Wildguzzi.com
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: twowheeladdict on February 21, 2020, 07:45:54 PM
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Give it a few minutes before you decide to shut it off.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gde6-bnS3cg
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Good vid. Certainly starts out a bit negative but then comes to understand Guzzi. Its a fair statement around the 4:15 mark where he says Guzzi made a retro Adventure bike and how Guzzi does not think inside the box or even make sense.
One of the better videos out there but still not enough to make me want a V85TT.
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Ride one for an hour and it might change your mind :evil:
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They must cost a lot more in South Africa since that seemed to be all they wanted to talk about. I'm not sure I agree with their "riders are probably rich quirky ones or those that have another adv bike" analysis, by all accounts the V85 is selling well to all sorts of riders.
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One of the better videos out there but still not enough to make me want a V85TT.
If you’re waiting for someone to talk you into it, then you don’t want one anyway.
In that respect it’s like taking a piss..
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I liked it. Seemed an honest review. I loved at the end how the old farts who I guess didn't ride it didn't understand its attraction. In the states, the V85 is priced very aggressively against the other bikes he mentioned. My Adventure was $11,900. A comparable Africa twin would have been at least $15,000 and similar for many of the others (790KTM, Rotax Beemer) with the bags and a screen. What makes this such a good deal for me is the luggage. A similar set with the brackets would cost two grand. The screen is OK for summer use, so I invested $200 in a CalSci large screen. Other then that, no additional money spent. Every Beemer I bought needed at least $500 for a seat and $200 for a decent screen. I have never met any South Africans, but they sound like a fun bunch.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPliKG3rrHkoint:
This one is good as well, very realistic from an actual owner at 4,000 miles. He brings up a very valid point: If you want a shaft drive in under 1000cc, there are no other choices.
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Ride one for an hour and it might change your mind :evil:
Or it may not. I did a 20 minute test ride on mixed roads and its simply wasnt the bike for me.
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Ride one for an hour and it might change your mind :evil:
Which is why I opted out of the test ride when sitting on one at the dealership. I could see that bike replacing both the Himalayan and V7III if I need to reduce my bike count.
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I ride a Stelvio and when I test rode the V85 it just does not compare in my opinion. If it handled as well as the stelvio I would consider it but the stelvio has spoiled me. I rented a 800GS for 4 days in the pacific northwest and I hated it, nothing to compare to the stelvio.
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I have never ridden a V85 so my opinion is just that and not meant exclusively toward this particular bike. That being said, I have found during my life’s adventures that I have never found, in any aspect of mechanics, that hybrids, all purpose, cross overs etc are not very good at either of the jobs they are designed for. I had a fish and ski boat as an example. Owners of the bike in question please don’t take offense as not intended and maybe someday will ride one and see for myself.
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I have never ridden a V85 so my opinion is just that and not meant exclusively toward this particular bike. That being said, I have found during my life’s adventures that I have never found, in any aspect of mechanics, that hybrids, all purpose, cross overs etc are not very good at either of the jobs they are designed for. I had a fish and ski boat as an example. Owners of the bike in question please don’t take offense as not intended and maybe someday will ride one and see for myself.
Did your boat work better for skiing than a dedicated fishing boat? Multiple specialized pieces of equipment will of course be better for their intended purpose, but for people who actually use their equipment for multiple purposes and can't, or don't want to, purchase, maintain, and store, multiple pieces, compromised, versatile, equipment makes sense.
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I think the appeal of adventure bikes is that people have found they work better for sport riding on tight real world roads than sport bikes, and can also do a little off road work when necessary. This goes right back to the 70s when for example Cycle Magazine did articles on people converting Enduros to sport bikes and waxing sport bikes on the street. The appeal is not them being an acceptable compromise, but instead that they are the best thing available for one particular job... and unlike sport bikes also have additional dirt road capability thrown in as an added benefit. Stick a set of touring hard bags on them and they have a second additional capability.
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Once agean a reviewer moaning the lack of 150HP, high tech multivalve motors with liquid cooling and speed shifters on every bike produced.. He did have some points, but IMHO the modern bike reviewers do more harm then good to the buyer... Only pushing that "next best thing" for the manufactures.
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I haven’t had the perspective on motorcycles that these guys have for so long that I can hardly remember. I probably outgrew it in about 1988.
