Rolling the dice on a used CBR600 for £300… and getting it back on the road
14 28
THEKNOWLEDGE
TEST S
Worth the wait 14
It’sbeen along time coming, but Yamaha has finally delivered the goodswith its much-anticipated R9.
Need for Speed 28
Thirty-one years in themaking,Triumph’s much-loved SpeedTriple 1200RSwell and truly throwsits hat into thesupernaked scene
Best of both 60
If you like your bikes with ablend of comfort and plenty of sporting potential, the Tiger Sport 800 couldberight up yourstreet.
COLUMNISTS
Christian Iddon ....................................96
After the longest time,Iddon’sfinally got back on abike
FEATURES
Supersport at asnip. 24 Want amiddleweight sportsbike butdon’twant to pay afortune? Well, here’sour pickofused crackers at half the price of new Bargain or bonkers?
38 Would you roll the dice on a30-year-old £300 used and abused CBR?Johnny did… Suzuki GSX-S1000 Buyer’sGuide 54
If you put alittle bit of work into it, Suzuki’s GSX-S1000isacorkerofausednaked. Fast Bikes’biggestbiking letdowns ....... 70 Ever wondered what could have been if manufacturers had tried abit harder?That got us chuntering about afew bikes thatshoulda and coulda been so much better than whatwe actually got.
Project Corner: VFR400R NC30 ................ 86 Some serious graft went into making thisiconic NC30 track-ready
Alternatively,scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today.Wewill send it directly to you!
Whatever the weather
Ifthere’sone thing we can all relate to,it’sbad weather and motorcycling. Thetwo things go together like atoe anda hammer: never agood combo.I saythis having had the maddest and wettest month of launches Ican probably remember. Considering I’mwriting this virtually at thestart of spring, the weather’sbeen unprecedently terrible in southern Europe –and the experiences unimaginable.You might have seen the washoutthat greeteduson Yamaha’sR9test at Jerez.The whole track was under water,the bikeswere too, and if it hadn’t been for massive amounts of graft and evenbiggersized cheques, the review in this issue simply wouldn’t have happened We ended up moving circuit in the end, but even then we couldn’t fully escape the rain. And as for last week’stest of Triumph’santicipated Speed Triple 1200RS,well, that wasn’t much drier
Ironically,it’sbeen much warmer hereinthe UK, meaning I’ve been able to get out for acouple of rides and join the masses of bikers that have been going for aplay in the unusually goodweather.You cansee things arestarting to crank up and
people aremaking the most of it… areyou? Have you been clocking the milesalready? Don’t forget to get in touch andtell us what you’ve been up to so we can shareitonthe letters page.Likewise,whatever you’ve got planned for the year,wewant to hear it. We’restill knee-deep in launches, which is exciting because thereare so many great new bikes to try,but the thought of warm and dry roads is tantalising to say the least.
It’sbeen fantastictohave received so much correspondence from you guys with suggestions for content. It’s definitely got us thinking, with the hope being abletodeliver on the cracking ideas you’resending in Neverforget that we’reheretodeliver for you, sokeep the suggestions coming and we’lldoour best to make themhappen. In the meantime,graba brewand get stuck into this issue… I’m just off to check the weather forecast.
Enjoy the mag,
Some things arebetterlef t behind,but Fast Bike s isn’tone of them trustus. Fora start , we’d miss you, butit’dalso mean you’dmis sout on awhole
load of news,reviews,tech, talksand insightintopioneering protagonists.Justthink about theroad trips, theproject bike builds –and allthe excuseswe throwinwiththem. We want you on this ride,and we want your stories, your inputand guidance, so don’tbeastranger! Check
outthe cracking dealswe’ve got here andlet’s getyou settled into anotherseasonof thegoodstuff from the UK’s leadingsport sbike magazine.
FAST BIKES – NE W METAL, NE WS &REV IE WS
DUCATIXDIAVEL
We thought we’dseen all of Ducati’s fresh new wares for 2025, but the Bologna bad boys had kept one more trick piece of kit up their sleeves –the 2025 Ducati XDiavel V4.
