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At last, a sunny afternoon and I took the opportunity for a couple of hours on the Scout Sixty. Now that it's done over 400 miles I've been taking the revs higher occasionally, and getting a better idea of what this bike's going to be like. So far, I have no regrets about this purchase.
Front suspension: I haven't been troubled by fork-dive at all. So, either my previous bikes have been worse than I realised, or any problems have been addressed.
Rear suspension: although I can feel some bumps, I've driven it hard over a variety of surfaces, and on most it rides very smoothly, with no noticeable bottoming out. Again, either my previous bikes were worse than I realised, or any problems have been addressed.
Speedo: the numbers are very dimly lit, making it hard to read at night; however, judging by my satnav/gps, it's the most accurate speedo I've ever had - at legal speeds anyway.
Ground clearance: is a little less than I expected: I haven't quite worked out where to put my feet on the pegs to stop my boots scraping on sharp turns.
Tyres: the Kendas seem fine to me in the dry and I've not had problems in heavy rain; but on damp roads they slide like other tyres do when they need replacing; I anticipate changing them to Pirellis or Michelins.
Fuel consumption: both full tanks have returned 54 mpg, giving a theoretical range of 150 miles with mixed riding.
Acceleration: there is plenty; overtaking is easy at any speed in double digits. I have accidentally turned the throttle all the way (not to full revs) a few times, but I think that's only because the throttle movement is less than on my previous bikes
Vibration: this bike is amazingly smooth below about 4500 rpm, making cruising at speeds up to 85mph very relaxing; and really, there's no need to take it above that to accelerate. Above 5000rpm, I can feel some buzz-type vibration through the saddle, and then the bars - not a problem if you want to use those revs for acceleration, although there seems little point in doing so - but I guess it could get tiring if you wanted to cruise at 90mph or more.
Finish: this is a little disappointing: the paint on the right side of the tank seems scuffed already, presumably where my knee touches; there is also a place on the headlight where the brake cable has worn the paint through to the metal, which seems to be because of the routing of the ABS cable.
So, the disappointments are few and the joys are many. I'll be booking in for the 500 mile service, and looking forward to the many miles ahead.
Front suspension: I haven't been troubled by fork-dive at all. So, either my previous bikes have been worse than I realised, or any problems have been addressed.
Rear suspension: although I can feel some bumps, I've driven it hard over a variety of surfaces, and on most it rides very smoothly, with no noticeable bottoming out. Again, either my previous bikes were worse than I realised, or any problems have been addressed.
Speedo: the numbers are very dimly lit, making it hard to read at night; however, judging by my satnav/gps, it's the most accurate speedo I've ever had - at legal speeds anyway.
Ground clearance: is a little less than I expected: I haven't quite worked out where to put my feet on the pegs to stop my boots scraping on sharp turns.
Tyres: the Kendas seem fine to me in the dry and I've not had problems in heavy rain; but on damp roads they slide like other tyres do when they need replacing; I anticipate changing them to Pirellis or Michelins.
Fuel consumption: both full tanks have returned 54 mpg, giving a theoretical range of 150 miles with mixed riding.
Acceleration: there is plenty; overtaking is easy at any speed in double digits. I have accidentally turned the throttle all the way (not to full revs) a few times, but I think that's only because the throttle movement is less than on my previous bikes
Vibration: this bike is amazingly smooth below about 4500 rpm, making cruising at speeds up to 85mph very relaxing; and really, there's no need to take it above that to accelerate. Above 5000rpm, I can feel some buzz-type vibration through the saddle, and then the bars - not a problem if you want to use those revs for acceleration, although there seems little point in doing so - but I guess it could get tiring if you wanted to cruise at 90mph or more.
Finish: this is a little disappointing: the paint on the right side of the tank seems scuffed already, presumably where my knee touches; there is also a place on the headlight where the brake cable has worn the paint through to the metal, which seems to be because of the routing of the ABS cable.
So, the disappointments are few and the joys are many. I'll be booking in for the 500 mile service, and looking forward to the many miles ahead.
