I picked up my XTX on Saturday and I'm new to big singles coming from a VFR750 for the last 6 years. The VFR had seen it's best years a while ago and had plenty of miles on it. I was due for a newer bike and persistent tendinitis in my shoulder means that another sports type bike was not a good idea.It also means that this is something of a comparison of coming from a sports bike to the supermoto style XTX.

After looking round and considering an enduro, at 5'6" and 10.5st wet through, most of them are a bit high and a bit heavy, so after some research I decided on the XTX and found one at a local dealers it's an 06 (on an 07 plate) with Pirelli Dragon tyres and someone has already removed the snorkel. I haven't opened the airbox yet to see if it has a stage one DNA or K&N. It has stock exhaust and initially the clutch needed adjusting as it was a little slack and the bite was right back near the grip. This caught me a little by surprise and I stalled about 50 yards from the dealership at the first set of lights (this is my excuse and one I'm sticking to). After a quick adjustment to get the clutch set up for me I was back on my way.

I wondered how long it would take to get used to a very different riding position. The XT's upright position was immediately comfortable and much higher up, cos of the seat height and my upright position, I had a much improved view of everything that was going on in front of me making the anticipation of road position avoiding potential issues much easier. The vibrations from the big single were no surprise and aren't excessive but were an unusual sensation coming from my balanced V Four background. After only a day I've come to find them comforting.

The upright position means that there is no weight on my wrists or shoulders so that bodes well for my tendinitis. I'm not sure that the bike is that much narrower but filtering through traffic to get out of Chester on a busy Saturday seemed easier. The idea of not having a rev counter didn't bother me because I hadn't really used it on the VFR for years. This was a product of me being very used to the bike, for the gear I was in and the engine sound I could guess my revs and estimate my speed fairly accurately as second nature. Something I'm going to have to re-learn. As the XTX revs a lot lower than my old VFR and the gears are closer together so I'm going to have to get used to changing gears a lot more often. Not that that's a problem the clutch is light and the gear changes are nice and positive.

I wasn't sure how I would feel when it came to cornering from a higher upright position, having seen videos I knew it shouldn't be a problem. But how would it feel? Would it feel a little precarious, a little unbalanced compared to the low down cornering position I was used to?

Shouldn't of wasted the time worrying, the bike is well balanced and just lends it's self to tilting into corners and flicking it's self through double bends and roundabouts. I was quickly able to find my confidence and took a route home that stayed off the main roads and onto some nice B roads wearing a very satisfied grin. I did wonder about the difference from my old twin front brakes going back to a bike with a single front but there was always plenty there braking into corners. When I get a better feel for the brakes I'll be able to brake later and get a little more speed through the corners. Give myself a bit of a moment when I hit the rev limiter while overtaking. There's those quicker gear changes I have to get used to.

I've had the bike a day and put in about 60 miles. Some busy town traffic, some A roads and some nice twisty B roads. Any small niggles are down to me getting used to a very different type of bike rather than a failing of the bike. I think I've found the slight surge low down but it's certainly nothing that would put me off the bike and I just need to check the filter and replace with DNA if needed and maybe the Kev mod. Picking the XTX is not something that I'm going to regret. It's got plenty of pull from standing, it's nippy round town and through traffic. The higher upright riding position is comfortable and gives a great view. Open it up and there is loads of fun to be had through the twisties and it's just left me with a satisfied grin. I look forward to putting many more miles on it.

I'd recommend it to anyone, especially sports riders that are looking for something different/ more comfortable/ license safer, whatever.