First Real Ride DS Observations
I took a two hour ride followed by a one hour ride today (since I was off for President's Day). This was my first real opportunity to really ride the R3T since I went Darkside. I started out pretty cautious for a couple of reasons. The first being I hadn't ridden on the CT more than 10 minutes when I got it back over the weekend. The second being that there was some snow that had blown across the road in many places where the road ran North/South (as the winds generally blow from the west here). It was mostly just wet on the road, but since it was about 21 degrees, it was hard to know whether it would be water or ice.
My observations pretty much can be summarized by what many have said here after they have switched. The cornering is different, the traction is better, but I didn't get much of a chance to check the breaking except routine slowing and stopping. My impression over and over again was, yes, this is different, but nowhere near AS different as I would thinking it would be. It was very subtle. By the end of the day, I felt like I was taking curves at the same speed that I would have with the MT. Probably the most noticable was the definately need to pay more attention in long, sweeping curves. For me, those curves felt much more like the R3 Classic I had before the Tourer, which makes sense since the rear tire was wider. That being said, I felt it cornered easier than my Classic did even with the CT.
One added bonus for me, at very slow speeds, straight coasting up to a stop sign or traffic light, if stayed very straight up (probably due to the flatness of the rear tire) and I didn't feel that I needed to even attempt to put a foot down until almost at a standstill. Due to the tire I am using, I am also slightly closer to the ground which is also a bonus as I have a 30 Inch inseam.
All in all, I am very pleased and definately will not be going back! I would encourage those of you who, like me, would not have considered this even a month ago, to think again!
