Thesuspension ishappytobepushed, too.
Ididfind italittlesoft as standard, divinga
bit toomuch for me underhardbrakingand
acceleration.Butthanks to its adjustable
rear shock,Iwasable to tightenitupatouch
to suit mypersonal preference.Ofcourse,
there’salwaysgoingtobeacompromise
betweencomfortandperformance when
afactorysets up its bike’ssuspension, and
particularly consideringthe bike’s‘budget’
nature, it wasnever goingto bethe most
sophisticatedof setups.But regardless, it
did the jobadmirably,soakinguptheworst
lumps andbumpsIcould throwatit.
Theonlymajor downside is that the
mirrors vibratetoomuch (abovethree-and-
a-half thousand rpm) tobeof anyreal use.
Youknowsomethingisbehindyou,but you
just don’t quite knowwhatitis.
Thetrafficbehindyou just becomesablur
and when thinkingofovertaking, Ifound I
hadtomakealifesaver to double-checkno
onewasovertakingmealready.I’msure it
wouldbeasimplefix, just abit ofapain.
Wesoon foundourselves,that’s meandthe
bike, at acafé orderingthe obligatorycuppa
and bacon bap. Isat andwatchedaspeople
lookedat the 400 as theywalkedin andoutof
thecafé.One oldchap made hiswayslowly
up to me andsaid:“Iusedto haveone like
that,nicerestoration!”Hewasquite shocked
whenIsaid itwasbrand new.Wechatted;
well, Ilistened, forabout half-an-hourabout
bikes and life.Ilovethelifelessonsyoucan
getfromthe oldergeneration. Especiallyold
bikers.Wewentourseparateways, butnot
until hehadhadacloser look andagreed
with me that theexhaust notewasfantastic.
High praiseindeed.SHOULDIBUY ONE?
TheHerald 400ccClassicis very capable of
making yousmile and grin from ear toear,
nomatterwhether you’regivingitagood
spiritedride onaset of twisties or nipping
intowork and homeagainatapedestrian
pace.It’sone of thoseretroall-rounders.
AndIreckonitwould takeyouonalongtrip
if yousodesired–providingyouweren’t in
toomuch ofarush.