Wednesday 17th June - Weds 24th June - Harley Week!

Oh by the way if you are thinking of learning this year, riding the VanVan has reminded how much fun you can have on a 125cc bike, so go do your CBT and get riding, you could do it all and walk away the same day with bike and gear all down at Streetbike!!!!

Anyway, back to Harley day, ever since I first started riding I have always wanted to ride a Harley, let's be honest, they are still the Daddy's of the bike world, and the carry with them so much history and mystique. I have had friends who have had various ones over the years, and I always looked on enviously, so imagine my joy when Jase and the guys at Stratstone Harley organised the first of a few bikes I will get to ride through their head offices over the next few weeks, the XR1200.

First up, like most people I have excitedly shown the bike, you might notice that it's not a big cruiser like most Harleys, no this is their 1200cc V Twin sportster, that has its own racing series all over the world, yes that right, a Harley that goes fast!

I must admit it's simply jaw droppingly beautiful, with the Harley classic orange paint job, the really retro styling, those streethawk-esque air scoops, and those huge exhausts that emit what must be one of the greatest sounds on the planet.

When you think of iconic engine sounds, some big names come to mind, for instance, the Jaguar E Type, a Ferrari V12 , a Spitfire..........but now you must add to that list the XR1200...........my God what a noise!

When I first took it out I almost crashed a few times, simply because I did not want to come off the accelerator and stop this beautiful crescendo that was escaping from the pipes......I have ridden a lot of bikes, but have never heard anything as good as this, deep, burbling, and slightly menacing, plus when you get it up above 5,000rpm.......its takes off!

To give me a chance of hearing as much Harley grunt as possible I decided to take the bike out straight away on some nice long b and a roads, to see if Harley had done something that has troubled Americans for years, and that's to make a vehicle that can actually go round corners.

It was damp, and it did feel a bit strange to start with having ridden so many big tourers and cruiser recently, but once I got the hang of it, I must admit, I was surprised how sprightly and tight it was in the twisties. Sure you're not exactly going to get your knee down round mini roundabouts, but once you get used to the setup, it feels surprisingly responsive.

The brakes seemed pretty damn sweet too, and with that big engine dominating everything you do, it's just so much fun to ride!

Over the next few days it dried up some more, so I took the bike on lots of excursions into the surrounding countryside's, and also riding it around the centre of brum, both of which it made eminently enjoyable.

In town the clutch can be kind of heavy, although the engine copes really well with the stop starts, and is very manageable through the lower revs, not really kicking into gear till you give it some more. This bike also has some little traits that show you that it's a Harley, as you will notice when you pull to a stop at the first set of lights, and the gear pedal resonates in time with the pistons because it is attached straight to the engine, which I kind of liked, and also that it feels like it's pretty basic, with no trip computer or fancy gimmicks, all of which show you how much Harley have literally taken a really sweet sportster track bike and put it on the road...............sweet!

As for performance.............well it has a lot of grunt!!!!!! Sure, it's not going to keep up with a Speed Triple or an FZ-1, but it's no slouch, and there is no bike on the road (that I have ridden!) that gets you wherever you are going by sounding so damn good. Honestly if this was nothing more than a shopping trolley and those cans you will still feel cool on it with that theme tune!

Also, there is just something about riding a Harley that is at the core of me, I genuinely expected that my love for these bikes would allow me to mask out any shortcomings it may have, as everyone has heard horror stories about these American Beasts, but I needn't have worried, they have really delivered a top bike...........and did I mention the noise??

I have also had the VanVan and Tourer out this week, both of which are going back soon, and both of which will live on in my all time fave bike list for a very long time it must be said. The Tourer may be the toned down version of the Rocket 3, but in some ways it's the better bike, and much more manageable, while the VanVan............well what can I say, it made me feel young and reckless again..........you can't put a price on that!

Now the last week has been a bit manic at work, with lots of changes taking place, so apologies for not updating daily as I promised, but from now on you will be getting that special treatment, as I look at trying out a whole world of awesome bikes this summer, and I want you there for the ride.............oh god that sounded cheesy!