You know, it’s been real strange round here lately. It feels like I started about three weeks ago, when in reality it’s been nine months. You could be forgiven for thinking my instatement signified the beginning of the end: For me to start Andy Kwok had to leave, following which Jimarillo eased off, at the start of the year and recently we’ve seen the departure of Hammer. Between the three of them stands nearly ten years of Fast Bikes service, although service may not be quite the right term.
I’d always had a bit of a mixed brief here, a bit of editorial one day, selling ads the next. So my ascent up the Fast Bikes food chain didn’t really came as a surprise, though the one gig 1 wasn’t expecting was the most eagerly awaited bike launch in three years. “So, Mouns 1 don’t care if you crash it, I don’t care if you flip it, and 1 don’t care if you blow it up. But I don’t want any bullshit from you and you’ve got to write 3000 words on it by the time you get back. Aprilia are claiming it’s faster at the end of the Misano straight than an Rl. This is the most important bike launch of the., year, so no fuck ups.” Right, well there we are then. So I wasn’t so far up the chain as I’d bargained.
The background to the Aprilia RSV Mille needs little introduction. Back in November ‘97, Aprilia stood with beaming smiles at the NFC show and proudly took deposits for their soon to be launched big twin. They even went to the lengths of showing two examples… with the second being in ’Race (WSB) Specification*. Delivery rimes were quoted as April 9«, and the up and coming Italian Marque was seemingly going from strength to strength. This coincided. rather conveniently with the PR demise of Bimota, who were retiring under any available desk, with egg smeared all over their faces, by the V-Due horror.