Everwondered what it’slike toride a championship-winningWorldSuperbike? We did too, so we nabbedToprak’s Beemer Old-school cool ....................................26
It’s20years since Suzuki blew gavethe world its much-lovedK5Gixer.Weneeded no more excuses to track one down and head out for aspin. Best of the rest ....................................36
The early Noughties was agoldenera for sportsbikes.Wetake alook at the K5’s rivals BMW F900 R
FEATURES
Achat with the champ........................ 22 Having clocked some laps on his bike,wethen turned the mic on Toprak for abit moreinsight. Honda CBR600RR Buyer’sGuide 54 If you’re not fussed about winglets andrider aids, the 2013 600RR is acracking, much cheaper alternative to the latest and greatest version.
Three of akind ..................................... 60 Is biggerbetter? That’sthe question we sought to answer, with three very different sportstourers
COLUMNISTS
Sub-litre nakeds are prettypopularthese days, and so too is the F900 R. Here’sour takeonthe latest version
Christian Iddon ....................................96
Full of wisdom, Iddon imparts some on histeammate
Project Corner:Speed Triple ............... 86 Alabour of love,Will’sSpeedTriplespecial is definitely worthy of some attention.
Tech Talk: Frames 92 Frame tech has moved on massively over the years.Here’salook at why
Alternatively,scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today.Wewill send it directly to you!
Fast enough for you?
Therea re times in li fe wh e re you must pinch yourself –a nd qui te often they invo lve am ot o rc yc le Just the other day Iw as out in Ge rman y, minding my own business, riding at 120mph on the autobahn… as you d o. Th en ext thing Ik now,h or ns areh onking, lights arefl ash ing ,a nd al ad yi nab ig Me rc edes is fast appr oach ing my re ar end at an unho ly ra te of kn ot s. If Ih adn’t moved over,I ’m sures he wou ld have ended up giving me af re er ide on her bonnet, as Ic an only imagi ne no thi ng was ge tt ing in he rw ay –l east of al laB rit on ab ike,d aw dling in the fa st la ne.I had to la ugh because the exper ie nce w as so ou to fk il te rf or most of us ri di ng in the UK .I love going fast, and 120m ph seem ed quick enough, especially bec ause Iw as on an aked bike,w ith a chi ng w ri s t sa nd a straining neck. Th at lady m ust have be en doing about 150mp h, whic hw as min dbl ow in g, yet only to me.N oo ne else seemed to flinch as she bl asted p ast. Why would they? Th eG erm ans have had the freedom to speed for an eter nity Th ey’reu sed to it, prepared for the re alities of life in the fast lane,a nd it got me thinking ab ou tw hy we don’t fo ll ow suit .S peeding over therei se ntirely different to speedin go ver here, where one is morel ikely to be scann in gf or po lice or cameras, ra ther th an f oc using on th er oa da he ad .The funny thin gi s, travelling at such speeds, Ia ctually fe lt moree ngaged with the ri de as my m ind and visio nw eren’t consta ntly bei ng s wayed to the numbers on m yd ash
Th erew as no distract ion, just focus, whic hi sh ow I’dd escribe my experiences of c ra cking on over on the Is le of Man ,o n the few occasions I’ve ridden the Mountain course,f or insta nce Undoubtedl y, there’sm orer is kw hen go in gq uic k, an dI ’d wh olehea rt edly re fut e upping t he s peed limit si nt ow ns, vi lla ge s, or any populat ed area s, but surely the IoM and Germany ha ve proven tha tg oi ng quicker tha n7 0mph isn’t go ing to trig ge r the end of the world. In the rig ht pla ce,a t the right ti me,i tm ak es al ot of sense And fr om am ot orcycling point of view,i t
means you can use moret han fir st gear We arel iving in ag olden age of 200bhp+ mot orcycles ,y et we ’reo nly ev er allowed to tickle the m… unless yo uh ead on trac k. Of cours e, this ra nt won’t change a thing, but maybe the re will come at ime when lo gic pl ays out an dw e’ll get the chance to wind th ose t hrot t les back a lit t le bit harder.W ec an alway sd re am.
