RUN THREE: CBR1000RR SP, VO2 slick tyres

Our first session on the £19,125 SP was with the electronic suspension set to ‘Manual’ mode. M1 is for track, M2 for winding roads and M3 for comfort. Within these are adjustable parameters for front and rear compression and rebound, adjustable in 20 steps (in 5% intervals).

Surprisingly, I found myself wishing I was back on the RR – this was more of a track set-up giving the firm ride that the racers wanted, but feeling a little too harsh for my road-focused behind. But I was leaning further still, egged on by the slick tyres that aren’t OE on the SP – buyers will get the Battlax Racing Street RS10s, which have less tread than the RR’s S21s.

The Bridgestone VO2s give an increased ride height thanks to their racier profile, and have more of a curve at the edges for improved surface area at high lean, but there was none of the aggressive turnin that I expected, and I was starting to get the ABS working as my speed, and hence braking, peaked.

Combined with the anti-lift control, the cornering ABS (which cannot be switched off) was a massive benefit to me, giving the confidence to brake as hard as possible. It meant I was scrubbing off speed earlier than necessary, and learning just how much further I could go. But racers were starting to grumble, saying it was getting the bike slightly out of shape as they entered turn one. On the road, it wouldn’t be a problem, and for racers at that level they’d likely disable the system or bypass it altogether. For riders like me, it’s brilliant.

Is this bike worth almost £4000 more than the RR? At this stage, I wasn’t sure. The suspension was impressive, but the Showa kit was still extremely good in comparison and felt more comfortable to me. The SP gains a titanium tank, but it’s hidden under plastic.

The quickshifter is worth having, but I’d buy it as an option on the RR, while the one-kilogram weight disadvantage wouldn’t worry me.