Gary_in_NJ
Serious Thumper
Offline
LS650 Cafe Racer
Posts: 2633
Amongst the Twisty Roads
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I built a CS-1 during the winter of 2015 and got it on the road as soon as the weather allowed in the Spring of 2015. I put it away for the winter last fall and haven't had it out of the garage since. Not that I didn't want to ride it, but my wife opened up a cafe this past March and it has consumed all of our free time. I have several bikes, and all of them have had a lonely 2016.
So this weekend I had some time to ride, and first out of the garage was the CS-1. The bike started right up (I didn't even have to charge the battery) and was eager to be ridden. I warmed up the tires on my way to my favorite twisty roads, and gave the bike and myself a good workout. So my thoughts after an eight-month hiatus from this bike:
- It's a fun motorcycle. It's pure simplicity and honestly draws a great connection between man and machine. - It handles great. I have the suspension dialed in just right for my weight and riding style. I have a lot of mods and time into my suspension. Do a search on my name to see what I have done. - The ride and riding position are good. The forks have a good balance, yielding predictable handling with an acceptable compliant ride. Even the shocks, that bothered me so much last season, seem to be just ok this time out. With that said, I have developed a habit of hovering over the seat when I know I'm going over rough terrain (you can get the boy off a dirt bike, but you can't take the dirt bike out of the boy). Regarding the riding position, I'm 6'1" and 53 years old and and have no problem folding myself in to the correct riding position. I've been riding sportbikes since the early 80's so this position is just natural for me. - Reving the engine beyond 5,000 rpm just makes things shake more. This bike is an ass hammer and it can put your hands to sleep in short order. I wonder if a ported head would help smooth out the power delivery, making large throttle opening more enjoyable? I do find myself short shifting this bike. In any event, I just accept this as part of the bikes strong personality. - Finally, I love motorcycles. I have since I was 10 years old and I hope to enjoy them until the bitter end.
So I don't think any of these thoughts are any different then my impressions last year. What is different is that I wasn't comparing this ride to a previous ride on one of my other bikes - which I found myself doing last year. On it's own the CS-1 is a great motorcycle. It's not a 100 mile-a-day bike, but it's a great 25-50 mile partner. It's light, nimble and it's just fun. I'll take fun over many other bike characteristics.
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