MOTOINNO TS3
TEST RIDE
P108
of trail, though the effective head
angle can be adjusted between
15º and 24º. According to Ray
Van Steenwyk, empirical track
testing has indicated that when
the steering rake is increased to
its maximum of 24º the steering
becomes lighter and quicker,
while conversely when set to
its minimum of 15º rake with
decreased trail, the steering be-
comes heavier and slower, quite
the opposite of a tele fork setup.
What struck me at once
the first time I rode the TS3
in Queensland was how slim
and nimble it was. I had a
900SS Ducati in my garage for
six years, so I know how that
handles, and the TS3 is way
more agile in changing direction.
It's flickable and highly maneu-
verable without feeling nervous,
with a wide 54º steering lock
compared to around 38º on a
tele forked bike that results in
an ultra-tight turning circle little
more than twice the length of the
bike. This would be a great bike
to use in city streets, and ideal
for courier use! And compared
to the Bimota Tesi I raced for
the Italian factory for three years
(whose steering lock was ad-
versely affected by the horizontal
swingarms either side of the
front wheel), there's no fear of
running out of ground clearance
on the TS3 by grounding either
side of the articulated front
swingarm, thanks to the shape
and location of the good-looking
vestigial piece of metallurgy on
either side of the wheel. This
encourages you to max out turn
speed via heaps of faith in the
front Pirelli Diablo Rosso, though
only after I'd corrected the tire
pressures from the bone hard
34/38 psi the team had started
out with, to the grippy 32/30
psi we ended up with. This gave
much more feel as well as im-
proved grip and compliance.
However, that wasn't apparent
first time of asking at my initial
test of the bike in Queensland,
Currently, the TS3 is powered by a stock
2002 Ducati 900SS motor.
