It's sad to say, but there's little point in owning 160mph, slick-handling motorcycles on the public roads these days, as the police are instructed to find ever more ingenious ways of taxing anyone who dares exceed 70mph - even on a deserted motorway.
So maybe this Buell XBRR, below, is a glimpse of sportbikes to come; bespoke chassis, tuned engine, no lights or number plate, noisy exhaust and, therefore, dedicated for racetrack use only - no public road riding on this baby,.
Its 150bhp, 1340cc V-Twin motor should make the XBRR capable of about 170mph, with 0-60mph times in the sub four second bracket.
Specific
Buell say they will make just 50 bikes to start with, with owners able to buy specific performance kits enabling the bike to meet particular race series rules.
There's no word on price, but I would guess that the XBRR will cost in the region of £12,000 when launched this spring. That's cheap for a racing machine, but expensive for an occasional track-day tool.
What I would love to see are manufacturers offering existing sportbikes in a stripped down form for club racers and track-day addicts alike - an R6 without lights, indicators, PDI, plates etc with unpainted bodywork and a choice of engine management chips for £5,000, straight from the crate, might be a winner for riders tired of risking their licence every Sunday.
