spainy Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Hi all, I love in Spain and am currently doing my bike test here - passed the track test yesterday first time and now only have the road test to go before I can upgrade form a 125. Problem is over here they have introduced the A2 license which only allows a 35 kilowatt bike and it must have a power to wight ratio of 0,2 kW/kilo. So therefore I think the minimum weight must be 175kilos and it can´t be more than 47 BHP. I have seen the MT03 which I love the look of , but there don´t seem to be any other streetbikes that aren´t chopper style that I could look at. Does anyone have any idea of which bikes would come into that range and also and more importantly if the MT03 comes within that too? Thanks in advance
Gas up - Let's Go! Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Take a look at an XT, any one will be under the restriction for you. Me, I like this one : The XT R, X or Z (Enduro, SuperMoto or Adventure) all come with the same motor as the MT-03, that is the 660 single, and it comes in at 35kW, but you can squeeze a lot more torque and a bit mor epower by adding a PowerCommander-V and DNA Air filter. More power than putting on a new can!
spainy Posted January 22, 2010 Author Posted January 22, 2010 Looks similar to the new Beemers! Looks a lot more like a bike for carrying pillions which I will be doing - and also lots more storage than the MT. Have to see if they are over here though as I have noticed a lot of bikes in the UK either aren´t sold here or noone buys them. Thanks for the info tho.
Moderator Cynic Posted January 22, 2010 Moderator Posted January 22, 2010 Looks similar to the new Beemers! Looks a lot more like a bike for carrying pillions which I will be doing - and also lots more storage than the MT. Have to see if they are over here though as I have noticed a lot of bikes in the UK either aren´t sold here or noone buys them. Thanks for the info tho. I'm sure Gas will put me right if i have missed the mark here (he's a bit of a fan)but the Tenere as far as i know is specifically AIMED at european market and the UK gets it to take a piece of the BMW pie.
Gas up - Let's Go! Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Looks similar to the new Beemers! Nope. It doesn't, how cheeky! Looks a lot more like a bike for carrying pillions which I will be doing - and also lots more storage than the MT. Have to see if they are over here though as I have noticed a lot of bikes in the UK either aren´t sold here or noone buys them. The boxes are Touratech Zega Pros, so they are extra - but there are any number of pannier options available. It is a very tall bike, and takes a bit of getting used to, especially if you are coming from a sportsbike, but it is much more comfortable, with much better viasability and loads more road presence than other bikes. They do have thier downsides though; The Cush Drive Rubbers are weak, they need changed every 10,000 miles (depending on your riding) Crash bars and bash plates are also weak at the mounting points, These bike are available in Spain, in fact the production of them is moving from Italy to Spain. Other than that they are very reliable, I've covered 17,000 miles on this one with no problems to speak of. You can find loads more information on them (all three types) over at www.xt660.com , they even have a spanish speaking section!
Gas up - Let's Go! Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 I'm sure Gas will put me right if i have missed the mark here (he's a bit of a fan)but the Tenere as far as i know is specifically AIMED at european market and the UK gets it to take a piece of the BMW pie. They have recently been released in Austrailia, and South Africa have them now too. I do know of a good few folk who've ditched the BMUU for the Tenere - Why would you spend £2 or £3K more for a BM when you get a Yam that does the same job ?? The SuperMoto versions of these bikes are popular too - there is a clip on U-Tube somewhere of a couple of guys leaving some sportsbikes for dead in the mountain roads, but I think it's more to do with the rider than the bike!!!
spainy Posted January 22, 2010 Author Posted January 22, 2010 A question about the MT03 then, can it be adapted to carry luggage, faring (not sure how it´s spelt) etc? If not that´s gonna be a serious negative towards that type of bike since we always carry stuff now - only got a ybr125 at mo and am desperate to upgrade. And as for the engine, if it is the same as the XT - what KW power is it? Any other options anyone can think of?
Gas up - Let's Go! Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 A question about the MT03 then, can it be adapted to carry luggage, faring (not sure how it´s spelt) etc? If not that´s gonna be a serious negative towards that type of bike since we always carry stuff now - only got a ybr125 at mo and am desperate to upgrade. And as for the engine, if it is the same as the XT - what KW power is it? I'm not sure about the fairing option, but luggage should be available, try a web search on Givi - they usually have some options for most bikes. The 660 motor can't really give out any more than 35kW without some work.. I'm not sure about Espania, but here in the UK we are permitted to restrict bikes of a great capacity to allow use under a restricted licience. This opens up the field a little to any 600cc bike. Problem being that when the power is restricted the bikes feel sluggish and a little , erm, wrong!
spainy Posted January 22, 2010 Author Posted January 22, 2010 That´s the problem with restricting I suppose. That´s wht the MT03 type engine appeals since it has amazing looks and is just about within the range allowed anyway. A lot of people in Spain are looking at buying much more powerful bikes and restricting them for 2 years until they can drive them fully - and I am not really sure which option is the better.
Wattsy Posted January 22, 2010 Posted January 22, 2010 Hi guys, Gas is right, the MT-03 is putting out 35.3kW (48 PS) in the UK. That said, it may be different in Spain, so it's worth a check! A lot of new riders have the same problem over here too. The A2 restriction is 33 bhp, which means that virtually everything over 250cc has to be restricted. A lot of people do choose to buy a more powerful bike and restrict it in the hope that they will still have / want it in 2 years. I see this all the time selling them, and I think that buying a bike that you want is the right way to go. Don't worry about 2 years time, you will probably want to change the bike by then anyway! I love the 660 engine, it doesn't matter what form you buy it in, they are all brilliant! Enjoy whatever you buy!
spainy Posted January 22, 2010 Author Posted January 22, 2010 Hi Wattsy, thanks for the guidance - that´s what I think too - get the one you want(and can afford ) 2 years is a long time for just one bike. By the way, the A2 over here is 47BHP or 35KW so the MT03 has 0.3 too much power!Gutted.
Recommended Posts