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I gave this motorcycle to my son in the summer of 2007 so that he could enjoy
it (hopefully) as much as I have. I bought the bike new in 1983 and it was the best
all-round compromise motorcycle that I have owned so far. The bike is well suited to
moderate sport riding, touring and short trips as well. The shaft drive provides
a low maintenance final drive. The motor with 97 hp requires little attention after the initial 10k.
The instrumentation is attractive, easy to read and provides fuel level indication as
well. The fuel tank which is engineered beautifully into the lines of the bike holds an
amazing 22L which is enough for about 200 miles of sport riding or perhaps 250 miles
of touring. The turn signals are self-cancelling or can be easily cancelled manually,
making this part of riding simpler.
The bike is large enough to feel secure and
provides room for long-legged riders although still does not feel unmanageable.
The exhaust note is not loud but is throaty enough under hard acceleration to satisfy
most owners. The hydraulic braking system includes
two large ventilated discs at the front and a single disc at the rear. The brakes
are strong enough to howl the tires if needed. Although the overall look is not
from 2006, I still believe the appearance is not dated and the bike still looks
attractive to most onlookers.
I am not sure if there is a modern replacement for this bike that has the
features that this one has. It somehow seems unlikely with the specialization
into ultra-sport, ultra-off-road and ultra-touring that seems so prevalent these
days. I wonder what the equivalent compromise bike today would be.
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