I paid $8,099 for the bike and my share of the shipping was $300 - not sure what the total shipping costs actually were. I still have to pay tax and licensing fees when I register it in California. 9% sales tax. That was the only dealer that I could find the bike at that time when I was ready with cash in hand.
The handlebars, front fender, front wheel, and front brake lever had to be put on. It was empty of fuel, the battery was disconnected (makes sense). It was full of coolant and the case was full of oil. There was 50psi of air in each tire! It was packaged very well and didn't take much to get it ready. It was fun taking it out of the crate - I felt like a factory rider with the new "bikes" arriving. Just one bike - poor me!
Broke it in on my property over 2 days. Took it to the desert last Sunday. It's a super bike. I did a couple of mods to the bike that I don't feel too great about, but it is a temporary fix until I can get it done right. I am 5'7" and with new boots on I just couldn't reach the ground. I moved the forks up in the clamps 7mm, i backed off the rear spring 3 turns. Cut about an inch of foam out of the seat and stapled the cover back on. The seat mod actually worked out very well and I may put the suspension close to factory and see what happens.
I don't really know if I would notice the mods I did. The bike handled just superbly! I just sold my kx500, so the power is nothing earth shattering on the 300, but the handling is light years ahead (as my kx500 was a 2000 without suspension mods). It absorbed the whoops like magic. I used to get winded with several miles of whoops on the 500, but now the bike just did the work and I just sort of just directed it with minimal input.
It tractored up steep hills pretty well, but when it got real steep and nasty I feel 1st gear was still a little tall. I know a Rekluse would solve the problem. When starting for the first time of the day the estart may or may not start the bike. But once warmed up I didn't have any problem with the electric start. I did notice a little bit of difference with the MAP switch. The kick stand works very well. I went with the FMF TCII and the stock jetting seemed to be pretty close. It was between 60 and 70F at elevation 2,000 to 4,000 ft above sea level.
I wasn't sure what to expect for fuel range and hit reserve at about 70 miles.
That's long, but I like details! Overall it's an awesome bike. Best bike I have ever owned.
Mike and his staff at MotoFit in Danbury, CT were great to work with and he did what he promised. He responded promptly to emails and phone calls. I would definitely purchase from him again!
Going out for another desert ride tomorrow!
B.O.
