Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1139968
VOLUME 56 ISSUE 27 JULY 9, 2019 P95 the five-star Quinta da Pacheca, "The Wine House Hotel," located in the famous Douro Valley. Now you know why we needed two nights there! Portugal might be the real hidden gem in European mo- torcycle touring. Since we were there for two days, some of the group decided to take local tours of the Douro River Valley or relax on this, the only "rest day" of the tour. They missed out on some of the best riding of the entire trip. I've worked in the motor- cycle industry over forty years, and I've been fortunate enough to ride great roads all across the U.S., but what I experienced in Portugal sets a new standard for what fun and freedom on a mo- torcycle can be. Our guide led a small group of us on what would be an epic day of high-speed twists and turns, and since I was also there to make a comparison of the R 1250 GS versus the S 1000 XR, on this day I chose to ride the latter of the two and I'm thrilled that I did. When you read the sidebar comparison, you'll understand why. After two nights of wine tasting and delicious meals, we left the Douro Valley and headed back into Spain for what would argu- ably be the most beautiful day of the tour. We entered the Picos Mountains and dropped into a tight, twisty canyon with spectac- ular views of steep, rocky cliffs, mountains, and waterfalls as we made our way to an eleventh- century monastery converted to a luxury hotel. It was another Parador, the Parador de Corias, adventure-touring motorcycle on the market today. But I think the coolest thing about the new GS is that you don't need to be riding it on a razor's edge to enjoy it. It's the perfect "third-gear bike," meaning, you can put it in third gear, ride all day and never shift, and have an absolute ball of a time. By comparison, the S 1000 XR screams "ride me hard," and it's happi- est when you ride it that way. The first time I ever saw this motorcycle, I was like Pavlov's dog—my mouth started wa- tering on sight, and riding it only made it worse, or better, depending on your point of view. With its race-bred inline four-cylinder engine and hosting all of the electronic-assist features available on its big-brother GS, this motorcycle is an absolute blast to ride fast. The transmission is the shining star in this package, allowing you to put its 165 horsepower and 11,000 screaming rpm of power straight to the ground without ever squeezing the clutch. Upshifts and downshifts are seamless and effortless, the brakes are also stellar, and the entire package just makes you feel one with the bike as the speeds increase and corners come faster and faster. It's made for someone who wants to sit upright but yet blast the corners all day long; however, when you stand up, you quickly realize that this is an adventure bike in style only. I'd be reluctant to take this bike down much more than a super hard-packed dirt road. Person- ally speaking, this wouldn't be my everyday bike because ride-me-hard relationships usually end in heartbreak for me, but I digress. Either of these bikes would be perfect for a European tour, or touring anywhere you like. They have dif- ferent highlights while still offering similar features that make touring on an adventure motorcycle enjoyable. I grew up racing motocross, so I natu- rally gravitate to the GS. If your budget allows, buy one of each—they're differ- ent enough that you could totally justify it—but if you're like most of us, pick the one that best suits your style of riding. You won't go wrong with either choice.