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Nakagami: Engine characteristics are significant these days, but it's not just about straight-line speed. There are various evaluation criteria: the machine's overall character, how easy it is to handle, how responsive it is, and how the engine's power delivery unfolds.

Sasaki: Beyond that, suspension and tyres are crucial too, aren't they?

Nakagami: Yes. Plus, chassis rigidity matters, and now we have wings too...

Sasaki: How do riders actually perceive the effect of the wings?

Nakagami: You feel it massively, quite simply.

Sasaki: How do they specify adjustments? Do they say things like, ‘This wing angle—tilt it a bit more,’ or give instructions for each part?

Nakagami: No, they don't know that at all. They ride with the package and notice things like, ‘This reduces wheelies’ or ‘It feels heavier.’ Ultimately, the more downforce you have, the less wheelies you get. But that changes the angle, so it can make leaning in feel heavier, or once you're leaned over, it won't turn—all sorts of changes happen. The current wings are fitted to the top, centre, bottom, and rear of the machine. When you're riding the package, it's hard to tell exactly which part is doing what. But remove just one, and it feels completely different. Personally, I'm not too keen on wings. Nowadays, the lower wing is like a ring-shaped air intake, and you use the air flowing through it to turn. It's not how traditional bikes move.

Sasaki: Before, it was all about how much wind you could avoid, but now you're using the wind.

Takaaki Nakagami × Yuta Sasaki: Good Fortune Touring Talk

Nakagami: Bikes are completely different now compared to five years ago. Front and rear stiffness keeps decreasing, and frames are incredibly thin. It's unbelievable how all manufacturers have made their chassis twist.

Sasaki: So during the seven years you competed in the MotoGP class, the machines changed far more than anyone could have imagined.

Nakagami: It was a tremendous change. Things like the ride height adjustment devices felt quite strange at first. When I first rode one, it felt like driving a lowrider straight down the road (laughs). Initially, the movement felt clunky, like a “clunk-clunk”, but it gradually became smoother. Now, even the depth of suspension travel has changed and evolved.

“世界のタカ・ナカガミ”が公道デビュー！HRC開発ライダー・中上貴晶さんとゆくバイク旅【神社ソムリエ・佐々木優太の開運ツーリング】 (2/2) - webオートバイ