[prudz]

(sorry if the pics aren't working, computer is fucking around and so is photobucket)


Hey guys, I'm a bit bored and figured i'd throw some content on these message boards. Earlier this spring I decided to pick up another bike as it had been over a year since I owned one. When I first moved to Vancouver I got a job at Carter Motorsports. Having brought my bike with me from Edmonton I rode it for a short time in B.C. before starting the new job. The biggest perk was getting insurance covered, gas, and my pick to countless bikes. Having those kind of perks available I quickly sold my old bike which looking back I kind of regret. Eventually I left the job and found myself bikeless. The journey began trying to find a bike to replace my old Yamaha 2009 R6 in black and gold. Here are some pictures of my old bike.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/V9fK28.png (https://imageshack.com/i/pmV9fK28p)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/dS3vE9.png (https://imageshack.com/i/podS3vE9p)

I considered other 600cc bikes but my heart is with Yamaha so another R6 was the bike I began searching for. Knowing the in's and out's of Motorsports, Yamaha especially, the 2008 and 2009 models years were the ones I was hunting for again. My last bike only had 13,500km before I let it go so finding one with equal or less km became a priority. I tried hopelessly to find another black and gold in equal condition to my last but came up dry. I eventually found one in Edmonton but decided to pass as I didn't want to wait until the mountains cleared up only to have summer arrive while it would be under the knife. When it comes to 2nd hand bikes i'm very careful to make sure all maintenance is redone as it's my life resting on those 2 wheels so allotting time for mods and maintenance is a must.

Eventually I stumbled across an add in Comox for a 2008, blue, with only 9500km for $5500. Initially I wasn't a big fan of blue. The bike looks dated in the stock form due to the factory stickers and black two tone paint. However, the price was right for a stock bike with low km that had never been dropped or even tipped over. I quickly mapped out the vision I had planned for the bike and decided i'd be more than happy with it. I got in contact with the owner and as it turned out he was the original owner. He just moved to B.C. and was looking to part ways with his bike. We agreed on the price and he registered the bike from Sask. to B.C. before I picked it up.

Here are some pictures of the bike in the add

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/Wb5Eml.png (https://imageshack.com/i/pmWb5Emlp)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/EHOl6d.png (https://imageshack.com/i/pmEHOl6dp)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/RNuiL4.png (https://imageshack.com/i/pnRNuiL4p)

[prudz]

With the new bike found, like the classic asshole friend I called up a good friend of mine who owns a truck and asked if he wanted to come pick it up with me. The catch he has to bring his truck haha. Being an avid rider himself it wasn't hard to convince him. He was moving to the island that month anyway so he dropped off some boxes in Nanaimo (his new place) on the way over to Comox. It was a win/win.

Once we got to the previous owners house I took it up and down the block. It had no plates so I just wanted to cycle the gearbox for any obvious bad signs. The bike was in dire need of some love. All the fluids were the originals along with everything else on the bike. We got it loaded up quickly and headed back home to Vancouver.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/hFD6nW.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmhFD6nWj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/G40unn.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnG40unnj)

Finally resting in its new spot

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/HPKPKK.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poHPKPKKj)

[prudz]

With the bike now in my possession I called up another good friend of mine and placed an order for all the parts. The following got ordered.

-Honda Type 2 Coolant
-Honda oil and filter
-NGK spark plugs
-Yamaha OEM air filter
-Cable lubricant
-Front and rear Yamaha wheel bearings, seals, and a new rear needle bearing
-White lithium grease
-Dot 4 brake fluid

The following mods were also ordered at the same time

-Pazzo shorty silver levers with black dials
-Hotbodies megaphone exhaust
-Hotbodies front flush mounts
-Competition Werkes integrated rear taillight

Thankfully the bike had some sort of aftermarket fender eliminator that still had the reflectors and factory signals on it. After looking at it a bit closer I decided I could modify it to a full blown eliminator.

For those who don't know Yamaha puts a special bearing called a needle bearing to help prevent any stress that could be put onto the rear bearings. Instead the stresses get applied to the needles in the needle bearing. Very cool idea, an ultra bitch to remove.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/BTvDzj.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnBTvDzjj)

I would highly recommend installing a flasher relay. It's $30 and really helps make a bike not look like the owner cheaped out or did some hack job wiring job.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/4XRXjO.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pm4XRXjOj)

When the parts finally arrived it was time to start chipping off the list of work required. We started by doing the spark plugs, air filter, clutch cable lubrication, oil and filter change, chain clean, lube, tension and sprocket clean then finished the day off with the exhaust install.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/yNiRWN.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poyNiRWNj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/VKq3WZ.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poVKq3WZj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/QrgMHR.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmQrgMHRj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/tT7e7p.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/potT7e7pj)

[prudz]

With the basics taken care of I took my bike back home and started on the lights later that week. I had also ordered a solo seat from China (the only cheap part on the bike). The seat looked like shit but fit perfectly. The paint colour was off and there was dust in the paint. I originally considered the OEM one floating on craigslist but $250 for a seat that still needs to be painted killed my interest. Especially after researching the chinese seat fits perfectly.

