I rode a 2014 MT09 with 15K KMs on it and an Akrapovic exhaust. It is on sale for 8K. The brand new Brutale RR costs 21K though you can get a decent 2013/14 one for 12.

The MT09 and the Brutale are similar in so many ways. Lightweight, powerful, triple-cylinder performance naked is the basic formula. And from there they depart. While the MT09 remains true to that basic ethos, the MV builds it out with dollops of electronics, tuning and struts out of Italy wrapped in the most stunning packaging. The MT09 is a good looking motorcycle in its own right though and with a bit of work can be made to look quite purposeful. As you get on it, the seat is low and if I flat foot both my feet, I can actually stand up and lift my bum off the seat an inch. This is really weird and something I haven't experienced since riding 100cc shitboxes back in India. I don’t like this. I bounce up and down on the stationary bike and the suspension feels very soft. Pushing the forks makes the bike rock like a playground rocking horse. Not a good start!

Thumbing the motor starts to bring the smile back to my face. It sounds crisp with the classic Triple cylinder cyclic rattle. It sounds like an inline 4 and then suddenly every split second there’s an extra beat that you’re not expecting and is the signature of the triple. The riding position is fantastic once you’re moving, with high bars and roomy ergos you quickly forget how low the seat is. Twist the throttle and the thing just GOES! The acceleration really took me by surprise as with the soft suspension and easy ergonomics, I wasn’t expecting sportsbike take offs! The front gets light immediately and the whole package makes sense. It’s ridiculously easy to ride, turns effortlessly and stays planted. The brakes are very good, excellent bite though I only braked down from 100KMPH so not sure how they bring you back from 200. The dive under brakes is terrible but I will come to suspension in a bit. I gunned it more and more to see if the top end was as good as the bottom and mid-range and it is. Upto 10K RPM I think it revs and it pulls cleanly throughout. One does not need any more acceleration than this thing provides. ​

That’s what I’d be doing. Everywhere!

The 2 glitches that most reviews talk about are the snatchy fuelling and the suspension.
The snatchy fuelling, I can happily confirm, does not exist. Well, at least it didn’t on the bike I tested. It may have been sorted. The throttle response was perfect in A mode (the most aggressive), much easier to control than the Brutale. I wouldn’t change modes on this thing at any time except maybe when its raining. A is perfect. 

The suspension has been called out, in almost every review, as a weakness. And while I take journos opinions with a grain of salt, this time I concur. It is just squishy, soft and wallowy. Dives under braking like a seagull chasing a discarded chip. As a result it is very comfortable but most unsettling charging corners hard. The whole ship is pogoing around you. The suspension is adjustable I’m told but I think you will need to spend some good coin to get it sorted. 
But herein lies the brilliance of the MT09. It is so cheap, you can afford to buy a brand new one, throw 2 grand at the suspension and it will still be cheaper than used bikes from the competition. Yamaha have hit the ball out of the park on the value for money stakes with this thing. It has unbelievable performance for what it costs.
The best thing about the MT09 is that despite its cheap entry price and substantial performance, it’s perfectly neutral and so easy to ride that one feels comfortable at any lean angle and any speed, almost immediately. 
After my test ride, I looked up some MT09s on internet forums and I reckon with a bit work, the bike can be turned into a real weapon and a looker. 

Overall I was amazed that the performance of the 21K Brutale RR and the 12K MT09 was very similar and with a 14K MT09 (with upgraded suspension), it would be dead even. You would really WANT that MV to spend 21K on a brand new one.

I then rode a Ducati Streetfighter 848 >>
​

Honda have rarely made a bad bike and it was unlikely that the 8 time World SuperSport Championship winning CBR600RR was going to be the lemon in their lineup. So when I decided, quite randomly, that I was going to buy a supersport, the Honda was near the top of my list. I’ve always liked the clean, angular look of them and the fact that they were very reasonably priced just made it a no-brainer. So I bought a 2006 CBR600RR, on a hunch really, as I’d never ridden a 600cc supersport bike ever in my life and I only test rode this one round the block.

This CBR had 50 thousand kilometres on it and it revs to 16 thousand RPM. That is a lot of revolutions per minute. The kind of stresses placed on an engine revving so frantically are enormous. But, based on a cursory inspection and a quick ride, I had no hesitation in handing over my hard earned. Such is the confidence that Honda inspires in me. Sound design and reliability is just a given with Honda.

I’ve since done a 500K day with plenty of twisties and commuted through traffic on it. Here are my initial impressions of this bike.

You get on it and it’s very compact. The seat is fairly high (not as high as an R6 though) and the clip-ons fairly low so it’s a full-on racers crouch. As I get into position to ride, my chin is over the top of the wind screen and I’m in no doubt as to the purpose of this bike. This is no all-rounder. Before I even start the bike I know that this is an uncompromising race bike with a single reason for its existence. Go fast. Everywhere.

The bike’s got a Yoshimura exhaust so I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s not too loud when I fire it up. I don’t like my bikes to be unnecessarily loud. The idle is fast (not loud) and this gets annoying after a while. I will back it off a bit. The take off is remarkably smooth. Clutch engagement is the best I’ve ever experienced on any motorcycle. As a result, its really smooth getting off the line. Acceleration is where it gets a bit confusing for me. The bike’s a screamer. AT 7K RPM I think the bike’s doing 12K and at 12K I think I will soon be engulfed by hot oil and bits of flying Honda engine! I think I will get used to this but it’s a bit intense if you’re not used to doing 60KMPH with the engine screaming like you’re doing 160!

Not to say that the bike is slow. Far from it. But there is a definite power band. Below 8-9K RPM the bike is actually really easy to ride. Very linear, smooth power and no kick in the pants stuff. But keep twisting the throttle and at the point where the Tuono is signing off, the Honda is just starting to get interested in it’s surroundings. After 9K there is a ferocious kick and the scenery starts to blur pretty rapidly. The noise is like the wailing scream of a tortured soul and the whole experience is a bit surreal. For a second I drift off and think I’m on a racetrack but suddenly snap out of it to find I’m doing 150 in a 60 zone and people are starting to turn around and stare.

And the best part is that this is not a 1000cc superbike where if you’re doing 9K RPM, you’re almost guaranteed to be at odds with the law (and make the cover story of Today Tonight if you’re lucky), regardless of gear. On a supersports, 9K RPM in second gear while tootling around town will not send you to jail. Yeah, you’ll get the stares but more for the noise than the speed. 

I’ve read a lot of about the handling of the supersports. How they’re supposed to be very light and flickable so I was a bit disappointed when I hit the twisties and didn’t find the CBR to be significantly easier to tip in than a modern litre bike. This says more about modern litre bikes than about the CBR. But I found that the slight reluctance to turn-in disappeared with the slightest, positive body movement. Typically, I don’t move around on the bike at all. I sit and deliver, so to speak. But on this bike, moving around feels very easy and natural. You sit on top of the bike and as you approach a corner, just stick a knee out in the direction of the corner and slide over half an inch. Immediately, the bike’s reluctance to turn in disappears and it leans over nicely and progressively. You lock your opposite knee into the smooth tank, relax your grip on the bars and rail through the corner in a smooth arc. Get on the gas hard and early as it doesn’t really have the torque down low to highside you and scream it out the exit. Most enjoyable! 

