Paul Stroud

MY BIKING CAREER started with Harley-davidson thirteen years ago, when I was Harley’s head of UK and Ireland. I passed my motorcycle test on a Harley-davidson Softail Deluxe – that’s a 1449cc motorcycle. When I started on bikes I found I had to be totally focused on riding. I lived in the moment, and there was no space to think about anything else. That’s the thing I now most enjoy about bikes: they’re pure escapism. I soon realised I enjoyed riding Buells more than the Harley cruisers. I commuted through the Cotswolds on a Buell Ulysses. The Buell was lighter and more dynamic, with a more upright riding position. When I joined Triumph I beelined for a Speed Triple – similar to the Buell. But tastes change. I’ve now ridden every bike in the range and my favourite is the Tiger 800 XRX. The Tiger’s an easy bike to ride – easy to manage, nimble, with good visibility from the upright seating position. The XRX’S 19-inch front wheel means it turns quicker than the off-road XCA’S 21-inch front. New, lower gearing means the engine picks up much more quickly than the old bike and feels more forgiving too. It feels best on roads full of quick direction changes and undulating surfaces, so it’s perfect for my regular early-morning rides through the Cotswolds. I’ve also taken it to the Lake District for a long weekend. A friend and I stayed in the Langdale Valley and rode the Wrynose and Hardknott passes. Switchbacks, tiny single-lane roads: perfect Tiger territory. And that feeling of escapism, again. Favourite feature? That’s the backlit switch cube, the joystick that navigates the TFT screen. On our previous model 800 the switchgear wasn’t illuminated, which made it difficult to locate in the dark. It’s a tiny change, but completely transformational. Night and day, you might say. I do like the other Triumphs. I’m a rider who enjoys speed and exhilaration, but I’m also a careful rider. There’s always time to enjoy the environment I’m in. So if I had a second bike it would be a Bonneville T120 for laid-back weekends. And I’d choose the Tiger 1200 if I was planning very long-distance touring. But the Tiger 800 is just a great all-rounder. I’m constantly presented with unexpected events in my job. Things come along that are out of your control. Drive home after a day of unexpected events and you’ll be thinking about them the whole way. Ride home on a bike and you’ll spend 30 minutes doing something you enjoy and can focus on completely. And for me the bike that does this best is the Tiger 800.

‘When I started on bikes… I lived in the moment…’