It’sabit of an oddity.First launched back in 2016, it was an attempt at amore ‘American’ Diavel, with foot-forward controls,tweaked styling, lower seatand a belt final drive on the superbike-derived Testastretta V-twin engine.Those changes also helped it accelerate off the line –the long,low chassis andgrunty motor actually made it Ducati’sfastestaccelerating bike at the time.Aimed mostlyatthe US,it’snevertheless carved out aniche in markets in Europe and Asia too,and Ducati alsobuilt afew specialedition XDiavels –the Dark,Black Star and Neravariants
The wild old 1260 V-twin engine has gone now though, and Ducati’shad to transfer all its bigger bikes onto the V4 platform, including the XDiavel hot rod. So, for 2025 we get the new XDiavel V4, with a168bhp version of the Granturismo V-4 engine,asseen on the standard Diavel and the Multistrada V4 models.The 1158cc 90-degree V4 Granturismo motor is the lower-power unit, with conventional valve springs rather than the desmodromic headsonthe V4 Panigale, Streetfighter and Multistrada RS models
As on the Diavel, it’smated monocoque aluminium main rather than the old-school steel trellis framesseenonthe original Diavels.The restofthe chassis is al broadly similar:50mmupside-down Marzocchi front forks and ar reservoir rear monoshock, both fully adjustable,and aslick single-side rear swingarm to show off star-shaped rear wheel. Ducati also dumped the belt drive earlier XDiavels in favour chain final drive
As on the it’s mated to a new monocoque aluminium main frame unit, rather than the old-school steel tube trellis frames seen on the Diavels. The rest of the chassis is also similar: 50mm upside-down Marzocchi front forks and a remote reservoir rear monoshock, both adjustable, and a slick single-sided rear to show off the new rear wheel. Ducati has also the belt drive us earlier XDiavels favour of a normal
calipers up onto 330mm discs, and the XDiavel comes electro aids to – cornering ABS and traction, wheelie, launch and cruise control, and power modes, all the 6.9in LCD dash.
Brembo Stylema calipe onto huge 330mm discs,a comes with superbike-spec riding aids to suit –corn traction, wheelie,launch ise control, quickshifter and odes controlled via the huge 6.9in das Visually,the obvious differences from the base Diavel is the forward-se footpegs and levers,though offering akit to relocate more conventional mid-mount point, which seems abit weird. wheels and exhaust are tweaked compared with the similarities areclear. XDiavel is alittle heavier bike: 6kg more at 229kg it’salso £2k pricierat£25,995.
Visually, the forward-set levers, though Ducati is a kit to relocate the pegs to a more mid-mount seems a bit The bodywork, are all slightly tweaked with the Diavel, but are clear Finally, the a little than the base more at wet, no fuel, and it’s also £2k pricier at £25,995.
HARLE YCVO ROAD GLIDERRRACEREP
Back in the 1980s,the weird sport of truck racing briefly became quite popular.Inthe UK, the sight of race-tuned HGVs without trailers bashing bodywork down themain straight at Snetterton or Brands had a certain appeal, we admit. And now we have asimilarly hypnotic experience,watching the American King of Baggers racing which has also become quite popular Here,it’srace-tuned 350kg American touring bikes doing battle,like hippos rutting on aDavid Attenboroughwildlife documentary…
It’sabattle between Indian and Harley-Davidson, of course,and both firms have been ramping up the pressure,with ever more outlandish race versions of their lardy tourers.They’re even selling super-limitededition versions of theracers; Indian had the Indian ChallengerRRonoffer acouple of years ago,priced about £75k.
And now Harley has joined in with this,the CVO (Custom Vehicle Operation) Road Glide RR (snappily codenamed the FLTRXRRSE). The firm says it’sasclose to the race bike as you can get, in road-legal format, so it has turnsignals and headlights.But italsohasa tuned 153bhp version of the Milwaukee-Eight engine, bored out to 131 cubic inches (2147cc), with 2mm bigger Inconel valves,68mm throttle body,billet clutch andatitanium Akrapovic exhaust. The chassis spec wouldn’t look out of place on aproper WSBKmachine, either:Öhlins FGR253 forks and Öhlins race rear twin shocks,with amachined billet aluminium swingarm,
Brembonickel-plated GP4RX frontcalipers and T-drive 320mm calipers
There’sbeen alot of work putintoreduce mass: carbon bodywork, aluminium billet engine covers,and the exhaust andswingarm are all much lighter than stock. It still weighsinat356kg wet, mind,whichis probably downtothe steel frame andthe heapsof roadkit left on there; it even has the soundsystem speakers in the fairing, and the massiveTFT LCD dashboard.
There are also some weird design choices.Itcomes with ‘normal’ Harley bagger wheel andtyresizes (130/60 19 front and180/55 18 rear), with bias-belted Dunlop D408/407 cruisingrubber on the cast aluminium wheels.God knows what those poor tyres will make of 153bhpand apair ofBrembo GP4 RX calipers
Sadly,orluckily,depending on your pointofview, the CVO Road GlideRRisaUS-only offering. It’salso limited to 131 units being made, so is very limitededition. Finally,itcosts ahefty$110,000, or £85,000, so don’texpect to see many of ‘em down the Super Sausage or at Ryka’s.
