Finally got a sunny warm day in the northwest, so I took the new Speedie out for a loop around Hood Canal with a couple of buddies. Total 123 miles on one tank of gas, left me with about .8 gallons left and 35 miles left until empty per the trip computer. I averaged 64 mpg for the trip, and I was not babying it.
I'm fully in love with this new bike and can't wait to do some full on touring. Some thoughts / observations:
1. Holy crap does this thing accelerate! It's a proper he**-raiser.
2. Lean angle...well, I knew this was not a strong point for this bike. But with some shifting of body weight toward the inside of the tighter curves (pretending I have track skills), I was able to keep up the other two bikes shown in the picture below.
3. Ergonomics are near perfect for me (5' 9"). Love the relaxed riding position.
4. Seat...not bad! I'll see how I do with longer rides as it breaks in and I get used to it. May not have to change a thing.
5. My friends said it was one of the best sounding bikes they've heard!
6. Even at 70+ mph, wind was smooth and nearly silent over my Shoei RF1200. Chest pressure minimal. As of right now, I can't begin to imagine screwing up the lines of this bike with a windscreen, no way! Especially when 90% of my riding is below 70mph, and on dry days.
7. One minor quibble...being this is the first bike I've had with kind of short fenders, I was a little surprised by how much spray and splatter got ALL over the bike just from riding over a slightly wet section of road. No problem to wipe it down when I got home, but still...
Over all, zero complaints, all smiles. If the seat doesn't thrill me in the long run, I'm going to have it reworked at Rich's Custom Seats in Kingston, WA. Other than that, all I've done is remove the reflectors and the pillion seat & grabrail. I'm officially ready for summer!
I'm fully in love with this new bike and can't wait to do some full on touring. Some thoughts / observations:
1. Holy crap does this thing accelerate! It's a proper he**-raiser.
2. Lean angle...well, I knew this was not a strong point for this bike. But with some shifting of body weight toward the inside of the tighter curves (pretending I have track skills), I was able to keep up the other two bikes shown in the picture below.
3. Ergonomics are near perfect for me (5' 9"). Love the relaxed riding position.
4. Seat...not bad! I'll see how I do with longer rides as it breaks in and I get used to it. May not have to change a thing.
5. My friends said it was one of the best sounding bikes they've heard!
6. Even at 70+ mph, wind was smooth and nearly silent over my Shoei RF1200. Chest pressure minimal. As of right now, I can't begin to imagine screwing up the lines of this bike with a windscreen, no way! Especially when 90% of my riding is below 70mph, and on dry days.
7. One minor quibble...being this is the first bike I've had with kind of short fenders, I was a little surprised by how much spray and splatter got ALL over the bike just from riding over a slightly wet section of road. No problem to wipe it down when I got home, but still...
Over all, zero complaints, all smiles. If the seat doesn't thrill me in the long run, I'm going to have it reworked at Rich's Custom Seats in Kingston, WA. Other than that, all I've done is remove the reflectors and the pillion seat & grabrail. I'm officially ready for summer!
