FNG checking in.

[kludge]

Hi all. I just bought a 2000 RS after being bikeless for a few years. I had a few Meriden twins back in the day and went through the whole thing of motorcycle maintanance as a full-time job. The last 25 years I was either bikeless except for some 2-stroke enduro bikes and a summer with a 750 Virago.
My new ride seems pretty well looked after, no signs of even a tip-over, regular service history and a few factory extras. She has the faux-carbon wheel hugger and rear master cylinder covers fitted, and that huge topbox. The topbox is coming off first thing Saturday! 27,000km on the clock and running nicely.
After reading about the fuel connector woes I got the dealer to swap them for me before I pick the bike up. They say it has Swiss mapping, not French, so I believe I have the full 110ps.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hi instead of lurking around in total silence. If your searches take a little longer than usual it's probably because I'm hogging the resources. :razz:

[MVP44]

Welcome Kludge to a great bike and forum.

Glad to have you back in the two wheel world - just a note of caution the '00RS engine has some bite to it so be careful until you get used to her.

Good riding

[duckie]

Welcome kludge - you've got yourself a great bike there and this is a great forum to complement that bike... lots of knowlage and a fair share of laughs!

[seumas]

Welcome kludge from another FNG. I picked up my RS a month ago.

[kludge]

OK, so I thought I'd report back after putting some miles on the bike..

I have done a couple of daytrips of 250 and 350km over Alpine passes which showed up one problem for me; my arms are too short for the bike. I'm a short-ass but used to parking carefully and looking ahead to where I'm going to stop. That doesn't help either my back or my wrists however. After a lot of researching what does and doesn't fit (thanks guys!) I bought a pair of '01 ST clipons for the old girl. Hopefully that will fix most of the aches and pains.

My experience with the bike so far is mostly colored by slightly dodgy handling. She came with a slightly cupped BT-021 front and a half-worn Sportec M1 rear, probably not a great combination. The rear is pretty well squared off now and the bike doesn't really turn in well or steer smoothly once in the turn. High-speed stability is good but tight hairpins etc. are a pain. I'm getting more confident though and my chicken strips are down under 10mm now.
I just ordered a pair of BT-020s and look forward to seeing how she behaves with those on.

Otherwise there are only small things to complain about. I kinda miss the switchgear on my old Yamaha with the self-cancelling flashers. You would have thought all motorcycles would come with those as standard by now.
The cooling system seems a bit undersized when the bike has to go 50kph on a hot day to keep the temperature in check. Just a few minutes of sub-50kph traffic will have the temperature soaring. I also dislike the extra engine noise when she gets that hot.

The 955 motor is great. I can only imagine how much better you 1050 guys have it, but then again, my bike is lighter. I love the big swell of midrange torque and very rarely does it see over 8k on the tach. Sure it still pulls well up there but rarely do I need that much go. That big fat torque curve more than makes up for the shortcomings the bike has. The low speed snatchiness I complained about at first I mostly overcame by learning to be smoother with the throttle and not letting the butterflies close completely when late braking for a corner.

[ This message was edited by: kludge on 2007-06-29 09:11 ]

[steventhechef]

Good report back kludge.

If i could suggest looking at a different tyre. the BT021's (whilst reported better than the BT020) are not a very good twistie type tyre.

I have a pair of BT014's on and they IMO are really good (for my style of riding). Fast, good feel, no chatter.

Some of the others are going Pilot Powers and others with Conti Road Attacks for better handling.

DaveM our tyre guru has BT002's on but you really do need to ride harder to keep them warm all the time.

The BT021 do not cut the mustard IMHO.

Good luck with the change of bars.

[kludge]

On 2007-06-28 17:00, steventhechef wrote:
Good report back kludge.

If i could suggest looking at a different tyre. the BT021's (whilst reported better than the BT020) are not a very good twistie type tyre.

I have a pair of BT014's on and they IMO are really good (for my style of riding). Fast, good feel, no chatter.

Some of the others are going Pilot Powers and others with Conti Road Attacks for better handling.

DaveM our tyre guru has BT002's on but you really do need to ride harder to keep them warm all the time.

The BT021 do not cut the mustard IMHO.

Good luck with the change of bars.

Scheisse. I was thinking about the pilots but those pictures of torn-up tires...
I ordered the 21s already. It's a ***** because a guy around here is selling the 014s cheap. By the time I figure out if I like the 21s or not, it'll be time for the next pair. :hammer:

[DaveM]

Hi Kludge,
I saw your nice photo in my "you & your sickle" thread. I you have a very nice country.

Steve is right about your tyre choice I'm afraid.

You would probably really like the Michelin Pilot Power single compound. I have had many sets of those.

Avon Storms are also very good but not as sporty as the PP's.

For more sports touring type riding the Metzeler Z6 has excellent wet & dry grip also good milage.

More maximum touring miles with good grip wet & dry the Michelin Pilot Road is hard to beat.

All depends what you want but the BT 021 is not the best donut in town. Grip is dodgy when you push hard.

Anyway good to see another RS.

Steventhechef gets lonely :razz:

DaveM

[kludge]

On 2007-06-29 05:28, DaveM wrote:
Hi Kludge,
I saw your nice photo in my "you & your sickle" thread. I you have a very nice country.

Thanks man. If you're bored, there are some more photos here.

Not many of the bike, just general stuff. I wish I could say it was my country, but I'm just Johnny Foreigner here.

Steve is right about your tyre choice I'm afraid.

Qrap. Not what I wanted to hear. There's a lot of positive feedback on the 21s on other forums. Maybe they will be enough for my needs... I'm more a sport-touring rider.

You would probably really like the Michelin Pilot Power single compound. I have had many sets of those.

I thought of the old Powers, but I usually like to try the latest thing rather than go with 'old faithful', and I read the old single-compound tires are a bit short-lived. I almost bought the PiRo2, but then the 2CT PiPo2 blowups put me off Michelin dual-compound tires for a while.

Avon Storms are also very good but not as sporty as the PP's.

I've heard that, but for some reason Avons are a bit more expensive here than the Bridgestones, Michelins or Pirellis. Go figure. Since Pirelli are a Michelin brand I didn't jump on the cheap (in this country) Diablo Stradas since they are built on the same 2CT technology as the PiPo2. I have trust issues!

For more sports touring type riding the Metzeler Z6 has excellent wet & dry grip also good milage.

I have an M1 on the back now and don't like it, especially in the wet. For some reason or another I've never ridden on a Metz I liked. I recall reading here and there the Z6 doesn't handle well...

Thanks for the feedback!