BIKETEST: SUZUKI GSX 1300R HAYABUSAI COULD BE wrong, but I think I've finally done a wheelie, writes Tom Robert.
It may have only been an inch or two, but it means I can finally take the stabilisers of my biking psyche, stop being a woose and hold my head high among other men in black leather.
Now all I have to do is get my knee down on corners, which at least will save me spending endless weekends scrubbing my biking trousers with a Brillo pad to make it look as if I have.
In truth, it wasn't so much my riding ability, but the phenomenally smooth acceleration of the Hayabusa that was responsible. This is a bike so powerful that it felt that, given another week or two, I could have got it doing wheelies with both wheels at the same time.
When the Hayabusa came out eight years ago, it created a sensation, not just for being the fastest production bike on the planet, but also for sinuous organic styling which set it apart from the rivals it had displaced; the 170mph Kawasaki ZZ-R1100 and the Honda Blackbird.
In the UK and Ireland, people weren't sure if they loved it or hated it. In the US they raved about it so much that it became a cult, and the subject of weird and wonderful mods like turbochargers and stretched wheelbases.
Very cleverly, though, Suzuki have kept the tweaks for the latest incarnation under the skin: revising the chassis and suspension, stiffening the swing arm, increasing the engine capacity to 1340cc, boosting the power significantly to 194bhp and cranking the torque up to a whopping 14lb ft.
More of that torque later, but what Suzuki have kept much the same are those love-them or hate-them looks.
Personally, I loved them. This bike is a hymn to the curve, a sweeping symphony of Gothic swoops and curves. If Batman is ever looking for a replacement Batbike, he need look no further.
Even the pillion cover and tail-light cluster at the back is a thing of beauty, a postmodern homage to the cafe racers of the 1950s.
Right, I'm going to stop now before I turn into Stephen Bayley, and ride the thing.
The first thing you notice, apart from a riding position which is unusually comfortable for a superbike, is that although the Hayabusa is ferociously quick, it's not a bike that will kill you unless you want it to.
For a start, that huge well of torque means that should you want to, you can tootle around town in sixth gear at 2,000rpm without the engine missing a beat.
On the motorway out of Belfast, twist the grip and a huge hand grabs you and propels you smoothly and effortlessly towards the horizon, with assorted alleged supercars dwindling into dots in your rear view mirrors.
The thing is, none of this is achieved with any fuss or bother. The creamy smooth clutch and gearbox, linked to a seamless power delivery from the 194bhp between your knees, means that the Hayabusa is like a Fireblade on steroids, producing the best overtaking ability I've ever seen on a bike.
In handling, it's the same story: braking winds off the speed as the engine has put it on, and cornering is every bit as accurate and balanced as you'd expect from the company which produced the astonishingly stable GSXR-600.
With its longer wheelbase, the Hayabusa is even more planted than its little brother, which is saying something. At one stage, I ran over the raised edge of a road marking on a fast bend, and the rear wheel simply sorted itself out without any help from me.
Since it's a fairly heavy bike, you do need to be careful in linked bends that you don't find yourself heading straight on, but again, it's very forgiving, as I found when I ended up going around a bend slightly quicker than I felt comfortable with and made the unforgivable error of touching the front brake.
A ZX-10 would have thrown me over the hedge, but the Hayabusa simply sat up slightly, smacked me gently around the chops and told me to stop messing about and countersteer more. Result.
In short, I loved it. It looks beautiful, and you can ride it to work during the week, then at the weekends go out and have more fun than seems possible, all for under £15,000. It doesn't get much better.
Factfile
Engine:1340cc, liquid-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke with 16 valves; 194bhp at 9,500rpm, 114lb ft of torque at 7,200rpm.
Transmission:six-speed gearbox, chain final drive.
Top speed:185mph
Price:€14,950(£8,999) from Priory Motorcycles, Dublin. Tel: 01-836 4567.
Test bike supplied by GS Motorcycles; 028-9268 9777