I checked the fuel tank and saw petrol sploshing about, but I wasn't sure how much fuel there was left. Yes, unlike my Ninja 650R that had a low fuel reserve indicator that would lit up when you get to a certain volume, you really had to use guesswork on this Aprilia Tuono. But then again, for a bike from the mid-2000, it has a number of performance parts and features that even the superbikes of today do not have built-in, so I guess it was a fair trade-off.
I decided to throw caution to the wind and rode on.
I haven't had a real long highway ride for some weeks now, and it felt good to twist the throttle and just gunned forward. I was a bit surprised though that my speed was limited to 70 kmph even though I was diligently playing through the gears. Even when I was redlining the bike on some stretches, the display was still 70 kmph. I had an inkling that something wasn't quite right. The bike felt really fast, and I already had that smile when the buzzy lil' engine was giving an exhilarating performance. But the digital speedometer was still reading 70 kmph.
And then, I realized with a "Duh!" Homer moment that I was looking at the temperature digital display. The speedometer was analogue, and I had somehow gotten mixed up thinking that the speed reading was digital like that of the Ninja 650R. Too long haven't ride the Tuono, I tried to rationalise.
A quick glance over to the speedometer showed that I was doing about 120-130 kmph. In a car, that won't feel too fast. On my Ninja 650R, that would feel somewhat fast. On my Tuono, that felt really fast- as it was a lighter machine ala GP works, and there was no fairing to block the blast of air being hurled against your body.
But naked streetfighters (bikes) were all the rage these days, so many riders were putting up with the wind factor for the cool factor.
I stopped by Shell and pumped in about RM30 worth of RON 97. Evidently, there was still fuel in the tank for a longer ride.
I gunned the Rotax engine again and went on my way. A short while later in between the traffic, I heard the straining notes of a moped (I think it was the Yamaha 135LV looking at the lights) with the noisy Nobi exhausts behind me. He managed to catch up and shouted something like "Motor cantik!".
I can't really hear as the windblast at 80 kmph was still quite loud and I had my fullface helmet on, so I just smiled at him (not that I think he could see my smile behind the helmet). Anyhow, he smiled back and flashed me the thumbs-up sign. I waved him an appreciative sign and rode away at full throttle.
You meet all types of people riding a bike. Most of the times, earnest people. And just a simple exchange like that puts a bigger smile on my face.
It's going to be a good day. And oh, I made it to office on time; so yeah, it's a good day alright!
Mmmg best giler naik moto besar, bro. Aku skrg naik kapcai, ada rezeki nanti nak dapatkan Aprillia macam bro. Pelan 5 tahun, haha.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a RS125 as my learner's bike before moving on to the current Shiver. And you'd be surprised that I still run the RS125 as nothing gives you the speed pleasure like a 2-stroke racer.
ReplyDeleteFor Aprilia get-togethers, I take the Shiver but when I ride alone, I prefer the RS125 rocket. These engines can do 100 mph easily on the track.
You are lucky to have sunny weather all year round in Malaysia. Over here, the bikes see action mostly on summers only.