Sydney’s Superbike Club - membership has its advantages.
Can’t afford a Desmosedici RR? Me neither. I’d bloody love to ride one though, 200 Italian stallions from a GP replica V4 engine… The 990cc, of course, from that time long ago when men were men and MotoGP bikes were actually scary. I can dream, though, of wedging myself into that midget seat, the firm but supple Ohlins suspension, the scrotum-tightening experience of wrenching that terrifying throttle all the way around in fourth, then third, but never first.
Excuse me, just having a moment. Anyway, the point is that there’s a lot of bikes we’d all love to ride, but would never own, either because they’re too niche, or too expensive, too highly strung, too impractical, or too Italian. Which makes Sydney’s Superbike Club such a fascinating idea. A signup fee of AU$1,750, and then AU$7,000 per year thereafter, gives you access to book the Desmosedici RR, as well as a host of other very tasty motorcycles, for a ride whenever you feel like it.
The club operates on a points system - members (and there’s only ever going to be a maximum of 5 members per motorcycle) have 100 points to spend each year. The bikes are split into three tiers - class 1, class 2, and class 3 - a class especially created for the Desmosedicis. Using a bike on the weekend costs twice as many points as using it on a weekday - so you could burn your whole year’s points allowance by flogging a Desmosedici for 5 saturdays, or stretch it out with as many as 33 weekday rides on a class 1 bike like the magnificent Moto Morini Corsaro Veloce 1200.
Current World Superbike champion and all-around bloody legend Troy Bayliss has signed up as the Superbike Club’s official ambassador, and Troy will be joining club members at the odd trackday for a chat, a ride and to show people the way around the track with some “riding tips where required.”Oh, they’re required, Troy. They’re required all right.
For fans of top-shelf machinery, the AU$7,000 yearly price tag even starts to make financial sense. It’s a darn sight less than the loan repayments on an exotic bike - not to mention a year’s depreciation hit on the AU$100k Desmosedici RR. Somebody else takes care of registration, regular servicing, fresh rubber, insurance and storage - which can add up to thousands of dollars a year even on a comparitively cheap Japanese sportsbike. Your only job is to get out, enjoy a selection of brilliant bikes, and hand them back to the club when you’re done.
If you’re not an everyday rider, the idea could start making a lot of sense…
Group 1 bikes (3 points on weekdays, 6 points on weekends):
Group 2 bikes (6 points on weekdays, 12 points on weekends):
Group 3 bikes (10 points on weekdays, 20 points on weekends):
October 28th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
Hi,
Can you tell me where bikes can be picked-up and dropped-off please.
Thanks,
Patrick
0406-230692