2021 (early) RT base 1st ride evaluation
I traded my 2018 RTL 2 weeks ago for a new 2021 (early) RT base model. I took my 1st real ride today and wanted to evaluate the bike and compare it to the 2018. Bear in mind I only got off the '18 2 weeks ago so that experience is still fresh in my mind.
200 miles today and a mixture of just about all riding. Stop-n-go traffic (thank you I77 construction...will you EVER be done?), winding skinny roads with gentle curves, superslab and some wonderfully curvy 2 lanes (parts of which probably rival the Dragons). Cool today, started out in the upper 40s and ended up about 60. Sunny with little breeze.
Handling-Both bikes were on the stock Kendas and no aftermarket sway bar. The 2018 wasn't bad. I could zip around corners (once I got used to 3 wheels). On the 2021, I feel like I'm on rails. The 2021 is worlds above the 2018. I can't imagine what it will be like with car tires (or maybe even a Baja Ron upgrade). Curves where I would feel the need to lean deeply into on the 2018, I ride through (at the same speed) without much lean from me. I understand the sway bars are supposed to be the same and the suspension was supposed to have been tweaked. I guess so cuz it works. The only "issue" I have is that the 2021 feels quite a bit more "twitchy" than the 2018. (I think that means it needs to be aligned but I can't remember.) WINNER: 2021
Comfort-I'd say the seat is better on the 2018. I got a little bit of NNS (Numb Nuts Syndrome) after about an hour and a half. My "sits" bones were talking but not screaming after the same time. I think I could get an extra 45 minutes out of the 2018 over the 2021. I was going to put my Buttbuddy seat cushion on the 2021 but there doesn't seem to be any place to hook it to the seat. Not sure what I'll do about this. Maybe I'll look into the Comfort seat. Not sure there's much aftermarket yet. RDL seats are the cat's a** but I'm NOT spending $1500 on a seat. Seth Laam is about 1/2 that but I'll get a 2" raise. Doesn't seem like that would work since I like the slightly lower seating position on the 2021. WINNER: 2018
Floorboards-Holy Christmas! These new floorboards are in-freaking-credible! They're what BuRP should have had in 2010. They're wider and longer than the "originals". I can finally stretch out my legs. Four more inches and I could get my legs completely straight. Just the right angle on the front of them. SO MUCH easier to get to the brake pedal. Just shy of perfection. The 2018 'boards were narrow, short and inadequate. WINNER: 2021 (by a mile)
Power-Either the '21 has more power than the '18 (which I doubt) or BuRP has changed the throttle response. For example, I passed a truck on a 2 lane and was 1/2 way around it before I realized there were 2 cars in front of it. In for a penny, in for a pound. I mashed the gas and BAM! I got around the vehicles and looked down at the speedo. 97mph and that number came up FAST. (I was on a closed course owned privately and the "vehicles" I mentioned were cardboard cutouts.) The '18 never accelerated like that. (I bought it new and put just under 4k miles on it.) WINNER: 2021
Fuel Economy-I ride.......aggressively, to put it mildly. The faster I can take a curve and the faster I can accelerate, the happier I am. Point being, I don't really care much for fuel economy. All that being said, the '18 probably got better fuel mileage but the '21 only has 300 miles on her now so my fuel mileage will go up. WINNER: 2018 (probably)
Looks-This is subjective, I know. Some like the GSs, some like the looks of the Rykers, some like....well, you get it. I like the look of the 2019 and prior RT but I think the 2020+ looks better. I think it looks more modern and a bit more aggressive. I think the 2021 looks sportier, too. I like the 2021 wheels better, too. Again, this is all subjective. WINNER: 2021 (but not by a lot)
Dash/console-The 2018 has the same screen as my 2021 however, the design of the cover was a bit funky on the '18. At the bottom of the screen, the cover came in to a couple points. I don't think that looked good and it was almost impossible to clean w/o using a toothpick. The new dash doesn't have that "treatment" which is a good thing. I also think the general shape of the dash looks better. WINNER: 2021
Mirrors-Easy to see on the 2018. Could have been a little bigger. The mirrors looks are much improved on the 2021. They look more modern and have a larger piece of glass. Unfortunately, that's where the improvements end. Most of them shake. Both Lamonster and Squared Away have fixes for them but those shouldn't be needed. Then we come to the placement. Total failure. With the stock bars, I have to lean out to see anything and most of what I see are the grips. I'm getting F3 bars installed next weekend. I'm guessing that will only make things worse. Lamonster sells both mirrors and top caps to mount them. $250 to fix what shouldn't have been an issue in the 1st place. WINNER: 2018
Side bags-The 2018 side bags opened easier and the latches were much easier to get to. I don't care for the latches and the fact that there's no central locking like on the 2018. It's my understanding that the bag interiors are identical so there aren't any extra points either way on that. WINNER: 2018
Brakes-The 2021 says "Brembo" on the brake calipers. No idea if the 2018 had Brembo brakes. The owners manual said no hard braking for the 1st 200 miles. Something about a coating on the new brakes? I dunno but I tried to make sure I was easy on them. The last 100 miles, well, I used them as needed. Fast to a corner, hard on the brakes, hard out of the corner. I don't see any issues with the new brakes but I didn't see any issues with the old brakes, either. WINNER: 2021 (only because the calipers say BREMBO!)
Other notes: I can hear the 45mph pulley whine on the 2021. Never heard it on the 2018. The 2021 frunk opens easier. The 2021 windscreen doesn't wiggle as much as the 2018.
