NEW W METAL! TURBO O SPONDON NDON GIXER
WHAT TO O EXPECT IN 2019
BEHIND THE BARS OF A
278bhp BEAST
AUGUST 2018 ISSUE 343
WING G IT! SPANKING APRILIA LIA’S
FACTORY WORKS RACER R GP-INSPIRED WINGS, 212bhp, 170KG, & HOW YOU CAN BUILD YOURS
TRIPLE TREAT MV BRUTALE RR VERSUS YAMAHA MT-09 SP VERSUS TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE RS
VS
VS
PLUS: MV’S UNSTALLABLE TURISMO VELOCE 800 SCS TESTED, LIFE AS A TT PRIVATEER, PROJECT NINJA, JONATHAN REA
HOW TO:
MASTER CROFT CIRCUIT
GET MORE FROM YOUR GEARING BUY A USED SUZUKI SV1000S NAIL TRACKDAY NUTRITION AVOID INSURANCE STINGS
ISSUE 343 AUGUST 2018
IT’S THE NEWS!
Upfront ........................................... 10 All the tastiest biking titbits.
GEARED UP!
Products.......................................... 12
All the newest, coolest and trickest products.
THE KNOWLEDGE
Used Buyer’s Guide......................... 72 Everything you need to know about buying a 2003-2008 Suzuki SV1000S.
MASTERCLASS
Legal ................................................ 79 Don’t let your insurance company give you the run-around after a crash.
Track Attack....................................90
How to master the best of British circuits. This month: Croft.
Track Craft ......................................94 Dean Ellison talks us through what you should be eating and drinking on a trackday.
Know Your.......................................96 Sprockets. How altering your gearing can transform your ride.
44 TESTS COVER STORY
Triple Treat .................................... 18 MV Agusta Brutale 800RR vs Yamaha MT-09 SP vs Triumph Street Triple RS.
COVER STORY Aprilia RSV4 Factory Works.......... 34
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Bruce flew to Mugello for a fly round on the new winged Aprilia.
Lewis High shows off his pristine BMW S1000RR.
MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800 Lusso SCS...................................... 50
Addiction.........................................60
Chatter ............................................80
It’s only fair we give the best readers in the world a couple of pages of their own!
You & Yours.....................................82 All of your latest adventures!
60
Carl’s been to the launch of the new F3 800 powered MV sport tourer.
FEATURES
Private, i ........................................ 44
Boothy’s just come home from competing as a privateer at the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races and tells us all about his experience.
Party in the Park........................... 66
Were you at our very own Fast Bikes Trackday? If not, why not?.
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
18
Staff Bikes.......................................99 More models, more miles and more mods. •
• Suzuki GSX-S1000 Kawasaki Ninja 400 • Yamaha YZF-R6 Yamaha R1M • Yamaha YZF-R1M • Suzuki GSX-R1000 • KTM 1290 Super Duke GT •
RACE SECTION
Pit Pass.......................................... 106 The lowdown on BSB, WSBK and MotoGP.
The Superbike King ..................... 110
We caught up with Jonathan Rea to find out what it’s like being the best Superbike racer in the world.
Race Riot ....................................... 116
COLUMNISTS
Neave twins .................................. 119
Christian Iddon ............................. 121
Gary Johnson ................................ 120
Steve Parrish................................. 122
Tom’s on a high after a good run at Knockhill. Settling back into life after the IoM TT .
Sofa surfing and sheet piling with the BSB rider. Parrish’s take on all things bike-racing.
SUB
What we get up to when we’re not putting together the best mag in the world.
