Dave Sonsky: Editor
Miles: 1200
Skulls and tribal flames?...
Skulls and tribal flames? Oh my. There's definitely some work to be done.
There's no way for me to be anything but brutally honest about the R1-I'm not feeling it so far. It runs hot, is down on power compared to the others in its class, feels top heavy and isn't all that pretty. OK, looks are subjective, so I'll let that one slide.
The other issues, however, must be resolved. It shouldn't be difficult to get the bike's performance up to par, and I dare say there's a chance that I might even fall in love when all of the upgrades are said and done. Then again, perhaps I'll only grow more distant. Time will tell.
The top priority is to get some respectable numbers on the dyno, so off to the garage I go. In the meantime, head over to our Web site to place your bets about how much power I can pile on top of the 143 stock horses. Or should I say paltry ponies?
Next Month: ECU flash from ECUnleashed.