I own a slightly tatty looking 1999 SRAD. All in all a lovely bike, and a shining example of what bikes were like in the raging 90's when every year seemed to spawn a revolutionary performance revelation, and there were still plenty of lightweight 2-stroke pocket rockets tearing up the twisties to tustle with on a quiet Sunday blast. It is the latter fuel injected model with the slightly fatter section rear wheel (There for fashion rather than function as it actually slows the steering up slightly on previous models). Fuel injection is pretty much where the new age technology ends no namby pamby traction control or fly by wire anti wheely nonsense... this is a bike that relies wholly on rider input to do its thing... This bike is wonderfully raw when you want it to be, yet a total pussycat if need be too.
My eyes were only truly opened to its handling when I removed the steering damper (It has started to pack in so it wasn't doing its job properly anyway), and whilst with it on it handled beautifully without the steering is wonderfully light, precise and neutral, though sometimes scarily neutral.. this is definitely a bike that thrives with being on-throttle, and not feeding that throttle on enough can have it feeling like it wants to drift wide.. there is no top heavy pitching-in feeling here! It corners as if it's still on the straight and level. Unphased and with poise. These bikes have a low seat height as standard so I raised mine about 3/4 of an inch, aware that I would be sharpening the steering even further and making it a touch more wheely prone, it has not been too detrimental to its performance, and still without the damper i find it simply usable and entertaining. The riding position felt odd when I first rode the bike as you kind of sit on top rather than nestled within, but you get used to it.
I have also toured down to the Alps and back and over to Germany many times on it with the poor ol girl loaded right up and it never really complained once.. OK it is not quite the mad dog it used to be compared with the performance of the latest fillies, but for a no-nonsense bike it still cuts it with the big boys. I just wish I had the spare cash to completely renovate the suspension as that's a job that is definitely overdue, and any wallowing about on this chassis is a waste. My main gripe is the snatchy injection when first coming on-throttle, but learning to be infinitely gradual with the right hand resolves this, or just float the clutch to soak it up.
All in all I still have days when I totally fall in love with this old machine all over again. 
It is still soldiering on fine. A little more power would be nice, but then I have not entered the true realms of performance tuning yet, so if I wanted it i'm sure I could squeeze some out of it.
Posted: 05/02/2013 at 17:45
