Yamaha BT1100: aka the thinking person’s Bulldog of choice

Muscle bikes aren’t all the same, as our pick this month proves. If you want to make a smart buy then don’t follow the crowd.

Given this column’s predilection for the weird and wonderful, the avant garde and oddball, left field options and curved balls it’ll probably come as no surprise to read that we’ve picked a real corker this month.

Yes, it’s Yamaha’s belittled and berated Bulldog aka the BT1100. If you are easily swayed and allow your choices to be influenced by populous opinion look away now and turn over the page. However, if you’d care to keep an open mind read on as this could be fun.

Should you fancy a change from the ubiquitous four-cylinder machinery and aren’t up for a Hinckley triple or parallel twin then Yamaha’s Bulldog may well be worth serious consideration.

It is, arguably, a thinking man’s muscle bike and potentially the antithesis to the Suzuki GSX1400 or Yamaha’s own XJR1300. Yes, obviously being a twin it’s not as pokey but it has that big soulful V-twin motor churning away beneath you; character it has in spades.

What it does lack out of the box is a vital edge; it was designed and tuned to be a pussycat rather than a panther but there’s a fix for that. What’s more it’s a cheap fix that only the stupidest numpty could actually get wrong.

For reasons best known to themselves the boys at Iwata limited the BT to a stated 65bhp at 5500rpm which ain’t much for a big V-twin but still 10 horses up on the Vincent twins it’s sometimes, if erroneously, been likened to. The bike is firstly substantially stifled by a restrictive rubber in the air box.

Deft wielding of a craft knife apparently increases the bike’s true capabilities. The next trick is a little more time consuming but hugely worthwhile. There’s travel limiting protrusions on the carb tops that prevent the slides being fully opened. Once removed the BT can really pick up its skirts and runs. If you fancy going the whole hog it’s not too hard to fit a set of better cams either. From this point the Bulldog can really show its teeth.

You’ll see all manner of tosh printed about Bulldogs decking their down pipes if cornered hard. That’s because they are... er... the first thing that can touch down? It’s a sporty cruiser for crying out loud. Horses for courses and all that! The bike was designed to be comfortable from the seat through the bars and down through the suspension.

Most owners of a BT never wanted an R1 anyway. Should you want to get the bike handling a little sharper without wishing to screw up the ergonomics there are companies out there that can fit emulators, better rear damping et al without ruining the bike’s character. And that one word sums up the bike; character.

It was designed to be something different and distinct from the sports bike of the day. Look at the profile and styling; it’s a lot closer to the later MT01 and 03 than many might care to admit and absolutely typical of Yamaha’s unique approach to design and ethos.

Once again it’s a Kando thing; the ability to stimulate an emotional response imparted by a mechanical device. If you truly fancy something different then a low mileage Bulldog can be yours for less than £3000.

Easily £1000 less than a quirky Buell, £2000 or less than a Sportster or Guzzi Sport; with the bomb proof motor from the XV1100 and viceless shaft drive it’s one of biking best kept secrets. Blag a test ride; you might just come away with a completely different point of view.

The Japanese motorcycle industry has a rich and diverse history of adaption and modification. Continuous development has seen surprisingly long lived designs that can legitimately trace their ancestry back decades.

Our subject matter’s engine was first conceived in the late 1970s seeing the light of day in 1981 as the XV750. This flexible approach to second, third and sometimes fourth generation is nothing new.

Yamaha’s seminal YPVS 350 finally curled up its toes in 1995 but its basic engine design went all the way back to late 1969 with the air-cooled YR5. Kawasaki did much the same with the Z1 to Zephyr scenario and Honda are past masters at the art form.

The Japanese bike manufacturers were, back in the day, roundly slated for what many saw as built in obsolescence. Continual and successive year on year model changes were not as dramatic as many pessimists believed.

If you’re into repairing older bikes don’t ever give up on finding key mechanical parts. Many modern components retro fit the older machinery. Of course you could spend hours online, visit your local dealer or trawl the forums. Alternatively you could join the VJMC and access one of the world’s most knowledgeable and friendly bike resources.

Get joining If you fancy joining a great band of vintage Japanese motorcycle enthusiasts then check out membership_vjmc@yahoo.co.uk or 01634 361825/07948 563280