Test fleet: Kawasaki H2 SX SE Tourer

‘Ere, mister, is that bike fast?’ is a question that, at some point, we've all been asked, and there’s only one real way to answer that question

What is the best way to find out just how fast a bike is capable of going? One option is to hire your own race track, but bear in mind that there are no track days in the UK that have enough space to reach top speed on a modern 200bhp machine, nor that have the timing gear to verify the speed.

So, the answer is to take a trip to one of the Straightliners Top Speed events at Elvington, just outside of York (www.straightliners.events). The club has been running top speed events here for many years, with the main man, Trevor Duckworth, being greatly experienced not only in running the events but also in competing, having held many records in his time.

Elvington has a main runway in excess of two miles long, enabling timing gear to record times, and speeds, over varying distances in this case half-a-quarter mile, one mile, and a mile-andTo run at the events, you need to have a full set of leathers, appropriate boots, an ACU Gold badged helmet, and to wear a back and chest protector. Your bike will need to be scrutineered, and to pass it should have metal tyre valve stems, and have the sump plug and oil filter lockwired.

Head down, go fast

After signing on, scrutineering and sticking my race number to the fairing, it was simply a case of slipping my chest protector into place, queueing up and waiting for the nod. Bikes head out in groups of 10 at a time, trundling down the runway to the start at the western end, before being started one at a time over the course.