[billmeek]

Woke up late. Got cleaned up and headed out to ride locally to get a better feel for the 400. Decided after puttering around the neighborhood for a bit to go see some friends in town and show them the bike as they had said "come by when you get it!". Got fed lasagna for showing up (yum) and talked about my new toy for a bit. Spent more time today showing it off than actually riding. I did get 'some' riding in though. Right at 145 miles...most of it 2 lane at 35-55 mph and a lot of stop and go in town. Only did 4-5 miles Interstate.

Brakes:
On the ride itself...gotta say, "LOVE THE BRAKES!". I had been riding no more than 10 minutes toward town, moving along at about 45 mph trailing 2 cars by about 100 feet, and a 'cage' pulled out in front of me (after waiting for the other 2 cages to pass them). Stood on the brakes and the 400 smoothly dropped to 10 mph in nothing flat. Straight line, very smooth, and the 400 took it much better than I did (I cussed, the Burgman didn't make a peep). Thank goodness there wasn't another cage behind me.

Comfort:
After 30 minutes in the saddle, I was already saddle sore. After an hour, I didn't notice it (much) anymore. I did find that I prefer having the feet forward when riding longer stretches and like them back when around town. Like the ride, but hate the windshield. Debating on going ahead and buying the Givi or holding out for the Clearview to become available. It was pretty warm today, think I lost a couple of pounds sweating ... mostly from inside the helmet. Not researched it yet, but is there such a thing as a vented helmet? Would such a beast be safe?

Other peoples impressions:
Almost everyone that commented on the bike had favorable things to say. Was offered what I paid for it (bought yesterday) by one gentleman. I'd say that was a positive comment. Only negative comments where by a couple of Harley riders (and their wives) I parked next to in Shoneys parking lot. Mostly, "Never catch me riding one of those." Didn't say a word after I put my sunglasses in the upper left glove box, got my smokes out of the upper right, got my handheld out of the lower glovebox, popped open the trunk and put in my helmet, coat, gloves and then pulled out my backpack. :lol:

Low speed:
Still not sure if it's just me, but the bike seems really hard to handle at very low speeds (around 5 mph). I'm wondering if it has something to do with the way the CVT works. Seems hard to maintain a very low speed. Maybe my balance is gone after a long time away from 2 wheel travel.

Speedometer / tachometer:
When I was picking up the 400, asked the service manager about how accurate the speedo should be. Mentioned that I thought it showed about 10% more than the actual speed. He stated it should be very accurate. Has anyone checked their 400? I know some of the 650 people have, but didn't remember any comments specific to the 400. I'm also wondering if the tach is off a bit. It shows idle of 1400 rpm and the CVT doesn't engage until about 3000. Just by ear, it sounds like the idle and CVT are correct. Or, is the rpms to spec?

Mods to make:
The only 2 mods I consider 'real needs' are a replacement windshield and a type of throttle lock for longer rides (hour+). I may just go ahead and order the Givi this week. I like the idea of using the silicon O-ring for a poor mans throttle lock. Cheap to purchase, simple to use, easy to replace, and requires no permanent change to the bike. Thanks Pauljo for the suggestion.

Overall, had a great day riding. Looking forward to many more like it.

 

[pauljo]

Not researched it yet, but is there such a thing as a vented helmet? Would such a beast be safe?

Still not sure if it's just me, but the bike seems really hard to handle at very low speeds (around 5 mph). I'm wondering if it has something to do with the way the CVT works. Seems hard to maintain a very low speed.

When I was picking up the 400, asked the service manager about how accurate the speedo should be. Mentioned that I thought it showed about 10% more than the actual speed. He stated it should be very accurate.

I'm also wondering if the tach is off a bit. It shows idle of 1400 rpm and the CVT doesn't engage until about 3000.

All modern full face helmets have vents. They generally work better on a bike with no windscreen, but they help some. When I am riding around town or stopped, I pop my faceshield up a couple of notches for more ventilation. That helps a lot. At higher (highway) speeds the vents work fine.

The speedos on all Japanese bikes read high. 10% high is typical. At least that has been true of the ones I've owned.

The tach should be accurate. 1400 would be a bit high for the 650 - not sure about the 400. A single might be set to idle a bit higher to prevent stalling.

I had a feeling of low speed wobbles the first couple of days on my 650. Yes, part of that is due to the CVT cutting over from engine braking to freewheeling at about 7mph. It is also partly due to the low center of gravity that the scooter has. You get used to that quickly though. I learned that by having the brakes applied lightly when the clutch releases minimizes the lurch forward when the clutch releases.

 

[Randy]

Dito to pauljo comments..
and I am going into town today to see if I can find me an O-ring.

 

[billmeek]

All modern full face helmets have vents. They generally work better on a bike with no windscreen, but they help some. When I am riding around town or stopped, I pop my faceshield up a couple of notches for more ventilation. That helps a lot. At higher (highway) speeds the vents work fine.

The speedos on all Japanese bikes read high. 10% high is typical. At least that has been true of the ones I've owned.

The tach should be accurate. 1400 would be a bit high for the 650 - not sure about the 400. A single might be set to idle a bit higher to prevent stalling.

I had a feeling of low speed wobbles the first couple of days on my 650. Yes, part of that is due to the CVT cutting over from engine braking to freewheeling at about 7mph. It is also partly due to the low center of gravity that the scooter has. You get used to that quickly though. I learned that by having the brakes applied lightly when the clutch releases minimizes the lurch forward when the clutch releases.

Looked at helmets today at the local bike shop. Was only able to try on one. All the others were too small. My current Zeus is an XXXL 3/4. Yanked the visor and put on a regular shield (rather than riding glasses). Not too much warmer than before and made the ride smoother / safer. Good thing I did too, had a bug slam into my faceshield where my left eye is at 55 mph this evening. Will have to find some other bike shops to try out helmets. Hmmm....sounds like a good excuse for a long ride.

I'm making the assumption that my speedo is off and adjusting my speed up 10%. Thought about stopping a trooper and having them pace me to 55 and compare against their certified calibration speedometer just to make sure.

Guess I need to spend more time 'puttering around' locally to get used to low speeds rather than out cruisin and enjoying new roads.

Thanks for the info Paul

 

[pauljo]

Bill,

I have a fairly large head too. I've noticed that helmet sizing varies wildly between brands. An XL in one brand can actually be larger than a XXXL in another. Heck, if they were sized to any logical standard, an XXL would fit a very big man - and an XXXL would fit a buffalo! At the least, it is annoying.

The other thing is that different brands fit differently shaped heads better. Some brands fit round heads well. I have a long head. My chin literally hangs down below the chin bar of some helmets. If a helmet doesn't conform to your head right, it will be uncomfortable and noisy - yet another person will tell you that the same helmet is very comfortable and quiet. Proper fit is really important.

So, you are doing the right thing. You have to go around and try them on. And you have to leave them on your head for awhile sometimes. Where I used to live, there were a couple of dealers that knew me pretty well, and they would actually let me take a helmet for a half hour or so test ride. That was great!

When you find the right helmet, you might want to go home and see what kind of pricing you can find on the web. Sometimes, the price savings is significant. What I do then, is print out some web ads, take them back to the dealer, and ask if he can adjust his price a bit. Often they will. I'll pay the local dealer a little more than the web outfit if they have been helpful in helping me find the right helmet - but I'll walk if they don't want to give me any discount at all. Of course if you are 90 miles from home when you find the right helmet, you might just want to try for a 10% discount, buy it, and enjoy the ride home wearing it...

Good luck with your shopping.