Finally, my first ride!!!

[colorider]

Finally, after having my SuperT in my stable for over a week, I took my first (except for the short trip home from the dealer) ride today. Filled it up with "premium" and headed up the Big Thompson Canyon to Estes Park. Temp was about 80 when I left home and in the mid 70's when I got to Estes. The bike just seems to steer/lean itself through the Canyon - almost without any outside effort by myself. VERY happy so far. At Estes, I pick up Hwy 7 and head toward Lyons. This is a GREAT road (along with US 36 which also goes to Lyons), but Hwy 7 passes by a very beautiful landmark - the Chapel on the Rock. I stop and take a couple pictures and then head on down to Lyons and then into Loveland and home. Temp is about 90 when I arrive home..

Total trip was about 96 miles and about twice that many smiles.

Ride comments:
I like the wind management of the Wasp adjustable windscreen bracket (along with the stock windscreen).

Virtually all weight of the bike disappears when you start rolling. Seat is on high and it was doable for me with just a tad of tippy-toe. When I stopped for the pictures, it was a bit of a stretch, but not to the point of being uncomfortable.

Shifting is crisp and precise - even better than my FJR. Lever position may have to be adjusted down a tad.

Speedo is off about the normal amount - approximately 9-10%. Nothing new there!

Seat - too soon to tell. I was not wearing my normal Under Armour heat gear under my Dariens and I found my self changing positions more than usual. The slope that others have noted is real, but not sure if it is bad enough to do something about.

Vibrations/noises/etc. Pretty smooth overall and on par with many 4-cylinder bikes I've ridden and certainly better than any twin I've ever ridden. This is subjective I know, but at least this is how it felt to me!!

Interesting thing, my fuel gage never came off "full" until I was back home and put the bike on the side stand to open my gate. It then registered two bars down. Strange. I will keep an eye on this.

Conclusion:
Definitely a KEEPER!!!!




Rod

 

[spklbuk]

Very nicely done sir. 8) Beautiful pics. Now you simply have to get it dirty...one time anyway.

Very intuitive to ride isn't it? I too agree the gearbox waaay better than the FJR.



I too am having a good day as of 5 minutes ago when I got a call to say that pending picking up the bike w/ cash in hand on Sat, my FJR is sold!! Sure will relieve some tension on the funding end of things.

 

[SpeedStar]

Glad to hear you like it Rod! Nice pics too.

 

[trinc4me]

Glad to hear you like it Rod! Nice pics too.

+1 ......glad Nancy is doing well enough for you to get out and take a ride.....

 

[Psyduck]

Aye, did the same today. Finally found some time to ride the bike a bit. Love it. Simply went up the Clackamas River here in Oregon for 50 miles or so and turned around. Something funny happened though.... The traction control WORKS... After some twisties I decided let's go try some gravel/dirt roads. Came up a steep hill, I twist the throttle to accelerate and the bike slows down to 10mph and almost almost stalls... That with a yellow light on the dash... I thought - oh shit - guess I have to call the wife to pick me up.... Took me a few seconds to realize... thats the traction control kicking in... Well switched modes and all was good.

Had a blast. Great handling and yes - better gearbox than the FJR. Only thing I am missing is a gear indicator though. Wonder if it's 'prewired' for one.

 

[colorider]

Had a blast. Great handling and yes - better gearbox than the FJR. Only thing I am missing is a gear indicator though. Wonder if it's 'prewired' for one.

I'm missing the gear indicator as well - but loving the 6th gear that the FJR needed!!!

 

[colorider]

+1 ......glad Nancy is doing well enough for you to get out and take a ride.....

Thanks!!! Yes, she is coming up on two weeks since her surgery. A lot of "weird" feelings going on and some discomfort, but overall Nancy is doing well.

 

[tubebender]

Great to hear Rod! One of the reasons I bought this bike was to explore Colorado.
I drove up to Estes Park once and was totally unprepared for all the elk herds wandering around.
Keep the pictures coming!

 

[colorider]

Great to hear Rod! One of the reasons I bought this bike was to explore Colorado.
I drove up to Estes Park once and was totally unprepared for all the elk herds wandering around.
Keep the pictures coming!

When you get out here again - give me a shout!!!

