Braking is good, it just doesn’t have the initial bite that the GS (and Brembos in general) have. You have to get used to it. The thing is ‘Das Boot’this is what I’m thinking also. I only take the gs on gravel roads, I’m sure if I did it would be on its side more than it’s tires. One of the reasons why I got it, is my gravel driveway is 18% grade. We’re looking into paving it which I going to need for r18. You were saying the braking and handling was a surprise, is it really good for that size of a bike?