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These motorcycles are fast alright, and terrifyingly loud (Sorry Pablo – his ears are still ringing) but we aren’t going to boast that BSM is the first magazine to put four race replicas back to back. We actually did, in a way of sorts, and I’m convinced that these motorcycles are definitely more fun. No, I haven’t gone bonkers and no, those aren’t litre class replicas. These motorcycles are the coolest pieces of machinery your not-so-big piggy bank can buy and they’re about as big as, umm, my first tricycle – I kid you not.
These four little monsters are part of Vivek Jaising’s collection – if you recall, he also owns a GSX-R1000 (BSM April ‘06). We’ve been on his case about these minis for a while now and he finally gave in, for a price – that he be allowed to borrow Rossi’s autobiography from Shumi’s library. Agreed.
With the deal closed, I set out to pick up the motorcycles the night before. A Scorpio with the second row folded swallowed all four. Cones, a jerry can of premix and riding kit thrown in, the GP caravan was good to go. We drove to the outskirts of the city, to our favourite motorcycle road nicknamed the BSM Isle of Man, to unleash the little strokers in a morning of madness and mayhem. The stage was set: team BSM – Nandu and myself – taking on the privateer Vivek Jaising.
Vivek was riding an Aoli, an Italian branded Mini moto in red and black – a mean looking machine with an exotic trellis frame and race prepped bits. It even has its own race stand. Nandu hopped on the Kenny Roberts Jr Telefonica Suzuki GSV-R of 2004. And me? I naturally hogged the Repsol Honda complete with the 46 decal. As for the Kawasaki, let’s just say we let wild-card Alex Hoffman’s replica stay a wild card.
The Aoli is a 39.8cc, air-cooled stroker that puts out 4.5 bhp at a mind-spinning 14,000 rpm. Electronic ignition, dual discs up front, six and a half inch 90/60 tubeless racing slicks and with a specific output of 488 bhp/ton, this mini moto is top notch. Team BSM’s motorcycles bore similar specs, but weren’t run in. Brand new straight from the crate is what Vivek said. Don’t rev them to the limit. A plot to make sure we stayed behind him, I’m sure. They do worse things in racing, you know.
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