My last two blog entries are about the death of friends, so it is odd that this one is also about death. Only this time it's about the death of a motorcycle. Yesterday I said goodbye to my trusted friend "VSP", a Honda ST1300 Pan-European which I have used for the past two years or so with the Freewheelers blood bikes charity. VSP was getting a bit old at six years and long in the tooth with nearly 90,000 miles on the clock so its days were numbered. Yesterday I rode its replacement – a shiny new Yamaha FJR1300.
As soon as I rode the bike I hated it. The first thing I did was stall it. Then I nearly dropped it. It was horrible and I was determined to find fault. It didn't feel the same, it didn't sound the same, it had a really jerky clutch, it felt strange going around corners, the lights were different, the throttle was too sensitive. I came back home last night after riding nearly 100 miles and I hated it. I wanted VSP back. This morning I rode the FJR1300 again. This time I approached it with a more open mind. I relaxed my posture when riding and suddenly the bike became smooth and fluid through the bends. Relaxing made the clutch and throttle much easier too. I learned to enjoy the noise, a joyful burble at low revs that rises to a banshee wail above 6000 RPM. Now, after 300 miles I'm really enjoying this new bike. The Pan-European and FJR1300 are both 1300cc, 4-cylinder sports-tourer motorcycles, but they are chalk and cheese. The FJR is more sports and the Pan is more tourer. The Pan is big and heavy and solid and predictable. The FJR is light and flighty and I guess I can never quite drop my concentration, as I suspect it will bite back without much provocation. I shan't forget the Pan, and in a way I'm glad that it's replacement isn't trying to be the same bike. Vive la difference!
