First ride

Well, the GRiSO and I went out for our inaugural ride on Sunday. 200 miles around the Cotswolds with a couple of stops to include a cup of tea at 'On Yer Bike' in Waddeston and a spot of lunch in Broadway. I really like the easy power and the very accessible torque. The power is very linear and easily available (I bounced it off the rev limiter a couple of times and that surprised me as I've been riding twins for 11 years now!) making it deceptively fast. It'll lift it's skirt and zip up to ninety without trying and it's only the wind that makes it noticeable. Handling is good for long sweepers and not too troubled by proper twisties albeit a little slow to steer. I could feel it wobble a bit in the chassis when really pressing on but never scarily so. It's great out in the countryside at medium speeds and riding that torque. The gearbox is nice too, but ‘man alive’ is it uncomfortable. The foot pegs are too high and the seat is a shocker. By the time I got home I felt like I'd done 500 miles on my beemer. I've already started looking for lowered foot pegs and shall probably order the 'Vario 30mm drop' as well as some longer brake and shift lever ends and see how that works as my hips were in trouble on the way home. I've ordered some grip puppies as with most bikes the grips are too skinny and make my hands ache over the course of the day trying to hold on to them. I'd really like to try and make it work for me over the summer as it's a great bike and hopefully I'm not too old at 53 for the ergonomics although I am somewhat worn out! I shall keep you informed!

The bike will continue to grow on you. Grip puppies are a good idea. Lower pegs will help although it will
increase the likleyhood of touching them down when cornering.
I have not had any frame flex on my 1100 or previous 850, maybe its road shock through the suspension.
Seats are a personal (or anatomical mater) I find my seat very comfortable however I find my Beta 480 dirt bike seat tolerable whilst most think of them as a piece of 4x2. There are many options such as Corbin seats (expensive), air haws and or sheep skin.
If you have a good upholsterer nearby they could be a consideration.

Good luck with your new beast and make sure you do the CARC/Swing- arm bearing greasing up soon

I agree. GRiSO has zero frame flex. That old chestnut "on rails" handling applies. Be careful with lowering the pegs too far. They scrape at 25mm in boy racer mode. The issue is the offset of the Vario and/or KD pegs. I guarantee extended toe pegs will scrape.

Seats are an interesting conundrum, I ride my road bike (pedal) with a Brooks Competition seat (hard like rock). The GRiSO seat is luxury by comparison. As far as pegs go I like the position, I have to stand up on them every once in a while to unlock my hip however...

I agree about the seat conundrum. I have never changed the stock seat on a motorcycle in 40+ years but I have changed the windshield on almost every bike I've ever owned. I don't find the seat uncomfortable but I am evaluating my choices for a windshield because my arms get tired after a long day of holding on at highway speeds.

Today was the third ride on my new bike and today was the best. Rode 110 miles (interstate, big sweepers in horse country and tight twisties) today. About 25 of those miles were in the tight twisties. Beetle has it right; the "on rails" analogy is a good one. My chicken strips were much smaller after today's ride...

A dremel will kill the rest of the chicken strips.

beetle wrote:

I agree. GRiSO has zero frame flex. That old chestnut "on rails" handling applies. Be careful with lowering the pegs too far. They scrape at 25mm in boy racer mode. The issue is the offset of the Vario and/or KD pegs. I guarantee extended toe pegs will scrape.

Yeah, I'm expecting the pegs to hit the deck but I don't see any other option to make it rideable unfortunately.  As for flex; It's the same feeling I occasionally get with the beemer. I've probably misnamed it.  I think it's more to do with the shaft than the frame.  That 'wobble' one gets that make s the bike feel like it's hinged in the middle when hitting a bump mid corner that I don't recall having on a modern chain driven bike. Except my ZRX1200 which of course is rather eighties like in its handling.

