How long will it take?

[makrand]

I was having a bit of a ride yesterday and thinking that I'm still getting to know my new Shiver.
I've had it for a few months now and done 3500km and still don't feel like I am totally used to it.

I was wondering how long it takes until your new bike feels like a part of you, or an old friend. I'm sure you know what I mean.

How about you guys? What ya reckon?
How long for you?

[perfect]

I agree with what you are saying about becoming one with your bike, I haven't rode my bike anywhere near the distance you have plus being still a novice rider I do wonder if I'll ever get completely at one with my bike.

To be honest though isn't that part of the attraction? the fact that it does scare you a little and and makes you wonder a little about what it can and can't do.

Like I said i am no veteran rider and every time i get on my bike i feel like a complete novice. I went out today and did almost a 100 miles, towards the end I was riding superb. the bike was singing i was blipping the throttle coming down the gears it was turning in perfectly and hauling ass! when I first got on it was a different story. I very nearly dropped it moving off in slow moving traffic :WTF: I think that is more down to my lack of experience though rather than the bike. The height is starting to trouble me though after riding a friends GXR600 and having both feet planted firmly on the ground the Shiver does feel too tall for me and I find myself reaching for the ground and tip toeing when i stop.

I have spoken to someone about altering the seat, they felt it could loose an inch off the foam on the top and both sides as it's wide too which adds to the tallness. I haven't yet decided on whether or not to have it done bit i feel sooner or later something has to be altered. There were rumors of a lower seat becoming available?

I have also ordered a C spanner so I can hopefully reduce the preload on the rear spring. I'm hoping this will also reduce the height, my only worry is it will upset the handling.

As for the brakes as there has been different opinions on these, I find them perfect and they work superb! I was in the dealer the other day when i guy came back off a shiver test ride, he loved the brakes and was impressed with their performance.

I hope I can overcome the height issue and feel more comfortable during slow maneuvers as everything else is spot on!

I can honestly say without out a shadow of doubt and looking at every other bike out there in my budget, My shiver is the best thing I have ever worked hard for and bought myself.

I love it!

perfect:)

[Motofrog]

Perfect.. You will find a C spanner in the tool kit.. Make sure you measure and record the standard settings before you start altering things. All too easy to get carried away,start fiddeling and forget where you started..

[burty]

Adjusting the rear preload is really not the solution, if ride height is a problem it has to be a better solution to get a seat cut down.

I have to say that it's taking me a while to get used to the bike too, but not having to ride under 5000 revs makes a big difference, and the newer fuel map makes the connection between throttle and engine response makes it far easier to control IMHO, before it never really did what I wanted it to do.

[perfect]

Perfect.. You will find a C spanner in the tool kit.. Make sure you measure and record the standard settings before you start altering things. All too easy to get carried away,start fiddeling and forget where you started..

Really? ha ha I didn't even think to check the tool kit, it's quite a small bag though I hope mine is in there?

thanks for the tips too!

Perfect:)

[perfect]

Adjusting the rear preload is really not the solution, if ride height is a problem it has to be a better solution to get a seat cut down.

I have to say that it's taking me a while to get used to the bike too, but not having to ride under 5000 revs makes a big difference, and the newer fuel map makes the connection between throttle and engine response makes it far easier to control IMHO, before it never really did what I wanted it to do.

I know your right, I'm going over to see the seat people Wednesday on my day off, need to get it sorted. I'll speak to the dealer too, I'll ask him to speak to the rep regarding the a new lower seat. He mentioned to me a few weeks ago that there might me a lower version becoming available? I'm going to sit on my bike tomorrow with the seat off, hopefully it will give me an idea of how the bike feels between your legs with both feet firmly on the ground.

I guess the only other way is to replace the rear shock with a lower version or have mine reworked? I'm told suspension specialists can replace the spring with a lower version and sometimes the shock absorber shaft to reduce the height. this all might sound a bit over the top but i don't care what it takes to get it right, I think it's so important to feel comfortable whilst riding slowly, I'm dreading the bike meets maneuvering between people and across uneven ground I'll probably drop it. i hate tip toeing it around, it's hard pushing it backwards with your feet whilst your sat on it too.

I reckon i only need a couple to three inches at the most, that would make all the difference.

there has to be a way other than lowering the seat to achieve this?

cheers for your thoughts

perfect:)

[makrand]

You can also drop the forks a little way at the same time as lowering the rear. But remember you will lose ground clearance and from the look of your chicken strips you like to get it over.
Pretty good for a newish rider. :cheers:

If you really have a feel of it I reckon you might be best to get the seat thinned mostly at the front and just a little taken off the height.
I find that it is the width that makes it high more than the height :whiner:

[perfect]

your right it is wide, the seat does over hang the frame on both sides by about an inch and a half so i could probaboy loose some there. this is certainly my challenge for next week. I'll get back to you with my intended course of action regarding loweringthe seat / bike.

I know it's only us shorties that suffer with this but I'm sure there is more than a few of us that find it a little tall.

thanks for the comments about my riding too, I do apprecaite it. I have been trying to build my confindence with the bike by leaning it over around islands or rotary's as the americans call them. I find following friends who are more experianced too helps.

just want to feel i'm in total control and i could react quickly if I was put in a
bad posistion on the road.

speak to you soon.

Perfect:)

[makrand]

If it helps I happen to know that the bike feels stable all the way to the edge of the rear tyre and without scraping anything.

It's good to get an idea of what it feels like fully over as then you can lean it more if you overcook a corner rather than going straight on.

[Befbever]

An old friend? Being able to handle it like I handled my previous bike? Knowing exactly what it will do in extreme circumstances and weather? At least 6 months but more often a year. I ride daily and keep my bike 3 years.

Although the Futura has been with me for 5 but I bought the Tuono after 3 years. Have done 5k miles on that - in fair weather - and it definitely does not feel like I'm used to it yet. Compared to the Futura which is an old friend.