John,
Congratulations.
Now I can say "I told you so" and welcome to the club. As you get the bike
set up just as you want, you will like it better and better. I look forward
to following your progress, and may just have to ride back to check up on
you.
Roger
-----Original Message-----
From: John Laurenson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Thursday, June 15, 00 8:40 AM
Subject: My new/old GTS
>It official......I now belong on the GTS list and I'm not simply a
>lurker. I rode the bike back from Texas to St. Augustine yesterday
>and loved every minute. I put 10% of it 10,600 mileage on in 15
>hours. It runs better already. Now I'm looking for advice on the
>best place and the best manuals? Also anyone out there with a stock
>seat they know they won't ever use, please contact me off list with a
>price. I want to get one to modify the pillion with some ideas I
>have to use it as a touring set up. Any off list words of advice are
>welcomed.
>
>The new front tire on it....Pirelli Dragon is cupping pretty badly
>already. I had great luck with Avon Azaros on the front of FJ which
>stopped this. Comments.
>
>hawke
>
>below is a reprint of my comments on the ride to a friend:
>
>"The guy I bought the bike from is a Honda mechanic in the Plano
>Texas Honda shop. I was late getting into Texas because I missed my
>flight our of OK City. The business discussions dragged on a little
>too long, but the guy I was with felt bad and drove me down. What a
>small world the Internet makes...while doing the deal in the show
>room, I bought the bike from the owner, a guy walked up and sat on
>the GTS. The guy I'm with asks, jokingly, if he would like to buy
>it. Then this stranger starts to carry on about knowing all about me
>and the GTS deal. The mechanic and the guy with me look stupified as
>he talks; like, are you world famous John..:>) Then the stranger
>explains about the LDR list...:>)
>
>The ride home from Texas to St. Augustine was a good chance to get
>acquainted with the GTS. It is a lot different than the FJ..it is
>much more finely engineered and advanced compared to the old FJ to
>make it concise. Getting off the FJ and onto the GTS and then riding
>1200 plus miles in less than a day, the differences become extremely
>focused in the mind.
>
>The RADD front end is outstanding. On the FJ, when riding in
>anything loose or unstable, I had virtually no control. It took all
>my skills just to keep the bike up right on a gravel road. The FJ
>wouldn't steer, simply plow. Riding down the unfinished road leading
>into my sister place in Texas was a nice shock. I had to carefully
>pick my spot when I rode the FJ, in fact, I went down a few months
>earlier on the FJ when it hit a soft wet grass area and slid out from
>underneath mewith this GTS, it is like being on a dirt bike. It has
>no tendency to slid or move on unstable ground. The same feeling with
>the GTS transfers to hard ground and in corners.it is on rails. It
>inspires confidence in all riding conditions.
>
>It is no light weight at just over 600 lbs wet, but that heaviness
>disappears once the bike is moving. It feels like you can touch
>either side of the bike down in the tight stuff without giving it a
>second thought because it feels so well planted. The ride is
>extremely plush with little being transmitted back through the
>handlebars.
>
>The power is there, but it doesn't have that surge at seven grand,
>like the FJ. It just revs and revs like an electric motor. Very
>smooth, but still has a lot of grunt. You can leave it in top gear
>and pull all the way from 1500 rpm without a hic-up.
>
>On the same ride and at the same speeds, 80 to 90 mph average, on the
>ride back from Texas, the FJ would have given me around 30 mpg.
>Roger always told me how good his gas mileage was and I used to
>thinkyeah! But this EFI system on the Yamaha is something else. At
>the same speedo speeds, and by the speed I was passing traffic, the
>speedo is probably about 5% off, like the FJ, I got outstanding
>mileage. I average 44 to 47 mpg on 5 tank fill ups. It dropped to
>44 mpg when I was able to hold the speed closer to 90. I couldn't
>believe it. What a nice surprise, I almost don't need to put on an
>aux tank compared to the FJ. Just short of 200 miles the low fuel
>light comes on and I fill it up with 4 gallons. There is a guy on
>the GTS list that is a metal worker and who can bump out the stock
>tank to over seven gallons and still fit it under the plastic. That
>may be the sensible way to go for LD riding on this thing.
>
>In shortI think I have a keeper in this bike, even if Yamaha brings
>out a light weight tourer. I'll just have to get a bigger garage."
>
>hawke
>