H-E-ROSS wrote:

Seats are an interesting conundrum, I ride my road bike (pedal) with a Brooks Competition seat (hard like rock). The GRiSO seat is luxury by comparison. As far as pegs go I like the position, I have to stand up on them every once in a while to unlock my hip however...

Yes, the Brooks saddle, I don't ride my cycle enough and therefor mine is still so hard that I have to stay off of it for three days after a ride!

GHTE wrote:

A dremel will kill the rest of the chicken strips.

That's cheating. Just lean until you fall off.

I dont know how tall you are, but i am 5'10" and have stuck a Stevlio shock in the back end, as a lot of other people have, there are many benefits, but one of them for you is that it raises the seat height by an inch, thus allowing you to put on lower pegs and not lose ground clearance :-)

GHTE wrote:

A dremel will kill the rest of the chicken strips.

I need the opposite!

sidrat wrote:

I dont know how tall you are, but i am 5'10" and have stuck a Stevlio shock in the back end, as a lot of other people have, there are many benefits, but one of them for you is that it raises the seat height by an inch, thus allowing you to put on lower pegs and not lose ground clearance :-)

I’m 5’7” with a 31” inseam. I could probably take up the difference that the vario pegs make by winding up the preload but my concern is that the seat is quite wide and I might struggle with keeping my feet comfortably on the ground. I’m going to play around and see what works over the summer. I need to play with the suspension anyway as at present it is way too firm for me. The first owner only did 1800 miles n it and didn’t touch anything so it’s still factory set and I’m not heavy enough for it at roughly 78kg.

When I did a track day this past February I found I would drag the kickstand before the pegs. Pegs are in stock position. It scared the carp out of me as it upset the rear end making it jump out, luckily I saved it. The track personnel told me not to do that again. LOL no problem dude, I definitely didn't mean to do that. Not much chicken strip left on the tires either

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Yep the side stand leading edge always looks nice and shiney after a ride.
I am 6 foot with stuffed knees and do not have leg issues riding the GRiSO.
Stelvio shock/and lower pegs will help your issues, however maybe a little flexability exercising may help.

I also find the pegs a little cramped in seat height distance. An option i was thinking is to raise the seat height by having it reupholstered with a little more foam. It does not need much only an inch or two, I am 5'10" with not the longest legs. Has any one done this? Would it upset the handling raising the centre of gravity an inch or two?

Reach/angle to the bars might be a stretch for shorter riders-bar risers can help but there is limited scope with existing wiring and cabling.

Guess I'm just lucky. Stock bike fits me like an old friend.

I have a Stelvio shock and 30mm Vario pegs. The shock has transformed the handling which had to me had too much understeer. The pegs add extra comfort for long distances and are adjustable which is an advantage. I run 36psi front and 42 rear tyre pressures.

The stelvio shock is a good addition. I had one on my little 850-big improvement.
I run 38psi front and 40 rear on Michelin Pilot Road 4's (new 5's on my Multistrada).

I second Sideshowbob. Only thing I've done is I lowered the bar ends a tad so I get an even pressure on my palms.

GHTE wrote:

The stelvio shock is a good addition. I had one on my little 850-big improvement.
I run 38psi front and 40 rear on Michelin Pilot Road 4's (new 5's on my Multistrada).

Without wanting this to be a tyre pressure thread... 38psi? Really. I didn’t think any manufacturer recommended more than 36. I’ve always run 36/42 which I thought was maximum even if two up. I’m only ever solo but those pressures work for me even if it’s just mental comfort as I’ve used them for so long now.

I find dual compound tyres last longer and handle better (quicker tip in) with a tad more pressure. The ride is not noticeably harsher and tyre life is a wee bit longer. Fuel economy may well be better, however I have not assessed that.

GHTE wrote:

I find dual compound tyres last longer and handle better (quicker tip in) with a tad more pressure. The ride is not noticeably harsher and tyre life is a wee bit longer. Fuel economy may well be better, however I have not assessed that.

Fair enough!