Don ’ t hang up , bear with me as I explain ... sure , it looks that wee bit racier with the nicely remodelled seat , those S & S stainless mufflers help no end , and the retro English styling has been judiciously applied to the handlebars and dash , but otherwise , not a lot has changed , at first glance . Even looking deeper , I was only lukewarm on the GT , from the classic ‘ is it a different model ?’ point of view . Starting it up is the same no-fuss metronomic deal as the parallel twin settles into a smooth , but distinctive idle . Not much to see here then . Swing a leg over and as soon as your arse hits the narrower , firmer seat , there ’ s an inkling that all may not be as you supposed . The ‘ pegs are further back and the handlebars give it a physically sportier feel before it ’ s even snicked into first gear , which it does very tidily ; like all the subsequent gear changes , I might add .
Transformation It has been a while since I got my full licence , quite a while , so my aim was not to judge the GT solely as a bike you are legally permitted to
ride until you get your full licence , but also as an everyday ride for anyone not wanting loads of horsepower and who is actively looking to avoid much of the technological clutter we deal with most of our working lives . Sure , it is fuel injected etc , but none of the newer tech is in there staring you in your face . The oldschool vibe works , even though you are aware it is mainly illusion .
And ...? I still find it quite bizarre what altering the ergonomics of the riding position does to any bike and the GT sums it up well . I guess that ’ s partially due to not being heavily endowed with brute power , so it becomes obvious that , like when I was a youngster ( 17 – years old , not the 1700s ) and fitted Ace ‘ bars , ‘ cigarillo ’ pipes and , butchered my ‘ pegs to go further rearwards on my XS750 ( don ’ t laugh ...) to make it feel racier than it was , the attitude of the rider , more so than the motorcycle , changes . That chrysalis-like transformation does , however , bring with it new expectations ...
Pick ‘ n ’ Mix
KIWI RIDER 37