Interference Fit

Indeed. New 2024 Africa Twin gives me the 'wows', especially as it now comes with a more road focussed 19" front wheel. Quite pricey though.

Sag was fully kitted up, immediately after the ride with just the slightest tippy toe side to side pressure (grams) to keep me balanced but with absolutely next to no weight on the floor, hence did it three times. Most of the variance was a slight paralax error on the tape and human variance. No wear pattern on the tyre(s) and feels well damped with hardly any perceptible 'bounce', just a nice, smooth, controlled reaction. Kind of feels fine as is. Enjoyed the ride out but constantly reminded 'it's a bent forward sports bike' every time I have to consciously relax my hand grip and take the weight off my wrists, which in turn forces my core and knees to tense and brace to support my bent forward upper body weight. I fully get this is just how sport bikes are and it's not a problem as such, other than at the end of every ride my internal dialogue says "Next bike must be a completely upright riding position so I don't have to think about relaxing and taking weight off my wrists)". But to balance this, the amount of people that glance, then glance again at the bike and give it a good looking over when in traffic reminds me it's a stunner (to me, anyway) and makes me feel special on it. Next bike must also do this. No boring or practical solutions. Needs to be special, cool and upright / comfortable.

Had to wait until my wife was available and after a ride, but the results are: Static sag just under 10mm. Rider sag between 26mm and 30mm (did it 3 times and it falls within that range).

Bought my one and only bike recently from Smith's Honda in Chester who were great from start to finish and I'd return again in a heartbeat if my next bike is another Honda. Just had it's first service and their after sales process was equally painless, efficient and professional.

Thanks - will investigate and report findings.

Pre-load only. Is there a prescribed method to assess where it needs to be set?

Thanks, it's been a brilliant journey. Just fitted the last piece of the puzzle, the darker, raised screen that was on back order when I collected the bike.

Took it to Honda for it's 600 mile service this morning and then gave it a wash and blow dry just now.

So not much I can do, huh? (I've lowered the levers since that pic). I'm bringing you bike shopping with me in the spring! Currently considering - Multistrada V2S, Moto Guzzi Stelvio and if I do go naked, maybe the new Duke 990, CB1000 Hornet or Harley Fat Bob or maybe the Hypermotard although that is a little 'youthful' for my age category.

I'll make a conscious effort to lower my shoulder and see what happens. I'm still fresh from my MOD2 lessons, so for example when turning right from a major into a minor road, I'm muscle memorised to look over my right shoulder before I commit to the turn, but I can't turn my head enough to be fully confident a car is not about to take me out. It was fine on the naked, but being bent forward, my helmet can't rotate enough.

One thing I've noticed going from an upright naked bike to a more leant forward CBR is that when trying to execute life savers, the chin area of my helmet hits my shoulders preventiung my turning my head as far as I'd like to perform life savers. Has anyone else experienced this and is there a prescribed technique to overcome? Even raising my head as much as possible doesn't make enough of a difference.

Welcome to the forum, I've just gone through the very same journey and I'm loving the time with my new bike so will watch with interest and chip in if I feel I can help, but the questions above are absolutely the starting point.

Thanks for a really detailed and helpful reply - I'll have a good read and digest and then assess where it's at and report back!

77kg ready to ride so close to the middle or just under the middle of what I suspect was Honda's window of operation. Front forks are non-adjustable. Rear only has pre-load, set to just the soft side of middle, which I guess can't be too far out given I'm just a bit lighter than average? Short answer, I've not checked, but with only rear pre-load to play with and the above parameters, I'd be surprised anything was amiss? It feels fine over speed bumps and humps.

That's the one! (typo).

I'm not very heavy at all, just over 11 stone, so I don't believe there are any suspension issues. Tyre pressures are as per the book - 42F / 36R. All your points make sense. As I'm in my late 40's, when I was first getting really into cars and bikes, it was the ZXR400 and ZXR750 that absolutely captivated me like no other bike, so a part of this journey, even if only temporary was to scratch the high revving, 4 cyl sports bike itch whilst they're still refining crude oil. From all the ones I sat on that could be considered novice friendly, this was the most accommodating and I have zero regrets. The alternative perspective is that I've only ever ridden the CB650R during my lessons, and now the CBR650R so have no other frame of reference of how a bike could feel (to actually ride), so it's difficult for me to judge whether something is good or not, other than I just love it objectively. When I get another bike, I look forward to being able to make comparisons and better work out what's right for my head, heart and body shape!

Hopefully Guzzi have the Stelvio at the NEC later this month, as it looks superb.

