The B-King And I

[squirrel_hunter]

Well I dropped my bike off for a little work at Artdeans and while they had my bike they quite kindly lent me a B-King. So I thought I'd do a little write up and review of my time with The King...

The first thing to say is its a little bit rapid. Its not the speed that it can do as 70 is 70 regardless of the bike your on, its just how quickly it gets there. Its simply blink of the eye fast, it feels as if your stomach is being pulled out through your back, and you need a good grip on the handle bars. Smoothness is the key to acceleration on this bike as the power delivery is so violent I found my self bracing before twisting the throttle.

The engine is good all over the rev range, and is happy cruising around at 50 or accelerating all the way to the red line. You could pretty much just leave it in first and never need to change gear its just so versatile. First gear will take you all the way to 92 without making much of a fuss.



This was the first naked bike I'd ridden and so the riding position took a little getting used to, it felt like I was doing an Incredible Hulk impression holding the bars. But the position did give a lot of confidence in the corners. I didn't notice the lack of screen at most speeds but anything much over 70 for any length of time started to grind. I did try and find a top speed but without a screen 120 was a real fight, though it felt perfectly stable.

I tested the bike over 150 miles taking in all types of road from city roads to country lanes and even motorways and found it a comfortable ride throughout. Having said that my left leg got a fair bit of cramp but I think this was due more to the gear shift and it not feeling in the right position, but this could be fixed with adjustable rear-sets.



The brakes are just as good a part of the bike and can bring it down to a stop in what feels like a couple of meters regardless of the speed I was at. I was also pleased with the mirrors as they were very practical. I also loved the sound of the servos as you switch it on and the tacho sweep that it does is cool, but I'm a bit of a kid when it comes to things like that.

However I found the side stand was in the wrong position as you could easily knock it into gear when putting it down, and this is where the problems start. Practicality wise the petrol tank was mostly plastic rendering my tank bag useless, and it does use a little more petrol than my SV in all I put about £22 in for the miles I did. Despite its size it was still quite easy to filter on, only having to hold back a couple of times. It even felt light despite its size when pushing it round the garage which surprised me.



So comparing it to my SV would I buy one? No, not as a replacement to my SV. It just not a practical enough bike as it is, a screen would defiantly help though. But if I had the money I would buy it for a weekend runaround and I think thats how most of these bikes will end up. I enjoyed my time on it, a really fun machine, but my SV is safe for now...

wow it's an amazing bike and that engine is just incredible 92 in first is mind boggling the only thing that i dont like is those butt ugly plastic indicator fairing things stuck to the tank but apart from that wicked the hayabusa is my dream bike and anything using that engine is a ok by me.

Originally Posted by squirrel_hunter

However I found the side stand was in the wrong position as you could easily knock it into gear when putting it down, and this is where the problems start.

Just curious, have you tried bikes (sidestands) other than the SV?

The SV seems a bit unique with its sidestand - you can put it down as you say without knocking it into gear, etc.

On every bike I've had since, the little lever for the side stand has been wedged between the gear lever and the peg, when raised, meaning you need to turn your foot to the side and use your heel to lower it...got used to it now though

[squirrel_hunter]

Yeah I've ridden a few bikes over the years and this is the first one I've put in gear sticking the side stand down. I think the problem is due to the stand being parallel and quite close to the gear rod plus the lever is also a bit on the short side. But your right, you would get used to it eventually.

Ah, ok - so it is an even worse design then, haha.

[STRAMASHER]

Originally Posted by squirrel_hunter

Yeah I've ridden a few bikes over the years and this is the first one I've put in gear sticking the side stand down. I think the problem is due to the stand being parallel and quite close to the gear rod plus the lever is also a bit on the short side. But your right, you would get used to it eventually.

You would just need get into the habit of pulling the clutch in before whieking the sidestand down. You would soon forget all about this quirk.

[dizzyblonde]

By the look of the picture, at least the sidestand gives you a lean angle on it. The Raptors sidestand(and indeed many Italian bikes) is so upright, you only have to blow on the bike and it threatens to fall over! i wouldn't want such a cumbersome looking bike as the BKing to fall off one.
However I do find the exhaust pipes Maaaaaahhhhooosive on them, and you can definetely tell its a BKing from the rear, they are very identifyable


took this earlier this year

Love the b-king...would'nt say no to a blast on one.

[yorkie_chris]

Encountered one in Leeds a month or 2 ago... was going slow as feck in traffic, but caught me up again and left like I was standing still on motorway. About 120 and saw him hammer throttle and just dissappear. Sounded $hit though.

I *love* burger king