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Once agean a reviewer moaning the lack of 150HP, high tech multivalve motors with liquid cooling and speed shifters on every bike produced.. He did have some points, but IMHO the modern bike reviewers do more harm then good to the buyer... Only pushing that "next best thing" for the manufactures.
I agree. Where I ride my Van Van 200, I would not want anything else. Where I ride my Road Glide I would not want anything else. I could see the V85TT become the compromise between the Himalayan and the V7III though. I will say though that there is an element of excitement that comes with 160 HP at your disposable. If I lived in the straight road states I would probably want some acceleration beast whereas for the tight twisties outside my door, is a waste of money for me.
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the old adage I always heard was
ride a guzzi for an hour and you won't get it, keep riding and after about a a day or two you'll get it. And probably never ride anything else.
Seemed like the south african bloke was going through that exact process, fun to watch!
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I agree. Where I ride my Van Van 200, I would not want anything else. Where I ride my Road Glide I would not want anything else. I could see the V85TT become the compromise between the Himalayan and the V7III though. I will say though that there is an element of excitement that comes with 160 HP at your disposable. If I lived in the straight road states I would probably want some acceleration beast whereas for the tight twisties outside my door, is a waste of money for me.
Agree.. There is always more... and will always be more. Thats what the push is. But sometimes you lose the joy of less, when you always strive for more..
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the old adage I always heard was
ride a guzzi for an hour and you won't get it, keep riding and after about a a day or two you'll get it. And probably never ride anything else.
Seemed like the south african bloke was going through that exact process, fun to watch!
I remember the day it hit me... I liked them since a test ride in the early 90's.. But just got my first last winter. A few weeks into riding it, im on a mountain road with it, and it came to me... you know... this is a lifetime bike... Not a stepping stone to the next.. There will be others, and I will adapt the one I have to suit me.. But really I would have no reason for wanting to get rid of it. It can be adapted, it can be fixed.. it can be whatever I want it to me..
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the old adage I always heard was
ride a guzzi for an hour and you won't get it, keep riding and after about a a day or two you'll get it. And probably never ride anything else.
Seemed like the south african bloke was going through that exact process, fun to watch!
i think a good review ........and also i would say the best of motorcycles are ones that you ride and within that hour ...you know you want it .... My Griso was this way way for me an hour and a bit i was hooked , never ridden a V85 yet could be the ticket..
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I don't believe it's even remotely possible to test ride a motorcycle for a short period of time and come to any meaningful conclusion as to what it's real nature is or how it compares to what we all have and have ridden for 1000's of miles. Unless, of course, you're either a professional motoscribe (idiots, most of them) or need 150 plus rear wheel power. Nothing can account for either of those scenarios.
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I don't believe it's even remotely possible to test ride a motorcycle for a short period of time and come to any meaningful conclusion as to what it's real nature is or how it compares to what we all have and have ridden for 1000's of miles. Unless, of course, you're either a professional motoscribe (idiots, most of them) or need 150 plus rear wheel power. Nothing can account for either of those scenarios.
Well each to there own opinion ...eh all the bikes I have I really liked/ loved initially after an hour or two, I didn't have to get to know them ...and have kept them and eventually I have added aftermarket to keep up with my intentions. :grin:
Nothing to do with HP although it does help :
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It's all good. Sort of like the guy who marries the first girl he dates. It can work, but the trend is not friendly. It matters not. No observation is 100%. Motorcycles, as is most of life itself, best plotted on a bell shaped curve. And something about we enter and leave the world in mostly the same way-crying and messing out pants. I say a English pint of strong :boozing: ale for everyone!
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excitement that comes with 160 HP at your disposable.
Your licence is disposable, did you mean disposal..?
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I find the seating position and handling of my V85 to be much better for me than that of my Stelvio (sold). Now the down low grunt and torque of the Stelvio isn't something the V85 can match but I find I do like what they have done with the overall package. I owned a Tiger 1050 for a few years and while I liked the bike I never really used all that power for anything so I sold it and bought a 2013 V7 which suited me better.
