The name of the game nowadays is figuring out how to downshift without losing forward momentum. Here's an excellent site that explains how this should be done. I've gotten the downshifting into a corner down, but the heel and toe thing still feels really unnatural (and hard to do in cowboy boots).

I noticed today on the way to work with the top up (rainy season starts in No. Calif) that there is a weird high pitch whine of indeterminate origin at around 90 mph. I'll have them investigate at my first check-up in 5,000 miles.