Rapid Bikes

This boosted Italian is no cafe poser. It's a mean monster ready to do battle on the streets...

Words & photography: Tony 'Pommie' Wilding.

Con Psarros wanted to know what it felt like to ride a 500 GP bike, so he built his own road going version. We took it for a spin.

Test by Jeff, Photography by Heather.

There is no denying it. The MV Agusta Brutale 750 is a wild machine. A wickedly steep steering angle, extreme upright riding position, super short wheelbase and an ultra peaky hi-revving four-cylinder engine see to that.

“Everyone’s into ‘Busa’s but I’d read in a comparison that the twelve was the go, and I wanted something that handled as well as it went. I also wanted something different. Before I knew it I was riding away from City Kawasaki on a newie.”

A thick black line appears in front of us as we follow Jamie to our photo shoot location. He’s playing with the throttle at 100km/h, the fat Mickey Thompson drag hoop on the back smoking itself silly. He backs-off then gives it another handful. Psshhh, Whirr, Psshhh.

“I won’t tell you what it cost me but it wasn’t cheap. Anyway, what price can you put on a piece of history like this? It is a very rare and beautiful machine.
Don’t fall off it!”

Rupert Findlay is a perfectionist. The kind of custom builder that just can’t sleep if there’s even the most microscopic imperfection in a section of his paint. Even if that section is out of sight, Rupert, or Rupes, will just toss and turn all night long like an insomniac. It’s a mental disorder that I like to call ‘Fussy Bastard Syndrome’ or FBS.

“It had to have the sound of a Harley, handle like a Jap bike and possess turbo power.”

Snake takes another sip of his coffee.

“It also had to have a nice yellow base with somewhere to put Tweety Bird. I love Tweety Bird.”

“I bought the bike for $11,000 about three years ago,” Says Wolf, pointing at the now immaculate machine. “It was nothing like it is now, though, I can tell you. I just don’t understand how someone could treat any bike like that, particularly a late model sportsbike.”

If you can learn a lot about a man by wandering around his shed, you can learn a lifetime by wandering around Sean O’Sullivan’s SOS Suspension shop.

I don’t know how it happened,” admits Shane, “I started with just cams, an exhaust… Then I got the head done. Before I knew it I was out of control. Hooked on power and torque. I had to have a turbo, no questions asked.”

“I loved the look of the Yamaha V-twin engine and I could see the potential to build what I wanted around it,” says Lazareth, “The cases and construction of the engine are very strong and, as I didn’t want a frame, I chose the big V-twin as my base from which to work from.”

We first saw the Yamaha V-Max back in 1991 when it took the world by storm with its stonking V-four engine and blistering 0 – 100km/h time of 3.2 seconds. But damn was it ugly. And unfortunately the V-Max’s handling matched its looks. Bad, very bad.