Yet again, the
"Magnificient 7" on Saturday rode towards Vijayawada highway (this route is least preferred due to heavy traffic conditions while returning into city) but, i love this highway because its 4-lane and not too broad but, has many sweeping turns and also I have noted that the wind blast on this highway is lower than other highways helping in going faster than usual
We rode for about 80-90kms one way before taking a U-turn and stopping at my favorite breakfast place which is healthy option as they serve in clay bowls and every item on the menu is a healthy one consisting of multi-grain, ragi, jowar etc
We all enjoyed a multigrain dosa with lovely lemony tasted beetroot juice which was simply delightful.
Rebel motors participated with a Tiger 800XC
I got a chance to ride the Tiger 800XC (did a couple of test rides in the city earlier) thoroughly for 60+kms on the highway as well as heavy city traffic.
I was suitably impressed with Tiger 800XC. A quick snapshot of likes and dislikes below :-
Likes
1. Bike is huge and quite tall. Being over 6ft, my feet were barely touching flatly on the ground
2. It's an amazing torquy machine. However, its not as torqy as Bonnie in the 1st gear. 2nd gear onwards, it just flies. It puts distances between two objects quite alarmingly and reaches its top speed also fairly quickly
3. Arrow on the Tiger sounded very sweet and unlike the Bonnie one, they are perfectly loud without being overbearing like in Bonnie. I think this is a must add-on for overtaking those slow moving traffic on highway (a simple downshift and revv the engine is enough to make them scatter away in a hurry
![Big Grin](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.png)
)
4. Despite it's thin front tyres, I was surprised with it's handling. I was deliberately trying to weave in some sparse traffic and it felt agile and nimble to a large extent. Very nice !!
5. Brakes are simply brilliant
6. Power is more than the Bonnie and it can be felt when you start upshifting from 2nd gear onwards. It just takes off and reaches unmentionable speeds with ease
7. I was at ease on this tall monster almost immediately and felt like I was sitting on first floor of a double-decker bus..LOL
Dislike
1. During heavy traffic run, I felt some weight on my hands from handle bar ( maybe I was gripping it too tightly)
2. Gearshifts weren't very smooth. Iam used to butter smooth ones of Bonnie, these felt little clunkier in comparison
3. When you are getting off the bike, your legs will surely hit the grab rails
Tiger 800XC draws simply too much attention in traffic. People were gaping as if I came right out of a transformer movie. Not to mention its intimidating road presence
If I ever upgrade my Bonnie (might buy yet another Bonnie..
![Uncontrollable Laughter](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/images/smilies/uncontrollable laughter.png)
....seriously Bonnie is an all rounder)....Jokes aside, it will be a powerful adventure bike like the Tiger
Yours truly ![My Triumph Bonneville. EDIT: Sold!-img20141108wa030.jpg](https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/attachments/superbikes-imports/1307540d1691295178t-my-triumph-bonneville-edit-sold-img20141108wa030.jpg)