Joined
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292 Posts
Well, the bike has "come home" and I have managed to put 20 miles on it around the country lanes before it hammered down with rain.
Initial reactions:
Driver sits very "perched" on top of the bike, unsurprisingly.
The seat is not soft, imagine budget airline. Definitely a "mod" option.
The seat height / handlebar angle is slightly uncomfortable, BUT I have just traded in a "cruiser" with high bars, so it may just be a matter of getting used to a new driving position.
Handlebars - I would have liked to have them 2" higher, easy fix if I dont get used to the current set-up.
Finish - wow, extremely good. Very neat wiring, nicely clipped / tucked away with good insulation etc. Paintwork is very good, plastics finish is to a very high standard.
Engine - very nicely finished, some of the covers are plastic and they may be replaced by aluminium / alloy replacements when they get scuffed, but as it stands on day one, they are very neat and clean lines.
Engine - Starts instantly, runs very smoothly revs freely.
First ride - warning! The front-end is extremely "light", especially after a bigger bike, so bear that in mind. On the road, very stable, considering the length of the bike / wheelbase. Engine pulls very well, no hesitation at all. On a nice twisty country lane with no traffic, I looked down and I was doing 50 mph at just over 6000 revs and the bike was really happy.
Ride - the ride is "firm" to "hard" so I think I might want to have a slightly softer tail-end but the road-holding on choppy secondary road was very good, just the odd "jar" to the spine on the rougher road surface patches.
Impression - felt I was riding "on" the bike and what was weird, you can hardly see it in your vision, but bear in mind my other bike is (was) a cruiser so a different type of machine.
Road-holding - very good, I was not expecting such sticky road holding. The roads were dry. Left-handers seemed to be an easier route (remembering we drive on the proper side of the road here (left). It is probably just an impression, I am sure that there is no difference.
Mirrors - USELESS. The mirror stems assume your body is 12" wide and the edge of your chest / arms block the rear views completely. These have to be changed. They seem to be mirror-finish plastic rather than glass mirrors, so the image, when you strain yourself to use the things look slightly like images in a fairground mirror.
Lights - in daylight the (UK) headlamp is bright. The book says 35w but not the bulb type. I have read it is an H1, but it does not look like one, so the headlamp unit will have to come off to get to the bulb and have a look.
Headlamp - always on when engine running.
Front Indicators - Warning - if you are looking to change them, be aware that they are side-lights AND indicators. Yellow sidelights in the UK are illegal, they have to be white, so I am not sure how these got type-approval. Anyway, more light to the front is good, so I will plead ignorance if I get pulled by the Old Bill. They do not auto-cancel which is a shame, so I am going to have to watch that as I am used to them turning off after 20 seconds / 500 yds.
Rear Light - LED and nicely lit.
Horn (Audible Warning Device) - LOUD. So nice to get a horn that shouts instead of a limp beep.
Small moan - unlocking the seat means the seat comes off completely, rather than hingeing, so with helmet and gloves in-hand, unlocking the seat is quite hard and then you have to do something with it (like put it down on the ground) while sorting out everything else. I have a rear rack on order from Bikerz Bits and will fit a small top-box for helmet / lock storage as there is nowhere to keep a lock/chain - which is not surprising on such a small machine.
Fun Score - 11 out of 10.
Will happily provide answers to any questions, if I am in the house.
Jeff
Initial reactions:
Driver sits very "perched" on top of the bike, unsurprisingly.
The seat is not soft, imagine budget airline. Definitely a "mod" option.
The seat height / handlebar angle is slightly uncomfortable, BUT I have just traded in a "cruiser" with high bars, so it may just be a matter of getting used to a new driving position.
Handlebars - I would have liked to have them 2" higher, easy fix if I dont get used to the current set-up.
Finish - wow, extremely good. Very neat wiring, nicely clipped / tucked away with good insulation etc. Paintwork is very good, plastics finish is to a very high standard.
Engine - very nicely finished, some of the covers are plastic and they may be replaced by aluminium / alloy replacements when they get scuffed, but as it stands on day one, they are very neat and clean lines.
Engine - Starts instantly, runs very smoothly revs freely.
First ride - warning! The front-end is extremely "light", especially after a bigger bike, so bear that in mind. On the road, very stable, considering the length of the bike / wheelbase. Engine pulls very well, no hesitation at all. On a nice twisty country lane with no traffic, I looked down and I was doing 50 mph at just over 6000 revs and the bike was really happy.
Ride - the ride is "firm" to "hard" so I think I might want to have a slightly softer tail-end but the road-holding on choppy secondary road was very good, just the odd "jar" to the spine on the rougher road surface patches.
Impression - felt I was riding "on" the bike and what was weird, you can hardly see it in your vision, but bear in mind my other bike is (was) a cruiser so a different type of machine.
Road-holding - very good, I was not expecting such sticky road holding. The roads were dry. Left-handers seemed to be an easier route (remembering we drive on the proper side of the road here (left). It is probably just an impression, I am sure that there is no difference.
Mirrors - USELESS. The mirror stems assume your body is 12" wide and the edge of your chest / arms block the rear views completely. These have to be changed. They seem to be mirror-finish plastic rather than glass mirrors, so the image, when you strain yourself to use the things look slightly like images in a fairground mirror.
Lights - in daylight the (UK) headlamp is bright. The book says 35w but not the bulb type. I have read it is an H1, but it does not look like one, so the headlamp unit will have to come off to get to the bulb and have a look.
Headlamp - always on when engine running.
Front Indicators - Warning - if you are looking to change them, be aware that they are side-lights AND indicators. Yellow sidelights in the UK are illegal, they have to be white, so I am not sure how these got type-approval. Anyway, more light to the front is good, so I will plead ignorance if I get pulled by the Old Bill. They do not auto-cancel which is a shame, so I am going to have to watch that as I am used to them turning off after 20 seconds / 500 yds.
Rear Light - LED and nicely lit.
Horn (Audible Warning Device) - LOUD. So nice to get a horn that shouts instead of a limp beep.
Small moan - unlocking the seat means the seat comes off completely, rather than hingeing, so with helmet and gloves in-hand, unlocking the seat is quite hard and then you have to do something with it (like put it down on the ground) while sorting out everything else. I have a rear rack on order from Bikerz Bits and will fit a small top-box for helmet / lock storage as there is nowhere to keep a lock/chain - which is not surprising on such a small machine.
Fun Score - 11 out of 10.
Will happily provide answers to any questions, if I am in the house.
Jeff
