Finally got my bike back after the insurance repairs from (one of) my recent bin(s).
While it was in at Chris Mitchell Motorcycles in Taupo, I had a wee chat with Chris and got them to swap a couple of things out.
Rode her home from Taupo on Saturday morning via Mangakino, Kihikihi and SH22.
What a difference!
Pro Taper MX handlebars
Felt fookin weird at first. Flat and low compared to the stock GSX1400 handlebars. Less pullback, so more of a chimpanzee riding position stretched over the tank.
They make the front end of the bike feel far more sensitive than it used to. Lightening up one's grip on the bars in fast sweepers is a must, or any bumps coming through the super-sensitive steering translate into full-bike wobbles, which isn't much fun on a GSX1400.
Chucking the whale through the tight stuff is where they really shine. I felt as though I wasn't even steering the bike with the bars - a quick flick of the hips and some pressure on the pegs was all that was necessary to flop from full lean on one side to full lean on the other as quickly as SH22 often demands.
And, to be honest, I'm really starting to love the slightly more aggressive leaned-forward riding position they give the bike.
Top marks. Anyone out there with a naked road bike, ditch those stock steel bars ASAP.
Naturally, big stick-up mirrors spoil the front end's new look entirely, so I've gone with a single CRG bar-end mirror on the left. Visibility with it is actually superior to the stock mirrors.
Two Brothers Racing slip-on muffler
Instead of sounding like a strangled sewing machine, the bike now gives me a hard-on every time I start it up.
More importantly, though, indicated top speed has gone from 235kph to 250kph (and the motor was still pulling - 260 might even be reachable).
That extra 15+ kph represents a pretty significant horsepower increase. The bike is now doing speeds that it simply could not do before I changed the can. I have no idea what Suzuki were thinking, crippling such an engine with that horrible stock trumpet and its catalytic converter.
Pilot Powers
I know that one is supposed to run 'sport touring' tyres on these bikes, but sorry, I'm not going back. The easy tip-in and the wonderfully reassuring grip from the Pilot Power 2CT front make cornering noticeably nicer than it was on the Pilot Road 2s, which, while great tyres, were noticeably ready to push out a little at the front and swing around on the power at the rear when ridden on briskly.
The Pilot Powers were a definite confidence booster. I got to the top of SH22 and was surprised to see my rear chicken strips all gone, and my front strips at a size I previously only saw after trackdays.
Of course, I'm now going to go through tyres twice as fast, but if I wanted economy, I'd be riding a GS500E.
On the whole, all cheap mods, and well worth doing. I'll see about photographing the bars and exhaust tomorrow and putting the pics up.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by jrandom
Only thing as I think you have already found... every input is multiplied, so twitchiness in fast sweepers is... mmm bravery needed perhaps. Otherwise, it makes for pure simplicity to flick a bike around.
Bookmarks