Re: [ST] Bought an ST!

[Dan Wallander <newsgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

So, Jim, Tell us...  Did you like the St?

Every time I get back on the ST after riding the '74 Beemer, I get to 
feel like that too, again.

Welcome to the club.

Dan Wallander
Albuquerque, NM

Jim Crate wrote:

> 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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