ISSN
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contentS///SePtemBer 2008 Sportsbike Britain
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11 PB letters 18 Products: new and rated 24 4 bikes we like this month 26 The first PB 90s trackday 32 24 hours at the Bulldog 34 ‘Are my tyres f**ked?’ 37 World’s freakiest corner 38 Schwantz outbreaks Rainey 44 Scott Redding interview
Performance Bikes
014
06 MV 1078RR v Yamaha R1 14 Honda CB1000R 16 The bikes we ride 46 Ultra special Fireblade 50 Honda SP-1 53 Suzuki B-King v Honda CB1300S v Kawasaki Z1000 v 04 Honda CBR600RR 68 Honda RC45 70 Kawasaki ZXR750R 79 Suzuki GSX-R1000 K3/4 80 Ducati 600SS 86 90s race metal 90 Obsession: Super Duke 131 Suzuki RGV600 Gamma 88 SUBSCRiBe nOW AnD GeT A FRee TenG SOCKeT SeT WORTH £39.90
104
098 Faster
Section 098 Test: aftermarket end cans 104 How to jump 105 Set-up: Yamaha R6 106 CBR600RR made faster 113 Why you should dyno 114 The kit we trust 116 Legend hunter: Katana, FZR400, ZX-9R, FZ750 121 Fizzy to Fireblade in 6 moves 003
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MV Agusta 1078RR
ThiS nEw 190bhp MV f4 1078RR coSTS £15,000
mv agusta f4 1078rr 312r
Price £15,299 engine 1078cc liquidcooled inline four
Power 169bhp@ 11,000rpm Torque 83lb.ft@10,000rpm Dry weighT 192kg
frame Tubular steel fronT susPension 50mm USD forks, fully adjustable rear susPension Monoshock, fully
adjustable fronT brakes 2 x 320mm discs, 4-piston calipers rake/Trail 24 degrees/ 101mm
wheelbase 1410mm Pb likes Exclusivity, sheer quality of parts Pb Doesn’T like Unforgiving ride
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pB’s r1 has done 17,000 miles
2007 yamaha r1
Price £6500 (value now) engine 998cc liquid-cooled inline four Power 159bhp@12,000rpm Torque 78lb.ft@9500rpm Dry weighT 173kg frame alloy beam fronT susPension 43mm Usd forks, fully adjustable rear susPension monoshock, fully adjustable rake/Trail 24 degrees/102mm wheelbase 1415mm fronT brakes 2 x 310mm discs, six-piston radial calipers Pb likes speed, flexibility, handling Pb Doesn’T like Blends into the background
so why is it so hard to split them? pB provides the answer
m
v aGUsta’s F4 1078rr is the latest in a long line of model upgrades for the F4 superbike. First seen in 1998, over the last ten years it has mutated and grown in capacity to the point where it is one of the fastest, most exclusive bikes ever made. in the past they’ve all been stupidly fast, but also a bit rubbish. is this one any different? we put it against our high-mileage r1 to find out. the results are surprising. Ó Ó Ó
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face off
by appLyIng the MoSt SCIentIfIC MethodS known to Man, pb pReSentS the uLtIMate head-to-head CoMpaRISon... mv agusta
15,000 Pounds
f4 1078rr
1
1. yOu’re a fast-grOup regular whO demands the fastest BIKe. mv surely...
It’s the MV – a 10-year old, top-heavy design pummels the opposition with ever more power, top-notch components, fork tubes fatter than a baby’s arm and exhausts that look like Spitfire cannons. Crude, beautiful, dated and stupidly fast, it’s the Lamborghini Countach of bikes. Rockingham lap time: 1:19.5.
2. yOu rIde everyday. whIch shOuld yOu chOOse?
no surprises here, unless being bent over in a wind tunnel and spanked on the backside by a scaffold plank is your thing. bum-up, feet back, wrists down, buttocks pounding leatherette – this is a sadistic trackday-only bike. fasteners on the fairing vibrate off. Ride it hard and it’ll drink £20 of fuel in 120 miles.
