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Kawboy wrote: Good job. Must feel great to put all that work in and be able to make a journey like this right out of the shop. Congrats !!

Yeah was a great feeling. Thanks Kawboy. Small oil leak from the pickups which I'll sort out on my return, but otherwise all good!

Lake Kariba - Zimbabwe

Fantastic photos!
I guess the bike with the USA spec fuel tank has a considerably shorter range than the other - how many miles different, would you say?
Have you any comments on the different exhaust systems fitted to each bike?
What do you think about the performance of the bikes - roll on acceleration etc..?

Nice bike and lovely view!

biltonjim wrote: Fantastic photos!
I guess the bike with the USA spec fuel tank has a considerably shorter range than the other - how many miles different, would you say?
Have you any comments on the different exhaust systems fitted to each bike?
What do you think about the performance of the bikes - roll on acceleration etc..?

The KZ is a 22ltr tank and the Z is a 27ltr tank.
Our average consumption for the 1600km round trip was 14.1 km per liter for the KZ and 14.8 km per litre for the Z. Both bikes were however running a little rich, so will have to drop the needles a notch or two to get them perfect. Based on the figures above, one can safely assume that the larger tank will give you an extra 75 - 80 km finely tuned.
I prefer the sound of my 6 into one, but that I modified with a larger muffler tube and wrapped it in steel wool, so it does give off a very deep sound. Having said that, the 6 into two's give off a nice note, but think a slightly larger muffler tube wrapped in wire wool would top it off. They do have a slightly crackly sound on deceleration which I think a mod would perfect. In Zimbabwe we are not hassled by the authorities with a fairly loud bike thankfully. Rather all hear you before seeing you...lol

Very difficult at this point to judge the varied performance of the bikes and give a fair appraisal, as one has a lower profile rear tyre, whilst the other has a big bore kit.
Note: I will not use the lower profile rear tyre again as I have a lot more revs vs speed now. Would be great for town use and getting off the mark quickly, but I'm mainly a long distance rider, so the original 130/90 is better suited to my style of riding.

Both bikes look great. Glad you had a good trip!