2018 BikeWale Trackday: An introduction

Welcome to the second edition of the BikeWale Trackday.

Now, last year, things didn’t go exactly as planned. We did get all the motorcycles we wanted, but the weather was awful. We had incessant rain, and so, we barely rode. And every time we got a window to head out on track, the surface was so slippery, we were just happy to be back in the pits the right way up.

To counter that, this year we decided to pray and make sacrifices. Two hard-core meat eaters in the team agreed to go vegetarian. And, I decided to be more philanthropic.

And so, we didn’t do the selfish thing – and smart, mind – of calling exotic, tech-laden, blindingly-fast race-replicas like the Suzuki GSX-R 1000RR, the Yamaha R1 or even the new Ducati Panigale V4 for a day of absolute and unadulterated, childish fun. Instead, we called for different kind of race-replicas. You know, just so we seem more grown-up, and of course, capable of offering some consumer-friendly advice, even from a track day outing.

What we have here then, are four fully-faired motorcycles that have had a street naked twin, cousin, or sibling somewhere in the world. The street-naked connection makes these motorcycles more affordable, more manageable, and easier to live with than hard-core superbikes. And all this convenience comes without the motorcycles losing their grin-inducing X factor.

Now, how is that for great consumer advice!

As for the bikes, we have a varied selection and here’s what it looks like...

Suzuki Gixxer SF FI ABS

First up, the Suzuki Gixxer SF. It has the GSXR's fan name. It is also light and peppy. And, in this particular version, it gets fuel injection and ABS. And lest we forget, there’s also a race-version of the motorcycle, which of course, isn’t on sale. Yet.

The SF comes with a 155cc, air-cooled engine mated to a slick-shifting 5-speed gearbox. It pumps out 14.6bhp and weighs just 139kg, making it the slightest bike here. Its street-naked connection is the Gixxer.

2018 Yamaha YZF-R15 V3.0

Next up – in the progression of affordability – is the brand new Yamaha YZF-R15 Version 3.0. For starters, it's quite the looker; not that good looks help on the track, but it was worth bringing it 

The R15 V3 gets a 155cc, liquid-cooled and fuel injected, single cylinder motor that makes a very appealing 19 horsepower. It gets 6 gears, a Deltabox frame, and fatter tyres than any R15 before it. The R15’s naked sibling is the M-Slaz, which isn’t available in India.

TVS Apache RR310

Then we have the new TVS, which marks our entry into some serious speeds. The Apache RR310 might be based on the BMW G310R street naked, but with a new subframe, completely revised seating ergo, and a unique ECU, it is a proper track machine.

Its engine displaces 312cc. It pumps out 33 horses. And the bike weighs 169kg. So, it doesn’t have an outstanding power to weight ratio. But, given the chassis and the Michelin tyres it runs, it should make for a fast and friendly track bike.

Ducati Supersport S

And finally, the big daddy. It's not the biggest daddy you can get when it comes to sportbikes, of course, but in this bunch, it’s our hero bike.

Based on the Monster, the Supersport runs a 937cc V twin engine. Power output is almost 110bhp. And, even though it weighs 210kg, it has traction control, a sharp steering geometry, and in this particular ‘S’ version, fancier Ohlin suspension as well. This should be something sensational on the track!

And in case you are wondering, yes, it did rain. But, only after we had two days of absolute and unadulterated, childish fun. So no, no one turned vegetarian, and I am only still as philanthropic as Mr Trump.