Englishyankee, Did the same thing with my BA. Went from a 17 to a 19 and took it out for it's maiden voyage tonight. YEA BABY. I went from 70 miles an hr at 4000 RPM to 3500. That is a huge difference on a long trip. I too also feel more comfortable riding this way. I aint no drag racer on the take offs but I sure do love sitting on 90 mph all day.
