GAZ’S GUFF:
TT winner Gary Johnson’s been a permanent fixture on the WK 650 lightweight since 2012. Here’s his take on things…
It was one of those opportunities that was hard to turn down. I got asked if I fancied taking the 650 out for a spin back in 2012, which I saw at the time as a good chance to clock some more laps around the Island (TT course), so I agreed with the team then runningWK Bike’s efforts to give it a go. I remember my first ride on the bike, and there weren’t many positive things I can recall about it. The only thing I will say is that the issues were all self-induced. They were the kind of problems that could easily be weaned out by a mechanic that was worth his salt.
By the end of practice week the 650 was in a much better place and I started to warm to it. We didn’t do half bad that first year, and things got even better the next after WK brought its efforts in-house and dedicated a load more time and budget to the project. Simple things like bettering the rearsets, altering fairing designs and equipping the bike with better suspension made big gains the next year, and the same can be said about 2015 too. Last year was a right belter. There’s no disguising we’re on an under-dog platform, which made it all the sweeter by being up the top of the time sheets in practice, putting out competitive speeds and lapping right up at the sharp end among the best of the Japanese brands. No one expected that. It was a dream, which almost came true when it looked like we were on for our first podium. A bad pitstop cost us third by a second or so. It was devastating, but reassuring to us and our doubters that we had something to be proud of in the 650. It’s a great bike that’s set to get a whole lot better now we’ve got a new evolution of the model to play with. We’re no longer going to be held back by 1980s electronics, thanks to the new NK model’s Bosch system. That plus a new swingarm, stronger crank and load of other bits the Chinese have mixed in to make the product better. We’re on the move and I’m more excited than ever for next year because I reckon we can really upset a few folk with our pace.”