Out with the old in with the new

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/D8e14Q.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmD8e14Qj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/KGGKmM.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poKGGKmMj)

I modified the fender eliminator by removing the reflectors and bracket that held the stock signal lights on. The front reflectors also found their way off my bike. A Competition Werkes integrated taillight was added to the mix.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/LXVGKs.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnLXVGKsj)

Next step, testing that it is all wired correctly and working correctly. At this point I noticed my license plate bulb was burnt out. I grabbed a spare LED white bulb from my tool box I had sitting around for years and installed it.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/oIxUp7.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pooIxUp7j)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/cnYqNS.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmcnYqNSj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/gispZS.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pngispZSj)

With everything wired up and the rear pegs deleted it was time to slap the solo cowl on.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/hedjcd.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pohedjcdj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/LlbwwH.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmLlbwwHj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/DGAvyN.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poDGAvyNj)

[prudz]

With the taillight, fender eliminator, solo seat and pegs out of the way I moved on to the front flush mounts and factory vinyl next. I couldn't stand the look of the vinyl. It makes the bike look dated.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/LKXbas.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poLKXbasj)

Bye-bye huge factory signals, hello flush mounts

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/zIhnDg.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnzIhnDgj)

It was starting to look like a decent bike. However, I was still not satisfied with the look.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/zi13uJ.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnzi13uJj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/jC1bDx.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pojC1bDxj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/RhvvjB.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnRhvvjBj)

After a few days of thinking about what direction I wanted to take this bike in, this was the end result.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/HZLikp.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmHZLikpj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/vihnBI.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmvihnBIj)

[prudz]

In the end I decided the black wheels and the black fairings were taking away from the look of the bike. I decided to send the wheels off for powder coating. Seeing as the wheels were coming off for new bearings and seals this was the perfect time to take care of a colour change. As for the lower fairings and the solo seat they were sent off to be paint matched to the rest of the bike.

Within a week I had all the parts back and began the install. At the same time I cleaned the shit out of the bike and removed some unwanted swing arm stickers.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/7ZUW7N.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/po7ZUW7Nj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/zV3EcJ.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pozV3EcJj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/t5ocaQ.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnt5ocaQj)

All back together again

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/1v9zg3.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/po1v9zg3j)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/sA4iD3.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnsA4iD3j)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/LPUnn0.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poLPUnn0j)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/Ati8LM.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poAti8LMj)

[prudz]

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/I0VSv3.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnI0VSv3j)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/X5Dvxg.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmX5Dvxgj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/922/PdBVwy.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pmPdBVwyj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/Duqghz.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pnDuqghzj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/spiNf4.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pospiNf4j)

[prudz]

I rode the bike for a few months having changed nothing. The pazzo's sat around for a while and eventually I got around to installing them along with a front and rear brake fluid flush and the coolant flush. The bike looked incomplete to me in the state it was in. Then it came to me, it needed a decal. So I ordered a decal up for it. An updated 2017 R6 decal showed up and completed the look. This is how the bike currently sits. I think the last mod I will be doing is a double bubble black windscreen. It's sitting in my storage but i'm not sure I want to install it or leave the clear screen on.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/67PNhQ.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pn67PNhQj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/924/AldayV.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/poAldayVj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/xq90/923/s5PkE4.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/pns5PkE4j)

Hope you guys enjoy!

[H.Specter]

images don't work!

[prudz]

Thanks for letting me know. It is all sorted out now :)

Enjoy guys/girls!

[!e.lo_]

Moved to Rider's Journals

[areyez]

where did you get your rims powder coated?How much did it cost to get done approximately?

[bananana]

Sweet. I was 3rd behind you in line to buy that one. Glad it went to an obviously good home!