On faster corners, the bike is rock solid, certainly as composed as any litre bike I’ve ridden. Which is remarkable because it’s definitely smaller and lighter than a litre bike.  The suspension is firm and the bike was getting knocked about a bit on potholes. Might have to play with the clickers, of which there are many. At both ends.

All bikes ride better when you’re on the throttle but I found the CBR to be particularly responsive to positive throttle input. I started getting on the gas very early in the corner and the suspension really settles and it corners beautifully.

What else?

Umm yeah, Brakes! Outstanding! Really powerful, good feel for the grip on the front while braking. Because of the firm suspension and low weight there is not a lot of dive and weight transfer while hard braking and this is confidence inspiring on corner entry.

Now for the bad. Hondas are practical aren’t they? It’s almost refreshing to see how impractical this bike is! The ergos are cramped. The seat is impossibly thin and hard. It drinks fuel like a parched Bedouin in the Sahara. Cruising on the freeway at 130KMPH, the engine is in a constant scream at 7K RPM.

This is not a practical motorcycle. It has one agenda. And one agenda only. Go hard or Go home.

I think I will go hard. I have a good feeling about this bike. We will see.

Twins are a funny concept.

You’re probably wondering which type of twins I’m referring to here - human twins or twin cylinder internal combustion engines. No, not wondering? Well then you’re obviously not a motorcyclist and probably won't appreciate the rest of this article. But hey, stick around and buy some t-shirts or something. Prices are negotiable so send me a PM if you want a better deal on anything you want to buy from my online store.

What? You can’t find the online store? Well that’s because there is no online store on the website and the fact that you went looking for one is creeping me out. Why the hell would you want to buy HarryD branded merchandise? Get off my website NOW, creepy stalker!

Anyway, Totally destroyed my chain of thought there. Where were we?

Yeah Twins! Human twins are a funny concept. Now you’re probably confused about what kind of funny I’m referring to here – Funny haha or Funny hmmm interesting. No, not confused? Oh c'mon man, don't stuff my shit up. Just go with the program OK?

So yeah Funny as in hmm..interesting.

Let me start again and spell this out clearly for you. Human twins are an interesting concept. Starting out with the same genetic raw material, twins can turn out radically different or exactly the same. The magic is all in the hand that mixes the chemicals.

And so it is with the subjects of my focus today. The KTM SuperDuke 990 and the Aprilia Tuono 1000R are twin brothers (albeit, born of different mothers) that were conceived with the same ingredients– Big V-Twin motor, Upright stance, Short wheelbase, Sharp Chassis, quality components and dollops of Hooligan genes. 

But, Italian and Austrian wombs are obviously very different places to gestate in as the Aprilia and KTM have grown up to deliver significantly different motorcycling experiences. Frau Austria has let her offspring run feral, eat what it kills, jump off cliffs and fend for itself resulting in a vicious, snarling beast of an animal with bulging muscles and a mighty roar.

Mama Italia, on the other hand, has made sure her pride and joy is fed a protein rich diet, received a good education, worked out at a gym, learned martial arts and become a well-rounded individual. But she also infused in him just enough of her racy Italian heritage to give him an edgy personality and engaging character. His biceps are actually bigger than KTM boy’s but he doesn’t roam around in a singlet checking them out in every shop window.

Let’s have a closer look at the bikes now.

Both these bikes are striking to look at. Neither of them is conventionally pretty in an MV Agusta kind of way. While the Tuono’s sleek back end is still one of the sexiest in motorcycling, the KTM’s sharp angles and stubby, muscular look give it a unique personality. The SuperDuke’s styling has a bold but coherent theme thoughout while the Tuono, at first glance looks like bits have been thrown together randomly. The closer you look though, the more you appreciate the Tuono’s beauty. From the exquisitely sculpted and polished frame to the banana swingarm to the magnesium clutch cover, the attention to detail is impressive.

The KTM is simpler but that itself is part of its beauty. A true naked bike with no distracting body work and exposed, quality components put together with Austrian precision.

I’m not big on spec sheets but a quick glance shows these bikes are well matched with the Tuono having an advantage in HorsePower (135 vs. 120BHP), dead even Torque (100NM) and the KTM with the edge on wet weight (200 vs. 215KG).

So how do these bikes compare while riding in the real world? I’ve been fascinated by the SuperDuke for a long time so back in 2011, when I was looking for a new bike, I went and test rode one. Coming off a 170HP Yamaha R1, I wasn’t expecting a 120HP naked bike to scare the shit out of me, but it DID. It bloody scared me enough to not think about one for the next 3 years! It was so flighty, the throttle so light and the torque so immediate and overwhelming that I could see myself flying over a cliff very easily on it.

I bought a BMW K1200R instead.

3 years and 2 bikes later, the bug bit again and I plucked up the courage to ride my mate Dean’s race prepped SuperDuke R around eastern creek. It was surprisingly underwhelming and finicky. The power band was too short and I was constantly hitting the rev limiter. The suspension was way too hard and the amount of feedback coming through the forks was like a stream of binary you’d see on a supercomputer crunching numbers for the national budget. Every little undulation in the surface was magnified. I so wanted to love it but the fact is I didn't enjoy it much.

Having bought a Tuono 1000R a few months ago, I still wasn’t cured of my SuperDuke obsession and really wanted to ride these 2 bikes back to back. I got the opportunity recently on the Lunatic Run when I forced my mate Tom to swap bikes with me on the Waterfall Way to Dorrigo. Here are my consolidated riding impressions of the SuperDuke compared to the Tuono.

Jumping on the KTM straight off the Tuono, 3 things are immediately apparent

1.       You sit higher on the KTM and closer to the front wheel
2.       The KTM feels lighter
3.       The footpegs on the KTM are lower and more comfortable

Taking off, the throttle on the KTM is light and the response is immediate. There are no power bands, just linear and abundant torque propelling you forward with urgency. The Tuono on the other hand, has a distinct power band that kicks in around 6K RPM. Below this, the KTM feels faster. Above this, the Aprilia leaves it for dust. The Tuono also revs longer till 11K while the SuperDuke runs out of puff around 9.5K and a harsh rev limiter kicks you in the guts. Overall, the Tuono definitely feels faster in a straight line, probably not by much though. All feel, no science!

The suspension on both bikes are quality units. Fully adjustable WP doing the job on the KTM while the Tuono is also fully adjustable at both ends with Showa forks and a Sachs shock.

You sit very close to the front wheel on the KTM and the suspension is HARD. All 3 SuperDukes I’ve ridden have been like this so it’s not the individual bike. The amount of feedback coming through the forks borders on overwhelming and the front end is very umm…lively. Every little undulation in the surface is felt and if you’re riding hard, it gives you great confidence in exactly where your front wheel is in relation to the road surface. The bike is very sensitive to bar inputs and it’s ridiculously easy to throw it onto its side or change direction mid corner. All of this adds up to a very exciting and satisfying ride when you’re really on it. However, it can get annoying if you just want to smoothly string together a few bends without thinking too hard. 

