On Sun, Jun 1, 2008 at 8:13 AM, kusstj wrote:
>Previously, I had the impression that
> is was the same old bike with new plastic and some minor engine
> updates.
My friend has an '07 and we've switched a couple of times. I agree
with you about the motor... my '08 is definately smoother and more
responsive, but his has more "grunt" to it. Of course, mine is still
relatively new (2000 miles), so I expect it to wake up a bit more as
it ages, so that may be a wash.
Two things that I'm surprised you didn't mention, because they both
smacked me in the @ss right away:
-Lighting - Compared to the new '08s, the previous model's light is
carp. Can't see squat with that thing. I think the '08 is much
better in that department.
-Brakes - I don't know how you guys on the previous models can stand
the front brake... it's pretty close to useless IMO. The new one is
still "weak" in my book, but it's way better than the '07. A car
stopped to do a left hander in front of us one day, and I was pretty
close to changing my shorts when all was said and done. The front
brake on the '07 did little more than squat the front springs... The
fork dive on the '08s feels to be a bit worse than the '07s, but it
promptly starts stopping. On the '07, the attempted sudden stop was a
serious wake up call and kept me quite paranoid for the rest of the
ride. I'm sure you get used to it, but I'd rather not.

Just my two cents... they're both good bikes, but I'm personally glad
I held out for the '08.
--Jonathan "smthng" Kalmes
Springfield, VA
2005 Yamaha FJR1300ABS - "Blue Bayou"
2006 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon - "Teflon"
2008 Kawasaki KLR 650 - It's here, but it hasn't earned a name yet.
http://smthng.info
"Look, the truth is, I've been trying to save the world, one person at
a time, but, I'm meant for smthng bigger. Smthng important. I know it
now."