One of the BADmcc guys traded in his Aprilia RSV for a 1098 towards the end of last year and he is absolutely delighted with it. So much so that he offered me shot so that I could see how good it is for myself 
I only rode it for 5 or 6 miles but what a bike. Coming from the ST4s I expected it to be harsh and uncomfortable. No way, it was remarkably comfortable, even for my aging bones although I suspect the seat might be a bit firm for long runs.
And the brakes ..... unbelievable! I gently pulled the lever at the first corner felt like I'd be over the bars!
The engine is so torquey it didn't seem to matter what gear it was in and to be honest, a lot of time I didn't know what gear it was in.
I couldn't get really get to grips with the digital dash. I would have needed more time to figure out all what it was showing and the figures on the revcounter are a bit small to see easily.
They only faults I could find were too much free play in the throttle (should be easy to adjust) and a slight tendency for the engine to run unevenly on a neutral throttle at slow speeds.
I had always thought that I wouldn't want a sports bike after the ST4s but now I'm not so sure
I only rode it for 5 or 6 miles but what a bike. Coming from the ST4s I expected it to be harsh and uncomfortable. No way, it was remarkably comfortable, even for my aging bones although I suspect the seat might be a bit firm for long runs.
And the brakes ..... unbelievable! I gently pulled the lever at the first corner felt like I'd be over the bars!
The engine is so torquey it didn't seem to matter what gear it was in and to be honest, a lot of time I didn't know what gear it was in.
I couldn't get really get to grips with the digital dash. I would have needed more time to figure out all what it was showing and the figures on the revcounter are a bit small to see easily.
They only faults I could find were too much free play in the throttle (should be easy to adjust) and a slight tendency for the engine to run unevenly on a neutral throttle at slow speeds.
I had always thought that I wouldn't want a sports bike after the ST4s but now I'm not so sure
)