I don't know how to describe how i feel about the bike, on one hand, i love it, it looks great, its fast, it handles brilliant, it sounds fantastic. On the other hand, its very uncomfortable, its noisy (engine whise), the brakes are toad and i have to question whether the engine is about the blow up on me after 13,000 miles.
Now, this could ofcourse be down to the previous owner (s) as I treat the bike like it should be (my pride and joy) I clean it regularly (even if I know its going to f*** it down the next day) I lube the chain, I change the oil, I let it warm up before riding, its not like a light the fires, kick the tyres, rape it like theres no tommorow and leave it to rust out in the rain and cold.
Back to the engine, like I said, its fantastic, whilst not being the most grunty tourqe whise, it makes up for it in the higher revs. The bike is asking to be thrashed and the engine loves it as it screams like a virgin. But could this be at the expense of reliablity? As im tootering along, the inevitable hard vibration that appears at 6200 revs (NOT 6100) restrains me from riding the bike as it should be, instead i act the sheep and knock it into fourth and cruise at 4000, and at that rpm, the definition of power is yet to be realised.
Whilst we're on the case of knocks. The gearbox. CRUNCH, BANG, CRACK, CRUNNNNNCHHHHHHH and then, finaly the gear change. The gearbox is TERRIBLE and it hates changing gears in the high revs. And then there is the clutch. WOW... Im actually sometimes ebarrased to whack it into neutral and let it knock away like its about to dissolve, WHY DOES IT MAKE SO MUCH NOISE????!
I think a visit to Cradley Kawasaki is in order. Im not the kind of guy who wants to be paying for some other guy with a spanner have a look at it, but i want the bike to perform as it should and that bit piece of mind that its sorted.
Even though i seem to be whining like a bitch here, i mean, maybe there is nothing wrong after all? I know that when ive finished cleaning it tommorow morning, adjusted and lubed my chain, oh, and replaced those rusty fairing bolts - When ive done all that, and im finally blatting along the road, ill be grinning from ear to ear, like a school boy on weed.
Thats that.
![:smt017](./images/smilies/017.gif)