Enjoy the mag,
Some things arebetterlef t behind,but Fast Bike s isn’tone of them trustus. Fora start , we’d miss you, butit’dalso mean you’dmis sout on awhole
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BMWCONCEPT RR
To lovely Lake Como in northern Italy,where the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villad’Este car and bike showtakes place.BMW is one of the organisers of this high-endgig (it makes Goodwood look like the BMF show,apparently) and alwaysshows off aconcept car and bike or two.This year,itwas theturn of the firm’s1000RR superbike range to get the concept treatment, with this,the BMW Concept RR.
It’salittle less madcap than some of the wild creations of past years,and much of it looks like a straight lift from the firm’s M1000 RR homologation superbike.That includes a230bhp version of the inline-four 999cc DOHC 16v ShiftCam M1000 RR WSBK engine,inthe standardcast aluminium main frame. Theswingarm is full carbon, wheels are forged aluminium race parts,and the Bonamici yokes and rear subframe are also competition components.Öhlins suspension looks to be the same kit as on the race bikes,asare the Brembo GP4monobloc nickel-plated brake calipers with 330mmT-Drive discs.Itofcoursewears Pirelli Diablo WSBK race slicksand comes with the latest electronics suite from the M1000 RR.
The most striking feature is probably the bodywork, though. It’sfull carbon, with goldenfinished metal highlights,extensive air management ducting and hefty aerodynamic winglets on show.A full titanium Akrapovic race pipe and brushed aluminium race fuel tank rounds off the saucy style Markus Flasch, head of BMW Motorrad, said: “Never before has BMW Motorrad provided such
an early glimpse into afuture generation of the RR models.The BMW Motorrad Concept RR is a true masterpiece ofour developmentteam, both technically and in terms of design language “Guided andinspired by theBMW Motorrad factory superbikeM1000 RR, with which BMW Motorrad factory rider Toprak Razgatlio lu was able to dominantly win theFIM World Superbike Championship last year,the Concept RR offers a true firework of superlatives forbothstreet and track use.The transfer from racing to road has never been shown more clearly
“Itrepresents BMW Motorrad’s leadership claim to offer the highest engineering level and maximumperformance in this segment.”
Alot of words –but it’snot clear what the Concept RR will lead to in productionform.We’re hoping for amodern variant of the HP4 andHP4 Race machinery of thelast decade, with a limited-productionrun, exotic engineand chassis tech, andperformancethat’sarguably even better than aracebike(theHP4 Racealmost approached MotoGP-spec in terms of kit, weight and power).
The other elephantinthe room is the rumours of MotoGP involvementfromBavaria in thenear future.Whatimpactwill aGPbikewearingthe blue and white roundelhaveonthe firm’sroad range? We could definitely see theGerman firm leveragingits MotoGP tech into asuper-trick exotic road bike,just as Ducati did with its Desmosedici. Atemptingidea, for sure
Keep an eye on ouronlinechannels –Facebook, Twitter,and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) –for news as it happens.
YAMAHA XZR900 THUNDERBOLT
Another concept supersport machine,but at the opposite end of the scale from theBMW on a number of fronts.Where the BMW Concept RR was aprimped-up full-factory project, this is alabour of love,hand-built over acouple of yearsbyanartisan British custom bike builder Marc Bell, of Haxch Moto,Kent. Dubbed the XZR900 Thunderbolt, it’sbased on aheavily modifiedYamaha XSR900 retro roadster,reimagined as ahomage to the Yamaha road and race supersports machinery of the 1980s and 1990s
The most striking part is the bodywork, which has strong echoes of the likes of Yamaha’s TZR250, FZR600/750/1000, YZF750 and YZR500 road and race machinery.Incredibly,it’snot fibreglass or plastic; it’smade from thin, hand-shaped aluminium sheets,formed using traditional tools like the English wheel and soft mallets.Hundreds of hours went into making template shapes from card, beforecutting and forming the metal into the 3D
panel shapes,and the result is stunning up close.The classic retro paint rounds it off beautifully,too –pastel teal, blue andpurple slashes on awhite background tips ahat to the various peacock/ cocktail colourschemes of the 1990s.Even the Thunderbolt graphic is retro-styled, with ahint of the Streetfighter video game logo
It’snot just all cosmetic,either The bodywork needed awhole set of bracketry fitted andBell wentto extreme lengths to get thelook right, relocating the rear subframe and removing standard cast frame mount points,then renewing the factory finish. He’salso rejigged the chassis,pushing more weight over the front end fora sportier ride
notcurrently road-legal, butHaxch Moto is workingona version with lights and an MoT, as well as developing aplastic fairingdesign (the aluminiumpanel production process is far too labour-intensive to bepractical and would cost tens of thousands of pounds to buy).
