there is a good 'test' of the Robin on Top Gear.... ( too lazy to find link).
off topic....me and the Missus went to Newmarket this morning to look at house stuff....I made her go to Tech Books and the Victory shop for a look. We looked in the window and were turning away and the sales guy runs out " can I help you?" " no thanks just looking...( I said politely) " but you havn't even come inside" um....thinking quickly..." I just wanted to show my wife the alternative to Harley...... ( lie)" Got the full Victory story...... nice guy, been all over states on his Victory....then Europe and back...80 000 kms.....got knocked off on Broadway and bike written off....I'd be well pissed off. " What do you ride?" ....." um a Norton Commando" ....silence........" oh your into retro bikes...." " ............Yes!!!!" " See ya".......
Don't mention the Norton.. You know what happens. They either ignore you or start droning on about "Back in the day....."
I done signed myself up for a test ride on one of them Spyder fings in April (there was an ad in the Harold no less). Doubt I shall like it and they will try to sell me things. Good luck , better men have tried and failed. I suspect I'm right bang in the middle of their demographic, but I can't reckon them. To my mind they have all the disadvantages of both cage and bike and none of the advantages of either. You get just as wet as on a bike (more, for they have no fairing); they are no safer , any apparent gain from three wheel stability is very slight (how many bikers have been injured simply from the bike toppling over?) , and more than made up for by their reduced manoeuvrability . You have no more luggage capacity than on a bike, and still have to wear all the gear. And, above all, I suspect they will be very boring. Sort of a Ulysses special, I'd wager the average age of driver (riders ? ) is very very old. I reckon they should have gone the other way, same mechanical config, but a big barn door fairing, shit loads of luggage space , sort of like a giant sized super scooter. That might make some sense, I've always thought the 650 Burgman was quite a good idea. For other people, anyway. However, I never like rubbishing anything until I've given it a fair trial. So we shall see come April
I suspect I'm at least $40,000 off their demographic - with no chance in hell of buying one,why should they give me a ride.....so I can tell the rest of the dole bludgers in Huntly west what they should spend yours and mines money on? I would take it down to Te Akau and really enjoy myself....but would it be worth the stern looks when I bought it back filthy with the tyres destroyed? Like when I test rode a DT230 - Duh,where do you think I'm going to test ride a dirt bike dickhead? Just because it's road legal doesn't mean I'm going to stay on legal roads.
I assume that if there are no more Ixion items appearing on this column afterwards that the handling was a bit different.
$16 grand and odd they claim. Which is better than I might have thought. But possible that's on the basis that wheels and engine are "optional extras". Not that I'm about to cough that up, me being just a poor impoverished old man ekeing out a penurious existence on the smell of an oily rag, n all. But they don't know that !. I don't think I'll get the chance to take it where I want. That *would* be quite good. I reckon one of those would go quite good in the sand dunes up at Muriwai. No, I gather it's a shepherded "follow Daddy and be good, and don't break any rules " group thing. Which means I will almost certainly get in trouble with 'daddy'for breaking some rule or other and be kicked out. That's what always happens to me on any of those organised rides. But while 'daddy' isn't watching I might get a chance to see 'wadd'll it do'. I must admit I *am* a bit worried about the handling. Bikes, Yep, obviously. Cars , ditto. And I've had time on a real sidecar. So all of those I can cope with. But how will this brute handle? How do you make it go round corners? Obviously it won't counter steer (or so I assume?) . And the sidecar trick of pivoting it round the chair brake for left handers and elevating the wheel for right handers won't work with two front wheels. So how does it steer? Like a car? That'll be really boring.