3. yOu want pOwer…
169bhp at the rear wheel.
4. the One that gets yOu nOtIced Is…
this one, predictably. any MV stinks of money – the uninitiated are surprised it’s ‘only’ £15k. this one came with giacomo agostini’s signature on the tank, presumably penned at the recent opening of an envelope. Still, gets you noticed, we suppose.
5. fancy a race?
well informed guesswork predicts only three bikes come close to the MV’s track performance – the 08 fireblade, the ducati 1098R and desmosedici RR. If you run into the last two, they’re likely to be ridden by wobbling idiots. or Shakey byrne.
6. yOu’re a hIghearnIng medIa type wIth desIgner specs and a manBag. want tO maKe a statement?
‘I only want the best, and I’m at a time in my life when I can afford it. the MV lets everyone know I’m richer than them and, if I want to be, faster. the chicken strips are there because I’m too cool to try.’
0 1
total
1
yamaha
r1
159bhp shouldn’t feel soft and cuddly, but, compared to the MV, it does. the R1 is user-friendly – the suspension softer, the geometry less extreme, the brakes lacking the fronttucking bite of MV’s monoblock brembos. Cheaper to crash, though... Rockingham lap time: 1:20.8. this one. Chain and sprockets last 16,000 miles, tyres 3000. It sips petrol, too. finish holds up well through the winter and nothing falls off. It’s even pretty comfortable, despite what you read elsewhere. why the hell would anyone want a sports tourer? or an MV come to that?
008 p6-8 PB Sept news openerCDP.sp c8 8
one of beSt-fInIShed, faSteSt bIkeS on eaRth. In dangeR of haVIng ItS IMage taRnIShed by the SaMe ‘RICh baStaRd’ tag that affLICted the duCatI 916. you’LL need to be faSt on It to be CRedIbLe. you’LL onLy eVeR be a tRaffIC-LIght StaLL away fRoM LookIng LIke a fooL.
0
our R1 is lovely, but just the lastest version of the universal Japanese superbike. It still gets noticed, but not by the loose-limbed powder-junky you hope for.
1
1
on the road, it’ll take on anything, and win. the 07-08 model is one of the world’s great road bikes. Composed and devastatingly fast above 7000rpm, its suspension is sprung for the road. the yamaha fills you with confidence and lets you get away with it. on the MV you just want to commute between trackdays.
1
-1
‘I’m a scary man. In London the people who own R1s carry flick knives and are called Leroy. they wear furygan jackets, have gold teeth and dreads. this is the rude-boy’s bike.* they aspire to the R1 – it’s ‘bling’ and so am I. this will get me respect in the ‘hood’, I think… I just hope I don’t run into any of them – they might rob me.’
0
3 f4 1078rr r1 mv agusta
0
1
159bhp at the rear wheel.
*this only applies inside the M25.
fInal score
17,000 Miles
yamaha
total
3
SoLId, dependabLe, VeRSatILe... but not boRIng. you’Re InConSpICuouS on the R1. you’Re a noRMaL bLoke on a nICe bIke – no expeCtatIonS aboVe that, but you’LL neVeR faLL In LoVe wIth It LIke you wouLd the MV. LaCk of agoStInI SIgnatuRe CountS In ItS faVouR.
