Quote:
Originally Posted by oldqwerty
 I was hoping for some ride reports at the end of the weekend.  |
Here's my ride report to accompany my photographs included in post #3293 of this thread.
http://www.chinariders.net/showpost....postcount=3293
I have now recorded 890 miles on the bike's odometer. I love this motorcycle, and I am very happy I bought it.
The U.S. Delphi EFI is wonderful. I don't know how I lived without EFI before this bike arrived.
The bike starts instantly with a tap of the starter button, and the fuel injection is always butter smooth over the entire RPM range of the engine.
I love the 6-speed transmission. It always shifts smoothly and positively. I never have any trouble finding neutral.
The brakes are very good. The bike stops smoothly and quickly.
The windshield is superb.
It isolates you from the windstream, and makes riding
much more comfortable in the cold, and in the rain. My heated jacket does a better job keeping me warm in colder weather. My rain jacket doesn't get wet behind the windshield, and that keeps water from dripping down into my crotch when I am not wearing rain pants.
The engine is wonderful. It makes good power. The bike is extremely fun to ride on the street, including the interstate highways. The bike has enough power to keep up with interstate traffic, even with the knobby tires. The bike is stable at high speeds, and the windshield insulates you well from the turbulence created by the tractor/trailer rigs.
I like the stock muffler. It is very quiet, but it also has a nice throaty sound. I also like the saddle and the cockpit riding position. I have ridden several all day trips, and I am never cramped. Also, my butt never hurts. However, I do have an iron butt, so YMMV (your mileage might vary).
After switching to an H4 bulb, I like the stock headlight assembly. It is easily adjustable, and it casts an excellent pattern for both high, and low beams.
After removing the stock fish oil from the forks, and replacing it with Mobil1 Synthetic ATF, the fork action improved significantly.
However, I could wish for more than the 5.1 inches of fork travel.
I have one main complaint about this motorcycle. It needs a better shock absorber. The shock action improved after I experimented with the rebound damping, and settled on the #10 position. However, the ride can occasionally be harsh, even over choppy pavement. If someone wishes only to ride on pavement, the stock shock absorber might be adequate. If you stand, you can ride fire roads. However, I am required to stand much more often than I think should be necessary, even on pavement, let alone gravel or dirt roads. I would gladly purchase a quality, aftermarket shock absorber for this motorcycle. The bike is worth that investment to overcome its one major shortcoming. A better shock absorber would greatly improve the off road capabilities of this motorcycle.
I need to examine the shock absorber and experiment with its preload settings. I also need to determine if the shock absorber has a schrader valve for air pressure, and the amount of air pressure. Perhaps a different spring would also improve the action of the shock absorber.