After my pillion decided that she was no longer comfortable with touring (medical reasons, not the bike) I have reluctantly sold the Norge to a new and keen owner. He is very happy with the bike (as he should be!) and will probably make himself known on this forum in due course.
The good: superb tourer, great comfort, protection, stability, power is all I wanted and passing ability is great. Sitting on 150/160 kph on the Hay plains showed what this bike was built for. Good luggage system as well. Reliable - no "Italian" electrics. Great local mechanic.
The ordinary: cumbersome around town (a bit top-heavy), hot in summer except when on the open road, stupid dipstick design, rear spring is rubbish, no headlight "fix" for rubbing low-beam wire in Oz (but then, only a couple of minutes work to sort this out when the fairing was off).
Summary: I had a blast with this bike, even if only over 10,000 km, and recommend it highly for touring.
My only problem now is what to consider for next summer for commuting / day trips - the Nevada I had for several years before the Norge was a bit down on power for highway work, and horrible in strong cross-winds (but handled very well otherwise). I gather that the new V7 has the same engine hence output as the Nevada?
Thank you all for your cameraderie; I benefitted from great gear from Todd, Neil & Mike, great info on problems (real and perceived), plus advice when touring that "saved" the trip (rumble strips for my helmet). I'll still keep an eye on the forum.
Cheers, John
The good: superb tourer, great comfort, protection, stability, power is all I wanted and passing ability is great. Sitting on 150/160 kph on the Hay plains showed what this bike was built for. Good luggage system as well. Reliable - no "Italian" electrics. Great local mechanic.
The ordinary: cumbersome around town (a bit top-heavy), hot in summer except when on the open road, stupid dipstick design, rear spring is rubbish, no headlight "fix" for rubbing low-beam wire in Oz (but then, only a couple of minutes work to sort this out when the fairing was off).
Summary: I had a blast with this bike, even if only over 10,000 km, and recommend it highly for touring.
My only problem now is what to consider for next summer for commuting / day trips - the Nevada I had for several years before the Norge was a bit down on power for highway work, and horrible in strong cross-winds (but handled very well otherwise). I gather that the new V7 has the same engine hence output as the Nevada?
Thank you all for your cameraderie; I benefitted from great gear from Todd, Neil & Mike, great info on problems (real and perceived), plus advice when touring that "saved" the trip (rumble strips for my helmet). I'll still keep an eye on the forum.
Cheers, John
