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New bike - Shiver GT

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defblade
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PostPosted: 20:21 - 06 Sep 2014    Post subject: New bike - Shiver GT Reply with quote

My BMW K1200R Sport was simply too fast too much of the time... and always made me feel slightly sick at the faintest cough or noise, knowing the size of BMW bills.

I'm glad I had it as now I don't need to wonder if a really fast bike is my bag - it's not.

So, although I only got it in May and had one summer of nice weather with it, I've chopped it in for something that has, hopefully, some quality and character at speeds I do want to achieve every day.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/defblade/Shiver%20GT/shiv001_zpsac1b2435.jpg

So, here's my new (to me, it's a '10 reg with 3700 miles on) Aprilia Shiver GT, 750cc of V-twin burble. Please ignore the top-box rack, I've just knocked that up to fill the couple of weeks before my proper rack arrives. There's a few other bits and pieces to add to make it my all-round daily but they won't take long to appear either Wink

Handling's good; the power is sharp in sport (too sharp for town, but touring mode is fine all round); the seat is narrow at the front and broad at the rear so you can be upright and agile or lent forwards and comfy at speed; the looks are sharp Italian which is good (seems to be a hit with the girls Wink ); and the noise and feeling make running at normal speeds an event Smile

Noticed today on a longer run that once it's properly hot, the already short clutch doesn't disengage enough to change gear or find neutral while stationary; the Aprilia forum suggests that that's most likely to be old fluid/air on the hydraulic side, so it's booked in to the dealer to have a nose next week (which is the one advantage of buying from a decent local dealer).
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp Twisted Evil => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp
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orac
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PostPosted: 20:37 - 06 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

don't think that bills will get much smaller with this than the beamer - because they are most likely about the same.

if you wanted something that was going to be cheaper, should hve gone Japanese, and avoid triumph like the plaque
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Current rides - 2016 Triumph Street Triple Rx, 1994 Suzuki Bandit 400 VM, TGB 204 Classic 125cc
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BenR
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PostPosted: 23:12 - 06 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Very nice! Very Happy Same bike as the dorsuduro just with different bodywork & suspension?
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defblade
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PostPosted: 23:23 - 06 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

orac wrote:
don't think that bills will get much smaller with this than the beamer - because they are most likely about the same.

if you wanted something that was going to be cheaper, should hve gone Japanese, and avoid triumph like the plaque


Based on??



None of the Japs were calling to me at all. There's so many of them, and they're all just so .... samey.

Looking around the forums, some of Shivers had trouble with the starter motor in the early days (all seem to be fixed without quibble by Aprilia), lots of broken clutch springs about (giving the opposite of my concern, so I guess mine are OK), and occasional sensor failure and slightly dodgy electrics from time to time. Not really any worse than most makes/models of bike - someone somewhere will have had a problem and posted about every single type of bike.


The BMW K series have trouble with everything, pretty much (just off the top of my head - my bike had the ABS module replaced by previous owner, just over a grand... but that doesn't fail as often as the old served system; engines grenade when the cam chain slips - you can pay to have a jump guard fitted, mine had the later hydraulic tensioner; idle control valves fail causing revs to hold; throttle bodies can do the same and cause even more acceleration; gearboxes grenade on 2nd gear; final drives fail on a regular basis; QR tank fittings subject to "technical notice" or some such; corrosion everywhere, and not just on the K's - lots of F's too; switch gear replaced repeatedly; ESA) and BMW's usual approach seems to be "you brought a BM, you must be able to afford to have it fixed." Lots of people not only complaining about the breakages, which you could expect on such a high-powered, high strung engine; but also BMs attitude and frequent point-blank refusal to admit that there's any sort of design fault etc with their bikes, even when many people have the same problem.

I ended up taking out the BMW after market warranty (£32/month for my bike, cover up to £1000/problem)... even they won't cover the ESA past 30k miles! I went into the BMW with my eyes fairly open (which is why I bought an '07 with a lot of the previous version's problems tweaked) and I could have afforded a repair bill even without the warranty; but I didn't realise just how much the thought/knowledge of potential trouble would spoil the ride for me.






Also, I'm going to much happier either spannering the shiver myself or getting the local garage to sort it. The BMW had a full BMW service history, and, with the warranty and general complexity, I wouldn't have been happy to take it anywhere but BM, and I wasn't too keen to get stuck in myself (I did replace the horn...); so that's the hourly rate either halved or removed.



