RE: Driven: Radical SR3 SL

[oa]

So it doesn't like going slowly, and the sort of speeds it can achieve you end up in prison...

[GrahamG]

RacingPete said:

The price in the article was wrong... so a quick conversation with Radical and it is now correct!

Don't say PH doesn't save you money - we just knocked circa £12k off the price

Unfortunately the context of the comment implying that the SR3 is rather more expensive hasn't been corrected - You quote the Radical price including VAT - The KTM excludes it (and doesn't include delivery either - It seems the Radical could actually turn out the cheaper of the two!

[b14]

I love it.

[Or888t]

Interesting read.
So how much more civilized on the road is it than the 'proper' SR3 that 'only' pasted the sva rather than full euro 5... (Which is very impressive, and i agree \/

ukaskew said:

Personally I love how they have somehow made a track weapon pass all the pedestrian and volume manufacturing tests, it makes the argument about so many cars looking simlar 'because of regulations' look a bit silly.

[Chris-R]

GrahamG said:

Unfortunately the context of the comment implying that the SR3 is rather more expensive hasn't been corrected - You quote the Radical price including VAT - The KTM excludes it (and doesn't include delivery either - It seems the Radical could actually turn out the cheaper of the two!

It's £58k without VAT. (And by the way, the incorrect figure originally quoted was given to Brett by Radical - so not our cock-up. (For once!) )

[GrahamG]

Which is fair enough - but you still haven't chnaged the contest in the article comparing it to the KTM!

[Castrol Craig]

I was there at Cadwell as those pictures on the exit road out of the circuit were being taken, i was setting up that day for the following weekends bike racing. looked nice, sounded nice, looked fast, until the BSB boys went out half an hour later and made em look shabby

[grahamw48]

Stop whining about the price just because YOU can't afford it.

Plenty can, and probably don't mind looking like a dick wearing a crash helmet either (in Saudi or Dubai ?)

A wooly hat and sunglasses would do me...if I had the cash for such a toy.

[Ozzie Osmond]

Final price is yet to be announced, but something in the region of £69,850 (inc. VAT) is being suggested.

[PaulFontaine]

I wish we could have any of those three the atom, radical or KTM here in the US I guess it's your revenge for the bounty of v8 muscle cars we have everywhere. I still like the KTM the best it strikes me as the best engineered and screwed together sure it may be a few ticks slower but its the one I would want to own with the arail coming in dead last. the arail is basically a motorcycle with 4 wheels

[grahamw48]

PaulFontaine said:

I wish we could have any of those three the atom, radical or KTM here in the US I guess it's your revenge for the bounty of v8 muscle cars we have everywhere. I still like the KTM the best it strikes me as the best engineered and screwed together sure it may be a few ticks slower but its the one I would want to own with the arail coming in dead last. the arail is basically a motorcycle with 4 wheels

What's an 'arail' ?

Similar to a harvey davidson, but with 4 wheels ?

[Mastodon2]

I love the idea of owning one of these (in fantasy land obviously) but I think the reality of it being so focused and hardcore would make it a nightmare to drive on the road. You cannot drive something like that at anything approaching hoon speeds if you are not 100% "on", hell even normal speeds could see you coming a cropper if something that light and stiff hit a deep pothole at the wrong angle. While it may seem crazy, I'd take an Ariel Atom over one of these, as they have a reputation for being a bit more sensible and forgiving - and saying that about an Atom puts into context just how crazy the Radical is!

[Crackie]

The world is a better place with Radicals in it;Possibly Radical has been approached by enough punters saying they want a road version; certainly someone at Radical can justify spending the development costs but the SL is lost on me .

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3113335.htm + trailer + ( old X5/Rangie/Touareg/Landcruiser ) makes far more sense to me. Driving an SL at on the road, at semi legal speeds at least, appears to be no fun and the combo above makes more sense on the way to the track.

[splitpin]

Crackie said:

The world is a better place with Radicals in it

Hear Hear

Have to admit I got a bit lost with the maffs though ........... aren't they are both the same price (List SL, Asking Price RS) plus VAT? However, happy to have the link for the bloke with the towcar and trailer who is giving them away for nowt ....... form a disorderly queue.

Really, as I see it, it's which (brand new) horse for which course; want to just race an SR3?: then go buy Decko's (superb spec and stunning looking - hope my nickname for you still brings a smile to your face Steeley ) RS; want to just trackday and not race an SR3 (and also to be able take it out on the road, if, as and when the mood takes you)?; go buy the SL; simply due to the extra weight of the Ford engine (50+KG?)and the lesser downforce (solely resultant of to my mind daft Type Approval Regulations), seems to me that the SL will not (in pro-grade hands) be as outright quick or as visceral as the RS, although I suspect that it's much heftier torque could change that in certain conditions/on certain tracks. But bearing in mind that the Ford engine has probably been built and tested in every way possible to have what a 200,000 Km Life in it and that it will still be more than capable of comprehensively out-pacing virtually anything anyone will ever find on track with it at a trackday (including road-legal and not road legal stuff costing four or more times as much) and to my mind it all makes complete sense for the 'only/mainly' Trackdayer seeking the ultimate road-legal seriously seriously trackday focused bit of kit.