The Aprilia has an unusually long tank, as a result of which, you sit further back in the bike than the KTM. The very intimate connection that the KTM has to the front wheel, is somewhat lacking on the Tuono. Starting it up, the heartbeat of the Aprilia is racy without being angry and it’s eager to be let off the leash. It is very easy to loft the front wheel on the Tuono but the throttle response is spot on, which makes it easy to control the launch and bring the front wheel down gently (or keep it up if that’s what you want to do!). One of the few annoyances on the Tuono is a surprising power dip between 4-5.5K RPM. Traditionally, big V-twins are known for their strong mid-range but Aprilia (Rotax really) have tuned this engine for higher top end power, which betrays its sportsbike roots. As you wind on the throttle rapidly, the engine spools up quickly, then seems to struggle momentarily before entering warp mode above 6K RPM. But It is wonderfully satisfying to keep the revs above 6K and play with the torque and engine braking.

The suspension on the Aprilia is fantastic for road riding. For such an aggressive bike, the suspension is remarkably compliant and soaks up mid corner bumps with ease. High speed stability is significantly better than the KTM. Hitting bumps at 150KMPH on a sweeper would unsettle the KTM requiring corrective action or at least a watchful eye but failed to capture my attention on the Aprilia. I could feel the front end hitting the bump, compress, damp the shock and carry on without the bike having strayed an inch from its line. This thing is, after all, based on a sportsbike that was built with the explicit purpose of winning the World Superbike Championship. And that is what Aprilia have managed to do with the Tuono. They have infused the hooligan thrills of a streetfighter into it without compromising the great handling qualities of the donor Sportsbike, the RSV1000R.

Moving onto the brakes, again these these bikes are evenly matched though the braking on the KTM is unbelievable. The initial bite is incredibly strong giving a lot of confidence that you will be able to pull this thing up from any speed pretty quickly. Brakes on the Aprilia are high quality Brembos too and are more than adequate though not as sharp as the SuperDuke. I’m sure the SuperDuke’s light weight helps with that too. Rear brake? Who cares? It’s there on both I guess.

So that’s the important stuff done really. I’ve compared these bikes on the 3 critical factors I judge a motorcycle on - Engine, Suspension and Brakes. The rest is either subjective or fluff. Despite being very similar on paper, these 2 bikes are far from twins. I mean, of course, they are twins but you know what I mean. They’re both outstanding hooligan bikes yet so different. The KTM is from the dirtbike mould while the Aprilia is from the sportsbike genre. The KTM is the more exciting bike and if you primarily do short, sharp and hard riding through tight bends, the KTM will be a barrel of laughs. If you do a greater mix of riding with longer days at higher speeds, you will come to appreciate the Aprilia’s versatility while still enjoying its aggressive character.

So is there a winner? Well it always depends on what kind of riding you do and what sort of person you are but I’ll answer this by saying I’m very glad I bought the Aprilia and I crave the SuperDuke no more.

This was written when I was looking for a sportsbike to replace my Dorsoduro in Sept-Oct 2013 and continues on from this other comparo


So after riding a few litre sportsbikes, when none of them grabbed me enough to throw my money away on the spot, I decided to try another couple of bikes I had been intrigued by for quite a while.

1. Suzuki GSX-R750 (2010)

Realizing my cunning plan of buying a Beemer with a Honda badge at a bargain price had been foiled, I activated Plan B. The GSX-R 750 has always struck me, on paper, as the perfect motorcycle. I like motorcycles that handle really well. I want my motorcycle to turn in really easily and be easy to flick around. I am happy to compromise mid corner stability for this. So if I have to buy an inline 4 and the best inline 4 is the BMW S1000RR and it’s a bit expensive then what’s the best bargain inline 4?
I was hoping it would be the GSX-R 750 so I jumped on one. OK, all they say about this one is true too. It does handle incredibly well. I’ve never actually ridden a modern 600 supersport so I can’t confirm what all the journos say “handles like a 600, powers like a 1000” but fuck it handles great. You can chuck it into corners at the last minute. I was really revving the shit out of it and getting carried away with lane changing when a guy riding a K1600GT in a t-shirt went past me flapping his arms about. I thought he was trying to tell me I looked fully sick so I gave him the thumbs up but he didn’t look too impressed. I then pulled alongside him and he started screaming at me. The only words I got were “…..Cop…..fucken…” but I decided not to pursue the matter. He was probably one of those few “good” cops we keep hearing about. He didn’t pull me over or anything, just wanted me to slow down. To be honest, I WAS riding like a muthafucka! But that’s what the gsxr makes you do. It is ridiculously easy to throw around and revs so high so quickly that that’s the only way you want to ride it. It doesn’t have the mid-range of a 1000cc so no, it does NOT power like a 1000cc but you just rev it more I guess, it spins up pretty quick…
I liked it! It seemed a bit more uncomfortable than the Beemer and Honda but I’m young, I can handle it.

2. Triumph Daytona 675 (2008)

I reckon this is one of the best looking sportsbikes out there today and I was quite prepared to buy this if the ride matched the looks. Alas, it wasn’t quite what I was looking for but as my mate Boris says, I’m getting ahead of myself.

The bike is a feather weight. You get on it and flick it side to side between your legs and it feels like a toy. It’s ultra-slim, with a high seat and low clip-ons. The ride position is racy but not terribly uncomfortable. The one I rode had heli-bars and an arrow exhaust, both of which offer a positive return on investment on this bike.
You take off and the engine is smooth and refined with a nice burble to it. It’s certainly more like an inline 4 than a v-twin but it’s quite pleasant. As soon as you hit the first corner or roundabout though, you know exactly why everyone raves about this bike. It is so fucking keen to steer that you actually have to take drastic action to avoid crashing into the kerb before you’ve even entered the corner! The fucking thing freaked me out! The racy ride position places your head over the front wheel (that’s the way it feels anyway) and you get tremendous feedback from the forks. It’s all very involving but because the damn thing is so light and turns so quickly I just spent my half an hour on the bike trying not to crash before the apex of every corner.
The power is definitely lacking compared to the GSXR 750. It’s more like a 600, which it is really so I should never have expected any different. Overall this bike just wasn’t what I was looking for. It’s light and nimble but the power isn’t there and it is just not a substantial enough motorcycle. You could go very very fast through corners on this thing, undoubtedly.

So it looks like the GSX-R 750 is it. But did I buy it? To read what happened next, go HERE

This was written when I was looking for a sportsbike to replace my Dorsoduro in Sept-Oct 2013


The search for a new motorcycle. Fuck I love the hunt more than the prize I think. Just the process is fascinating. You start with as wide a canvas as possible and then start narrowing it down. You do endless research on the net. Reference and cross-reference 20 reviews on the same bike trying to needle out a pattern, an imperfection coz really that’s all you’re gonna find in a modern motorcycle, an imperfection. There are no obviously bad motorcycles anymore. Its just slight annoyances that you could do without. Like the 10 extra kilos that an R1 carries over a Fireblade.
You have endless debates with your mates about the merits of one over another. You come to blows even sticking up for the mythical “character” of Italian bikes vs. the solid performance of the japs but it’s all part of the hunt.

