3
Conditions were ideal at Thompson yesterday. We were running the short course (Porsche loop) and my friend Aaron generously offered me a session on his brandy new R1. The bike has 600 miles on it, and has the race ECU tuned for minimum engine braking.
The bike sounds MEAN and it is in fact VERY aggressive on track. The first thing I noticed was how nimble and precise the bike is. I have never used the word precise to describe a literbike before. But this one feels decidedly like a real GP racebike. It rewards precise riding, and penalizes sloppiness. It lets you know everytime you make a mistake.
The second thing I noticed was the engine braking (or complete lack of it!) This felt very weird, and I am used to bikes with little engine braking. I think the difference is that this one is clearly controlled by the ECU. when you let of the brakes it feels like the engine surges ever so slightly and the bike feels like it accelerates. It is unsettling. I decided quickly that I needed to maintain a little brake ALL THE WAY to my acceleration point. I don't coast much, but this set up DEMANDS zero coasting. Brakes to throttle EVERY TIME.
The gearing is tall!!! second gear around Thompson and second gear is AGGRESSIVE. Let the revs drop a little and cracking the throttle is exciting to say the least. If your line is not precise and correct you will be recovering in the grass! It's something like trying to ride a caged lion. The bike just LEAPS forward. Be ready.
It is violently fast. I was having a hard time keeping in touch with the handlebars on the straight. I need would a stepper seat on this thing.
So, to summarize, the bike is a weapon. The potential is truly beyond my comprehension, but tapping that potential will not be done by any beginners or intermediates. This is an experts only proposition.