The bikeitself was built in association with Yamaha UK as part of thefirm’s Yard Built custom programme,soissort-offactory approved –thoughwe’dnot expect to see an official version as the XSR900 GP doesmuchofthe same job
“I wanted to channelthe soul of the1990s race erabut deliver it with modern performance and craftsmanship,with factory build quality,” said Marc Bell, founder of Haxch Moto
And Bell is now takingorders: more info at www.haxchmoto.com or follow@haxchmoto on Instagram.
PICS: @kanelayland
Dynamically,it’sgot amild engine tune for an extra10% power from an exhaust andstage one remap,and the chassis gets a British update,with Maxton suspension front and rear,and HEL four-piston front brake calipers, hoses and master cylinders.It’s
MV AGUSTA SUPERVELOCE1000 AGO
SUPERVELOCE 1000
With the financial collapse of parent firmPierer Mobility at the turn of the year,MVAgusta finds itself operating as an independent outfitonce more,separate from KTM and the other firms in that group.It’sissued an update from boss Luca Martin, detailing how it’ssetting up new logistics,parts supply,and a new dealer network, with the UK an important partofthat. The firm also said it’sworking on newbikes and newengines,which it certainly needs to do
In the meantime, the Varese outfit is continuing to do what it does very well –making pieces of finemoto-art whichtick all the ‘exotic Italian superbike’ boxes.This isthe latest limited-editionvariant: aspecial Ago version of the Superveloce 1000 retro-superbike to mark the 83rd birthday of GP legend Giacomo Agostini, who made history on MV bikes and has an incredible 15 world titles,plus 10 TTwins.Itwas released on his birthday,June 16, with just 83 bikes produced, priced at €83,000.
and yellow numberplates.The bike also comes with unique Kineo wheels, which aresimilar to th spoked/cast composite rims on the 800 range but redesignedtodeal with the extratorque and mass.And the suspension is the top-end Öhlins EC semi-active kitwith electronic damping control andmanual preloadsettings.There’salsoan integrated Öhlins smart steering damper,and the chassisspec is rounded off with Brembo Stylema brakes and 320mm discs.Wet mass is 209kg:not amazing, but not horrendous
The extras on the Ago model are extensive Agusta hascommissioned aset of special Dainese Demone GP 3X race leathersand a custom AGV Pista GP RR lid to go with eachbik and unlike withthe likes of Ducati and its Lamborghini models,the kit is included in the price of the bikerather than at extracost There’san18-karat gold plate on thetop yoke
Forthat, you get asuper-exclusive machine based on the ‘standard’ Superveloce 1000 design, which has an inline-four 16v DOHC 999cc superbike engine putting out aclaimed 208bhp, anditfeatures titanium radial valves and con-rods,lightened pistons,titanium fasteners andafull titanium Akrapovic exhaust. Engine management is the MVICS2.1 system with 50mm throttle bodies and eight injectors,which integrates theextensive rider aids package of IMU assisted traction and wheelie control, up/ down quickshifter,cruise control, rider power modes,and which integrates with the suspension control unit too
This trick motor lives in ahybrid frame with steel tube trellis sections and aluminium alloy swingarm pivot plates.But the Ago adds afull carbon fairing, with the retro winglets,Ago logos
with the number of the Agostini’s signature
with the numberofthe bike, Agostini’ssignature on thetank, and the Ago name embroideredon the seat andstamped onto the leather tank strap
The firm has really gone above and beyond with theignitionkey: it’smadewithtwo engraved metal medals,made from an actual piece of bronze alloyfromone of Ago’smany trophies.The engineers wenttohis museum and took an angle grindertoa massive cup from one of his Imola 500GP wins, chopping offbig strips of metal, which werethen formedinto the key medals.Amazing attentiontodetail, and a fabulouspieceofgenuine history from Agostini and the Agusta brand.
The Agoreplicas are available now,with delivery in September.But you’ll probably need to have an ‘in’ with the factory to make anorder. Only the most dedicated Agusta collectors,fans and followers arelikelytoget hold of one.
Keep an eye on ouronlinechannels –Facebook, Twitter,and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) –for news as it happens.
KOVE 800X RALLY250
Smart-looking Chinese bikes are becoming like London buses –lots appear all the time,and they’re pretty cheap and efficient. There is less chance of being stabbed on one,though. Probably
Anyway,here’sanother one: the Kove 800 X Rally. It’sgot an 800cc parallel twin engine which seems to share the foundations of the KTM 790/890 LC8c engines (it has the same bore and stroke as the799cc version), presumably reworked for the Kove brand’s needs.That’snobad thing: the KTMmotor was great fun,and if the widely publicised reliability problems have been sorted, it should make for asweet machine
Themotor makes 95bhp, good for this sector,and it lives in adirt-biased chassis that includesa21in front rim, longtravel fullyadjustable suspension and tough engine bars and sump guard.There’snorear footpegs either;this is ahardcore off-road adventure tool,itseems
Kerb weight is avery commendable 176kg (wet, with fivelitres of fuel), there’sa20-litre fuel tank, anditcomes in teal orgold. It’sgot plenty of usefulkit like USBsockets,TFT colour dash,traction control, anda smartphone app –and is priced very well at just £8700. Should be aLOT more fun than aLondon bus, we reckon. www.kovemoto.com
YAMA
ER
YAMAHA TRACER 7AND 7GT
With 2025 updates for the MT-07 and Ténéré appearing late last year,the only real surprise with this release is thatit’s taken so long.Actually,there’sone more surprise about the 2025 Tracer 700 andGT, but we’ll come to that in aminute (canyou feel the suspense building?).
This is afairly hefty update for Yamaha’s middleweight adventure machine.Itgets the new Euro5+ engine,ofcourse,which uses a new ride-by-wire engine management set-up to improve emissions but also gives easyaccess to aheap of modernfunctions –cruise control, rider power modes and more sophisticated rider aids like switchable traction control. Power is about the sameas before at 72bhp though, and with adecent 203kg wet weight, it should be lively enough for the class
There’sasolid chassis update as well, with anew 41mm USD adjustable front fork and preload/rebound adjustable rearshock. The USD forkalsonow wears radial-mount brake calipers,which should add atouch more sharpness to the front end overall. The swingarm is 40mm longer,giving more stability,the steel backbone frame has been tweaked for improved handling, and the new Tracer 7comes with premium Michelin Pilot Road 6GTrubber
Both the Tracer 7and Tracer 7GThave a full style overhaul for 2025, with new
bodywork and slicker styling.There’s LED lighting, abigger,adjustable windscreen,revised handguards and abigger 18-litre fuel tank, plusa neat 5in colour LCD dashand the latest corporate switchgear design. The GT is about £1,300 pricier, and for that you get hard panniers,taller screen, centre stand,rubber-inset footrests,a comfier seat andthree-levelheated .The standard bike costs £8804 the GT is £10,104.
What’sthe surprise then, Al? Well, there’snooption at the moment to ethe Y-AMT automatic gearbox on Tracer,despite it being available on naked MT-07. You’ddefinitely pectittofeature on themore uringTracer,soweguess it will appear later,orperhaps come on aGT+ model as withthe Tracer 900. We’re off to ride thenew Tracer 7nextmonth, so will report back on thethinkingthen.
