Knowing this, I suited up and took off to warm up with the novice riders. Letting them get a head start I was able to roll around an empty track and get comfortable with the ‘O1.

Three laps into it, I felt like a new man.

The bike was turning, I didn’t feel so slammed over the front end, and without the high levels of paranoia was getting into the healthy vibration caused by the motor. Pitting after a few laps, I quickly rejoined the Intermediate riders in the next session and mentally geared up to see what the big Goose would do.

Back out on the track, I started picking off slower riders with consummate ease, and then as my speed increased the front-end gremlins began to creep back in. Thankfully this time I was able to live with it though, and keeping my weight off the bars allowed the bike to rail through the downhill bends with nary a twitch. The stability comes from the fairly lengthy wheelbase, longer than Aprilia’s Mille, but with a fairly radical 95mm of trail and a sharp 23.5 degrees of rake it is actually very quick steering and capable of holding extremely tight lines in the turns.

In the saddle I was taking it pretty easy, until I spotted a bright yellow Buell a few corners ahead that is. The previous day on a stock Mille, I had eventually run him down and wriggled by. Today within half a lap he was holding me up through the back side of the track, and by the time we were on the front straight I had dived up the inside of him and literally sucked the paint off his fairings as I left him in my exhaust fumes. Taking a peep over my shoulder before hitting the incredible brakes into turn one, he was gone and I slipped down a gear, came off the brakes and dived down into the corner just loving every minute of it.

Going head to head with some litre bikes later in the session the Guzzi just didn’t have the outright minerals to stay with them, and this got me seriously thinking about the MGS O1 and its intended purpose. This bike is not about going out and winning races, although it should be eligible for some events, it is about indulging in your motorcycle passion on the track the way you want it.

Simply beautiful to look at, totally raw and aggressive in the way the big air cooled motor makes it’s power, the MGS O1 is also graced with a handling and braking package (with the correct spring) that will allow you to ride as hard and fast as you wish for as many years as you want to ride it. And, when you are done, you can clean it up and put it in the living room with the rest of your collectable art works.

Three of the exotic limited run machines came down under as late Christmas presents and went to good homes in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia.  The machines were all pre-ordered and sold for $48,600 (AUD).