After forever thinking about getting a bike, the stars aligned to provide an opportunity I just couldn't refuse. Even I questioned the wisdom of starting with a bike whose engine is based on a bored out GSXR1100, but it's mildly tuned and designed for easy comfortable riding. I guess it falls into what would now be called a sport touring bike.
I just putted around the neighborhood tonight a little and it's very friendly. I'm curious to see how it pans out, but it seems that it may have a personality very similar to my Vette. Plenty of power torque, fast for sure, but with perfectly sedate street manors. One thing I like about it is how much torque it has; you can just let out the clutch and it will idle away, now throttling and slipping the clutch like on maybe some of the highly strung lower displacement super-bikes.
It seems this bike has a bit of reputation in Europe for being a hooligans bike, or a typical foundation for a street fighter. I'll have some better pics all cleaned up soon, but here's the status earlier tonight.
And more pics on
its vehicle page.