Thanks for the comments. I typically lock the fork when standing. It makes a differnence as the fork really works hard at absorbing the energy! I do run max pressure in the tires (60) but with the fork, it much more comfortable. The bonus is the disk up front, it is great!

@flyingdutch - This is a wild and un-verified data point, but when I took my 1983 Colnago Superissimo (22 lb.) for a five mile run, I averaged 26 mph on a closed course. I really can't accept the numbers and need to do it again to verify. It was nearly effortless. I don't think I could do that on this bike!

Older pic of the bike when the fork was first mounted:
[IMG]RockHopper_ Sprung_2012_018 by superissimo_83, on Flickr[/IMG]
once on the bike the geometry settles down to normal so handling is the same as with the solid fork.