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/358265
BROUGH SUPERIOR TAYLORMADE MOTO2 RACER RACER TEST P64 ometry, the Brough was pretty stable braking from hard on in fourth gear down to second for the tight, flat last turn when the four-pot Brembo Monobloc ra- dial calipers then fitted (replaced since my test by six-piston ISR stoppers) did a great job in haul- ing such a light bike down from speed. However, presumably because of the stiff chassis and softly sprung front suspension, braking downhill into turn for saw the rear wheel repeatedly lift and start street-sweeping around. Stability is definitely an issue in places like this, especially with the short wheelbase. Apart from that, the only other worry was keeping the front wheel more or less in contact with the tarmac while accelerating out of slow bends like the final turn 11. This bike is a wheelie hound. An extreme test of the Taylor- made Brough's controllability came in my final session, when just as I crested the hill and hit the apex of Infineon's iconic turn two I had a massive highside which I just managed to save, thanks to the bike's quick responsive steer- ing. And a good dose of luck. Turned out the oil pressure send- er unit had sprayed oil on the rear tire – so game over for the day without discovering just how crash resistant the carbon fiber monocoque actually is. I'll leave that to someone else to find out. But my day of riding the Tay- lormade Brough convinced me that Taylor and Keogh are on to something here. It's going to take more time, more testing and surely more money to exploit the design's potential to the max, but the light, deft steering of the bike and its appetite for stopping harder and later than other com- parable motorcycles can or will, are assets that deserve to be brought to a wider public. However, Taylor and Keogh have more long-range visions for this project beyond racing. "I think the future for transpor- tation is to develop more efficient vehicles," says Taylor. "What we're working on is making fabri- cation using carbon composites more cost effective through differ- ent techniques and materials, and applying the knowledge we've learned from racing to transporta- tion projects, where light weight will provide better efficiency." As in racing can indeed im- prove the breed… CN (Clockwise from left) The bike uses a 41mm Showa fork that is fitted with gas cartridges and an A-arm link. The cockpit features a big 2D dash with copious data and serial maps. The Brough is narrow and has its radiator at the rear. The monocoque chassis holds the fuel and the bike is cooled via a massive central airduct. The rear suspension features a carbon-fiber swingarm with a fully adjustable Penske shock and linear ratio link.