Bulldog-BT1100

Greetings one and all.

I was a member of the (now-defunct) UK Bulldog owner's forum, and have now managed to get onto here after a minor technical issue.

I was first introduced to the Bulldog when I persuaded my wife to test ride one nearly ten years ago. We were both hugely impressed, so I surprised her by buying the bike for her as a late birthday present. After about a year of "borrowing" her bike on many occasions she finally nagged me into buying my own 'dog. This was a rather tired example which was fun but a bit lively in the bends so I didn't keep it that long. The second one was bought for her to use whilst I freshened up her bike, but was "liberated" by a friend of ours before she could ride it. Next came a low-mileage bike with some goodies on it, which I bought and swapped the nice bits onto my wife's bike, before selling it on again. It was an OK bike but just didn't do anything for me.

Next came "Red", Low mileage, one devoted owner, lots of goodies, including bodywork, custom paint (red candy with tribal graphics, like Hellboy, hence the name Red), Akropovic silencers and lots more. I loved that bike but was forced to sell it last September for financing reasons.

I now have my fifth Bulldog, which is a cheap, shabby high-mileage (70k miles) bike, that runs remarkably well. I am not sure what to do with it yet. Current ideas include tarting it up, fitting USD forks, putting a sidecar on it or just using it as it is. I have a couple of modern Triumphs as well, and a selection of classic British bikes, so I am not stuck with it as my only bike, which would limit my choices, so we will see what time brings.

I will see if I can add pictures of Red to the gallery at some time,in the meantime, Hi.

Biggles


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Hi Biggles,
welcome to the board - nice reading, an impressive Bulldog history

Hello Biggles, welcome to this forum. I hope more members of the UK forum will join you here!
Regards,
Ronald

Hello Biggels
Welcome to the German Bulldog forum.
Maybe you can show us a few pictures of your motorcycle collection ?

Greetings from Holland

Also a friendly welcome, from the "Sauerland" (a little Region of germany)!
Greetings Linus

Hallo,

welcom to the german Forum.
Here you have
a lot of information,help and fun.
Greetings from niederrhein.

Hi Capt_Biggles,



wishes a lot of fun here and with your Bulldog
and also with the other bikes.

Thanks for all your greetings. I am surprised that there is not more activity from the English Bulldog owners, but our forum had grown rather quiet in recent years, with just a few members being active on there. I know that there are not that many Bulldogs on the road in the UK, or up for sale on eBay and other sites. I have only ever seen a couple of bikes on the road or at rallies that do not belong to my own friends, or people I know. I gather the BT1100s were a lot more popular on mainland Europe than they were here, where they slagged off when new by the motorcycle press, which was fixated with sports bikes at the time. People now seem to realize that licence-losing speed is not the only consideration should you want a reliable and practical road bike, as opposed to a race-track fantasy, and "sensible" bikes are now more appreciated, and gain their own cult following. The Bulldog and Triumph Thunderbird/Adventurer?Legend are good examples, as are several others.

Enough for now. I can go on a bit, I am told!

Time to get back out into the shed and get some work done.

Biggles

Capt_Biggles hat geschrieben:I am surprised that there is not more activity from the English Bulldog owners, but our forum had grown rather quiet in recent years, with just a few members being active on there.

I have noticed that the BT1100 Facebook group has some English members. Don't know if they are member of this forum as well. In the past, I have appealed to members in that FB-group to become member. I think the FB group is good for exchanging chit-chat and pictures, while our forum is far better in helping people out with their Bulldog related questions. I agree that a lively English section would enrich this forum!

regards,
Ronald

Hi Biggles

Welcome to the site, Where about in the UK are you.

Cheers

Krock

Hi Krock.

I am from Milton Keynes, about 40 miles North of London. There are three Bulldogs in MK that I know of (mine called Mr. Pink, my wife's, called, Bella, and a friend's called Spike), and "Red" ended up about 40 miles away from us. Our friend Dom in Wales has a high-mileage 'Dog named Bertie. I find it very interesting that all the people I know who own 'Dogs end up naming them, even me. I have owned over 1,000 bikes in 40+ years of riding and only ever named a very few. I suppose being in the bike trade means that I don't get as investing in the bikes, as do people like my wife who has only owned six in twenty five years.

Biggles

Capt_Biggles hat geschrieben:Hi Krock.

I am from Milton Keynes, about 40 miles North of London. There are three Bulldogs in MK that I know of (mine called Mr. Pink, my wife's, called, Bella, and a friend's called Spike), and "Red" ended up about 40 miles away from us. Our friend Dom in Wales has a high-mileage 'Dog named Bertie. I find it very interesting that all the people I know who own 'Dogs end up naming them, even me. I have owned over 1,000 bikes in 40+ years of riding and only ever named a very few. I suppose being in the bike trade means that I don't get as investing in the bikes, as do people like my wife who has only owned six in twenty five years.

