rode 170 miles today
I took it back to Santa Barbara Motorsports for the 600 mile service. It was a great morning that started at 7:30. Rode south on Hwy 101 to San Marcos Pass (154). There was quite a bit of traffic there, but it opened up on the curvy section going into SB
. The tempurature was in the middle 70's.
Got to the dealership where service took it right in (appt), then went to parts to pick up the service maual & Vortex frame sliders I had ordered. I've found that everyone in that dealership is really friendly & helpful - you can tell that they're into riding and that they like working there.
To kill time, I took my jacket & overpants off (t-shirt & shorts) and put on my walking sandals to go check out the area. One thing that really impressed me is that the dealership has hangers for customer's gear & shelves for helmets.
I walked for 40 minutes then returned. My bike was done 20 minutes later. The experience made me feel good about buying the bike there, especially since my local dealer quoted me 3 hours for the job.
I came home via 101, then took a back-country road w/ some technical twisties into Solvang for Danish pastries. I wanted to get them home quickly for my daughters, so I rode 101 home.
Notes
1. 170 miles on 3.3 gallons = 51.6 mpg (70 - 75 mph on freeway)
2. Seat got uncomfortable on the way home. I'm going to send it to Eddie at Dirt Road.
3. Ergos are fine. No problem for my back, but my shoulders & neck got stiff on the way home. I'm pretty sure the shoulder issue comes from not supporting my upper body w/ my legs & core enough. My neck should be ok w/ conditioning.
4. At 500 miles, I started running the motor up to 11,000 rpm. Everybody's right - it's addicting. I'll be able to run it up to 15,200 rpm in a little over 300 miles.
5. 1st gear at 11,000 rpm = 63 mph.
6. RE aerodynamics, in my normal riding position, the wind catches me from the neck up and there's little or no turbulence around my helmet. This really surprised me because the windscreen is so short. On the fz6r, my helmet was being buffeted over 50% of the time w/ a Puig Racing screen.
7. The bike rides great and is a lot of fun except on bumpy roads like the one to Solvang that shows the stiffness of the suspension. That was the 4 miles where my neck & shoulders really started bothering me.
8. After I get the seat redone and get myself in shape, I can foresee doing 400 mile days on it.
9. Biggest downside is the luggage issue. I haven't come up w/ a way to put anything on the tail without scuffing the paint on the plastics.
I took it back to Santa Barbara Motorsports for the 600 mile service. It was a great morning that started at 7:30. Rode south on Hwy 101 to San Marcos Pass (154). There was quite a bit of traffic there, but it opened up on the curvy section going into SB
. The tempurature was in the middle 70's. Got to the dealership where service took it right in (appt), then went to parts to pick up the service maual & Vortex frame sliders I had ordered. I've found that everyone in that dealership is really friendly & helpful - you can tell that they're into riding and that they like working there.
To kill time, I took my jacket & overpants off (t-shirt & shorts) and put on my walking sandals to go check out the area. One thing that really impressed me is that the dealership has hangers for customer's gear & shelves for helmets.
I walked for 40 minutes then returned. My bike was done 20 minutes later. The experience made me feel good about buying the bike there, especially since my local dealer quoted me 3 hours for the job.
I came home via 101, then took a back-country road w/ some technical twisties into Solvang for Danish pastries. I wanted to get them home quickly for my daughters, so I rode 101 home.
Notes
1. 170 miles on 3.3 gallons = 51.6 mpg (70 - 75 mph on freeway)
2. Seat got uncomfortable on the way home. I'm going to send it to Eddie at Dirt Road.
3. Ergos are fine. No problem for my back, but my shoulders & neck got stiff on the way home. I'm pretty sure the shoulder issue comes from not supporting my upper body w/ my legs & core enough. My neck should be ok w/ conditioning.
4. At 500 miles, I started running the motor up to 11,000 rpm. Everybody's right - it's addicting. I'll be able to run it up to 15,200 rpm in a little over 300 miles.
5. 1st gear at 11,000 rpm = 63 mph.
6. RE aerodynamics, in my normal riding position, the wind catches me from the neck up and there's little or no turbulence around my helmet. This really surprised me because the windscreen is so short. On the fz6r, my helmet was being buffeted over 50% of the time w/ a Puig Racing screen.
7. The bike rides great and is a lot of fun except on bumpy roads like the one to Solvang that shows the stiffness of the suspension. That was the 4 miles where my neck & shoulders really started bothering me.
8. After I get the seat redone and get myself in shape, I can foresee doing 400 mile days on it.
9. Biggest downside is the luggage issue. I haven't come up w/ a way to put anything on the tail without scuffing the paint on the plastics.
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