05-04-14, 04:29 PM
Well if you've all finished :lol
I've still got the original paper licence - no problems - it's legal.
There was a £1000 excess for the test bike, if you were to do something silly like drop it then you only pay for the damage, not an automatic £1000 fine! however this didn't distract from trying to get my knee down
Now remember I'm comparing to a gen2 FZ1 Fazer.
First impressions sitting on it was a very similar stance to the FZ1, only a bit narrower and no fairing bulk in front of you of course.
Controls all felt normal and familiar.
On the road it was really easy to ride. On the first bumpy twisty road it felt very light and bouncy but after a short while I forgot about that.
It certainly wants to lift the front wheel in first and second but isn't out of control, you can take off rapidly and keep the front wheel on the floor.
After reading pro rider reviews mentioning super moto feel, I was concerned that at the first bend I would want to put my leg out moto-stylee, however that was not the case, my knee was itching to stick out so a few roundabouts were circled more than once and I felt in total control at all times.
The power felt good and constant and more than I would ever need.
While writing, I ve just remembered it's a fly by wire throttle, I never noticed this at all, it felt completely normal to me.
On the switchable fi modes, I preferred the "soft" B mode, it felt more like I'm used to than either the std or A modes.
Brakes, the initial feel isn't as sharp as I'm used to but keep pulling the lever and it sure stops quickly.
It is very easy to ride fast on the twisties and around town. Not so ballistic as an FZ1 on the open roads. At 120 (ahemmm) the wind blast was pushing me back but the was no buffeting as you get around the Fazer fairing. I wouldn't fancy doing a lot of motorway work at those speeds but in reality I don't!
The display was clear and I love the gear indicator. Mirrors weren't bad, you could see what you needed behind.
I took it back, undecided, until I rode the FZ1 home. It felt a bit alien, totally lardy and un-flickable, gear change seemed harder and the bars seemed really narrow (I know they're not but the MT didn't feel wider).
I guess I want one
I've still got the original paper licence - no problems - it's legal.
There was a £1000 excess for the test bike, if you were to do something silly like drop it then you only pay for the damage, not an automatic £1000 fine! however this didn't distract from trying to get my knee down
Now remember I'm comparing to a gen2 FZ1 Fazer.
First impressions sitting on it was a very similar stance to the FZ1, only a bit narrower and no fairing bulk in front of you of course.
Controls all felt normal and familiar.
On the road it was really easy to ride. On the first bumpy twisty road it felt very light and bouncy but after a short while I forgot about that.
It certainly wants to lift the front wheel in first and second but isn't out of control, you can take off rapidly and keep the front wheel on the floor.
After reading pro rider reviews mentioning super moto feel, I was concerned that at the first bend I would want to put my leg out moto-stylee, however that was not the case, my knee was itching to stick out so a few roundabouts were circled more than once and I felt in total control at all times.
The power felt good and constant and more than I would ever need.
While writing, I ve just remembered it's a fly by wire throttle, I never noticed this at all, it felt completely normal to me.
On the switchable fi modes, I preferred the "soft" B mode, it felt more like I'm used to than either the std or A modes.
Brakes, the initial feel isn't as sharp as I'm used to but keep pulling the lever and it sure stops quickly.
It is very easy to ride fast on the twisties and around town. Not so ballistic as an FZ1 on the open roads. At 120 (ahemmm) the wind blast was pushing me back but the was no buffeting as you get around the Fazer fairing. I wouldn't fancy doing a lot of motorway work at those speeds but in reality I don't!
The display was clear and I love the gear indicator. Mirrors weren't bad, you could see what you needed behind.
I took it back, undecided, until I rode the FZ1 home. It felt a bit alien, totally lardy and un-flickable, gear change seemed harder and the bars seemed really narrow (I know they're not but the MT didn't feel wider).
I guess I want one