I just went through that last week. Rode the Triumph speed four my buddy just bought. I actually had the same bike a few years ago but pretty much forgot what it felt like. I was blown away at the fact that a naked 600 that was considered slow by 2003 standards made my 984 twin seem like a gs500. I'm not even talking about top end HP, that 600 inline 4 had just as much low end and midrange as my bike, and once I hit 6 rpm the front wheel didn't even want to stay planted on the ground. It's a little harder for me to compare directly because I have a 9sl with the lowered seat and suspension, so it's possible that my front end would start to feel light with a normal suspension and seat, but that thing sure as hell made my bike feel slow. I wanted to trade my xb9 for an xb12 the entire rest of the night, but by the next day I was happy with my bike again. I'm still gonna take any chance I can get to ride other people's bikes. I plan to buy a 2nd next fall and it'd be nice to have something to compare it by. I say go for it. Chances are his bike will actually feel like too much to you and you'll be happy to be back.