And then you narrow it down to 5 or 6 bikes that you just can’t separate out by reading. You must ride them, all of them because that is the true test of it. Where the rubber hits the road, the wheat is separated from the chaff and the king from the pretenders.

So I hit the test ride circuit recently and this is what I rode. 

1. BMW S1000RR (2010)

Got on this first and it really set the bench mark for the rest of the tests
Everything they rave about this motorcycle is justified. It is just phenomenally good. You get on it and it feels light and nimble and this only gets better as it rolls. The engine has a very unique sound from the cockpit. I’ve heard them go past and they don’t sound anything really special to a spectator but you get on one and twist that throttle and it sounds like a jet fighter plane cranking up, it’s insane! It didn’t even have a pipe on and I didn’t mind that at all. You’d put a pipe on it to please other people or to admire it while you’re not actually riding it.
Anyway, you roll along and the whole package feels taut and sharp. It handles great, just hooks into corners really easily and stays there. The brakes are just incredible. I always use 2 finger stops but even that may be too much for normal riding around town for this bike. The engine just revs and revs and at around 10K shit starts to get very real very fast. You really want to be out in the countryside to open the taps and brace yourself for the resulting propulsion. Unbelievable.
And I don’t really give a shit about electronics, not a big fan of them anyway. Didn’t play around with them but I’d get into it if I bought one I guess. But just the fundamentals of this bike, engine, braking and suspension are superior to anything I’ve ever ridden. It truly is the king. 

2. Honda CBR1000RR (2009)

I had gone into the test ride really hoping to like this. I like the look of it, all the reviews say it’s great, in the used market, it’s much more affordable than the euros and it’s a Honda, so quality and reliability is guaranteed.
The dealer had it warming up as I came in on the beemer. Jumped straight on and off the bat it felt heavier. Not overly but noticeably. Take off and did the exact same circuit for the test run and the difference was apparent. The engine is phenomenally good, the midrange punch is fantastic and it definitely felt quicker than the beemer at street RPMs. It turned well and braked well too. The Honda was quite like the Beemer in overall feel, just less. Less taut, less confidence inspiring, less precise, less engaging. 
Overall I was left a bit underwhelmed, which I was disappointed about because now I couldn’t talk myself into buying this over the beemer and still pretend like I got an equally good motorcycle for 5 grand less. I had thought that the difference between the 2 would be apparent only the highest level of riding and since I’m not a racer, just an average punter, will I really be able to make out the difference. The answer is Yes. Even average punters will make out the difference in the ride quality, the beemer is just better, everywhere except midrange engine power.

3. Suzuki GSX-R750 (2010)

Realizing my cunning plan of buying a Beemer with a Honda badge at a bargain price had been foiled, I activated Plan B. The GSX-R 750 has always struck me, on paper, as the perfect motorcycle. I like motorcycles that handle really well. I want my motorcycle to turn in really easily and be easy to flick around. I am happy to compromise mid corner stability for this. So if I have to buy an inline 4 and the best inline 4 is the BMW S1000RR and it’s a bit expensive then what’s the best bargain inline 4?
I was hoping it would be the GSX-R 750 so I jumped on one. OK, all they say about this one is true too. It does handle incredibly well. I’ve never actually ridden a 600 supersport so I can’t confirm what all the journos say “handles like a 600, powers like a 1000” but fuck it handles great. You can chuck it into corners at the last minute. I was really revving the shit out of it and getting carried away with lane changing when a guy riding a K1600GT in a t-shirt went past me flapping his arms about. I thought he was trying to tell me I looked fully sick so I gave him the thumbs up but he didn’t look too impressed. I then pulled alongside him and he started screaming at me. The only words I got were “…..Cop…..fucken…” but I decided not to pursue the matter. He was probably one of those few “good” cops we keep hearing about. He didn’t pull me over or anything, just wanted me to slow down. To be honest, I WAS riding like a muthafucka! But that’s what the gsxr makes you do. It is ridiculously easy to throw around and revs so high so quickly that that’s the only way you want to ride it. It doesn’t have the mid-range of a 1000cc so no, it does NOT power like a 1000cc but you just rev it more I guess, it spins up pretty quick…
I liked it! It seemed a bit more uncomfortable than the Beemer and Honda but I’m young, I can handle it.

4. Honda CBR1000RR Repsol SE (2009)

I really wanted the Honda to wow me and I couldn’t believe I wasn’t impressed with it so I gave it another shot, maybe that particular motorcycle was shit. I got on a 2009 Repsol SE and took it for a short spin. It did indeed seem better, the suspension seemed more responsive and less vague than the other but to cut a long story short, it still left me without any strong passions either way. It just did everything with minimum fuss and with no particular brilliance, except the midrange blast.
Naah, I don’t think I could live satisfactorily with it. You must understand that nowadays I ride only once in 2 or 3 weeks, except the odd evening blast to clear my head. I do not commute on it but everytime I get on it, I want an exciting experience. I just don’t think the Honda can give that to me unless I’m riding at the limits of my own abilities and giving myself the wrong kind of excitement. But I can’t put my finger on what’s missing, it’s such a fucken cliché with Honda and I went in with an open mind about it but I can only say what I feel. And this is how I feel.

5. Yamaha YZF-R1 (2010)

The sound of a Big Bang R1 with decent pipes is probably my favourite sound on a production motorcycle, including Ducatis. It just sounds incredible and this along with the reviews raving about its mid-range grunt had always attracted me to this motorcycle. I had also heard that this is the heaviest and laziest handling liter sportsbike. I desperately wanted this to be untrue and I resolved that minor handling drawbacks would not hold me back from owning a motorcycle that sounds this awesome. As soon as you get on the bike though, it looks and feels bigger than any other sportsbikes. And then you start it and fuck, you hope again that the weight will disappear once it gets going. That engine is not only aurally overwhelming, it is the overwhelming presence on the R1. It pulses through the tank in a mild, pleasant way, in tune with the glorious noise and if the world was flat indeed like the ancients said and roundness was myth, this would be the motorcycle to buy. But the world is round and corners exist and thank fuck for that. Again, the pundits have got it right. The R1 is resistant to turn-in compared to every other sportsbike I’ve ridden. Turn-in is just unacceptably sluggish, fuck it! I knew it was over as soon as I hit the first corner. I barely noticed the rock solid mid-corner stability through the realization that I could not possibly live with this motorcycle. As I powered on to exit the corner, the bike just hooked and blasted through, all the time sounding brilliant. But it fucken lost me at corner entry. The brakes were great, it looks great but it just has this fundamental flaw.
I wonder if this can be fixed via suspension mods, raising the rear height etc…I don’t know but ic ant take a punt on it as it stands. I really wanted the Honda and R1 to do what I want them to do but sadly, neither of them did.

