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BARIGO 600 Freeform French flyer

A FRENCH MOTORCYCLE? You'd better believe it. In fact, the Barigo 600 could hardly be more French if it wore a beret, and had a string of garlic and a loaf of bread dangling from its handlebar.

The Barigo appears to have been built for that particularly French blend of pavement and dirt racing known as supermotard, right from its high-fendered, dirt-bikey stance to its fat tires, alloy frame and upside-down fork. But as its lights, mufflers and license suggest, it’s a racer built for the road.

Barigo, with plans to build up to 200 bikes a year, is operated by a former motocross racer named Patrick Barigault. Barigo’s base is in Pâerigny, near La Rochelle, midway down France’s west coast, and the bike’s frame, bodywork and exhaust system are produced locally. The fully adjustable suspension components come from White Power in Holland, its engine from Rotax in Austria and its wheels, brakes and carbs from Italy.

The engine is Rotax’s latest-a liquid-cooled, fourvalve, three-plug, twin-carb, 598cc, electric-start Single that produces a claimed 61 horsepower. It is mounted in a polished alloy frame that weighs a mere 15 pounds. The Technomagnesio wheels carry Michelin radiais, and, up front, an 11.8-inch rotor gripped by a four-piston Brembo caliper. It all comes together with an impressive standard of finish and some neat technical details. These include an air filter that is fed by a raised vent at the front of the curiously styled tank/seat unit.

With a claimed dry weight of 284 pounds, the 600 feels like a medium-sized dual-purpose bike, but with a narrow and fairly tall seat. When you nail the starter button, though, the Barigo comes to life with a big-bike bellow from its twin silencers. Performance also is on a big-bike level, thanks in part to excellent suspension. At the rear, the feel is taut and controlled, and up front, thanks to beautifully calibrated springing and damping rates, it feels even better.

Barigault won’t reveal his bike’s rake-and-trail figures. The geometry does not feel particularly steep, but the bike is a bit tw itchy, though very nimble and a whole lot of fun to ride.

The Rotax motor adds to that fun by providing the sort of acceleration you’d expect from a well-tuned big Single. At 20 mph, in fifth gear, crank the throttle open and the Barigo instantly rockets forward. Do that in the lower three gears and it charges forward twice as hard, but with its front wheel pawing the air. With max power at 8000 rpm, the Rotax has to be revved, and when it is, vibration seeps through to disrupt the rider’s glee. The bike is capable of 110-mph top speeds but the combination of vibes and an upright, windblown seating position means you don’t want to do that for long.

In its own way, the Barigo, w'hich sells for 52,664 francs, or about SI0,500, is as singleminded as any repli-racer. It clearly is not the bike for everyone, or for every journey. But its prowess does serve as a signal that the French motorcycle industry does indeed remain on the map.

Roland Brown