Well it's an interesting bike.
I've never ridden a bike with ABS... it was certainly an interesting experience.
My local dealer lied to me initially. They said sure we have an 09... Come on down. Well when I got there they didn't. I looked all over for it. Found an 08. Could he have been mistaken? I hope not.
So I find a salesman and explain who I am. "Oh sure we got one" he says.
"Well where is it?" I ask "All I see is the 08." Turns out it's still in the crate. Awesome. Now I cannot ride it.
I pitch a fit. I called you people yesterday and you told me you had one. I SPECIFICALLY asked for an 09. Did you sell it? WTF MAN!!!
So the sales manager comes over. Keep in mind this place isn't known around here for their product educated employees... let alone people who have graduated high school trying to sell you parts or a bike. They really push the Goldwing but won't let you ride it. Go figure.
I make an interesting statement about spending my money somewhere else since I don't like being lied to. Perhaps Dekalb? (their biggest competition) Or maybe I'll just keep riding my RC51 until it dies. That got his attention. I totally lied about the bike but I really needed to ride this motorcycle.
So after much deliberation..... they decided to uncrate it. Told me to come back tomorrow morning.
Saturday morning I show up and the bike is out front and running. Keep in mind..... What I have done at this point is nothing out of the ordinary for dealers around here. The Kawasaki dealer will let you watch them uncrate it if it means a possible sale. The Suzuki dealer will give you weekend tests as well. Our Honda dealer seems to be the most conservative about this. Please don't feel bad.... I spent $1200 in parts to make up for not buying the bike. Fair?
Standing next to it I could barely hear it running. A little steam coming out of the pipes was the real only indication, until you touch it. Barely there, the smoothness of the engine is a stark improvement over the older V4 bikes. First VTEC engine I have ever heard run. Very nice.
So I get on to get a look and a feel of the bike from the saddle. Not half bad considering I'm in love with the ZX14 and how that bike feels under you. The Honda feels smaller between my legs and a little more poised. Seat is a little harder than I imagined, but I'm a fat kid so that quickly goes away once I get my fat butt underneath me.
First gear is a little choppy when kicking in from neutral. Nothing serious but surprised me after being so smooth and creamy so far.
Clutch feels awesome. Not too firm, not too dead, you can feel quite a bit of grab without it wanting to jump out from underneath you. I would expect nothing less in this department. Clutch feel is essential for modulation at low speeds... this one is great.
Couldn't get the bike to "lug" at low speeds like you'd think. It would either go or die. I imagine this is due to no break-in procedure. By the end of my ride it felt much much better from a low speed in 4th gear.
Going down the road there is a slight buzz in the grips at 75mph but nothing very noticeable at any other speeds. Maybe because my arms and fingers are fat and absorbing the vibrations? I don't know. Bike feels stable, well balanced, and turns into corners very easily. I didn't like the serious dive when stopping hard but the ABS quickly made up for that. Before I noticed I was tipping forward I was almost to a stop. Serious stuff this ABS. I couldn't even feel it. Even in corners when braking hard as I can and trying to right myself at the same time the bike would stop faster than anticipated. I kinda like this.
Now I'd really beat on this bike to let you know what it can really do, but a mechanic came with me. Great. After making a serious attempt to leave him in the dust it was time to go back to the dealer. I did not get a chance to look at the bags (they had them sitting in the parts display cabinet) nor any of the stuff that could come with it.
I like it.... but I'm not really a V4 guy. The sound at speed seems almost too quiet. I was going 60 before I noticed I was in 3rd gear still. I shift by sound on my other bikes and this might make me hard on a new one. I'd have to get used to how it (doesn't) sound.
Eh.. if you want it man buy it. I'd definitely not get rid of one if someone handed me the keys.