I said to the agent, I want the handling of the Honda with the engine of the R1. He calmly walked me over to this....

5. Aprilia RSV4R (2011)

It was just sitting quietly in a corner of the shop, looking all pretty and potent at a standstill. I breezed past it on my way to the Repsol Honda, this shiny thing was just over my budget. But I came back to it after neither the R1 nor the Honda did it for me. The bike is really small as everyone says. It doesn’t feel as light as such a small motorcycle should feel but then you forget about that as you fire it up. It sounds fucken awesome. I must say though, I still like the sound of the R1 better. But then you get going and if the R1 was built for a flat world, the RSV4 is made for a city of chicane linked roundabouts. It is so fucking light, I think it outhandles a GSX-R 750. It is so ridiculously easy to tip in, you forget you’re on such a powerful bike. Very very impressive. And that v4 engine is pulsing away under you, revving up really quickly. The suspension is firm and gives heaps of feedback. I imagine it would get uncomfortable after a while as it just feels very hard but fuck its great fun. And the brakes, fukn 1 finger jobbies. Not sure if they’re as good as the beemer but they’re pretty fucken close. Yes, this is an incredible motorcycle and it arouses the right kind of excitement.

.
.
So at the moment I’m thinking – spend 16K on a used BMW or an Aprilia. I would probably pick the beemer over the Aprilia but might give both another ride before deciding.
Or 
Go budget and pick up a near new GSX-R 750 for 10K. I’m convinced this is the best grins + performance Jap Inline 4 for what I need.

This is what happened next

This was written when I was looking for a sportsbike to replace my Dorsoduro in Sept-Oct 2013 and continues on from these 2 reviews - Litre Class & Middle Weights


So the GSXR 750 it was and I thought that was that. But then due to unexpected circumstances I had a lot of time to think about this and I realized whenever I pictured a GSXR 750 in my garage, I was just like “Meh”. It was purely a decision of the head. I was not terribly excited about the thought. So I let it play and let other ideas germinate. Sometimes when a choice is not immediately apparent, you need to sow some seeds and let them germinate. Unexpected results can eventuate.

So out of the confusing fog, a recurring theme started to take form. It had a v4 engine and handling like a 600. Now, if you’ve been paying attention to my test rides you would know I had started to fall for the Aprilia RSV4R! Yes, that’s the one that kept coming back to me and the Beemer was well and truly forgotten. The beemer is from the Honda mould, just better. But when you get off either of those bikes after a satisfying run, you think fuck that was a great ride. But when you get off the Aprilia, you think, fuck that was a great ride and damn that bike is awesome. Maybe that is what they call character, the bike leaves you some memories of itself every time you ride it. 

The RSV4R was out of my budget but a motorcycle buying budget is a funny thing. It seems unshakeably rigid till you start getting wet dreams about a particular bike and you wake up next morning realizing that there is flex in the budget today. And the next day the budget flexes some more till after a few days of thinking, calculating, promising and negotiating with the finance minister, one fine day you find that the budget has indeed stretched far enough to be able to negotiate on an RSV4R! 

And then WHAM! just when you thought it was all settled and you start scouting for the best bargain RSV4R in Australia, out of nowhere your mate Pete walks over and offers a test ride his 2011 MV Agusta F4. 
And because you are a bike whore and a nice guy, you oblige, not expecting your world to be rocked. 

Not thinking that this is a watershed moment in your motorcycling life. Not knowing that your life before riding an MV Agusta F4 and your life after will be 2 distinct phases. Because 5 minutes into your ride, as you enter the on ramp to the M5 off Bexley road, Yeah that sweeping up hill left hander, you hook into the turn and wind on the throttle and your brain tilts back in its casing, your hands are barely holding on to the grips, you have overtaken 6 vehicles while doing 140KM an hour in the emergency lane. The bike is stable like it will keep on this angle forever with or without your input. You are powerless to stop what is going on, the bike has complete control over you. You are IN the watershed moment. It is playing out in slow motion in front of you and you are kind of remotely watching it with a loopy, stoned smile on your lips. You know it’s all over and already wondering how much Pete wants for this bike. 

Oh Sorry, I went off the rails a bit there even if the MV didn’t. What I actually meant to say was, the bike feels heavy as you lift it off the stand. Well, not Blackbird or Busa heavy but certainly heavier than the other litre bikes I’ve tried. Combine that with a high seat and low handlebars and my start is a bit nervous. But as I flick right onto the road outside Pete’s driveway, the MV turns effortlessly. I turn right at the downhill roundabout at the top of the street and the bike sort of falls into the turn. The steering lock is miniscule and normal city manouvers trap your thumb against the tank, a bit scary and I’m thinking fuck I’m gonna drop this thing. But it’s amazing how quickly you adjust to little shit like that. By the end of the 30 min ride, I was totally comfortable with the slow speed manouvering. The throttle, ah yes the throttle. I’ve ridden a few bikes now but the feeling of pure SPEED that you get on this bike is unrivalled. Twisting the throttle on this bike is more pleasurable than on any other bike I’ve ever ridden. I don’t even know whether this is borne out by numbers and magazine tests and shit but that is how I feel. The throttle response is instant and precise but very manageable. Spot-on really. The engine has this raspy, angry whirr as it picks up revs as if you’ve disturbed its sleep and it’s a bit grumpy now. Shit starts to happen very very quickly as you see the digital revs graph speed on beyond 8K on the funky blue LCD. I was doing 140 in the time I would normally expect to be doing 100. I WILL lose my licence on this thing, there is no question about it but who cares, I’ll park it in the lounge and stare at it.

The most impressive thing about the bike apart from its outright speed is its mid corner stability. Absolutely neutral, especially in the sweepers. I felt like I could take both my hands off the bike at a 30 degree lean and the bike would just shrug and say “Imma keep on going, you coming?”. Winding on the gas on a sweeper on this bike is like a slowly building euphoric orgasm. 
The riding position is a bitch though, I’m sure I’ll be wriggling my arse around a bit on the freeways. But fucking who cares, I will deal with it.

When I started this test riding journey, I was looking for a bike to wow me. The Beemer and the RSV did but not to the point where I instantly decided to blow my budget. The GSXR was a decision of the head and I’m glad I didn’t go with that coz even thought it’s a brilliant motorcycle in its own right, I know I would be on bike sales the day after I bought it, researching my next bike.

The MV Agusta F4, is a decision of the heart. It has grabbed me by the balls, looked me in the eyes and asked the question. And I am glad to say that I have answered its call even if i've blown my budget to smithereens and have to take lunch from home for the next 2 years. Time will tell what is what.

Hail motorcycles of the heart, fucken!

