I used to be a serious rider, but Anchorage had ample opportunity to ride. There really is no place safe to ride here, other than the beach. Not to mention the corrosion from salty air here.
The moment I move from here I'm buying a new bike.
I think age alone could account for some variation in sound. I noticed some pretty wide variation in the Yamaha ortho drivers.
Marc's T50s were excellent!