Black 2014 new owner

Took the bike out for its maiden voyage this evening. Put on my temp tag, got the Corbin Gunfighter with a back rest put on. Was going to call it a night and decided to ride through town instead. My first impressions of this motorcycle are pretty much good minus a few things. It is begging me for a heel toe shifter. Seems like I am bending my ankle way to high to up-shift. Not a big deal really as this bike really wants to be on the open road. Second issue I had was the harshness of the ride. I definitely need to adjust the rear shock. Feels like it is set on the sportiest setting. I need a bit more cushion. Third issue is the rear brake. I know that the rear brake isn't the main brake on motorcycles, but the brake didn't really feel like it was doing much. I am not looking for it to lock up but maybe a little stronger than what it is. ABS is probably an awesome feature to have on a bike this large. Again, not the end of the world as I will get used to it.

The bike has gobs of power at any point I need it. I didn't get on the interstate, but hit about 60 mph on the local highway. It was effortless to get to that speed and I wasn't even trying. The bike is a big bike...te biggest one I have ever owned, but it actually felt lighter to ride than my CBR1000F. I am sure its because the engine sits so low in the frame, but really made it easy to ride. I will say that I have to get used to the power this has. As I was downshifting to come to a stop at a light, I did chirp the rear tire a couple of times. When not hitting bumps in the road, the bike was super smooth. It seemed to handle pretty well although I don't have any real curvy roads here.

Then there's the Corbin seat. It certainly set me a little lower and a little farther back than I anticipated. Not a bad thing, just made the reach a little farther. Not uncomfortable at all though. Just in the bumps. The Corbin is very hard to start, but will need to be broken in. I only rode the bike with the stock seat on the test ride. And the backrest...what a pleasure to have a backrest. The only thing about the backrest is that it isn't a folding one. Makes getting on and off the bike more difficult for sure. But its worth it. I have to admit, I haven't ridden it without the backrest yet. I may like it without just as much. When I gave the bike a good twist of the wrist, the backrest really provided the support needed. That combined with the neutral foot position, made the ride very comfortable. I can see a few upgrades in my future. Floorboards with heel toe shifter, saddlebags..probably Corbin as i think they look the best, a GPS, maybe some type of forward footrest. I am sure I will think of other things like turn signal mirrors or something, but that might be a while. For now, I am looking forward to getting used to riding it. The bike felt really well connected to the road and I am sure it will be great on the interstate. I do wear a full face helmet and didn't notice any buffeting. No wind on my legs that I could really tell.

Those are my first impressions on a ride of less than 10 miles. Smooth, powerful, big, easy to ride.
Here is a picture of the Corbin seat with the backrest. Not the best picture, but will get more when I go for a real ride somewhere this weekend.

Personally i find the rear brake strong ( well as strong as any I have ever found ) but the front is so powerful with decent 'feel' that its never even crossed my mind as a potential weakness. The gear lever has its own position but you soon adjust to it, living in the UK heel shifters are something i have never experienced on a bike but they seem like unnecessary clutter to me. ( guess i need to try one someday to see for myself). Regarding suspension its is a very subjective thing, Honda have had to compromise a lot of things, heavy bike, big motor, one rider maybe a pillion too......oh and it must handle the bends aswell. Not easy. I would take a slight firmness over being a soggy mess any day. I found the standard rear preload too soft and have currently settled on 24 clicks, its probably there or thereabouts for me. Glad you have it finally.

jfro5867 said:

Personally i find the rear brake strong ( well as strong as any I have ever found ) but the front is so powerful with decent 'feel' that its never even crossed my mind as a potential weakness. The gear lever has its own position but you soon adjust to it, living in the UK heel shifters are something i have never experienced on a bike but they seem like unnecessary clutter to me. ( guess i need to try one someday to see for myself). Regarding suspension its is a very subjective thing, Honda have had to compromise a lot of things, heavy bike, big motor, one rider maybe a pillion too......oh and it must handle the bends aswell. Not easy. I would take a slight firmness over being a soggy mess any day. I found the standard rear preload too soft and have currently settled on 24 clicks, its probably there or thereabouts for me. Glad you have it finally.

Click to expand...

Coming off a sportbike, I guess I am just used to using both front and back brakes. Maybe I will get used to it. Just seemed that I should feel more out of it. As far as the firmness goes.... I am not sure what mine was set at. I went out tonight and turned it 5 clicks counter clockwise. I will find out tomorrow if that makes it any better. I don't want it soggy either...but I don't want the sport bike feel either. Somewhere in the middle where it will soak up some bumps pretty good. And I don't about 24 clicks...seemed like I only had an option of about 10. Maybe I need to take it to the dealer to have them measure the sag for me and adjust it that way. Or maybe I just need to lose 40lbs....lol.

As far as a shifter goes...I may get used to this one the way it is. On the CBR the pegs are a little behind me so my foot is leaned down and to move it up just feels easier. Well...easier may not be the right word. No discomfort is more like it. The Valkyrie has my feet sitting about flat just a tad in front of me, so maybe its the seating position that has my feeling the way I do?

Took it out for about an 80 mile ride today. The ride it still a little stiff, but way better. The Corbin seat, although very firm, did not hurt me at all. I know it will only get better with time. Still getting use to the shifter and the rear brake. The front brakes are pretty powerful for sure. And they need to be. It was a good ride today. I think I need to do some type of adjustment to the handlebars. I got that pinched nerve/burning sensation in between my shoulder blades after about 40 minutes. I didn't ride with the backrest today and no problem with comfort otherwise. I thought the pain could be caused by a couple of things. 1) the handlebars are too low. 2)With the wind hitting me and with no backrest, maybe I was leaning in toward the front to too much to fight it. 3) Maybe the angle at which I sit causes me to feel the weight of the helmet more than I am used too. Other than that, the bike was great. Power was not an option and it handled great on the wet roads. Plus I got a lot of looks. While at the restaurant someone asked me what it was. They said it looked so futuristic. Couldn't believe it was four years old.