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BRONTE STEAM 7
WELCOME
The future’s now
G
abrielle sang a song about dreams coming true, and do you know what, she wasn’t fibbing. After way too many hours, days and years of dreaming, I finally got that golden ticket to sample the delights of Italy’s finest race track: Mugello. And not on some battered C90 with spokes missing, I’ll have you know. Parked up in a pristine garage, packed with factory technicians and enough fresh rubber to keep a porn star happy, stood an audacious-looking winged wonder. Yep, this was my chance to try out Aprilia’s 112bhp Factory Works RSV4 on a circuit crafted by the gods. Let’s just say neither the bike nor the track disappointed, as you’ll know after you’ve read this issue’s report. The Aprilia’s the latest in a succession of new and exciting propositions that have made an appearance of late, squaring up to the likes of BMW’s HP4 Race, Honda’s RC213V-S and Ducati’s 1299 Superleggera. And there will undoubtedly be more such steeds on the way, as rival brands flex their engineering muscles and throw everything they’ve got into topping the charts for the lightest, fastest and most innovative of motorcycles. But there’s also plenty of good news for financially humble mortals such as myself, as it looks like we’re going to be treated to some far more attainable metal in 2019. Beej loves a good rumour, and he’s had his ear to the ground to bring us some exciting goss on what’s likely to be headed our way in the near future. He’s even gone as far as to rate each rumour’s reliability, so make sure to check that out as your next bike could be in that mix. But if you’re after something new right now, you’ll find plenty of inspiration in our triples test. We pitched Triumph’s awesome Street Triple RS against Yamaha’s head-banging MT-09SP and MV’s bellissimo Brutale RR, on road and track. What weapons they turned out to be, albeit all very different in character and performance. It’s all there for the absorbing, so take it in and enjoy. It’s been another great month this side of the fence, and we hope yours has been equally epic. Summer’s in full swing, so keep those throttles pinned and get those miles munched. And don’t forget to tell us what you’ve been up to, what you’ve got planned and what you think we should do – we don’t want to waste a minute this season. Last but not least, we’re after some pretty trick bikes to test, just like the 278bhp Spondon we’ve got in this issue. If you’ve got something that’s up our street, don’t be shy.
34
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AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 9
, NEW S & REV IEW S PLA NE T FAST BIKES – NEW ME TAL
FOR 2018!
NEW COLOURS FOR THE DUCATI SUPERSPORT
With 2019 already creeping up on us, Ducati have unveiled their first taste of some new metal, or some colour at least. Coming with a Titanium Grey fairing, red wheels and a red frame, Ducati say that the new colour scheme combines a sporty style with an elegant look, giving a nod to the iconic models from the past. The colour scheme will be available on the SuperSport S, fitted with Öhlins suspension, Ducati Quick Shift up/down and rear seat cover, which will continue to be available in Ducati Red as well as the Star White Silk, with red wheel rims and frame. The price remains unchanged at £12,995, and the bikes will be available from July in Ducati dealerships.
10 AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
ANNUAL R&G TRACKDAY ANNOUNCED
Now in their third year of running an annual trackday, crash protection specialists R&G have announced that this year they will be at Cadwell Park, running in association with our buddies in No Limits Trackdays. It will be run on Monday, August 20, with a 105db noise limit, and not only will you be able to blast round one of the best tracks in the world, but you’ll also be on track with both the Moto Rapido and Anvil Hire TAG Racing teams blasting around as well – with open
trucks so you can get up close and personal with the machinery. Dean Ellison will be in attendance for instruction, while Track Bike Hire will be bringing their fleet of YZF-R6s for riders to try for one session. The California Superbike School will also be on hand to provide off-track coaching throughout the day, and photography is free all day long! There are 120 places on a first come, first served basis and will cost you £109. You can get yourself booked on for £109!
UPFRONT
WHAT’S ON IN AUGUST
LIMITED EDITION MONSTER 1200 25° ANNIVERSARIO RELEASED! Ducati have released a limited edition celebration, dubbed the Monster 1200 25° Anniversario – for, you guessed it, the 25th anniversary of the range. With only 500 numbered motorcycles being produced they won’t be sticking around for long, thanks to an ex clusive Italian style livery of the red, white and green adorning the fairing, fuel tank and passenger seat cover. The seat will be embroidered with the 25th Anniversary logo, while the frame and Marchesini wheels come in gold for the ultimate bling factor, alongside the mirrors, bar ends, and petrol cap. The articulated brake and clutch levers as well as the plate holder are aluminium,
while the front and rear mudguards, the keyhole cover and the ex haust heat guard are in carbon fibre. The Monster 1200 25° Anniversario also comes with a bike cover, decorated with the special edition logo to keep it cosy in winter. As far as performance goes, the Anniversario puts out 14 7 bhp at 9,250rpm and a max imum torq ue of 91lb-ft at 7 ,7 50rpm, and will come with all the electronic goodies you’d find on the Monster 1200S. It also has the same O hlins front and rear suspension, Brembo Monobloc calipers and long service intervals as well. The price is yet to be announced but it will be available in Europe from September.
