It is quite the machine Richard … not so much the power and speed (quite enough, and exceptional in its day, though modern superbikes are faster) but the manner in which it is delivered … it is a genuine MotoGP replica. It is very loud, hot and stiff but up to 6,000 rpm the engine is a pussycat … much easier to manage than the v-twins in my collection. From 6-10,000 revs things happen at a blistering pace and it requires skill and commitment in equal measure to ride quickly. The harder you can ride it, the better it will handle. From 10-14000 rpm it is like Armageddon … it shakes, it screams and it genuinely feels like it wants to kill you. Full throttle down the rettelinio at Mugello on this bike is like nothing else I’ve ever ridden!