Bull et TOPRAK’S
It’s not every dayyou gettoknock around with the World Superbikechamp, let alone head out fora spin on his title defending M1000 RR,but that’s how Rennie passed the time at Cremona recently, getting underthe skin of BMW’s Bullet beforetrying it out forsize…
THE RESULT? A DOMINANT WORLDSBK TITLE WINATTHE HANDS OF AMAN MUIRSAYSIS THE MOST MENTALLY TOUGH RIDER HE’SEVER HAD ON HIS BOOKS.
Sometimes, it just takes the right man to do the job. That’sthe position BMW Motorrad found itself in at the conclusion of the 2024WorldSBKseason, when its star signing, the prodigiously talented Toprak Razgatlioglu, turned thebikethatwas always the bridesmaid, neverthe bride,into a championship winner
The key to success
ForBMW Motorrad, it marked thecompletion of ajourneythat started wayback in 2009, when Troy Corser and Leon Haslam took the brand’sfrsttentativestepsback into worldlevelracing with the frst BMW S1000 RR.
The following16yearssaw BMW place a host of talented ridersonthe RR’s seat in the hopesoftitle glory, including Marco Melandri, Chaz Davies, TomSykes and Eugene Laverty However, Toprak’sarrival at theend of 2023 –which coincided withacompleteoverhaulof BMW’s factoryracing department under the stewardship of legendaryteam owner Shaun Muir –saw the fnal piece of anear twodecade old puzzle fnally click intoplace.The result? Adominant WorldSBK title win at the hands of aman Muir says is themostmentally toughrider he’severhad on his books
But it wasn’t quite as it seemed.Razgatlioglu and ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team stablemate Michael vander Mark had use of the ‘super concessions’ M1000 RRchassis, which wasessentially aprototype unit that had varying stiffness characteristics to what you’d fnd on afull productionM1000 RRchassis
At this level, everything counts,and Razgatlioglu could use the superconcessions chassis to devastating effect. Histrademark ultra-late braking style was enhanced onthe 2024M1000 RR and pairedwiththat bike’s ability to hold amoreconsistentline on cornerexits
After winning the championship,all concessionsgranted to BMW were being
Themaster atwork
takenaway, the team reverting back to the full production M1000 RR chassis as per the spirit of WorldSBK, but very late in its testing season as it expected to run the 2024 chassis this year
“The super concession chassis was based and developed on our stiffness (numbers) we gotoverthe last two, three,four yearsfromthe riders,”said BMW Motorrad Motorsport’s technical director,Christian Gonschor.“It was adedicated distribution of torsion and lateral stiffness,without numbersordirection.
“It’snever about going softer or stiffer.It’s fully independent. Youhavebraking, mid-turn position, and corner exit characteristics.You have to put it together,and not in everydriving situationdoyou need thesamestiffness. That’sthe keypoint. Youmust fndthe puzzle, which is shooting every situation on track.”
BMW’s ace in its sleeve is Turkish star
Razgatlioglu, who haspushed the project harder than anyrider BMW haseverhad Toprak’sunique,front-heavy riding style suited the 2024 chassis perfectly,but for 2025, the always-moving target of optimal on-track performancehas once again shifted, this time to corner exits,whereDucati’scombination of the Panigale V4 Rand Italy’sNicollo Bulega is currently superior.
“Last year,I’m easy riding, because whenI am pushing so hard, the bikeisalso working,” said Razgatlioglu. “But nowI am pushing so hard, the bikeisnot working likeitdid.”
At Italy’sCremona this year,the difference was clear to see as Razgatlioglu would gain metersonthe brakes to Bulega, but the Ducati’ssuperior mid-corner turning and exit grip, and acceleration would see the gap Toprak worked so hardtoreduce spring back as the throttle wasopened.
THERE WAS SOMETHING MISSING, SO TOPRAK HAD TO GO ALITTLE BIT MORE RISKONTHE FRONT.HECAN MANAGE IT,BUT IT’S JUST VERY COMPLICATED AND TAKES ALOT OF ENERGY.
Clearly, wonderingwhere hisbike’sgone?
“Wecall it the elastic effect,”said Gonschor “For sure, he [Razgatlioglu] cannotdomore. Compared to the other 20 ridersonthe grid, both[Razgatlioglu and vander Mark] didan incredible job.But therewas something missing, so Toprak had to go alittle bit more risk on the front. He can manage it, butit’s just very complicated and takes alot of energy.”
Under the electronic skin UnlikeMotoGP,WorldSBK teamsare giventhe fexibilitytochoose their ownenginecontrol units (ECUs) and develop custom software, provided theyadheretospecifcregulations, with BMW partnering with Bosch to develop a platform specifc to the M1000 RR
“Our electronicsare Bosch BMS-MS2, including adedicated WorldSBK andEWC 2D powerloom in combination with the race calibration kit software in superbikespec,” Gonschor said. “In WorldSBK full-spec, 32 different CANand analoguesensors can be mounted, plus18add-onsfor testing.”
TheWorldSBK system is differenttothat used in BSB, which doesn’t permittraction control per se,but meterspower delivery based on throttle position and lean angle
BMW can map Toprak’s250-oddhorsepower M1000 RR (theywon’t tell me just howmuch horsepowerithas!) to be effectively corner-bycorner,but if youthoughtthis was via GPS, you’rewrong.
“It’snot corner-by-corner dueto GPS, because GPS is banned in WorldSBK but, for sure, due to collecting millions of data points, we can see acorner-by-corner effect in every
area the gas, and so on,” said “So, we tried to fnd an application on brake or traction control design which corner. When you come out of turn six here at Cremona, compromise, because it’s not directly
area of riding—touching the gas, braking and so on,” said Gonschor “So,wetried to fndanapplication on engine brakeortraction cont design which is prepared for each dedicated corner.When youcome of turn six hereatCremona, going through turn seven, it will be a compromise,because it’snot dir linked that the bikechanges parameters.
“It’s not time, but we can see for example, after 32 seconds, bike was at this of the track, in this with this throttle, this this brake, whatever. Then we have retype the numbers to or These values also as the tyre wears over race, and the rider has to adjust or decrease braking to
“It’snot off-the-lap time,but see that, forexample,after 32 seconds the bikewas at this point of the in this position, with this throttle brake, this engine brake, whateve Then we have to retype the number increase or decrease values. The valuesalso change as the tyrew over the race,and the rider hast to increase or decrease engine br compensate
you have to put the tyre into perspective because you can use the SCX compound where the tyre family and the is but also the if you switch to the SC0 tire, has a different shape, so therefore a different radius and lean. This means a value control. You have to adjust it, so even you have a perfect set-up, you just put in another tyre from another family. When you change it changes again. This is why the guys are at working at
“Next, youhave to put the tyr perspectivebecause youcan use compound wherethe tyrefamily and the rubber compound is special, but geometry. Then, if youswitch to tire, it hasa different shape,sot different radius and lean. This mean radius is always avalue for traction control. Youhavetoadjust it, so when youhave aperfect set-up, put inanother tyrefromanother compound family.When youchange suspension, it changesagain. This the guysare still at the track wo midnight.”
ThemomentToprakwas told he hadtoshare hisbikewith asmirkingRennie...
ITELL MYSELF THATUNLESS THIS THING LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE IT’SGOING TO BREAK,I’M NOT BACKING OFFUNTIL I ABSOLUTELYMUST.
Afew laps in thehot seat There’sabit of aparty atmosphereinthe Cremona circuitpitlane as the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team membersfre up Toprak Razgatlioglu’sBMW M1000 RRand beckonmetoclimb aboard.
The seat unit is tall thanks to thecarbonfbresubframe,but yousit much more‘in’the Toprak bikecompared to the factory BMW EWCracer I’ve just jumped off, which has a farmoreaggressiveriding position,with lower-set handlebarsand ataller seat unit
The Toprak bike, likeall WorldSBK machines these days, hasneutral at the bottom of the gearbox that’sactivated by alever onthe right handlebar,soit’simpossible to hit neutral when going from second to frst gear.Stamping on the levertograbfrst, the team pushesme away and I’m rolling down pitlane onone of the most exclusivemotorcyclesinthe world
Toprak runshis handlebarsquite wide, similar tothe stance Iremember from Jonathan Rea’s2016KawasakiZX-10R WorldSBK title winner. The ride position is relatively relaxed, but the high rearwardset footpegsremind youthat whenyou hit the track,it’stime for business
Out of pitlane and sedately negotiating the frst of Cremona’sswitchbackcorners, the frst thing that strikes youisjust howlightthe Toprak M1000 RR is on direction changes Having just spun lapsonastock M1000 RR with carbon-fbrewheels,the fact theToprak 168kgbikefeels so much lighter onits feet is astonishing.
The phras e‘ look whereyou wa nt to go and it’ll do it’ is so overu sed in my profess ion, but it’sa dept here. As imple push of the outside leg in to th et ank wh ile leaning ove ri se nough to get th eB MW to completel ya lter its lin e, tightening up the latter part of the turn and allowing yo ut o get on the gass ooner and harder
I’m not even halfway round my out lapand I already knowIcould ride this biketothe
shops, no problem. The Öhlins RVP25/30front fork and ÖhlinsRVP50shock is set surprisingly soft. It’snot at all intimidating, but that’sata pedestrian pace compared to the next fve minutesofmylife
With suffcient heat in the Pirelli WorldSBK SC0 rear and SC1 front slicks, and the hairpin beforethe back straight approaching, Itry and ratchet up the aggression abit. Braking later than Iwouldhaveprobably liked, the BMW
Rennie wasgunning forthe nowvacant2026seat...
NORMALLY, I’M A TWO-FINGER BRAKER, BUT IONLY NEED ONE TO GET ALL THE POWER REQUIRED TO HAUL THE BMW UP.
nonetheless turnswith the ease few riderswill everget to experience,and, upon seeing that near mile-long back straight, Itell myself that unless this thing looksand sounds likeit’sgoing to break, I’m not backing off until I absolutely must.
Stand the chassis up so it’sonthe fat part of the tyreand pin the throttle to the stop.The next 12 seconds feel like twoasthe Toprak BMW launchesonto the backstraight, all 250-ish horsepower pushed into the ground accompanied by the single best combination of induction, engine and exhaust roar I’ve everheard.
The BMW simply vaporizesthe back straight all too soon.Shifting through the gearboxisliketaking asamurai swordtoaloaf of bread. The gearbox shift hasthe perfect combination of feel, resistance and smoothness,and as Ishift back to secondfor the fnal three switchback corners, the superb engine brakestrategy takes over.
This is one of the acesinthe BMW’s arsenal, as despite the high revs and drastically slowing rear wheel speed, the EBC(engine brake control) and so-factory-you’ll-neverknowslipper clutch takeoverand the BMW glidestothe apex– no rear wheel hopping, no funny business
The fnal three cornersagain highlight the BMW’s agility.Left, right, left, all taken in second gear and all with high lean angles… the chassis just eats it up and combinesagain with the EBC to keep everything as it should be Braking feel from the factory3 38mm discs, Brembo M4 ca lipersa nd Brembo master-cylinder set-up is the best of anyb ikeI ’veeve rr idden. Normally, I’m at wo -f nge rb ra ke r, but Io nly need one to get all the powe rreq uired to haul the BMW up.T here’sat humb re ar brakeaswel l, but To prak puts most of his braking through the fron t brakea nd foot re ar brakel ever,s ot he thumb brakeo nly hase nough powe r to help tighten th el ine at the ex it, so I don’t use it.
By lap two, I’m starting to feel confdentenoughtogiveita propergo, and allthose feelingsI’vejust mentioned get turned up to 11.The faster Igo, the better it feels –just likeareal race bike should. But Toprak’sbikeisnever scary, neverintimidating. It’s, dareI sayit, easy to ride,and thatthought of being able to ride this biketothe shopsisstill in my mind. Ashop bikewith 250 horsepower? Sign me up!
But that ease is overshadowedby what abeast Toprak’sbikereally is when you’retrying to go faster and faster.With such enormous midrange