August 2-5 – Bridge Rats MCC Rat Pack Rally – West Yorkshire August 3 – Bike Night, Jacks Hill Café – Northants August 3 -5 – Withernsea Music & Bike Fest – East Yorkshire August 4 -5 – Llangollen Motorcycle Festival – North Wales August 4 -5 – Festival of Wheels – Suffolk August 5 – Associated Sheppey Bikers ‘ Big B’ charity fund raiser – Isle of Sheppey August 5-6 – Cadwell Park Count of Cadwell Championship – Lincolnshire August 9-11 – Yorkshire Rock ‘ n’ Bike Show – Yorkshire August 12 – Plymouth Motorcycle Club MegaRide – Plymouth August 12 – Brackley Festival of Motorcycling – Northants August 17 -19 – Renegade MC 12th Redskin Rally – K ent August 18 – The Bristol Bike Show – Bristol August 25 – TAG Speed Motorcycle Show – West Yorkshire August 24 -26 – GoPro British Grand Prix ( MotoGP) – Silverstone August 25-26 – The Great Northwest Motorbike Festival – Lancashire
AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 11
S S T PERF ORMA NC E PRODUC TS ALL THE LATEST, CO OL ES T & TRICKE
ALPINESTARS SP-X LEATHER JACKET Ever fancied a j acket with a ‘ multiple-material chassis’? Well Alpinestars have you covered with their new SP-X leather j ackket. Constructed from 1.3 mm high grade bovine leather and high abrasion stretch fabric, the SP-X comes with chest and back PE nd Padding alongside Internal CE-certified Bio-Armour shoulder an elbow protectors – although there is space for added internal anels protection if that isn’t enough for you. The ex tensive stretch pa on the stretch will make the SP-X incredibly comfortable from the get-go, and with z ippered air intakes for optimised airflow you shouldn sweaty. shouldn’tt find yourself getting too sweaty
£299.99
www.alpinestars..com
THERMAL TECHNOLOGY EVO O TRI-ZONE Tyre warmers do ex actly what they say on the tin – they warm tyres. This is beneficial for a number of reasons, including m max imising both tyre life by avoiding damaging heat cycles and your ttrack time as you won’t need to mess around waiting for heat. These warmers from Thermal Technology are use ed by top teams in motorcycle championships around the world including MotoGP, WSBK and several teams in the BSB Championship. Therma al Technology were the first to use carbon resistive elements for heating the warmers – oh, and they own the patent for tyre warmers with h integrated rim heating. The range caters for everyone from the professional racer to the occasional track day enthusiast to the amateur racer and beyond.
SUZUKI OGIO 9800 SLED TROLLEY BAG With i h a reputation i as one off the h most durable d bl kit ki bags b on the h market, k the O GIO 98 00 Sled, or Structural Load Eq ualiz ing Deck 98 00, offers increased durability even in the harshest of conditions – whether that be climbing mountains or going on EasyJet flights. There is a large main compartment with a wide mouth lid for easy access to the gear compartments, which consists of a main section and a padded helmet section and holds 18 0 litres. The 98 00 is constructed with iFO M ( integrated foam) for added gear protection, and comes eq uipped with oversiz ed wheels for ex tra ground clearance and a collapsible heavy duty pull handle. O h, and it looks full factory in Suz uki colours…
£186
www.suzuki.co.uk/bikes
12 AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
From £229.99 - £825
www.kippax-moto.co.uk
K-TECH DUCATI PANIGALE V4S DDS PRO SHOCK Got yourself a Ducati Panigale V 4 S and fancy pimping up the suspension a touch? Well look no further than K -Tech’s DDS Pro shock absorber. Designed for use at the highest level of racing including the Isle of Man TT, the DDS Pro has been manufactured using the latest design software and the highest grade of materials. The DDS Pro also has a 3 2mm piston to control the damping which allows larger shims to be used for an improved feel. There’s a heap of adj ustability as well with 3 2 clicks of rebound and compression, alongside a special bypass valve which allows high speed adj usting for a q uick change – for ex ample if there’s a shower before you head out.
