theraphosa
Active member
As I roll back out of the garage, it's still dark and the multi-function display says 43 degrees... Great, I love cool mornings and I can't wait to try the heated grips!
I have to admit that three minutes into the ride, my first thoughts were "Why did I trade the Connie in on this??, This Sucks!". At least that was until I remembered to raise the windshield to stop funneling the cold air right into my face. After that, the ride immediately began to improve. I had to turn down the temp on the grips, those things work REALLY well, ...almost too well! I'll need to work on focusing the dinky little driving lights this thing has, they really don't work all that well, but at least they'll add to the conspicuity from the front.
I've got a 23 mile commute, with 20 of it on interstate. Last week, wrecks on three of the five days caused backups that involved 30-40mins of stop and go traffic. After 30 mins, my clutch hand was ready for a break, and I actually put in neutral a couple of times so I could work out the cramps.
Today, with the AE, I was thinking "Bring it!; No Clutch, ..No Cramps!". Well, of course it was not to be. Traffic never actually stopped, it just slowed down enough that I was right on the edge of where the clutch engages in 1st gear. I still have to acquire the skills to keep the bike moving, without giving too much throttle so it speeds up, or too little so that the clutch disengages. It was an annoying 15 minutes or so. This is probably the worst situation for the AE, especially with someone with as little experience as I have in dealing with the clutchless bike. I'll chalk this up to learning the hard way.
Once we got past the I-65 bridge an into Louisville proper, the pace picked up and the bike was in it's element again. As we got out of town, traffic opened up and I had an open lane on the right in which to pass some trucks loafing along in the passing lane. When I cracked open the throttle, I was prepared for acceleration of my old Connie. The fjr practically leaped ahead, and I found myself looking down at the gear indicator to see if I hadn't inadvertently been traveling in a lower gear, or maybe I had downshifted without thinking about it. Nope, there was the big "5". Wow! this could get addicting!
On the trip back home after work, it's after rush hour so no traffic worries. Temps in the 70's so I can experiment with windshield heights to see what's good for me. All the way up seems to be the best, but I'm thinking a taller windshield would give me the option of hiding behind it completely in foul weather.
The only recurring problem seems to be some type of magnetic effect in the speedometer. Evidently, something in there keeps pulling the little needle up dial to the 80 mark. I can be driving along and just about every time I look down, that magnet has pulled that needle up there again. I did a search on the forum for magnets in the speedo, ...nada. I'll just have to keep looking.
Other than that, ...and maybe finding myself anxious to leave for work in the morning, it's all good!
Bob
I have to admit that three minutes into the ride, my first thoughts were "Why did I trade the Connie in on this??, This Sucks!". At least that was until I remembered to raise the windshield to stop funneling the cold air right into my face. After that, the ride immediately began to improve. I had to turn down the temp on the grips, those things work REALLY well, ...almost too well! I'll need to work on focusing the dinky little driving lights this thing has, they really don't work all that well, but at least they'll add to the conspicuity from the front.
I've got a 23 mile commute, with 20 of it on interstate. Last week, wrecks on three of the five days caused backups that involved 30-40mins of stop and go traffic. After 30 mins, my clutch hand was ready for a break, and I actually put in neutral a couple of times so I could work out the cramps.
Today, with the AE, I was thinking "Bring it!; No Clutch, ..No Cramps!". Well, of course it was not to be. Traffic never actually stopped, it just slowed down enough that I was right on the edge of where the clutch engages in 1st gear. I still have to acquire the skills to keep the bike moving, without giving too much throttle so it speeds up, or too little so that the clutch disengages. It was an annoying 15 minutes or so. This is probably the worst situation for the AE, especially with someone with as little experience as I have in dealing with the clutchless bike. I'll chalk this up to learning the hard way.
Once we got past the I-65 bridge an into Louisville proper, the pace picked up and the bike was in it's element again. As we got out of town, traffic opened up and I had an open lane on the right in which to pass some trucks loafing along in the passing lane. When I cracked open the throttle, I was prepared for acceleration of my old Connie. The fjr practically leaped ahead, and I found myself looking down at the gear indicator to see if I hadn't inadvertently been traveling in a lower gear, or maybe I had downshifted without thinking about it. Nope, there was the big "5". Wow! this could get addicting!
On the trip back home after work, it's after rush hour so no traffic worries. Temps in the 70's so I can experiment with windshield heights to see what's good for me. All the way up seems to be the best, but I'm thinking a taller windshield would give me the option of hiding behind it completely in foul weather.
The only recurring problem seems to be some type of magnetic effect in the speedometer. Evidently, something in there keeps pulling the little needle up dial to the 80 mark. I can be driving along and just about every time I look down, that magnet has pulled that needle up there again. I did a search on the forum for magnets in the speedo, ...nada. I'll just have to keep looking.
Other than that, ...and maybe finding myself anxious to leave for work in the morning, it's all good!
Bob
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