That journos don't find it as easy going as/more hard work than other stuff on normal roads in everyday use is hardly a surprise is it?; that observation applies to loads and loads of cars, usually the ones that us PHers lust after; a regular 911 almost certainly makes a better more compliant everyday road car than a GT3RS, but which one is virtually all of us going to pick if (we wish!) a buddy wins Euromillions and then says "I've arranged for us to go to the Porker Dealer's at 10.00am tomorrow; he's got two new 911s in stock, one's an S and the other's an RS, choice is yours". Couldn't you make the decision there and then without going at all? You'd be fretting over the S's superior roadgoing compliance @ 30/40/50/60/70mph? No, thought not. (And if your decision couldn't be made without asking what colours they were, you don't deserve to have a buddy like that!)

And BTW, some people already have and still do 'road legal/everyday type things' with their Rads (as do folks with Atoms, XBow's etc .......

Like nipping down to the local supermarket for some nappies - credit to SF - no, not for driver or passenger, actually for a baby



No more or less impractical than anything along similar but different 'can go on the road' lines, Caterfield, Ariel, KTM XBow, you name it? None of them are much good at all at doing stuff like a family shop or serenly cruising from Lands End to John O'Groats listening to Radio 4. To my mind, that lack of those abilities is excellent news; one can buy no end of totally competent, practical and often utterly bland and boring stuff (secondhand for nearly next to nothing) to do exactly that. I suspect that the 'average' prospective SL buyer will already have the likes of stuff like an S Class, Range Rover, 911 and a hot hatch in their garages to deal with each and every aspect of everyday road-going requirements, real or imagined.

I'd say if you want to buy a hardcore trackday focused car that best combines both of two quite different worlds i.e. consistently performs well at a trackday that also has the best element of road going practicality/compliance, go buy something like a Caterfield or if that's too common-place/too default/too practical/not expensive enough(!), an Atom.

However, if you want to buy a hardcore car that shifts the balance significantly towards it's vastly superior track abilities/capability (and to my eyes stunning visual qualities compared to any and all of it's apparent direct competitors), then it's definitely the SL that gets my vote.

[grahamw48]

Type approval regs for spoilers ?

How many goods vehicles are running around with random-shaped loads, cars with roof racks, travellers' pickups with old washing machines and unsecured scrap metal, etc etc.

What a total nonsense these rules are.

So many useless people being paid to 'spoil' our world.

[splitpin]

grahamw48 said:

Type approval regs for spoilers ?

How many goods vehicles are running around with random-shaped loads, cars with roof racks, travellers' pickups with old washing machines and unsecured scrap metal, etc etc.

What a total nonsense these rules are.

So many useless people being paid to 'spoil' our world.

Spot On ........ people ticking boxes next to stupid rules that bear no resemblance or relevance to the real world.

Edited by splitpin on Saturday 27th August 13:31

[mic]

"Radical still had to engineer induction and exhaust systems, and currently is frazzling the midnight microchips to sort out the mapping."
If they are still trying to map this then they can't have Euro V certification.

[dinkel]

Beng! Wonderfull car.

[slipstream 1985]

Schnellmann said:

Mmmm. This seems quite similar to a superbike in many ways: similar straight line performance and as focused. Also just about as (im)practical as there is no weather protection, you need to wear a helmet and presumably no luggage space either. Difference is that the Superbike is about a 10th of the price and (from my experience) quite comfy to ride around town. About the only trump card of the Radical (it is quite a big one!) is that your life-expectancy isn't impacted quite so badly.

I'm sure this is a riot to drive on the track but after a long, hard day on the track I'm not sure how relaxing it would be driving this home. I suspect a track-only Radical being pulled on a trailer would be better (especially if it rains).

All academic for me as i) there are no tracks in Switzerland (motor-racing is illegal) and ii) you might be able to register this for road use in the UK but attempting to do so in Switzerland would be...er...interesting.

yeh but when a motorbike goes fly past most people go "meh another fast bike"
but when something like a radical goes by they shout "cool"! and thats the only point.

[fwaggie]

slipstream 1985 said:

yeh but when a motorbike goes fly past most people go "meh another fast bike"
but when something like a radical goes by they shout "cool"! and thats the only point.

The only point for you.

I suspect a lot of people have a lot more points, like I can use my sports bike to commute to work on, I can use it to do the shopping, I can filter past traffic.

And I know if I drove a radical like I ride my bike, everyone I overtook would be thinking "Cock". Just like when I'm on the bike.

Oh ...


I'd love to rent the Radical and play on a circuit, don't want to own one.