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Manybikes
| | Posted on Thursday, June 12, 2014 - 07:31 am: | 
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Wadsalot..congrats on the purchase.
What year of XT? |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Thursday, June 12, 2014 - 11:30 am: |
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Sir wadsalot, the X probably felt tippy because the suspension wasn't set up for your weight. They handle just as well as the xt.
I hope you enjoy your purchase. |
Sir_wadsalot
| | Posted on Friday, June 13, 2014 - 09:52 am: |
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@ Turf_Moore-
I think it was more the fact that I felt like I was about to fall out of a rappel tower every time I leaned it over than the setup...the owner weighed the same as me, and had lowered it down until the lower triple was almost touching the reflectors.
I have heard this same complaint against the X from others, mostly non Buellers. And they are really sensative to setup, but still, the X and XT feel totally different to me. It's not that they don't handle, it's that the front height makes it so slow to transition. And I can't reach the ground  I'm sure once you get it turned and down, it rails!
Then again, I can't even SIT on a Multistrada lol.
@Manybikes-
I got an '08, that was the year they changed the engines, supposedly more dependable after that. I have a track crashed SV1000 and love that motor, I wanted to try a V-Strom 1K, and they're going relatively cheap right now, but they're just too TALL!
Supposedly the XT is only 1 inch shorter than the X, but it feels like a lot more to me. That said, I can stand up on the pegs and ride through the ditch into my front yard like a big trailie, but I can do that on my 1125R, as well. Seated.....what I can't do is ride on gravel with any kind of assurance, it's terrifying. The XT is heavy enough, with enough rear bias for good braking on loose surfaces. If all you're doing is light gravel and hard pack, and don't need the super high clearance, give an XT a try, if you can wrangle a test ride. I'm getting pretty much the same corner speeds on the street with it that I pull on the 1125. I have no doubt with adjustable rearsets (higher) I can hang off and get a knee down on the track. Near knee down cornering, all day comfort, perfect perch for the wife, stock luggage, heated grips, and fearless gravelry to boot? No brainer for me.
Cons-
1. No wind protection. I kind of like the street fighter feel, but winter's gonna be interesting.
2. The Harley engine. I don't like the shaking at idle, but it smooths out. It has a sweet side and likes to run- the only thing I really don't like is the shift action. It's really tight. The clutch is nice, but the actual shifter. I took a short ride in tennis shoes and like to broke my toe. I'm used to buttery smooth sportbike snickety snick shifts. I'll get over it though. If you're off road, at low speed, prolly not an issue at all. But don't expect Japanese smooth out of it. Of course, I've been on an 1125 for 3 years, rip your arms off fast and smooth as a babie's bottom. That's a big change for me.
Pros-
1. EVERYTHING.
2. The Harley engine- If you think of it as an air cooled "retro", like a Triumph Bonneville, it really works. It won't warp into highway traffic while flipping off Ferraris and pulling third gear power wheelies- but in real world conditions, on a nice back road, powering out of a curve with the wife on the back, it is a seriously sweet mill.
Hope that helps your decision process!
If you "need" the clearance and actually go off road, then you're most likely an X-Man. Road & track, light gravel? Check out an XT.
(Message edited by sir_wadsalot on June 13, 2014)
(Message edited by sir_wadsalot on June 13, 2014) |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Friday, June 13, 2014 - 08:48 pm: |
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It didn't handle because the other guy had lowered it. The whole geometry was upset. |
Turf_moor
| | Posted on Friday, June 13, 2014 - 08:49 pm: |
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A properly set-up XB12X handles as well as anything. |
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