I have a LOT to say about my all-time favorite motorcycle EVER.
But not on this goofy iPhone keyboard.
I’ll be back…
OK, so now I'm back.
I got the first year carb'ed model in 1997, and found it to be the BEST all-around street bike I've ever owned. I loved nearly everything about it, except for trying to reach those 4 spark plugs so deeep in the engine, and removing the bodywork and panels... much like the ST, in that regard.
Standing at 6ft no inches, 150 lbs before gear, this bike was literally all-day comfortable in stock form, for my build. I never found the need to tweak the windscreen, bars, pegs or seat, and in fact rode my first Saddlesore 1000 on the stock seat. As mentioned, some liked to swap the bars with those from the VFR, but I never did. I also left the stock pipes, because there was a subtle growl when wound up, they look really dialed in stylistically, and I don't like loud pipes on street bikes. If you feel the "need" more power, I can only imagine you are a track racer or maybe a drag racer.
Ultimately I bought a used Corbin saddle, but rarely rode on that because I didn't want to get it messed up in the rain, or have it fade in our hot summer sun.
For me, the slight forward lean was the perfect balance between a full-on tuck and sitting upright. My elbows didn't hurt, my back didn't hurt, and the wind hit me high in the chest to relieve any pressure on my arms or wrists.
I added aux driving lights and a ThrottleMeister in 40K miles. Oops, I DID add RaceTech Gold Valve cartridge emulators, as my riding was improving and I could push it in the mountain twisties to the point where the front end felt a little vague and uncertain. On premium sport rubber But only when I was really hustling, and with quick left-right-left turns. The RaceTech solved that issue and literally transformed that motorcycle into a genuine speedy-quick corner-carver, not just a straight-line missile. You could drag the belly panels on either side, but you would be really heeled over. I rarely touched down; I felt it had all the clearance it needed in curves.
Added a Givi WingRack 2 (I think that was the model) which didn't look dorky at all, blended nicely and was almost unnoticeable without the bags on it. But when I added 2 40-liter sidecases and a 45-liter top trunk, I could live off the bike for 2 weeks, and it then WAS the sport-tourer as advertised. Black cases with a touch of red trim, they did not look out of place, and I wish I could find my pictures of it decked out. I repeat, it did NOT look like a dork-mobile, and I saw it as stately and somewhat sinister, because most people had no idea of the untapped power they walked by when it was at rest. Gotta love a shiny black motorcycle.
As for speed, I would occasionally outrun several Porsche's in straight-line showoff bouts -- and THEY always started it, not me. Honest.
Got a speeding ticket for 93 in a 55 zone; it was late at night and I was actually going faster than that.
Didn't usually get reckless fast (arguable, I know) but really enjoyed the acceleration and the all-day power. At some point, I did give in to the "how fast will it go, really? temptation, as it WAS the fastest production motorcycle when it was introduced. Fastest I ever went was 140 on the interstate, but it was a long uphill curve at 1am and when I found I was having to really push the bars for that curve, I decided to back off. Funny thing, I never even noticed the curve at all, in the decades of riding that stretch at normal speeds. But at 140, I could tell the motor had even more power and speed to deliver.
OK, I'm going long. My last stupid speed story:
Before my wife and I were married, her father passed away and I was invited to the funeral, and that was the first occasion I had to meet all her family. I was to be in Montgomery, 90 miles south of my apartment, at 0900 Saturday morning. It takes 90 minutes on average to drive there, but I woke up LATE! and had to rush, rush, rush. I had a wool-blend suit, dress shoes and shirt with tie that I put in the top box, and pulled out of the garage at 8:05, sweating bullets.
Running 100mph, interstate all the way, I made it in under an hour but was there on time to change and meet the family.
And I was a nervous wreck, watching for cops and wandering cars on the highway. No incidents, no tickets, but I will NEVER do that again. Not recommended.
When I look for used Blackbirds I see most people butcher the rear turn signals, and the rear fender, and put on ratty pipes. Finding a STOCK one is difficult but not impossible, and I've seen good clean low-mileage ones for under $4000, and I think that's a pretty decent price for what you get. I think the stylists and designers did a great job and I love the stock bike, visually. All the metric fairing fasteners carry a subtle 6-divot pattern around the circumference, which is echoed on the rear of the exhaust pipes. Just little styling cues I appreciate.
So, by now you might be asking "why did you get rid of it if you liked it that much?", and that's because I realized that to move my riding skills to the next level, I needed to learn to ride in dirt and offroad.
Enter the KTM 950 Adventure -S.
NOTE: the CBR1100XX (Blackbird) has an early version of LBS, so the brakes are very, very similar to the ST1300 linked brakes. Maybe identical, right down to the SMC.
He had a Yoshi can on it... man did it sound good!
