I had a good ride on December 5th down to TN 232 which some locals call the TN Baby Dragon. It's the first time I've relaxed and just enjoyed the ride instead of evaluating every little thing about the bike and how I rode it. It did really well in the twisties. I'm really looking forward to taking it to NC or Arkansas next year.
Yesterday (New Year's Day) was unusually warm but really windy and I didn't feel like going a long way and getting surprised by a storm. So I had the opportunity to take out both the MT-10 and the FJR.
The unsurprising things:
- FJR handled the wind so much better. Not just the rifle windshield but the weight of the bike ignored the gusts, while the MT felt like I was going to get blown off the road a few times.
- The MT-10 was faster. What??? Who would've thought. It really is insane how quickly it accelerates, though. The FJR will get you in trouble quickly, but on the MT-10 if you think a fast thought, you are there already. At 80 the FJR is saying "come on let's go" but the MT-10 will set you back in the seat and feel like the front is coming up if you twist the wrist.
- The FJR is a smoother ride. I've worked with the suspension settings a lot on the MT-10 and I am pretty happy with it, but it feels more sporty and you notice the road a lot more. The FJR still turns in great and does exactly what I want it to do at speed. It's a great touring bike.
- The weight of the MT-10 makes a huge difference in the driveway and parking lot. I feel 100% in control of it. I can perform box maneuvers really well and am never in danger of dropping it. The FJR takes concentration for me to manage at very slow speed.
The somewhat surprising things:
- The ergonomics of the MT-10 are really good for me. I had trouble with the FJR at first and raised the handlebars to get to where my wrists didn't hurt. The MT-10 feels really natural at stock and is comfortable to ride. It's harder on the butt due to the sporty feel and the stock seat so I couldn't do long miles as easily, I'm sure. I am trying a bead rider for the first time on this and it helps. But I like the riding position.
- To go along with the speed, the engine braking is incredible on the MT-10. You can speed up quickly and just by unwinding the throttle it slows down almost as fast.
- The braking is lacking for the increased speed. The wing and the FJR have linked brakes so the lack of linked brakes gets me in trouble. I think the FJR has a problem and is too soft on the rear, but my service guy says it is fine (he has an FJR and an FZ1). I find myself hitting ABS on the rear brake of the MT too frequently. When pulling the clutch, I lose the engine braking so the front doesn't stop as soon as I expect and almost get in trouble. I've been practicing this to avoid a bad experience.
- When I was studying the bike one of the big complaints was gas mileage and tank distance. This hasn't been a big deal. I have been getting around 35 mpg most of the time still riding it pretty hard. I can get 125 miles before hitting the 1 gallon reserve, so it's easy enough to manage.
- I really miss the storage on my sport tourers even when driving around town. What if you decide to stop at the store?
- This thing has a chain! What's up with that? I haven't had to maintain a chain for 30 years.
I haven't yet caught myself asking why I bought the MT as it has got me out riding more and has been really fun. I was pretty happy riding the FJR yesterday, too, though. Very likely the Goldwing will still be for the long 2-up trips and the MT-10 will get most of the attention with local rides and some trips a few hours away for the twisties. After yesterday I can see myself still enjoying the FJR, though. I doubt I will sell it.
The grin sticks with you when you're riding legally knowing what it could do.
