Quote:
Originally Posted by Sutripta 800mm
stability
Road speed in first at peak torque rpm?
Lowest road speed without chain snatch (no fanning of clutch)?
gearbox shift quality
Sutripta |
Inseam- i am 29" and i half foot on both sides, so I am guessing 32" would flatfoot it easy.
The 800 is high, and i guess its necessary for this bike design- maybe i did not quite relate to it earlier- or i was messed about my Fat Boy coming in at 625 - i stand corrected. Come to think of the wheel sizes and the GC given... BUT they bike is SLIM! and that allows me to put more foot on it than i do with my Classic 500- which has one of those hollowed out 'Irfan/Perfect' seats...
Gear box was neat and firm- no false neutrals or slips. It did have a tendency not to find neutral easy- as was evident watching many of the riders- but I guess thats a artifact of not knowing how light foot to tap from 2nd.
With Pillion, we did 120 and flattened out the engine- the stability was amazing. Straights, bends, inclines. Though the stiffness of the rear shock may need to be tightened depending on the road/load to prevent excessive sag in fast undulating bends- but once you figure out what works for you, you are set.
The tires may not be suited for asphalt or cement, as we thought the tires broke easy, especially on down shifting due to torque. Maybe 'road tires' would be good for those who would use this to combat bad city/rural roads- a thought.
This is a very 'firm' solid gear box. every gear was slotted in proper and good- so that makes it better than my C500- much better.
No comments on the slow speed numbers- the bike starts hauling from 2000 and continues to hustle till 6000, with that emotional break for a few seconds @4500.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad Thanks for such a detailed post. Some queries in bold below:
2 brakes
4. 390
8. The CG/Balance
11. The rider pegs
...put some serious distance between both the RE & HD[/b] |
U/N
Thanks for the vote/note on the review-
2. The brakes were good, and I have not had the chance to test braking on a GT- which to my mind was a cafe racer- one street- bar to bar hopping in Dublin kinds. I therefore cannot comment on better or worse. But at 120 to give you a reference- the H brakes had bite- and that was reassuring. Coming from bigger bikes to the H, I was content with them- and it works for me.
4. The more time you spend on the H, the more the 390 starts to feel its younger or more athletic brother- maybe psychological given that the engines are apparently the same, just long stroked to reduce compression, and other 'stuff' Maybe I relate to its ability to fly over bad patches of road, and actually good you brought it up- I think this one would beat a 390 in terms of comfort and ease of riding- a better seat, and the fact that you could actually watch the scenery at 40kmph with 2500rpm- and be comfortable-
8. The first video unmistakably show a front bias- the CSS one especially- and the guys then said it was a year old etc- before deleting it altogetehr- so they either fixed it to the knife-edge that now with a heavy pillion and loaded panniers- you would need to watch the front. I think they did something with the layout to fix the front and along with that the foot pegs quality too- which are truly adventure class now- that one can climb over and not have it fall off :-)
11. I ride a bunch of motorcycles, and the foot pegs to the rear are an issue on this one - i repeat- for sustained off roading. The handle bars- funny that I never need them on any one from my Fat Boy to the Tiger I ride- but I am guessing- handle bar risers will sort out that issue. Maybe, I was influenced by watching many get discomfitted by the 3' wide handlebar- and this bothered me in addition. Or maybe I am short only for this bike.
Not really just Harleys- the foot pegs- on my C500 are perfect- straight down.
The H would eat the Bullets (the C and TBTS) for breakfast over any kind of ride. Good road, bad road, no road, road- whatever. Spirited riding or just easy throttle- you will beat them.
Harley? for ride comfort, speed, pickup - not a chance-
Over bad roads the H would win- But this is not a HD versus H article, that would not be possible or fair.
Thanks for the read and questions- i hope you got some answers from my POV.
KD