DJ_DC
Well travelled
- Location
- Northern VA, USA
Hi all,
I'm a new rider (1 month!) and my local RE dealer in Northern Virginia just happened to have a single Meteor 350 in stock when I stopped by with my short list of bikes to try. I took the plunge, brought it home, and have generally been thrilled with the bike, coming up on about 150 miles of back roads and coffee shop runs. The unseasonably warm weather has been a blast!
Like a few others have expressed in the forum, though, I'm not a big fan of the heel / toe shifter. I like the concept and have no problem with the mechanics of it, but I find I'm constantly fidgeting with my foot position to sit properly on both ends of the shifter, which is a bit distracting, and I'm also finding it easy to accidentally hit the heel plate when I don't mean to. Some of you will immediately say, "practice!" and yes, I know- but my satisfaction with the setup has declined rather than improved with experience.
So... Have you any of installed TEC's replacement toe-only setup? If so, what do you think of the new setup and the installation process?
ALSO: shift aside, my only real frustration with the bike has been the extensive "running in" period (we'd say "breaking in" in the U.S.) that RE requires on the M350: 310 miles for stage one, 1240 miles for stage 2. My dealer was fantastic in nearly every respect, but this extensive limit took me by surprise. I'm not ready for 65 mph on the highway regardless, but we have enough 55 mph larger local roads needed to get from Point A to Point B that I suspect the sub-50 mph limit will be...a challenge well in advance of that 1240 miles. Anyone else champing at the bit to get past this hurdle? For those of you have had your Meteor longer: have you found any difference in the way the bike runs, handles, or just feels following this running in period?
See you all out on the road!
I'm a new rider (1 month!) and my local RE dealer in Northern Virginia just happened to have a single Meteor 350 in stock when I stopped by with my short list of bikes to try. I took the plunge, brought it home, and have generally been thrilled with the bike, coming up on about 150 miles of back roads and coffee shop runs. The unseasonably warm weather has been a blast!
Like a few others have expressed in the forum, though, I'm not a big fan of the heel / toe shifter. I like the concept and have no problem with the mechanics of it, but I find I'm constantly fidgeting with my foot position to sit properly on both ends of the shifter, which is a bit distracting, and I'm also finding it easy to accidentally hit the heel plate when I don't mean to. Some of you will immediately say, "practice!" and yes, I know- but my satisfaction with the setup has declined rather than improved with experience.
So... Have you any of installed TEC's replacement toe-only setup? If so, what do you think of the new setup and the installation process?
TEC Meteor/Classic 350 Black Alloy Gear Lever and Linkage Kit
TEC Bike Parts USA, tecbikepartsusa.com, Triumph Motorcycle, Royal Enfield Motorcycle, Kawasaki Motorcycle, Honda Motorcycle, Norton Motorcycle, Commando Motorcycle, BMW Motorcycle, BSA Motorcycle, Café, Racer, Yamaha Motorcycle, Suzuki Motorcycle, Motorcycle, 900cc, Street, Twin, Cup...
www.tecbikepartsusa.com
ALSO: shift aside, my only real frustration with the bike has been the extensive "running in" period (we'd say "breaking in" in the U.S.) that RE requires on the M350: 310 miles for stage one, 1240 miles for stage 2. My dealer was fantastic in nearly every respect, but this extensive limit took me by surprise. I'm not ready for 65 mph on the highway regardless, but we have enough 55 mph larger local roads needed to get from Point A to Point B that I suspect the sub-50 mph limit will be...a challenge well in advance of that 1240 miles. Anyone else champing at the bit to get past this hurdle? For those of you have had your Meteor longer: have you found any difference in the way the bike runs, handles, or just feels following this running in period?
See you all out on the road!