Driving report Terra Modena 198

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Driving report Terra Modena 198
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Driving report Terra Modena 198

Exclusive "Thank you very much"

This is what a thank you look like when men like Pirelli Motorsport Director Dario Calzavara say grace to an entire region: a Supermoto single, dedicated to the area around Modena ?? and designed by Enzo Ferrari’s son Piero.

"It was a dream of mine to dedicate a motorcycle to this region. An area that embodies the passion for motorsport like no other place in the world." Dario Calzavara is amazed, does not delve into the usual fantasies in Italy about utopian sales forecasts or the glory of future racing successes, but remains a realist ?? in an irrationality consciously created by him. Even he doesn’t believe that his work will be a box-office hit. Not at a price of 19650 euros ?? plus tax mind you? for the single cylinder machine. Because Calzavara, Ferrari racing director in Formula 1 in the eighties and later motorsport boss at Pirelli, makes the name the program: The Terra Modena ?? the country around Modena ?? has long been world famous in motorsport. Ducati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Moto Morini ?? Some of the most legendary automobile and motorcycle manufacturers in the world are located within 40 kilometers of the city in Emilia-Romagna. Their resources and suppliers were used as far as possible in the design and production of the Terra Modena.

After all, Piero, the youngest son of the Ferrari company founder Enzo Ferrari, is responsible for the conception of the Supermoto runabout with his Modena-based development office High Performance Engineering (HPE). HPE has experience in the two-wheeler sector. The team had already developed the 750cc engine for the MV Agusta, the addition of which, F4, indicates the illustrious origins of the four-cylinder from Ferrari.

And in the end, the Ferrari team found, despite basically conventional solutions, the technology of the Terra Modena 198 ?? the 1 stands for single cylinder, the 98 for a bore of 98 millimeters ?? also own ways. Between the steering head and the cast part of the swing arm mount forms a stable double tube that has not yet been used in the Supermoto profession
the bridge frame made entirely of aluminum. The construction of the main frame, which appears to be torsion-resistant, allows the joists to be simply screwed together for easier motor disassembly. Just like the rear frame, which, as a titanium component, saves a few additional grams of weight compared to an aluminum version. The suspension strut from Ohlins is supported without deflection on the swing arm welded from aluminum profiles, and a fork, also supplied by Ohlins, springs at the front. The carbon fiber covers and fenders, the two forged cast aluminum wheels from Marchesini and the four-piston brake caliper in the front wheel exude noblesse. The Brembo stoppers promise fulminant and sensitive deceleration with radial mounting and four individual brake pads.

The engine, equipped with fuel injection from Dellorto, comes entirely from the halls of HPE, the ?? probably because of the Formula 1 designers’ preference for high speeds ?? is extremely designed. With said 98 millimeter bore and a stroke of only 59.6 millimeters, the technicians undercut the currently short-stroke 450 singles from KTM, Husqvarna (60.8 millimeters) and TM Racing (60.1 millimeters). In addition, complex spur gears drive the two overhead camshafts ?? even if it would not be technically necessary at the planned peak speeds of 10,000 rpm. After all, this type of valve drive saves installation space and thus keeps the dimensions of the cylinder head compact. Out of the ordinary. Not so confident, on the other hand: The orphaned stump of the kickstarter shaft is still peeping anxiously out of the right housing cover? despite the electric starter.

Maybe because of the effort to bring the single cylinder to life. Only tenaciously does he pull the piston through the cylinder when the button is pressed, until the single finally shoots out of its two silencers. Euro3? Made it somehow. First course, departure. Oops, at first the noble single sucks because of the somewhat voluminous 55 mm intake pipes only asthmatically after the mixture, only to go off at 5000 rpm like Schmitz? Cat. With a full tank, the bike, weighing just 130 kilograms, rushes forward with impressive ease, adding a few more briquettes at 7000 rpm, only to be slowed down by the rev limiter shortly after its maximum output of 55 hp at 9500 tours. It quickly becomes clear that the Italian wants to be shot
and he desperately needs the closely spaced gears, which are always to be shifted in a defined manner, in order to keep organ over the 5000 mark.

In return, you get that typical, almost super agile Supermoto driving experience right away. The narrow tank-seat combination and the handlebars, which are pushed close to the body, help the Terra Modena like a ride-
wagging from curve to curve. Especially since the tightly coordinated spring elements help the machine with hard braking and
Prevent accelerating from rocking. The straight-line stability is also perfect. At 150 km / h ?? the moderate top speed due to the short gear ratio ?? the long-legged diva stays clean on course.

And yet: The two-wheeled bow to the Modena region remains typically Italian. One in which it does not necessarily need revolutionary technology or perfect finishes to fulfill the mission, but just this one trait that outshines everything: passion.

Who is Dario Calzavara?

Although the flair of the brand name Ferrari hovers dominantly over the Terra Modena, there is one name above all behind this project: Dario Calzavara. Born in Milan, he headed the Ferrari Formula 1 racing team between 1981 and 1984. Even at that time, the team boss had an open enthusiasm for two wheels ?? and shared it with his two Formula 1 drivers. During the test breaks, Didier Pironi and Gilles Villeneuve chased the private BMW that Calzavara drove to work with for so long
around the Ferrari test track in Fiorano, to Il Commen-
datore, Enzo Ferrari himself, forced Calzavara to sell the machine out of concern for the health of his drivers.
After 16 years as head of motorsport for the tire manufacturer Pirelli, Calzavara retired at the comparatively young age of 50 in order to find time for his secret passion: a motorcycle according to his very own ideas
to build. Because Superbikes seemed unreasonable to him (“too dense traffic and too many speed traps”), the engineer decided on a Supermoto bike. After all, he invested 1.7 million euros today
56 year old in this dream.

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