Classic Velocity

Unlike the many vintage vehicles that I have restored or repaired, the RT has no need for a gradual increase in miles in order to prove long distance readiness following a change/upgrade. However, a longer ride is a good opportunity to see how a new adjustment or Farkle is working. And so it was that the RT headed out for the day with a new regular seat, and some driving lights. A few hundred miles of B roads and a bit of interstate, with a picturesque stop in the middle. It was tough to judge the driving lights in the daytime, but the seat was as comfortable as expected, and a world of improvement over the low version.

Some twisties allowed for a bit more evaluation of the handling and suspension. I really could not tell any improvement over the 2010, but that is not a knock on the 2016. It handles superbly for a big tourer, and is probably even more impressive if I took the bags off and turned up the wick even further. Oh wait, the crashbars would remain…What I did notice once again, was the torque available from any gear, particularly in Dynamic mode where the throttle is sharper. The only negative came when I encountered a narrow closed road, and needed to make a u-turn. Suddenly, the bike weighed all of its 600+ lbs. The solution, however, is simple. Don’t stop. Not a problem on this machine.