2020-06-24_05-26-29 by
Steve Weeks, on Flickr
Well consider my flabber well and truly gasted... i mean really really.
This is likely to come out like one of them bitter ex-girlfriend stories where all your mates say "We told you she was a bitch and you should have dumped her years ago, you just didn't listen", if you don't fancy reading a gushing report on the XSR900, then you may as well click off this thread now and save yourself 3 mins of reading.
I got to collect it earlier than i expected, trailered it home and jumped on it.
Once again as with the test ride, it just blew me away, everything it does/did is exceptional, i'm hitting corners 10mph quicker, corners where i'd have usually backed off the throttle i'm just holding it and getting round with ease, stability in all corners, all circumstances, it's just epic.
Then you open the throttle and are met with a 'brraaaaaap' noise and it sounds that good, you just want more of it, more more more !!!! noise !!
Down the gearbox the changes are effortless and it's one of them bikes where blipping the throttle requires no thought at all, it's an easy transition to do so, some bikes i have issues with that i must admit.
The QS hasn't arrived yet so isn't fitted, but i expect it to be on by lunchtime tomorrow for a test. The Nitron shock, well, i'm in a bit of a debate there, this thing handles LOVELY... really nice, does it really need a shock ? ?? MMMM i'm not so convinced. I have no idea how fast some of these people who complain about the handling actually go, but i may give Paul Bird a shout next time as they must be BSB levels of speed !!!!
Brakes, i guess if we're being picky they're not as sharp as the 690s, but that was running Brembo SA pads and a notoriously sharp bike on the brakes, so i'm OK with that, if i need to i'll throw some pads in the XSR and i'm sure it will be superb.
I'm not even sure what else to say... I'm a little in shock here with it.. wow.
I took a SH300 scooter to 88k miles and sold it running perfectly. Seems to be a UK thing to be worried about mileage approaching or over 20k on a lot of bikes?
