{Photograph}: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
Granted, that is in all probability solely the case for giant individuals like me (6’ 4”, 255 kilos, and with very broad shoulders) and it won’t even register for average-sized individuals. In reality, at 6’ 4”, I’m an inch too large for the XP4, at the least in line with the model, which says the bike matches riders 4’ 10” to six’ 3”. However that further inch feels negligible, as, over my first 150 miles on the bike, my legs have but to really feel hemmed in by my saddle peak.
Talking of that saddle, the bike’s seat publish options an built-in suspension coil, providing 40 mm of journey. Whereas, in concept, some rear suspension is welcome, I felt as if, each time the coil compressed, it was truly my seat tube slipping down into the body. It was an odd sensation and one I need to admit that, some 200 miles into using the bike, I haven’t fairly gotten used to.
One thing else I don’t love concerning the XP4 is its old-school, one-sided kickstand. A motorcycle of this heft ought to function a motor-scooter-style stand that retracts from beneath the bottom-bracket, giving even assist to each side of the machine. The one-sided kickstand, nonetheless, typically finds itself (and me!) preventing gravity after I’m attempting to lock the bike up on something resembling an incline.
All instructed, these only a few shortcomings are hardly sufficient to make me not love the XP4 750, because it’s clean journey, extra-long vary, good-looking design, and litany of aftermarket add-ons make this a motorbike I’d commute with for a protracted, very long time.
