So, a quick update now I'm 400 miles in on the new bike. Run-in will be complete after it's 600 mile oil change.
Firstly, it's very familiar, while also being different! The feel of the bike is the same. The controls are all in the same place but the mode of operation can be different. I thought I'd really miss the analogue tacho from the previous bike but I quite like the growing green line of the large TFT dash. A also find the electronic, semi-active suspension excellent, with it managing to soften up on bumpy Suffolk lanes while stiffening up when the road smooths out and the pace picks up. The "sky hook" technology appears excellent and keeps the whole thing steady and at a reasonably constant ride height.
The seat is definitely better than the previous Kawasaki unit but I'm still not sure I can retire my AirHawk seat cushion. I think it'll be getting a trip to the French Pyrenees.
I know I'm still running it in and l taking it gently, but the fuel consumption is definitely improved such that 220 is realistic to a tank. I have a weekend ride with some friends booked in a couple of weeks time. Mark, my Australian friend who is currently visiting the UK, will be riding my old H2 SX so I'll get a direct side-by-side comparison of fuel usage.
The active cruise control is both a benefit and a pain in equal measures. Firstly, the range of the radar re-sets to maximum every time the bike is switched off. Maximum is way too far away for my liking. Even medium is about 5ft longer than the distance I'd use to pull to the right lane for an overtake on a dual carriageway or motorway, which means that just as I'm making the shoulder check to move out, the bike starts decelerating. A little unnerving and frustrating. That said, being able to simply set the cruise in town, knowing it will speed up and slow down as the traffic ahead changes, is excellent.
I am also getting caught out in that, on the old bike, a light flick of the clutch lever would disable the cruise control, but not on the new bike. Instead, a hard close of the throttle seems to be the easiest way to disable it but that tends to happen after I've flicked the clutch lever only to find I'm not then slowing down!
The new bike has Brembo Stylema brakes fitted as standard. All the write-ups I read were saying how wonderful these brakes are but, in all honesty, I think there is just as much feel and bite from the Kawasaki brakes on the older bike. Both are excellent and pull 265kg of bike plus over 100kg of fully kitted rider to a controlled stop in very respectable distances. There's not much of a similar weight that can stop as short as a K1300S, but the H2 SX feels as if it's there.
The auto change of the dash colour/brightness according to ambient light is great and while I've not yet done a nigh ride, will, I'm sure, mike life a little easier.
One other minor frustration is that where the mirrors were crystal clear on the old one, regardless of either bike speed or engine speed, the mirrors on the new one do buzz very slightly at certain engine speeds. You can still see that there is something behind you but it's not so easy to tell if it has blue lights on the roof!
So, all in all, I'm still a very happy bunny and feel I've made absolutely the right choice of bike for how I ride.
Finally, I have been told that the newer '22 on bikes can now be flashed. There's no rush but I'll be looking at doing that at some point in the future. As with the old bike, more power is not required, but is always welcome.
