Thoughts after ~200 miles

[Blue42]

My thoughts on the bike after about 200 miles of riding:

This thing has the best wind protection of any bike I've ever been on.  Better than the Goldwing GL1800.  Better than the BMW K1600 GT.  And this is a big deal to me.  I hate having the wind blasting my chest, helmet, arms, legs, and don't really see how other people can tolerate it for long rides at 50 mph or faster on other bikes.  I also hate being left to hang out in the cold.  The Trophy will let me ride in cold weather without freezing and wishing I hadn't gone out. 

It feels light and nimble.  I feel confident riding it.  No way I'll drop it in a parking lot, I can easily adjust my angles when I'm riding, I could make emergency maneuvers easily.  It feels like I could ride it around off road without a problem.  I actually already did once a little bit, and bounced it over some tree roots without issue.  In comparison, the BMW K1600GT, which is supposed to only be about 80 lbs heavier, feels like a rhino that I am barely in control of, and wouldn't even want to take on a gravel road. 

The transmission feel and controls are great.  The thing will shift a lot of the time without even any audible "clunk" or noise at all.  The clutch and brake levers are easy to get to. 

The front of the seat, and the tank, are wide, which makes it a little uncomfortable.  I think I can improve this with peg drops and bar risers. 

There is some gear whine that could be improved on.  Not too bad, but could be better.  I think my Kawasaki Concours was noisier, but the K1600GT is a lot quieter. 

The biggest negative point for me is that I don't like the engine.  At least not the sounds from it.  I'm afraid that I like racy four cylinder engines, and there's just no curing it.  I rode an older ~2002 BMW RT1150 some years ago, and it felt like a truck.  Terrible.  I rode a couple adventure bikes with twins:  very bad.  The triple is better than any of those.  But still not my wish.  My first bike was a 2000 Honda VFR 800.  I can still hear the sound and feel of that engine in my dreams.  Second was a Kawasaki Concours 1400.  That engine might have been even better than the VFR in a couple ways.  It was awesome.  The K1600GT inline 6 is nice too, although it's just crazy with the torque and I would rather not kill myself, so that engine is just too much for me.  Maybe those first two engines spoiled me for life.  Anything else I've ridden feels/sounds like it's wrong. 

If I was taking my pick, I think I would have to still pick the Trophy over any other bike I've ever owned, or ridden.  I just wish I could put a four cylinder engine in it. 

[Novocastrian]

If you are using the standard screen,  fit a V stream for even better wind protection.  Your comment about never dropping in a parking lot....I guess you know the saying pride goes before a fall.  As for the other observations....wear earplugs, or like the rest of us,  develop a liking for the industrial engine sound 

[STJIM]

I have a C-14 in addition to my Trophy.

The Trophy has plenty of punch in the midrange, but runs out of steam compared to the C-14 at higher RPMS.   The C-14 is a rocket ship compared to the Trophy, altho the Trophy is plenty fast for me.

When the throttle is opened on the Trophy,  I think it sounds better ( meaner ) than the C-14 does - just my 2 cents.  And if I didn't know the Trophy has 3 cylinders I don't think I would even notice the difference between the Tophy & C-14, surprisingly - just my 2 cents again.

BTW : With the bike parked and in neutral do you notice any difference in transmission gear noise with the clutch pulled in ( quieter ) or out ?

[Trophyed-Up]

You could improve the sound with an after market exhaust. 

[Blue42]

Originally Posted by Novocastrian

If you are using the standard screen,  fit a V stream for even better wind protection.  Your comment about never dropping in a parking lot....I guess you know the saying pride goes before a fall.  As for the other observations....wear earplugs, or like the rest of us,  develop a liking for the industrial engine sound 

Okay, well it was grass and not a parking lot, but I dropped it yesterday.  So your remark proves true. 
Wife was on the back, I was almost at a stop, trying to make a sharp turn, going slow, without putting my feet down. No harm done, but lesson learned.  Again. 
And I can tell you, the bike is heavier than you think as soon as it starts tilting.  And I'm about 180 lbs solid, and I couldn't get the bike back up without the wife's help. 

STJIM, I don't get any gear noise except when in gear and moving.   I have to claim some ignorance of motorcycle transmission design of how the clutch is designed, but with a car, if you push the clutch in at idle, transmission noise (like a rattling) will go away because the transmission (gearbox) is no longer being spun.  The BMWs have some serious gear rattle, at least on the Z4, and when you push in the clutch it goes away.  But the noise on the Trophy is gear whine, while spinning, with torque applied 
 And with the Concours engine, I agree.  The Trophy is also fast enough for me.  When I open it up all the way, I want to apologize to the engine an ask it not to hurt me.  I can feel some buzziness compared to the 4 cylinder engines or the inline 6, of course, but I think it's mostly the sounds that I miss. 

[STJIM]

I don't feel anything through the handlebars with the Grip Buddies ( not Grip Puppies ) I have installed mainly to save the grip rubber of the heated grips.  The larger grip diameter with the Grip Buddies installed also make the grips more comfortable, IMO.  And the Grip Buddies don't seem to affect the grip heaters that much.

[wjenkins229]

Originally Posted by STJIM

I don't feel anything through the handlebars with the Grip Buddies ( not Grip Puppies ) I have installed mainly to save the grip rubber of the heated grips.  The larger grip diameter with the Grip Buddies installed also make the grips more comfortable, IMO.  And the Grip Buddies don't seem to affect the grip heaters that much.

I agree with the Grip Buddies, I was looking for something right away after my first few rides, the grips were too narrow for me.  I grew up on Kuryaken Grips on my Goldwing and the narrowness of the stock Triumphs cramped my hands. 

As for the noise, that turbine whine I perceive compared to the hum of my old horizontally opposed Goldwing, I now wear Ear Peace and the bike sounds good, the whine is completely gone and you can hear the engine working instead with a throaty sound.