Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127810
dose of extra punch, and the oUava/va/ina fast forwards toward your appointment with the 12,30o-rpm rev-limiter which, in contrast with Paquay last season, Rolando says Piro uses all the time. "The engine's very reliable," he says, citing Paquay's lOO-percent finishing record in '95 and Pirovano's similar score so far this season. "But it is very maintenance intensive - you have to keep on top of it the whole time, checking each part for tolerance and wear, to get optimum performance as well as reliability. But it's worth it - and the parts have a good life, so long as you're careful to keep checking them carefully and replace them before they're up on mileage. In '95 Paquay won the European title using the same set of crankcases the whole sea'son, and we only changed the rockers once - they're the most important part to keep an eye on. But Michael didn't rev it hard, which is why we got such good mileage from key parts, whereas Fabrizio uses lots of revs - our computer memory shows he uses 12,000 rpm in every gear! the series of his Yamaha su perbikes I tested over the years - but especially the works 955 Ducati he raced for the first time two years ago, which had a similar dose-coupled riding position. Like it, the Corona 748 SP also has the rear ride height jacked right up, combining with the seat to throw as much of your body weight onto the front end as possible, and to steepen the effective head angle of the Ohlins forks. In spite of this, Pirovano opts for the narrower 23.5-degree setting of the two alternative fork angles the 748 spaceframe chassis delivers with the eccentrics in the steering head. The result is a sweet-steering bike tha t is agile and nimble when swapping sides in the trio of Zolder chicanes. Like his Yamaha superbikes that "We change valves every 1,s00 kilometers (930 miles), pistons every 800 kilometers (500), against Ducati's recommended 1,000 kilometers (620), and keep a close eye on the conrod bolts, which seem to be okay this season wjth the new Pankl rods. And that's it there's no tuning work on the Ducati, really, only maintenance, Any customer can honestly make a bike exactly the same as ours and win races with it, without any significant expense beyond the initial purchase cost." However, with usable power from seven-five up to 12 grand, you might think the Corona Ducati was a typically torquey V-twin slugger while the Belgarda Yamaha, for example, is a rorty rev-hound you have to wind the engine up hard to get competitive power. You might think that - but you'd be wrong, because quite unexpectedly, it's actually the other way around. Whereas the Yamaha comes out of turns pulling very hard from 9,500 rpm upward thanks to its meaty midrange, the Ducati demands to be revved to make good power. There's a linear pulf from that 7,sao-rpm power threshold, but it's not until you're in five-figure mode that things really catch fire. There's definitely more power at the very top end, where the engine accelera tes very hard from 10,500 to 12,000 rpm, so you need to use the dose-ratio gearbox's perfect shift action to make lots of short, precise gear changes aimed at keeping the engine working in that five-figure zone. A speed shifter would be a real bonus on this bike, but strangely the rules don't allow what is a low cost bolt-on goodie. But don't be seduced by that docile delivery lower down the rev band into thinking you've got the midrange torque of a 916. You haven't, and that's what makes riding the 748SP such fun. It's a bike you need to work at making go places - but if you do, it does. This may have been the first time I rode a track-ready ottova/volina, but slinging a leg over the 748 SP triggered some contrasting blasts down memory lane. The radical riding position that Piro favors, wedging the rider in place with a special Technosel seat pad that shoves you as far forward as the standard steel fuel tank will permit, recalls (Top) Pirovano's setup Is radically biased toward quick steering. As a result, it shakes Its head a bit on fast straights. (Above) Though YOU'd be inclined to suspect that the 748 is the midrange king of the supersport class, it has a motor that rewards revs and frequent use of the slick gearbox. (Right) Rear ride height Is quite high - just part of the radical setup. The Termlgnoni exhaust is 52mm,up2mm from the stock system. \0 0\ 0\ ,......, o C'l ~ OJ S OJ :> o Z 19