First proper ride on the GTR

[Rynglieder]

(Originally posted up on the GTR Owners forum 05/03/17)

As I had hoped, yesterday turned out to be my first chance to get a proper run out on my new GTR, so I thought I would share with you my first impressions.

Big isn’t it?

First job when I opened the garage door was to remount the top case which I had had to take off to allow the garage door to shut when I first brought it home. Although taking it off was easy enough I could not get it to re-engage until the wife came out of the kitchen and applied a bit of downward pressure from the inside of the case whilst I operated the button on the catch. Perhaps it is the newness of it all, but if it requires a pit crew following me round to put it on I will be looking to avoid taking it off regularly.

The weather forecast suggested that there would be rain over Wales and to the East of England so it was a choice between north and south. In the end I decided I would have a run up to the Raven Café at Prees Heath near Whitchurch. Out from home toward Bridgnorth I had a play with the screen height to try and find the optimum position and once the onrushing air was pushed above my visor I was a little surprised that there was a bit more wind noise around me than I expected. A glance down at the speedo showed that the problem was that I was doing 70 and not 50 as I had imagined; the bike was definitely more smooth and sprightly that I had given it credit for.

Brignorth led to Telford, then Newport and on to the A41 and north Shropshire. These out of season rides can be among the best as there are not too many Sunday Drivers clogging up the roads, there are some nice clear stretches ahead of you and even keeping the revs below 5K whilst running the bike in there is loads of power to hand for some overtaking. With bright sunshine throughout I reached the Raven Café and contemplated my next move over a cup of tea.

There seemed to be loads of A49 ahead of me and I did not want to turn home yet, I was enjoying myself too much. I pointed the front wheel toward Warrington (at least, I think I did; not ever having had a bike with a fairing in front of me before I am still not used to the cockpit staying ahead of me and the front tyre doing mysterious things on its own, never the less it seemed to go where I expected it to at traffic islands).

Toward Warrington I began to see signs for Runcorn. I had never been to Runcorn and it seemed perfectly sensible to go and have a look â€" I still did not want to go home. Heading in to the town I saw a sign for the Promenade; that sounded too good to miss so down I went to the banks of the banks of the Mersey and took in the sight of the bridge from below. Having got through the customary cigarette I thought that now was probably the time for a souvenir photo of the bike with the bridge behind it. I have a LowPro rucksack that is designed to carry my DSLR camera, alternative lens and accessories and I am used to being encumbered with this on my back whilst riding, it was great just to be able to pluck it out of the top case of the GTR. There was blue sky to the east of me and blue sky to the west but overhead was cloud, I lit up again and waited for the sun to strike the bridge and bike â€" it never happened. In the end I took a quick snap and got back on the bike. There was a bridge up there that was begging to be ridden over, even if it was in the wrong direction for home and it looked like it was threatening a shower at the very least ….

The other side of the bridge is a major civil engineering site with underpasses and flyovers under construction to link with a new bridge across the Mersey. There are also lots of incomprehensible signs that can hopelessly confuse the novice GTR rider and I spent fifteen minutes or so circling the various earthworks and unintentionally viewing them from various different directions. Time was now no longer on my side, as usual I had got carried away with riding for no other reason than the pleasure of it and I decided that this desolate landscape around Widnes would have to go down as the climax to my trip and I turned the bike southwards and back over Runcorn Bridge.

Picking up my route back southwards my backside began to comment on the chaise lounge that Kawasaki have fitted to the GTR as a seat. It’ OK, but perhaps not quite as comfortable as my Suzuki GSX1400 or the old Z1300. It is certainly better than the Z1000 though, my nether regions would have been screaming by now. Perhaps I am being a little unfair as I had by now done about 120 miles without many significant breaks.

Inevitably the dry day that the BBC had promised me petered out and there were one or two showers on the remainder of the ride back. Another tinker with the screen height showed that I could keep the wet stuff off me completely but at the expense of the top edge of the screen cutting across my vision. It is a bit like I would imagine wearing bifocal glasses would be, a little disconcerting but something that I will no doubt get used to and certainly better than being cold and wet.

Speaking of cold; as befits an early March day when the sun is going down I was beginning to feel it. The heated grips came into their own now and I was grateful for this new little luxury. The last 20 miles or so began to show slightly in my back. The riding position on the GTR seems a little more forward than my other bikes but I don’t want to be unfair to it; I had been riding for several hours and I think the last one or two I had tensed up a little knowing I was on an unfamiliar bike on damp roads. Equally it was the first ride of this distance since last autumn and I also have to consider the fact my constituent body parts seem to work less well each year I get older.

