Finally, I took the plunge and bought a new bike. Well, not exactly new, more like 1993-new. Anyway the price was irresistible and it's the bike I have been wanting to get for some time, ever since I passed the test to step up to the final rung on the Singapore motorcycle licensing regime.So, it's a Honda ST1100 N. A US model with mp/h and km/h on the speedo and odometer - just a minor annoyance. It delivers on all the things that delight existing ST1100 owners. Great low-down power and immense torque in any gear.
As I hoped, and actually expected, I feel a lot more comfortable on a bigger bike like this. It's just a lot more stable for me, especially at low speed, and so far the weight has not been an issue, all 280-plus kg's of it. But it definitely requires an adjustment in attitude when maneuvering it around using leg power alone. You just need to take things slowly and carefully, although the bike's weight basically enforces this on you anyway.
So far I haven't had any issues. But I am still adjusting to the riding position and steering. One thing I've noticed so far are that my knees are impacting the front fairing, giving me a little bit of pain after riding, which may just be a result not having fully adjusted the riding position yet. The second thing is that this bike requires a significant amount of extra force to be applied to the handlebars when counter-steering than I'm used to, and this is causing me to tense-up my shoulders and arms a lot more than I normally would and should. Hopefully these issues will be sorted out as I adjust to my new riding position and I gain some more strength in the appropriate muscles.
Well it's really nice now not be swallowed up by waves of following traffic anymore on the freeway. Now I can easily stay in the fast lane and not have to be worried about those crazy Singaporean drivers virtually stampeding through me, as in the past, like some herd of beserk wildebeest, speeding, tail-gating and careening their way up the freeway.
