I did a ~300-mile day yesterday on the C400GT with the majority being on I75 (Alligator Alley) here in South and Southwest Florida. Overall, the bike performed very well. It does get a little light in the front end at 80 MPH. It would be obvious to any rider, but it was not something that was unmanageable. One reason I sold my Xmax was that I found that I really had to plan for overtaking other vehicles. The GT was much better in this regard than was the Xmax.
The front suspension is inarguably under sprung and over damped. I normally rebuild the suspension on my bikes, but I have decided to send them into RaceTech. I guess the good news about this is that I'll be their test case. They are unable to identify, with enough precision, how the parts on top of the damping rod will impact the installation. It is not an experiment for them but rather an opportunity to provide the best solution. I could take it apart, photograph it, send them the pics and measurements of the internals and they could identify the right application of their products. I'm just going to have them do it. If you have never used an emulator, you should. The improvement in ride quality and control on spec OEM suspension is absolutely remarkable.
The rear suspension was actually not bad at all! The problem is when we rebuild one end of the suspension, it leaves the other end begging for attention. I'll order the HyperPro solution for this as I really like the brand, the quality, and the customer service.
Surprisingly, on stock suspension and tires, it managed grooved pavement pretty well. It tracked, but not terrible or at pucker-factor levels.
The bike did not like a headwind, but I am 602 and 235 lbs. on a single cylinder, 34 HP bike. Nothing unexpected here.
Holy cow did the Shad case ever increase drag! That I was not expecting (I should have I guess). I've had top cases on other bikes, but they were either ADV or sport touring oriented with between ~60 and ~125HP and really fuel economy was the only noticeable issue (other than crosswinds sometimes).
65 to 75 MPH is the sweet spot for the bike on the expressway.
The seat was good. Toward the end of the day, it started to cause just a bit of pressure but not so much that I had to take a break at that very moment. A Corbin would be great for this bike.
Handlebars were perfect.
Windscreen is not good for a taller rider.
The cockpit is a little turbulent.
Vibration damping was outstanding. Looking in the mirrors the image was stable except on the washboards.
Handling was excellent.
I had the opportunity to test the emergency braking on I-595 with a sideswipe occurring right in front of me. Flawless.
Anyhow, my two cents.
MIke
The front suspension is inarguably under sprung and over damped. I normally rebuild the suspension on my bikes, but I have decided to send them into RaceTech. I guess the good news about this is that I'll be their test case. They are unable to identify, with enough precision, how the parts on top of the damping rod will impact the installation. It is not an experiment for them but rather an opportunity to provide the best solution. I could take it apart, photograph it, send them the pics and measurements of the internals and they could identify the right application of their products. I'm just going to have them do it. If you have never used an emulator, you should. The improvement in ride quality and control on spec OEM suspension is absolutely remarkable.
The rear suspension was actually not bad at all! The problem is when we rebuild one end of the suspension, it leaves the other end begging for attention. I'll order the HyperPro solution for this as I really like the brand, the quality, and the customer service.
Surprisingly, on stock suspension and tires, it managed grooved pavement pretty well. It tracked, but not terrible or at pucker-factor levels.
The bike did not like a headwind, but I am 602 and 235 lbs. on a single cylinder, 34 HP bike. Nothing unexpected here.
Holy cow did the Shad case ever increase drag! That I was not expecting (I should have I guess). I've had top cases on other bikes, but they were either ADV or sport touring oriented with between ~60 and ~125HP and really fuel economy was the only noticeable issue (other than crosswinds sometimes).
65 to 75 MPH is the sweet spot for the bike on the expressway.
The seat was good. Toward the end of the day, it started to cause just a bit of pressure but not so much that I had to take a break at that very moment. A Corbin would be great for this bike.
Handlebars were perfect.
Windscreen is not good for a taller rider.
The cockpit is a little turbulent.
Vibration damping was outstanding. Looking in the mirrors the image was stable except on the washboards.
Handling was excellent.
I had the opportunity to test the emergency braking on I-595 with a sideswipe occurring right in front of me. Flawless.
Anyhow, my two cents.
MIke
