First real good ride on the "B" since I purchased last October. Here are my impressions after my weekend dash to Daytona from Knoxville...
Fuel economy: 1468 miles on 35.6 gallons of fuel = 41.2 mpg. Not too shabby, especially considering that most mileage was eaten up at 75-80 mph.
Weather protection: Flippin' phenomenal! We went down through Atlanta because we stayed at the KOA in Macon. Steady rain from Cleveland, TN to Calhoun, GA. At times very heavy. I never felt the need to put on rain gear. I flipped up my convertible Baggershield, tucked in behind it, and the only part of me that was more than damp was my shoes and the outer half of the bottom 5 inches of jeans.
Riding position: Coming from the cruiser world, I was really concerned that I would have trouble making the transition. Not a big deal at all. The ergoIII highway pegs and mini floorboards certainly helped. All and all, I'd say B-. Straight through from St. Augustine to Knoxville was almost 600 (which is a typical day when we travel) and I was a little stiff and cramped.
Handling: See above. I came from the cruiser world so this feels like a race bike to me. Never really had an opportunity to test it's legs until the return trip through the gorge between Asheville and Knoxville on I-40, but this thing handled those curves at 70+ like they were nothing. Plenty of cornering clearance even with the comfort drop on the mini boards.
Storage: I was surprised by how small the saddlebags are, really. On first blush I actually entertained thoughts of packing a weeks worth of t-shirts and shorts in one, and rain gear, shower bag and etc. in the other for Sturgis this summer, but when I started putting stuff in, they really aren't that deep. Perfect for weekend rides, but I'll need to get a luggage rack for an extra bag so I can use the passenger seat for tent and camp chair. Again, no biggie, just surprised me.
Seat: Holy $hi*! Does Honda just throw a seat together for its bikes as an afterthought? This one has to go. Now, I'm no baby. When we travel, 500 mile days are the norm. 700 isn't out of the question. And I've done 1058 from Albuquerque, NM to Memphis, TN. My first bike when I was "reborn" into motorcycles again was a Honda VTX. After about 700 miles, I knew the seat had to be replaced. I put the Mustang on and did 32,000 wonderfully comfortable miles on it. My recent trade was an 06 Yamaha Roadliner. 35,000 miles on the original stock seat, and that included the iron butt. No issues whatsoever. But this seat seems just like the one on the VTX. Certainly compliments the look of the bike, but had very little thought put into its ergonomics and comfort. Just my opinion.
Reply With Quote