SPORTS STAR PUT ME IN MY COMFORT ZONE THE FACTS

I’ve discovered something I like about the new Honda Fireblade – it has made every bike I’ve ridden since seem huge. As you may remember from my review of the Blade, it’s about two inches long and an inch high, and is therefore only suitable to be ridden by molecules rather than humans.

So although I’d normally climb aboard a dinky supersports machine and immediately book an appointment with a physio in anticipation, I settled into the saddle of the Aprilia RS 660 as comfortably as if I was on a sofa – although maybe a DFS sofa.

I was deeply impressed by how comfy and spacious it felt, with pleasantly high and wide bars, a surprisingly generous distance between the seat and the footpegs, and a tank perfectly shaped for tucking your knees in.

Start up, ride off, and the snarl from the parallel twin below, basically the front half of the V4, is gloriously satisfying, as is acceleration even in Commute mode, with 100 horses pulling a piffling 183kg of bike.

Handling, thanks to the same light weight and a relatively short wheelbase, is pinpoint perfect but stable and predictable, and there was great feel from both the front and rear brakes.

Time to switch to Dynamic mode, which sharpens the throttle response, and things got plain hilarious, zapping past cars without even bothering to change down and powering out of bends drinking in that glorious soundtrack as it soared all the way to the redline at 11,500rpm.

However, to be honest you don’t need to thrash it, since it develops 90% of its torque by 6,250rpm. At motorway speeds the bike is tootling along at a comfortable 6,000rpm.

I stepped off at the end of the ride as fresh as a whole meadow of daisies, rather than as is usually the case with sports bikes, a crick in my neck and gangrene in both legs.

So, in short, it looks great, goes great, sounds great and leaves you feeling great. Result.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and buy a new DFS sofa for the cat. He’s the only one who fits on it, and he’s shredded the old one.

Bike supplied by Mccrum’s Motorcycles. mccrums.co.uk.

Aprilia RS 660

Engine: 659cc parallel twin

Power: 100bhp @ 10,500rpm

Torque: 49 lb ft @ 8,500rpm

Colours: Red/ purple; chartreuse; black/ red Price: £10,150

SOFA SO GOOD Geoff loved the Aprilia