RRP £1,194
www.ktechsuspension.com
WEISE RENEGADE GLOVES If you fancy a new summer glove on a budget, then the Renegad de model from Weise will undoubtedly be right up you alley. Constructed from f full grain leather with a polyester lining, the Renegade comes laced d with integrated TPU reinforcement armour to the knuckles and finge ers alongside a twin layer of leather on the palm for safety, while stretch panels throughout the glove will keep you nice and comfy. If that wasn’t enough, the velcro on the strap and the cuff is completely adj ustable as well as being padded.
£89.99
www.thekeycollection.co.uk
TRIPLE S CHAIN AND SPROCKETT KITS ITS Whether you’re racing and need a good selection of sprockets or you’re on the roads and fancy making your w bike better suited to you, it’s incredible the change a few gh teeth and a new chain can make – which means this hig q uality chain and sprocket combination from Triple S might j ust be right up your alley. The chain has ex cellent impact d load resistance and is designed specifically to withstand the stresses of driving a machine, while every sprocket is machined and CNC manufactured to ex acting standards – meaning they can achieve the closest possible tolerancces nd for the ultimate longevity. U sed by teams in both BSB an MX GP, the kits are available for a range of models.
From £23.88
www.bikeit.co.uk
BUFFALO REBEL TEXTILE JACKET Made from a tough 600-denier material which will give you a fix ed waterproof, windproof and even breathable lining, the Rebel j acket from Buffalo is the perfect addition to your wardrobe, especially if you’re on a budget. Inside the j acket is a removable thermal q uilted lining and a load of Air-Pro z ipped vents to keep you covered in all conditions, while safety is taken care of thanks to CE-approved armour covering both the shoulders and elbows, alongside a trouser connection z ip if you fancy going whole hog. You even get a removable fleece lined hood to keep your noggin warm and dry when you’re off the bike!
£89.99
www.thekeycollection.co.uk
AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 13
CORE TEST
TRIPLE WORDS: BOOTHY IMAGES: JAMIE MORRIS
Some say three is a crowd, but when it comes to these three middleweight roadsters it’s the magic number (of cylinders).
18 AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
TRIPLE TREAT
TREAT M
ost of us would love to spend our lives doing a million miles an hour on the latest, greatest erection inducing superbikes. That goes without saying. But on Her Maj’s highways there is only so much lunacy permitted which has steered a growing proportion of the litre bike fraternity towards slightly more sedate steeds. At the other end of the motorcycling spectrum, the yoof of yesterday are now a day older and a day closer to trading in
their CBR125s for something with a little bit more poke and a slightly stronger fanny magnet fitted as standard. So with this in mind, we have assembled an international threesome of beauties that would’ve made even Hugh Hefner a little bit jealous. Representing our flamboyant friends in Italy, the all-new MV Agusta Brutale 800RR brings its stunning good lucks to the table. For the hooligans among us, all the way from the dark side of
Japan, the also new for 2018 Yamaha MT-09 SP was likely to be on its baddest behaviour. And last, and by absolutely no means least, the Triumph Street Triple RS would be doing its level best to have us all singing Rule Britannia before sundown. To put this trio of triples to the test, I enlisted the help of Mr Bean for a rip around some of our favourite local roads and sent Dangerous Bruce on a trackday (well, I thought he could do with the practice).
AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 19
CORE TEST
Brutale beautiful.