I remember when the BMW F800GS was just coming out for the first time and I drove up to the Bay Area for a test ride excited to see what it was about. That was a bike that I rode for 30 minutes and didn't want to buy, just not right somehow. When the V85 test ride program was touring the country last year I rode my Stelvio 220 miles down to the shop for the test ride. I got two 20 minute rides on the V85 and went in and placed my deposit on one, it just worked for me. Just before listing my Stelvio for sale I took it for a ride to make sure everything was correct on it and once I got off it I had no doubts that the right thing for me was to sell it and have the V85 as my only ride. No regrets on owning the Stelvio at all but for me the V85 works best. YMMV.
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Did your boat work better for skiing than a dedicated fishing boat? Multiple specialized pieces of equipment will of course be better for their intended purpose, but for people who actually use their equipment for multiple purposes and can't, or don't want to, purchase, maintain, and store, multiple pieces, compromised, versatile, equipment makes sense.
Yes it did do a better job as a ski boat than a fishing boat and it did do a fare job at both but not great at either same as an adventure bike more than likely for me. I see your point Sir.
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Your licence is disposable, did you mean disposal..?
Typing on a phone while waiting in line.
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Typing on a phone while waiting in line.
That’ll do it TWA.... :thumb:
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I don't believe it's even remotely possible to test ride a motorcycle for a short period of time and come to any meaningful conclusion as to what it's real nature is or how it compares to what we all have and have ridden for 1000's of miles. Unless, of course, you're either a professional motoscribe (idiots, most of them) or need 150 plus rear wheel power. Nothing can account for either of those scenarios.
Like tasting foods sometimes toy need to try things several times do develope a palate for them. Other foods it only takes one small bite to know its not for you. The V85TT is my Hákarl.
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I wouldn’t think anyone could find out anything new or interesting that hasn’t been covered already.
You either want one or you don’t, what’s anyone going to be able to say that’ll sway any considered opinion that you already hold ?
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Once agean a reviewer moaning the lack of 150HP, high tech multivalve motors with liquid cooling and speed shifters on every bike produced.. He did have some points, but IMHO the modern bike reviewers do more harm then good to the buyer... Only pushing that "next best thing" for the manufactures.
100% agree. Once a new “thing” is offered on a bike the reviewers trash any bike that comes along without it.
Does one really need a lot more than 80 HP on a 500lb machine. And while I haven’t looked up msrp’s I doubt the V85tt is much different then others in that class
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Once again a reviewer moaning the lack of 150HP, high tech multivalve motors with liquid cooling and speed shifters on every bike produced..
I admit that I'm out of the loop on new machines but-- speed shifters on new bikes is a thing now? Mechanical speed shifters? I had no idea.
I rode the V85 and loved it. Wish I could afford one right now.
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I admit that I'm out of the loop on new machines but-- speed shifters on new bikes is a thing now? Mechanical speed shifters? I had no idea.
I rode the V85 and loved it. Wish I could afford one right now.
Ya, same here.. I was surprised when I started hearing about them, because I had been out of the bike world for about 10 years. Speed shifters were only used on drag bikes... Seems now its a must have for everything. Im good using a clutch thank you..
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100% agree. Once a new “thing” is offered on a bike the reviewers trash any bike that comes along without it.
Does one really need a lot more than 80 HP on a 500lb machine. And while I haven’t looked up msrp’s I doubt the V85tt is much different then others in that class
Not too many riders can use the 28HP a Ninja 250 puts out. 80HP or more is certainly not needed on any motorcycle.
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Not too many riders can use the 28HP a Ninja 250 puts out. 80HP or more is certainly not needed on any motorcycle.
I hear this a lot and can only think some folks need to come visit me and see what works in a world where you have high speed highways and have to regularly buck 20+ MPH head winds to get anywhere. I guess if I only rode around towns and slow tight back roads, a 250 would be OK, but I live in a bigger world than that.
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I hear this a lot and can only think some folks need to come visit me and see what works in a world where you have high speed highways and have to regularly buck 20+ MPH head winds to get anywhere. I guess if I only rode around towns and slow tight back roads, a 250 would be OK, but I live in a bigger world than that.
You also heard A 250 will do highway speeds and probably still quicker to get there than a lot of cars and its east to go fast in a straight line. Gobs of HP doesn't make you fast and in some instances makes you slower.
