The overdue reivew
You would think it easy to wax lyrcial about your dream bike but tbh like most things in life what you envisage as perfection is not truly perfect
I'll start with the bad, which is probably a little harsh and should read, the less than perfect.
Brakes don't live up to the hype of being race spec. There not bad just not as good as expected and im going to try a pad change to improve things as the main fault is they lack initial bite.
Fuelling is snatchy on small throttle openings and hunts if you try and hold a steady throttle at a constant speed. I expected a ride by wire throttle to be better as the sp2 which is 15 years behind in development fuels better.
Engine is the show piece but on a whole an il4 is easier to ride and just as quick if not a little quicker.
Grips are hard and hurt after an hour but that's a small gripe and easy fix.
Now to the good.
The electronics are sublime. The QS and autoblipper are must have mods and should be on every sportsbike. They really do rock
Handling. The bike turns in with minimal effort and really drives hard out of corners. I noticed she wanted to run a little wide on corner exit but I think I've adjusted that out already although I have an Ohlins TTX to throw in the back so I'm confident it will be improved.
She sounds amazing, looks amazing and makes you feel amazing when you ride her. It's not a forgiving bike to ride fast and wants your full involvement the whole time but that makes for a rewarding ride and a big smile across you boat race the whole time.
It's going to take some time to get the best out of the bike as it's very focused and very demanding but also equally thrilling and entertaining.
To me it's a special bike and I'm going to enjoy learning and improving her during the ownership time. I will write more as the journey continues and I get more time in the saddle.
Honest initial impressions are she is like a smoking hot girl friend. She's amazing and hard work in equal measure but you would never give her up and you know your punching above your weight so just enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts