WORDS/PHOTOSTHE BEAR
B
ACK IN THE days when
a friend of mine was in the
corporate world, she was in a
meeting of otherwise all male senior
executives. The meeting over, the talk
turned to what blokey talk often turns
to: who’s got the best toy, in this case
their watch. Mine tells the phases of
the moon; this one lets me know if I
have a phone call; mine doubles as a
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simultaneously and automatically.
“What about yours?” someone asked
her boss. Glancing down at the slim disc
of gold on his wrist, he said: “This? It
tells the time.”
Silence around the table.
The VN900 is a bit like that. It is about
as basic as a motorcycle can be these
days. Also, if you’ve ever wanted to
channel one of those lone riders in the
American TV series, it is probably the
best bike I’ve ever seen for strapping
a sleeping bag to the handlebars. The
simplicity also means that this is the
perfect bike for someone looking for an
easily customized machine.
Why? There is no ABS, no Traction
Control, no CAN-Bus electrics, no
onboard computers, no adjustable
ignition maps, no electronic
suspension... it has fuel injection and
disc brakes, and the little screen in the
basic instrument dial offers an odometer
and a trip meter – and tells you the time.
The instruments themselves are limited
to the speedo, a fuel gauge and six idiot
lights. The fuel gauge is nice to have, but
it is a little uncertain when the tank gets
low, and wanders. Not to worry: there is
also a fuel warning light. This does give
you perhaps a little too much warning;
when it came on during my ride, I still
- Front guard has the same little lip
as the 800’s. - Switch blocks are simple.
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do look good.