2007 BULLDOG >> Hot Bike, Volumne 39, No. 11 2007 BDM 2007 Bulldog By Toph Bocchiaro

Creeping along the tarmac toward the terminal in the 300-seat tin can, the blonde air hostess informed the passengers that it’s OK to power up their cell phones. A discordant symphony of beats, cartoon themes, Star Wars, and Star Trek themes battled for aural supremacy. Mine just vibrated.

I apprehensively looked – it was HOT BIKE headquarters checking in on cue - and flipped open the text screen, waterlogged, jetlagged and hung over from a frenzied moto-foray into the wilderness surrounding Milwaukee.

All it said was “Ready 4 a ride? Come 2 office.”

An hour later, as the other editors waited to saddle up, I staggered out of the limo, fumbling for my shades. The plan was a two-day ride, circuitously terminating somewhere in the rugged mountains high above the L.A. basin. I was expecting to ride my bike, but was pointed in the direction of the long, sleek, white pro-street gleaming in the SoCal sunshine. Sitting in front of me was all 8-1/2 feet of an ’07 Big Dog Motorcycles (BDM) Bulldog. The sheetmetal, as well as the sidecovers and shin spoiler, came directly from the Wichita plant wearing Tribal Waves graphics anchored to a Horizon White powdercoated frame. BDM offers eight levels of paint and graphics packages along with 20 different powdercoat finishes. This particular Level 5 graphics scheme added $2,500 to the sticker, plus $250 to match the sidecovers (concealing the battery and electronics), $250 for the chin spoiler, and $400 to powdercoat the frame.

The flagship Bulldog looked bigger than it felt once I threw my right leg over the burly 300mm rear tire and straddled the motor. Reach to the handlebars and foot controls was comfortable as well, placing me in a relaxed, almost perfectly upright seating position. Before departing for the weekend I took a 15 second spin around the building to get acquainted with the handling. No problem. The rake and trail combined with the fat rubber added up to a package that was surprisingly easy to maneuver at slow speeds. Some of the sure-footedness is undoubtedly owed to the barely 2-foot seat height. Before grabbing my only luggage (a toothbrush and pocket camera), I had to figure out how to deploy the kickstand. Because it’s mounted out of the way on the rear of the frame, it takes some adjustment to reach it instinctively. For stability I used my hand at first, but jumping ahead, as time went by, using my left foot became second nature.

Satisfied with my pre-ride check, I fired up the 117-inch mill, pulled in the clutch, and engaged the Baker six-speed tranny’s First gear. The big S&S single-cam motor, featured in all of BDM’s ’07 offerings, was smooth and responsive to throttle input. Although the motor didn’t object to high rpm spins, I found I could reach terminal velocity most efficiently by short-shifting through the first three gears, then letting the very strong-feeling Fourth take me into triple dig-its, before upshifting to let the motor settle into its groove. Sixth gear is a true overdrive and I felt it wasn’t needed until reaching at least 75 mph, ideally 80-plus for the motor to smooth out. With a little saddle time it was easy to feel where the motor liked to be, with a more pronounced vibration if riding in the sub-2,500 rpm range. Six gears to play with made it extremely easy to ride at any speed and keep the rigid-mounted motor happily purring. Clutch pull effort is on the medium side of the spectrum, posing no problems in heavy urban traffic. Finding Neutral was never a problem either up or downshifting and the Performance Machine calipers clamping floating rotors brought the bike to a stop pretty well.

Part of the smoothness and throttle response of the engine is undoubtedly due to BDM’s first use of a fuel-injected induction system. Developed in conjunction with S&S Cycle, the EFI is a closed-loop system utilizing oxygen sensors in the exhaust pipes to monitor exhaust gasses and optimize the fuel mixture while riding. In addition to the closed-loop feedback the EFI system monitors air and engine temperature, engine speed, and manifold vacuum. Built into the system’s “brain” are cold start programs that eliminate any kind of external choke or enrichener. Hit the starter and go. It worked flawlessly, with ideal idle and throttle characteristics under many different conditions. While at sea level you’d never know the EFI was even there, but go up in altitude and the system shines even more. Our few hundred mile ride took us up windy mountain roads that peaked just shy of 8,000 feet. On a carbureted bike, the less dense atmosphere at that altitude causes carburetors to deliver too much gas for what the riding conditions dictate. With less air available, the mixture turns rich, robs power, decreases throttle response, potentially fouls spark plugs, and generally makes the exhaust note sound blubbery. Not so with the Bulldog. It wasn’t until I realized how well the bike was running that I even gave the EFI a second thought. If you like to ride in the mountains EFI is definitely the way to go. If you just want crisp throttle response, good gas mileage, and start-go riding, then EFI is still the best new game in town for BDM.

Long freeway jaunts are effortless on this bike, with the chassis tracking perfectly straight down the road. Part of that quality comes from the combination of the right-side-drive transmission along with BDM’s proprietary Balanced Drive system. In a nutshell the design and fitment of the primary drive, clutch, transmission, and starter allows for a slimmer package that adds up to better balance and lean angles. BDM’s Softail-style suspension and inverted front forks do a good job of taming the bumps. On smooth roads the bike handles large disturbances predictably and controlled. However, on less than ideal pavement the suspension has a tendency to pogo that affects the handling. Riding the Bulldog through very twisty mountain roads was a genuine pleasure. Ground clearance is probably more than adequate for most riders, as touching down the footpegs only occurred when riding more aggressively. Remember, this bike wasn’t built to be a canyon carver, but it sure was fun to throw around the curves. With such a long frontend and fat rear meat handlebar input required, naturally, more counter-steering than a typical skinny-tired scoot.

Aside from building a good riding bike, BDM pays attention to the little details that add up to a complete package. Immediately noticeable are the Diamond Heads’ cut cylinders and heads, inverted forks with pointed ends, and BDM’s own polished, three-dimensional staggered spoke billet wheels. Keeping the seat height low was accomplished by containing the oil tank inside the rear fender. Sissy bar docking points integrated (and covered when not in use) into the fender struts are a nice addition. Seating and grip comfort are good enough for all day riding in comfort. A side mount license plate bracket keeps the rear of the bike clean, while clear turn signal lenses cover red LEDs that appear clear until activated.

If you’re the type of person that doesn’t like unwanted attention, stay away from this bike. The overall stance, paint and graphics, chrome and polish of this bike turns heads everywhere. It has an attitude and look of a retro machine, but the ride, sophistication, and technology of the 21st century. For more information on where you can sit yourself on one log onto www.bigdogmotorcycles.com.