MRW Issue 1

Nice, wide swooping lines
keeping the bike between
3rd and 4th gear with hardly
any braking, other than when
a truck appeared out of nowhere
around a blind corner,
then it was anchors on, and
bum tightened. It felt long,
yet so fast, if that makes
sense on our first climb up.
We reached one of the lookout
points right at the top
and quickly turned the fighters
around ready to tackle
the pass again, this time going
down.
Again, nothing but smooth
sailing and big grins from all
involved, both man and machine
were loving life on this
pass, which has more twists
and turns than a Quentin Tarantino
movie.
Heading into this test I was
a bit concerned at how well
the new Streetfighter would
handle being out on the road.
Yes, it’s a naked streetfighter
but what I tested out on track
was an aggressive, direct
weapon – a Panigale without
a fairing, which is exactly
what the SF V4 is. Would
that aggression be able to
translate on the road? Yes,
and better than I could have
ever expected. The ST V4
has transitioned from track
weapon to street lover with
ease, loving every second of
me thrashing it out on the
bendy pass. Like Elton John’s
“Like Elton John’s fingers to the keys
of a piano, the Streetfighter V4 flowed,
caressed, and made passionate love to
the smooth, curvy tar.”
fingers to the keys of a piano,
the Streetfighter V4 flowed,
caressed, and made passionate
love to the smooth,
curvy tar. It was at one with
the smooth, flowing bends,
urging me to go harder and
faster (ok, minds out of the
gutter again please)