vifferman
29th November 2007, 12:00
(I wasn't sure where to put this, so I hope it's approx. the right place...)
I was riding to work this morning, when it suddenly struck me how much better the VifFerraRi is to ride than it was a mere few weeks ago. I can't be sure whether it's mainly due to the Storms or the suspension changes, but I suspect most of it is the tyres, with the suspension helping when the road surface is gnarly.
There are two corners that aptly illustrate the remarkable improvement - one is on the way to work, the other on the way home, and both are off-camber, tight, and downhill. Whereas before I would button off and gingerly negotiate both corners, now I confidently ignore the corner, look way ahead, and fully commit myself, even when the road's wet. The Storm's are SO confidence-inspiring that it's like "leaning is the new upright". LOL...
The 'acid test' for the suspension consists of four different spots on my commute. The first is a 90-degree left, with a bump mid-corner. (Well... to call it a bump is akin to calling a tyre 'a round thing'.) It is a combination of an elevation change in two dimensions, combined with an angled hump. Hard to explain, and (previously) hard to negotiate. Now I just power over/through it. Oh it's still there, and I can still feel it, but it's immaterial.
Number 2 is a piece of sunken tarmac that's hard to see, right in the perfect line for another sharp left-hand corner. Even off this line, the depression exerts its influence. Thanks to the new springs'n'oil cossetting the front end, and Elka in the back, I can stuff the bike into the corner, actually aiming for the bump, and although I can feel it, the bike isn't fussed.
Feature 3 is a series of sharp bumps, all close together, on an uphill suburban street with rough tarseal. Now *this* feature still requires some dialling-in of the suspenders to get them right. While the front end, being relatively unweighted, mostly floats over them, the back end lets me know very assertively they're there. I suspect that the compression and rebound damping are both a notch or two too firm, and that they're reacting too quickly to allow the wheel to move enough to absorb the hit. The more throttle I have on board, the more juddery it is.
The last feature on the landscape is a tight, sweeping corner that is rippled on the apex. I now don't need to slow at all for it, and can only just feel the ripples, even with the bike cranked WAY over.
So, all in all, I'd say the money spent recently on the VFR was all well spent, and has rejuvenated the bike, making it feel much more sporty but still very easy to ride. I keep having these weird little revelations, like being in the middle of a corner, and realising that I'm not doing anything at all, just sitting there: no pressure on either bar, no subtle corrections, nothing. It's very relaxing. :niceone:
I was riding to work this morning, when it suddenly struck me how much better the VifFerraRi is to ride than it was a mere few weeks ago. I can't be sure whether it's mainly due to the Storms or the suspension changes, but I suspect most of it is the tyres, with the suspension helping when the road surface is gnarly.
There are two corners that aptly illustrate the remarkable improvement - one is on the way to work, the other on the way home, and both are off-camber, tight, and downhill. Whereas before I would button off and gingerly negotiate both corners, now I confidently ignore the corner, look way ahead, and fully commit myself, even when the road's wet. The Storm's are SO confidence-inspiring that it's like "leaning is the new upright". LOL...
The 'acid test' for the suspension consists of four different spots on my commute. The first is a 90-degree left, with a bump mid-corner. (Well... to call it a bump is akin to calling a tyre 'a round thing'.) It is a combination of an elevation change in two dimensions, combined with an angled hump. Hard to explain, and (previously) hard to negotiate. Now I just power over/through it. Oh it's still there, and I can still feel it, but it's immaterial.
Number 2 is a piece of sunken tarmac that's hard to see, right in the perfect line for another sharp left-hand corner. Even off this line, the depression exerts its influence. Thanks to the new springs'n'oil cossetting the front end, and Elka in the back, I can stuff the bike into the corner, actually aiming for the bump, and although I can feel it, the bike isn't fussed.
Feature 3 is a series of sharp bumps, all close together, on an uphill suburban street with rough tarseal. Now *this* feature still requires some dialling-in of the suspenders to get them right. While the front end, being relatively unweighted, mostly floats over them, the back end lets me know very assertively they're there. I suspect that the compression and rebound damping are both a notch or two too firm, and that they're reacting too quickly to allow the wheel to move enough to absorb the hit. The more throttle I have on board, the more juddery it is.
The last feature on the landscape is a tight, sweeping corner that is rippled on the apex. I now don't need to slow at all for it, and can only just feel the ripples, even with the bike cranked WAY over.
So, all in all, I'd say the money spent recently on the VFR was all well spent, and has rejuvenated the bike, making it feel much more sporty but still very easy to ride. I keep having these weird little revelations, like being in the middle of a corner, and realising that I'm not doing anything at all, just sitting there: no pressure on either bar, no subtle corrections, nothing. It's very relaxing. :niceone: