Bike review #2

Here's an updated review after a period of ownership.

Ok, I concede I may have been a touch brief in sharing my love for the Man Bike. I did pass on the salient facts though. Allow me to elaborate.

It's been about a year since I pried the wretched money from the wizened claw of the bank manager and threw it in the face of the smirking salesman. Having to define my bike-lust in terms of money is just so common and base that I shall not speak of it again.

The first few weeks passed in the warm glow of new bike happiness. Looking at it made me smile, riding it made me laugh and sing songs about invading Poland. I don't have a particular issue with Poland, it's just that the Austrian-made 997cc V-twin sounds a lot like a blitzkrieg in full swing and my half-German side is prone to invading someone every now and then. I might try Tassie next year, it's a lot closer.

At this point I wasn't totally "as one" with my new bike. Sure, I was happy enough but like all new relationships you have to get to know how the other party works and what needs to be done to make the most of it. I was still overwhelmed with the stomp this bike could deliver. The impromptu wheelies when I got over-eager with the throttle made my skirts flutter in the breeze.

Throughout the time I've been using the T for a myriad of duties, mostly commuting as I loathe cars and refuse to sit in traffic listening to inane morning radio shows. I have anger management issues with that sort of thing. For those of us that ride to work daily the conditions are pretty much all the same so I wont bore you with the details. I will however tell you that the T is perfectly attuned to the task of the daily grind. It's pootling manners are very nice, the upright position and wide bars make splitting (*ahem* filtering) with precision a breeze. It's a surprise, but apart from the thirst this bike displays it makes a great commuter. Plus, it will smoke anyone in a Stop Light GP.

Let's fast forward the last few months. By this point I've made the decision that I'm not a technically savvy suspension expert so other than setting up the preload for my fat little self I return the damping settings to factory spec. Those cheeky Italians! Suddenly My bike doesn't dive like a U-boat on a mission, it hunkers and sets itself. All the things I tried to achieve by fiddling could be mostly found just be going back to what they worked out at this start for this bike. Of course, what they set out to achieve is a taught, well balanced package with enough compliance and give to accept that these bikes do have to ride on real roads and not just race tracks. It's a firm ride, but oh baby, hit a corner with some passion and feel what a revelation cornering can become.

It's been in these last few months that I've really seen the quality of the T. The first few led into Winter so any chance of really applying myself to learning the bike were shot. Now with a decent period of time to go riding I've applied my meagre talents and been greatly rewarded.

Last January VTRElmarco and myself went on a 4 day jaunt to Bateman's Bay on the NSW south coast. The route was: Whittlesea - Yea - Mansfield - Whitfield - Wangaratta with a quick transport section to Wodonga - Tallangatta - Bullioh - Granya - Walwa - Tintaldra into Corryong for the first night. Followed up with Khancoban - Dead Horse Gap for the obligatory photos - Thredbo - Jindabyne and down to Cooma, Bega and Bateman's Bay. The reverse had us take in Cooma to Adaminaby - Kiandra and down the Tumut Pond dam road (Wow!) and back sort of the same way. If you take nothing else from this bike-wank, take my advice to ride these roads. You will buy me beer afterwards in gratitude.

That gave me ample opportunity to try big open sweepers, closed in tight mountain switchbacks and even boring sections of highway. We stopped at various points, I was shagged from the heat but physically fine from the ride, this is one decently comfy sportsbike. It's handling prowess was....well, imagine a wild eyed, sweaty, yob waving his hands in the air and saying "Amazing!" a lot and you have a picture of me talking about the Tuono. Would sir like a small change of line mid-corner? Be my guest, caress that bit there. Has sir gone in too hard and needs some brakes to go with that corner? But of course. Would a power wheelie in second as you fly out of that tight lefthander be your desire? Up we go then.

There have been many times in the past that I would struggle to hold on to the coat tails of my faster riding mates. I'd literally have to scrap pegs and keep the VFR on full boil to keep them in sight. Not any more. That extra confidence, that little bit of improvement, that extra refinement the T offers sees me looking for places to pass or wondering why there isn't someone tapping on my helmet to get me out of the way. It makes you feel like a god.

Then there is the bling. Heh, bling. I really like a bita bling. I've been pretty restrained with the T so far. Other than a Bagster tank cover (in red and gold) and bag, Rhinomoto fork and swing-arm crash bungs, R&G exhaust protector, Akra-Aprilia exhaust, powercommander (God knows why, I don't need it, it's just a must have), Unifilter air filter, '00 model air intake, and gold CRG levers I've left it as I found it, oh and 16/43 sprocket combination with gold chain .....yeah I know, I'm a sad specimen. I can see carbon fibre in my future. Mel will kill me.

The quality of a proper, powerful, rider's bike like the Tuono just has to be tried to see why I rant to the point that my friends quietly plot my doom. It rewards your efforts and is ready for eveything you throw at it. The nimbleness and easy way it flicks about and sets itself into corners has done more to improve my riding technique and confidence in a few short months than five years aboard the VFR (great bike that it is). I push, the bike responds. I f#ck up, the bike allows me to correct. I go "YeeeHaaaa!", the bike throws me at the horizon like a guided missile with the sound track to Armageddon coming from the pipe. This my friends, it a true rider's motorcycle.