22/7/08 14:11:33
letteRs
get in touch
letters, Performance Bikes, meDia house, lynchwooD, PeterBorough Business Park, PeterBorough, Pe2 6ea
perf.bikes@bauermedia.co.uk
email:
www.pbmagforum.com eDiteD By marc aBBott
forum:
the big question Been to fracture clinic. I have a collarbone op next week, (a plate and a couple of screws). Got a week to recover before a trackday I’m booked onto. What are the chances? Fastphil I always thought that if you do nothing with it for two weeks it’ll be fine – no adverse effects, but nothing good as new. >BasIl No chance dude. When you get something screwed back together it hurts like hell. Racers only do it because, 1, they have a career resting on it and, 2, they get pumped full of lidocaine. >Intra
pb legend Here is my version of the bike Ducati should have built (and somewhere nice to park it). I’ve been inspired by Kar Lee’s ‘If’ stuff [don’t panic – it’s still in the mag – see page 131] so I decided to have a go myself. I ride a Ducati 998 which I will NEVER sell, and I like some of the Ducati 1098’s styling cues – but it doesn’t make my pants burst like the original 916 or the MV F4. My design is a mix of all of the best bits of these bikes with a Desmosedici motor slotted-in for good measure, and Alfa headlights, too. Keep up the good work. You can see more of the lady at www. anikkajoelle.co.uk, and more of my work at www.critical-tortoise.com.
free alPinestars kit for the Best letter
joIn In: WWW.pBmaGforum.com
pb: the moVie
andy jones, e-mail
Andy, we salute your efforts! To celebrate your highly developed virtual engineering skills, we’re sending you a spanking new Alpinestars GP Plus jacket. Enjoy.
I reckon it’s a push. I was able to drive a car a week after busting mine, but changing gear wasn’t a whole heap of fun. You may be able to ride the bike, depending on how much physical effort is needed, but you may not enjoy it too much. You’ll need help getting the bike in and out of the van. Mine wasn’t plated, so I didn’t have an operation. >foo
www.alpinestaRs.com
For the many who’ve e-mailed to ask why they can’t find it on the web, there’s a good reason. After running it under the noses of our lawyers, it was deemed unsuitable for public consumption. Um, perhaps we went a bit too far...
‘MotoGP only on BBC? Kiss goodbye to qualifying’
>Gpzrx
almost finished norwegian PB reaDer christer lunD is creating a very sPecial 1986 rD500 Project. Details are scant – what christer will tell us is that, ‘it’s something very Different.’ Points are awarDeD for gunmetal finish anD exquisite sPannies. we’ll keeP you uPDateD on Progress... 011 p11-12 PB Sept LetterCDP.sp copy11 11
22/7/08 14:01:59
Sportsbike Britain
steeRinG DAmpeR ‘A SPRINT ITEM, IT IS BACKEd RIGhT off, BuT ToGEThER WITh ThE oThER ModS MEANS ThE BIKE IS fRISKy WIThouT GoING fRoM loCK To loCK.’
VentURA lUGGAGe moUntinG ‘ThIS STuff WoRKS WEll oN My TRIPS ThouGh EuRoPE. I TAKE ThE BACK RACK off foR TRACKdAyS.’
tweAkeD bRAkes ‘I RuN CARBoNE loRRAINE SBKIII PAdS ANd BRAIdEd lINES. ThEy STIll doN’T SToP AS WEll AS oN ThE 08 BIKE. I’M KEEN oN TRyING A PfM BRAKE SET-uP WITh quICK-RElEASE INTERChANGEABlE CAST-IRoN ANd STAINlESS RoToRS.’
rory gaMe
shoRteR GeARinG ‘I’VE GoT oNE TooTh lESS oN ThE fRoNT SPRoCKET, oNE TooTh lESS oN ThE REAR oN A STANdARd-lENGTh ChAIN. ThIS EXTENdS ThE WhEElBASE’
4 words Matt Wildee and kar lee
bikes we like this month
piRelli DiAblo CoRsA ‘ThE PERfECT BlENd of RoAd ANd TRACK uSE. ThEy hANdlEd ThREE dAyS oN ThE TRACK AT lEdENoN ANd hAd ENouGh MEAT lEfT foR ThE RIdE hoME.’
