from styling of course . The black RS has a conventional shock and forks , while the white RR has electronically managed semi-active Ohlins Smart components . I was very impressed with suspension action on the RR . It was plush and refined in feel and yet firm enough for spirited riding . The RR remains taut and always composed with nice forgiving feedback . Excellent . However , out where I live in the boonies ... the roads are rough with all manner of irregularities and on these surfaces I found the suspension to be on the firm side , but hardly unexpected from a bike that ’ s designed with sporty intentions . This was where the RS with the non-electronic fully adjustable suspension was a little plusher and more comfortable . There was not all that much in it , but for riders who enjoy our remote black top – which equals worse road conditions – the RS could be the better option . And that is all without mentioning ergonomics . In short , the RS is a hell of a lot more comfortable and commanding for poor roads than the RR – especially if you ’ re tall . The details are – on the white RR the clip-on bars are 135mm lower and 50mm further forward and the pegs are 15mm higher and 25mm further back . Also , the bars feel narrower and angled back somewhat while the RS has straighter , wider , and higher bars . It ’ s a sports riding position . This means that taller riders ( over six feet I ’ d say ) feel noticeably more cramped with much greater weight on the wrists on the white RR , while the black RS feels more comfortable , accommodating and , certainly for me at least , more commanding with the higher and straighter bars . Obviously , this all becomes less relevant for non-Giraffe like riders and shorter riders should be happiness filled on the café style RR . Weather protection wise both machines are similar ... and not great . While the RR does have a screen , it ’ s very low and quite narrow . So , in effect you get wet easily on both bikes in rain , while wind protection is slightly better on the RR , but you need to be short or bent bent low to get much benefit from the screen – again ,
KIWI RIDER 47