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well, finally had a rush of blood and liked the look of this one.........whaddya reckon?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... fresh=true

Got a feeling we recognise that bike.
Not the colour I'd have chosen, but certainly looks as though you have a bargain.

It looks good to me mate, welcome to the club!

i personally like the blue one, it is very nice and with the extras i think you have done well

Nice ..... and welcome to the forum

Hidy Hi,

Guess blue is ok, as long as it's a falco

Some worthwhile mod's have been done for you, saves you time, dosh, and discomfort....

Enjoy the bike and forum.

Excellent - one of the rare blue ones. I really like the blue colour scheme; ignore any negative comments from visually-challenged forum members..

What does look interesting is the colour-matched blue spring on the Ohlins shock. Looks like someone's gone to a bit of effort to customise the bike.

Welcome and enjoy!

<edit> Having just read the eBay listing, I notice it comes with a spare set of Showa forks. If you're interested in selling these off, let me know.

well, it arrived here in BG finally and once I'd fixed the fuel leak from the bolt-in panel on the underside of the tank, took it for a ride..............

errr, not what I was expecting! What have I done?

After my TDM, it feels like my chin is on the front mudguard - I can't believe this is classed as a sports tourer by anyone! Really really uncomfortable for me and pillion.........

However, power, handling and braking are wonderful, nice low-down power too with good fuelling. Plus the fairing is much better than the TDM with no nodding from the buffeting, so there is hope and it's certainly better the faster you go.

Anyway, this is only the first 40 miles and I won't be surprised if it grows on me - for now I'm looking at a course of yoga for flexibility and an upper body workout for the pain on the arms........

Don't grip the bars - rest your hands on them!

Check the brake and gear levers are set at the right angle for you

Position your self in the saddle - then lean forward.....

Finally bear with it - trust us it will grow on you

I have arthritis quite badly so i can see where you are coming from but as said above makes a big difference getting a good flexed arm position and getting saddled up well. I find sitting quite forward works best for me

I have only had mine a short while but Have been doing 80 miles a day and apart from the odd ache from carrying the pc in a rucksack getting a good positon early on has made all the difference stick with it sir!

bulgarianfalco wrote: After my TDM, it feels like my chin is on the front mudguard - I can't believe this is classed as a sports tourer by anyone!

That's probably because it isn't a sports tourer !

The SL in SL1000 stands for Sports Light (or the Italian equivalent that happens to start with the same letters)

Ill informed magazines often put in in their sports tourer categories as they can't pigeon hole it - not having an SL category.
TBH the Futura is more sport tourer - in a similar vein to the VFR.

You'll get used to it - and if you don't, talk to Aladinsaneuk about putting the clipons above the top yoke.

bulgarianfalco wrote:errr, not what I was expecting! What have I done?

After my TDM, it feels like my chin is on the front mudguard - I can't believe this is classed as a sports tourer by anyone! Really really uncomfortable for me and pillion.........

I think you'll get the hang of it very quickly. It may feel llike the bars are around the front wheel spindle initially, but it's actually an all-day comfortable riding position. I toured through France with my wife last year on the Falco and it was great - no complaints from the pillion and none from me.

The big thing with the Falco riding position is you don't get battered by the wind like you do on a TDM or other more upright riding position.

I'd suggest trying it for a bit longer and make sure that control levers are set so there's no ergonomic issues. With a pillion on board it might be an idea to back off the compression damping. Ohlins units have a reputation for being a bit firm to someone who isn't used to them.

Who me?

And yes that is an option