jrandom
5th July 2007, 15:02
Mt Eden Motorcycles were kind enough to give me the keys to an '03 Zed for the day today while the Snail's in their workshop being fettled.
It's one of the black ones with a red seat. Muzzy pipes. Sounds quite fruity.
I tootled down to work, parked up, and drooled at it out the window for a couple of hours. Gave up and headed out for a proper ride at 11:30. Three hours later, I figure I'll record my impressions while they're fresh.
I took it up the motorway to Albany and did Coatesville to Riverhead and back along SH28. First impressions, it's fucking tiny. Like riding a 120hp mountainbike. The front of the bike almost disappears under the chinbar of my helmet. I'm used to the broad stretch over the GSX-R's tank; this just feels silly.
Engine's very buzzy, not as much torque as I expected straight off idle. It's great just bumbling along listening to the Muzzys, though.
It's been raining on and off all morning. I turn left at the top of the Albany hill and decide to go as quick as I dare on a very greasy SH28. The Zed is wearing Diablos. I can feel a very mild squirrelling motion in some corners, but the tyres are fine, really. It's probably all in my head.
A couple of bumps in corners are rather unsettling. The bike feels like the rear end wants to hop around on the road. It certainly isn't 'soaking up' surface irregularities. A couple of open sweeping corners come up ahead, I open the throttle all the way in third gear and WOOOOOHOOOOO, now I see what it's all about. The wind blast on my chest is really strange, though. Gripping the tank with one's knees is highly recommended.
Rinse and repeat for another 10km, and I'm starting to wish for some clip-on bars and a fairing.
Coming out of Riverhead after a roundabout, first gear, pull out to the right of a car and whack the throttle open to pass, as I'm used to doing on the Snail. Front wheel heads for the sky for a couple of seconds and befuddles me totally. I sit there briefly, wobbling along on one wheel beside the car, wondering what's going on, I'm not used to this sort of undignified behaviour from a motorcycle, then button off like the pussy I am and take off up the road in 2nd.
By the time I get it back to the office I've formed a distinct impression of a bike that my licence would last about a month on, and that I would neither want to take touring nor to a trackday. Quite the hooligan machine, but not for me. To be honest, I'm glad I didn't plop money down one of those, instead of a GSX-R750, before getting my full licence.
I'm looking forward to getting back on my SRAD tonight.
It's one of the black ones with a red seat. Muzzy pipes. Sounds quite fruity.
I tootled down to work, parked up, and drooled at it out the window for a couple of hours. Gave up and headed out for a proper ride at 11:30. Three hours later, I figure I'll record my impressions while they're fresh.
I took it up the motorway to Albany and did Coatesville to Riverhead and back along SH28. First impressions, it's fucking tiny. Like riding a 120hp mountainbike. The front of the bike almost disappears under the chinbar of my helmet. I'm used to the broad stretch over the GSX-R's tank; this just feels silly.
Engine's very buzzy, not as much torque as I expected straight off idle. It's great just bumbling along listening to the Muzzys, though.
It's been raining on and off all morning. I turn left at the top of the Albany hill and decide to go as quick as I dare on a very greasy SH28. The Zed is wearing Diablos. I can feel a very mild squirrelling motion in some corners, but the tyres are fine, really. It's probably all in my head.
A couple of bumps in corners are rather unsettling. The bike feels like the rear end wants to hop around on the road. It certainly isn't 'soaking up' surface irregularities. A couple of open sweeping corners come up ahead, I open the throttle all the way in third gear and WOOOOOHOOOOO, now I see what it's all about. The wind blast on my chest is really strange, though. Gripping the tank with one's knees is highly recommended.
Rinse and repeat for another 10km, and I'm starting to wish for some clip-on bars and a fairing.
Coming out of Riverhead after a roundabout, first gear, pull out to the right of a car and whack the throttle open to pass, as I'm used to doing on the Snail. Front wheel heads for the sky for a couple of seconds and befuddles me totally. I sit there briefly, wobbling along on one wheel beside the car, wondering what's going on, I'm not used to this sort of undignified behaviour from a motorcycle, then button off like the pussy I am and take off up the road in 2nd.
By the time I get it back to the office I've formed a distinct impression of a bike that my licence would last about a month on, and that I would neither want to take touring nor to a trackday. Quite the hooligan machine, but not for me. To be honest, I'm glad I didn't plop money down one of those, instead of a GSX-R750, before getting my full licence.
I'm looking forward to getting back on my SRAD tonight.