ENGINE The 450cc parallel twin engine, on the other hand, is a gem. It sounds great. Properly, surprisingly,‘ check with Ed Ben“ are we sure this is stock?”’ great. That’ s because although it looks like a typical parallel twin, it houses a 270 ° crank giving that V-twin-alike sound. And it is pretty loud from factory, so if you are the sort of person who wants to leave the house at 6am without attracting the ire of your beloved neighbours, perhaps take note. At low revs especially, it has this deep, satisfying thump and growl that makes slow riding feel far more theatrical than it has any right to. Delivery of the reported 30kW( 40hp) of power and 24Nm of torque is lovely too: smooth, usable, and well distributed across the rev range. There’ s enough to pass a slower car, or to hoon along a country road with a frankly childish amount of glee. It could happily cruise in the 130km / h + range. It uses a Gates Belt Drive rather than a chain, where the main practical benefit is less day-
KIWI RIDER 65