Dirt_Dad
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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
The festival wasn't scheduled to start until 3pm today, but Yamaha said they were doing test rides April 15 - 17 so I showed up at 9:00am this morning. Which was just in time to watch them unload the S10 from the top of tractor trailer (actually kinda interesting). I walk up to three people standing around and asked when the demo rides would start. A small blond woman turned and said (with some irritation) "tomorrow." She said the promoters of the show would not let them start until the show opened, and then all riders would need to purchase a ticket to the show to be allowed access to the demo area. She did not look happy, and she realized the forecast for tomorrow was solid rain. I told her I was a S10 buyer from September. Once she learned I would not be around the rest of the weekend and that I had never ridden the bike she said "let me get someone to take you out." Awesome!!
Her man Richard took me out for what was supposed to be a 25 mile ride. We made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway and he wanted to know if I would mind letting him explore a different direction that they had not checked previously. Sure, go for it. So our 2 man ride covered about 45 minutes to an hour. Really had a great time checking out the bike. I am much more confident it will be a keeper and it has a solid chance of displacing the Vee as my main bike.
So many have given their impression there's not a lot more to give, but I throw in some highlights.
S vs T mode: Much bigger difference than I expected. Can't imagine ever riding in T mode.
Twitchy throttle: I think I understand why some felt it was twitchy. If you're used to a powerful dirt bike this will be a familiar feeling to you. It has a lot of response for a tiny amount of throttle input around the 4-5K range. I'm sure it's something most people will get used to.
Handlebars: I've been using the Pro Taper ATV High bars on my Vee and really like them. They will not be necessary on the S10. Really good wrist angle with these bars.
Seat: Comfy.
Wind protection. I rode up to 75 MPH and don't recall ever feeling any bobble. I wasn't thinking about it, but I also didn't notice anything with just the stock screen.
Wheelie: It doesn't give any more than a tiny hop (TCS2 / S mode) when aggressively changing between 1st and 2nd. Bike really wants to stay on the ground.
Engine: European spec so not a good indication of what we will have in the US. That said, it pulls hard. Noticeably harder than my lowered geared/PCIII DL1000. At first I was thrown by the inability to wheelie, thinking it was lacking. But after getting on my Vee and hammering the throttle I had to admit the S10 was a much bigger kick in the chest.
Flickability: Noticeably smaller and lighter than the Vee. I understand why people talk about being instantly confident on this bike. It just feels light and flickable.
Overall Impression: I want my bike to get here. I love my Vee, but I think it will be defeated by the S10.
I have some pictures, but not handy since I'm on a 4 day ride up "The Snake" (Rt 421) with my wife and wow has it been great today. I'll post the pics when I get back home.
So bravo to Yamaha for letting me get out on the bike. Big thank you! I'll hold my comments about the bike festival and only think of the good things today.
Cheers!
The festival wasn't scheduled to start until 3pm today, but Yamaha said they were doing test rides April 15 - 17 so I showed up at 9:00am this morning. Which was just in time to watch them unload the S10 from the top of tractor trailer (actually kinda interesting). I walk up to three people standing around and asked when the demo rides would start. A small blond woman turned and said (with some irritation) "tomorrow." She said the promoters of the show would not let them start until the show opened, and then all riders would need to purchase a ticket to the show to be allowed access to the demo area. She did not look happy, and she realized the forecast for tomorrow was solid rain. I told her I was a S10 buyer from September. Once she learned I would not be around the rest of the weekend and that I had never ridden the bike she said "let me get someone to take you out." Awesome!!
Her man Richard took me out for what was supposed to be a 25 mile ride. We made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway and he wanted to know if I would mind letting him explore a different direction that they had not checked previously. Sure, go for it. So our 2 man ride covered about 45 minutes to an hour. Really had a great time checking out the bike. I am much more confident it will be a keeper and it has a solid chance of displacing the Vee as my main bike.
So many have given their impression there's not a lot more to give, but I throw in some highlights.
S vs T mode: Much bigger difference than I expected. Can't imagine ever riding in T mode.
Twitchy throttle: I think I understand why some felt it was twitchy. If you're used to a powerful dirt bike this will be a familiar feeling to you. It has a lot of response for a tiny amount of throttle input around the 4-5K range. I'm sure it's something most people will get used to.
Handlebars: I've been using the Pro Taper ATV High bars on my Vee and really like them. They will not be necessary on the S10. Really good wrist angle with these bars.
Seat: Comfy.
Wind protection. I rode up to 75 MPH and don't recall ever feeling any bobble. I wasn't thinking about it, but I also didn't notice anything with just the stock screen.
Wheelie: It doesn't give any more than a tiny hop (TCS2 / S mode) when aggressively changing between 1st and 2nd. Bike really wants to stay on the ground.
Engine: European spec so not a good indication of what we will have in the US. That said, it pulls hard. Noticeably harder than my lowered geared/PCIII DL1000. At first I was thrown by the inability to wheelie, thinking it was lacking. But after getting on my Vee and hammering the throttle I had to admit the S10 was a much bigger kick in the chest.
Flickability: Noticeably smaller and lighter than the Vee. I understand why people talk about being instantly confident on this bike. It just feels light and flickable.
Overall Impression: I want my bike to get here. I love my Vee, but I think it will be defeated by the S10.
I have some pictures, but not handy since I'm on a 4 day ride up "The Snake" (Rt 421) with my wife and wow has it been great today. I'll post the pics when I get back home.
So bravo to Yamaha for letting me get out on the bike. Big thank you! I'll hold my comments about the bike festival and only think of the good things today.
Cheers!