| Author | Message | ||
     Danger_dave |
Just heard I'm getting a Honda Rune test bike for a few days - from tuesday. Quite looking forward too it. Been a rich vein of test bike form : Tiger 1050, Vulcan 900 Classic, XB12X, CB1300S, CB900 Hornet, Kawasaki Concours 1400 (I gave that back this morning - loved its guts!) and I have a Blue VTX1300 Yamaha metric cruiser till Tuesday. Details as they come to hand. I'll carve the Rune story on a tablet. Mr G will be in to call me a %#(* presently  | ||
| Glitch |
That's #%)@* you twit | ||
| Danger_dave |
See. | ||
| Glitch |
 | ||
| Smitty808 |
I had the dubious pleasure of pulling the engine on one of those, and replacing the alternator coupler...NOT fun! The only thing I found it was good for was glorious burnouts!!(but I'm no cruiser guy) All that weight on the front, and nothing on the back, and plenty of horsepower! Easily double the weight of my S1(or at least it felt like it). Don't let me spoil your fun though...keep an open mind, and have fun with it....just try the burnout!!!  | ||
| Danger_dave |
I'm hearin' ya. | ||
| Pushrodpete |
So how's the Concours? I saw on one at the dealer, and it "sits" nice, but how much of a "JEEBUS!" response does it generate when you whack the throttle open? (Damn dealer "no ride" policies gumble grumble grumble...) | ||
| Thespive |
A crazy styling exercise if I ever saw one, a piece of art in some eyes, I am interested to know your thoughts on how it is as a motorcycle. --Sean | ||
| Danger_dave |
Concours report starts: Did you ever play ‘Tron: Lightcycle.’? It’s a long way back. I think my introduction to the game might have needed DOS prompts to load. It was a game where 4 motorcycles entered a digital ‘arena’ grid to compete. The ‘Light Cycles’ built instant (say this in a cartoon voice  ‘Impenetrable walls of energy’ behind them. The object of the game was to enclose your opponent so that he has nowhere to go and crashes into your trailing wall. Last rider standing wins. Hardly PC, and would come with assorted ratings and warnings in 2007. The bikes themselves were rudimentary GP bike shapes, ‘composed of light’. Newtonian relativists please stick with me, because the most amazing thing about Tron’s massless ‘light cycle’ was how it accelerated – and how it handled startling ninety and one hundred and eighty degree turns. These things could go from nought to a brazillion in an upteenthof a second and could turn instantly in the length of the vehicle – whilst travelling at maximum velocity… Then the Ed rang. ‘We need the Kawasaki Concours 1400 tested.’ After two weeks with the bike I’m very happy to report it’s the closest anyone has ever come to telling me ‘Tron, your light cycle is ready.’ Man. In an entirely 2008 kind of way, this is one ‘sick’ motorcycle. Full dresser, bodywork for Africa, pontoon equipped DEMON. Yet it comes with two completely different personalties - as defined by the tachometer and the trip computer. Its Dr Jeckyll lives at 6,000 rpm, where a decent enough bam on the throttle will hoist the front wheel to balance point as easily as my Buell. Don’t even think about clutching it. Just ‘Bam’ and cover the back brake. 279kg! And I’m looking forward to showing Stretch the pictures. My Hyde is in the very tall overdrive 6th gear. The digital trip computer’s ‘Range’ reading soars when the ‘What gear an I in’ diplay reads OD. An LCD display nests between the two large analogue dials and can display the usual array of computer calculations as well as low tyre pressure warnings. I found it all very clear and easy to read and did use the ‘range to empty’ to moderate gear and throttle selection. (along with the speedo!) Mr Hyde is an economical bike – as far as bikes with 1,352cc, 4-Stroke, liquid-cooled, 4-cyl, with 84.0 x 61.0 mm bore and 10.7:1 compression rations are concerned and at that kind of weight. The 22 litre tank will see the range soar close to 300km when OD-ing and riding ‘normally’. 50kph sees 1,500rpm on the dial and the bike is comfortable accelerating from that speed with a moderate roll on. A hard twist will make it lug slightly, but Mr Hyde will roll away the K’s effortlessly and comfortably. Drop it down 3 clicks and Mr Jeckyll will devour them at Light Cycle pace and rapidity and you can almost see the fuel gauge move. Horses for Concours-es. | ||
| Pushrodpete |
