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Well,
My brother finally gave in, and handed me the key. I was restricted to 5,500 rpms because of break-in, but who needs more than that?
My first thing to do was to see how well it responds to counter steering... I got it popping back and forth with a miniumum amount of input. I even checked it at 60 mph, and it was just as effortless.
The bike just feels really light between the legs.
The gear box, for the most part, shifted smoothly, with a little reluctance to get into 6th on one occasion, but I figured that'll clear up once it's got some miles on it. (it only had 70 miles on it) The clutch engagement is predicable, and doesn't have a 2-stage feel, that of the TLR.
Next test was to see how well she pulled from 2,200 rpms in 6th gear to 5,000 rpms. With the the secondary throttle plates doing their job, the engine pulled smoothly from 32 mph, right up to 81 mph, without a hiccup. (this bike has some grunt!) Say goodbye to the 4,000 rpm stumbles.
Power delivery was smooth and transient, not like the "getting hit from behind with a Mack truck" type of response like My TLR, but I think because it pulls so smoothly, it's very deceiving. I could compare it, like the power delivery of the Hyabusa, SMOOTH!
I kind of feels like it's got CV carbs under the airbox instead of fuel injection, it's that smooth....Not "On and Off", like the TLR...
The brakes still need to be bedded in, but because of that big V-Twin, you really don't need to climb all over the brakes to slow down.
The suspension, (after a couple of clicks of compression damping in the rear, and adding one turn on the spring preload in the front )
allows a compliant but "stable" ride. I didn't really Hammer it into the corners, but diving into the entrance ramp to the highway was quick, and offered no surprises.
Seating arrangement is comfortable, with slight reach to the clip-ons...it's not a touring posture, but definately a sport one.
The exhaust offers a slight rumble to let everyone know it's a V-twin hung from the frame, but it would really sound sweet with a full Yosh system on it for sure.
All in all, I'm pretty impressed, good low end punch, smooth, no vibration which is typical for 90 degree V-Twins, and great handling.
It's a SV650 with better handling, and more balls!
Now we just have to wait till she's broken in, and really put the screws to it....I got a funny feeling, that this bike has got a lot of surprises in store for us down the road....
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and hey, who care's what I think anyway, my ride gets it fair share of sideways glances itself...
