Sportsbikes… they’re bloody awesome. They always have been, and for us, they always will be. While we can appreciate all kinds of bikes on this mag, there’s a special allure to machines that are built first and foremost to go really fast, to handle like nothing else, and stirever been up close to a MotoGP machine, you’ll know exactly what I’m on about –every inch is heaven-sent, purposeful, and often built of materials so precious that they can make the Crown Jewels look duller than dishwater. Impressive doesn’t cut it, and the great thing is that in the same vein as your parents handing down your sibling’s finest knitwear, all the tech, spec and mind-blowing performance has a habit of trickling its way onto the street bikes you and I can scoop up down the local dealership. Of course, some models are more loved than others, meaning they get the very best of the bits… the carbon fibre, aero and precious metals that allow engines to reach unholy amounts of revs. There’s nothing new about this format, and in days of old, these kind of models would have likely been stamped with the ‘homologation special’ mantle, hammering home to the world that behind their fancy paint jobs and hiked up prices, you’d find something rather relishable. The kind of bikes that were produced in limited runs, with the sole intention of giving manufacturers that edge on track against the best of the competition. Of course, then there’s the kudos attached to building something truly unique, which never seems to do any harm in motorcycle showrooms. Over the years, and even more so recently, we have become accustomed to the announcements of super-trick sportsbikes that seem to sell out online in minutes, months before anyone gets to see the machine in the flesh.
