This is my second bike since returning to biking after a 20 year gap. I wanted a big quality bike, I actually road tested a Harley Davidson 883, Triumph Bonneville, BMW R850R and in the end chose the Yamaha. I find the bike vary stable brilliant for motorways or dual carriageways and equally good to handle in town lots of fun. The bike is reliable, low maintainance is shaft driven so no need to worry about chain lubrication or adjustment. It has lower power compared to sports 600´s but the bulldog is not a sports bike. The bike has low torque, a great sound through the stainless steel pipes and will cruise all day at 80 if necessary and you know there will be no strain on the big engine. I enjoy and bought it as a long term investment. The bulldog is probably an aquired taste as I thought long and hard regarding what type of bike I wanted and that is the key to it you have to be sure and I am sure looking forward to some reasonable weather so I can ride more often than just the odd hour on weekends..