T.I.E
22nd January 2008, 06:45
the king is back..............
nothing much was the plan of the day. Just the idea of riding some local roads was enough to get me going. as they were dry and smooth, and with little wind about what more could a man want.
but silly season was upon us, and someone let the holiday makers out. so some empty backroads were on the menu.
I dressed myself up for a big ride, only to stop a whole 20kms down the road to find myself outside Maunders Suzuki in Whangarei. Surprise surprise. They have a delightful coffee machine, which can produce great hot chocolates. being such a hot day i must convince them to install a cold fridge for the cooler beverages.
A little window shopping and a drool bucket (which can be collected at the door apon entry.) was something i had in mind before i continued on.
to cut a short story shorter, soon after entering the main store a voice piped up said "Andrew wanna take the B King for a ride". and no it was not wishful thinking or one of the many voices in my head.
The B King...... what can ya say looking at it? well it has a look only a mother can love.
I was expecting it to make these funny noises and stand up like a transformer. The tail pipes reminded me of a fan tail. so first impressions shouldnt count. Angry Big Bird?
It Looks big, and rolls around at 235kgs dry. the inline 4 (1340cc) gives the rider an idea of its width.
But never fear, the tank area gives the engine the apperance it has just come off a jenny craig diet, so as for myself i am not a light fellow, so was rather looking forward to this big angry robotic bird giving everybody the illusion as to my size. very misleading.
The dash Iluminates when the key is turned, followed by a brief pause to understand what all the bells and whistles mean. eventually i pushed the button and the Big B came to life.
I ride a rough noisey 1000 twin, even the neighbours know when im off for a ride. although makes it a little difficult when trying to sneak away on the weekend, when i have my orders to mow the lawns.
i had to concentrate for a moment to see if the Big B was running. I then knew this bike was the key to weekend escapes.
i was very surprised by its weight or should i say the way it was hid . manovering the Bike about the yard was simple and once onto the open road i did wonder if i had straddled the right bike. it was so lite on its feet.
With the size and width of the bike i was expecting something so much more heavier. The riding postion is very upright, and with bars that seem they were picked from a trail bike it gave the Big B the perception of an enduro. again what was i riding?
Open Road riding was a breeze, the torque from the gentle hum meant changing down was not nessary to overtake, and with crusing just over 3000rpm to ride 100kph was very mild, with plenty of roll on in the bag. also with a Redline seeming so far away at over 10,000rpm, anything was possible. 1st gear gave the Big B alot of punch soon secound was found and the feeling of siting in a 747 taking off on the run way was found and then surpassed. this Bird could Fly.
I knew it was lite, and it wanted to move about, and this is where some of those local curvey roads with various corners would come into play. The Big B kept upto its reputation. Surprise surprise surprise. it sat well in the tight bends and sweepers wanting more, although its weight did come into play in some rougher bends then i started to feel like a heavier bike. The suspension did an amazing job moving it's mass. With the smooth power delivery, exiting felt controlled. cornering overall was a pleasure. it almost took all the fun out of it. The brakes felt responsive and certainly pulled the bike up.
Engine braking was however lacking, which i was very surprised from such a large displacement engine.
i am still unsure of what to think of the bike. confused is a word that comes to mind.
with all that said. i liked it. it was smooth, quick and looks which say its different. it totally surprised me in so many ways. This is a bike which is underestimated.
if ya ever get a chance try it. you will be surprised. and Confused.
nothing much was the plan of the day. Just the idea of riding some local roads was enough to get me going. as they were dry and smooth, and with little wind about what more could a man want.
but silly season was upon us, and someone let the holiday makers out. so some empty backroads were on the menu.
I dressed myself up for a big ride, only to stop a whole 20kms down the road to find myself outside Maunders Suzuki in Whangarei. Surprise surprise. They have a delightful coffee machine, which can produce great hot chocolates. being such a hot day i must convince them to install a cold fridge for the cooler beverages.
A little window shopping and a drool bucket (which can be collected at the door apon entry.) was something i had in mind before i continued on.
to cut a short story shorter, soon after entering the main store a voice piped up said "Andrew wanna take the B King for a ride". and no it was not wishful thinking or one of the many voices in my head.
The B King...... what can ya say looking at it? well it has a look only a mother can love.
I was expecting it to make these funny noises and stand up like a transformer. The tail pipes reminded me of a fan tail. so first impressions shouldnt count. Angry Big Bird?
It Looks big, and rolls around at 235kgs dry. the inline 4 (1340cc) gives the rider an idea of its width.
But never fear, the tank area gives the engine the apperance it has just come off a jenny craig diet, so as for myself i am not a light fellow, so was rather looking forward to this big angry robotic bird giving everybody the illusion as to my size. very misleading.
The dash Iluminates when the key is turned, followed by a brief pause to understand what all the bells and whistles mean. eventually i pushed the button and the Big B came to life.
I ride a rough noisey 1000 twin, even the neighbours know when im off for a ride. although makes it a little difficult when trying to sneak away on the weekend, when i have my orders to mow the lawns.
i had to concentrate for a moment to see if the Big B was running. I then knew this bike was the key to weekend escapes.
i was very surprised by its weight or should i say the way it was hid . manovering the Bike about the yard was simple and once onto the open road i did wonder if i had straddled the right bike. it was so lite on its feet.
With the size and width of the bike i was expecting something so much more heavier. The riding postion is very upright, and with bars that seem they were picked from a trail bike it gave the Big B the perception of an enduro. again what was i riding?
Open Road riding was a breeze, the torque from the gentle hum meant changing down was not nessary to overtake, and with crusing just over 3000rpm to ride 100kph was very mild, with plenty of roll on in the bag. also with a Redline seeming so far away at over 10,000rpm, anything was possible. 1st gear gave the Big B alot of punch soon secound was found and the feeling of siting in a 747 taking off on the run way was found and then surpassed. this Bird could Fly.
I knew it was lite, and it wanted to move about, and this is where some of those local curvey roads with various corners would come into play. The Big B kept upto its reputation. Surprise surprise surprise. it sat well in the tight bends and sweepers wanting more, although its weight did come into play in some rougher bends then i started to feel like a heavier bike. The suspension did an amazing job moving it's mass. With the smooth power delivery, exiting felt controlled. cornering overall was a pleasure. it almost took all the fun out of it. The brakes felt responsive and certainly pulled the bike up.
Engine braking was however lacking, which i was very surprised from such a large displacement engine.
i am still unsure of what to think of the bike. confused is a word that comes to mind.
with all that said. i liked it. it was smooth, quick and looks which say its different. it totally surprised me in so many ways. This is a bike which is underestimated.
if ya ever get a chance try it. you will be surprised. and Confused.