The bike had to make a television appearance on Speed Channel first and then it would be free. Twenty-four hours later, blasting up through the Pisgah National forest on my way home, I was running hard and fast with my friend Jimmy onboard a Triumph Speed Four test bike. Now Jimmy is no slouch on a motorcycle, and it takes some serious determination to hold him off on the street or track. Not so on the Factory. By the time I hit the blacktop, the Speed Four was a distant memory in my mirrors, and he certainly had some comments about the Factory’s handling when we stopped for gas.

Since picking up the Factory I have ridden one on the track in both Las Vegas and Florida, so between road and track I have had plenty of seat time. Having had some mixed results with worn tyres, as well as the dubious honor of being the first journalist in North America to pitch one on the race track, my results here have been mixed.

Both times I rode the Factory on the track, it was on fried rubber from previous journalist testing and it felt like being on a roller skate in the rain. Robert Pandya to the rescue again during my second track day: New Pirelli’s fixed everything, elevating the Factory to easiest and most enjoyable bike ridden on the track this year.

I am not saying there aren’t faster bikes; the Factory just has the best balance of power, handling and braking for my personal tastes. Four cylinder litre bikes are so brutally fast, and powerful, there is little room for error on the track, whereas the Aprilia is a lot more forgiving if you err. Sure it will spin up if you are too heavy on the gas and can hit some big speeds quick, but with its Ohlins’ suspension, radial brakes and race inspired frame, it never feels out of control.