Hi, Ant. A winter service is generally just checking various components (battery, brakes, fluids, tyres, lights, etc.) Could it be that the brakes were binding (rubbing) before you had them changed, and now they're not? Does the bike seem under-powered or just revs/gets up to speed quicker?
If you're on back roads and in 3rd at 50mph, you're changing up too soon (did you not learn anything at the Cat and Fiddle?!!!) You can take it to 75ish in second; the faster an engine spins, the more stable the bike is, due to gyroscopic effects and other mystical things that I don't understand!
You got rear-ended again? You and Gina should talk!!
The cush drive is a bit of rubber inside the rear wheel-hub and, basically, is a cushion between the wheel and the rear sprocket. This makes the transition from on-throttle to off-throttle (and vice-versa) much smoother than if it was solid. If you grab your rear sprocket and twist it back and forth, it should move without the wheel moving. A good one will only move slightly. I had 2 go in 4000 miles; they did the first under warranty but not the second (which I still haven't done due to lack of funds). See if they'll install one from a Thunderbird Sport, which is a better fit.
Ride safe(r), Neill