[prudz]

Areyez- The wheels were done at Vicious Coatings in POCO. I'm on the fence about recommending them to anyone. They did a set of wheels last summer for me and the price for 4 wheels including blasting/prep was the same for these 2 wheels. I went with an assumption that it would be half the price being half the work or at most maybe 3/4 the price. When I picked them up we both kind of looked at each other awkwardly because we didn't previously agree on the pricing. When I told him what he had previously charged me for work he acted shocked and said he must have not prepped them. They do good work but make sure you have everything agreed upon first. Which is hard because they mainly do industrial stuff and small stuff like this is clearly cash under the table for them.

Bananana - I'm not surprised honestly. There were a couple really clean R6's that showed up around that time and I went for the stock lowest km one. I was also surfing the web religiously beforehand and was the first person to call. I almost didn't get it because it really is a pain in the ass buying stuff from the island. I'm happy I went through the effort though because the end result is pretty nice. I'm quiet happy with it and gave the bike a new lease on life.

[DIEH4RD]

Nice R6. Saw you going up to the sea2sky with the lambo and audi a couple hours ago.

[prudz]

Thanks! Headed up to Whistler and back since it was such a nice day. Dunno who the guys in the lambo and r8 are. One had a Cali plate the other a BC plate. Were you in a car? I didn't see many bikes going up when I went.

[DIEH4RD]

I was parked at the viewpoint going south bound. Had a nice rip up to Squamish on my R6 as well.

[prudz]

Ah gotcha, my exhaust (or lack of one) caught your ears I take it lol

[prudz]

Couple shots from some cruises over the last few weeks.=

Edit* Fucking photobucket.

Are there any other photo hosting sites that don't charge money now?

[vexor]

flickr I think

[Sunfighter]

Great thread!

[prudz]

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you enjoyed reading it.

[604STIG]

Nice write up and pics, enjoyed reading it.

[prudz]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w1ZfsgkvhY

First time at the quarter mile with a bike. Was pretty fun. I launch like shit. Went home after and watched videos of people getting good launching and it appears people are slipping the clutch at 12k rpm and giving it full throttle to get a really good launch. In other news, I have a track day booked in Edmonton at Castrol Raceway September 1st so that will be lots of fun. I hooked up a bunch of different gopro mounts so I should get some decent videos of the day.

[prudz]

ugh

[prudz]

Edit*

Yesssssss vgy.me lets me upload photos and post here

Update time!

This past weekend I drove down to Edmonton and towed my bike behind my car. It worked extremely well which was very welcome. I was a little worried but the total weight I towed was just under 1000lbs. EMRA had their last track attack day for the year. Over 100 bikes showed up with 4 groups running, fast racers, slow racers, intermediate and novice. I ran intermediate and had some fun burning rubber. I'm looking forward to making it down to The Ridge a few times next year and possibly Mission but for now enjoy a couple photos. GoPro footage from the day is at the bottom of this post.

Stopped for lunch at Mount Robson

https://vgy.me/fEroLk.jpg

Shot of part of the track before the day began

https://vgy.me/eN1ct2.jpg

https://vgy.me/WIUFYL.jpg

The course lay out

https://vgy.me/WXjQQD.jpg

https://vgy.me/GNGWuR.jpg


https://vgy.me/CJYtQM.jpg

https://vgy.me/m16xfi.jpg

https://vgy.me/ndedW5.jpg

https://vgy.me/DuAplc.jpg

Hope you enjoy guys/girls

https://vgy.me/Lb6lG8.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTNKYQq3bp0

[prudz]

A few more pics from the pits

https://vgy.me/bTW0GR.png

https://vgy.me/8VEJ1E.png

https://vgy.me/HSSRVX.png

https://vgy.me/SsCw3u.png

[prudz]

Small update,

Sadly my insurance is expiring in a week so the end of the season for me is here. The plans over winter includes installing some new brake pads (track day cooked what was remaining of the original pads), a new clutch (14,000km on the bike now and original clutch) since it feels like it is not as strong as it could be, a set of frame slidedrs and some nice sticky tires. The only reason i've been running these pilot powers is because they were brand new when I picked up the bike. They are a great all around tire but do lack the traction other tires offer. I'm heading in the direction of Pirelli Super Corsa V2's. All the reviews seem to be super positive. Great on the street and great on the track. An oil change, chain adjustment and clean/lube are also in order.

If someone has a recommendation on brake pads it would be appreciated. I'm leaning towards EBC or OEM. They are both priced more or less the same. The same goes for the clutch and frame sliders. I've read that the OEM R6 clutches are much better than aftermarket ones but if someone has some more info on that feel free to chime in please.

