‘I couldn’t live with its throttle response — it’d put my wife off’
“The majority of my riding is two-up and that means I have to make everything as smooth as possible, purely because I don’t want to discourage Gill from going on the back,” concludes Derek. “For that reason, I couldn’t live with the 2020 bike’s far too aggressive throttle response — we would be continually bashing helmets and at low speed it would be really hard to control. Price is also a factor, as it is a major jump for technology that I don’t really want or need. I’d probably have swallowed a £1000 price increase if the bike has that TFT dash, tubeless tyres and an adjustable screen but I don’t require Apple Carplay, cruise control or an IMU. I think I’d be better off investing £100 in a firmer rear spring and sticking with my bike — despite its irritating self-cancelling indicators and disappointing looking LCD dash!”
Would the more road-targeted ATAS tempt him to upgrade?
“I did try it and I liked its bigger tank as it felt a more-substantial bike,” he says, “but the problem is that I’m 67 and only getting older. The Sport is heavier and while I’m not going to give up on bikes, in the future I may be more suited to something like a lightweight modern retro as the Twin is quite top-heavy. I think for now I’ll stick with my Twin, upgrade the shock and just keep on enjoying riding and touring on it. I’d rather spend my money on nice hotels and meals out than a 2020 model.”