"My TRX trumps new Norton!"
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 5:49 pm
UK bikers may be interested to see this week's MotorCycle News (28 April 2010). MCN have been kind enough to publish a letter of mine in the top spot, with the headline "My TRX trumps new Norton!". That's not quite the gist of what I said, but so what; it's always good to see the TRX appear in print.
This is the text of the letter:
"Sir, Your Commando v Bonnie test was an interesting read; and if money were no object, I would love to have a Norton. I'd keep it in my garage alongside my current bike, a machine that is remarkably similar to the Commando. This motorcycle of mine is a big dry-sump multi-valve parallel-twin sports-bike for a solo rider. It displaces 850cc, has five gears, produces 80bhp and weighs 190kg. Yes, it’s a Yamaha TRX, the best-kept secret in motorcycling! Having had 43 bikes to date, I propose to keep my lovely TRX forever. The Commando v Bonnie test showed that apart from being traditional British twins, the pair were like chalk and cheese. Why not test the Commando against a TRX, and see how the two compare? Now that would be a contest!"
Result! ... Also, if you look at the Wikipedia entry on the TRX, you will see that it says: "In a MotorCycle News readers' poll of the “Top Ten Big Twin Sports Bikes" (20 May 2009), the TRX came joint third, beaten only by the joint winners, the Ducati 916 & 748, with 90%. The TRX was rated at 88% (equal to the Ducati 996, Suzuki TL1000S & Honda SP-1). The TRX beat the Aprilia RSV1000 (86%), the Suzuki TL1000R (84%), the Honda Firestorm (82%) and the Aprilia Futura (80%). The rare MZ 1000S was not featured in the poll, perhaps a casualty of the present unpopularity of parallel-twin sports bikes. MCN declared that "Although ... it's a parallel twin and a touch on the bouncy side, the TRX is still a cracking bike. It's stable, handles neutrally and feels like a proper sports bike".
This is the text of the letter:
"Sir, Your Commando v Bonnie test was an interesting read; and if money were no object, I would love to have a Norton. I'd keep it in my garage alongside my current bike, a machine that is remarkably similar to the Commando. This motorcycle of mine is a big dry-sump multi-valve parallel-twin sports-bike for a solo rider. It displaces 850cc, has five gears, produces 80bhp and weighs 190kg. Yes, it’s a Yamaha TRX, the best-kept secret in motorcycling! Having had 43 bikes to date, I propose to keep my lovely TRX forever. The Commando v Bonnie test showed that apart from being traditional British twins, the pair were like chalk and cheese. Why not test the Commando against a TRX, and see how the two compare? Now that would be a contest!"
Result! ... Also, if you look at the Wikipedia entry on the TRX, you will see that it says: "In a MotorCycle News readers' poll of the “Top Ten Big Twin Sports Bikes" (20 May 2009), the TRX came joint third, beaten only by the joint winners, the Ducati 916 & 748, with 90%. The TRX was rated at 88% (equal to the Ducati 996, Suzuki TL1000S & Honda SP-1). The TRX beat the Aprilia RSV1000 (86%), the Suzuki TL1000R (84%), the Honda Firestorm (82%) and the Aprilia Futura (80%). The rare MZ 1000S was not featured in the poll, perhaps a casualty of the present unpopularity of parallel-twin sports bikes. MCN declared that "Although ... it's a parallel twin and a touch on the bouncy side, the TRX is still a cracking bike. It's stable, handles neutrally and feels like a proper sports bike".
Great choice