This Yamaha Bulldog is a shaft-driven, 1,063cc V-twin, in appearance very much in the modern idiom. It claims "motorcycling as it should be - pure unadulterated v-twin character - a real motorcycle ridden by real riders".
For those who like to be just that bit different, in addition to the standard model there are the Mastino Napoletano Metal and V. Skin cosmetic variants. What these mean are that the Mastino is "created for show purposes only by avant-garde designers", the V.Metal "uses a range of handcrafted custom parts to pump up the big V-twin's attitude" and the V.Skin uses leather - "paying homage to the biker's favourite material."
So, you get the idea, attitude, image and looks are meant to be the real attraction. Mercifully, in case anyone we know might have seen us leaving Yamaha's Weybridge HQ on the site of the old Brooklands racecourse, we were given the less extreme standard model for our test ride.
Of course, there are many for whom looks, image and sound figure high in the list of desirable features. In the standard form it looks modern, muscular and not outrageous.
First impression of the V-twin engine at low and normal speeds was of a very "classic" sound, even a trace of echoes of a pre-war Brough Superior and not at all what one would expect from so modern-looking a machine. At higher revs that changed into a lively engine, much as one would expect from a modern, Japanese V-twin but with a decidedly obtrusive exhaust note throughout.
Our test ride in dry, sunny conditions took in a mixture of B-roads as well as some very fast sections of motorway-standard dual carriageways. The bike's overall performance was very good. The brakes, steering, slow-speed riding, clutch, gear ratios and roadholding all deserved 9 out of 10. The gearchange certainly deserved 10 out of 10, while acceleration was a tad sluggish for a one-litre machine earning 8 out of 10. All of which sounds, and is, pretty good.
Plus points are the engine itself, a very good example of a modern V-twin, the way the machine handless; utterly vice-free, and the more than adequate brakes.
On the downside poorly sited mirrors, only useful for those who appreciate watching their elbows, the unnecessarily obtrusive exhaust and, worst of all, a dreadful vibration / noise resonance which totally destroyed any possible riding enjoyment no matter how good the rest of the machine might be. Time and circumstances prevented us stripping down the machine to find the precise cause of this dreadful noise. Our mission is to test, not to redesign bikes.
The noise seemed to be coming up from below the front end of the tank and was so obtrusive that, after a while, one could be seriously tempted to leave the bike in a ditch and take a taxi back home. It's not the sort of noise that even the most ardent "loud-pipes-save-lives" fan would appreciate. It was that bad. And that is surprising given that Yahama can be commended on is the superb maintenance and preparation of their press-bike fleet.
We have no way of knowing if this was a one-off fault of the particular machine or is endemic across the whole Bulldog range. From this experience we submit that unless you are totally deaf this is not a machine to buy without taking a test ride.
When we mentioned our disappointment to the Yamaha importers they suggested that we were "too old to appreciate this machine". We can and do enjoy and appreciate machines ancient and modern on the basis of do they do what they claim; even though some machines would not make it onto our must-have list. There no excuse for turning out a machine so infernally noisy that it could only appeal to masochists.
A great pity because, rid of that noise, this could be a capable and enjoyable machine for those who like a touch of modern styling.