Spent the morning on an XC test drive and if I had never ridden a GS I would probably buy one, but it does feel like a road bike with a 21 inch front wheel.

As we know the GS pulls from very low revs but the XC coughs a bit under 3000 as the engine “spools up” but thereafter it’s electric. 60mph in 1st and almost a ton in 3rd - 10,000 red line. There is little difference in weight but the GS feels more “planted”. The Triumph tank is in the conventional place so maybe the lower centre of gravity effect on the GS actually works! The roads were damp and greasy so a dry day might see the XC edge it as it is more responsive to bar input than the GS. The handlebars are narrower and lower and for me at 6ft too low when standing up. Brake lever is fine but the gear lever is too high but looks like it can be adjusted down although the linkage up to the gearbox looks very flimsy and exposed to an off as is the radiator hose.

The standard sump “guard” like the GS is as useful as a chocolate teapot. I have seen pictures of the factory upgrade but it doesn’t look like there is enough protection for the oil filter and that radiator hose although crash bars should solve the latter. The bottom of the rear suspension linkage is in line with the bottom of the sump ie a bit close to the deck and unless the upgraded sump guard comes back far enough to protect it they will be having the same problem as the early boxer twins with the linkage getting “rocked”. The whole rear subframe is welded on, not bolted like the GS, and although the welds look substantial we won’t know how strong this is until someone takes it to Mongolia and throows it down a lot! There is a peculiar “gold” after thought held onto the frame with circlips (chrome plated admittedly!) which turns out to be the oil reservoir for the rear shock.(see photos)

The seat is adjustable and the lower setting allows much better foot contact with the ground than the standard GS ride height. The seat is very comfortable (BMW please note) but the pegs are higher and slightly more set back so the overall riding position is not as good as the GS for me at any rate. The standard screen is marginally larger than the standard GS and does a very good job – I got it up to 115mph and it was the cold not the wind blast that made me back off. The Triumph “barkbusters” are very nasty bendy plastic items that won’t give you much protection in an off. The grab handles for the pillion are truly “heroic”! Front brakes didn’t seem to dive as much as the GS but given the greasy road and no ABS on the demo bike I wasn’t exactly yanking them on. The back brake however locked up at the slightest provocation.

It comes with Bridgestone Battlewanks so I didn’t venture into the New Forest trails which are currently a heady combination of icy sand and mud but looking at the videos on you tube it will do the biz off road.

In summary – stick the XC engine in the GS – although on reflection do you need a 10,000rpm screamer when you are “doing” Mongolia?! It is a great bike; however the BMW has been there and done it and I wouldn’t buy a Triumph until it has been "crash" tested it!(Have rated it a 5 as I just dont know)

PS If you do want one I have an option on an ABS version in black with an estimated delivery date of June!!! Sans ABS you might get one a little earlier unless you have already made a small deposit! In the show rooms mid January.

And a very merry Christmas and much biking in the New Year to you all.

Not long after I bought mine I pulled into Vine's of Guildford and the chief mechanic spotted them and said "two things about Metal Mule, they restore your faith in British engineering and they are the only accessory I can think of that is more expensive than the BMW option!"
They are certainly not cheap but they are tough as old boots and if you are into serious adventure riding (Long Way Round in 2009) you don't want to spend your time welding up frames and bashing panniers into shape when you have the inevitable off. They come in 31 and 38 litre versions but the price is the same regardless of size. It's tempting to get "more for your money" but my recommendation is to go for the 31 litre panniers otherwise you will just pack more stuff that you wont use/don't need! The anodised version is the one to go for as aluminium dust in your underwear is not recommended!
The construction design makes them incredibly strong. An altercation with some very low flying geese in Canada resulted in one of our team laying his bike down at around 100mph. The ally on the right hand pannier is no longer 2mm thick(!) but it is still fully waterproof and went straight back on the frame without any bashing or bending.
The attachment mechanism is very effective and the time to take off or put on a pannier is all of four seconds! For pannier liners you can't beat Waitrose fabric shopping bags which they give you free if you use their in store scanning service! Pefect fit and they come with handles - marvellous! Paul Goulding the owner and designer at MM has done a lot of touring and is a veritable mine of information and not just on panniers.
Value for money? If you are serious about adventure riding and want one less item to worry about then it's Meatl Mule for you.

