Nope, don't have one of these beasts, but I did have a chance to ride one for 2 1/2 days in NoCal. Three of us took off from Frisco (some call it The City, but that is too haughty for me) on rental steeds, i.e. the MS, a Suzuki SV650 and a KTM LC990. I was the ride leader and we were armed with a route map kindly proffered from our NoCal group and modified by the rental guy.
Getting out of the city was pretty easy and we skipped John Muir woods for a direct shot to the coast, but it looked like fog rolling in and I was worried about a cold, wet trip. But, the sun ruled and we had perfect weather for the rest of the trip.
Hwy 1 was uncrowded and full of great sweeping corners topped off by even greater vistas. We heard the CHP is always lurking about, so speeds were a bit above the limit except when the road demanded much more.
Our first stop was on Bodega Bay for fried oysters in the sun. Then we were off for some even better roads leading up to the small town of Elk. The B&B there was formerly the executive guest cottage for a lumber mill that thrived there years back, but it has been lovingly upgraded by a FloriBama lady. Brilliant breakfast and again romantic vistas (why was I with two guys??). Dinner was in a pub in town with some interesting beer on tap...well worth the stop.
Next day was spent meandering to Calistoga in the most convoluted roads we could find, with only a short burst on 101. Roads here were tight corners in wooded tunnels with an occasional vineyard or ranch on the side. Dropped out of the coastal range to a noticeable increase in temp and change in scenery. Drier environment meant more gravel, rocks or sand on the corners, but still a great workout. Something was happening in town, so we stayed about 5 miles out in another B&B built from an old chicken farm (without the smell). Morning was fresh baked banana nut bread, coffee, fruit, and stuff outside looking out across a local vineyard.
Off again along Silverado Road (no traffic, few lights) aiming for Lake Berryessa, but my navi skills let us down and we ended up on a shorter, but scenic route that led us back to St. Helena (despite the huge bicycle race coming at us in the other lane!). So, change of plans led me to Spring Mtn. Road, a fun fest of really tight turns on a narrow, well shaded road.
Finally, we made it to Santa Rosa and 101 back to Frisco.
All in all, the MS was all i could ask for. Comfortable, roomy, responsive in all that tight stuff (the KTM was like a machine gun, either on or off....ugh), stable, fast to a point, great brakes, pretty vibration free, especially compared to the KTM and still a looker (yeah, people still kind of gawk at it). Got rid of any chicken strips left with no problem and nothing touching the pavement. Still love my ST4, but this was a great bike for that far too short of a ride.
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