Re: ST Impressions

["Biker" <biker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've had my ST for 3 weeks now, and it's due to go in for its
first (500 mile) service this coming week, so then I'll be
happier.
It's lost a lot of the uumpah and pull in the first couple of
thousand revs and needs tuning, but I've also done 700 on it.

Generally, I'm full of praise and admiration for the bike, but I
do have a few minor gripes, and it would be interesting to get
some feedback from others. My points are:

- - The clock is difficult to read, specially during the day, as
the smallest amount of sunlight makes the digital interface
illegible and I have to squint from different angles to read it.
- - Fuel gauge totally AWOL (have we done this one to death yet?)
- - After 500 miles the back brake is less than impressive - I've
had quite a few sliders already. I'm gonna have the dealer check
it during the initial service to see what the wear's like. It
locks and freezes with accompanying chain-clank if I do an
emergency brake.
- - I'm missing the glove compartments I had on the Trophy - but
hey, this is a lighter, smaller bike and I'm not complaining! It
was just so handy to have odd stuff like a mini-torch, mini-can
of chain spray and even my disc lock in there.
- - the panniers feel smaller, but apparently they aren't. I had
real trouble getting the same helmet into one side as I did on
the Trophy. Has anybody checked the spex and dimensions/volume?
- - everyone keeps saying the dials are easy to read at night -
but I hate that sickly watermelony pink colour when it lights
up. I'd hve preferred something slightly crisper, and frankly,
apart from the speedo, I don't find it that easy to read either.

Mechanically - and I'm no technician - there still seems to be
that deadspot between about 2 and 3,000 rpm when you have to
grit your teeth and coax it up to about 3,500. During that
space, mine sounds and feels like the two fat ladies wearing
old-fashioned roller skates passing over rumble-strips - it's a
kind of growly sensation of rubberized vibration - by which  I
mean you can feel the engine isn't performing optimally but all
the vibrations and extra power it's using to get there are
coming to you through some well-insulated medium and you only
feel it indirectly. It reminds me of the bike they lent me while
I was waiting for the ST - which was an Aprilia Pegaso -
completely different bike, but as you revved up it was as if the
whole bike was giving you feedback through the grips, pegs and
saddle.

But enough of this metaphorical waffling - does anybody actually
know what I mean and have an explanation?

Tim (UK)


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