Full aggression

However enjoyable it is on the road, you can never really set it free. To do that you need to go on track. Warming up in the paddock at Cadwell Park, I lower the pressures on the Pirelli Supercorsa SP rubber, select Race mode and that’s it, we’re ready to go. The Öhlins suspension is semi-active, so will do all the hard work for you as it reacts to your inputs and the track; no spanners required.

The Speciale feels narrow, nimble and light, especially through Hall Bends. I don’t expect a bike with so much power to be so flickable. It’s a slightly alien feeling; big-capacity bikes are usually such a handful in the tight sections but the Speciale isn’t. Even over the famous Mountain the clever electronics prevent you from being launched at the Moon. The front still lifts, but then you’re enveloped in the system’s control, and you’re almost instantly driving hard again, rather than catching air.

Down the two main straights everything gets frighteningly fast. Cadwell Park is so narrow that you feel like you’re flying a jet plane down a school corridor. I’m so used to riding V-twin Ducatis (and the V4 feels like a V-twin) that I kept short-shifting at 12,000rpm, well short of the redline. The additional ponies are hard to detect on track. The S would be just as quick in the hands of all but a BSB rider. But does that matter? Of course not. Not when you feel this Speciale.