53 years old.
Got drivers license at 15 (limit 100CC, or something like that) and got a Suzuki Ts50. Street Legal.
Been on 2 wheels since. Lots of bikes. Have 7 or 8 now, counting street-dirt-4wheel.
Since about 2002, I discovered the V-twin when I bought the wife an SV650. That ended my inline-4 days. Been on thumpers and Twins since.
Recently when the S10 became my object of desire, thanks to this and the other ADV forum, I was farting around on my KLR, KTM SM950, and VTR 1000.
When the PDP S10 got "orphaned" at a nearby Yamaha dealer, I snatched it in 10 minutes. No test drive.
Leaving the dealership, I owned it. Paid cash.
Here is the point I am building up to:
I was very underwhelmed by "the motor" on my ride home. Messed with both fuel maps and all the TC settings. Still no great love for how the motor felt. But EVERYTHING else was intriguing. I immediately set out on an "Adventure". Texas to North Carolina and rode the "Gap" and various routes all around. Nice weather all the way. I was warming up to the "motor". It started to make more sense to me as I became more aware of the "mission" of this bike.
On the return trip to Texas, I had nothing but foul weather. Nasty stuff. Rain and wind and WIND and RAIN!
Over the 2 or 3 days of inclement conditions, the bike truly revealed its genius. It is so much more than how the motor feels.
And by the way, I don't know if it is because I am so won over, but the motor seems elegant to me now. Smooth as glass. Just short of 9000 miles.
Don't judge this bike on such a narrow basis. I am not saying you will like it, regardless. It's not for everyone.
And finally, just to put it another way, I now think I might like a Gs1100/1150/1200! Before you have me strung up and hog tied at the stake, hear me out.
I have never desired a GS. I never even gave them a second glance. I didn't "get them".
But now they make far more sense. In fact, I THANK BMW for the S10! And since it is the dead-in-the-center-bulls-eye target that the designers of the S10 were aiming at, it must be a bike I would enjoy after all!