I drove it home from the dealer's today, almost 20 miles of inner Boston to the western suburb rush hour traffic at somewhere around 80 degrees. I think I hit every possible red light en route. The little ring-a-ding putted along contentedly, and the temp gauge indicated midway between the median and red line at it's very worst, and mostly stayed at the median line, even without a cooling fan. This evening I took a 10 mile back roads loop and opened it up a bit. Below 4000 it could be a beginners bike, there is nothing happening. Above 4k, things get busy, and from 5 k it pulls wonderfully to well past redline. The bike I purchased has Toomey expansion chambers, but still retains the stock carbs. I don't know if they've been re-jetted to match the pipes, or whether the airbox has been modified, but there is a bit of surging at 5k or so so I will be investigating. Also the front brake does not pull smoothly, it feels like something is causing friction after the first 10-15mm of the pull, so I will be messing with that too. Suspension is surprisingly good, clutch is good, and the transmission is very smooth and positive. Handling is light as is the bike, about 360lbs with fluids I reckon. I've read that at high speeds head shake can be an issue, and fitting a steering dampener is a good idea. I didn't notice it this eve and was close on 80 indicated at some points. One other wierd thing is that the charging system is minimal, for instance pulling either the front or rear brake to engage their respective lights causes the headlight to dim at idle. Very good ergos for me too, which is surprising as I am not a small guy.
