push starter button and it growls to life with purpose . not like the slow starting Tenere . but that aside my impressions are , its tall on the center stand . off its flat foot . once moving the suspension adjust upwards in hight , you will hardly notice this . throttle is quick , not as much engine braking as on the Tenere . the bars sweep back to you , thinking this be an issue but only in stance as it narrows the triangle when standing . windshield puts air into your face on high position (after market will have to fix it ) dash is colorful but busy (lots of info displayed and once you know what your looking for and where to look ,not a problem ) . dealer had a fixed route and had to follow the sales guy ,so 4th gear and 39 mph was all I could get , also set in a easy mode . but power is there . self canceling blinkers I think (not completely sure about that but it seemed to be working that way ) . comfortable seating position . may need an after market seat for long rides as stock was a bit soft .
easy maintenance as spark plugs are right there , fan and hoses seemed easy, no valve adjustments ,ever . mirrors not pretty but the best I've seen for usefulness , not blurring at rpm , no elbows , and could see very well behind and to the sides . first gear driveline sloppiness is less than my gen 2 (my gen 2 drives me crazy in first gear stuff ) so that's a plus . I'm thinking gas tank capacity will be an issue as 5 gallons means a lot more stopping for it . and as for the chain drive I have decided its a trade off like this . Harley put a chain on it , lighter and less power losses , the negative being you have to take care of it more . and you will have to replace it every so often . so here is what I see as a trade off , no valve adjustments ever VS. replacing chains and sprockets . chains and sprockets im thinking is cheaper than most valve checks . and you can modify your final drive gearing by changing sprockets. now Tenere valve checks are 26 k miles if your good you might get fairly close with a chain . I did not notice any engine heat issues on my test ride . a very nice bike , and it has the latest ABS stuff .
I think it anyone who buys it will not regret it anymore than any other brand they could buy. it has a lot going for it....