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This bike was picked up from the crash auctions with 8,000ks, having minimal damage on the right side, being deemed a repairable write off by the insurers.
The bike started straight up with a new battery, & was rideable instantly. I was amazed this bike was written off, until I found out how expensive parts were. It was repaired economically, owing $8,500 registered. I thought that was ok for a mint 18 month old bike.
FIRST RIDE IMPRESSIONS:
The motor is very smooth & plenty torque! It handles pretty precise & rides hard, just like I like it! The brakes are a reasonably adequate, but need my trix to make them perform right 4 me! Tires
being of standard fitment, rear being too wide & flat (190/50/17) steered ok, but difficult to achieve extreme lean angles.
To START this bike, you needed clutch in, stand up, in neutral & no throttle. (A mate borrowed it once, & swore it wouldn't start for him) While I rode this bike for 1 week like this, really thrashing to the limiter with wheelies stoppies & heaps of windy stuff, the tires were soon finished off, &
was time for improvements, & service.
Improvements, & service.
Tires were first up, fitting my favourite Dunlop 209GPR 120/70 & 180/55/17, which immediately made this machine steer as quick as my Ducati 996SPS, making extreme lean angles easy. This bike now turns in with little effort, & firmly holds its line. Really wide open throttle
on the lean on rough stuff caused a twitch & a shake, which was tamed by loosening the grip & letting it slap in my hands. This bike has no factory fitted dampener, but could do with one if you ride hard.
Wheelies:
Straight off the throttle this bike comes up in first, all d way past balance if you want, but in second it needs a jerk or clutch abuse. Getting this bike up with the clutch in first, low-speed, makes it easy to keep on balance through to forth gear, & 2UP just as much fun. It also steers easier
than others on one wheel.
Stoppies:
The first thing you need for stoppies is good brakes. This bike has Steel lines as original fitment, & feel quite hard, but still pulls too close to the bar, causing what I call "throttle lock," when my 2 fingers get squashed, making the motor scream as I roll on the front wheel.
To fix this problem, position the lever adjuster between 1&2, but be careful, as it can slip back on 2. (Drill a dimple on the adjuster knob to locate the pin to fix this) After a fair few stoppies, movement was felt in the triple clamps, as the steering axle elongated the top triple hole. (Fixed by linishing the bottom of the aluminium locking key which is tapered) Not too sure how much
abuse this bike can take.
Motor:
While this is nearly a litre class bike, I look at it as being more comparative to a 750. I really like the smooth lineal power curve from this triple, & revving it hard produces adequate power to play with any bike in the twisties. It has a snorty induction noise that I liked, while the exhaust
copped my 2 foot long 1-inch Drill down the muffler, giving it more growl. The box is clunky & notchy, while I rarely used the clutch up or down, I never hit a natural. While top speed is probably around 250ish, it is not comfortable sustaining over 2hung.
Comfort:
One day I did 400ks on a morning ride, my ass & my girlfriends ass were aching numb. If you plan on doing long trips, let McRoadrunner customise those crap seats for better comfort.
Overall:
This bike can cut it with the jap bikes, has good handling & power, but is built typically like pommy crap. Speed nuts are made to float so alignment isnt crucial, front seat has 2 add-on steel tags to hold in place, (Like it was forgotten when designed) Rear seat & seat cowl alike, waste
half the under-seat compartment room with the dodgy fitting seat locators & plastic seat mould. Parts cost drug money & then they're hard to sell.
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