Estes Park and the entire RMNP area is literally crawling with elk!!!!

 

[trinc4me]

Rod, love the pics with the GIVI trekkers! Can't wait to get mine mounted up

 

[colorider]

Rod, love the pics with the GIVI trekkers! Can't wait to get mine mounted up

Thanks!!! I'm really liking them too. The large 46L (on the right) takes some getting used to, but I know Nancy will appreciate the larger size when we ride together........... I have had 46L Givi bags before and the Trekkers pack MUCH easier due to the squared corners design.

 

[KSH]

Interesting thing, my fuel gage never came off "full" until I was back home and put the bike on the side stand to open my gate. It then registered two bars down. Strange. I will keep an eye on this.


Rod

Mine does not come off full until in the 80's
Flashing fuel comes on when 4.5 gallons have been used, the same twice
43.5 mpg by hand, 46 by lie-o-meter

It's a great bike ain't it

 

[colorider]

Okay - took another short ride this afternoon, mainly cuz I wanted to try the seat in the low position and my bars just a tad more forward than two days ago. I also played a little on some gravel roads west of town.

Verdict on the seat is still out, but it does feel as if the slope is not as much of an issue in the low position. I'm still getting a backache after about 30 minutes of riding, but hope it's just from not yet used to the more upright seating position compared to my FJR (which never hurt my back). I don't think the backache is related to wider bars as I never had an issue with my KLR or other A-T bikes in the past. Perhaps it all goes back to the seat as I know I'm squirming more on it than I ever did with any of the Sargent seats on previous bikes.

The one thing that I REALLY noticed again today is how effortlessly the bike handles the twisties. Love it!!!

 

[trinc4me]

Okay - took another short ride this afternoon, mainly cuz I wanted to try the seat in the low position and my bars just a tad more forward than two days ago. I also played a little on some gravel roads west of town.

Verdict on the seat is still out, but it does feel as if the slope is not as much of an issue in the low position. I'm still getting a backache after about 30 minutes of riding, but hope it's just from not yet used to the more upright seating position compared to my FJR (which never hurt my back). I don't think the backache is related to wider bars as I never had an issue with my KLR or other A-T bikes in the past. Perhaps it all goes back to the seat as I know I'm squirming more on it than I ever did with any of the Sargent seats on previous bikes.

The one thing that I REALLY noticed again today is how effortlessly the bike handles the twisties. Love it!!!

Rod, I don't have the backache as you mention but concur with you on how well the bike handles in the twisties.......I only have 322 miles on mine, but at least 250 of that riding on pretty twisty roads.....this bike flicks side to side with minimal effort!!!

 

[colorider]

Took my third (and longest) ride today which included some interstate travel. Started the day at about 5:30 and took I25 to Denver to meet up with a friend of mine for breakfast. The most significant thing I noticed is how different the SuperT is on the slab than my FJR. The FJR, even with a large Givi trunk was always very stable around truck traffic - likely the most stable bike I have ever owned. The SuperT is not the same. Some of the difference is the "type" of bike, I'm sure. Different rake, different size front wheel, etc. Plus, I'm using the 3-piece Trekkers which are like pushing 3 shoe boxes down the road. Perhaps had my bags been full, it would have handled better.

Overall, I still have about 300+ smiles for the 300+ miles I rode today. I'm now using the seat in the low position and it seems to work better for me. A little backache today, but nothing like my previous rides. I filled up in Denver and then again when I go home. 254 miles and 4.9 gallon which works out a little under 52MPG. I can live with that!!

The return trip included some nice twisty roads coming up the "back way" into Denver. The bike still amaze me as to how well it handles!

 

[roy]

I noticed the Super T is a little on the twitchy side on the insterstate. It also is affected by cross winds. I don't even run a top case and have the narrow yamaha side cases. Loaded it was no better. Nature of the beast. It is still way better than any V-strom I ever rode. Both 1000 and 650 would wiggle when passing a semi especially a car hauler type. Most of the stability issue could be attributed to the tall design of the bike. My DR650 is the same on the higheay and it's tall.

 

[colorider]

Nature of the beast.

This is mostly it, I'm sure. It was the same (or worse) on my KLR and V-Stroms.