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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.
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.