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Re: [ST] Bought an ST!
- Subject: Re: [ST] Bought an ST!
- From: Jim Crate <jim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2005 16:56:45 -0400
Well, I went and picked up the ST on Friday, then put 300 miles on it
over the weekend. It needs new tires (rear had a bit of cord showing
by the time I got home), new front brake pads, small chain
adjustment, new oil, and some cleaning. One thing I didn't even see
until I got home is that it even has a Throttlemeister on it!
First impression: "Wow, this thing is BIG! What have I gotten
myself into?" I had sat on a couple of STs before, but never ridden
one. As I went for a small test ride, I felt like I'd never ridden a
bike before! I tentatively rode it down the residential street and
back, and at low speeds it seemed much more difficult (and did I
mention BIG?) than the old Magna I was used to. It felt similar
(in size) to the Hayabusa I sat on at a dealer! However, I had made
up my mind. This was supposed to be a sweet bike, and I was going to
get to know it before deciding it might not be for me. I figured I
don't spend much time at low speeds on residential streets anyway.
The bike seemed to run fine, so I paid the agreed price, loaded it up
with my stuff for the rest of the weekend (the factory bags are
*nice*), and we left.
Second impression: deceptive, effortless speed. It is really easy
to go fast on this bike, compared to my old Magna, even when
unfamiliar and tentative. From the very first time pulling out on
the main road, barely cracking the throttle open, shortshifting
through 1st and 2nd, then checking the mirrors to find my friend in
his Jetta has barely pulled out on the road and I'm already going 50
and I've barely opened the throttle! The same thing occurred when
getting on the highway, I gently rolled on the throttle, short-
shifted through a couple gears, and suddenly I'm going 90! Getting
the old V45 Magna up to 90 takes a bit of work, this was completely
effortless. Wow, what *did* I get myself into? :) What I found
really amusing is that after a few miles, I discovered that I could
cruise at 90 mph, sitting up, left hand resting comfortably on my
leg. The Magna, with its handlebar-mounted windshield, requires both
hands on the handlebars at higher speeds to be comfortable.
After not being ridden more than a couple miles since December last
year, the bike ran flawlessly the whole weekend. I got 44 mpg on the
first tank of gas. I had to really concentrate and found it
amazingly difficult to keep the speeds below 85 on the highway on the
way home, knowing the tire didn't have much left in it. For a new
bike, much different seating position than I'm used to, the highway
ride home was pretty comfortable, too. The Corbin seat feels hard
but comfortable, and being somewhat short, I'm sure the bar risers
make things nicer for me as well.
Compared to the Magna, this bike seems to beg to be ridden
"enthusiastically". Also, with the Magna, I had always found it
extremely difficult to look ahead through corners. This always
confused me, because I have never had such problems with cars, and
being a track driving instructor I'm used to telling my students to
"look ahead through the corner" and "keep your eyes up". On the
Magna, I constantly had to remind myself when I came to a corner
"eyes up, look ahead". This always bothered me because I shouldn't
have to work that hard as something so simple. However, from the
first on-ramp with the Sprint, I found myself looking ahead perfectly
through the corner. For some reason, I don't even have to think
about it anymore, it just happens naturally just like in my car.
So, after a couple days riding the bike around, I have to say that
I'm very happy with it. I don't think I've even gone over half
throttle yet, and I've not yet taken it above 7K rpm, so I'm sure
there is much happiness left to be discovered as well. :)
Jim
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