[prudz]

A couple random shots from this month from a few different rides

https://vgy.me/3gLYKU.jpg

https://vgy.me/xshZkN.jpg

https://vgy.me/JJyG30.jpg

https://vgy.me/hqf2gL.jpg

https://vgy.me/7EWz6Q.jpg

[prudz]

I found a few more photos from the Summer and wanted to share.

Lillooet Loop

https://vgy.me/siEoC3.jpg

Mission Drag Strip

https://vgy.me/sO3qgX.jpg

A dear friend of mine passed away earlier over the summer on a cruise in Manning Park. A few of us went and paid our respects and held a 2 step solute for him.

https://vgy.me/0M23y4.jpg

Last photo for now, a throw back to my first bike. I found this picture a friend took from many years ago.

https://vgy.me/ecurqn.png

As for an update on the bike I ended up purchasing the following

-Brand new OEM Yamaha Clutch kit
-EBC brake pads (front and rear)
-Complete Shogun frame slider kit (no cut) for the bar ends, fairings and swing arm
-Oil/Filter

I'm feeling really lazy so i'll probably get around to installing all this stuff near the end of January. I also signed up for the May event at the Ridge (you should too if you haven't yet). Hopefully i'll meet some of the guys on these boards at the event. Really looking forward to riding that track.

[Sunfighter]

Thanks for all of the great updates!

[prudz]

Picked this up today. Going to put it under the knife a little later this summer.

https://vgy.me/Fl5gOZ.jpg

[prudz]

Just a couple shots from this summer. Added some frame sliders but took them off yesterday since I think they are ugly. Will likely only install them for track days and leave them off on the street. Still haven't done anything to the R3 either, likely over winter i'll tinker with it.

https://vgy.me/7SrtDH.jpg

Got a new race suit too! It's bright, it also makes me want to pick up a 17 in the white/green combo to match :p

https://vgy.me/na54W4.jpg

https://vgy.me/5dujem.jpg

Went for a cruise with some car buddies

https://vgy.me/1reyh0.jpg

https://vgy.me/O7oUXg.jpg

The loop

https://vgy.me/8Sc3E6.jpg

https://vgy.me/wmGZmJ.jpg

https://vgy.me/5WHL0t.jpg

[prudz]

Been a while since I last updated. Sold my bike and my wife's bike to fund a nicer bike for myself lol.

Picked it up at Daytona

https://vgy.me/XkmhS7.jpg

https://vgy.me/1RqmU8.jpg

https://vgy.me/WlI4sG.jpg

2km on the clock

https://vgy.me/G7FmB8.jpg

Sitting in its new home

https://vgy.me/Mo6hWn.jpg

https://vgy.me/J1QcBS.jpg

https://vgy.me/EDTGOE.jpg

First order of business, get the bike cleaned up a bit. I already have a quick shift kit and ordered the Yamaha OEM solo seat for it. I'll be picking up a competition Werkes fender eliminator to clean up the back end. Front reflectors are being removed along with the feelers on the riders pegs. Rear pegs are being popped off as well. I'll be removing the tires and putting them up for sale to replace them with SuperCorsa's. Maybe some Pazzo's too but that should about do it.

[prudz]

Small update. Did some wrenching last night and managed to get a small check list finished up.

-Removed the front reflectors
-Removed the peg feelers
-Removed the rear pegs
-Added the solo seat

I'm hoping later this week i'll get the quickshifter installed.

Front reflectors before

https://vgy.me/Mvqki5.jpg

And gone

https://vgy.me/fm3Qz5.jpg

https://vgy.me/11Xgki.jpg

https://vgy.me/HiLcLz.jpg

The solo seat required a bracket to be installed

https://vgy.me/Y4wGgR.jpg

So much cleaner

https://vgy.me/RdrMaJ.jpg

https://vgy.me/BEebZb.jpg

https://vgy.me/Oi4vKZ.jpg

https://vgy.me/Dgoy0l.jpg

[J.Bell]

Always love the look of the neon wheels!

Such a sexy looking bike

[prudz]

^ Thanks!

