New Member in Bellingham, WA

Hey there YOYO. I loved the GS. But it is huge and even though the 1090 is only about 30lbs lighter it feels much more than that. It is more nimble and the power band seems to be sharper. The geometry of the bike is just better for my style of riding. I grew up in the 70s racing desert in So Cal and still prefer the feel of a dirt bike over the feel of a more street oriented bike. Another thing about the GS that I wasn’t fond of was its handling on steep down hills..It just felt like it was pulling me down the hill with no control. I like riding the bike not feeling like the bike is riding me. LOL. I am a week or so away from my first service. Love the 1090 a whole lot so far. My buddy told me to turn off the traction control and suddenly I could feel every one of the 125HP the bike has. It definitely is putting a smile on my face. Heading out in an hour or so for a group ride.

On the Speed shift. There isn’t any mention of it in the owners manual where the heated grips and oil temp are. Is the speed shift just a plug in item or is it something that hooks up to the shifter or clutch?

I had a good ride. Got up on some logging roads on Mt Baker. It's a fun bike to drift through the corners. My buddy loves his MotoZ tire on the rear but still runs his TKC80 on the front. I figure I will wear out my TKC 80s and figure out if I replace them or get new ones. So far I am happy with them. My BMW ran Mitas 07s..I liked them on the road, not much vibration but they lacked a bit in the dirt. I don’t have enough miles on my bike yet to have any rattles. Still trying to figure out how to get the fairing off so I can wire in an outlet and my GPS. Nothing is easy any more when you have to disassemble half the bike to plug in a couple of wires. LOL.

Iceland. I love Iceland. I have only been there once but would love to go back and spend more time there. Great fly fishing there. I stopped over there on my last trip to Norway. Icelandic Air needs more comfortable seats. Long time from Seattle to Reykjavik on a 2X12. KLM through Amsterdam is a lot cushier.lol. I was kind of blown away being able to put one foot in Europe and the other in North America. Really cool place.

I won’t be getting the speed shift. I was just curious about it. I am not all that into technology. I will be getting the heated grips though. Fall and early spring riding sure is a lot nicer with the heated grips. I have a list of upgrades I am looking at slowly taking care of. The Black Dog Cycle Works skid plate and kick stand relocation parts are going to be my next up grades. Not sure why KTM even bothered with the plastic cover on the bike. I know their skid plate costs over 300 but their cost is probably less than 10..just not sure why they don’t just put one on the bike before it leaves the factory.

Have fun in Iceland. Enjoy the hot springs.