chobers
Registered
I test-rode the bike at the local dealer and got lost a little. Peter the salesman admitted to being somewhat nervous until I returned, but he also knew I wasn't leaving without it, which I didn't.
I thought the hunched-over riding position would be much less comfortable but it really isn't. My back starts hurting on my KLR650 after an hour or so anyway, so I'm not in a hurry to get bar risers. Peter, the salesman, recommended that I not start hanging stuff onto the bike until after I've ridden it for a while. He said a lot of people buy stuff they later take off.
Anyway, I bought it and rode it up Rt. 95 in southern Maine for an hour or so, trying to stay under 70 mph and varying my speed. All settings are on "easy," "beginner," "neutral," "slow," etc., and I'm riding it nice-and-easy. It's a gentlemanly and stately bike if you don't crank it too much, kind of like a Rolls-Royce. I have literally not leaned it over at all yet.
The "back-pressure" setting is on 'zero' and there is NONE, strange feeling. No engine braking at all.
Next day I pulled out of my dirt driveway which has a slight up-grade and promptly dropped the bike on its side. It had about 50 miles on it. I was so happy about that I can't begin to explain. I used a few towing straps, my CR-V, and a couple of U-tube bike rescue videos. It popped right up and was fine. Snapped off the "Don't lean over so much, you fool" metal whisker thingie, and part of the shift lever, and scratched four separate pieces of fairing plastic, plus the exhaust pipe. No strange noises have come from the bike while underway, si I doubt I did any mechanical damage.
Not positive yet, but I think the 'busa may be the meaning of life. It's really, really, really a nice piece of machinery.
I thought the hunched-over riding position would be much less comfortable but it really isn't. My back starts hurting on my KLR650 after an hour or so anyway, so I'm not in a hurry to get bar risers. Peter, the salesman, recommended that I not start hanging stuff onto the bike until after I've ridden it for a while. He said a lot of people buy stuff they later take off.
Anyway, I bought it and rode it up Rt. 95 in southern Maine for an hour or so, trying to stay under 70 mph and varying my speed. All settings are on "easy," "beginner," "neutral," "slow," etc., and I'm riding it nice-and-easy. It's a gentlemanly and stately bike if you don't crank it too much, kind of like a Rolls-Royce. I have literally not leaned it over at all yet.
The "back-pressure" setting is on 'zero' and there is NONE, strange feeling. No engine braking at all.
Next day I pulled out of my dirt driveway which has a slight up-grade and promptly dropped the bike on its side. It had about 50 miles on it. I was so happy about that I can't begin to explain. I used a few towing straps, my CR-V, and a couple of U-tube bike rescue videos. It popped right up and was fine. Snapped off the "Don't lean over so much, you fool" metal whisker thingie, and part of the shift lever, and scratched four separate pieces of fairing plastic, plus the exhaust pipe. No strange noises have come from the bike while underway, si I doubt I did any mechanical damage.
Not positive yet, but I think the 'busa may be the meaning of life. It's really, really, really a nice piece of machinery.