CBR600RR 2026
The man with the tattoos handed me the key to the devil bike. He knew I would play. From the first corner, a roundabout on a slope out of the bike boutique, I was hooked. The little black devil of a bike hooked up with the devil in me. We knew the roads, they were dry and clear and we let it rip.
The clock was ticking, the mechanics were working on my bike and I had to be back by five in the afternoon, before the sun set and it got dark. Onwards we rode to the East, snowy mountains on the horizon. Passing Provence villages empty for the winter. No wind so we made our own. The devil had me and the devil in me and we rode like the wind.
Curves: great, finding the apex and leaning. Hills up: quickshift down almost without missing an engine stroke. Bottom of a dip, take the bend - and the bridge hump, then sweep the road up. Over the top to the plateau and go go go like the wind again.
A phone call from the workshop, a detail but not a problem. But a stop to smell the rare smell of the newness of the engine burning off. Tyres warm in the spring afternoon sunshine.
Time to return, still a familiar route. Riding with other bikes and passing some. Then a blue rally car with a white stripe took on the black devil, an old 205 GTI. We played between two villages where the road is fast. No win either way. Friendly wave as he turned off.
Another devil called, a roadside boulangerie in a town with a Roman feel to its name. Time for a proper stop, helmet off and a fresh artisan patisserie, made there by hand that morning. And a tiny Arabic coffee with a bitter taste.
There was a text calling time: my bike was ready. I remounted, the devil sucked me in once more. A hill with tight curves, the devil tried again his quickshifter magic, and the traction control on the curves, I took the potion one more time but I wasn’t hooked. We found the rush hour traffic down in the valley and the quickshifter magic didn’t work any more.
The salesman with the tattoos took back the key, he said very little, he could see from the tyres he had me hooked. Not an if but a when.
Thanks to Ludo and Fabien at Chomat Moto for the loan bike.