I hear a noise coming from far in the distance.

Got the new RSV4 this morning, it's home with some new friends now ...

* Last updated by: Kruz on 2/22/2022 @ 7:58 PM *

Rode the new RSV4 home this morning just as a cold front rolled through the DFW area, 21 mph wind right in my face, 39 F airtemp, windchill at 26 F and my balls froze to the gas tank on the way home...

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/18/2022 @ 11:39 AM *

I know, I know, I need to clean my garage, it's such a mess....

* Last updated by: Kruz on 2/22/2022 @ 7:56 PM *

I bet you walk into DMV, they all wave at you behind the counter and yell out your first name. Yeah, I hear a cross country skier froze his penis in the Olympic games. I'll expect a full report. Break it in right. Congrats on the new mistress.

Yessir Hub, all missions scrubbed for the next 5 or 6 days due to a cold front moving through our area but as soon as it hits 60F next Wednesday, I'll take her out for a thorough backroad shakedown cruise and file a ride report. I tickled the throttle once on the way home and she pulls HARD. I think this could easily become my favorite ride, my '16 ZX-10R is already jealous, time will tell!

* Last updated by: Kruz on 2/22/2022 @ 8:57 PM *

Nice.... Is the bike electronically restricted for the break-in period like some of the newer bikes these days ? I've heard that the KTM super duke is until the first service. It had 12,000 mile when i bought it. I looked at the comparo of the two bikes you were looking at and noticed all the red accents on the gray color. Looks more classy to me!!!. What's the orange Honda in the pic? is that the one you sold. Have fun.

I took the KTM out for a ride on Sunday, it was 38 degrees out! Heated grips make all the difference. As long as the roads are dry i suit up and ride.

Nice.... Is the bike electronically restricted for the break-in period like some of the newer bikes these days ? I've heard that the KTM super duke is until the first service. It had 12,000 mile when i bought it. I looked at the comparo of the two bikes you were looking at and noticed all the red accents on the gray color. Looks more classy to me!!!. What's the orange Honda in the pic? is that the one you sold. Have fun.

Hi Doug, not restricted except in the owners manual where rpm limitations are given up to 620 and 1240 miles, not sure why those specific numbers of miles but probably that's 1000 kM and 2000 kM I'm guessing? Silver and red is growing on me slowly but the main selling point for me is the performance of the bike, right near the top in every category. Orange bike is my 2015 Honda CBR1000RR SP Repsol Edition, kind of a limited edition motorcycle and one I plan to keep. The one I sold was my red 2012 CBR1000RR shown below.

* Last updated by: Kruz on 2/23/2022 @ 11:06 AM *

Yeah, I hear a cross country skier froze his penis in the Olympic games. I'll expect a full report.

I took the KTM out for a ride on Sunday, it was 38 degrees out! Heated grips make all the difference. As long as the roads are dry i suit up and ride.

Hats off to you Doug, you are way more of a man than I am. I'm all about the twisties and if my hands are frozen, I figure so are my tires, so mission scrubbed due to a serious lack of cornering traction....

Cheers!

