4
Day 1 was dedicated to a little rest and fishing off the deck.
Day 2 was for trying out the new fleet of bikes our host brought over from SC.
Battle of the factory bikes as daily rides.
Today in TX was bike swap day. Keys available were the 23 aprilia v4 tuono factory, the 24 Indian FTR 1200 and the 23 tuono 660 factory.
A dream bike line up for sure. But how are they as commuters in traffic, on Highways or around d town? Read on to find out.
The first bike I rode was the v4. I have spent time on an older gen v4. I was expecting a brute, but wow, have they refined this thing. It was the most comfy of the 3 for me. Seat/bar/peg positions were near perfect.
Fueling was also near perfect and the bike was actually quite docile at rpms as low as 3k. The QS was excellent at all rpms too. Let the rpms climb above 7500 and you better be ready. It is still a brute up top.
This bike had carbon wheels and was also the most nimble of the 3. Just a sublime and now versatile motorcycle.
Next up was the Indian ftr. Full ohlins and carbon everything, I was most curious about this ride.
Getting on it, the bike feels tiny. The front tire disappears under the tiny, but very cool instrument cluster. The full color display is touch screen, yet manages to look and feel old school in the best way.
Under way the bike is very smooth, very torquey and pretty darn quick. Ultra balanced at parking lot speeds, nimble, and yet very stable at highway speeds.
For a naked bike, it handles wind waaay better than expected. 80mph was not uncomfortable at all and the bars remained dead stable even over expansion joints and other big hits. Shifting was buttery smooth with no electonic aids.
Cruise control was easy to use, but some extra buttons on the left side were confusing and a little in the way of the blinkers. Oh. Self canceling blinkers are awesome BTW. This was the best daily rider of the bunch.
Last up was the tuono 660 factory. With a scproject crt fitted it was LOUD. It did sound d incredible but the pipe would have to go for daily use.
Otherwise, this bike was the biggest surprise. The motor was torqueier than Kerry's trofeo and it helped a lot on the street. Acceleration from a stop was impressive and the QS was even better than the v4.
Handling was awesome at all speeds, but this bike had the longest reach to the bars by far, and that tired me out a lot quicker. I'm short though.
This bike was by far the best bang for the buck. At 11k, it's still a premium feeling bike with tons of character and almost no down side.
What else can I say. These are in fact all dream bikes and I'd love to own any of them. If forced to choose today, I would take the V4!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sTsz95qDEYD8NzZF8
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Originally Posted by Pittenger5
