Okay, but the review is going to come in chunks ....
Today I had a revelation that could be relevant to the conversation. I noticed that it was much easier to sit at a traffic signal with the BFG ... it dawned on me that the bike is top heavy. duh
LOL
I had been used to the fact that if you let it tip ever so slightly one way or the other, it takes some leg to hold it up ... am I right? yes
That must be because it's a heavy as F*** HUGE bike right? yup
I can sit at a light now and toss it back and forth, one leg to the other with little effort or care in the world that its going to get away from me and try to fall. HMMM, must be the tire? Uh-hu
So, I've said that I got used to the tendency to stay upright and compared it to a weak magnet. And that the feeling goes away just past center if you notice it at all after three days riding. Then I wrote that after a few days it feels totally normal with no noticeable difference from the way it rode before ....
It corners better in the wet, confidence it higher, rides smoother, It feels better cornering dry so far, air pressure changes how you desire it to ride, balance is better stopped at a light ....
Negatives .... 90 degrees to a grade makes it pull, riding slow over steep grades makes it tip, backing over a curb sideways is scary unless you are ready for it and .... and ... and that's all I got. If those are the negatives and mileage, cost, ride improvements listed above are the positives then I see no reason to knock it. And if you can't knock it (beat it), JOIN IT !!!!
I say ... Just Do It !!! You won't be sorry.
I realize that some of you guys are sticklers and purists that will NEVER change, but this bike is different ... It screams DARKSIDE!!! It's the weight. That's the difference. The thing that makes it EAT Metzlers is what makes it perfect for the Darkside.
You naysayers go ahead and keep blowing $300+ a pop every 4 to 5 thousand miles if you feel the need, but if you put 12 to 20+ thousand a year on your bike, that will get old FAST.
Oh, yea ... I've laid it over on both sides far enough to flip the boards up while grinding on the pavement. I've checked just for grins and giggles by tipping it completely over on its side in the driveway ..... IT doesn't come close to wearing/touching/riding/wrinkling etc ... the sidewall !!! That is a TOTAL myth. The only possible way there could EVER be any sidewall damage is if the tire pressure is so low that the tire folds over. And that is the same as riding any tire FLAT. If you are going to sport-bike ride though the corners like it's a 400lb bike, then just raise the pressure.... simple and common sense since it weighs more than twice that.
duh
And to anyone who preaches against the darkside without trying it on an R3 while putting 300 miles a year on his bike....
ahhhB L O W M Echooo!!! (sneeze)