Installed the quickshifter tonight. It went very smoothly thankfully. The most difficult part was just making sure the measure of the shift rod came out to 10.51 inches. I swear I must have checked a solid 20x before I tightened everything up.

https://vgy.me/Ac29DB.jpg

The shift rod before

https://vgy.me/7aLRqs.jpg

First step is popping off the fuel tank

https://vgy.me/Cukllt.jpg

The next step is trying to find the plug. It was pretty tucked away under part of the main harness.

https://vgy.me/isvb3U.jpg

The grey plug in the middle is the one I was searching for.

https://vgy.me/leeOuf.jpg

Quickshifter added to the new shift rod, measured out, tightened up and plugged in.

https://vgy.me/wkBTWG.jpg

https://vgy.me/61Uk6c.jpg

The next step was programming it. This worked 1st try thankfully. It appears this is the most aggravating step of the whole process. While I was reading up on the install lots of people were having difficulty getting the QS light to appear. A couple suggestions to anyone considering doing this install. Turn the bike on to make sure it is in 1st gear. Turn the bike back off. Check your red kill switch and make sure it is in the off position. This step is not mentioned in the instructions and i'm willing to bet it is what is giving so many people so much difficulty with the programming. Grab the shift/foot lever with your hand and pull up with a decent amount of force. Turn the key on and hold for 10-15 seconds. Don't turn the key off, just let the pressure off the shift/foot lever. The QS light should appear.

https://vgy.me/dfsydZ.jpg

Slapped back together

https://vgy.me/3zyTnt.jpg

That's all for now. Hoping to get some levers and the fender eliminator soon and knocked off the list.

[prudz]

Got some work done tonight. Ordered up a Competition Werkes fender eliminator and some spool ends. It is such an improvement removing those factory signals/reflectors/plate frame. I was very impressed by the detailed instructions Competition Werkes provided. Much better than the lack of them for my 08 and 09.

Easy stuff first :0 I choose these spool ends over a lot of the bigger brands. The bigger brand names are pretty large. These are smaller and aren't much of a distraction.

https://vgy.me/y7xXNk.jpg

https://vgy.me/x3tY7O.jpg

https://vgy.me/ZQhiT9.jpg

The start point

https://vgy.me/KdcGso.jpg

Undoing my solo seat work and removing all the brackets blocking the wiring

https://vgy.me/mqRijW.jpg

Yamaha decided red locktite was a great choice on these bolts. This was easily the worst part of the install. Sadly I have not purchased allan head sockets so I was using a key set that was just barely too short to make full turns, thus making me do angled quarter turns fighting the locktite fuuuuuu

https://vgy.me/P6Ejt0.jpg

Parts lined up in order of removal for easy reinstall

https://vgy.me/QkJjjD.jpg

https://vgy.me/MzVZne.jpg

Light and bracket mounted

https://vgy.me/5G5cRR.jpg

The first signal mounted

https://vgy.me/EaPRoU.jpg

https://vgy.me/0FrOV2.jpg

The start of the wiring. I opted to retain the factory plugs ends rather than use their aftermarket ones. It was nice that Competition Werkes pre-wired resistors into their harnesses which prevents hyperflash.

https://vgy.me/RjJ4Gy.jpg

https://vgy.me/JCa6S9.jpg

All finished, soldered, shrink wrapped, some fresh electrical tape and zip tied in place.

https://vgy.me/k7k9Wk.jpg

Signal test, both sides work as does the plate frame light

https://vgy.me/SYAIN6.jpg

Finished product

https://vgy.me/qSkFcl.jpg

https://vgy.me/AkQF7l.jpg

https://vgy.me/HoeZ57.jpg

Pazzo's to come next! I think that will be it for the bike for a while. I'm leaning towards burning off the factory tires then upgrade. On the fence on what I feel like doing in that respect. Anyway, hope you guys are enjoying the pics.

[SpuGen]

Out of curiosty, how does it compare to your previous R6?

[prudz]

Things I noticed on my short drive home

-The headlights in the evening are night and day difference compared to previous model. I would outrun my headlights at 100km/hr on the highway at night, these I can tell will be amazing on the highway at night.
-The seat is wayyyyyyyyyyyy better. I'm 6" foot and I found that when i'd lay flat against the tank i'd hit the back seat and feel squished. The new one I can lay flat and not have my butt hit the back seat. In fact I can really stretch my body out. With that said it is even higher than the previous model. I use to have my feet flat with some bend in my legs. Now I can barely get my heals down.
-QS will be amazing (just used it in my parkade a few times but I can tell it will be great)
-Fully adjustable suspension (looking forward to setting up for my weight etc)
-The traction control is nice. Did one good first gear pull with the TCS set to "1" which is the least amount of TCS you can have without it being completely off and it held the front wheel down nicely. This was a big one for me. In first i'd have to cradle the throttle a bit to prevent the lift on the previous model so it is nice to just give it wot and have the bike stay down but go as fast as it can. Not that wheelies aren't fun but you get the idea.

I haven't had the chance to really give the bike a good ride but first impressions are all positive improvements. To sum it up, all the reviews are pretty accurate. All the new tech is welcomed, no negatives and of course the new styling is sexy.