kAwAsAki ZX-10R GUY RiChARDs
whAt The spirit of PB, made motorcycle. A 2004 ZX-10R, made to handle properly, carry you across Europe, and rip up trackdays until your forearms are pumped liked Popeye’s. And do it all so stealthily that you can get away with speeds high enough to make Alastair Stewart bask in hypocrisy and moral panic. In a word: perfect. whY Because loud pipes might save lives, but they also stop you getting on trackdays and send German blood boiling at the Nürburgring. A road legal pipe allows you entry to any trackday anywhere in the world – and with over 150bhp at the back wheel, power isn’t going to be a problem. This is all about maximising what you’ve got already – making the suspension work better, making the bike carry the kit you need. ‘The 2004 ZX-10R is the most exciting litre bike I’ve ridden,’ says Guy, 46. ‘But it needs work to make it good. I didn’t want an 08 bike, I wanted the best 04 bike I could find as a starting point.’ how MCT rebuilt and revalved suspension to make the best of the ZX-10R’s Kayaba forks, while a WP rear shock with hydraulic preload adjustment allows instant attitude adjustment and decent damping. Then there’s the Ventura luggage mounting, the Scottoiler, tweaked brakes, the steering damper. There’s no anodised bolts, no blue screens, no stupid stickers. It’s tasteful, it works. This is how it should be.
50%
50%
intelligent modifications
reasoned insanity
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HONDA SP-1 MARTIN BLACK
SP-2 SWINGARM. STiffeR THAN THe SP-1 iTeM, SOMe SAy iT’S iDeNTiCAl TO THe ONe eDwARDS uSeD TO wiN HiS TiTle iN 2002.
A brilliant introduction to club racing. Martin’s SP-1 is his first race bike. And it’s an awesome bit of kit to be starting with – tweaked forks, an SP-2 swingarm, race cams and host of Durbahn-built goodies. Martin is especially proud of the crazy German’s lightweight cable clutch conversion. The bike is good enough for Martin to chase the points and run some tidy laptimes in his first season.
50%
rough and ready club racer
WSb contender
rory game
50%
The first Aprilia Mille did everything that the KTM RC8 does, but 10 years before you could buy the KTM. Comfortable riding position, a proper midrange and decent adjustable suspension made it better than a Ducati 996 then, and still a proper piece of kit today. limited edition Haga rep has titanium Akrapovics, factory wSB paintjob and Nori’s Japanese moniker on the tank. Tidy.
25%
60%
15%
JapaneSe inSpiration
italian flair
auStrian beater
rory game
GRAFFITI HAGA’S SiGNiATuRe ON TOP yOKe. ONly 150 wORlDwiDe.
APRILIA RSV1000R SIMON ASHTON
LED LIGHTS £20 Off eBAy AND THeN MOuNTeD iN DRilleD HOleS iN THe fAiRiNG. exPeCT TO See MORe liKe THiS veRy SOON.
HONDA FIREBLADE PHIL DODSWORTH
80%
20%
Konnichiha
VorSprung durch techniK
kar lee
The coolest, Audi R8-inspired home-made headlights to grace a modern motorcycle. £100 Ron Haslam race school tank and bodywork and the HRC rear brake reservoir (essentially a plastic tube, £14) are genius. A number 59 on this satin black fairing denotes Phil’s year of birth, the tail unit grills are from an old K&N air filter, while the carbon-fibre heat shield and front mudguard are courtesy of Tyga. Beautiful. Or it was until Phil parked it in the gravel trap two hours after this photo was taken. Ouch.
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Don’t Miss
Planner THE ESSEnTIAl guIDE To THE SPoRTIng MonTH words Gary inman and mick phillips
G&G
3 to See
28%
27%
45%
59%
41%
50%
25%
25%
LIGhtnInG ReactIonS
LateR than Late BRakInG
MoRaLLy duBIouS
LoveLy BIkeS
uGLy Men
MethanoL
SaLt
vIneGaR
125GP
Imola, San marIno, auGuSt 31 It’s weird to focus 20 years of pent-up yearning for GP success on the skill and bravery of a schoolboy, but hell, we can’t help it. When Scott Redding won the British GP one member of PB staff ran from his house, dropped to his knees in the street, threw back his head and shuddered as the tears ran down his cheeks. www.motogp.com
the BIG event BullDoG BaSh
Buxton, DerByShIre, auGuSt 23 there’s no money to be made. no girls to pull. no glamour to taste. no prize money to covet. no corporate hospitality to suck up. British short track racing is racing for the sake of it. Racing for pride, for fun, to win, to not come last. to live, to laugh, to be different to the rest of the squares. Pure, hard racing. www.shorttrackuk.com
BrIGhton SPeeD trIalS
BrIGhton, SuSSex, SePtemBer 13 In a world of fakery, false tans; fake tits and brand new jeans made to look 10 years old by real 10-year-old chinese kids, this ancient, seafront drag race is a helicopter pilot-blinding light of motorcycle authenticity. Go, see, smell, cheer – before Pepsi Max sponsor the bloody thing and ruin it. www.brightonandhovemotorclub.co.uk
What to expect from your big weekend...
