I owned my 13 for 15 months and 9500 klm. Mainly work commuting from inner city to Sydney CBD about 12 klm a day and every second weekend out for a few hundred klm runs in fast twisties. A small amount of gravel and light offroad. I would have kept it had it not expired but as it was I took a 15 replacement with a small cash adjustment from me.
So, I was a little anxious about the new 2015 and in particular about the new engine/heavier crankshaft compared to the 13. I am still running it in so have not yet caned it but I can say that I feel that it is just a little less quick revving but it matters not because there appears to be increased torque so you do not need the quick revs. It is almost impossible to stall compared to the 13 and it crawls along in traffic quiet slowly and is very easy to manage.
The gearbox is just sublime, no clunking whatsover in any gear. The gearshifter is almost like a hair trigger compared to my 13. The GSAP works exactly as advertised and has now become my default method of changing gears. It is great to just bang the gears up and down without worrying about the clutch, I know that sounds weird but it just gives you more time when things are moving too fast to concentrate on getting up and down the gears as quickly as possible.
The steering seems a lot quicker than I recall on my 13 with Tourance Next, the 15 came with Anakee III which so far have rewarded me with good grip and confidence in the dry and wet. I recall on my 13 that there was always a perceptable lag in the steering from input to lean whereas the 15 just responds a lot quicker to input.
The keyless start & fuel cap opener is really useful and is so far reliable.
A major change I have noticed is the ride height. I was barely able to flat foot my 13 but this 15 seems to have a bit more travel in the rear spring and seems to settle lower than my 13. The result is that I can easily flat foot and even stand up with the bike seat just below my crotch. I have re-checked with the dealer, they say I do not have a low version so I am stumped. On a recent 200 klm run I felt like I could feel every bump in the road surface and upon stopping I came to the conclusion that the front shock is too stiff, the dealer advised to run it around a bit more to see if it improves, it seems to be getting better as the ride around town is getting more comfortable. Who knows, I will give it a bit longer.
I am noticing that on medium to hard acceleration that the rear drops a bit more than I recall and it is almost as if the front wheel wants to lift. I do like being lower in the seat but I am suspect the rear spring of compressing too much. I also recall that I was always sitting close up to the tank on my 13 wheras on this 15 I am more often at the rear of the seat. The seat is in the low position as was my 13.
Because I am sitting lower, the bike feels lighter and is certainly easy to move around in traffic either under power or paddling around with my feet.
Overall I like it and am pleased I upgraded to this model. I bought the Arctic White with black chassis, I must say that I am finding the colour combo a little less appealing than my 13 red.
So, I was a little anxious about the new 2015 and in particular about the new engine/heavier crankshaft compared to the 13. I am still running it in so have not yet caned it but I can say that I feel that it is just a little less quick revving but it matters not because there appears to be increased torque so you do not need the quick revs. It is almost impossible to stall compared to the 13 and it crawls along in traffic quiet slowly and is very easy to manage.
The gearbox is just sublime, no clunking whatsover in any gear. The gearshifter is almost like a hair trigger compared to my 13. The GSAP works exactly as advertised and has now become my default method of changing gears. It is great to just bang the gears up and down without worrying about the clutch, I know that sounds weird but it just gives you more time when things are moving too fast to concentrate on getting up and down the gears as quickly as possible.
The steering seems a lot quicker than I recall on my 13 with Tourance Next, the 15 came with Anakee III which so far have rewarded me with good grip and confidence in the dry and wet. I recall on my 13 that there was always a perceptable lag in the steering from input to lean whereas the 15 just responds a lot quicker to input.
The keyless start & fuel cap opener is really useful and is so far reliable.
A major change I have noticed is the ride height. I was barely able to flat foot my 13 but this 15 seems to have a bit more travel in the rear spring and seems to settle lower than my 13. The result is that I can easily flat foot and even stand up with the bike seat just below my crotch. I have re-checked with the dealer, they say I do not have a low version so I am stumped. On a recent 200 klm run I felt like I could feel every bump in the road surface and upon stopping I came to the conclusion that the front shock is too stiff, the dealer advised to run it around a bit more to see if it improves, it seems to be getting better as the ride around town is getting more comfortable. Who knows, I will give it a bit longer.
I am noticing that on medium to hard acceleration that the rear drops a bit more than I recall and it is almost as if the front wheel wants to lift. I do like being lower in the seat but I am suspect the rear spring of compressing too much. I also recall that I was always sitting close up to the tank on my 13 wheras on this 15 I am more often at the rear of the seat. The seat is in the low position as was my 13.
Because I am sitting lower, the bike feels lighter and is certainly easy to move around in traffic either under power or paddling around with my feet.
Overall I like it and am pleased I upgraded to this model. I bought the Arctic White with black chassis, I must say that I am finding the colour combo a little less appealing than my 13 red.
