Hello Simon,
I have just re-read my post and what I really meant was I would love a ride in a D7 as opposed to a D9, the later of which I had had a few rides in and drove one last year around the Black Country Museum's site, I'm occasionally let loose with one of the trolleybuses too!!
I had not realised there was a D5 or a D5B still in existance and oddly enough I was chatting to Stan letts, a well known BMMO chap about both D7s and D5s. Stan liked the D7s and regularly drove them as a part time driver, his full time job beeing a time table scheduler at Bearwood. He said the D5s were heavy and a bit sluggish were as the lightweight construction of the D7 resulted in a much livelier performer. I remember riding on D5s when I was a youngster and they had a really quiet smooth solid feel to them as indeed they were fitted with traditional heavy bodywork as opposed to the lightweight "orion" style Met-Cam of the D7s, as I'm sure you well know. Cheers Simon and below is a link to "our" D9 at Dudley
https://www.flickr.com/photos/48235702@N06/sets/72157631424419528/