● Friday, 11.30: Mike Planter (of Planter and Co, solicitors) arrives on Virago 1100 (noting August, 7-10 loss of one bar-end leather tassel), removes Momo Design matt black lid and covers balding pate with red polka dot bandanna, checking alignment in mirror. ● 12.45: In an off-limits bar, key members of Hells Angels England raise a Jack Daniels toast to their annual cash cow. ● 14.05: Mrs Planter and SullenTeen Planter arrive in Audi estate.80s-vintage cream/brown family frame tent is pitched among the domes. ● 16.36: There’s an altercation at the drag strip. Killbaby, a ferret-eyed man in a greasy cut-off, is angry. It’s Run What Ya Brung but they will not let him run. Scrutineers explain to him that a piece of scaffold attached by 10amp flex with a Brillo pad in the end does not constitute a silencer. ● 20.18: The 261st tooled-leather rune wristband is sold. chippy wood
Short track
● 22.38: As naked, large-breasted women wrestle in a pool of jelly, SullenTeen Planter, hands deep in pockets, adjusts his stance and thanks the lord for baggy denim shorts. ● 23.45: A tattooist works an intricate pattern into the flesh of a young man’s upper arm. As he watches from the sidelines, Mike Planter’s heartbeat quickens. Meanwhile, the sound of laugher tempts Mrs Planter to lay aside Puzzler and peep out of the tent. ● 01.30: At the main-stage mosh pit, human pinball reaches a new level played out on a crackling bed of plastic pint pots. ● Saturday, 10.17: Disturbing yet thrilling, an unholy, explosive roar draws the hungover to the strip where Top Fuel bikes are hitting the high sevens. ● 14.02: Mike Planter suggests to Mrs P he ‘might get a tattoo’. There is a row. They won’t see one another for 12 hours. Mike drinks JD.
● 15.27: Eric Teboul runs his rocket bike down the strip. The bowel-loosening effect of its satanic roar on many spectators is noted by MoD moles. ● 17.56: Back in the family tent, lost in AC/DC on iPod, a drunken, caterwauling Mike Planter practises his head-banging. ● 02.12: We’re in the Rave Tent. All is ultraviolet lights and taut bodies. Sullen Teen Planter dances, blissed-out, with a raven-haired siren from Cardiff. Mrs Planter carefully steps over the prone body of her unconscious, vomitencrusted husband. She’s a little unsteady on her new thigh-length boots, but clutches the arm of a large man wearing a death’s-head backpatch. He is a Sergeant at Arms, but she knows he will be gentle. * the Bulldog bash runs from august 7-10 at Shakespeare county Raceway, Warwickshire. tel: 07713 000673, www.bulldogbash.eu
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pb road test///lake district
Question. could you give up your sportsbike for one of these?
kawasaki z1000 honda cb1300s suzuki b-king
Ó Ó Ó
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PB road test///the Plan crossed up, on the gas, slightly out of control, the B-King rules the B123. The big heavy four is gapping our cBr600. it could do the same to you
onlY one WaY to FInd out. throW them at some oF the Best roads In BrItaIn – WIth a FeIstY 600 snaPPIng at theIr heels... words ben wilkins, matt wildee pics james cheadle
2008 suZuki B-king. 165bhp
2008 kawasaki Z1000. 113bhp
2008 Honda CB1300s. 108bhp
2004 Honda CBR600RR. 100bhp
THe oddBall. a ConCepT Bike made RealiTy. soRT of. iT’s jusT laCking THe supeRCHaRgeR. sTill, iT Has a 165BHp HayaBusa engine.
