Paul Pavletich on his heavily modified OW-01 , sporting his infamous Superman leathers difference the new triple clamps have made to the big rig ’ s ability to hold a tight line . 5mm offset sounds like SFA , but it obviously crosses some geometry line as the effect is instantly obvious , as does a slight increase in capacity , boosting the midrange into the league the original bike could only have wet dreams about . The late Eighties were not like this … For a litre-plus ( can ’ t say how much – they ’ d hunt me down ) classic superbike , the 750 origins make for a compact and agile package with ‘ around 170 ’ tourquey ponies pushing you down the tarmac - I can ’ t help but giggle as I open the tap . Remembering , naturally , that none of the modern electronic safety nets are in place should enthusiasm outstrip talent , it really is a fire-breathing thoroughbred and would upset a bunch of more modern bikes if the electronic playing field were levelled ( as in turn all that stuff off ). But with Post Classic racing , no such aids are permitted , keeping it purely rider control , not traction control . Like going camping with no phone .
EYE SPY ... So , lightweight wheels adorn both ends , fancy springers keep those wheels in contact with
the tarmac , beefed-up brakes of the era avoid running off said tarmac at high speed , the forks are held in pretty billet offset tripleclamps , the tank is a dummy with a race cell lurking beneath , the seat unit is replica , but it all looks right . The OW-01 was exotica personified to start with , so the evolution looks kind of natural . This thing barks . It doesn ’ t take a rocket scientist to deduce that it is not 749cc anymore . It sounds like it wants to tear you asunder and , well , it does have that ability . Surprisingly though , it is not bedecked with impossibly lumpy and unpredictable cams , so it can hurt you at any speed , not just a narrow homicidal rev-range , so that ’ s nice , I suppose . Compression is somewhere around 14:1 , so it does have a violent streak from about 4000rpm until you squeal and button off . So , rolling down pitlane is ok . Without letting too much out of the bag - I ’ ll let Mark fill you in on the specs – it ’ s out on track . I ’ ve ridden this bike a few times during its lifetime and it has gone from very capable to friggin ’ awesome in pretty short order . Weirdly , it has become easier and easier to ride as Mark ’ s magic smoothens the beast ( a bit ). It has the
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