FZ-10 observations from my other bike

My other bike is a Harley-Davidson Softal Slim S.  Yesterday I was finishing the de-Cat process on the FZ and removing the ECU for shipment to 2WDW.  I used the Slim to take the package to the UPS store. It was 75 degrees out, so I made a giant 250 mile loop.

Because I've been riding the FZ 98% of the time over the last two months, I quickly noticed some conscious riding adjustments. Keep in mind that I've put 14,000 miles on the Harley in the 18 months I've owned it, so little things like foot position, turn signal operation and RPM control are committed to muscle memory.

The things that I noticed and paid specific attention to were:
1. The Harley has no quick shifter.  The power curve is much lower in the rev range and you ride a Harley on the torque curve, so I didn't try to shift without a clutch, but I instantly recognized the need to squeeze the clutch during shifts. It felt like a very manual process.
2. My brain couldn't help but focus on the typical clunk sound and long throw iof the shifter.  It's normal on a Harley and doesn't feel bad, but the sensation was front and center for a while.
3. Being a 712lb beast with a 61" wheelbase, I couldn't help but notice the intentional effort to lean through curves.  It's not work by any means, but the process is much less subtle than the instinctive look-to-change steering input of a sportier ride. The countersteering on a cruiser uses a physical push compared to the FZ.
4. The Brakes on this bike are excellent.  The best Harley brakes I've ever used.  The S model of the Slim has a larger front disc than the standard model, it uses a floating disc compared to the non-floater on the standard model, it uses four-piston Brembo calipers where the standard uses Nissin. The ABS is tunedperfectly.  Still, the weight and riding position of a big cruiser is such that hard stops occur in a sort of time-elapsed process.  What came natural two months ago required conscious spatial recognition for the first few miles. 
5. My Slim has a 110" Screamin' Eagle motor with aftermarket cams, intake, exhaust, clutch and tuning.  The HP is only 100, but the torque is 120 ft-lbs.  as Harley's go, it is faster than it's stock form, and much faster than most non-S model Harleys.  Still, accelerating through the gears is almost a spectator sport compared to the full-attention FZ acceleration.  

It all came back to me within the first ten minutes, and I never gave it a second thought after that, but it sparked recognition of some manual process that riders typically take for granted when riding only one bike for long periods.  

Even though my Softail Slim S performs very well within it's cruiser category, It highlights just how good the FZ performs in all aspects of riding. It truly is a highly refined and sharp edged motorcycle.