THe ReTRo. iT migHT Be Big, BuT iT’s ComfoRTaBle and possesses a CeRTain someTHing THaT geTs ouR juiCes flowing.
THe aTTiTude. kawasaki’s euRo iii ComplianT updaTe To THe RauCous 04 Z1000. if THeRe was an asBo foR Bikes, iT would Have one.
THe sTandaRd. spoRTsBikes don’T geT muCH moRe foCused THan a 600. aRguaBly, THe CBR600RR is THe mosT foCused of THem all.
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THIS MONTH WE’VE MOSTLY:
● Ridden each bike more than 600 miles on Britain’s best, and sometimes worst, roads ● Gone crosseyed spending hours sifting through GPS data ● Sat in a pub for three hours (hoorah!) waiting for the torrential rain to stop ● Realised that Matt can’t go for longer than 20minutes without a snack
Ó Ó Ó
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MODERN LEgEND
RC30s ARE OBVIOUs OW-01s ARE LITTLE MORE THAN BAsIC FZRs DUCATIs ARE OWNED BY RICH BAsTARDs WHO CAN’T RIDE* * Only jOking, we lOve RC30s, Ow-01s and duCatis tOO. 070 070-077_PB_Sep08 a5.indd 2
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MEET THE ZXR750R THE WSB HOMOLOGATION SPECIAL YOU CAN ACTUALLY AFFORD words Matt Wildee and John Westlake Pics Fly tipping and paul Bryant
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Faster section set-up///wisdom/// godlike riding 098 TesT Aftermarket end cans 104 How To Jump! 105 seT-up Yamaha R6 106 FasTer Honda CBR600RR 113 TecHnical Why you should dyno
! w ne
114 gear The kit we trust 121 buying Fizzy to Fireblade in 6 moves
plus legend hunter
KATAnA, FzR400, Fz750, zx-9R
P116
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µµµµµ aftermarket end cans The test bike 2003 Yamaha YZF R1 with 12,500
miles on the clock. Fitted with stock exhaust downpipes.
yamaha’s 03 r1 turns test mule for top-end slip-ons
The test procedure
a note on Noise...
1. Weigh the exhaust silencer and link tube plus any springs and brackets. 2.Fit the end can to the bike with removable baffle fitted (where appropriate), run the bike up to normal operating temperature and dyno test for power and torque. 3.Remove the bolt-in baffle (where appropriate), connect a Power Commander and remap the fuelling to the exhaust can, run the bike up to normal operating temperature and dyno test for power and torque. 4. Noise test.
Most, if not all, trackdays and evenings in the UK now have a noise restriction. Generally this is 105dB and is tested with a noisemeter at 50cm distance and 45 degrees from the exhaust exit spout, vertically level with it. The ACU handbook states the rev-level for testing a four-cylinder, four-stroke over 750cc is 5500rpm so this is how we conducted noise tests. Some circuits have lower limits, and some change depending on the time of day, so it’s worth checking before buying a slip-on can, especially if you have a favourite circuit. Ó Ó Ó
road-legal oval titanium with removable baffle
Micron delta plus ● Price £274.99 ● Weight 2.8kg ● Contact 01773 876330 ● www.micronexhausts.com
the choice of ama racers from the 70s to present day. pops’ japanese firm has a rich, 54-year heritage. this is the us-made yoshi.
the midlands-based firm famous for two-stroke spannies and modern sports kit. should you buy british?
stainless race tri-oval with removable baffle
Yoshimura ● Price £330 ● Weight 3.3kg ● Contact 01782 569800 ● www.phoenixnw.co.uk
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