I went on a trip with a few mates in May 2014. We went out over the Blue Mountains, cut north along the Bylong Valley Way then headed up to the Oxley Hwy and back down the Thunderbolts. A neat 1800 Kms of twisty bitumen riding over 2 days.It was an interesting collection of bikes we had. 5 bikes, 5 manufacturers and 3 genres. It was one big bike whoring session as everyone wanted to jump onto my new bike (2007 Aprilia Tuono) so I got to ride all the other bikes and here are my impressions:

1. 2012 Triumph Speed Triple R 

What a great looking bike! Ive always wanted to ride this bike properly since they came out. A short test ride a couple of years back while waiting for new tyres on the Dorsoduro had only whetted my appetite. And I wasnt dissapointed, its a great bike. If i was to sum it up in 1 sentence then i'd say the controls fall easily to hand, there are creamy waves of torque to surf and it corners on rails. Seriously though, this bike deserves more than a sentence. 
It is very comfortable, feels lighter and physically smaller than my Tuono. You also sit closer to the front wheel so it literally feels like the handlbars are right over the front wheel. The really long tank on the Tuono distances you somewhat from the front wheel. The engine is great, pulls pretty hard and is very smooth and linear. I havent looked at dyno charts or specs even to compare the two but I reckon it has more torque than the Tuono in the lower revs. It is certainly smoother and easier to pull away cleanly as the Tuono needs to be revved a bit to avoid getting bogged down. But the smoothness is kinda dull after a while. Where the Tuono's magical pounding twin engine is pulsing away always reminding you you're riding a visceral beast, the Speedy is a lot more understated, certainly more like an I4 than a V-Twin.

The chassis is fantastic and you can really feel the quality of the Ohlins front and rear. This bike was setup too hard for me but when you start pushing it (and I mean doing 200K on the Bylong Valley Way) it was wonderfully composed and confidence inspiring. The bike feels a very solid and "single unit" compared to the Tuono, which feels loose and flexes around its frame and suspension a lot more. But I think I just need to get my suspension dialled in properly. The brakes on the Speedy are almost too strong, monoblock Brembos I think. Fucken sensational! Mad stoppies would have been the order of the day had I known how to do them.
Overall, The Speed Triple is a very satisfying bike. Nimble, powerful, competent and very fun! 

Would I buy one? For 10 grand Yes. For 15, naah. The Tuono has a lot more character and i was happy to get back on mine!

2. 2013 BMW K1600GT

I had ridden this before for a short distance and was amazed for a few different reasons. This longer and faster ride confirmed my initial impressions. Firstly, this bike is so radical it is incomparable to anything else i have ever ridden. Sure, it is the biggest bike I've ever ridden and feels like the starship enterprise when you're perched in its cockpit but that is only part of its weirdness. The real weirdness begins when you get it going. If you are on a road trip riding a conventional motorcycle and by that I mean a naked bike or a sportsbike or a sports tourer, the guy on the K1600 is having a substantially different motorcycling experience from you. Its almost like you're undertaking separate activities, you are riding a motorcycle and he is floating on a balloon.
OK, the 6 cylinder donk pulls like a fucken tank, it is QUICK, by any standards. Even with the akrapovics it doesnt sound nearly as good as a 6cylinder engine should sound but there is no mistaking it is very very quick. There are millions of buttons and screen readouts to distract you but I was only interested in riding the bloody thing so if you want me to tell you whether the stereo is audible at a hundred and fifty kilometers an hour then i'm fucked if I know but I can tell you that 150 comes up pretty quickly on that screen. And this is the really surprising part, it is nimble. Yes, its not a typo, NIMBLE. You counter steer, it turns immediately. It is a little unnerving how quickly it turns because of the bulk you feel like the Costa Concordia is doing a topsy turvy on you. But it is all part of the plan of Klaus, the germanic super engineer, it is DESIGNED to turn, it does not do it by sheer luck. So its all singing, all dancing, all amazing is it Harry? Is it the way of the future Harry, should we all sell our motorcycles and our offspring and put down a deposit on one?

Well, hold on. The problem is, aha..yes it has a problem and a big one. You are completely disconnected from the road. There is NO fucken feeling of what that front wheel is doing. You go over a bump and a mild sensation seeps through the heated couch you're sitting on. The suspension is pogoing around but you cant feel a thing through your hands or your feet or your bum. It is all strangely absorbed by the bike. So it really feels like you're floating around on an air balloon as you glide over rather than ride on the road. Also, I just couldnt get my head around how much I was leaning the bike as everytime I leaned it to take a bend, the whole starship enterprise starting tilting like the leaning tower of Pisa and it freaked me out. It is something that you will, of course, get used to but what you will never get is the sensation of what exactly the front wheel is doing and how far you're pushing it. Now dont you go thinking that I am new to this BMW Duolever shit and dont understand it. I do. I owned a K1200R and covered 20,000 twisty and bumpy kilometers on it fairly quickly so I totally understand "disconnected" suspension. But this K16 takes "disconnected" to the next level. You really dont know what the hell is going on under all that heavy bulbous that you see in front of you. You just have to trust Klaus on that one and once you do, you can go very very quickly around corners on it. 

In summary, I cannot think of any more comfortable or quicker way to cover some serious miles on a motorcycle. It is the ultimate sports tourer. Yes, "sports" is totally appropriate for this motorcycle, you will have to be a very good rider indeed to lose a well ridden K16 in anything faster than 45K corners. They will be right up your arse, most likely with one hand flicking through radio stations and the other optimising the seat temperature.

Would I buy one? Naah, bitch fizz factor = ZERO!

3. 2006 Suzuki GSXR 1000

The legendary K6 Gixxer. I finally got to sample the legend and evaluate the myth. Its fucken true, its a truly great bike. Its comfortable, great mid range. I rev it in 4th gear from 6K and reach 200KMPH in the blink of an eye. That kind of acceleration is kinda addictive and I was more than a little naughty on those open stretches of the Oxley heading east into Long Flat. While I was reveling in the illegality of it all, it was totally routine for the gixxer, it was just warming up when I closed the taps. It is frightening how fast this thing is. Totally over the top of course but thats the fun of it isnt it? To have all that power and speed lurking just below the surface, ready to be unleashed with a twist of the wrist, will definitely add a few more inches to your manhood. I was bursting out of my leather pants by the time we got to Long Flat. I really like this bike, its insanely powerful, handles very predictably yet is comfortable and not intimidating. 

Would I buy one? Naah, I'm over sportsbikes. But if you're in the market for one, there can be no better bang for buck than a K6 gixxer thou.

4. 2007 Yamaha R1

Dejan the racer rides an 07 R1. Dejan races a CBR1000RR Fireblade with the big boys and is very very quick on road and track. We swapped bikes between Long Flat and Wauchope as he is thinking about whether to get a naked bike for the road. I owned an 06 R1 for a tempestuous 12 months. I say "owned" only in the sense that I apid some money to acquire it. That bike made it amply clear that I did NOT own it. It was a cantankerous supermodel of a bike. When it was on, it was fucken glorious but when the mood took it, it would do all it could to spit me off, in which it finally succeeded. I have a healthy respect and fear of R1s since then. This R1 did nothing to allay my fears. People say all Jap Inline 4 litre supersports are the same. Fuck you they're not. The 07 R1 is as different from an 06 Gixxer as an 07 Tuono is from a '12 Speed Triple. The gixxer was comfortable, the R1 was dedicated arse up head down. The throttle on the Gixxer was silky smooth and progressive, the R1 was jerky like a rocket ship. The suspension on the giixer was supple, the R1 was rock hard. That, of course, can be adjusted to some extent. The R1s intake sound just howls and everything about this bike is mean and mocking. It just taunts you to go faster and mocks you if you dont. And nothing is fast enough for this bastard of a bike. If the gixxers add a few inches to your manhood, the R1 emasculates you immediately. Contact with the seat makes your dick shrivel as you realize only porn stars hung like horses and motogp racers with melons for balls could satisfy this bike. 

