The four European bikes, all having very different dimensions and very different engine configurations, were all… well, very different. With its run-of-the-mill 1,000cc inline four, the BMW S1000R’s 114Nm torque figure was understandably the most modest of the bunch, but it made for an easy, calm and collected bike to ride slowly while still being able to pack a punch when made to really sing. At £12,965 it’s the most reasonably priced steed from this side of the world – for the money, I can’t imagine anyone would be disappointed if they bought one, but as Bruce found out, if you want to take one on track, you’ll need to be prepared to put your big boy pants on and hold on tight – he found it a bit too much of a handful to post a particularly sensible lap-time.
On the subject of lap-times, the Triumph Speed Triple RS, the least powerful and slowest in Frodo’s flat out speed run, impressed us all with its pole-setting lap-time. Its sublime handling made up for its lack of ponies round the test track so much so that Bruce was able to push it harder than anything else in the search for the best lap-time… which he found on the Trumpet. And it mightn’t have been the mentalist most exciting bike on the street, but its road manners certainly made it a splendid bike to ride on the road.
If ASBOs rather than manners are your thing then KTM’s big 1290 Super Duke R might be right up your street. Despite a bunch of extra ccs and a load more power, the 1290 wasn’t as at home on the track as the Triumph; its long suspension travel and its slightly lumpy engine took some getting used to, but it didn’t embarrass itself. On the road the KTM was the perfect hooligan. Its temperamental quickshifter might have put paid to mile long wheelies, but you could still do plenty on it that you ought not to, and we all had a scream aboard the big KTM .