Man Dave, you use yer tongue purty-er than a 20-dollar •••••! I've heard people bitch that the Connie is overweight and slow, but then again, that was on a ZX-14 board.....  Fortunately(?), my finances say I'll have plenty of time to research them prior to being able to pull the trigger on a deal. Connie or 1125R? Hmmmmmm...... | ||
| Pushrodpete |
Hey, what's with the dots? Can't I quote Slim Pickens? •••••, •••••, •••••.... | ||
| Danger_dave |
I'm 6'5" and 250lbs. If you said to me here's a ZX14 or a Connie - choose one for a point to point race - I would pick the Connie. Without hesitation. Ergos on the ZX14 did not work for me very well at all. For the first 100km I was wondering where the Connies chutzpah was too. By 500 I knew where to find it. By 1,000km on the bike I was stunting it on dirt.  Complete overweight slug! ;-P we did the photo shoot on Thursday. I went touring with our Staff photographer - he took the Dl1000 we're testing too. Shots from a Canon D1.  But alas I had to return it on Friday. Sometimes giving them back is hard. But I got this for the weekend instead - and Spring showed up on Thursday and has hung around. I went cruising around the east of Auckland this morning. Finish the Connie story and 750 words on this next tonight:  | ||
| Pilot |
Dave mate does that rock come with the bike or is it available as a factory accessory? Does it come with some sort cord attached so as to make it easier to pick up or is it somehow attached to the bottom of the sidestand.I have noticed that more bikes are being seen with these accesories and are they retrofitable? Enquiring minds want to know.(insert smiley here) | ||
| Danger_dave |
Million and one uses:  | ||
| Diablobrian |
I think you have your jekyl and hyde references reversed Dave, Jekyl was the upstanding citizen. Hyde the monster. | ||
| Danger_dave |
Yeah thanks - that was a half completed draft. I tend to throw it together and go back and tidy up. This is closer to what I will submit. Now been subbed by a mate. Please scuse the non buellness. But i was asked. --------------------------- Tron meets Jekyll and Hyde. Did you ever play ‘Tron: Lightcycle’? It’s a long way back. I think my introduction to the game might have needed DOS prompts to load. It was a game where four motorcycles entered a digital ‘arena’ grid to compete. The ‘Light Cycles’ built instant (say this in a cartoon voice) ‘impenetrable walls of energy’ behind them. The object of the game was to enclose your opponent so that he has nowhere to go and crashes into your trailing wall. Last rider standing wins. Hardly PC, and would come with assorted ratings and warnings in 2007. The bikes were rudimentary GP shapes, ‘composed of light’. Now, Newtonian relativists please stick with me, because the most amazing thing about Tron’s almost mass-less ‘light cycle’ was how it accelerated – and how it handled startling 90 and 180 degree turns. These things could go from nought to a brazillion in an umpteenth of a second and could turn instantly, in the length of the vehicle – whilst travelling at maximum velocity… Then the Ed rang. ‘We need the Kawasaki Concours 1400 tested.’ After two weeks with the bike I’m very happy to report it’s the closest anyone has ever come to telling me ‘Tron, your light cycle is ready.’ Man. In an entirely 2008-kind-of-way, this is one ‘sick’ motorcycle. Full dresser, bodywork for Africa, pontoon-equipped DEMON. Yet it comes with two completely different personalties - as defined by the variable valve timing, tachometer and the trip computer. The Demon, Mr Hyde, lives at 6,000 rpm, where a decent enough bam on the throttle will hoist the front wheel to balance point as easily as my Buell. Don’t even think about clutching it. Just ‘Bam’ and cover the back brake. At 279kg! The respectable Dr Jekyll lives in the very tall overdrive 6th gear. The digital trip computer’s ‘Range’ reading soars when the ‘What gear am I in’ display reads OD. An LCD display nests between the two large analogue dials and can display the usual modern array of computer calculations as well as low tyre-pressure warnings. I found it all very clear and easy to read and did use the ‘range to empty’ to moderate gear and throttle selection. (along with the speedo!) The ‘Doctor’ is an economical bike – as far as bikes with 1,352cc, 4-stroke, liquid-cooled, 4-cyl, with 84.0 x 61.0 mm bore and 10.7:1 compression rations are concerned, and at that kind of weight. The 22 litre tank will see the range climb close to 300km when ‘OD-ing’ and riding normally. 