but numb at home when manovering around a shed full of others). Not being a fan otf the U.J.M. inline four being dull and caracterless came across the NTV/REVERE range and studied the reviews from all the past years of experience owners have had plus test rides by the journalists. This has put this range in my sights now and my only concern is what they are like with pillion rides ( my petite 55kg wife) plus a bit of camping luggage / panniers?The rest I think will fit the bill. and I,m now on the look out.

[Jake]

Jul 27, 2013 15:54:21 GMT -5 andybury said:

....my only concern is what they are like with pillion rides ( my petite 55kg wife) plus a bit of camping luggage / panniers?The rest I think will fit the bill. and I,m now on the look out.

Hi Andybury, welcome to the site...
As a basic touring/camping bike the NTV is pretty good.
It’s got shaft drive in it’s favour and is fairly economical
to run. In terms of comfort I’ve raised the bars on mine
by 50mm and lowered the footpegs by the same amount.
I’ve also fitted braided brake hose front and back and a
medium size windscreen. You can get panniers for this
bike made by Hepco and Becker but I’ve never bought any.

Suspension settings are a matter of taste: I like mine set
fairly stiff with Hagon progressive fork springs and 15w
fork oil. I also use radial tyres (Michelin Pilot Road 2’s)
36psi front and 42 rear.....

If you're going to carry a pillion plus luggage
I'd suggest a test ride first. These are not powerful
bikes but I've discovered they like fully synth oil, and
properly set up, can hold their own on the motorway....

But see post below for pillion/touring capabilty:

growell.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=adventure&action=display&thread=1167

Other info., you might find useful....

growell.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=library&action=display&thread=724

growell.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=library&action=display&thread=922

growell.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=library&action=display&thread=984

[andybury]

Cheers for your reply Jake, plenty of info much appreciated. The R75 is 50 hp and is never a problem power wise,its the "Handling and suspension from another era" that makes life hard work on twisting and uneven surfaces , old fashioned twin shocks and a 400x 18 back tyre ,feeble frame geometry make for a wollowing unpredictable ride.
I was thinking the ntv 650 with 57hp, monoshock , better more modern tyre technology along with the improved frame design would be the correct move forward.