Driving it normally was just like any other car, a little noisy but absolutely fine. I used it as my only family car for the first 3 years during which time I did 100,000 miles without incident (1 replacement clutch).
The only faults I found with it in the 11 years were that the windscreen wipers hit the side of the windscreen about 120mph (Solution = slow down in the rain) and I kept taking the back roads home rather than the motorways because it was too much fun.
Yes, there are Big Bike Bash tickets left at the moment. Buy them now to ensure you get a place. You will be able to resell them if you can't make it, or consider it a charitable donation. Did I mention that it is all done for charity?