Stevie The Steed

Following the passing of my Class 2A license last Thursday (30 Dec), I was just surfing through the Bike Forums (like how I usually do), when I stumbled onto a new ad for the sale of a Honda Steed VSE 400. Coincidentally, the bike ad was posted on the same day as the day that I passed my Class 2A TP test.

Anyway, curiosity got the better of me. I clicked on the link and browsed through the images of the Honda Steed on sale and subsequently arranged for a viewing on Sunday (2 Jan) - which was 4 days after I've attained my Class 2A license.

On the day of the viewing, I quickly fell in love with the paint work of the steed; which now I've learnt is the original paintwork of the Honda Steed VSE 400. As usual, Lionel took the Steed for a test ride and if it passes him, then I get to test ride the Steed.

After what seemed like a long test ride, Lionel gave me the go ahead to try. SUDDENLY I PANICKED! It dawned upon me that the gears and rear brakes are further than Tommy (my Honda Phantom TA200), the weight is much heavier, and IT LOOKS BIGGER!

Fortunately, Lionel was there to allay my fears and told me repeatedly that I could do it.

Cautiously, I sat on the seat, straightened the bike, placed my left feet on the gear levers to see how far forward the controls are, turned on the ignition key, pressed the ignition button lightly, and let the quiet yet strong thump of the engine run. Taking a deep breath, I pulled the clutch in, kick down to first gear and tried to find the biting point. After some more deep breaths, I started to move off slowly.

In summary, Lionel negotiated the price with the seller and I simply gave my ok. However, we decided that our trusted mechanic to check if the Steed has other "hidden" problems that is not visual to the eye. So, we arranged for the seller to meet me at our mechanic's shop the next day - Monday (3 Jan)

As arranged, the seller arrived at my mechanic's shop despite the heavy rain. My mechanic gave it a test ride and started pointing out some of the things that might be faulty. Since actions are louder than words, my mechanic showed me the 'proof' of the faulty items that needs servicing.

I then renegotiated the price with the seller after the repair cost was quoted to me by my mechanic. After some persuasion, we finally settled at a price. After which, I went to get my insurance down and headed down to LTA to transfer the ownership.

So everyone, meet Stevie.

Weighing slightly over 200kg with a 398cc engine capacity and having a two-cylinder four-stroke liquid-cooled V-type valve engine, Stevie is my newest purchase and you can say that I am a proud owner of a Honda Steed!

Having said that, Stevie was left at the mechanic for two days to do some major servicing. I guess Lionel and I are pretty anal when it comes to the bike condition. After all, our safety on the roads not only depends on how vigilant we are and the way we ride, it also depends on the condition of the bike i.e. tires that are worn not may cause the bike to skid when braking on a wet surface.

On wednesday (5 Jan), I could finally take Stevie home. Riding him home for the first time was pretty scary to be honest. Furthermore, I topped up Stevie's fuel to a full tank so he seemed heavier. I was also afraid to 'drop' the bike back to its side stand because it felt heavier.

Fortunately, these concerns were just psychological fears. The moment I started worrying less and riding more confidently, I started having fun with it. Gosh the engine sounds great, the bike feels so weighted and stable, the posture feels more comfortable, and the pick up is much faster! In fact, I started riding it like Tommy (my Honda Phantom TA200) and started lane splitting. The maneuverability was still easy, just that I can't 'squeeze traffic' as frequent as last time because my handle bars now are much wider.

As how all new things have learning curves, I guess my learning curve for Stevie is low speed handling; especially while turning. So far I haven't tried negotiating a U-turn but I'm pretty nervous at the thought of it. Paddling Stevie and making a turn is also another area where I can either train my muscles, or something which I can improve on as well.

All in all, I'm very satisfied with Stevie's performance. The first few rides have been great with him so far and I'm certainly looking forward to the start of my new riding journey with Stevie!