THE GOLDEN MOMENT
It may take less than 60 seconds to navigate but the wide, billiard-smooth Fish Hill, south of Broadway, is one of the MCN250’s highlights, especially on the corner-tastic KTM. Selecting the sportiest riding mode with the firmest suspension set-up ensures the GT is tight and responsive as we tip into the first long left. Right now the lack of a big screen and weather cheating bodywork are a good thing – less clutter to get in the way of the view ahead. The KTM has so much grunt that third gear is all you need as we scale this most magical of hillclimbs. Just twist and go, like the world’s wildest scooter, and the KTM is gone, booming into the distance, while the BMW scrambles for gears to keep on song and the Ducati clatters along, not quite able to choose a cog to suit its peaky sweet spot. Like a perfectly set-up superbike the KTM rolls into turns with little effort. As we hit each apex it’s so stable you feel you could keep leaning until your head brushes against the grass verges.
Squeeze the throttle and the rear Angel GT digs into the tarmac, lift the KTM off its side and fire it to the next turn. Very few road-going superbikes, let alone a machine with such touring ability, offer such cornering accuracy as the GT. Resisting the temptation to do it again, we flick back into soft suspension and power mode, wait for the others to catch up and cruise on down towards Stow-on-the-Wold.