Berny
Oct 26th, 2006, 8:40 pm
Rode home today on my new GT via as many roads as I could find... country lanes, M3/A3 into town, through Central London, splitting streams of commuter cages leaving town and stationary on the A40, sweeping curves on the M40 and some lanes to finish off in South Oxford.
Wanted to get back on at the end and do it all again. That urban riding was hard work on the LT and the GT is soooo much easier to park in London, didn't even need an end of bike bay slot! The ESA works a dream and i loved the way the bike tensed up as I pressed the button into "Sport" and we looked ahead along the leafy lanes for some bends. Counter steering became much more intuitive than the LT and she leaned right over but felt like I was guiding a scalpel through hard wax.
Had to keep reminding my self there was a 6th gear but amazed how much the power rolls on, even from 30mph in 5th. In 3rd I accelerated out of traffic and found the needle racing past the ton, but still a long way to go to the red line on the rev counter. I only hope I can learn some self control before the Gatsos get me and the points start to accumulate.
Has anyone with more miles on the GT got any advice on tyre pressures. On the LT the advice from this site was to inflate them 2-5psi higher than the handbook but we didn't have the ESA system to assist on the ride.
Next thing to sort out is the position of the handlebars, sit up and beg and have my butt suffer or lean forward and take the strain on my wrists - any words of wisdom welcome.
A final thought - on the LT I was on the periphery of the biking community looking inward from a lofty height and an imposing machine. But today the nods I got from bikers and the exchanged glances from inside helmets at traffic lights made me feel much closer to the centre of the fraternity.
Wanted to get back on at the end and do it all again. That urban riding was hard work on the LT and the GT is soooo much easier to park in London, didn't even need an end of bike bay slot! The ESA works a dream and i loved the way the bike tensed up as I pressed the button into "Sport" and we looked ahead along the leafy lanes for some bends. Counter steering became much more intuitive than the LT and she leaned right over but felt like I was guiding a scalpel through hard wax.
Had to keep reminding my self there was a 6th gear but amazed how much the power rolls on, even from 30mph in 5th. In 3rd I accelerated out of traffic and found the needle racing past the ton, but still a long way to go to the red line on the rev counter. I only hope I can learn some self control before the Gatsos get me and the points start to accumulate.
Has anyone with more miles on the GT got any advice on tyre pressures. On the LT the advice from this site was to inflate them 2-5psi higher than the handbook but we didn't have the ESA system to assist on the ride.
Next thing to sort out is the position of the handlebars, sit up and beg and have my butt suffer or lean forward and take the strain on my wrists - any words of wisdom welcome.
A final thought - on the LT I was on the periphery of the biking community looking inward from a lofty height and an imposing machine. But today the nods I got from bikers and the exchanged glances from inside helmets at traffic lights made me feel much closer to the centre of the fraternity.