Journeyman
"And this one is just right" ~ Goldilocks
"Roxy" arrived yesterday after nearly a month long wait. I found her on CycleTrader- a cherry red (Korosi) 2020 3R with just 127 miles on her. Despite being the least expensive R3 on the site for well over a month, it was dead of winter and the owner was moving cross country and willing to negotiate. Turns out he was a straight arrow and, as for the deal, let's just say it was an absolute "steal."
The original plan was to fly from Asheville, NC to Denver, CO and then ride her back over the course of three days. I plotted the weather for weeks between snows and frigid temps trying to convince myself that with heated gear, despite no wind shield, that it would be "doable." I'm always up for a challenge but, yeah, you're right- stupid crazy. I planned to bring a few tools, as I'd have needed to stop after day one to do the first oil change on the road. Well, the weather just wouldn't cooperate, thankfully, so I paid Motorcycle shippers less than $800 to get her to me- overall a good experience, but it did take longer than expected.
I had not even ridden one of the new bikes yet (btw, thank you for the offer @Dr.D ) and was buying this one sight unseen. Well, once I pulled the trigger my nerves were on high alert for three weeks. But, when it arrived it looked brand new (cause it is!) and I was ready to jump on and go. With a boost from the Roadster (the battery was nearly dead from sitting in the cold) she came to life, but it took a while to keep her running. I wonder if it still had gas in it from 2020? I put some Techron in and once it sustained an idle I switched it to Sport mode (what are the other ones for?) and headed out for some fresh gas.
OK, so, wow- this is one super fun bike! Definitely lighter than my Roadster and seemed equally torquey (the Roadster has Lush components). It reminded me of a Speed Triple I had- position, handling and throttle-wise. I'm 5'6" with a large ape index (long arms) and find the position of the R model to be very natural and comfortable. And, it stops waaaay quicker than the Roadster, which I always thought wasn't so bad considering the huge mass of steel that was getting thrust down the road. On my first run I actually ended up behind a Porse Carrera for a little while on a twisty highway. I tried to get him to play, c'mon, just a little, but he wasn't having it- probably a good thing as I'm trying to keep the RPMs down somewhat during break-in.
Day two and I've already added the windscreen, luggage rack, phone support. I have panniers ready to go on and a tank bag for longer trips. I swear the Roadster is eyeing all this new activity very suspiciously.
The original plan was to fly from Asheville, NC to Denver, CO and then ride her back over the course of three days. I plotted the weather for weeks between snows and frigid temps trying to convince myself that with heated gear, despite no wind shield, that it would be "doable." I'm always up for a challenge but, yeah, you're right- stupid crazy. I planned to bring a few tools, as I'd have needed to stop after day one to do the first oil change on the road. Well, the weather just wouldn't cooperate, thankfully, so I paid Motorcycle shippers less than $800 to get her to me- overall a good experience, but it did take longer than expected.
I had not even ridden one of the new bikes yet (btw, thank you for the offer @Dr.D ) and was buying this one sight unseen. Well, once I pulled the trigger my nerves were on high alert for three weeks. But, when it arrived it looked brand new (cause it is!) and I was ready to jump on and go. With a boost from the Roadster (the battery was nearly dead from sitting in the cold) she came to life, but it took a while to keep her running. I wonder if it still had gas in it from 2020? I put some Techron in and once it sustained an idle I switched it to Sport mode (what are the other ones for?) and headed out for some fresh gas.
OK, so, wow- this is one super fun bike! Definitely lighter than my Roadster and seemed equally torquey (the Roadster has Lush components). It reminded me of a Speed Triple I had- position, handling and throttle-wise. I'm 5'6" with a large ape index (long arms) and find the position of the R model to be very natural and comfortable. And, it stops waaaay quicker than the Roadster, which I always thought wasn't so bad considering the huge mass of steel that was getting thrust down the road. On my first run I actually ended up behind a Porse Carrera for a little while on a twisty highway. I tried to get him to play, c'mon, just a little, but he wasn't having it- probably a good thing as I'm trying to keep the RPMs down somewhat during break-in.
Day two and I've already added the windscreen, luggage rack, phone support. I have panniers ready to go on and a tank bag for longer trips. I swear the Roadster is eyeing all this new activity very suspiciously.
