and from down low in the rev range too , so it punches well out of corners and there ’ s no need to wring its neck to get it singing . The power is extremely linear , with no nasty surprises and it pulls strongly throughout the rev range . The quickshifter and blipper assisted downshifts are seamless , and the bark as the ECU blips the throttle on the downshift is damn sexy . The RS is light and handles fast changes of direction easily , it would be a lot of fun on a road ride like the Coromandel loop with its endless array of corners . It certainly feels at home on the track and is very stable under hard braking , although the ABS is a little intrusive , but with the parallel-twin engine offering good engine braking , it ’ s easy to adapt . On the road , I doubt you ’ d have any issues with the ABS at all . In my first session , I found lots of ground clearance and quickly discovered the edge of the OEM Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa II ’ s tyres , which are super grippy and well-suited for both road and track day use . The front end is confidence-inspiring and tipping into the blind Turn 1 at Hampton Downs at high speed , I was all smiles . Ordinarily , I would expect the pegs to touch down before I find the edge of the tyres , especially considering the comfortable cockpit , but this bike clearly takes more from the RSV4 than just looks , as nothing scraped . The only gripe I have was that for my first
session the electronics map was a tad intrusive and the traction control wouldn ’ t give me power at high lean angles mid-corner . This was soon resolved by selecting a more aggressive map and then there was fun to be had . The RS carries excellent corner speed and it is hard to unsettle it under braking or acceleration , even with stock suspension . I deliberately hunted out a few SV650 Pro Twin
Suspension being set-up for
Jock ’ s weight
Race control keeps an eye on everything on track
KIWI RIDER 41