CARLOS’ COMMENTS…

This was the bike I was most excited to ride, and although it didn’t really disappoint, it didn’t really set my world alight either. I’m not sure about you lot, but besides the snazzy TT paint job it doesn’t look as sharp as the 04, and jumping on, the cockpit isn’t all that special either. This, being the TT Special, was equipped with an insanely loud pipe and a set of trick rearsets and levers, but to be honest, the pegs were set so bloody high, anyone taller than me really did struggle! Even so, the engine was incredibly linear, yet still eager, and there was definitely enough power to get into some serious trouble where speed limits are concerned. The chassis is pretty sublime in the way it reacts, but being the SP it does come with some track-focused Ohlins – and although they offer an utterly delicious amount of feel when pushing on hard, they don’t like really bumpy roads, or pottering about, at all. Even so, everything felt fairly safe and stable on the SP, and with no bundles of power modes, crazy amounts of electronics or even a shifter to boot, it’s one of the latest, barest modern sporstbikes available, which in a way adds to the charm. What doesn’t however, is the stopping power; I’d love to comment on how good the brakes were, but there seemed to be a bit of an issue. I’m not sure if it was a problem with the pistons, which meant the lever pressure to brake pressure fluctuated massively, which was a real shame. Other than that though, for the money, they do make a bloody good litre bike.