SO today I collected my new (to me) GTR1400 and had an enjoyable little 65 mile ride back from Bradford to Bolton via a mixture of city traffic, open(ish) A roads and a touch of motorway, nothing too silly as she has a new rear tyre fitted ;)
So how does she compare to my Bird(s) ?
Well straight away you're (pretty obviously really) sat much more upright and for some reason she feels smaller. She certainly seems easier in traffic than the Bird but then again I've had Givi E41s fitted which are wider than the birds mirrors, at least on the GTR the mirrors (which incidentally are the second best of any bike I've ridden, the best for me are still the old ST1100 mirrors) are the widest part of the bike.
She also feels less "aggressive" than the Bird and almost encourages a more relaxed riding style although she can certainly pick up her skirts (did I mention a new rear tyre?) should you so choose.
I do like the ability to alter the screen depending on where you are and what you're doing. Mine has a Vario laminar lip fitted and I found most of the time it was best in the fully down position with the lip in a mid position. Just let enough air hit the shoulders (I'm about5'10" with a 32" inside leg) whilst not giving any helmet buffering at (ahem) motorway speeds :)
That said taking the screen to about halfway took the air of the shoulders & arms and would probably be my preferred position for rain riding although this did increase helmet noise (but still no buffeting).
Luggage wise I knew the panniers had less capacity than the E41s but pleasingly they did contain the fitted bags. She also has the Kawasaki (rebadged Givi monolock) 39l top box fitted which will be fine for daily use but i think will probably get replaced with a larger item for longer trips.
Handling wise she felt nice & stable at all times but then again did I mention she has a new rear tyre on :whistling:
Overall my first impressions are very favourable and can , for me at least, be summed up as more touring than sport when compared to the Bird.
I like :clap: :clap:
congratulations on your new bike, now you can farkle away.
Where did you buy your bike from ?
Quote from: O.C. on January 20, 2017, 07:10:04 PM
congratulations on your new bike, now you can farkle away.
Where did you buy your bike from ?
Bradford Motorcycles
You are going to love it.
Quote from: PRD on January 20, 2017, 07:18:54 PM
You are going to love it.
I found the grin factor never disappears :grin:
Enjoy the bike and this nuthouse :wacko:
Quote from: mikeyw64 on January 20, 2017, 07:16:07 PM
Bradford Motorcycles
I wondered if thats where......is Paul Wilkinson still there ?
Quote from: O.C. on January 20, 2017, 09:53:21 PM
I wondered if thats where......is Paul Wilkinson still there ?
No Idea sorry, I was dealing with a chap called Alec, been there a while (was there when it was a Kawasaki dealership apparently)
OC, Paul left sometime ago. Chez senior and Chez junior run it now.
I've clocked up a staggering 140 miles on mine already! . . . Not all at once I hasten to add :embarrassed:
Quote from: The Wolf on January 20, 2017, 10:37:04 PM
OC, Paul left sometime ago. Chez senior and Chez junior run it now.
Ahhh Right...well Paul had probably had enough, I use to deal with him and Chez when they were on Manningham Lane in the early 90s :smiley:
Quote from: Kylinski on January 20, 2017, 10:59:51 PM
I've clocked up a staggering 140 miles on mine already! . . . Not all at once I hasten to add :embarrassed:
Errm I had to go fill up today. Fuel low Keval started flashing at 155 miles. Brimmed it at 158, took 18.8 litres. By calculator that works out at 38.2 mpg whilst the dash (which I did zero when I picked her up) was showing average 40.8 mpg (after I changed it to real mpg instead of colonial!!!)
Quote from: mikeyw64 on January 21, 2017, 12:46:40 PM
Errm I had to go fill up today. Fuel low Keval started flashing at 155 miles. Brimmed it at 158, took 18.8 litres. By calculator that works out at 38.2 mpg whilst the dash (which I did zero when I picked her up) was showing average 40.8 mpg (after I changed it to real mpg instead of colonial!!!)
I've never bothered about mpg on a bike. Probably cos it's not my daily commute :no:
Same here...ride it... fill it......ride it....fill it ......ride it........fill it........................
Mikey you should be able to get at least 50mpg out of the beast. Obviously that depends how you ride it but I used to frequently get 55mpg although my bike was standard, standard can, no power commander etc.
Quote from: The Wolf on January 21, 2017, 09:25:32 PM
Mikey you should be able to get at least 50mpg out of the beast. Obviously that depends how you ride it but I used to frequently get 55mpg although my bike was standard, standard can, no power commander etc.
Like I stole it usually :banana:
Quote from: mikeyw64 on January 21, 2017, 10:02:12 PM
Like I stole it usually :banana:
Then that'll explain the 32.8mpg. :mfr_lol:
ECO mode?
I get about 44mpg average from my daily commute which consists of about 100 miles of dual carriageways/motorways and 20 miles of twisties. I'm not a hooligan but I do like to crack on. The trip computer always overreads by 2-3 mpg.
I reset the average when I do my services, so every 5k miles, or just before a big trip.
On long motorway runs I often get over 50mpg but a session on the autobahn once saw me get 32mpg, most of it over 120mph. :banana:
Based on experience (on the birds) I generally get an extra 20 or so miles with the GF on the back ;)
Quote from: Boomer on January 22, 2017, 07:20:41 PM
I get about 44mpg average from my daily commute which consists of about 100 miles of dual carriageways/motorways and 20 miles of twisties. I'm not a hooligan but I do like to crack on. The trip computer always overreads by 2-3 mpg.
I reset the average when I do my services, so every 5k miles, or just before a big trip.
On long motorway runs I often get over 50mpg but a session on the autobahn once saw me get 32mpg, most of it over 120mph. :banana:
you are clearly much more streamlined than you would have us believe George :popcorn:
Nah, am narrower (barely) than the fairing. :banana:
I believe smoothness makes the biggest difference.
Carry corner speed and you use less fuel.
Braking is wasted petrol.
Having a pillion changes 2 different aspects.
1. They change the way the air flows around the bike resulting in less drag.
2. You tend to ride smoother and less aggressively as kidney punches hurt as do crushed knackers :mfr_lol:
:agree:
Quote from: Boomer on January 23, 2017, 06:54:28 PM
Nah, am narrower (barely) than the fairing. :banana:
I believe smoothness makes the biggest difference.
Carry corner speed and you use less fuel.
Braking is wasted petrol.
Having a pillion changes 2 different aspects.
1. They change the way the air flows around the bike resulting in less drag.
2. You tend to ride smoother and less aggressively as kidney punches hurt as do crushed knackers :mfr_lol:
:goodpost: