hass Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I left my R for its 1000km service today and rode home on a borrowed GS. Here's my first impressions: The good: You sit really high up which gives a great overview of the traffic. Basically same engine as my R although it did feel somewhat more rough (maybe that's just because mine is so new) The bad: It's noisy! I tried putting the shield in both the high and low settings and it was still extremely noisy. I commute without earplugs and it was almost unbareable! It was only 27.5C (81.5F) and I was toast! The wind protection is adequate but in city traffic that means you bake... I think it was cooler on my K12S. I didn't feel the bike had the same low CofG that the R has and therefore wasn't as instantly confidence inspiring. It's heavy and a little work to lift off the sidestand if the ground happens to lean that way. To summarize: If you want a 2-up tourer it's a good choice but personally in that situation I would buy the RT instead. As a commuter or weekend carver the R is in my opinion much much better. If I was riding off-road I would personally prefer a smaller lighter bike. So, basically I am happy with my choice and have no desire at all to buy a GS. (Which is good as my wife would kill me if I did!) Link to comment
David Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 I commute without earplugs.... That's not a very smart thing to do long-term. Link to comment
hass Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 I commute without earplugs.... That's not a very smart thing to do long-term. Nope (Though most of my commute is relatively slow and therefore quiet) I listen to loud rock music too and have for years gone to concerts and festivals so I think my hearing is already bad... Link to comment
Wooster Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 Hi hass, Thanks for the R vs GS comparison; I'm leaning toward one or the other as my 1st hexhead. BTW, audiologists contend that even with mild low to moderate frequency hearing loss (typical result of exposure to loud sounds, e.g., rock, gun shots, aftermarket exhaust), your hearing will continue to self-destruct with continued exposure to loud sounds (not necessarily noise as some heavy metal thunder is quite good). So, don't stand in front of band's sound system and consider acting on saving your current level of hearing (or face the sad fact of needing hearing aide - not at all the same as natural hearing). Wooster who only rides with plugs when hung over Link to comment
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