Voted most helpful review
Reviewed on July 18, 2007
I've had 22 bikes (everything from full-dress touring to sport-touring to cruisers to retro to 'nakeds'), and I have to say this is among the very best, if not THE best. Easy to maneuver around town and yet very adequate on the highway. Good acceleration. Outstanding comfort & wind protection....
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I've had 22 bikes (everything from full-dress touring to sport-touring to cruisers to retro to 'nakeds'), and I have to say this is among the very best, if not THE best. Easy to maneuver around town and yet very adequate on the highway. Good acceleration. Outstanding comfort & wind protection. Stylish looks. Can park for free on sidewalks. Optional saddlebags & topcase, when combined with glove compartment, underseat storage, & bag holder swallow as much gear as my former Goldwing. Good on gas (4L/100km or about 70mpg). Did I mention comfortable? No heat onto rider from engine (a blessing in hot weather). Strong brakes are a bit stiff at the lever and difficult to modulate. Givi windscreen is awesome for total wind protection with very little buffetting, but you need to take it off in really hot weather or you'll cook with so little breeze. This bike is easy to overlook among 'real bikers' but that's a shame because it has a lot to offer. Works just as well 2-up as solo. Passengers enjoy the wide plush backrest on the optional topcase. Crashed the bike this past weekend (sand on pavement - went down at high speed). Bike was still running when we found it in the bushes/ditch. Surprisingly little damage, considering the impact (saddlebags were not broken; fairing was cracked but all lights still functional even though scraped). This is clearly a tougher bike than I had imagined! Design also allowed me to fall clear of the bike without getting impailed by the handlebars or riding up over the tank, as might have been the case on a conventional motorcycle. Impressive.
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