The Superbike rider

” LOOK at those nasty alloy fork seal protectors, they’re horrible! ” Brown’s initial impression of the Bulldog isn’t favourable as he wanders over, doing up his race rep lid. Fortunately, things improve as soon as he climbs on. After scanning the controls, he admits he loves the combined speedo and rev counter binnacle, and likens the appearance of the rev counter itself to that of a turbo boost gauge.

Then he comments on the lack of a choke lever. When it’s pointed out to him nestling just under the tank he isn’t amused. ” Wait until the salt and water gets in there after a few months. ”

But after a few minutes of fault-finding, Brown has to admit there are elements of the Bulldog that he likes.

” The exhaust sounds grunty – not your typical Japanese whine, ” he says. ” It’s comforting and begs for a set of slip-on carbon aftermarket cans. ”

His spin surprises him, too, considering the bike makes less than half the power of his GSX-R. He loves the Bulldog’s smooth bottom and mid-range power. ” But

it still needs a shot of adrenaline, ” he adds.

He’s not impressed by the suspension, though. ” The forks have almost no adjustment and give little feedback, but then I am used to sports bikes. ”

So, is he convinced? ” I would never buy one. It’s too docile for me. It should be renamed the Andrex Puppy. ”

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