Perkles wrote:Just sneaked out for a quick blast so here's a small review and initial thoughts
Handling 10/10 sublime it looks a big bike but somehow like a toy to ride
Gearbox 3/10 out of a tractor simply awful
Brakes 10/10 mega stopping power but nice and progressive
Power 8/10 pulls like a train very deceptive as well, it eats up the Tarmac
Fuelling 4/10 it surges at low speed and I have never ridden a bike with such a snatchy throttle
Tyres 10/10 heat up quick and grip like shit
Comfort 8/10 very comfy for a sports bike,I dropped the seat down but going to put it back up again
Will be interested to see what kwacky thinks of it who he has a go on Monday but overall I'm very happy ,I think the fuelling can be sorted but not so sure about the gearbox
I had a quick go on it today. Seeing as it's Perkles new toy, he was behind me and he's got arms bigger than my legs I took it easy. It's been years since I rode a big twin so the vibes and engine braking seemed alien.
Handling - 9/10 The bike does what you want. I was expecting a tall bike to flop into corners but it's very well poised. It's quick and responsive without being twitchy. I can't give it a 10 as I didn't really go for it. I'm usually hard on the front but I wouldn't ride like that on some elses bikes.
Brakes - 6/10 Very soft at first, lacking initial bite then they kick in but not much feedback. I wouldn't want to use them at the front unless I was bolt upright.
Gearbox - 6/10 You have to be firm with it. It is clunky and that shows when you've being riding Jap 600s for a few years.
Fuelling - 6/10 Not ideal and I can see why Perky gave it a low rating but I've ridden worse. You have to be careful with the clutch and the revs low down where it's jerky but I guess that's the downside to a massive sports twin.
Power - 7/10 There's grunt from the off. Big dollops of torque available low down means you don't have to watch your revs like an IL4. It took me a few minutes to get used to the massive engine breaking but it came back to me, so I could leave the braking to later for corners. What surprised me was the lack of range in the revs. I found myself using the gears much more than I expected.
Comfort - 8/10 Nice seating position. The mirrors seems close. I didn't adjust them but they seemed clear enough. Different riding position to the kwak. Nice and high up, not a stretch to the bars, screen keeps the wind blast out of the way.
I really liked it. I'm not sure what options are available on the dash but I struggled to see the gear indicator. Very nicely put together. It's easy to lose your licence on them. You really don't feel as if you're going fast. It's very deceptive.
I don't know quite why or how, but this kept appearing on my screen last night Perky.: 
. Sorry to hear this.
