Van asked me to have a word with you fine gentlemen.

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Nope, none of those guys had any idea that I was even in the market for another bike. I save that stuff for you guys.

Now knowing that the frame and swingarm are also new, am very interested to hear the ride report.

[VLJ_imp]

So much of my report will inevitably end up consisting of the similarities and differences I find between my bike and Eric's '14, which will just as inevitably be unfair to Eric's bike because I don't feel the two are fighting on a level playing field. The steering of my bike is so much lighter and the handling so much better that I'm convinced his bike is an anomaly among CB1100s, and through no fault of the bike. I'm sure it's simply a matter of tires and chain slack. I would bet anything that if Eric's bike had my tires and my new chain set to the same tension then his bike would steer, shift, and otherwise perform very similarly to mine.

On the other hand, I'm equally convinced that my suspension is far superior to his, and that's the one basic difference between the '14 and '17. So far, my initial impressions of my bike's handling are so much more positive than they were regarding Eric's bike that I'm beginning to wonder just how much my CB will really slow me down? I'm getting the impression that it won't be the handling or weight that will slow me down; rather, it will be the engine buzz above 4K. I'm accustomed to running high RPM as a means of steadying the chassis during cornering, and this motor clearly isn't as smooth above 4K as it is below 4K. I need to see whether this becomes an issue, or merely a characteristic.

My initial impression? The XSR900 absolutely encourages high RPM, which makes going fast feel not just fun, but natural. The CB's buzzier response in the midrange seems to tell me that she doesn't like running there, and would rather I slow down. What I haven't tried yet are the upper RPM. I need to see how she feels running 6-8k in second and third gear. Maybe she comes into her own up there?

I don't know. I'm going to find out on Sunday. Well, a little, anyway. The bike only has 100 miles on the odometer, so it's not yet time to start living at high RPM.

In any case, the buzziness between 4-5K is the only fly in the ointment so far. I have a feeling that were I never to ride anything else, I would soon get used to it and cease to notice it. However, because I will still be riding the much smoother XSR (smoother in the midrange, and on up to redline), I suspect that I will continue to notice the additional 4-6K buzz when riding the CB.

It's also possible that as the CB breaks in she will become smoother and smoother, and all of this will be a moot point.