Biggles

Hab ich da was falsch verstanden,
1000 Bikes in 40 Jahren besessen ?


Icke Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I sat down one day about 15 years ago, with a big piece of paper, and worked through all the makes, models, types and different capacities of all the bikes that I could remember owning over the previous years. I counted over 700 then, and in the last 15 years I must have had another 300-400 easily, including time as a "private trader". I frequently have 10 or more bikes at once, but if I get bored then I sell what I don't want and buy something else instead. This keep a steady stock of bikes in my back garden, and I always have several projects and restorations on the go at once. It stops me getting bored in my dotage, and provides a small income to supplement my "retirement".

Biggles

Hello Biggles,

as it seems that you have a sound knowledge about bikes, I like to know how do you rate the Bulldog, compared to similar models? I assume you have owned some of them.

Ralf

Hi Ralf.

The problem in answering your question, is decided what are similar bikes to compare it with. There were not that many bikes that fit into the "roadster" category ten to twenty years ago. When I started riding, 40 odd years ago, all bikes were basically roadsters. The only bikes with fairings were Police bikes or serious distance riders, with after-market fairings on their BMWs, or similar bikes The 1980s saw the market fracture into all kinds of different styles, and genres, and the basic, utilitarian motorcycle all but disappeared except for a few dispatch bikes, like Kawasaki GTs, and training bikes.

The bikes I see as most like the Bulldogs are the Triumph Legend/Adventurer/Thunderbird, Suzuki VX800, Yamaha XS650 possibly, Moto Guzzi Breva 1100, BMW R1100R, and no doubt a few others that don't spring to mind. They all have comfortable riding positions, most of them are shaft-drive, low state of tune from the engines, and basic, "roadster" styling. I have owned at least one of all these bikes, and they all compare well with the Bulldog in general. Smooth, comfortable, capable bikes. All have good points, and some are let down in silly ways (Suzuki's finish can be appalling for example) but in my opinion, the Bulldog does everything that little bit better. The suspension and brakes are from better-performing models, so work very well with the old, well-proven XV1100 engine, the styling is not to everybody's taste, but I like it. It fits my wife at 5"4" tall (with a 1cm drop in the suspension) and me at 6'4" tall, it carries two people and a full week's camping gear on the back if needed, does 12-mph and 60 mpg regularly. All the other bikes do most of this, but not quite as well. Then add the most precious commodity in this bland and sanitized world that we live in. Character.

In my many years of riding, the bikes I remember most fondly all had that elusive quality, called character. Some were unreliable but huge fun when right, I had a Moto Martin that didn't handle and was like a bucking bronco out of bends, which I adored (I know how to fix it now, but I didn't want to then!), Harley WLA that was an absolute pig to ride but looked gorgeous, The list can go on and on, but after all is said and done, what I have always needed, first and foremost, is a reliable all-rounder that allows me to have my toys for when I am in the mood for a bit of lunacy. The Bulldog is there. When it is not there I might have something else, usually a modern Triumph, but whenever a Bulldog comes up for sale at sensible money I will buy it anyway. As a spare, sometimes, or maybe I am holding on to it until it's rightful owner comes along to have it off me (this has happened several times). As I mentioned in a previous message, almost everybody I know who owns a Bulldog has named it. That, I think, says a lot more than my ramblings here.

Oh, and in case you think that I missed out the Ducati Monster in my comparison, I did so on purpose. I had one and I loathed it. Almost everything that makes me love the Bulldog, the opposite applied to the Monster, except for the engine. The engine is great, for as long as you can afford to keep it running well. Then it becomes furniture.

Biggles

Hi Biggles,

thank you for your feedback.

Thats about the answer I expected. One of your words describes the Bulldogs quite well. CHARACTER
That is what I personally love at this bike, along with it's ability to pamper you with sound and good vibrations.

I wish you and your wife always a safe return from your days out on the bikes.

Greetings from the Black Forest


Ralf

Hello Biggles,
Nice to read that the BT1100 compares well to so many bikes. I bought mine 6 years ago, immediately after I got my license. I have totally no experience with other bikes, except for the one that I had for the about 15 driving lessons: a 100HP Suzuki GSR600. I prefer the BT1100, the GSR600 hardly was any fun unless when generously exceeding speed limits.
Regards,
Ronald

Hi Biggles
welcome also from me !

BTW I travel to MK several times a year for business ; will let you know before the next time, perhaps we can have a coffee and a bike-talk

Regards

Martin

Thanks for all the greetings. I am always up for a coffee and a chat.

There is a good place for bikers to meet at a transport cafe just outside Towcester, in Northamptonshire. It's called Jack's Hill Cafe, and they hold regular bike-nights, custom shows, and the renowned "Ton-up Day" for cafe racers and classic bikes (plus truck, hot-rods, Yanks car shows and cruises). It's pretty much central to the whole of England, and not far from the M1 motorway. Link below.

https://jackshillcafe.co.uk/

Biggles