Bikes are for riding, apparently, as well as for providing endless ways of passing the time agreeably in sheds throughout the lands, especially when winter arrives. It was a wet, windy and very dull day, perfect for an afternoon's jovial spannering, so of course I took my happy Triumph out for a few miles. Someone high above must have been inexplicably pleased with me that day, because by the time I'd donned all the kit and waddled out to The Shed, the rain had stopped and a watery sun was peering through the clouds. This was plainly A Sign, but I attempted to start the purple peril anyway.
First kick. There's not much an earnest scribbler like myself can actually make out of that, so I'll simply repeat myself in greater detail. The Triumph started perfectly well first kick, and had settled down to a relaxed tickover by the time I'd placed lid on head and gloves on hands. How very marvellous indeed. Also a little surprising, to be honest.
First impressions? I need to compare riding this Triumph with both of my other on-theroad clunkers, the Commando and Matchless CSR. The Triumph isn't much like either. It feels almost lightweight, somehow, more like the Woody Bullet than a heavyweight chunk of historic Britiron. Lightweight? At a quoted 387lb it compares well with the 187kg of the Bullet. What d'you mean, they're different units? OK, the Triumph would weigh 175kg were it more modern, while the Bullet would crush the scales at 412lb if it was a venerable classic. The Triumph, you will observe, has an extra cylinder, too.
On the road the relatively light weight