50kph sees 1,500rpm on the dial and the bike is comfortable accelerating from that speed with a moderate roll on. A hard twist will make it lug slightly, but ‘Dr J’ will roll away the Ks effortlessly and comfortably. Drop it down three clicks and Mr Hyde will devour them at Lightcycle pace and rapidity - and you can almost see the fuel gauge move. But the way he (Mr Hyde) whooshes over the ground and devours distance at speed is quite phenomenal. All the inherent stability of the ZX14 and an ergonomic that big and tall blokes will find most satisfactory for hard-out sports riding. Horses for Concours-es. It took me a little while to see the two personalties. For the first 100km I was wondering where the motorcycle’s ‘chutzpah’ was. By 500 I knew where to find it. After 750km Mr Hyde and I were dining out together. I was quite taken with the bike’s futuristic lines. The first bunch of photos I posted online got interesting responses. The size of the muffler was the most common comment. It didn’t bother me enough to overshadow what I found to be an all round attractive style – in a modernistic Sci-fi ‘light cycle’ kind of way. It even comes painted in Neutron Silver – New Tron – get it!?! The headlights not only look interesting, they are as good as the ZX14 array. Brilliant in the illuminated sense of the word. But it all presents a very wide front. Lane splitting is a challenge, but then again, I found the bike nimble and loved the way the cockpit worked when I settled in. The ‘power blade’ adjustable windsceen is now the only type of large windsceen I would consider. The ability to raise and lower height highlights how effective the correct setting can be. It also highlights just how noisy and uncomfortable the wrong height screen is - and how that ideal height changes with the conditions. The rocker adjacent to the indicator switch easily adjusts the windscreen up or down to allow for speed, headwind and mood. Great stuff. I wanted to dislike the handlebars at first – weird looking things, but then The Hippie, The Ed and myself all went: ‘well…yeah – they work!’ Small, medium and large - we all found them comfy and the position worked in Jekyll or Hyde mode. I found the saddle for such a big bike a little disappointing (1520mm wheelbase). Good and comfortable and no issues with any of the ergonomics when solo – but for a big Übertourer I was too ‘up close and personal’ with the Co-pilot. She’s a tall girl and found the pillion position gave her some knee ache on a day ride. Long-legged two-uppers might need a Corbin or a custom saddle fix. I really liked some of the innovations. Tyre pressure sensors are nice. Tyre valves that have a 90 degree bend that would at least give you SOME chance of checking your own pressures would suit me better. I rode around for three days with unknown rear pressure - till I remembered to take my own elbow valve. None of the service station air hoses or guns in my area would fit inside the 190 section rear wheel. But that’s the end of my complaints. And they really only apply to the tall folks ergonomically. I found the luggage to be the best system I’ve used so far – it’s capacious. It makes getting on and off the bike a little awkward at times for rider and passenger - I had to make a conscious effort not to kick the hard cases (Ha!) – but the ease at which they go on and off the bike and their volume are outstanding. When removed the mounting system has little visual impact and when fitted they display a sexy, specially ribbed surface. I like the Kawasaki Heavy Industries look and treatment of the shaft drive and swingarm units too. They hold a 190 section rear tyre that really does the business. I didn’t note any need to ‘ride around’ the rear tyre profile at all. Nimble and manoeuvrable at low speed and I didn’t notice any slop or torque steer from the shaft at all. In fact so not evident that I plain forgot to try and manufacture some, via dumping the clutch, or rolling hard on and off in top gear – just not there (enough to notice anyway). Those that follow the Big Dave exploits (Thanks to my daughter, Amy) should mark down this bike as the one where I changed my opinion about ABS. I always though it was a take it or leave it kinda thing. But I had to nail a crash stop on the photo shoot and I was bloody impressed by the way it all worked. I rode past Lens-man Osborne in Mr Hyde theatrical mode, ending up too hot and off line. An un-natural, manufactured situation where a handful of picks was plan A, B and C - in what looked like it could be a close call. Silly Dave. The big petal discs pulled me up with four bike lengths to spare. Osborne just smiled and packed his cameras. Shut up about ABS, David. I fought harder against taking ‘the Connie’ back than I have done for most bikes. Grand tourer, very capable sports bike for a larger man, versatile, relatively economical or…sick. ‘Wouldn’t mind it for one more weekend.’ I mumbled weakly in the face of Deano’s unquestionably superior logistics for its return. Sadly, Dr Jekyll accompanied me across the Western Causeway on Friday afternoon. I didn’t really mind that he’s sedate and easy to ride with, particularly around town. Mr Hyde has Tron’s light cycle - and he’s only three downshifts away. (Message edited by danger_dave on September 16, 2007) | ||
| Danger_dave |
And for the record - I still like my XB12X a whole lot more. | ||
| Glitch |
Damn Dave, you sure got one good job. I imagine that if I could write as well as you, I might have such a job as well. I don't so I'll be living vicariously through your writing. All that and a sense of humor too!  | ||
| Danger_dave |
Why I like sticking them on here. Comments like that help my confidence. Not that it's in short supply, but hearing it's stuff worth sharing is nice. Thanks very much. | ||
| M2nc |
I feel like the caveman going OOOH! I dig that big Kawi. I am not in the market for a new bike, but something like that would be a lot of fun. I have seen a Rune up close. I think it is an attractive motorcycle, but its not on the wish list like the Kawi. You have a cool job Dave! Can I interest you in a trade? How are you at building fork lifts? By the way, wheelies on a fork lift are a bad idea. I have a picture of 10,000# cap fork lift doing a stoppie. Its not pretty. | ||
| Danger_dave |
No trade today. B grader with the tools. Fork lifts give you great experience I'm told - everything is on them - hydraulics - gas - etc etc - if you know forklifts you know all vehicles? | ||
| Nitsebes |
What did you like about the DL1000? I just bought one | ||
| Danger_dave |
I only had a quick blat. geoff (the photog) is doing the tour test on it. I like the way he rode it for half a mile on balance point. I like how when I jumped on it for photos it took me one pass to get the feel and then I had the pegs folding up digging into the ground on the second pass. I like having to back off if you give it too big a handful, because the front wheel isn't touching the ground. Really like the new dash and cockpit layout. I like the value for money. I've never been on the stroms case - I think it's butt ugly, but so are some of my mates - and they are good value. | ||
| Bartimus |
VTX1300 Yamaha? Doesn't Honda make the VTX? | ||
| Danger_dave |
No doubt - I picked it up and rode it home. Haven't researched or considered yet. Determining how any of the current crop metric cruiser differs from the competition is difficult. It's not limited to the similarity in the model designations. They all go pretty much the same and it takes something of an enthusiast to tell the difference in the way they look - at first glance anyways. They are remarkably efficient, comfortable, cruisey bikes. If that is what you are into - and like - aren't all Buell owners? (Message edited by danger_dave on September 16, 2007) | ||
| Blake |
Thanks for sharing your gift Danger Man. Good stuff for sure. | ||
| Nitsebes |
What Blake said  | ||
| Danger_dave |
Cheers! Well, it's great! Goes like a Rocket 3 - and is one of the nicest sounding motorcycles I have ever thrown a leg over. Aural honey. Fits me very well. By afternoon I was throwing it around and riding it very rapidly. It goes - it reallllly goes. Like light up the back wheel and stepping out slightly on the freeway on ramp type goes. Niiiice. While sounding like an AMG Benz. Cornering clearance is better than a footboards job. Did town and country rides today. Looks will polarise opinion. Works for me.   Guns and Roses - 'You Could Be Mine' at force 10 on the Ipod.  | ||
| Glitch |
Looks cool that's for sure. I'd hate to be the fella that has to change the rear tire though. Did it feel as heavy as it looks? | ||
| Danger_dave |
Yes and No - it's quite chuckable - for what it is. |