John

Hubster, a couple of issues on my short 20 mile ride home yesterday I could use your input on. Ambient temperature was 39 F on my way home. I was on the freeway almost the entire time at 75-85 mph and didn't notice anything unusual in the coolant temperature department until I exited the freeway and caught a red light for maybe one minute. Coolant temperature climbed up to 202 F pretty rapidly. Cooling fan on this bike kicks on at around 212 F, so not a problem but dam, it was only 39 F outside!!! Never had any bike I've owned do that before at those low temps, my Jap stuff runs very cool, heck even my 959 Ducati runs cool at those temps! All my Kawasaki's run ice cold, I can barely get them up to 180 F when running hard even in the summer time unless stopped. My Hondas have all had excellent thermal regulation, they run right at 180 F thermostat setting unless stopped in traffic for a long time. Cooling fans keep all the bikes temps in check at around 215-217 F even when idling for ever, even the 959 which is hot natured. I researched this RSV4 purchase thoroughly for months before pulling the trigger on it. I've watched maybe 2 dozen videos with nary a mention of overheating and a lot of the videos were street commute situations. Now the guys on the RSV4 forum are telling me that these machines can hit 235 F or higher if stopped and idled in high ambient temperature conditions. "It's a race bike" is the most common excuse but it is marketed as a street bike and poor heat regulation is not acceptable in my opinion. My other issue is late clutch release when the lever is properly adjusted per the manual at the perch. The adjustment at the clutch lever seems perfect on the new RSV4 but the bite point of the clutch when pulling away from a stop is waaay late, clutch lever is almost all the way out before you feel the clutch "friction zone" biting and she starts to creep forward. Forum guys are saying it's adjustment at the perch, I call BS on that and say it's most likely clutch plate stack height. As you might recall I went through a similar issue on my '11 ZX-10R back in 2011. Exact opposite problem though, you would pull the clutch lever back all the way to the grip, pop it into first gear and if you even thought about releasing the clutch, it would grab and lurch forward. No amount of fiddling with the adjusters would ever rectify the problem. I finally tore the clutch down completely and found numerous build issues including incorrect stack height on the clutch plates. Turns out KHI had farmed out the clutch assembly build and crankcase machining to Indonesia and had some QC issues including the crankcase recall. I know you love this kind of stuff Hub, so your thoughts on the abstract?

Never mind Hubster, you've been AWOL the last few days...

Got the first ride in this afternoon on the new RSV4 in the twisties and this machine is epic! I'm loving it! I loosened the clutch up two full turns and that moved the engagement point back towards the handlebar, works well now. The engine temperature is also not an issue, it was 54 F ambient today and I was at 169 F to 172 F running pretty hard on the back roads and then about 180 F when pulled over and idling. Ran in Sport mode for the first 15 miles or so and it was pulling way too much power on corner exits so stopped and put it into User mode and dialed everything back to an intervention level of 1 except for TC and ABS which I set on level 2. Mucho better! This bike is fast and the handling and brakes are on another level. Scrubbed the rear Diablo Super Corsa SP tire all the way to the edge in just over 30 miles and the front Super Corsa to a little less than 1/2" from the edge. I never do that on a new bike but this one just begs you to lean in hard.

Front tire at 34 miles and it was cold, 54 F and I was still getting used to the handling....

* Last updated by: Kruz on 2/27/2022 @ 5:40 PM *

I was able to get to the edge of the 200/55 ZR-17 Pirelli Diablo Super Corsa in the first few miles, epic handling!

* Last updated by: Kruz on 2/27/2022 @ 5:43 PM *

No excuse for those chicken strips on the front Kruz!
I'll be looking for those to be well and truly eaten by the next post!

Mate, congratulations!
Amazing and awesome new toy!

Plus only 8 bikes?
Surely you need a rounded out 10?

Nah, all the best Kruz and I am extremely jealous.
Real happy for you.

Enjoy...

* Last updated by: yannih on 2/28/2022 @ 1:08 AM *

Thanks Yannih, 8 bikes in the garage is plenty right now, all I can manage really. Will get to work on that front chicken strip today...lol !

* Last updated by: Kruz on 2/28/2022 @ 8:13 AM *

Well, I had a post ready to go last night, took a gramps nap in front of the screen, computer was in sleep mode and I shut it off to go to sleep.

Anyway, I figured you appreciate the handling. Doubt the geometry changed between models, if it rides like the bmw line and their models. The overheating might be a tight engine and needing a little slow break-in. Seems the temp went down even flogging it.

The clutch throw is all about plate separation. If you can catch N, no creep, it's adjusted properly. Short of a warped plate, it's then when the rod needs to be sent farther out with an adjust at the pressure plate. Unless it's an arm actuated design and cable slack is the only adjust. And my guess is to walk up to the clutch cover, see no shaft sticking up at mostly near the center of the cover, or zero arm at the top of the clutch cover like the 14, it's 3 styles. Liquid self adjusts... Arm over the top of the clutch cover is cable adjust only... Clutch cover access hole for the locking screw... which one is you?

