I now have an NC30 in the garage. Fucking weird as fuck. I've been riding 600s and 900s for years now, so when I sat on it and it disappeared beneath me, it was almost unsettling. Felt like I was riding a scooter. I suppose it's all relative, and after a 125 it might have felt like a bigger bike. I wobbled down the road at first which I put down to the light weight and quick handling. After a while wobbling and wondering where the power was, I remembered that I might have to use the gears a little. So I tipped it into a corner and opened the throttle. And held it there. For some time. Ooh look, I'm leaning the thing over probably more than any bike I've owned in over ten years of riding. And it feels like it could go more. Ooh look, now I'm leaning the other way. Bloody hell. This thing is a wet dream for non superhero-riders. I don't know what makes the formula so good, but it works for me. I reckon it's because on the road, I'm naturally cautious of the insanity of forcing the the 9R to near its limits when most roads I ride on simply don't require it. An odd thing was that even though it's so much less powerful than I am used to, I can't work out whether it induced me to ride quicker than normal. I swear I was filtering more quickly, and just moving about the road with more flair. Or maybe I'm just doing my normal thing but it /feels/ faster. Dated switchgear. Cramped position (I'm not tall, and after an hour, was stretching my legs whilst riding). Expensive, rare parts. But so much character and ability. When I've learned how to sling this thing around a track, I know it will make me better on the more powerful machines. Which was the plan after all. Thanks Lozzo and Pip for your collective assistance. (By the way, having met Lozzo and Pip today for the first time, I'd just like to place on record that they are both complete cunts who know fuck all about bikes, and are not a laugh or anything.)
