In life there are winners and losers (like Frodo). The same goes for motorcycles, but I’d stop short of calling any of these bikes losers. In reality, they’re all bloody brilliant, smarter than I am and probably much quicker in a 100-metre sprint, too. Putting this test together has been a real eye-opener, from the stuff we learned on the dyno, to the way each bike showed its hand on the roads. Blasting them around Cadwell was a really good barometer and the riding we did at Bruntingthorpe hammered home their identities and capabilities. There is no lemon among this collection, no bike that shouldn’t be here, and notwo machines that are even remotely the same. But in life it pays dividends to be a little picky. Unless you’re a little weird or sadistic, we typically hope for the best of experiences, whatever the context. The point being that we had more good surprises from this eclectic mix than we did disappointment, and I dare saythat if you owned one of these sexy steeds, you’d be able to dial out, or upgrade, any of their inabilities. But we didn’t have that luxury on this test, so the results are what they are.
You’ve seen what we have had to say, so there’s no point in harping on about the results, but we do have a little twist in mindand we hope you’ll join us for the ride. On UK roads, on our favourite race track and on the best proving ground the country has to offer, we analysed and rated the top eight sportsbikes of 2019. But that’s not where we want to leave it. There’s a big road trip on the cards, and the chance to spank the top three ranked USB qualifiers on slicks, in Europe, on a top tier international race track. It’s a winner-takes-all scenario where every hundredth of a second counts, and any excuses will be left at the door… because we’re not interested. This is Ultimate Sports Bike and that’s what’s happening next. So stay tuned.