The Fine Art Of Canyon Carving - /RideApart

[MUSIC PLAYING] WES SILER: This is the Yamaha R6. This is the brand new Aprilia Tuono V4R. That's the guy named Jamie who used to race at the Isle of Man. We're at Idlewild tonight. Welcome to Rideapart. [MUSIC PLAYING] WES SILER: So this has been around unchanged since 2005. It's a Yamaha R6. Is it good? JAMIE ROBINSON: It's amazingly good. It does everything you want it to do-- stops, corners, accelerates, makes big bikes look slow. WES SILER: It does do that. JAMIE ROBINSON: It does. Honestly, the feedback that the bike gives you all of the time is just so confidence inspiring. It's just a joy to ride. It might look smaller than yours, but it packs quite a punch, man. WES SILER: It's still a really, really, really fast motorcycle. You're faster on this little 600 with 125 horsepower than I am on this liter bike with 162 horsepower. JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah. [OVERLAPPING VOICES] JAMIE ROBINSON: It corners like it's on rails. WES SILER: Yeah, it looks like it. You look great, I mean. JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah. Well, you know, it's been said before. WES SILER: I'm riding the new Aprilia Tuono V4R. It's physically the same size as this motorcycle, but this is a 1,000-cc V4. So that's 600-cc inline four. That has 120 horsepower. This has 162. And they both set out to do the same thing. You know, they're both fast motorcycles for riding enthusiastically, which is what we're doing today. Having said that, you know, I've got more power. I've got traction control, wheelie control, launch control, quick shifts. I think it might be me, but I'm a little slower than you are. JAMIE ROBINSON: Wheelie control? [INTERPOSING VOICES] WES SILER: Well, I need it. JAMIE ROBINSON: It's called your right wrist isn't it? WES SILER: I used my traction control though. You saw that. JAMIE ROBINSON: I tell you what, I didn't know you could get traction control on this little tire, but-- [MUSIC PLAYING] JAMIE ROBINSON: The R6, it's just doing, their Supersport 600, they're all the same pretty much. They all have excellent brakes, excellent suspension. And, you know, they're just so nimble that you're able to just do what you want to do with them. And it's very hard then to expect, you know, to look at another motorcycle and expect it's going to be better. It's a great package. It's almost perfect. [MUSIC PLAYING] WES SILER: The Tuono is more, right. It's a bigger engine. It's more power. It's more torque. It's more electronics. It's flashier. It's more money. JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah. WES SILER: And what I get out of that, obviously it's not related to the performance. You can't really go faster on the street than you can go on the Supersport 600. What I get is I get a different experience. I get a more visceral, challenging experience than a regular 600. JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah. WES SILER: Because that Tuono is a monster. JAMIE ROBINSON: I could see it, you know. And also you're working quite *** it. And I'm behind you just, you know, twiddling my thumbs. The 600 is so light and nimble. I'm not thinking about the corners. And I can see you making effort to get into there. WES SILER: Throwing my body weight. [INTERPOSING VOICES] JAMIE ROBINSON: But, man, when you touch that throttle that just takes off. There's a lot of power. [MUSIC PLAYING] WES SILER: Well, what I really like about motorcycles, I like going fast. And we are on two of the fastest motorcycles ever made. It is an exciting fun day for us. It's a weird situation because while they are the most fun I think you can have on a bike, they're also what gets us in trouble. You know, that's what people don't like about sport bikes. They're loud. Sport bikes go fast. Sports bikes are scary. People kill themselves with sports bikes. And so it's a weird situation, you know, that we're in. Where it's enjoyable and it's fun. We can be responsible while still being a little extra-legal. But a lot of people don't act