Power

Hey Folks, I’m about 150 miles in to riding my SFV4S. I’m still easing into it and not yet comfortable accessing all the power.

@bp_SFV4 I see what you mean about street mode. It requires a lot of throttle travel to get the revs up. I’ve started using sport mode and it’s not as sensitive as I thought (which is good).

I was wondering when and how the power starts to come in. I’ve been running under 6500 rpm (break in) and I can feel some of the power but not the rush I was expecting. It could also be because I’m still to tentative.

Appreciate any pointers.

Its right about 7K where it tears off. Try the dynamic/high throttle once on a nice straight stretch of pavement. Twist it like it owes you money and report back. I wouldn't worry about that break-in limit all that much. I wouldn't be doing power launches over and over, but I think its more important to vary the revs and try to get equal time in all of the gears to bed them in.

As much as people focus on the zoom, more important is being good with the brakes. Practice max effort stopping from various speeds.

bp_SFV4 said:

Its right about 7K where it tears off. Try the dynamic/high throttle once on a nice straight stretch of pavement. Twist it like it owes you money and report back. I wouldn't worry about that break-in limit all that much. I wouldn't be doing power launches over and over, but I think its more important to vary the revs and try to get equal time in all of the gears to bed them in.

As much as people focus on the zoom, more important is being good with the brakes. Practice max effort stopping from various speeds.

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This is good advice.

I would tell you to pin the throttle and short shift if you feel it gets a bit too crazy but this bike gets more powerful with every gear. So my recommendation is to ramp it in each gear separately to get a feel of the power increase then try upshifting through the pull.

Keep in mind that DWC will affect how much power you’re putting down.


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I rode Street mode for over 1000 miles (moving up from a 950 Hyper with about 115hp) but now having set to Sport I'm loving the more direct and taut feel from the front end (I appreciate you can adjust these settings in Street). I too didn't worry about rev limits as much as varying revs and gears. I don't find the extra 50hp intimidating, the bike controls my ham fisted delivery so well.

Thanks folks, this is really helpful. I’m going to find a nice long stretch of straight desert highway and give it a go. Will report back soon.

@bp_SFV4 regarding the brakes. I’ve been easy on them during brake in. How long until I can really use them?

Like anything else, be progressive. The first day you ride I wouldn't practice 100mph to zero for a few hours over and over. But, I would suggest learning how to go from 35mph to zero. You should be able to get the rear to lift a few inches pretty easily.

A good street skill is to be able to go from 35 to zero and back to 35mph quickly. Just because you can stop fast doesn't mean the cars behind you will.

Thanks again! I’ll give it a go. Wasn’t sure what the break in for the brakes was, so I’ve been taking it easy on them.

Btw, I’ve started stretching the bike’s legs a bit. I’ve figured out my main issues:

1. it sounds so damn angry above 6,000 rpm. I’m not used to it, so taking a bit to get my brain used to that (glorious) engine sound and not shifting until further into the rev range.
2. I’m still getting used to riding a naked. The riding position is so exposed compared to my F900XR.

Getting there. Just need to keep pushing on it.

Thanks again for the advice. Really helpful!

No worries. On the street you'll probably always shifting way below redline. Totally normal. The fun thing is you can find a nice twisty road and never leave 3rd or 4th.

Hey @bp_SFV4, I spent the weekend canyon riding and trying out a bunch of different settings...

Wow!

I get it now. The power and torque are amazing. The delivery is so progressive and linear as well. It's amazing how well they have engineered this bike.

My tentativeness on the throttle was because I was expecting all 208 horses to explode at some point. Turns out that doesn't happen and the power delivery is safe and linear. Once I figured that out, I had no problem "wrenching it like it owes you money" The torque is everywhere!

I briefly tried the Dynamic throttle. That's much more responsive and about the same level of sensitivity as my F900XR. I'm still not there mentally yet, so sticking with Smooth throttle for a bit longer (but wrenching it a lot more!).

The other important skill I learned was how to hang on. Seriously Under serious acceleration, I've found leaning forward and hanging on really, really tightly helps a lot!

The handling is also amazing. Braking, tip-in, corner exit. All fantastic!

I'm very, very happy. It has taken me a while to get over my tentativeness, but feeling really good now

Thanks again for the advice. That was super helpful!

For sure.

Squeeze the tank with your thighs when getting into it so you stay very light on the bars. Think of it as you should be able to play the piano. Very light grip on the bars.

tank grips ... first thing I put on my bike

Thanks folks. I put my tank grips on this weekend and I’ve been using them a lot!

devlaps said:

Thanks folks. I put my tank grips on this weekend and I’ve been using them a lot!

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Enjoy and…

You’re welcome! [emoji16]


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