On the track & On display Derbi GP1 Racing 250cc Our first ride on the GP1 was at the track Brendon The morning of our track night & the first call of the morning is Simon the Derbi importer "Hey Brendon would you like to take the Derbi to the track night tonight?" The answer to that is pretty obvious its sort of like asking a car enthusiast if they want to take a new model Ferrari around a track before anyone else!
So we loaded it onto the ute and headed off. When we pulled into the track the regulars went straight to the Derbi without so much as a hi to us. We managed to temporarily swat them off it so we could unload and get it onto the track. I recently was lent a set of well used leathers by a gent who had decided to give away track motorcycling after his last crash. These leathers have quite a few battle scars and were the first thing Simon the importer of Derbi noticed. "Ahh Brendon your leathers seem well umm err...used, please remember this is the only GP1 250 in the country and if it gets damaged it will delay the ADR process". Sensing his nervousness I replied "that's because the owner falls off quite regularly" since I had put him at ease it was time to put on my helmet and head out to the staging area.
We let the other pocket rockets go first as the tyres were new and we needed a session to get acquainted with the scoot. What is immediately obvious is how quick the Derbi is. Out the gate open the throttle up and we were already flying past the other scoots we had let go, the first session was spent scrubbing in the tyres, brakes, finding new lines around the track as the speeds being reached we markedly quicker than on any previous track night and I'm not even trying....yet
Second session and things were a bit better, tyres scrubbed in, brakes bedded, a bit more familiar with the scoot so it was time to have a bit of fun. Open he Derbi up and it accellerates, hit the brakes and it stops, lean it in and she corners, open it up again through the corner and you chose your exit line. Oh boy was I inline for the best track night ever. In a very short time I had the hang of the Derbi and was getting a bit of a groove happening.
While the track is suited to small lightweight scoots the Derbi was easily the quickest thing out there and it was straight out of the box, engine not even run in, no suspensiuon adjustments either. Just pottering around was fun & fast, the great thing about the Derbi was that it hadn't had any moments where any nuances had reared their ugly little heads threatening to send you down the bitumen.
With each session the Derbi got better or it should be correctly stated that I could explore its limits more, not that I ever reached its limits but it is a confidence inspiring scooter that will reward experienced riders and not punish the inexperienced, Fantastic!
The evening was coming to an end and so was my time on the Derbi, I was really having some fun now, on the back strait she was getting around 92km/h before having to jump on the brakes, you could choose to be fast & really haul the speed back while still on the brakes tipping into the hairpin or lift the rear wheel just to show off, cornering control is superb too and I found myself scraping the underbelly panel (whoops) as I was getting faster and faster though the corners. I wasn't trying to be fast its just the Derbi is fast without trying, getting around at these speeds on a lesser scooter would have required a great deal of effort, sliding and risk taking.
At the end of the evening we reluctantly handed he Derbi back to Simon. Even though it was undamaged he looked ten years older than I remembered him looking when I headed to the staging area for the first time, "all we have to do now is return these leathers to their owner & I'm done" I said as we left.
The Derbi is more than a piece of European exotica, to me it represents the level of sophistication the Australian Scooterist has reached. So where does the the GP1 Racing 250 fit in the Australian market? It would represent a logical next step for riders of SR50's, Aerox 50, Jetforce, Speedfight & similar smaller sports scoots limited to lower speed zones. It will also appeal to others wanting a sports styled scooter than can do everything. Want to ride to Sydney? get on and go. Want to get some bread from the shops? get on and go. Want to ride to a track night & beat everthing out there? get on and go. Want to ride to the office and park next to corporate tin tops without feeling embarrassed? get on and go. Want to be able to ride through the mountains with your mates who have sport bikes? get on and go.
The GP1 Racing 250 will also appeal to the young ones who are limited to a 250cc or LAMS machine. When you see someone of a CBR250RR or similar most people think Learner. It won't happen with the Derbi.
With a RRP of $7,400 +orc the Derbi is at the upper end of the 250cc market, its not the most expensive but it certainly is the most exotic and visually appealing. Not surprisingly we have already taken deposits on the GP1 Racing 250 published 29/10/2007 |