BROUGH SUPERIOR SS100
FIRST RIDE
P132
up road rash. In spite of the
rangy 60.6-inch wheelbase, the
new Brough changes direction
pretty well, without any undue
effort needed to pry it away from
its sure-footed line in a turn. It
doesn't understeer either on
partial or full throttle, nor does
it sit upright and head for the
hedges if you miscalculate your
turn speed and have to take a
handful of brake once committed
to a turn. It's a confidence-inspir-
ing ride thanks to the relatively
conventional steering geometry,
with a 23.4° rake for the wish-
bone fork that uses 94mm trail
via a 38mm fork offset. Though
not a particularly heavy bike at
410 pounds dry in pre-produc-
tion form with an even 50/50
percent split, it sits down well on
the road, and the pair of Öhlins
shocks do a good job of ironing
out the bumps on twisty French
back roads. Everything seems
well-controlled, and ride quality
is quite good for a sportbike,
thanks in part no doubt to the
Fior front suspension which Thi-
erry Henriette has been working
with for longer than anyone still
alive ¾ and that includes anyone
at BMW ¾ after Claude Fior's
sad early passing in a plane
crash in 2001.
There are several effective
benefits of the wishbone fork
design, including the separa-
tion of steering and suspen-
sion functions, so that the front
suspension doesn›t freeze when
you trailbrake into a turn, on
the angle. There's also superior
suspension compliance, thanks
to a fully-adjustable shock elimi-
nating the stiction problems of
telescopic forks. Plus, the front
end is inherently anti-dive, thus
reducing weight transfer and
maintaining constant steering
geometry, since the rigid up-
right will only permit the wheel
to travel up and down in a true
vertical plane, even under the
heaviest braking possible. You
also have the excellent steering
lock I've already noted, plus zero
fork deflection under braking, so
there's no risk of the front wheel
touching the engine. And there's
reduced unsprung weight, lead-
ing to enhanced suspension
Have you ever seen a gas tank
as wildly beautiful as this?
