First Real Road Ride and 300 Miles on the Clock

[FrontRangeRider]

Just got back from a 150-160 mile loop. We rode north on Highway 67 from Woodland Park to Deckers, left onto highway 126 (aka Horsepower Hill), west/south on 285 over Kenosha Pass to Jefferson, left on Tarryall Road to Lake George and then east on highway 24 back home.

With about 100 miles under my belt before this ride, I am getting more comfortable with the bike. During this ride, I was riding the bike the way I normally ride, with passing on two lane roads and spirited riding through the twisties. Some thoughts in no particular order:
- The bike is really comfortable. Wind protection is good, everything is in the right place, the bars are wide enough that the Wolfman Mt Rainier tankbag does not interfere with any of the switch gear.
- The handling is amazing. It moves through the twisties at speed every bit as well (or better) than my RT. It has a very planted and secure feeling and I felt very comfortable riding enthusiastically in the curves. It is probably the profile of the tires but as of today's ride, there is no chicken strip on the left side and a very small one on the right.
- Did I mention the roll-on power? ::26:: It goes from 50 to 80+ very quickly. As far as I could tell, the acceleration for passing is as good as on the RT and it has more than enough power for any passing situation I can imagine.
- There is some vibration in the grips, with more apparent on the throttle side but I find that in all bikes I ride. It wasn't offensive and I never felt like I had to use the cruise control to rest my hand.
- Calculated gas mileage for the ride was 54 mpg (hand calculated). The mileage computer is not good at math; it said I was getting 58.4 mpg.

Attached photo was taken at Tarryall Reservoir. Tarryall Road (State or County Road 77) used to be a fun dual sport ride. It has recently been paved. Now it is a really fun sport bike ride that has lots of great curves with good sight lines.

 

[MurphCO]

How weird is it to see curbing on sections of Tarryall?



But man oh man there are some nice freshly paved sweeping curves in there now

 

[kena48]

...and don't you like the way it's so easy to navigate around at 2MPH in a gas station? I love the slow speed balancing.

 

[Ryan G.]

I also just traded over to a 2014 Tenere from a 07 RT. The Tenere is just as solid at speed as the RT was and the RT was pretty darn good. I miss the big windshield on the RT but I'm not going to miss adjusting the valves all of the time.

 

[FrontRangeRider]

I also just traded over to a 2014 Tenere from a 07 RT. The Tenere is just as solid at speed as the RT was and the RT was pretty darn good. I miss the big windshield on the RT but I'm not going to miss adjusting the valves all of the time.

Yep. Just back from three day trip and definitely noticed the wind noise and the smaller windshield. I'll probably buy a tall California Scientific windshield in hopes of getting a quieter air pocket. And I really won't miss the valve adjustments every 6k miles. I much prefer the "gas, oil, tires, repeat..." model.

 

[jimsgone]

Great ride report Front Range! ::014::

keep 'em comin', especially about the windshield if you get it!

" Semper Fi " ::003::

 

[FrontRangeRider]

No more pics for this ride. Didn't take any more that day.

Just finished a three day trip. Cascade to Creede via highway 50 and Lake City (about 280 miles). Day 2 was Creede to Ouray via Pagosa Springs and the Million Dollar Highway. (200 miles) Day 3 was Ouray to home via Montrose and Buena Vista (260 miles). Still love the bike and the number of smiles it puts on my face with every mile. Really lucked out at the top of Wolf Creek Pass. I was "testing the lean capacity" of the bike in those two wonderful curves at the top but then backed way off as I came out of the second turn. Good thing because there was a state trooper about a half mile down from the top. It would not have been a happy conversation if he been at the exit to the curve. ::26::

I'm probably in the minority but I think I like T mode better than S mode for most riding situations. The throttle in S mode is pretty sensitive; I have to be really focused on smooth throttle work. T mode doesn't require as much focus and doesn't seem to give up much (if anything) for passing.

I cannot figure out the suspension. I can't tell any difference between hard, normal and soft setting on the suspension. If I change the preload (single rider, rider with baggage, two up, etc.), I can easily feel the bike changing the seat height but I notice absolutely no difference on the other adjustment. On the RT, the change between normal, sport and comfort are profound. Comfort setting turns the RT into a "road boat." I'm going to try setting soft with a -7 to see if it softens things up enough for me to feel it. If still no difference, will need to get it to the dealer to get the suspension checked out.

I've decided on a few changes to make the bike more my style. Definitely will go for a taller windshield to get some quieter air for my helmet, probably Cal Sci since I have had good luck with them before. Once that is done, I'll writeup a road test. I'm going to install bar end weights to see if I can further smooth the handlebar vibes. As I get older, I like the vibes less and less. The vibes aren't bad and about the same as the RT; I just want to see if I can make it even smoother. I have a set of Manic Salamander weights I'll take off the RT and transfer them to the S10.

 

[dirtsailor]

Take some more pictures, you will be glad you did even if you feel corny at the time. Either way its great to hear someone else really use thier bike. Oh and by the way that is a very sexy looking bike. ::020::