Segale Sr900

SEGALE SR900

YEAR OF THE 900

IN PURSUIT OF PERFECTION

WHEN LUIGI SEGALE SET OUT TO build a hand-crafted, limited-edition motorcycle, the respected Italian designer started with the best: the ultra-slim, 16-valve dohc, 70 x 58mm motor that ignites Honda's CBR900RR. Since its introduction in 1992, the sharp-edged, swift-steering CBR has set the standard in street-superbike behavior.

Honda's engine in hand, Segale pro duced a motorcycle with full street equipment that weighs a scant 337 pounds, or 370 pounds ready to roll, with oil, water and a gallon of fuel. The horsepower is anything but thin, though: 121 at 10,600 rpm on the Segale dyno. This is a bike with physical dimensions that match a 250 race replica, but with more than twice the power.

Segale created the SR900 by fitting the meaty CBR900 motor in a special chassis he developed for the CBR600 Honda. This entails a two-part com posite design, with the upper section

consisting of a chrome-moly tubular spaceframe using square-section, thin wall tubing made to Segale's specifica tion and a lower portion consisting merely of two alloy plates. The com plete chassis, less swingarm, scales only 13.2 pounds, which may seem flimsy for such a robust engine, but not according to Segale.

“Most chassis built today for street use are over-engineered,” he says. “That’s why roadbikes are still a lot heavier than they need to be. This is one of the key areas where I can substantially improve on the original bikes.”

Like its 600cc kid brother, the SR900 uses Ceriani suspension, a semi-horizontal rear shock operated by Segale’s own rising-rate linkage, and a 43mm upside-down fork that, like the rear suspension, is fully adjustable for spring preload, and compression and rebound damping. The triple-clamps are magnesium, while the wheels are Marchesini’s latest five-spoke design. Top-level Brembo brakes with floating discs and four-piston calipers are fitted up front. The rear disc, also floating, is gripped by a Grimeca caliper that imparts an unusual degree of sensitivity and stopping power.

Smaller and lighter than a Honda 900RR, but with the same engine? That may sound like a recipe for a cramped, nervous, twitchy-steering handful that keeps its front wheel permanently aimed at the sky. Perhaps in the hands of other designers, but Segale has built a bike that will dispose of almost anything on a twisty mountain road. And even with the twotooth-smaller final-drive sprocket, acceleration isn’t at all compromised compared to the stock CBR because of the Segale’s huge weight reduction. In fact, it’s approximately 6 mph faster on the top end with no engine mods whatsoever.

Without having really heated up the Michelin radiais on an especially cold day, I can’t say I probed the outer limits of the SR900’s handling, but the overall package seems really good, ultra-responsive in a way that brings confidence to the rider. I did give those brakes a pretty good exam more than once, and they’re impossible to fault in street use, especially considering the light weight of the bike.

Surprisingly, the riding position isn’t at all cramped. So, apart from a lunatically long sidestand that makes propping up the Segale a high-stakes game of chance, it’s hard to find any fault with this bike. It’s a model that sets a new standard in performance for the over-750cc class.

At SI7,500, the first customer bikes planned for production this year will cost almost twice the price of a stock CBR900RR. But, then, the pursuit of perfection rarely comes cheaply.

Alan Catheart