martinc
Parking Attendant
Posts: 17
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posted June 18, 2007 09:29 PM
 Edited By: martinc on 18 Jun 2007 22:33
1098S TRE is home!
I've been riding a 1999 R1 somewhat much modified since it was born;
Riding position was really awkward at 1st;clipons felt high,rearsets felt forward and down,used to modified cable clutch feel...it really felt like an alien bike.
It took me a good hour to come to terms with it,I really rode it like if i was a nOOb...braking badly,clutching badly,turning slowly...
Findings after 7 hrs ride (3 heat cycles);
-When brand new,the dry clutch complained for a few minutes (time to aclimate myself to the hydraulic clutch feel)...stopped making odd noises after a little while...I got it or it seated.
-The very 1st thing that confused me was the initial bite from the brakes....man,that is something to get used to,no way this can be confidence-inspiring on a wet slippery road...that from the Beringer setup on my R1 which i tought was an insanely hard braking kit...it is,but in a whole diff. manner.
-Cant say anything yet on the suspension;stiff and new...need to break that kit in,only 300km done so far.
-The speed at which you go droning about...deceptive.
I really tought I was going slow when I was going like 90km in a 50 zone...been riding bikes for 23yrs now,I was flabergasted!
I think it comes from the engine...when used to a particular sound/rpms/speed equation most of your riding life,jumping on such a bike result in just that...brain speed sensor recalibration needed.
-Shame about the rearsets...they are out of place on such a bike.
Too forward and down for my old knees (need rearsets).
-That dash...wow...where's the dvd changer?
All that information...gotta read the manual some more.
-Termignonis...damn,that sounds is sweet,but hellishly loud.
Wont be long till the police get on my axx...riding in country back roads and seeing the flock of birds taking off a thousand feet before I approached...I laughed.
If loud pipes really saves life,I'll live forever.
That is the sound of a powerfull machine...soul stirring.
PIpes come 'on power" at about 5500 rpms...(seat of the pants,change in note)
If getting on the throttle produces some amazing songs,letting the engine compress even at low rpms (under 4k rpms) is simply where its at for me...wew.
-Brakes are insane.
-Power delivery;
Yeah,I exceeded the 6k rpms limit but only after my 3 heat cycles,but only for brief short bursts...cant wait to open that thing to 11k (or whatever the limit is).
Its rather easy to know when you lug the engine...the dash shakes a lot!
-Mirrors are just useless.
-Seat:
Its like a wood plank...I'll add a layer of gel on that thing (noticed the slack from the covering...plenty of space) but if I slide back,I find it to be just right but not natural(feels like that bike is conceived for a 6+ foot). Its also angle way too much...gonna get used to it,but the arthritis in my wrists and fingers dont like it at all so far.
-Clipons:
Feel in a good position...had the dealer move them downward as much as we could 2 minutes after I took off though.
-All switches are at the right place...very nice.
-That side stand:
Its annoying me a lot...I wouldnt mind having a little something welded to it,with Sidis its hardwork not to touch the bodywork while trying to put it out.I'll think of something that wont required welding...a little anodised clamp perhaps.
-It was 27C today and the bike didnt hint into overheating in stop-n-go traffic...nice.
Heat from the pipes...didnt noticed anything cooking down there...but my keys were kind of hot after the ride;I guess the carbon pipes help 
-The chassis:
Its something else to get used to;stiff yet compliant,a bit vague once leaned even slightly...another thing to get used to I guess...wont be hard.
The bike is not the most nimble thing;a test I do is swerving between lines on the highway at a given speed...that thing just plain refuses to do it quickly;Might be the suspension settings ,preload up front seems way to soft (Ohlins) while the rear seems way too stiff...will fiddle with that part eventually,it does feel like its not far and that i wont have to swap springs...I like my bikes stiff anyways,suits my riding style.
Overall,the vague comment may disappear once the suspension is dialed/settled.
-Brakes are amazing.
-Fit and finish;
Very nice.There's no way I'll scratch anything with those rearsets anyways...cant comfortably make contact with the tank w/o feeling awkwardly positioned...a good thing till I get my tankslapper kit!
Was I relieved when I figured that those reflectors at the front were cheap stick-ons!
One was missing from the left side anyways.
-That new bike smell is nice!
-Tires were never slippery at all even out of the dealer lot.
Did I say the brakes are insanely amazingly powerfull?
  
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madmike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
Posts: 6579
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posted June 19, 2007 05:13 AM
Great write up!!!! toss us a few pix's!
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200-MPH CLUB MEMBER!
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fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21890
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posted June 19, 2007 06:09 AM
yeah... no kidding about the brakes... coming off of Jap bikes to this is takes a real adjustment to your senses... Be careful and give yourself lots of time to get used to them or you'll be on your ass! I'll post up a news story that was sent to me a little later today.. some kid on a brand new 1098, his first bike... jambs on the brakes in rush hour highway traffic.... you can only guess what happens!
take lots of pictures!
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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