18 hours ago, Cogswell
Fifth gens are getting to be the best bargains in motorcycling. Mint condition with just 11k on the clock and a slipon for $2,500 . . .
I'm curious how you like your 'Bird compared to the Viffer. I've been snooping around for about a year to see if the right one pops up.
I have had both carb & FI XX models.. current one in garage is a 03 FI model, stock bike, non-molested, purchased back in 2013 with 14k mi. at $3.5k.
Previously I had a 98 model that was tuned to perfection with Erion 4-into-1 exhaust, but in the wintertime when temp is sub-zero for few days straight, it would experience some difficulty at cold start.
IME, after owning over 45 motorcycles in 20+ years of riding, there is no bike more refined than the XX, even compared to modern BMWs I've owned.
The XX is just so well built and everything seems to be in the right place to go fast and smooth. If you are looking to save time on long highway miles, XX is the bike to do it.
Stock form is best for clean running and reliability, exhaust mod may allow you to shed a few pounds but the stock weight really makes the bike more stable at higher speeds.
I use my XX for my annual road trip to visit relatives, 500+ mi. one-way trip.. usually 10 hours of solid saddle time on any other bike.. but on the XX is about 8 hrs with stops.
In comparison to the VFR800 I've owned, XX is just more solid of a bike at higher speeds, less fatigue after long hours in the saddle; regardless of which gear you are in, twist the throttle and you get acceleration pretty quickly... even two-up. Interestingly, the carb model had quicker throttle response than FI model, maybe the perfect jetting and exhaust mod had something to do with that. XX is not as nimble in the twisties, when changing directions quickly in switchbacks you really need to trust the bike and mean it; hanging off the bike is not as effective as leaning with the heavy bike.
XX do tend to run hotter than VFR, carb model was cooler running, FI model regularly has its radiator fan on during the summer time, legs to get hot when pace slows down.