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https://www.google.com/maps/place/Owenton,+KY+40359/@38.3922335,-84.801809,34986m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x8842020a420fcec 5:0x40f492eb53002a5c!8m2!3d38.536456!4d-84.8418926
If you paste this and look for 227, it is in the middle. The turns you see are generally marked 25-40mph. The ground is undulating and bumpy in places because the pavement suffers from being subsided and many of the turns are off camber. In addition, you never know when you come around a turn whether there will be a heaved piece of road, a pile of gravel or a pile of manure in your path.
The 80 or however many ponies and the 500 lbs. weight of the V85 allows me at 200 lbs to take this road in 5th gear between 50 and 60 mph for the most part and on the worst turns 40mph. Note: KY road dept. does not believe in shoulders on their roads, so it is blacktop or ditch. Keeping the engine at 3,000 or above is all that is needed. I could go faster in 4th gear all the way, but it would start to feel like work. At my regular pace, it is a practically effortless dance. I did this yesterday when it was about 42 degrees and sunny and it was magnificent. It is hard to describe to people who have not ridden one of these V85s, how effortless it is on roads like that at a pace like that, it just swishes from one turn to the next. For me, this is the maximum fun on a bike. Maybe not everyone else though. The HP is so easy to access and the fueling is so well implemented.
I used to be able to hustle my K1200RS (130 hp), my Victory (100 hp) and my 1400 Cali (95 hp) through these turns pretty fast as well, but it felt like work and was tiring by the end. Could you go faster on the 250 Ninja, I bet a good rider could, but you would have to ring its neck and it would not be relaxing I am sure. Also, that road would be a great challenge to its suspension.
For anyone who visits this area - don't miss this road.
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I hear this a lot and can only think some folks need to come visit me and see what works in a world where you have high speed highways and have to regularly buck 20+ MPH head winds to get anywhere. I guess if I only rode around towns and slow tight back roads, a 250 would be OK, but I live in a bigger world than that.
Darren, if I had to move to Oklahoma I would probably give up riding. :cry:
Doesn't sound like a fun place to be riding a bike. So glad I live in Tennessee where there are hundreds of miles of deserted twisty roads right out my back door. The trees are so thick you barely notice any wind until the Tornadoes come. :)
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Not too many riders can use the 28HP a Ninja 250 puts out. 80HP or more is certainly not needed on any motorcycle.
The fact is THIS sounds like the usual excuse that some use to justify a smaller motorcycle which in reality is meant for a different purpose than bikes of twice or three times the hp and the torque needed for touring with passenger and or gear..
The reality is smaller motorcycles with less power are only just adequate for highway speeds and dangerous if required to pass quickly ....
Power corrupts those that are weak to start with.
the V85 is more than adequate whereas a Versys 300 for example would probably leave most unimpressed for the same duty.
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I've ridden my Versys-X 300 through a dozen different states. Remarkably competent bike, as long as you don't need to go over 100.
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You either want one or you don’t, what’s anyone going to be able to say that’ll sway any considered opinion that you already hold ?
Spot on.
I stopped reading and writing comments about 9 months ago.
Most readings are errrr... remarkable.
Of course there is a recall. I expected (brand new bike), and rightly trusted Guzzi to make the recall. Many other brands would not have.
And yes, it has flaws, nothing is perfect.
It is slightly overweight, gets dirty too easily and has trouble staying upright when standing still (too long a sidestand). Among other things.
Actually, it reminds me of me after a night out...
But it is a joy to see and to ride. Totally unlike me.
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Spot on.
I stopped reading and writing comments about 9 months ago.
Most readings are errrr... remarkable.
Of course there is a recall. I expected (brand new bike), and rightly trusted Guzzi to make the recall. Many other brands would not have.
And yes, it has flaws, nothing is perfect.
It is slightly overweight, gets dirty too easily and has trouble staying upright when standing still (too long a sidestand). Among other things.
Actually, it reminds me of me after a night out...
But it is a joy to see and to ride. Totally unlike me.
Nice turn of phrase Frans...
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His comment about, "Smiling all the time"... was certainly my experience. The dealer offered me a test ride (curse him!), I turned the key, the bike did it's little 'pachunka' dance to the right as the engine caught, and there was really no need for me to take the rest of that ride. I traded in my beloved and well-used Tiger, rode the V85 home, and I've been smiling for the past 1500 miles :grin:
Prices must be different in SA. Here in California, the V85 seems to be one of he least expensive mid-size Adv bike around -- roughly tied with the Desert Sled and KTM790, about one Grom (surely that's a unit of currency) less than a Tiger, and don't even think of comparing the price with a Multistrada or BMW...
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There a similar price to Australia $20-$25k. I liked the part where he says " it must have been designed by someone who embraces the herbal life and wears wooden shoes". I've not ridden a V85 so can't pass judgement but I do have a r1150gs, top heavy and when you put it on the side stand it sits at such a steep angle it scares the beejesus out of you making you think you have forgotten to put the stand down. Doesn't work well in some of our country towns with large cambers on their main streets, so can't be any worse than that.
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...so can't be any worse than that.
My Tiger was the opposite. One of the few things I didn't like about it was that it stood too upright, so I always had to angle it facing back up the street when I parked on steeply cambered roads, or worry when the wind was blowing from the left. The sidestand lean angle for the V85 is spot on. Rather boring really -- takes all the excitement out of parking.
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Darren, if I had to move to Oklahoma I would probably give up riding. :cry:
Doesn't sound like a fun place to be riding a bike. So glad I live in Tennessee where there are hundreds of miles of deserted twisty roads right out my back door. The trees are so thick you barely notice any wind until the Tornadoes come. :)
I understand your riding mentality. If I only wanted a partner for going to dances, and the dance halls closed, I wouldn't get married either.
For me, bikes are tools for transportation and exploring as much as twisty road toys. YMMV
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https://www.google.com/maps/place/Owenton,+KY+40359/@38.3922335,-84.801809,34986m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x8842020a420fcec 5:0x40f492eb53002a5c!8m2!3d38.536456!4d-84.8418926
If you paste this and look for 227, it is in the middle. The turns you see are generally marked 25-40mph. The ground is undulating and bumpy in places because the pavement suffers from being subsided and many of the turns are off camber. In addition, you never know when you come around a turn whether there will be a heaved piece of road, a pile of gravel or a pile of manure in your path.
The 80 or however many ponies and the 500 lbs. weight of the V85 allows me at 200 lbs to take this road in 5th gear between 50 and 60 mph for the most part and on the worst turns 40mph. Note: KY road dept. does not believe in shoulders on their roads, so it is blacktop or ditch. Keeping the engine at 3,000 or above is all that is needed. I could go faster in 4th gear all the way, but it would start to feel like work. At my regular pace, it is a practically effortless dance. I did this yesterday when it was about 42 degrees and sunny and it was magnificent. It is hard to describe to people who have not ridden one of these V85s, how effortless it is on roads like that at a pace like that, it just swishes from one turn to the next. For me, this is the maximum fun on a bike. Maybe not everyone else though. The HP is so easy to access and the fueling is so well implemented.
I used to be able to hustle my K1200RS (130 hp), my Victory (100 hp) and my 1400 Cali (95 hp) through these turns pretty fast as well, but it felt like work and was tiring by the end. Could you go faster on the 250 Ninja, I bet a good rider could, but you would have to ring its neck and it would not be relaxing I am sure. Also, that road would be a great challenge to its suspension.
For anyone who visits this area - don't miss this road.
Thanks for posting this! I will have a look next time I'm SE. That said, your words are well placed as it's not always easy to describe how something feels but you succeeded in my case. I was thinking about pre-ordering the TT last year but decided to wait a year and listen to opinions of the bike before jumping in...I know it's not the MG purist attitude that helps promote the brand but it made sense to me. Michigan has thousands of miles of gravel roads that work their way across valleys and streams and around lakes, it's amazing riding here and virtually in endless supply.
I'm looking forward to getting on them with a TT in the not too distant future.
Thanks for your review.
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I remember the day it hit me... I liked them since a test ride in the early 90's.. But just got my first last winter. A few weeks into riding it, im on a mountain road with it, and it came to me... you know... this is a lifetime bike... Not a stepping stone to the next.. There will be others, and I will adapt the one I have to suit me.. But really I would have no reason for wanting to get rid of it. It can be adapted, it can be fixed.. it can be whatever I want it to me..
Yup that kinda covers it.
Its a bit of a bummer though as you will most likely never be wowed by the other brands offerings on those much anticipated test rides..... at least that's the way its been working out for me over the years.
I'm thinking I'm older and wiser or maybe.... its older and weirder :laugh:
Ciao