What an awful night I had: woke up every hour, hoping it was time, cursing the alarm clock for not ringing and thinking about the Cognac RT in the garage... Finally its time to go, dogs at their weekend camp, my -11 luggages fit perfectly at their usual spots, no need to buy new ones.
Note to me-self : "resistance is futile"... no way to keep any speed limit.... Minimum 20mph over!
Hwy 101 south to start the day: 80 miles of fast traffic: cruise control on : good surprise it stays on and does not disangage at the first bump or shake.
Brakes are superb, very good initial bite and hyper progressive; never had the ABS kicking in. A funny note on the brake pedal: in case of fading, problem with it etc. the brake pedal can go lower than the floorboard and un-lock the front of it allowing extra throw for the pedal.
Some stop and go around San Jose to verify the cooling system: when stopped the fans inverse their rotation and blow air toward the front, not to the driver!! First time I can ride with my RedWings tighten normally! No more letting them loose to allow my feets to expand with the heat!
Bored with the freeway it was time to turn inland for 250 miles of small twisty roads... As before the RT is so stable that I am sure it will be dangerous for first time riders: law of physics still apply but you are not warned when it can turn nasty; where the previous model was giving you a shake, a change of direction or a wheel in the air, this one let you go dangerously fast and you need experience and coolness to get out, in one piece, of this nasty turn which just tighten on you!
Floorboards are not too practical: I do not really care for their front downward position: it is difficult to take support on them while in a turn...
Staying on the turn subject: power steering is thousand time better (something I can feel having the use of only an arm and a half): no more pulling or pushing like a maniac in small turns... The handlebars (and the front wheels!) only need a minimum of effort to go where you want them to.
Did I mention stability: the body does not roll as much as before: it does not roll, period! No more use of silly Skidoo position to be fast in a turn: just take some support (difficult, see above) on the floorboards and zap... Turn is gone!
We stopped for lunch near James Dean's accident (Cholame, CA in a.... Spyder 550 Porsche) and compared this ride to a one we did last year on the same roads with our -11 RT; we were so tired, warm and sore ... Not half of the fun we had today (this being said: I am just checking the blue marks I have on my back and sides with all the punching I received from my passenger for not respecting the posted speed limits or worst: GPS has now, close to your speed a indication of what the speed limit is... Your speed turns red when over the limit!! It is great to, finally, have some utility out of a military gadget but where will this stop?? Radio waves to every police cars in a 50miles radius? Automatic points off your driving license ??).
I wrote something about the max speed and how it is blocked, but it may not be a good idea on a public forum... Would be nice to ride a German model to see how it goes and if BRP dares to block max speed there!
Mileage has been 29.25mpg, no I never used the ECO mode... If I wanted a Prius...
Oh by the way:
Resting now in San Luis Obispo... Will keep you posted on day 2.
Note to me-self : "resistance is futile"... no way to keep any speed limit.... Minimum 20mph over!
Hwy 101 south to start the day: 80 miles of fast traffic: cruise control on : good surprise it stays on and does not disangage at the first bump or shake.
Brakes are superb, very good initial bite and hyper progressive; never had the ABS kicking in. A funny note on the brake pedal: in case of fading, problem with it etc. the brake pedal can go lower than the floorboard and un-lock the front of it allowing extra throw for the pedal.
Some stop and go around San Jose to verify the cooling system: when stopped the fans inverse their rotation and blow air toward the front, not to the driver!! First time I can ride with my RedWings tighten normally! No more letting them loose to allow my feets to expand with the heat!
Bored with the freeway it was time to turn inland for 250 miles of small twisty roads... As before the RT is so stable that I am sure it will be dangerous for first time riders: law of physics still apply but you are not warned when it can turn nasty; where the previous model was giving you a shake, a change of direction or a wheel in the air, this one let you go dangerously fast and you need experience and coolness to get out, in one piece, of this nasty turn which just tighten on you!
Floorboards are not too practical: I do not really care for their front downward position: it is difficult to take support on them while in a turn...
Staying on the turn subject: power steering is thousand time better (something I can feel having the use of only an arm and a half): no more pulling or pushing like a maniac in small turns... The handlebars (and the front wheels!) only need a minimum of effort to go where you want them to.
Did I mention stability: the body does not roll as much as before: it does not roll, period! No more use of silly Skidoo position to be fast in a turn: just take some support (difficult, see above) on the floorboards and zap... Turn is gone!
We stopped for lunch near James Dean's accident (Cholame, CA in a.... Spyder 550 Porsche) and compared this ride to a one we did last year on the same roads with our -11 RT; we were so tired, warm and sore ... Not half of the fun we had today (this being said: I am just checking the blue marks I have on my back and sides with all the punching I received from my passenger for not respecting the posted speed limits or worst: GPS has now, close to your speed a indication of what the speed limit is... Your speed turns red when over the limit!! It is great to, finally, have some utility out of a military gadget but where will this stop?? Radio waves to every police cars in a 50miles radius? Automatic points off your driving license ??).
I wrote something about the max speed and how it is blocked, but it may not be a good idea on a public forum... Would be nice to ride a German model to see how it goes and if BRP dares to block max speed there!
Mileage has been 29.25mpg, no I never used the ECO mode... If I wanted a Prius...
Oh by the way:
Resting now in San Luis Obispo... Will keep you posted on day 2.
