VENDING VULTURES
‘It’s a hedonistic space shrinker’
Best ride A 304-mile day scouting out the MCN250 route. I learnt almost everything about it thanks to the nature of the 250’s mix of roads.
Longest day Rolling off the drive at exactly 4.30am, I headed from Stamford to Matlock, over to the Lake District, up to Edinburgh then down to Newcastle and the North York Moors, over the Humber Bridge into the Lincolnshire Wolds and home. That notched up 714.5 miles in exactly 18 hours to the minute.
What hurt first? Knees. After that comes my lower back – but the big Ninja looks after you pretty well. Slow riding is hard on your wrists.
Anything to confess? No, officer. Oh, OK – I nearly crashed it on the B1176 when it bottomed out so hard in a right-hand compression that both wheels drifted in unison as it unloaded. It was pure luck that they gripped again in unison.
High point The A7 from Carlisle to Edinburgh. If a bike and a road were ever made for each other, this is that heavenly marriage.
Low point The electronics had a coronary on the dyno, and I spent the next 120 miles on cold slimy November roads without traction control, a quickshifter/ blipper, engine braking control, IMU functions, power modes, cornering lights… After getting it into a self-diagnostic mode, it eventually reset itself.
What do you most admire? The midrange drive for ballistic overtakes. The supercharger spins up like a gas turbine and creates instant aggressive surge of space-compressing shove.
What’s it really good at?
Fast, flowing roads.
And really bad at? Dawdling at 30mph. What’s broken or fallen off? It developed a front disc warp at 4000 miles. What irritates? The headlamp is rubbish. Tell us a secret It doesn’t feel that fast in isolation. What did you think of your bike at
the beginning of summer? I loved the engine, comfort and handling, but I was struggling to feel any emotional connection to it.
And now? Nothing’s changed.