rutty99
Junior Member
Hi All,
This is my first post and my one month review of the bike. Previously I have owned a Suzuki M50 and a Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak, so this is my first sport bike.
Let's start with the looks. This is purely subjective, but I find the looks fairly pleasing. The front fairing on the 2004 – 2006 models kind of reminds of a praying mantis, which I don't care for, but the exposed engine is beautiful and the dual pipes coming out of the back of the seat look awesome. I love the fat rear tire and I think the bike looks as good or better than anything else at its price point.
As for shifting, going from 1st to 2nd can be clunky. Same with 2nd to 3rd. I've found that if you put a little preload on the shifter and are light and fast on the clutch it helps smooth out the transitions a bit, but it still difficult to do correctly. Shifting between the other gears is pretty smooth. The friction zone is short, but truly isn't that bad. I stalled once on the first day and haven't stalled since. In fact, I have come to love the short friction zone because it allows to make really short pulls on the clutch lever.
Throttle response in the lower gears (1 – 3) is fairly “snatchy”, especially in the lower RPMs. I've read a lot of complaints from riders on this aspect of the bike, but honestly my shaft driven Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak was even worse. Feathering the clutch and being light on the throttle can help smooth things out to a point, but the truth is that you'll just have to be a little judicious about when to roll on. So while this is not the smoothest throttle on the planet, it should be perfectly manageable for most riders, but it will require a little extra skill.
I have found the engine to be pretty smooth with the exception of first gear. I don't know if it is just my bike, but first gear is buzzy and is underwhelming in the torque department. This is probably where most of the complaints about the lack of torque come from. If you are used to having gobs of torque starting at 2000 rpms in first gear then you are likely to be disappointed. Personally I find first gear annoying enough that I sometimes just leave it in second gear when coming to a stop. Besides first gear, all other gears are pretty smooth and have adequate torque.
In terms of power, this is where I feel the bike really shines. Under 9000 rpms the power is very manageable, docile even. Above 9000 the bike really comes to life and is capable of putting a smile on almost any riders face. I love this aspect of the bike because under 9000 you never feel the bike is going to “get away from you”. It's pretty difficult to accidentally wheelie.
Suspension is adequate for all my needs. I haven't pushed the bike to its potential and probably never will. For casual riders the suspension is all you'll ever need. However, if you want to go to the track, or if you like to hit the twisties really hard you will probably be a little underwhelmed.
Same goes for the brakes. For casual street riding the stock brakes are more than enough. Some people have complained about them being too grabby, but I haven't found that at all. I have personally found them to be very easy to modulate. Again, for really aggressive street riding or track riding your probably going to reach their limit more quickly than you'd like.
The bike is a little top heavy which makes slow speed maneuvers a little more challenging than average. However, with a little practice it becomes manageable, and with even more practice I'm sure it will become second nature. At speed, the bike feels very stable.
Finally, I found this bike to have plenty of comfort for the type of riding I do, which is mainly an hour or so at a time and a mix of city and country roads. After an hour of riding I feel no pain whatsoever, which makes me think that several hours in the saddle would be no problem. This bike is actually quite a bit more comfortable than my Vulcan, which surprised me. I am 5'10” and weigh about 160 lbs and I find the ergonomics to be very accommodating.
In summary, this is an excellent bike for the casual enthusiast who has at least a little bit riding of experience under his belt. It's borderline for beginners. While the power is manageable under 9000 rpms, the bike is top heavy, the engagement is snatchy and the clutch is a little unforgiving. Definitely not an ideal combination for the new rider. That being said, I would not absolutely discourage a new rider from this bike as long as they are mature and patient. For track stars and very aggressive riders, I suggest you look elsewhere as you are likely to be disappointed with the suspension and brakes in the long run.
This is my first post and my one month review of the bike. Previously I have owned a Suzuki M50 and a Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak, so this is my first sport bike.
Let's start with the looks. This is purely subjective, but I find the looks fairly pleasing. The front fairing on the 2004 – 2006 models kind of reminds of a praying mantis, which I don't care for, but the exposed engine is beautiful and the dual pipes coming out of the back of the seat look awesome. I love the fat rear tire and I think the bike looks as good or better than anything else at its price point.
As for shifting, going from 1st to 2nd can be clunky. Same with 2nd to 3rd. I've found that if you put a little preload on the shifter and are light and fast on the clutch it helps smooth out the transitions a bit, but it still difficult to do correctly. Shifting between the other gears is pretty smooth. The friction zone is short, but truly isn't that bad. I stalled once on the first day and haven't stalled since. In fact, I have come to love the short friction zone because it allows to make really short pulls on the clutch lever.
Throttle response in the lower gears (1 – 3) is fairly “snatchy”, especially in the lower RPMs. I've read a lot of complaints from riders on this aspect of the bike, but honestly my shaft driven Kawasaki Vulcan Mean Streak was even worse. Feathering the clutch and being light on the throttle can help smooth things out to a point, but the truth is that you'll just have to be a little judicious about when to roll on. So while this is not the smoothest throttle on the planet, it should be perfectly manageable for most riders, but it will require a little extra skill.
I have found the engine to be pretty smooth with the exception of first gear. I don't know if it is just my bike, but first gear is buzzy and is underwhelming in the torque department. This is probably where most of the complaints about the lack of torque come from. If you are used to having gobs of torque starting at 2000 rpms in first gear then you are likely to be disappointed. Personally I find first gear annoying enough that I sometimes just leave it in second gear when coming to a stop. Besides first gear, all other gears are pretty smooth and have adequate torque.
In terms of power, this is where I feel the bike really shines. Under 9000 rpms the power is very manageable, docile even. Above 9000 the bike really comes to life and is capable of putting a smile on almost any riders face. I love this aspect of the bike because under 9000 you never feel the bike is going to “get away from you”. It's pretty difficult to accidentally wheelie.
Suspension is adequate for all my needs. I haven't pushed the bike to its potential and probably never will. For casual riders the suspension is all you'll ever need. However, if you want to go to the track, or if you like to hit the twisties really hard you will probably be a little underwhelmed.
Same goes for the brakes. For casual street riding the stock brakes are more than enough. Some people have complained about them being too grabby, but I haven't found that at all. I have personally found them to be very easy to modulate. Again, for really aggressive street riding or track riding your probably going to reach their limit more quickly than you'd like.
The bike is a little top heavy which makes slow speed maneuvers a little more challenging than average. However, with a little practice it becomes manageable, and with even more practice I'm sure it will become second nature. At speed, the bike feels very stable.
Finally, I found this bike to have plenty of comfort for the type of riding I do, which is mainly an hour or so at a time and a mix of city and country roads. After an hour of riding I feel no pain whatsoever, which makes me think that several hours in the saddle would be no problem. This bike is actually quite a bit more comfortable than my Vulcan, which surprised me. I am 5'10” and weigh about 160 lbs and I find the ergonomics to be very accommodating.
In summary, this is an excellent bike for the casual enthusiast who has at least a little bit riding of experience under his belt. It's borderline for beginners. While the power is manageable under 9000 rpms, the bike is top heavy, the engagement is snatchy and the clutch is a little unforgiving. Definitely not an ideal combination for the new rider. That being said, I would not absolutely discourage a new rider from this bike as long as they are mature and patient. For track stars and very aggressive riders, I suggest you look elsewhere as you are likely to be disappointed with the suspension and brakes in the long run.
