If you are going to ride your mates GS, put your Blackbird up for sale NOW
Peter
PS: Welcome to the site !
Spot on advice, new to the GS myself after a very modified ZZR1400 and twenty five years of sportsbikes so know where you are coming from.
Just ride the GS for as long as you can, they feel very different with a very light floaty feel at the front and a weird power delivery.
Revs do not do so much as throttle opening which is the other way round from jap fours, give it a big handful and you will find it much quicker than you expect from the specs, use small openings and it will feel very flat, especially at higher revs, grab a handful and it is plenty quick enough to make you grin.
Try all types of roads, on smooth fast A-Roads the GS is OK, but get onto B-Roads and back lanes and they are great, roads I never used near me on other bikes because they were "no good" are now great fun.
Riding position is real comfy and good for many more miles than the sportsbike (handy for me as we do 3,000 mile Euro-tours) and the bike is good all year round, leaves, damp patches, pot-holes and every other thing that ruined your ride-out in the past make little odds on a GS.
I test rode an ESA bike and it does work, makes a good difference between modes and is very convenient, the downside for me was the suspension is not great and I fancy Ohlins down the line so saved by buying a non ESA bike so I could put cash towards better kit, but if you would never do this, but do switch between one-up and two-up a lot the ESA is probably worth having.
The best bit is I am havinf fun at legal(ish) speeds, the ZZR was a liability, I am sure the Bird is similar, below 100 it felt like you were crawling along and the most "natural" crusing speed seemed to be about 120 - OK on Autobahns, but not ideal in our Talivan controlled country.
The GS seems to sit happily at around 80 and by 90 feels at the upper end of a comfy cruise - perfect for eating up French Motorways on the way to the Alps, yet slow enough to stop you having an uncomfortable visit to the local courts.
Plus of course you can take to gravely lanes, unpaved roads, or even a bit of off-road if you fancy it.
Still miss the speed of the ZZR, don't miss the fear of being caught!
Don't ask about what goes wrong, the list seems endless and expensive, after a ride you will want one regardless, a warranty is the only solution as your gonna buy one anyway!
