Wee is home

[polyian]

A beautiful ride up from Seattle this morning to Port Angeles, cleared US customs in about 3 minutes no hassle and took the ferry over to Victoria where I cleared Canadian Customs by paying the GST tax....again no hassles.

So let me formally intoduce my Vstrom (DL650 AK7) to you:

ABS brakes
Givi Engine Guards
Motec Skid plate
Hand guards
Centre Stand
Givi luggage Racks
3 Givi Monolock cases
Corbin Canyon Rider Seat

Here's a shot of her sitting at my place. The side cases are in the house waiting to be packed for a trip.

I have the RIV inspection and ICBC registration to complete but I was lucky enough to get a dealer in Port Angeles to print of a recall clearance paper so that should grease the skids.

All in all this was one of my better days.

[djb383]

Nice bike.......brings back old memories.

http://img157.imageshack.us/i/hpim0475vm9.jpg/

[polyian]

Nice bike.......brings back old memories.

Looks very similar...you don't have it any longer?

[djb383]

Nope, replaced it with the GRINerator.

[polyian]

Here is the whole kit and kaboodle...raised it back to stock height, changed the oil and filter (Amsoil), adjusted and lubed the chain (I know, what's that), checked all the bolt torques, spruced her up, put the luggage on and went for a test ride. Next time I put the luggage on I'll have them packed.

[polyian]

So I thought I'd give an update now that I have put a few hundred miles on my Vstrom.

First off, ABS brakes are great. Every bike should have them as standard equipment.
Second, Clutch and gears is more fun to drive than twist and go
Third. Waving is more difficult with clutch and gears so head nodding has taken over
Fourth, The ride from the longer suspension is tremendously better than the AN400 ride was
Fifth, it's nice to have a tank betwen my legs again with my feet under me on proper pegs
Tall people like me are better off with tall bikes...much more comfortable
Sixth, my poor AN400 is feeling neglected...

[QUINT]

Glad to hear that you're enjoying your new ride. The pictures look great, it looks like the previous owner installed some very nice additions to the bike (much to your benefit).

Thanks for keeping us updated with your new ride, It's been nice to read and check out your pictures. It's also fun to read other peoples comparisons between different bikes.

[tsc3047]

First off, ABS brakes are great. Every bike should have them as standard equipment.

First let me say the bike looks great! But umm how many times have you used the ABS at that point. Hopefully not more than once or twice just testing it, otherwise it must have some unbalanced brakes. It's more of a panic/emergency feature than an everyday driver thing.

[polyian]

Thanks for the compliment.
I had the ABS activate once when someone changed lanes 2 ft in front of me and I needed to reduce speed very quickly in order to avoid a collision. I was able to slow down and steer the bike without wheel lock up which probably saved my butt. I could feel the ABS actuating as I was in this emergency braking situation. The ABS did exactly what it was designed to do...allow me to maximize emergency braking without wheel lock up. I had a similar situation in downtown traffic last year with my AN400 and I had the front wheel chirp when I grabbed a handful, indicating wheel lock. I could have used ABS back then but I don't have it on my Burgman. As you stated, in normal braking situations ABS makes no difference.. It is designed to prevent wheel lock and most motorcycles will benefit from having it, particularly on the rear brake that is easy to lock on wet roads. I'm not sure what you mean by unbalanced brakes as the brakes are not linked. However, there is always a possibility that I can become unbalanced...