Fuck, I hate R1s. Would I buy one? I would rather cut my dick off with a blunt saw.

I bought a 2005 BMW K1200R with 4,200KMs in 2011. Yeah fucken 4 thousand Kilometres in 6 years. It had rizoma rearsets, some blingy bits that made it look really cool (I thought so anyway) and a full remus system that was louder and angrier than the R1 I had before. It had had its final drive replaced under warranty, which is the most common thing to fail on these. The gearbox, which waa also a weak point of the early models, had been fine. I love these guys who buy expensive bikes, bling them out and then park them in the living room. And there’s plenty of them, which is why I’m unlikely to ever buy a new motorcycle.

As I said, I did about 20K Ks on it which included a couple of Oxley runs and a few 800K day rides around Sydney. I also did 2 track days on it and was very surprised at how well it went around Eastern Creek.

That engine is silky smooth with serious, linear grunt with no hiccups from 3K to redline, which kicks in at 12K RPM. It was the fastest thing off the line I'd ever ridden because of its long wheel base and huge torque celebrated down low in the rev cycle. The Sportsbikes only caught up to it after crossing 100KMPH. It’s a big motorcycle, weighing in at over 230KGs, and felt it too at a standstill and slow speeds. Once over 100Ks and going for it, it was surprisingly nimble and only showed its weight in chicanes while needing to change from left to right quickly. It took ages to get it to stand up from full lean and that was a bit annoying at the track. But it made up for that by absolutely rocketing out of corners when the fun handle was exercised.

At the track, despite the rizoma rearsets being relatively high, I  scraped the shit out of pegs and foot levers. Though this says more about my riding technique than the bike's inadequacies.

And the best part of the bike was the suspension, that front end is something really spectacular. It is just perfect for a roadbike. It sticks like fucking GLUE to the road and just feels rock solid over rough pavement. It doesn’t give much feedback through the bars but once you get used to that and learn to trust the thing, it is just phenomenal and I was very comfortable riding on the very edge of that 190 section rear tyre. The front end hardly dives under brakes so there is little weight transfer to upset the bike. The whole thing is just very fucken stable. In the whole 1 year and 20 thousand Ks, I cannot remember a single “moment” on that bike, it did everything I asked it to do, without a fuss and with a lot of class. And in fucken comfort too. That ESA (Electronic Suspension) is great. Put it in comfort mode and the bumps on the notoriously bumpy Thunderbolts Way disappear. Put it in Sport and it hardens up enough to be able to push pretty hard on a racetrack.

Also, I didn’t have a single problem with the bike while I had it. Actually that’s not true, the rear brake sensor fucked up when I moved the rearsets around but that was an easy enough fix. The previous owner had fixed all the known issues including final drive that would’ve cost 5K out of warranty.

So why did I sell it eh?
The simple answer is because I get bored easily. I’m currently convincing myself that I need to upgrade from the Dorsoduro because it’s underpowered but really, for the road, it’s not. I just get itchy feet every 12 months.

How I convinced myself to sell the K12 was – We had our first baby on the way and I thought I wouldn’t be doing many overnight trips and big day rides for a while. The big beemer is really only fun at higher speeds. The bike did everything so perfectly well with minimum feedback that ultimately, it was a little uninvolving, especially if you're not gunning it. Anything under a hundred, city riding etc and it definitely shows its weight. I convinced myself I needed a smaller, more agile bike that was more fun at lower speeds. Didn’t really work out that way as I broke in my Dorsoduro with a week-long trip to the MotoGP and gunned the fucker to within an inch of its life riding with the BikeMe boys!
But that was my thinking anyway. I don’t regret selling it coz the Dorso is a bundle of fun and has progressed my riding further but if I was to buy a bike that I intended to keep for a while and do lots of Ks on, the K13 would be very high on my list.

This review was written in October 2012

So I’ve had the Dorso for a few months and have put about 10,000Ks on it, which includes commuting, milk runs, weekend blasts on twisty bitumen and a 7 day motogp trip. Now there’s no point me writing a review on a new Gsxr 1000, there’s 20 thousand of them already on the interwebs, most of them better than what I could come up with. But the dorso is a relatively little-known bike and reviews on it are few and far between so I thought I’d put one up. 

First off, I’m amazed by the fact that in almost 6 months of ownership I have not come across a single other Dorsoduro on the roads, 750 or 1200. I really don’t understand the reason for this because let me tell you, there is nothing bloody wrong with this motorcycle!

Let’s get the important facts out the of way first eh..
Engine = Aprilia-made V-twin 750cc
Power = about 90BHP
Torque = about 80NM at 4500rpm
Weight = about 180KG (Dry)
Fuel capacity = 12L (Pathetic)

Now if you’re a numbers man, you will probably not be too impressed with any of the numbers quoted above but don’t hit that back button just yet coz the Dorso possesses qualities that do not translate into numbers on a fact sheet. 
Also keep in mind that my bike has a fully sikh (sic) Leo Vince system with carbon fibre cans and a Penske rear shock that enhance its riding experience from stock.

Righto, let’s get into what I think about it.

The styling is subjective, of course, but I love it. Here’s some pics, make up your own mind, we will not spend any more time on it.

As you walk around the motorcycle, it is impossible to ignore the build quality of the thing. Everything is gleaming, well finished and perfectly put together. Nothing looks cheap, except the rider when I’m sitting on it.
When you first get on it, it is a tallish motorcycle. I’m 5’11” and it’s just about perfect for me. You sit upright with a slight lean forward and because of wider-than-average-nakedbike handlebars, you sit in a very natural riding position that opens up your chest. The controls fall easily to hand. The seat is narrow, in keeping with its supermoto styling, which seems a bit uncomfortable and unsupportive if you’re not used to this class of bike (and I wasn’t) but you see the rationale behind it as you’re throwing the bike around twisties and sliding up and down the length of it to help weight distribution. The footpegs are quite forward, which I personally don’t like so much but rearsets would look pretty stupid on this bike.

Fire it up and the V-twin music is subdued but wonderful. Not as loud and mechanical as a Ducati Streetfighter nor as clean as a VTR, somewhere in the middle with a unique urgent bark that the Leo Vince’s can take credit for.
The bike has ride by wire throttle and supports 3 ride modes, Rain is for pussies and we will talk no more about it. Touring unleashes all horses with a nice smooth throttle response while Sport unleashes them with the urgency of a man nearing the vinegar stroke. I find Sport mode too jerky for most roads except the super smooth. I do most of my riding in Touring with the occasional flick to Sport if I’m really feeling adventurous. Ride modes can be changed on the go with the flick of a button.

