A test ride but on something a little different
Posted: 06 Aug 2019, 14:10
Ok, so erm, I suspect I am going to get booted from the site for this but here goes.
I took a bike for a testride, I surprisingly quite enjoyed said bike, it was comfy, it handled pretty well, looked good (IMO) and was fun to ride!
all pretty standard, so why do I think im likely to be booted from here? well because the bike mentioned was a Harley Davidson...……
[insert jokes here]
Long story short im still not getting that same buzz from riding, truth be told I think a lot of my love for it died under that HGV 3 years ago. I don't feel inspired to ride much anymore coz I just not really enjoying it, so I figured a proper change might shake me out of the rut and to be honest ive always had a soft spot for these so I pootled down to my local dealer just to have a browse. Had a chat with the sales guy who was a young guy who has come from riding Street Triple RS's / Thruxtons and other middle weight nakeds and seemed to get where I was coming from.
He advised me to not to bother looking at the 800cc sportser and go straight to the 1200cc 48 as it has a bit more poke and coming off a more conventional bike it wouldn't feel too slow. So after a look around the demo one he offered me the keys for a little pootle around. (I say keys, its actually a fob with keyless start, have it in your pocket, walk up the bike disarms the alarm itself and thumb the starter and your good to go)
Ill be honest I was skeptical, all the old cliches, like I said I always had a soft spot but I always thought if i rode one id hate it and decide not for me, partly why i went there to be honest, but actuall as I pulled away I was shocked how easily the thing turned out the dealer. dont get me wrong, its not agile BUT its definatley better than I expected, especially at low speed it just felt very stable.
It felt quick enough to be honest, in a straight line anyway, hardly rip your arms out your socket pulling wheelies, but quick enough to get you in trouble if you wernt paying attention.
What felt really nice to me was how lazily you could ride it, no dancing through the gears to keep it in peak revs, just lazily ride the wave of torque. It also didnt encourage me to ride like a d!ck pulling overtakes at every second, was quite nice just flowing along.
Dont get me wrong the bike isnt perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination. sitting at lights it vibrates enough to shake your fillings out, its hot, like, really hot with your legs resting against the engine, the fuel range is APPALING due to the tiny tank (which i think looks awesome though) it has sperate indicator bottons, one on each side which i dindt like as I found taking my hand off/ moving the throttle to get the right hand one was a bit of a pain but im sure you get used to it but despite these and despite the fact im probably gunna get the boot from this wonderful site for saying this I really enjoyed my little fling with this chunky American and I am seriously considering swapping in for one because its just a very very different type of riding and i enjoyed it, and at the end of the day, thats what riding shuld be about.
Cheers and Farewell - its been nice knowing you all!
I took a bike for a testride, I surprisingly quite enjoyed said bike, it was comfy, it handled pretty well, looked good (IMO) and was fun to ride!
all pretty standard, so why do I think im likely to be booted from here? well because the bike mentioned was a Harley Davidson...……
[insert jokes here]
Long story short im still not getting that same buzz from riding, truth be told I think a lot of my love for it died under that HGV 3 years ago. I don't feel inspired to ride much anymore coz I just not really enjoying it, so I figured a proper change might shake me out of the rut and to be honest ive always had a soft spot for these so I pootled down to my local dealer just to have a browse. Had a chat with the sales guy who was a young guy who has come from riding Street Triple RS's / Thruxtons and other middle weight nakeds and seemed to get where I was coming from.
He advised me to not to bother looking at the 800cc sportser and go straight to the 1200cc 48 as it has a bit more poke and coming off a more conventional bike it wouldn't feel too slow. So after a look around the demo one he offered me the keys for a little pootle around. (I say keys, its actually a fob with keyless start, have it in your pocket, walk up the bike disarms the alarm itself and thumb the starter and your good to go)
Ill be honest I was skeptical, all the old cliches, like I said I always had a soft spot but I always thought if i rode one id hate it and decide not for me, partly why i went there to be honest, but actuall as I pulled away I was shocked how easily the thing turned out the dealer. dont get me wrong, its not agile BUT its definatley better than I expected, especially at low speed it just felt very stable.
It felt quick enough to be honest, in a straight line anyway, hardly rip your arms out your socket pulling wheelies, but quick enough to get you in trouble if you wernt paying attention.
What felt really nice to me was how lazily you could ride it, no dancing through the gears to keep it in peak revs, just lazily ride the wave of torque. It also didnt encourage me to ride like a d!ck pulling overtakes at every second, was quite nice just flowing along.
Dont get me wrong the bike isnt perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination. sitting at lights it vibrates enough to shake your fillings out, its hot, like, really hot with your legs resting against the engine, the fuel range is APPALING due to the tiny tank (which i think looks awesome though) it has sperate indicator bottons, one on each side which i dindt like as I found taking my hand off/ moving the throttle to get the right hand one was a bit of a pain but im sure you get used to it but despite these and despite the fact im probably gunna get the boot from this wonderful site for saying this I really enjoyed my little fling with this chunky American and I am seriously considering swapping in for one because its just a very very different type of riding and i enjoyed it, and at the end of the day, thats what riding shuld be about.
Cheers and Farewell - its been nice knowing you all!