You may remember seeing a news item on this very site a few weeks ago mentioning that there were still spaces available on the Buell Experience and suggesting that you really, really ought to give it a go. Well I had the opportunity to put my money where my mouth is and do exactly that.

So I did.

It's a half day of pretty intense stuff, including food and as much or as little coaching as you may want. You have access to the entire range of Buell motorcycles to ride as the makers intended. Which is a rather nice thing to do.

On arrival you get a group chat with the personable and capable man in charge, as you might expect. Tim, for that is his name, gives possibly the best pre track session briefing I've ever heard, and is brilliant at explaining to people, the majority of whom probably haven't done this before, what is expected of them and what they should expect from the day. In our case that meant being split into smaller groups which meant we got the maximum on-bike time and the most chance to swap around and try different bikes in the range.

For us, our first session was on the circuit. A bit more briefing on track behaviour and etiquette and we walked down to the pitlane where a dozen or so Buells awaited us. As well as the new 1125R there were Lightnings and several STTs - no longer current in the Buell range but quite spectacularly good for this sort of tomfoolery. The first session was really just to get everyone used to riding on a track, get some idea of where the corners are (not hard at Mallory) and have a bit of a shakedown. No overtaking was allowed and, apart from one chap who really, desperately wanted to get his knee down on his first lap, there was no drama to report. It says a lot about the organisation of the day that by the time we came back into the pits after this first, half dozen lap, session there was a member of staff on hand to gently but firmly berate the aforementioned gentleman for his foolishness. After that we got another session, a little longer, where we were allowed to overtake and generally press on. But this being early in the day and everyone still feeling their way around, this jaunt on the Lightning was a continuation of the first one really. Everyone was very sensible though the pace was respectable enough.

After the track sessions we were given an opportunity to try the bikes in an environment they might be more likely to see most of the time - the road. Again we were split into smaller groups and then we had a choice of bikes to take out into the big bad world in a "Ducks and Drakes" type rideout. All very sensible and carried out at legal speeds all the way, but it gave a chance to see what the 1125R was like in the real world on some great roads. Others rode the Ulysses and Lightnings - there didn't seem to be any STTs on the road runs, though I may be mistaken, but having tested both of those already it was the 1125R I was most interested in.

Then, when we got back in, things got really interesting. Because we were given the opportunity to ride a Ulysses in the environment where it might be suggested it belongs. Off road. There's a nice gravel fire lane around Mallory and some big dusty car park areas as well. Some may have been disappointed when Pete Boast, off road guru and the only man I've met who has ridden a wider variety of bikes than me, told us that we wouldn't be going on the purpose built motorcross track next to the assembly area, but they were probably kidding themselves. The gravelly fire lanes were ideal for finding out how the Ulysses would behave when the going got loose, even if not especially rough. And the big areas of dust gave us the chance to play around and see how much we could make the back snake as well. Though of course none of us were than immature. Ahem. The answer, by the way, is that the Ulysses behaves surprisingly well off road and is pleasantly easy to ride. It's also surprisingly nimble, even standing on the pegs and trying to wobble between logs. I was impressed.

After that, then, the skills course was going to be a doddle. Um, or maybe not. Take a Buell Lightning around a tight course of cones, see-saws, balance beams and the like, trying not to put a foot down. Easier said than done, but a great learning exercise and enormously satisfying as well as fun.

While some of us were honing our low speed skills, others were getting high speed laps with "Mad" Matt Llewellyn, BSB racer and another of the staff. There is a special two seat 1125R race bike which is usually used at BSB rounds and Matt was using it to great effect around Mallory, turning in race pace laps with a passenger. Unfortunately when my turn came around it was the end of the session and he'd killed the brakes but everyone says that it was, um, an experience. Most of them said it was a good one and that they were glad they'd done it but if you are a nervous sort then I would suggest you think twice.

The end of the day saw us get another couple of track sessions. This time the gloves were off and we were free to ride at our own pace. The first session I took out an STT and discovered just how much fun it was. I can't understand why this bike wasn't a roaring success - it was a cheap as chips, goes like stink and handles really well. Plus it's enormously entertaining to ride. Ah well, at least the bike I rode for my last session of the day looks as though it should be a commercial success. The 1125R is, quite simply, a staggeringly good track bike. Even for someone as rusty as me it was very easy to go fast and stay in my comfort zone. Four laps behind Matt in the last session before he moved over and waved me past, sitting on my tail for another couple of laps until the chequered flag came out. I was very happy when he just nodded and told me it was a "Nice ride." Praise indeed, I felt.

All in all, then, I would thoroughly and unequivocally recommend the Buell Experience. It's excellent value, though not cheap, because you get to sample just about everything you can handle in half a day. You'll finish the day shattered physically and with your cheeks aching because you've been smiling so much. Well, mine were, anyway.

Keep an eye on www.buell.co.uk where, hopefully, information about when and where the next events are will appear.

SB