BIG BIKES WITH BIG CHARACTER The mind wanders to the imagery of effortless plain sailing , looking grand and luxuriating in the ride . However , giant full dress bikes can be a challenging ride ; both intimating and enthralling at the same time . Over the years , experience has taught me that all big machines have their quirks and they are not for the faint hearted . They are heavy , often well north of the 350kg and require real focus and effort during low-speed manoeuvring . Yep , that reverse option comes in handy . They are often hard work going from lock-to-lock on the steering because of their weight and sometimes raked out fork angle ... the bars flop to full lock after the mid point . And they are often very long , this BMW has a not insubstantial 1695mm wheel base , which can be another challenge in itself . Moto Guzzi ’ s MGX21 Flying Fortress had the steering effort sorted with a special steering damper to control the flop , but was nice and free around the straight-ahead position . In fact , it could have been a little firmer in the straightahead position too because that large 21-inch , filled in , front wheel got steered off course in strong cross winds . The Honda Valkyrie , while not a direct competitor with the R18 , is perhaps the best example of a huge motor and heavy machine that still is an engaging ride . Likewise , the huge Rocket III big grunter is an impressive straight-line blaster , but best ridden with a cool head in the turns ... Weight is the challenge . The Valkyrie is substantially less of a machine to ride than the Goldwing . The difference in ease of use not having full luggage is stark . A full top box alone can make a bike a very different ride . So , yes , more so than other machines , the importance of where you ride huge machines will have a serious bearing on your enjoyment . These are not bikes for confined spaces about town and poorly surfaced , tight backroads . These bikes love wide open smooth roads , where the motor can breathe , the rider can relax and the miles
56 KIWI RIDER