I'll let you into a secret.............
Obsolete and last century is the new black
During my existential bike crisis I thought I'd update the TC too.
After my last trip to Italy I convinced myself that more powah would make me a happier chappy in my touring activity too.
After riding the SD and perhaps unsurprisingly, it felt as flat as a fart, heavy and unwieldy in comparison.
It did however take me in complete comfort on a two up 3000 mile road trip at an average speed that was more or less the same as every other bike I've owned from middleweight upward for the last 35 years and what's more my average speeds have dropped since the good old bad old days not increased.
The SD in a way was also properly old skool in that,
despite all the bollox talked by folk who never take the feckers on a properly decent trip, several hours of high speed windblast day after day, turned out to be every bit as character building as it was all those years ago on a UJM when I knew no different and was 35 years younger and couldn't afford the alternatives anyway even if I wanted them ( which I didn't btw
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Anyroad it's a brilliant machine for Sunday blasts and, if you plan your routes and roads to travel the path less travelled, not as bad as you think, however, add in the age old dilemma of the time it takes to get to the places you dream of to really enjoy it's potential vs the pain to get there, for me, the appeal diminished on quite a steep downward curve.
For different reasons I've decided that I don't want similar mammoth power stuck in an upright adventure chassis either.
Good fun and more comfy than an SD no doubt as they whisk you to the roads less travelled in order to experience their undoubtedy amazeballs performance and handling but and it's a big but, I'll get there as fast, if not faster, in more comfort, with less stress and, if you're anything less than a riding God I'll have you when you get there.
So what progess have we made?