Despite its SuperMoto styling, the bike is not a wheelie machine, the relatively heavy weight and long wheel base acting as an effective launch control. The bike power wheelies easily in 1st gear in Sport mode, not so in Touring, where you’ll need the clutch. Acceleration, while not supersonic, is punchy enough to keep things entertaining. The power delivery is smooth and it pulls nicely till the “Slow-down-you-fucking-hoon light” starts flashing around the 10K mark. However, it does seem to have a flat spot in power delivery around the 6-7K mark, which is more pronounced in some gears.

Most motorcycles I’ve ridden, the engine is the centrepiece of the riding experience and the overwhelming star. This motorcycle is different, it’s the handling that really sets it apart. It is a phenomenally good handling motorcycle. It is easy to throw into corners, is confidence inspiring under brakes and gunning it out of corners is wonderfully addictive. “It does not corner on rails”, but that is not as bad as it sounds because even though it does not feel as firmly planted as some other bikes, it’s incredibly agile and asking it to change lines while fully leaned over in the middle of the corner will not be met with shakes of the head. If I wanted firmly planted, I would’ve kept my K12R, now that fucker DID corner on rails.
Riding hard on some of the twisty roads on the GP trip allowed me to really push the bike and I was extremely happy with the result. Braking is excellent, firm with lots of feel at the lever. The suspension is adjustable at both ends and is well sorted despite the long travel. I got really good feedback from the front though I am not skilled enough to always understand it and translate it into action. 

But it’s a SuperMoto I hear you say, its designed to scratch well.
Yes, of course, but the exceptional thing with this bike is the other things that it does well too. It goes better on the fast sweepers than a SuperMoto has any right to go. Its stable at high speed (I maxxed out at an indicated 210) even though anything over 150 and you really need to hunker down or risk being blown off the back due to the super exposed riding position. It has a 12L fuel tank but riding conservatively down the freeway, you can easily squeeze 220KM out of a tank. Of course, with hard scratching and inner city commuting, that quickly shrinks to about 160KM!
Also, it is passably comfortably and after 3 big days in the saddle I was certainly better off than on my R1. What you don’t want to do, of course, is to point it north from Adelaide and ride to Darwin. Your butt will fall off before Coober Pedy. But as long as the road is twisting and turning, you can easily do some big days on it.
I also don’t have any indications to say this bike is anything but reliable. Starts everytime without a fuss and it’s still early days but I haven’t had any problems at all except a mirror working loose returning from the GP, which was promptly nutted tight.
So, the verdict. It’s a great bike that’ll do me for a while I reckon.

I bought the bike because I wanted something that was agile and fun without needing to break the sound barrier. I also wanted something that I could ride close to its limits while still having a reasonable shot at keeping my licence and anus intact.
The bike is really fun AND confidence inspiring at the same time, not an easy feat to accomplish and I reckon the Aprilia engineers have pulled it off nicely.

Someone go out and ride one and tell me why there aren’t more of these lil fuckers around!

So after the sale of my K12R, I was on the prowl for my next weapon. Due to changes in domestic circumstances (baby!), she who must be obeyed has strapped a GPS tracking device on me and instructed me to never be more than 200K away from home base. Of course, the battery on these things is flaky and may conk off once in a while and I may go off the radar for a bit ;-)

So I was after something that I could have fun on without having to get to wide open spaces and insane speeds everytime. It'll probably be asked to do a quick 500K run every couple of months, a 200K backroads blast every month and a 20K commute once or twice a week.
I had some ideas and I went a test riding, it was a half hour ride on each through the urban jungle but I managed to eke out some corners as well:

1. 2010 Duke 690

This thing had jumped out at me and shouted FUNNNN the first time the thought of changing bikes occurred to me. I test rode it a couple of weeks ago and was blown away. Looks are subjective but I love it, its weird and purposeful yet fun looking

Anyway, lets rewind to the test ride. Riding position is bolt upright and even though i've always only ridden sportsbikes, I was immediately comfortable on it. As some of you might say - "The controls fell easily to hand". Fire it up and the sound is typical thumper, if a little subdued (stock exhaust). On the move, the overwhelming feeling is that of mischief. The bike demands it and being weak-willed, I gave in. Lane changing is a thought rather than an action, overtakes a breeze without requiring downshifts. The front wheel begs to pop up in first and second gears and it feels criminal to keep it on the ground for too long. It was a short run but from what I saw, the brakes were great, suspension was awesome and I could see myself grinning everytime I got on this bike.

2. 2012 Duke 690 - This is the latest version of the Duke (The 4th generation Duke)

The look is a little less extreme, more like a standard nakedbike but still unmistakeably KTM. Sitting on it, its still very light and flicky but more comfortable and supportive. Taking off its apparent that even though KTM have dropped the price on this model they haven’t dropped the fun factor, it’s a mental lil fucker! It feels more lively than the older version, front wheel lifts even more easily and as I stepped off it, I noticed I had the same sadistic grin as after getting off the older one. The brakes and suspension are noticeably shabbier on this one though and not adjustable either. This one is priced 13K brand new compared to around 9-10K for a good example of the older ones. I reckon I’ll save some cash and pick the older one over this, I like the look of the older anyway.

3. 2010 Triumph Street Triple R

I was looking fwd to riding this as all the research I’d done indicated it was a hoot to ride while still being practical and comfortabl enough to do long days on.

Looks wise, it doesn’t have the presence of the Duke, especially the older one. Once on board it feels nice, the bars are narrower than the Dukes. Setting off it feels like a tight unit and howls really nicely when revved. The suspension is nice, the brakes feel a bit soft compared to the Duke. Compared to the Duke, you actually have to think about turning and consciously use counter-steering compared to the Duke, which seemed connected directly to my brain. The bike revs very smoothly in sportsbike fashion, which is slightly uninvolving compared to the Duke, thumping away. Overall, the Street Triple just didn’t involve me in the ride like the Duke.

4. 2010 KTM SMT 990

I had heard lots of good things about his do-it-all bike and even though it is over my budget, I was willing to blow it for something truly special.

It looks like a tourer rather than a fun bike and its tall! Im close to 6ft and I couldn’t get both feet flat on the ground. Feels bulky because of this but as you start moving, the weight disappears and by the end of the 30mins I was chucking this thing around like the Duke and lane filtering with impunity. It really is a very sorted bike, that 990 v-twin engine is very involving and addictive, I loved “surfing the massive waves of torque” on it. It would be the ideal bike to do extended trips through twisties and hwys I reckon. As an out and out fun bike, it cant compare with the Duke, the suspension is quite soft and long travel (its fully adjustable though so can probably be hardened up for a sportier ride). I wont be breaking my budget for this but I love the engine and if that was put in a more sportier package, it would be a hoot I reckon. What, they’ve already done that?