From road to track

There are some bikes that can only be fully appreciated away from the public roads. This is one of them.

- Mikko Nieminen

I remember how impressed I was when I got offthe Tuono 660 after my first ride on it. The 660 might be what some consider a small bike in a world ruled by litre+ machines, but on public roads, where you can only unleash so much power without seeing your licence go, too, I’d had a fantastic ride on it. ‘Who needs anything more?’ I remember thinking.

That conviction lasted about 15 minutes. Right until I had a go on the Tuono V4. Oh my!

Something’s missing…

The full-fat Tuono had all the appeal of the 660: Comfortable riding position, light and accurate steering, good brakes, quality suspension, and the rest... but what set it apart from the little ’un, was that it had almost twice the power. 175 horses. It’s mental. In a really good way.

The V4 engine is an absolute gem. It pulls you as hard as you dare to ask it to, and it sounds magnificient. But with muscles like that, you aren’t going to use very much of its potential on roads. It can break any speed limit before you can say ‘sorry officer’.

As I pottered about on the Tuono V4, admiring the firm but compliant suspension, strong brakes, light steering combined with impressive cornering stability, I couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to ride the bike on track. It felt like the Tuono was wasted on the road – like a thoroughbred racehorse made to pull a heavy cart. I wanted to ride it on a track where I could only blame myself for not reaching the full potential of the bike.

Oh, happy day