Quote:
Originally Posted by Shaun 84 Targa
Truly stunning Jeff, congratulations! What are your impressions so far?
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How about "holy crap". That about sums it up. Unlike anything else I've ever ridden or driven.
Seriously, it fills exactly the niche I was hoping it would. It's no long distance, day after day touring bike. It's simply not comfortable enough, nor can it carry anything but me. Which is fine; I have another bike for that. This one is purely for local, maybe single day rides. After work stress relief.
I find it much more engaging to ride than the Harleys. It demands my full attention, while rewarding that attention in equal measure. The Harley is much more of a "daydreaming" machine, allowing the mind to wander kind of a ride. Just totally different levels of mental commitment to ride them. A lot of it is, I'm sure, because it is so new to me. It's much like driving the 911 after getting out of the family car. You just pay more attention to the driving.
It runs very, very strong. It stops like a dog hitting the end of his chain. The sounds, while a familiar V-twin rumble at lower speeds, change dramatically as rpm's and speed increase. While I can always hear and feel each individual power stroke on the Harley, they run together on this bike and change tone into a pretty good bellow at high rpm's. It spins up 4,500 rpm past redline on the Harley. It cruises happily at 4,000-5,000 rpm, where the Harley would shake itself to death maintaining those rpm's for long.
It is actually far louder than either of my Harleys, both the exhaust and mechanical whirring and rattling. Not to mention the induction noise. It does vibrate more than my Road King, but far, far less than my Sportster. And it's more of a buzz than the individual big hits coming off the Sportster motor. The riding position is surprisingly comfortable. The only kinks I get are in my upper hamstrings from bending my legs so high to get on the rear sets. I'm used to flooboards forward on the bike, or footpegs in the "standard" location. That, and the multiple foot positions available on both Harleys will spoil you on long rides. My only recourse is to get off and stretch. I think that will go away with time; it's already better in just my third day of riding it.
Visible build quality is far better than on my old Sporty, but not as good as on the newer Road King. While not enough to make it look or feel "cheap" in any way, there is far more plastic on it than on either Harley. The casting quality, frame welding, and other such visible elements are somewhere in between that of my two Harleys.
The carbon fiber stuff, and the paint job applied to it, is simply stunning. The quality of work is second to none. The detail work on this bike is indicative of a perfectionist that knew exactly what he wanted. All of the aftermarket upgrades meld seamlessly into a whole, as opposed to being a collection of individual ideas. It is very well put together and thought out.
Anyway, you can probably tell I'm excited. I could go on and on about this bike (actually, I already have...). First impressions are that I've made a good move, and am on my way to all new adventures.