MV Agusta Brutale 800RR D
o you believe in love at first sight? No, well neither do I, but if I did, I’m pretty sure I would be getting down on one knee and asking the MV for its handlebar in marriage (I’m sure it’s legal to marry a bike in some states in the US). It really is a stone-cold stunner with its sharp lines, diamond-cut aluminium wheels and ‘organ-pipe’ silencers, so as soon as I saw this red and black (well, pearl shock red/metallic carbon black) beauty, I was desperate to get my leg over (no change there then) to see if the riding experience could live up to the MV’s delivishly good looks and whopping £13,490 price tag. Aloft the MV, I felt as though I was perched right towards the front of the bike with quite a lot of weight going through my wrists and hands. I tried to shuffle around to make myself a little more comfortable but the strangely shaped seat wasn’t very obliging. My comfort levels were very quickly forgotten about when I fired the RR’s engine up, though. I never knew that a Euro 4 compliant bike in showroom trim could sound so menacing, but it can. The MV is
a bike that sounds as good as it looks, despite on the odd occasion the fuelling feeling a little less than perfect and hunting a bit at low revs. And if aesthetics and audio aren’t enough to excite you then wait till you’ve taken the MV for a blast. From the get-go the engine felt light and revvy and its full throttle howl egged me on to use all of its 13,000rpm, all the time. One peculiar trait of the Brutale was its un-rev-limiter-like rev-limiter. Rather than the typical ‘ba ba ba ba ba’ that most of us redline addicts have come to expect, the MV’s revs just stop increasing with no real change in sound, so revving out sometimes went unnoticed for a split second or two. The RR’s light feeling engine is accompanied by a chassis to match. It feels light and nimble on the road and the riding position, slightly uncomfortable though it may be, gives the bike a good dose of sportiness. On our long and varied test route nothing ever felt too sketchy through the fast or the slow stuff. The problem with the MV isn’t that it’s not agile enough, it’s that it’s almost too agile; by that
20 AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
I mean when you’re hunched over the RR’s ’bars in what doesn’t feel a million miles away from a ‘racing crouch’ the bike always seems to be looking for the next corner, and it’s ready to drop into it at a nanosecond’s notice – it’s great fun but this agility is really to the detriment of the bike’s stability and on our test it sometimes felt a little flightier than you might expect
from a naked middle-weight such as this. What you also mightn’t expect from this category of motorcycle is such an impressive quickshifter and blipper system. Okay, quickshifters are ten a penny these days and it’s usually the first thing a manufacturer will throw at their ‘premium’ spec models, but a little less common is a blipper. And even
Scratchin’.
TRIPLE TREAT
MR BEA AN SAYS... When I saw 16,000rp
MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 800RR £13,490
Highlights Vogue looks Switchable ABS Chart-topping soundtrack 87Nm torque Blipper 140bhp BRAKING
9
STABILITY
5
AGILITY
8
Brembo, baby, yeah! Somewhat flighty Surprisingly sporty
PERFORMANCE 7 Revvy and exciting
FUN
Fairly entertaining
Scrapyard challenge.
ABS? No thanks.
6
less common still is a blipper that works so sweetly. There is a fair amount of slogger on the shift lever, I’ll give you that, but the electronics seem to aid the mechanics of every single gear change perfectly and as an added bonus you’re treated to a little pop on every upshift and a uniform blip on every downshift. Nice. While we are on the subject of electronics, it’s worth mentioning the eight level traction control,
which is probably a little excessive, although on the lowest setting, you did have to give it some welly to get it to kick in. The TC system can, of course, be turned completely off, the only problem with that is you have to look at the appallingly dated dash and scroll all the way through its systems using the cheap looking (and feeling) buttons on the left hand switchgear. And the dash isn’t just dated, it’s a bit rubbish too. The warning lights and stuff appear on a black panel just below the main display; well, when I say appear, you will need your bifocals on if you want to see them, and even then you’ve got your work cut out to read what they actually say. I think someone needs to remind MV
Agusta’s dashboard department that it’s 2018. If you can bear to look at the dash for any longer it’s worth turning the ABS off too. The Brembo brakes (front and back) on the MV are fantastic but I found the ABS a little too intrusive for my liking. With ABS deactivated, big stoppies and long skids were more than catered for on the MV, but what made me really happy was the fact that when you turn the ignition off for any period of time, the bike would remember what you’d turned off, rather than defaulting to a ‘safe’ setting, with all the aids turned back on. MV Agusta are certainly making a statement with the styling of the new Brutale, but at £13,490 it’s very much at the deep end of the price pool. If its value you’re after then you might want to read on…
THE RR’S LIGHT FEELING ENGINE IS ACCOMPANIED BY A CHASSIS TO MATCH. Verdict
7/10
A beautiful looking and awesome sounding bike, but it needs to be to justify that whopper of a price tag. + SEX ON WHEELS – EXPENSIVE, POORLY FINISHED.
AUGUST 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 21