damping and the Showa monoshock at rear have remote hydraulic preload . Stopping-wise Brembo does the honours , with twin 320s upfront , and four-pot Stylema calipers providing superb linear response . The seat is stylish and , again , beautifully made , shaped to fit exactly with the bike ’ s styling - with a rear buffer cradling your derriere and giving firm support . Perhaps too firm for my liking , I find that moving around a bit feels better , especially as I have a back that gives me severe trouble from time to time , and I found this just a bit too ‘ locked in ’ on any longer run . For a bike that appears to be quite long , I think the excised rear , without guard or indicators and plates of old , looks clean and the rear hanger is about as unobtrusive as I ’ ve seen for a bolt on single sided number . Performance-wise on the road , it has delicious torque delivering a showstopping 221Nm at 4000 , but it is linear and usable . That extraordinary feeling that long legged beasties like this impart , accurately portrays the name the bike bears . It indeed feels like a rocket , but a well mannered , and gloriously pretty one . With superb LED lighting front and rear , visibility is excellent . Twin headlights offer a tarantula type look at the front , and I liked that . I found the suspension perhaps a little firm on the rough B roads that recently gave rise to pothole fears , after a very wet winter this year , and I became fatigued after a couple of hours in the saddle . I think there are easier bikes to tour with , although none prettier , and certainly nothing on the road gets close to the sheer smooth joy of cranking that supersized engine . One can feel a little like an apex predator aboard it , and that gives rise to a bit of grinning inside the helmet . It ’ s a cruiser though , and personally that ’ s where I ’ d most enjoy it . I do have to go back to the finish of the Rockets , it ’ s exceptional , and of the highest quality , I never found a cheap bit anywhere where they ’ d try to cut corners , save money or even weight . It ’ s a truly well-built and fabulously finished offering , one you ’ d be proud to own . PETER ELLIOT
KIWI RIDER 53