Lapping it up!
T he garage door swung open and there they were: the eight sexiest bikes of 2017 lined up and ready for the spanking of their pubescent lifetime. What a bloody sight that was, all immaculately prepped and shod in virgin Bridgestone R10s.
Standing there, goggle-eyed and slack-jawed, I knew for certain that I have the best job in the world. These beauties were mine for the thrashing! Well, mine plus the Fast Bikes ‘massive’ who’d come out to Portugal in force to make Sports Bike Of The Year the spectacle that it is. If you’re new to this, all you need to know is SBOTY, as we like to call it, is the ultimate sportsbike test; an annual pilgrimage where we pit the best the showrooms have to offer against the stopwatch on the world class Portimao race circuit. This onslaught’s been an annual event here at
Fast Bikes for well over a decade, but never in that time have the results been as breathtakingly close as the timing device revealed at this year’s gig. I’m not going to let the cat out of the bag here, but let’s just say if you’re in the market for a new litre bike, you’re truly spoilt for choice. All the results are inside for the relishing so crack on and digest them at your leisure.
But it’s not just the new metal that’s drawn our attention this month. Being the money hungry megalomaniacs that we are, we’ve also been seeking out the best used metal to splash your hard earned cash on – the kind of bikes that will fill your life with adrenaline-fuelled elation while appreciating in value at the same time. It turns out there’s a bit of a formula to selecting said machines, as our canny penny pincher Dowds has explained in his wise words.
Moving on to a money-can’t-buy theme, I lucked at this year’s TT. Unlike our superstar Fagan, I’ve never raced in the Island but that desire’s been bubbling ever since I was a kid. People either love it or hate it, but after this year’s visit which sawme saddle up in a Subaru and plummet full throttle down Bray Hill, I’ve come away dangerously close to putting my name on the dotted line.
There’s just something about the place. If you’ve been you’ll know what I mean. So I did the maths, asked some questions and got a fuller picture of what it would take to become a TT rider. Growing a big pair of balls is right up there, but it turns out there’s a rigorous process to the job. Interested? All you need to know is inside. Enjoy the read, the issue and the month ahead.