In 2009 I did the "Long Way Round" pretty much following Charlie and Ewan's route. The outfit running the "tour" recommended the 800 so I bought one in March 2009 and had 4000 miles on the clock before we left from the Ace Cafe on June 4th.
It came with the "accessory package" including "trip computer", ABS (essential to switch it off when off road) LED indicators which are small enough to avoid getting damaged when you come off - and you will! - and heated grips - not a lot of use in the Turkmenistan desert at 40C but bloody useful in the early mornings up in the Artic Circle in Canada.
Essential add-ons include a decent sump guard (the standard one is plastic and comes in the chocolate teapot category) crash bars and panniers all courtesy of Metal Mule. Their panniers are not cheap but they are immensly strong and even bouncing down the road at a ton in Canada after a disagreement with a low flying Canada goose and more offs in Mongolia in deepsand and gravel ruts than I can remember they are still in one piece and functioning perfectly.
Dont go on your travels without a centre stand which is not standard kit. Changing wheels and chains which on a 21,000 mile trek you will be doing a lot of is much easier with one fitted. The standard seat is a plank and about as comfortable. Fitting an Air Hawk is the answer. It does add more height to an already tall bike but you wont get arse ache. After a four month trip everything else aches but not your bum! Maaarvellous!
I also fitted Pivot Pegs which have a larger and more grippy surface area and do actually pivot when standing up (you will be doing a lot of this off road ie all od Mongolia and most of Siberia!) making it easier to change gear which latter function is further aided by fitting an extended gear lever courtesy of Touratech. Size 10 Alpinestar MotoX boots just wont fit under a standard lever.
If you going to be doing a lot of high speed touring then a bigger screen will help but for round the world the standard one is fine. In hot weather 30C plus the larger screen stops airflow over your body and you need to stand up to cool down!
There is no adjustment in the front forks and they can dive alarmingly, unlike the 1200's, but they soaked up most of the bumps and potholes without bottoming out ditto at the rear which can be adjusted for preload (essential with the extra weight carried) and damping although the latter didnt make any noticeable difference to handling.
For a bike with a big 21 inch front the handling on the road (even on Conti TKC80's) is remarkably good. We ran road tyres as far as Asghabat in Turkmenistan and then switched onto TKC's which were pretty much shot by the time we got to Vladivostok. Fuel consumption is awesome and 60mpg is easy to achieve but as the cruising speed rises much above 70mph it does start to come down quickly. I managed to run out of fuel at midday in the Turkmen desert with 263 miles on the clock. We had been trickling along at 50mph as we knew we might be close on fuel and that averages out at 74mpg!
The 800 engine is susceptible to an oil leak from the rocker cover and all 9 of the 800s on tour suffered to some extent. The cure is a tube of silicon gasket cement, which necessitates removing the air intake covers over the engine which look like the fuel tank which is in fact under the seat. Then the air filter and battery compartment comes out and you can get to the top of the engine.
We had some various fuelling problems which came and went but having run the bikes on fuel down to 80 grade in Mongolia and filling up with what looked like agricultural diesel in Siberia that is not really a surprise. Wheel bearings as standard are cheap and not very cheerful Chinese items and replacing with SKF or similar is well worth doing of you are going on a "Long" one. one of our team had one let go in Canada with about 25000 miles on the clock and mine were repalced under warranty by BMW when I got back at about the same mileage. Chains were not a problem probably because we lubed and adjusted them every day. We changed them (and sprockets ) in Canada after about 17,000 miles which is pretty good after the terrain they had covered.
I could go on and if anyone wants more info on the trip or help/advice with planning then visit my website and leave me a message www.clivesworldbiketour.com