Its the manual. Had it for a full season. TBR pipe, Juice Box, Zero Gravity Shield, Full on Sport tires, Honda Racing knee and tank protectors, rear faring, rear seat cowl and lower bars. oh... and chopped that rear licence plate bracket.
Things that I had to do to get it to run fastest: 1st&2nd gear de-restriction, Juice box and pipe. Ditched the honda spec oil now it shifts better. have 4k on the M3 tires and they still look brand stinkin new. Have it down to 550lbs or so.
now that these things have been changed, I can run really easily with my litre bike friends. The handling and brakes are simply amazing. The single side swingarm gets lots of comments from bike friends on how good it looks but it is way super smooth too. Taking the panels off is a cinch. Most maint is a cinch (havent done valve check yet). The bike feels really light and is no way whatsoever top heavy. Fairly good wind protection. All around quality is heads and tails above any other manufacturer I have owned. The way the panels fit, paint finish, even the nuts, bolts and grommets. No awkward gaps around where the panels meet even after you have taken them off and on several times.
If my c14 is considered a super sport tourer then this bike is a super dooper super sport tourer. I would actually consider it a sport bike that you can do a lot more miles on. Since i have had it,. my connie has been collecting a lot of dust and might go on the chopping block soon since my wife finds the Viffer more comfortable for the passenger since she is working the bike with me in turns a little and is moving her butt around more than on the c14.
The V4 engine is amazing. Super light, and since the two rear cylinders are the two inside ones, it is super thin at the seat which is nice when you want to move your butt over and drop a knee. The seat and bike design begs you not to sit in one place on it as I do with the C14. I'm all over that seat in the twisties like a monkey and it feels like that is what the bike wants you to do. That OEM exhaust does not do that V4 justice as far as sound is concerned. When a straight through pipe is placed on it, it has this really distinct low rumble at low RPM. Then when you open it up it hits a more deep I4 sound.
Now the bad: stock config- the throttle by wire is jumpy. After the de-restrict, pipe and juice box all that was fixed. It also has the fuel range of a liter bike since the 4 gal tank. The OEM setup does not do it justice. Honda could have done better with that. Which is probably the reason some people are disappointed with initial test rides.
The other bad (or good): You are going to get a whole lot of questions everywhere you stop. Some people don't like the looks though I have never gotten any bad comments in person. I think it is one of those bikes that looks a lot better in person than on film. Its just not very photogenic in 2D (too many angles to look good on a flat photo). It is way more likely that I get questions from a guy on a ZX10R than a guy on a FJR or ST1300. I take it to my sport bike club rides and it is non stop questions where ZXs and Busas are a dime a dozen but this is way different. A lot of people in those circles like the fact that it still has a lot of the handling of a liter bike but just a little more comfort and carrying capacity when needed.
All in all I would not even line it up against my C14 as far as comparison. They are just 2 different of bikes and made for slightly different things. The only bike it stacks up exactly against is the K1300s. But for me it is the perfect compromise between full on litre bikes and sport tourers. For straight on speed it runs right with my buddy's 08 R1. In the twisties he still has me since I have 100lbs of bike on him but it still doesnt handle like a 700lb bike and really doesnt even feel like the 550lbs that it is (though it doesnt feel like 450lbs either
). I can still do a long day on it but not as long as the C14 if there is a lot of straight highway miles. The C14 is just straight up better for highway droning.
edited due to the fact that I was tired last night after the game. (and maybe a little liquored). Go Cards! Rally Squirrel!