The "knees in my armpits" riding style works well for me. I can spend all day in the saddle of my Aprilia with very little discomfort. I could never say that of my R12S.
I am no BMW hater, I currently own two, but for sports bike duties my 08 Aprilia RSV1000 is WAY out in front of my old R12S in every way.
Chain maintenance has involved spraying some lubricant on every 500Km or so. Only one adjustment in the last 10,000Km that took all of 10 minutes, so hardly an issue.
The good thing about the chain drive is MUCH less drive train lash than with the BMW shaft systems on my R bikes.