I'm curious about the shallow dot mark near the rain groove. I can see the wear dot at the lean angle area. Too bad those dots call the ball, but if you keep going, not even a set of tire warmers can keep it from walking out once the step is there at the groove, or dot gone at the cornering dot.

So if it's not a dot at the rain groove, it's saying still; that the step is going to occur on that [dot] side and if you see/feel the step, that is all she wrote on the crank over or it going to step out on you, wash the front... step is your friend. The parts saving, bone saving signal.

Signed,
Keep It Stock Club

Okay Kruzerman....Do you accept the challenge?Vids...we need VIDS lol.
Happy for ya...Aprilla..sweet.So tell me again...you're NOT gonna lean in clean to the edge on yer new baby are ya..the front I mean.

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 2/28/2022 @ 1:22 PM *

I think I'll go wit Hub's assessment.Yeah Kruz.Those tires on there I'm guessing are pretty low mileage right now.Maybe hold off a bit on 'no chicken strips on the front'.I hope getting this bike didn't come with a DEATH WISH secret program in there and just activates on it's own when it sees the rock wall comin up fast.

Thanks Hubster, all is good for now, dealer techs that setup the machine gave me about a nickle thick gap at the perch and it did not like that. I adjusted it in probably 2 full turns and moved the "bite" point back towards the grip. It's got a very nice clutch feel now, smooth and progressive but the 1100cc V-4 mill has a strange bit of a shudder at 3000-3500 rpm on the launch, all the forum guys say it's normal. From there on this thing pulls like a freight train, can you say torque! I've been up to 8000 rpm only on break in and redline is 13,600 rpm so I have a long way to go yet and it already feels mega strong, 80% of peak torque occurs at 6800 rpm, peak torque at 10,500 rpm and then peak HP just shy of the redline at about 13,000 rpm. The handling and brakes have to be experienced, this is going to become my favorite bike I think and will displace my '16 ZX-10R from the top spot. What is really cool is the flat exhaust note, sounds a lot like the cross plane crank R1 motor, it never feels like it's working hard and it's very easy to hit 105-110 mph without even knowing it, very deceptive. Part of that is the rock solid frame and swingarm, Aprilia knows a thing or three on how to build a MotoGp chassis and this bike has that DNA. Coolant Temperature turned out to be a non-issue. Today it was 62 F ambient and I was cruising just shy of 100 mph at 169-172 F indicated. Slowing to a stop at a long light took me up to about 185 F and then it cooled right back down again. The quick shift and auto blipper are supposed to be the best in the business and I believe it, these will spoil you. So for now at least, I'm super happy with my new bike especially after setting up the User Map for minimum intervention, all 1's except TC and ABS are set at 2 for a bit of a safety net. I imagine I'll set both down to 1 eventually as I get used to the bike. I'm trying to get Rook to buy one of these, I think it would be good for him...

Okay Kruzerman....Do you accept the challenge?Vids...we need VIDS lol.
Happy for ya...Aprilla..sweet.So tell me again...you're NOT gonna lean in clean to the edge on yer new baby are ya..the front I mean.

Grn, today I was down to a little over 3/8" on the front chicken strip, 0" on the rear. These are Pirelli Super Corsa Diablos and the RSV4 forum guys claim I won't be able to hit the edge of the front tire on the street, only on the track running lower pressures. I'm gradually working my way up to it by increasing corner speed and lean angle. I'm already seeing higher corner speeds than my other bikes on some of my favorite corners, this bike really handles and the suspension is the best out of all my bikes including the Ohlins equipped Repsol Honda CBR1000RRSP. OK, thanks for all of the support, this was a big step, almost $21,000 and I am hoping I did the right thing' You only live once baby!!!

* Last updated by: Kruz on 2/28/2022 @ 8:46 PM *

You only live once baby!!!

Bingo!!!

Okay Kruzerman....Do you accept the challenge?Vids...we need VIDS lol.

Grn, I don't have a GoPro currently but will try to have one of my riding buddies video me on the new RSV4.