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/912289
VYRUS 986 M2 STRADA FULL TEST P56 wheelbase the Honda-engined Vyrus has a surprisingly spa- cious riding position that's re- ally welcoming for people of any stature—it turns out Ascanio gets both taller and shorter riders to sample any of his designs, and each must be comfy on the bike before he signs it off. Moreover, the seat is deliberately narrowed where it meets the fuel tank-cum- airbox shroud, and despite its tall 32.8-inch height, this allowed the at all at home in slow corners—or bumpy ones. By contrast, the steering of the Vyrus seems light but deft, without being overly sensitive, just controllable, and indeed the whole bike seems less remote, more direct-steering and predict- able than "my" Tesi did 25 years ago. You feel much more involved with it, and yet there's no sense of instability in spite of the light steering. ing from suspension functions is the biggest asset of hub-center front ends—only that you must first convince yourself that you can, indeed must, trail-brake deep into turns, then do it! The twin Brembo 320mm front discs and their Monoblock calipers gave phenomenal bite in slowing what is a pretty light bike down very hard from very late, and single-digit operation of the lever tucked right down below (Left) That swingarm is massively beautiful. (Right) The attention to detail with parts like the rearsets is stunning. 5'10" me to place both feet flat on the ground at traffic lights. Everything about the Vyrus seems refined, delicate even, in its design and function, although to begin with I struggled to remap my mind processes to adjust to doing things differently aboard such a bike, as you must. Low-speed maneuverability in the several tight turns along the Strada Panoramica looking out over the Adriatic Sea was good, with none of the ungainliness of most other such hub-center bikes that I've tried, including the Tesi which I vividly remember was not After a few miles of gradually picking up speed, my mental computer was rebooted, and I recalled the mindset you must adopt to get the best out of any hub-center motorcycle, which is, hold the bars lightly, be delicate with steering inputs, and don't be afraid to stay off the brakes until what seems fatally late. Then, when you do finally decide to stop, don't be reticent in grab- bing a big handful of front brake. Then just keep squeezing the lever hard as you tip into the apex of a turn, while still scrubbing off speed. The separation of steer- the handlebar on this racetrack refugee became a matter of norm. But I needed two digits—the forefinger of each hand, in fact— to reach down into the carbon recesses to turn the ignition key on or off that's hidden beneath the carbon lid behind the steering head. Braking hard brought more Bimota memories, of the way the Tesi would stay flat and balanced whenever I braked deep into a turn. Once you come to terms with the fact there's essentially no front-end dive, you realize that the suspension keeps on work-