I didn’t want a Smart

Unlike most people reading this I didn’t want a Smart. I thought they were weird, funky little cars but didn’t consider them to hold a candle to my motorbike. I mean look at it - you can’t take them seriously can you? Then I drove one. Okay, it wasn’t ‘quick’ but it was nippy, responsive and the engine feels un-burstable. Even in standard trim it’s faster 30-50mph than a BMW 323i - not a lot of people know that. That was two and a half years and 40 odd thousand kilometres ago now. I lived with it in standard trim just as a tool, something to use when it rained and I didn’t want to get the bike dirty. One day on the way home from work I caught site of Graham (I’m sorry I don’t know his surname) in his pre-B.I.G Performance days.

He had a set of sportivas and a loud exhaust on. I went as fast as I could go, Graham easily outstripping me round the twisties near where I lived. We stopped at the local bike meet spot (where else!) and we swapped cars for a spin - wow what a revelation! I went around the roundabout several times just to make sure - it felt amazing. It gripped and felt like a go-kart and transformed the car’s handling. The under steer on the standard 135 front tyres is laughable sometimes (but at the same time very forgiving). Eventually after a long interlude I got myself a set of second hand Sportivas (see below). 195 Uniroyal ‘Rain tyres’ on the back and 175 Continental Eco Contacts on the front (from the rears of the originals)....

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