shows distance to empty, and the rev gauge displays simple odometer too. The switch gear is solid, clear and again, big and easy. On the luggage front there’ s 68 litres of weather-proof storage in the remote-locking panniers that are colour-matched to the stunning Sunset Red Metallic paint. Underneath, the bike runs on Metzeler Cruisetecs, and I did a road test on these in Australia and I rate them as excellent rubber for touring. It’ s hard to find anything wrong here. My only serious niggle? Backing up on this baby on any unstable or sloping ground is hard. There’ s no reverse gear option, like the Goldwing or the 1800 BMW for example, and I knew that if I got into an area where I had to turn it around manually I was going to have my work cut out; I’ d have zero chance of picking this up if the worst happened and it toppled onto its crash-bars. Such thoughts can make a reviewer quite sweaty.
The panniers are solid mounted and offer some decent storage space and being operated off the central lock they are simple and easy to use. Plenty of ground clearance too – you aren’ t going to wipe these off on a hard corner. The front fairing is still a large‘ thing’, and it takes some time to love it, but that cyclopean headlight gives it a solid focal point, and really grows on you. At the end of the day, this is a big bike and it rewards you by giving you back everything you liked about biking but were afraid to say. As Santa says, Big is good. No... that was some US president. But he was right, what’ s not to love about a big, barbecued bloody T Bone? Get stuck in.
KIWI RIDER 59