In the meantime, the Shiver is £300 a year cheaper to insure, and I'm not paying £360 a year on a warranty, so if it does break after the dealer loses some responsibility, I've got £660 in the pot to help out Wink
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp Twisted Evil => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp
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defblade
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PostPosted: 23:31 - 06 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

BenR wrote:
Very nice! Very Happy Same bike as the dorsuduro just with different bodywork & suspension?


Sorta, basically, from what I understand. First came the naked shiver, then the DD with funkier off-road styling and a tiny petrol tank, then the GT with half-fairing (all my bikes seem to end up half-faired), then they facelifted the naked version along side the GT.
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp Twisted Evil => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp
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P.
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PostPosted: 07:46 - 07 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

orac wrote:
if you wanted something that was going to be cheaper, should hve gone Japanese, and avoid triumph like the plaque


Nothing wrong with Triumph. There are many things wrong with that Japanese bandit 400 though.

Good choice of bike, but April is are still not to be trusted in the electronics department. Check a price for an ECU. You might need to replace one.
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arry
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PostPosted: 09:34 - 07 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Triumph bits ain't cheap though
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paddlesat16
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PostPosted: 14:07 - 07 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

I fancy one of these as my next bike Very Happy
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stonesie
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PostPosted: 15:18 - 07 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

arry wrote:
Triumph bits ain't cheap though


I haven't found them to be too badly priced, my local dealer usually either matches or beats internet prices for genuine bits.

OP
Regarding the clutch, my friends old Falco got air in the clutch fluid, it also turned black within a year so he just added a fluid change to his winter servicing.
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defblade
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PostPosted: 22:59 - 07 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

stonesie wrote:

OP
Regarding the clutch, my friends old Falco got air in the clutch fluid, it also turned black within a year so he just added a fluid change to his winter servicing.


I can't see it's anything else either. Could flush it through myself, but as I only just bought it and when I rang the dealer they said "I'll put you through to servicing and we'll book it in" may as well let them take the strain Wink

Fitted heated grips today; they're a little thicker so now the clutch is dragging even more! It's fine on the move though so it can still wait for the dealer. Put on a shocktube as well. Had to buy a ring spanner for the axle, and the hook-type adaptors for my paddock stand.

Still to come - chain oiler (hoping to get it dripping on the front sprocket as there's some access), handguards, fender extender, and I want to make up a sort of belly pan/shield for the starter motor which catches everything off the front wheel otherwise. I think due to the shock's location and tubing it, a hugger is much lower on my list than it would be for most bikes.
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp Twisted Evil => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp
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BenR
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PostPosted: 23:06 - 07 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

paddlesat16 wrote:
I fancy one of these as my next bike Very Happy



It's got me looking as well. Laughing Got any more photos Defblade?
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defblade
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PostPosted: 07:16 - 08 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

BenR wrote:
paddlesat16 wrote:
I fancy one of these as my next bike Very Happy



It's got me looking as well. Laughing Got any more photos Defblade?


Not decent ones, but Google Image has a few Wink

What might really sell you is this video of the OE and Akra exhausts. OE good, akra yummy (just don't look up the price!)


If anyone's tempted to go for a test ride, I would just say that changing the engine modes uses a double-tap on the starter button, with a closed throttle, from 20 seconds after starting. Rain is predictably gutless but will have its place I guess, Sport is snappy - nice on good, open roads and when you're 100% on it but too much for around town; Touring is the nicest setting all round.

Sport is so snappy it put me off this bike the first time I test rode it, I didn't know how to change the modes then, and I ended up with the BMW!
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp Twisted Evil => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp
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defblade
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PostPosted: 18:13 - 11 Sep 2014    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dropped it in to the dealer today (ironically, with the clutch working OKish today; I haven't ridden it since Monday as it was really refusing to let me out of 1st and taking a hell of a shove to go around the rest of the box) - they found the clutch pressure plate was "lagging", working lopsidedly.

I told them that it was going to be broken clutch springs, as Shivers get that a lot with the OE springs, and indeed it was. 4 out of 6 broken! One was in 4 pieces... They wouldn't let me take it away again and had to get the bits in for tomorrow, so gave me a lift home.

So, hopefully a simple/common problem which should resolve once the new springs are in (the new ones from Aprilia are upgraded). For once, shows the value of buying from a (decent) dealer.

@_Iain_: beauty's in the eye of the beholder (that's what I told your Mum Wink )
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp Twisted Evil => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp
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