Haha! I think you'll have to compare the bike with more present day rides, unless you wan't to go back to an R90. You can't hardly escape the added plastic no matter which way brand you turn to. As far as 'Clunky' goes, I'm not quite sure of what you're referring to, but everybody has their own frame of reference...and 'vibey?' are you referring to what's felt while accelering around 3000 RPM? The cooling fan sure does sound like a distant siren...I'll agree with you on that
If you don't like the styling and some of the sounds, that's not a particulary good start, but do give the bike a fair shake by taking it out of your neighborhood and up-to-speed on a broad range of roads. If you don't like it then, I don't know what to say...chalk it up to different a taste in bikes. You may be more suited to a bike that has a more narrowly focused purpose instead of a 'jack of all trades;master of none'
All I know is that from my perspective this bike impresses me more each time I ride it. The ride out of the dealer's lot was kinda so-so though for me though, so maybe the S10 will grow on you as well. I'm already convinced after about 600Km of combined City, Mountain amd Highway riding that this is the bike for me. If I had only a single word to describe it, I would say 'unflappable.' It pretty much takes anything you throw at it in stride..very stable and agile for it's size, and, again from my perspective, smooth and comfortable with plenty of 'stank' when you need it (TCS-2 and S mode) 8).
You can't feel any of that while 'puttering around the neighborhood.' ::008::