Ducati Upriser V4S remote controlled motorcycle

RRP: £149.99 / www. spinmaster.com / Tested by: Tony Carter

I always wanted one of those remote controlled 500GPs from the 1980s. They were battery powered, had weird crash bars on the side and went insanely fast. Too fast really. They could be Kevin Schwantz, Eddie Lawson or Wayne Gardner (the stars of the day).

My friends had them. They spent ages building them and painting them. They’d spend ages charging the batteries and then they’d use them. Within seconds the bikes had somersaulted several times and been bashed up very badly.

These days, it’s all easier. And the Upriser Ducati V4S from Spin Master Toys only needs a charge. Do that (takes about an hour), pop some AAA batteries into the remote and away you go.

You turn the bike on and hold it upright for a couple of seconds. The bike wakes up and selfbalances. You can hear the gyros working and then you’re off and running.

The remote is equally simple to understand. You’ve got a left/right, a forward/back and a special button set of controls. The special button controls wheelies or drifts, depending on how you use it.

The wheelies are amazing and the bike can wheelie at a standstill and hold it. The Upriser works by having 12 small, horizontally mounted wheels within the back tyre. These work independently and give the bike the incredible amount of manoeuvrability at any speed. You get to grips with the bike faster than it takes to read this review.

The whole thing is a 1:6 scale model, so it’s a lot bigger than the 1980s kit bikes I mentioned and, despite the best efforts of my two nephews (both under 10), it can’t be broken. It can be scuffed up though, but overall this bike is very tough.

At a penny under £150 it’s not cheap. It is fun and easy to get on with though, plus you get to pull monster wheelies. And it looks good. Kids can get the controls in seconds and then spend ages building ramps and wheelieing the bike across carpeted floors, smooth floors (you can tell the bike what it’s riding on for optimum control settings), so it keeps them quiet, too.

Overall, it’s a must for Ducati fans and big kids who refuse to grow up.

It’s a brilliant dad toy that the kids can also use, not the other way round – ok?