I wouldn't say I'm uncomfortable, I did 4 hours on it the other day without a problem, just that the tank pads weren't quite grippy enough. I've peeled them off this morning, cut them to a different shape and re-mounted them further forward, right under my knee contact patch and it feels like it'll be a bit more grippy. But.... I take your point re my size - it was the same situation on pretty much all the sports bikes and middle weight nakeds, the CBR being the least sporty riding position of the super sports. As it's my first bike, I didn't want something too big, heavy or unmanageable, and given I'd learned on the naked version, and I adore the looks and 4 cyl nature of it, if felt like the right choice for me with the ink still wet on my licence. Bikes like the CB500X, Transalp and V-Strom 800DE certainly felt better, but didn't light my fire in any way shape for form, where every time I look at my CBR and ride it, I get the big fizz. Having done nearly 600 miles on it now, I've learned a few things that will help me choose my next bike. 1) The fairing on the CBR is amazing and the wind protection is fantastic - I have to hold my hand out quite far to the side or above my helmet before I feel the edge of the air curtain - really is impressive. I think I'd miss that if I went back to the constant tiring wind blast of a fully naked bike. 2) I'd definitely like an upright riding position without any forward lean - negating consideration of core support, knee grip and anchoring. 3) The CBR makes me feel amazing and has confirmed the importance for the emotional fizz, not just practicalities. I'll certainly get another bike next year, but very well might keep the CBR in the stable as I've bonded with it and just really like it. I'm not a full on adventure bike guy, nor am I a traditional sport tourer fan, but maybe something like a Multistrada, or the new Guzzi Stelvio just revealed might do the trick. I had a good look at the BMWs the other week including the new GS, but just didn't make a connection - they felt a bit soulless to me. All good fun.

Your first paragraph and comment about the inside of the knee is spot on. My only contact patch with the sides of the tank with any kind of useable pressure is at the point where most tank pads stop up front. I never try to ride with a tuck, I just ride about in a chilled out position, arms relaxed, slightly bent elbows towards a playing the piano type posture with little to no weight on the wrists and my core braced to support my long back, which is bent forwards as its a CBR650R - the anchor/bracing comes from my knees as nothing else touches with any pressure at all. This is how I normally ride, albeit with a slightly more relaxed arm than shown here...

I hear you and agree, I can grip the bike with my legs, just not securely enough - the pads have helped, just not enough as they're not grippy enough. Just need something gripper so that when I am gripping, there is no slip. With these, there is still some slip, just not as bad as without. In short, they're not good enough for my needs. I find that through all of my leg to bike interface, I get the greatest mechanical advantage at the knees, but the entire upper leg is helping.

I use the knee grip to anchor myself to the bike so I can brace my core and back to take the weight off my wrists - this is what I've been advised by multiple sports bkie riders. If I can't grip the bike between my legs and knees properly, if I take the weight off my wrists, I flop forwards, so the knee grip is essential to hold and support that leant forward sports bike posture.

Thanks. It's the knees which are key for me as I use them to brace my posture and core to take the weight off my wrists and maintain a loose 'playing the piano' hand grip. With the Pro grips, they're always sliding and slipping a little. Better than not having them, but not the rubberised tool box liner type grip I was hoping for.

With a couple of hundred miles under my belt, my experience is that the 'Pro' version of these do not provide the level of grip I was looking or hoping for. I'd say they're about half way there but a little too fine, hard and shiny in surface texture to give enough traction. Despite pinching my legs and knees against them, I still slide forwards under breaking and have to frequently adjust my seating position, which I guess was part of the design brief for the Pro version. I'm looking for something that I imaging rubberised carpet underlay would provide - basically no slippage, so will probably peel these off and try again with the Evo and just accept the black colour, unless there are others I might try?

Just to update, the Grip Puppies are great - the thickness makes micro throttle adjustments so much easier to make and they have eliminated hand cramp, especially in the right hand. Highly recommended.

Welcome to the forum and motorcycling. I was in your position just recently having only passed my MOD2 in September. I recognise your fear of the unknown and can only offer up my own personal experiences of my first 500 miles I've clocked up since. At first, everything feels new and therefore has little or no frame of reference for what is normal - this is normal and will very quickly pass as you clock up the miles. I also remember the feeling that 50 mph might as well be 150 mph as I felt so vulnerable and insecure. My suggestion is to gain as much experience, familiarity and muscle memory as you can on familiar roads, in bright and hopefully dry conditions and don't feel under any pressure to advance beyond your comfort zone. Sometimes it takes things to become second nature and to happen in your subconscious to generate enough head space to tackle the next stage or challenge. What I found helped me was asking myself "what would I do in a car in this situation?", and do the same thing (taking into consideration safety based elements as well) as ultimately you are in control of a vehicle which needs to interact dynamically with the traffic around you and this is fundamentally the same whether its a car or bike. Another thing I quickly realised was that it helps to give yourself as much thinking and preparation time as possible, and that means reading what's up ahead and getting ready for it in good time - for example approaching a junction, slow down well in advance, select the right gear, get in the right position etc all in plenty of time, so that as you approach whatever road condition you find yourself trying to navigate, you can apply your full mental capacity to it, rahter than diverting some of it to shifting gears, balancing your breaking, clutch control etc. It will come to you quickly though so don't fret that it feels really daunting now - just get the first few rides out under your belt and only go at the pace you feel comfortable at.