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Old June 19th, 2008, 04:53 AM   #1
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[motorcyclistonline] - Terra Modena Supermoto - Terra Modena 198 - Future Rides

Terra Modena Supermoto - Terra Modena 198 - Future Rides
Think of the Terra Modena 198 as a two-wheeled Ferrari Testarossa, complete with trademark redhead engine. There's no prancing horse emblem on the tank, but connections to the famed Maranello automaker are many. For starters, Terra Modena President Dario Calzavara ran Ferrari's Formula 1 race team in the 1980s and steered the company's North America sales effort after that. The 198 engine (1 for single-cylinder, 98 for the bore in millimeters) was designed by Piero Ferrari-son of Enzo, Piero also designed the original MV Agusta F4 engine and played a key role in developing Ducati's Desmosedici V-4. Chief engineer Tino Carniglia was former project leader of the Ferrari F40 R&D team, and six of the eight Terra Modena employees are ex-Ferrari staff.

It seems improbable that the first streetbike with such direct F1 heritage should be a single-cylinder supermoto, until Calzavara explains his decision: "I can't see the point of producing a 180-horsepower motorcycle for the street," he says. "With increased traffic and lower speed limits, it's difficult to ride on the road with any enjoyment. So I decided that Terra Modena would deliver the essential fun of motorcycling-a small, lightweight, agile bike, powered by a high-performance single-cylinder motor."

The Terra Modena's DOHC, four-valve, liquid-cooled, 449cc engine is a masterpiece of single-cylinder design, and weighs just 68 pounds including the cassette-style six-speed gearbox. The distinctive tubular-aluminum frame with titanium subframe is fitted with ff,ff,,fff,,f,,fff,ff,,,ff,,f,,fff,ff,,fff,,f,,,ff,ff,,,ff,,f,,-hlins suspension front and rear, and the carbon-fiber bodywork, Mectronik ECU and trick Inconel exhaust are all made by Ferrari F1 team suppliers. Altogether, the 198 registers just 260 pounds in street-legal form, including mirrors and turn signals!

On the go, the Terra Modena is incredibly light-steering, ultra-controllable and very agile. The 46mm ff,ff,,fff,,f,,fff,ff,,,ff,,f,,fff,ff,,fff,,f,,,ff,ff,,,ff,,f,,-hlins inverted fork (modified by Italian importer Andreani) is stiff but adequately compliant, and when you need to stop, arguably the single best feature is that amazing four-pot, four-pad Brembo radial caliper-powerful but sensitive, it will stand the Terra Modena on its nose in a split second, even though there's only one.

The eager-revving, short-stroke engine has minimal flywheel effect so it picks up revs incredibly fast-a good thing, because the peaky little motor likes to be kept on the boil. Mectronik mapping isn't ideal down low (probably for reasons related to Euro 3 emissions standards), and the very tall first gear (likely to control wheelies) makes it a bit of a pig in traffic. You constantly have to blip the throttle at idle to clear its throat, but once you coax it past 3000 rpm the Terra Modena brings it on, with a healthy surge of torque at 7000 rpm that you surf until just short of the 9700-rpm rev limiter.

Admittedly, a $27K single is a hard sell, but Calzavara deserves congratulations for developing such an exquisite bike shaped by the high-end manufacturing and design values implicit in his Terra Modena. It's a bike that would make even Ferrari proud.

TECH SPEC Price
$27,360 Engine type:
l-c single Valve train: DOHC, 4V Displacement: 449cc Transmission:
6-speed Claimed horsepower: 58 bhp @ 9500 rpm Claimed torque: na Frame Aluminum double-cradle Front suspension: 46mm Öhlins inverted fork, adjustable for spring preload, compression and rebound damping Rear suspension: Öhlins shock, adjustable for spring preload, compression and rebound damping Front brake: Single Brembo four-piston radial caliper, 320mm disc Rear brake: Single Brembo single-piston caliper, 220mm disc Front tire: 120/70-ZR17 Dunlop Sportmax D270 Rear tire:
160/60-ZR17 Dunlop Sportmax D270 Seat height: 35.0 in. Wheelbase 58.3 in. Fuel capacity: na Dry weight:
260 lbs. Contact: www.terramodena.com
Verdict
Strangely beautiful, undeniably exotic and utterly impractical-of course the Terra Modena has Ferrari DNA!


Photo Gallery: Terra Modena Supermoto - Terra Modena 198 - Future Rides - Motorcyclist Magazine



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