Beam Me Up, Scotty
I love this bike, but it will kill me! It has performance parameters that will in all likelihood never be reached, even by the skilled owner on track. The chassis dynamics are out of this world and the whole bike feels as if it has been engineered out of a single solid billet of aluminium; everything works with a chunky precision that makes the rider feel that he is directly connected to every part of the machine.
But is it a bike for the roads of a city? Is it even a bike for open roads? Actually; no. This is a bike that can make no sense except on a track. Of course I am not just talking about this particular bike, but the whole superbike genre; they are just so focussed on performance to the exclusion of anything else.
Before its thought that I am a doddering old fool who has no place on anything more than a scooter or, preferably, nowhere near a bike at all, let me say again that I love this bike; I love the engineering that has gone into it; I love the levels of its capabilities and the fact that it is faster than a rocket ship; I love the looks that seem to threaten physical violence if you look at it the wrong way. But, because of the emotion that it stirs in me, I am absolutely gutted that it is so single minded in its purpose and that it is so unsuitable for everyday road use. And that I will never be rider enough to take this thing to its maximum.
For inner city riding the bike is so out of its comfort zone that it seems almost cruel to expose it to this sort of treatment. There is hardly ever any need to take it out of second or third gear or even use half the available revs in either gear. I mean, it will reach 100kmh in first and still want to go even further. It is a rev hungry engine and, as such, hasn’t got what you might call stump pulling torque low down. But it also means that it isn’t a bike for shuffling around on; that would be like taking a thoroughbred racehorse for a walk through a forest. No, with this, it’s flat out or nothing.
Things are not much better for the rider. All the weight is thrust onto the arms and wrists and you sit so hunched over that you are forced to look through the car in front rather than over it. You soon get a crick in your neck and the ergonomics of the instruments are diabolical. They are so far out of your line of sight that it takes a movement of the head downwards to bring the eyes onto it but, when they are there, the information is so badly presented you would need a few seconds to decipher it and at the speeds this bike is capable of, that’s too long. With your chin flat on the tank they are perfectly in your line of sight, which is one more clue to the bike’s real purpose.
Out on the open road it makes a little more sense; the wind pressure takes weight off the arms and there is more space to use some of the available performance. But the fact of the matter is that this performance is so effortless that it is easy to find yourself barrelling into a corner at least 60km/h faster than your skill level can handle.
Whilst such performance is by no means a new phenomenon in motorcycling, surely it is time for a review of how such bikes are sold. Why would it be a restriction on people’s rights to make it a condition of purchase to go for advanced rider training and even a series of track days? The point of this is not to teach riders how to go fast, but to understand the limits of the machines they are buying and so recognise that in a particular situation that might occur on the road, the bike has sufficient ability to possibly get them out of the trouble they suddenly find themselves in.
Maybe I am missing the point; so they are just thinly veiled, road legal track bikes; a flagship model to reflect glory onto the rest of the range. But as a practical means of transport which, let’s face it, is why most of us buy a motorbike (conveniently leaving out emotion for a moment), it falls flat on its face. Don’t get me wrong, as the ultimate expression of a motorcycle - existing because it can - I love it. But let’s be under no illusion that if you had this in your garage, you would need a second two-wheeled vehicle – be it motorbike or scooter – for everyday use and how many of us have that sort of money knocking around?
Engine size 998cc
Engine specification 16v transverse four, 6 gears
Frame Aluminium back bone
Front suspension adjustment Preload, compression and rebound
Rear suspension adjustment Preload, compression and rebound
Front brakes 2 x 310mm with radial four piston calipers
Rear brake 220mm disc
Front tyre size 120/70 x 17
Top speed 186mph
1/4-mile acceleration 10.6 secs
Power 185.4bhp – up to 200bhp with ram air effect
Torque 83.3ftlb
Weight 169kg
Seat height 830mm
Fuel capacity 17 litres
Average fuel consumption 40mpg
Tank range 150 miles
Rear tyre size 190/55 x 17
Thrill factor; Warp 10
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