The Bulldog breed is tough, resilient, and hard as nails. But this Bulldog is the Yamaha BT1100, and if it were a dog it would be more likely to roll over and beg you to scratch its belly than rip your arm off.
Think faithful Labrador and you get the picture - but who'd want to buy a bike named after the nation's friendliest old dog?
The Bulldog doesn't look like a big softy. Aggressive styling with a thick-walled tubular backbone chassis caging a 1063cc V-twin motor, humped gas tank and gunslinger seat promise arm-wrenching performance for the streetfighter clan. But Yamaha has a different rider in mind.
This bike is not meant to be thrashed like a V-Max or Fazer 1000. It was designed for weekend warriors who enjoy looking cool, but without frightening the neighbours. "The way we see it, five days hard work deserves to be rewarded with at least two days of full-on fun!" purrs the Yamaha marketing type. "And the new BT1100 is the ultimate in weekend riding pleasure."
The Bulldog is also the first Yam to be built in Italy. That goes some way to explain the mixed-up personality of the BT1100.
The Bulldog's engine is basically the same unit that powers the 1100 Drag Star Classic, and that was based on the venerable Virago lump that dates back to Neanderthal times. The V-twin is pretty simple, with air-cooling and a single overhead cam. Compression is a soft 8.3:1, and power is claimed to be 65bhp.
The Bulldog gets a bigger air box to boost torque throughout the rev range. But by the time those horses reach the shaft-drive back wheel they've probably been reigned in to about 50bhp. R1-style front brakes make sure the Bulldog doesn't run away.
As a "naked musclebike" the Bulldog falls short on muscle - especially as it is in the same price range as Yamaha's own muscle retro XJR1300 and Suzuki's GSX1400. Check them all out before you buy.
