And then there was the fear of not being
unable to pick it up again. But, hell, there
was no way I was going to let the two
grinning blokes at the delivery point,
watching for me to bugger it up, have any
satisfaction.
The driveway sloped downwards and
crossed a footpath on the same angle
before the roadway itself sloped upwards
to my left, on exit. Knowing the possibility
of stalling as I traversed down the slope,
stopped and changed direction left and
upslope, while suddenly discovering steering
limitations, at the wrong angle, could have
resulted in a horrible moment - one causing
thousands of dollars worth of damage
to chrome and paint - I opted for rolling
right, and downhill into a dead end street.
Fortunately one which I knew ended in a
wide circular cul-de-sac.
This apparently wrong move would allow
me room for error, while discovering any
inherent difficulties well away from the eyes
of the remorselessly critical. Moments later
I roared nonchalantly past the grinning
Driving in traffic
I discovered
that it’s actually
balanced like a
Swiss watch
bystanders, waving and smiling as if it was
all as easy as jam.
And, honestly, it was – dead easy to control
– so long as I gave it rather more buoy-
room than normal. With my fears vanishing
as soon as the big Springfield was rolling,
I rocked off towards the motorways and
roads into deepest Auckland.
Driving in traffic I discovered that it’s
actually balanced like a Swiss watch, and
loves changes of direction and rolls from
side to side with the agility of a bike 200kg
lighter. Yes, one is riding something only
fractionally smaller than Michigan, but it’s a
heck of a lot more fun.
I needed more time on the bike, and a day or
so later the opportunity came to ride with a
couple of mates who were keen to see Indian’s
new offering – yes, of course they rode it –
they are both competent big-bike riders with
arms and legs forged by years of weightlifting
and training – hell, they could probably have
carried it under an arm, had it broken down.
They too, delighted in its balance and ability
under way.