Cruiser sewing machine; first thoughts

Firstly, let me say how disappointing it is to be reminded that some people just don't care for their bikes. There are chrome (so much chrome!) elements to this bike that have been so badly neglected I'm not sure they are recoverable.
Anyway, this morning I finally got to take the baby beast out, once the new insurance was finally in place. Given how well my insurance turned out on the ZZR I'll never ride without insurance again
Anyway, only a short trip, maybe 40k's, out in the back streets so I can adjust to this weird new seating position and focus on cornering. Given that the three bikes I had ridden before this were little upright things it was quite an adjustment.
As I leaned over in one right turn, much harder than I had before, it finally clicked why my brain was having an issue with the lean angles. Because the seating position was soooo much lower than anything else I had experienced, my brain equated lower seat to less ground clearance. It's dumb but once I had made a conscious realization of that I finally started leaning properly. Including my first ever peg scrape (I know it's no challenge on a cruiser but it made me smile nonetheless.)
The bike seems noticeably more powerful but I think I'm going to agree with others that the gearing is a little off. Apparently, changing the front cog to a 14 tooth makes a huge difference. I'll ride a few hundred k's (or more) and see how we go.
The little buzzbox will do 120 but it doesn't seem as effortless and comfortable as the ZZR250 was at the same speed. And, at that speed it felt odd, not really unstable but odd. The only way I can describe it is that it felt like it was riding over an endless series of bumps spaced about 2 bumps per second. Oddly, it was the same sort of cadence as a Harley at idle. I have no idea what that was about.
I have to say I quite like the sound of the exhaust note. Sure, its a 250 noise but I prefer it to the sound of the ZZR or CBR.
I did stall once (dummy!) and restarted and took off no problem but the little FI light came on after that. This was a relatively scary moment because that FI light is famous for lighting up and costing dollars and hours to rectify the problem on this model GV250 but, being a computer guy, I went with my first instinct and pulled over, shut it down, gave it a second and rebooted. Problem solved and off I went.
Personally, the gauges and idiot lights are in a perfect position for me, always clearly visible without any apparent head movement. The indicator lights are particularly bright so the chance of accidentally leaving the indicator on is almost nil.
Many owners complain about the mirrors on this model but I thought they were great: nice and clear, excellent position, not much blur at speed. I may replace them because of the rust they are showing but I will get the same mirrors. Personally, I found them much better than the ZZR250 mirrors but your experience may differ
Unexpectedly, the seat is NOT as comfortable as the ZZR. The main reason I only rode for an hour is because my butt was getting sore. Not "Oh my god, I have to stop and walk around for a while" sore but there was noticeable discomfort. I suspect it lacks sufficient padding for this seating position. It's only a 2011 model so I wouldn't have thought that it was worn from age but it was definitely not as "lounge chair" as I expected.
Levers and handlebars fit me perfectly. I don't have big hands and I don't have long arms but I was pretty happy with it. The clutch feels 100% better than my old ZZR: the friction point is clear, easily detectable and stayed in the same position for the duration of the ride, none of which could be said for my ZZR. This probably indicates an approaching problem with my ZZR clutch that I didn't have the experience to recognise. That's a moot point now
Probably the best note I can make about this little bike is that I came home, parked, got off the bike, took four or five steps and turned around to look at it and thought "maybe I could go out for another hour or so". But then my wife saw me and said "Ah, you're back, good. Can you help me with this?" and that was the end of that. She's going out later and I'll be going for another ride on baby beast

 

Hmmm, that's interesting @GreyImport . I've never thought about pre-load before. It's currently on 1 which probably means it's never been changed since new. Do you recommend a seat-of-the pants trial once I buy the spanner or is there a rough guide to best settings?