responsibly on sports bikes, which is a shame. JAMIE ROBINSON: That's the thing is we don't want to be annoying anybody. Because it just makes motorcycles look bad. And, you know, that's not what it's all about. WES SILER: And then people don't want to ride them because they hate us. JAMIE ROBINSON: Exactly. But at the same time, you know, it's very easy just to make our way by vehicles when we're out here. WES SILER: We can pass quickly and safely. JAMIE ROBINSON: Yeah. Absolutely. WES SILER: Plenty of vision. You can move around-- JAMIE ROBINSON: That's the key. Vision. Is key. WES SILER: Yeah. JAMIE ROBINSON: You know, being able to see around another couple of corners allows you to be able to do that safely. [MOTORCYCLE ENGINES SOUNDING] WES SILER: I was told you were a racer. JAMIE ROBINSON: I'm not allowed to? WES SILER: Yes. You're actually a builder. JAMIE ROBINSON: My dad's a builder. WES SILER: I know you're not a mover. [LAUGHTER] JAMIE ROBINSON: You know that truth. Where was I while you [BLEEP] for me? WES SILER: Swanning about Europe. JAMIE ROBINSON: I was. WES SILER: So we're running some pretty fast bikes today. JAMIE ROBINSON: We are. WES SILER: What happens if we crash them? JAMIE ROBINSON: Well, we're lucky. We're protected. And that's essential. If you're going to ride a motorcycle, you've got to be covered head to toe. WES SILER: How fast have you come off in one of these suits? JAMIE ROBINSON: My top speed crash was Magellan, 160 into the front straight. WES SILER: And what happened to you? JAMIE ROBINSON: I didn't break any bones. I wasn't so well for a little while there. But-- [INTERPOSING VOICES] JAMIE ROBINSON: I just bounced. Yeah, a major bit of concussion, bashed around. But, you know, managed to walk away from that one. And to think about it, you know, you think about crashing a motorcycle. And you don't even have to take a look a your leather suit afterwards to just realize how luck you were that you were wearing something protective. And it's absolutely essential. I think you've got to be protected. And it really just starts with every little detail. Hands, the first thing you put down in a crash is your hands. So you must be wearing gloves and the one piece leather suits. It's the best you can get. But when I see people in shorts and t-shirts-- WES SILER: Oh, it kills me. It kills me. JAMIE ROBINSON: I just cringe. And these people have obviously never, ever crashed a motorcycle. WES SILER: Let's go get some lunch. JAMIE ROBINSON: I'd like that. Last one there buys lunch. WES SILER: Deal. JAMIE ROBINSON: Oh, [BLEEP]. [BLEEP] you. WES SILER: Ow! Ow! [LAUGHTER] [MUSIC PLAYING] JAMIE ROBINSON: And that's what motorcycles is all about really. It's got to put a smile on your face. And, you know, I know that obviously the Aprilia is doing that for you. And the R6 is just doing that for me. As soon as I see you know, a tight little corner, the thing's just railing around it. And that put the biggest grin on my face. GRANT RAY: Would you actually be interested in switching? Or is it that you're so kind of like, head over heels that you want to stick with what you've got? WES SILER: I don't know about Jaime, but I'm not switching. I love that Aprilia. I just love it. It's evocative. It's fast. It sounds great. It's fun. And I'll be pretty comfortable on the highway. JAMIE ROBINSON: I love Aprilias. I love Italy. But I'm sticking with my R6. That thing is amazing around corners. And there's like 200 corners out of here. So I'm going to go play. I'm keeping the R6. WES SILER: I'm going to show you [INAUDIBLE]. JAMIE ROBINSON: See ya. [MUSIC PLAYING] JAMIE ROBINSON: Can we do that again? That was the [BLEEP] [BLEEP] girly, balls out [BLEEP] wheelie I've ever done. Yes. WES SILER: You're being a weenie, Jamie. JAMIE ROBINSON: Look, I know. But, you know, the English like to drive on the left. It confuses me all the time. WES SILER: Just one corner, just got a little confused. You're like, you know, aah. JAMIE ROBINSON: The good news is we're not on one of them. WES SILER: They can't be having any fun.