2014 ES Arrived yesterday... finally - I ordered it in March and have been itching to get my hands on it ever since.
I put 400 miles on the 1st day and I am absolutely in love with this machine. There are numerous improvements from my 2012.
Obviously, the big deal is the Electronic Suspension. I wasn't feeling unhappy with the suspension on my 2012, and I can't say I notice any huge improvements from having the ability to electronically adjust settings. I should point out that I do very little off road riding, so perhaps in that environment the feature would be more appreciated. I've played with all the settings from one extreme to another and while I do notice subtle differences, there isn't anything remarkable...
The bike is new, so I haven't tried to push it much. However, I would say there isn't much difference in power based on my initial riding.
Other areas are far more noticeable:
-Cruise control is awesome - well designed, much appreciated, and used all the time! I would pay the extra money just for that.
-Heated grips: I added the OEM heated grips to my other bike, so this isn't new for me. It is nice to have them integrated though.
-Mirrors: I read about this bike a hundred times and never noticed anybody comment on the mirrors. I'm sure somebody did, but I never saw anything... anyway, the new mirror design is a huge improvement. I'm a big guy and was looking at my shoulders in 50% of my old mirrors. These are much wider, have little to no vibration, and just plain work. There is a very nice field of view and you don't have to look at your shoulders / arms at all!
-Transmission is super tight. I've not accidentally hit neutral or missed a shift a single time. I don't know if I got lucky or what, but I've owned tons of machines with a manual gear box, and never had anything shift as nice as this one.
-The updated display is very, very good. It allows you to customize to your own style very quickly, and is just easy to see and use. Lots of information; available quickly...
-Raised handle bars are very comfortable and make it easy to ride long distances - rear end sore before anything else... no improvement to seat - not saying it is bad - just the same.
-A button for 4-way flashers / Hazards has been added. I've wished I had these a couple of times on my other bike - again, didn't see anybody comment on these.
-There are also a few body changes. The only thing that I really noticed as an improvement was the gap on the right side where water used to come through and hit the back of my leg has been closed off with a new or at least larger panel... I'm not sure which. Either way - problem solved.
The adjustable windshield is okay - very stiff. I am going to look at it closer, but the dealer and I spent 5 minutes trying to get it to move. Not as easy as it should be, but typically I would adjust based on season / temperature, so not that often.
Overall - the best bike I've ever owned. $16,9xx with Taxes and all fees included - money well spent!
If you're on the fence, my 2¢ - pull the trigger.
I put 400 miles on the 1st day and I am absolutely in love with this machine. There are numerous improvements from my 2012.
Obviously, the big deal is the Electronic Suspension. I wasn't feeling unhappy with the suspension on my 2012, and I can't say I notice any huge improvements from having the ability to electronically adjust settings. I should point out that I do very little off road riding, so perhaps in that environment the feature would be more appreciated. I've played with all the settings from one extreme to another and while I do notice subtle differences, there isn't anything remarkable...
The bike is new, so I haven't tried to push it much. However, I would say there isn't much difference in power based on my initial riding.
Other areas are far more noticeable:
-Cruise control is awesome - well designed, much appreciated, and used all the time! I would pay the extra money just for that.
-Heated grips: I added the OEM heated grips to my other bike, so this isn't new for me. It is nice to have them integrated though.
-Mirrors: I read about this bike a hundred times and never noticed anybody comment on the mirrors. I'm sure somebody did, but I never saw anything... anyway, the new mirror design is a huge improvement. I'm a big guy and was looking at my shoulders in 50% of my old mirrors. These are much wider, have little to no vibration, and just plain work. There is a very nice field of view and you don't have to look at your shoulders / arms at all!
-Transmission is super tight. I've not accidentally hit neutral or missed a shift a single time. I don't know if I got lucky or what, but I've owned tons of machines with a manual gear box, and never had anything shift as nice as this one.
-The updated display is very, very good. It allows you to customize to your own style very quickly, and is just easy to see and use. Lots of information; available quickly...
-Raised handle bars are very comfortable and make it easy to ride long distances - rear end sore before anything else... no improvement to seat - not saying it is bad - just the same.
-A button for 4-way flashers / Hazards has been added. I've wished I had these a couple of times on my other bike - again, didn't see anybody comment on these.
-There are also a few body changes. The only thing that I really noticed as an improvement was the gap on the right side where water used to come through and hit the back of my leg has been closed off with a new or at least larger panel... I'm not sure which. Either way - problem solved.
The adjustable windshield is okay - very stiff. I am going to look at it closer, but the dealer and I spent 5 minutes trying to get it to move. Not as easy as it should be, but typically I would adjust based on season / temperature, so not that often.
Overall - the best bike I've ever owned. $16,9xx with Taxes and all fees included - money well spent!
If you're on the fence, my 2¢ - pull the trigger.
