First ride: Vyrus Moto2 bike

Vyrus are testing their new Moto2 bike at Misano, so Senior Road Tester Michael Neeves has joined the Italian firm to ride the innovative bike on track. Here are his first impressions:

‘This is one of the most unconventional Moto 2 machines made so far. It has a carbon fibre monocoque chassis, hub centre steering and a Formula One style rear suspension linkage. Like all Moto 2 machines it’s powered by an ordinary Honda CBR600R engine.

‘I’ll be riding this bike for three hours today and will also be assisting Vyrus by shaking down some new parts. I’ll report back later with my impressions.’

UPDATE

‘I’ve just completed two sessions on track at Misano on the Vyrus and am very impressed. The bike feels very different to how I imagined, unlike the FTR Moto 2 bike I rode recently at Brands Hatch, which was very stiff and gave little feeling unless pushed hard, the Vyrus feels plush and planted straight away. This is because its Formula 1 style linkage and the hub centred steering design allow for a very light swingarm and springs.

The bikes biggest soft point is its stability on the brakes and its ability to still turn fast and hard with the brakes full on.

Being used to racing a 1000cc bike I was initially too lazy with the gears and bogging the CBR600 engine out of corners but you soon learn to scream the engine to the death for the fastest way around the track.

It is a real pleasure to ride and we still have some more sessions on the bike, my full report will be in an upcoming issue of MCN.’