Before I sound the hammer real hard let me put in a few facts to put my verdict in perspective. I am a thorough Superbike guy, the one who usually wouldn’t be allowed seen riding a sedate low hung stretched out motorcycle called a Cruiser. I have ridden Fireblade 1000RR once around India, the magnificent Kawasaki Concours around New Zealand, a peppy enough Hyosung GT650R around Australia, and am about the ride the fabled R1 around India in 2009.

Never have I yearned for a cruiser, no matter if it has twice the cubic capacity and dimensions that the unassuming and almost invisible Superbikes. But after three days of riding the Intruder over 600kms in all sorts of terrain, I am hooked, addicted and a big sucker for its narcissism inducing physical assets and an all devouring street presence with power of an earthmover at my right wrist. The moment I fling my leg over this damn of a motorcycle I feel a surge of to-hell-with-everyone attitude. I am a part of it at the same time not shy of announcing our combined presence on the road, and anyways, I cannot hide this tank masquerading as a motorcycle. Never before I have felt that I need to have a motorcycle really this bad, except maybe the Fireblade. But then I could always carry it on the back seat of the Intruder just for keep sakes...

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