So... went to the DMV about 15min before it opened and there was already about 15 people milling around..... where the hell do all these procrastinators come from? Just about every one of 'em had a renewal notice in their hand. I wondered out loud if the online renewal service was down? 2 guys looked at each other kinda funny, walked back to their cars and left. OK... not only are we a bunch of procrastinators.... we're not very bright either.
2hrs later....
The young lady who helped me was extremely friendly, extremely flirty and extremely cute. So in the end, it was worth every minute.
So, I took her (the bike... you nasty boys... not the girl
) out and rode around town for about 30 min. That was about the limit for my knee. Definitely gotta get busy on some new pegs.
First impressions: For starters... nothin' fell off.
Engine pulls nice and strong. I'm thinkin' I'm a tad rich mid range... but that's just an impression. It's plenty close enough to break the rings in and then we'll worry about fine tuning. Vibrations are pretty low compared to other XS's I've owned. Again, an impression based on my memory of 20yrs ago. No oil leaks... everything's still dry as a bone. I'm extremely pleased with the engines mechanical noise. Very quiet... almost like a modern bike
Exhaust note is also nice... deep and throaty. I'm on the fence as to whether or not it's loud enough, but I worry that if I drill holes in the baffles, it'll change the tone.. Gonna have to think long and hard about that one.
The only problem I've encountered so far is that the shift lever got gradually stiffer as I rode. To the point that sometimes I'd have to nudge it back to center. Kinda odd 'cause it was shifting perfectly when I started out. All in all though... very pleased.
Front forks still have a little stiction from the new seals but I could feel them loosening up a bit as I rode.... so I think they'll be fine.
The Ebay rear shocks are STIFF. I only weigh about 160 and there's not much springiness there. I"ll give it some time and see if they loosen up some, but I might be lookin to get some better ones.
All in all, I'm tickled pink.