Issue:
November/December 2003

Text:
Christian Neuhauser

Photography:
Christian Neuhauser

Pages:
80 - 83

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Drizzle and sunshine
After a one hour briefing finally I get the key to activate a pearl-white beauty, and just like we practiced seven journalists and a handful of Yamaha guys start their bikes at the same time and the deep chorus rumbles. At that moment, other guests at the Morro Bay Inn may have stirred in their slumber thinking of thunderstorms.

Our tour begins and Brad guides Paul, George, and me out of town. On Hwy 1, I feel the smooth power delivery when I open the throttle a bit more and let the 1670cc V-twin start its work. At the first stoplight, Brad runs through part of the huge cruiser's impressive repertoire: stoppies, slides, and a little burnout.

The atmospherics at play in the grey curtain worsen and somewhere near Cambria it starts to drizzle and later, on Hwy 46, the bottom falls out with thick drops pelting my helmet. But even on the wet surface this 735 pounds of bike handles well. Around Paso Robles the rain is falling extremely hard and Brad decides we should stop at a nice bakery along Hwy 46. A sharp left turn surprises us. Following my strong pull on the right lever, the newly designed dual-front 298mm brake discs and their four-piston monoblock calipers change my mind about cruisers and one of the knocks against them – their weak brakes. Yamaha understands not only sport bikes need excellent brakes; stopping heavy bikes in a short distance is equally important. These brakes are certainly critical components of the new model....