At last! A dry day and a couple of hours to spare! Out on the Bulldog demonstrator…

My first impressions were as to what a big bike this is. The 1050 that I rode a while back was the only bike I’ve ever ridden on which I couldn’t get both feet flat on the ground. This wasn’t that tall – but nearly.

A very imposing riding position compared to my Sprint, immensely confidence-inspiring handling and the ability to ride to an actual standstill without putting the feet down.

The standard can is a bit quiet – in fact I could hear Vincent’s 1050 (with can) behind me most of the time, over the engine whine of the 800. Plenty of power and the noise did get better higher up the rev range.

I wear an Arai. It’s not the quietest helmet in the world. The Tiger screen didn’t suit my height, riding position (or choice of helmet). At any speed over 50, the wind buffeting was quite severe. Funnily enough, it was no worse at 80!

All in all, a great bike and one that I’m sure will be very successful. Many of the people who’ve ridden both the XC and the road version say that they prefer the XC. I’ll just have to try won’t I?

Now, what was that about a 1200 Adventure??