Having said to my best beloved at around 10:30 in the morning that I was “going out for a couple of hours to put a few miles on the bike” I sneaked home under cover of darkness at about 18:00 and put my new charger to bed. I got The Look from the wife, but I don’t think she was really surprised, having been married for over thirty years she is used to me disappearing on a bike from her life for indeterminate periods.

A hot bath and some proper clothes saw me right; I’d had a really good day with the bike and I’m looking forward to more to come. The thing is going to need a damned good clean today though………

[Rynglieder]

And a picture of it the next day when I finally showed it the sponge and the sun hit it.......

[daveh]

Nice write up.
Body parts stiffening up as we age beats the alternative but I get what you mean, everything gets harder except the bits you want too. Fnarr fnarr.
I wonder if the wind noise would be less without the top box fitted.

[Kiwifruit]

That looks like a very nice bike ........whats it like to not get soaked when it rains ? 

[Stolichnaya]

I have a GTR1400 as well as my GSX14. 
Bought the GTR as an alternative to Touring on the GSX as while its a competent Tourer, there are far better bikes out there to Tour on (in my mind)  especially 2 up with full luggage.
The GSX14 gives me bad circulation in arms and hands but this could be in part to the fact i have a permanently dislocated left shoulder but moreover i get very restless legs on the GSX when doing miles.  Saying that, when i say Tour i'm doing 500 miles a day and on one occasion rode from Nice France to Cambridge UK in just over 23 hours - one go.  just under 1000 miles in a day

Ive ridden the GSX on ours extensively and enjoyed it very much but its a struggle, so, when the Wife and i Toured in 2015 in Europe and she wanted more, i decided a better bike for the job was needed.  plus my GSX is my bike to fettle and modify/tweak and i was just getting it all ways from crudded up on a tour.

So, my thoughts on the GTR14.  well, at first i thought it was the slowest bike out there.  i couldn't understand how this slightly de0tuned ZZR1400 engine was working at all.  A few enquiries and posts on the GTR Forum and i got some answers.  6th gear is not 6th gear - its an overdrive and you can also select ECO from one of the options on the bars - something that REALLY makes it feel like a slug!
Answers from everyone - keep it over 7k rpm if you want fun.  MAN what a difference if you let the bike rev out.  it really does cut along and with such ease.  (don't quote me) but 150+bhp as standard and if you remove the 2nd butterflies and flash the ECU you get the full ZZR1400 motor.  eeeek!  this does however have a detrimental effect on the Traction Control of the bike
who cares..  I'm getting mine flashed and done!

outside the UK ive managed 155+ 2 up, with full luggage.  with ease.  little fuss and little wind noise.  it was staggering to be on a bike at that speed and feel it was just stretching its legs. 

on another Tour last June a mate and i went for what we call a proper run.  Cambridge to Catalunya for the MotoGP.  2 days only to get there and include going up into the Pyannese too into Andorra.  1150+ miles in 2 days flat but it ended up in more like 1300 miles each day due to the floods in France.

This Tour especially highlighted the bikes capability.  no sore bum, no aches and pains.  stunning ride and a hard one too.  I will be doing this again this year but with the wife on the back too.  we will do it in 2 days again.

this is my GTR1400..  love it

i'd thoroughly recommend one
Stoli

[Rynglieder]

Hi Stoli,

Yes, although we have never met I have seen your name on both forums.

Two blokes owning the same model of bike is a coincidence, two blokes owning the same two bikes might look more like stalking

Nice looking GTR you have there and I'm glad you have generally positive thoughts. Only 200 miles to go now until I can get the first service done and then I can go exploring the upper reaches of the rev spectrum

You are right about the top gear though, motorway use only I think......

[Stolichnaya]

Hi Bud
So you're on the GTR forum too!!
Good man

Get the service done and then give it the beans. After 7k with the throttle pinned I had the front wheel lifting!!  Really does cut along

One thing I'd throughly recommend is a set of Michelin PR4 GT boots. Transformation on the bike was instant.

If you've any trouble with wind noise in your Lid like me, try a Calsci XL screen. I have silence now.

Only gripe is the stupid fob thing. Utter rubbish. Hate it.

I've done a. It of work to tart mine up like powder coat wheels n bits. Plus the Phoenix on the fairing to hide a small scratch. The Phoenix is hand painted and looks great. If you like that sort of thing.

I've had old-gold stripes out on too into the fairing and boxes just to bring out the metallic brown paint. Works really well.

Hope you enjoy the GTR. It's a stunning bike. One guy I know likened it to a Ballistic Sofa !!!

[VladTepes]

I rode one briefly.  I liked it.