E-Ticket Ride

I’ve been watching Alex Ortner’s creation evolve into its present state for a few years and the 2005 version looked to be even more refined at the Grattan 2005 DOCC event earlier this month.   I hooked-up with Clayton for a session early in the week and we had a fabulous time – riding in pretty close formation for about 15 minutes. I found myself drooling as I watched him hustle the gorgeous piece around the Grattan circuit with apparent ease.  And once I recovered from the fact that the Loud Bike (yes, the Loud Bike is dead – long live the Loud Bike) could actually run with, and slightly pull away from the GP Due on the straight, I began to hunker down for some serious scratching with him.  It was immediately apparent that the GP Due had amazing drive coming off the corners, insane brakes and the ability to pretty much wheelie at will.  From my vantage point, I could also see how easy the bike could change lines mid-corner.

Later that evening, I headed down-pit to visit with Alex and Clayton and talk a little bit about how the bike had evolved over the last year.  Somewhere in the conversation, Alex offered me a ride on his creation, although it wasn’t until Friday that I took him up on it.  Somehow, I expected that they’d need to start the bike with rollers, so I was kind of taken aback when Alex thumbed the starter and the full-zoot 996cc MBP engine growled to life and settled into a civilized idle.  Sitting on the bike, I immediately took to the riding position – aggressive, but still civilized - the seat having been lowered over the winter.  Nice dash, good lever placement, and roomier than I had expected. 

Bear in mind that my frame of reference is a 330lb, 90-odd hp, 853cc F1 with two piston calipers on vintage 41.5mm Marzocchi M1R forks.  Fast, nimble and loud as hell.  I’ve also had the pleasure of riding Bob Berger’s Corsa-replica 1036 and most of the latest offerings from Ducati.  Running the GP Due up the pit road, I felt immediately at ease with Alex’s package and as I headed up the front straight for the start of my first lap, I had less trepidation than I thought I might.  In fact, by the time I got into the bowl and set-up for the sweeper leading to the bus stop, I was grinning and running the bike at a brisk pace.  I was also astounded by how utterly CIVILIZED the GP Due felt.  Beautiful throttle response, very responsive chassis and a motor that pulls with authority from idle.  I gave it a fairly hard run up the back straight and – while I’ve become very intimate with Guy Martin’s motors, this one stands out as a real gem (exceptional set-up and tuning by Alex). 

At the end of the front straight, I passed my usual brake marker so I could get a feel for the radial set-up Alex uses and was rewarded with more progressive feel than I’ve experienced with any high-end system to-date.  Incredible modulation.  Lap 2 was closer to my play-time pace and I used it to get a feel for gearing, rider position and tire feedback – concentrating on riding rather than riding impressions.  On lap 3, I began to wick it up a bit more and began to find that I was messing myself up with too much steering input.  This thing steers way faster than my F1 (which turns on a dime and gives you $.09 change).  I began steering by weighting the pegs alone and by lap 5; I had a rhythm going that allowed me to concentrate on the riding experience again.  What I began to notice was how effortless the bike was.  The throttle response and brake feel allowed me to run into corners with more balance and smoothness and get on the throttle way before the apex.  Turn one was a joy….  Go waaaaay past my usual mark, drop two gears quickly (gotta love that slipper clutch), and peel into the turn on throttle.

OK.  I want one.  In satin finish black, please - and with a 1,000cc short-stroke version of the Loud Bike motor.  And a nice, slash-cut 3” open pipe instead of the muffler Alex runs.

Next time you see Alex’s GP Due at the track, pull up a chair and take 20 minutes to talk with the creator while you soak up the endless visual details and build quality.  The GP Due is probably at the peak of its development cycle and feels more like a production piece than one man’s prototype.  My F1-based Loud Bike feels like an uncouth thug in comparison.  And if you’re considering building a high-end track bike…. forget it.  Save yourself a bucket of time and money and have one of these built for you.