KT MU PD AT E: DE AL SO NW HE EL S
Amonthly magazine’snews pages is maybe not the best place to follow the financial ups and downs of KTM’sparent company Pierer,but we’llhave ago. Last month, as we went to press,the firm was facing a‘crunch’ meeting of its various creditors in an attempt to resolve the dizzying levels of debt incurred by the firm. Figures of morethan €2billion had been reported, and the future looked bleak. However, adeal was brokered in Austria at the end of February that saw creditors accept an investment plan which will pay off about athird of the debts.Asever,the money folk must tread aline between taking the nuclear option of liquidation and selling off all the assets in afire sale or accepting asmaller sum, with a restructuring of the debt and reorganisation of thecompany
Exact details of the new investment plan are unclear,but it’sthought that giant Indian firm Bajaj and Chinesebike maker CFMoto are heavily involved. These two brands had strong links with KTM, making engines and bikes for each other,and distributing their products in various global markets,soitmakes sense that they have remained part of the story.There are
also persistentrumours that BMW,based just over theGerman border in Munich, is takingan interest, thoughit’seven less clear whatthat firm’srole would be Backinthe real world,here in theUK, KTM owners are obviously worried ab from apractical point of view.W available? Has thevalue of my plummeted?Inthe shortand mediu firm is still operating as normal that parts supply anddealer bac remain unaffected. There has be discounting, though –the firmi have thousands of unsoldbikes and if you paid full price for aK Super Duke last year,you’ll notb the other hand, there are some bargainsout there nowifyou don’t mindtakingabit ofa risk.And is also now offering afour-year warranty on 2023/24/25 model twin-cylinderbikes (the parallel twin 790 and 890 and V-twin 1290 and1390s) in an attempttored worries aboutboth its mechanical andfinancial reliability
Finally,itseems inevitable that theextensive race operations ofthe group will now come under the microscope.Itmightbehard to justify amegabucksscheme like the winninglite MotoGP project if you’ve just had to give a
owners are worried about the future from a practical of view. Will parts remain available? Has the value of my bike plummeted? In the short and medium term, the firm is still as normal and is promising that parts and dealer back-up will remain unaffected. There has been some deep – the firm is reported to have thousands of unsold bikes in stock –and if you full for a KTM 1390 Super Duke last year, you’ll not be happy On the hand, there are some real bargains out now if you mind taking a bit of a risk. And KTM now a four-year warranty on 2023/24/25 model twin-cylinder bikes 790 890 1290 and 1390s) in attempt to reduce about both
lite MotoGP if had to a hard-luck story to people you owed hundreds of millions of Euros to Things seem set in place now for 2025, but 2026 and beyond might be another question.
TRIUMPHMOT O2 TRIPLE TROPHY
Triumph’sextremely successful Moto2 operation rumbles onwards into 2025, with the Hinckley firm continuing to supply the 765 StreetTriple-based race engines for the MotoGP support class.And it’sbrought back the Moto2 Street Triple competition again for
and Triumph
There’sanextrabonus this year,though –running
• Triumph has updated the 765 Moto2 race for 2025 with a new gearbox layout that neutral at the bottom of the shift There’s also a neutral detent, meaning the rider has to push a lever to shift into neutral, preventing any false neutrals, and speeding up the shift from first to second gears. A small but useful upgrade, and one we’d like to see on road bikes at some point.
The bike is aposh versionofthe 765 Street Triple,with one-off paint, and is apretty thing for sure.Details onhow to vote foryour favourite Moto2 racer via Instagram and how to enter theprize draw are available on the MotoGP andTriumph websites ri engine places pattern. There’salso aneutral lock-out me hal into false ,a om econd ra which point. for this year, which gives a special Street Triple as a prize to the most popular racer of the season, voted for by the public There’s an extra bonus this year, though –the organisers are also giving away a bike to one lucky Moto2 fan in a free prize draw alongside the racers’ competition.
Keep
DUCATIPORSCHE EXPERIENCE
This one is based in the Franciacorta provingground near Brescia, in northern Italy,and is more of an experience daythana pure track day,with on andoff-road challenges.All the Ducati range is
They’re both ultimately part of the same firm, the massive Volkswagen Audi Group,and they’ve both got a stonking range of saucy high-end machinery,with similarly wellheeled customers,soitprobably makes alot of sense for Porsche and Ducati to team up for an event
there to try out, exceptfor the Panigales,and the Porsche garage is filled with 911s and Cayenne SUVs.Itcosts €1200 andtakes place on June 28/29. More info: www.ducati.com or www porsche-franciacorta.it
ROSSI’SBIRTHDAYGIZMOS
He’slong retired from bike racing, but Valentino Rossi is still ahuge star,sowhen he turned 46 last month, the same age as his famous race number,a couple of marketing departments couldn’t resist getting involved.
First up was Dainese and AGV –long-time kit partners all through his GP career –which came up with alimited-edition kit of AGV helmet and Dainese leathers,festooned in goldleaf patterns and bizarrely marked as unsuitable for road or track use Just 46 of the kits will be made available for well-heeled
collectors worldwide,including in charity auctions
Even fancier was BMW’s birthday present. Rossi is nowa workscar racer for theMunich firm, racing an M4 GT3invarious fancy endurance races,sowhat else would you give himthan a special M4 supercar? The Rossi M4CSEdition VR46 is also limited to 46 units,has acarbon fibre roof,special paint, tweaked track chassis and athree-litre turbocharged straightsix engine making 550bhp.A wild thing, and with the ‘base’ M4 CS costing £120,000, asuper-priceyone,no doubt.
YAMAHA TURNS70 YA
Yamaha’smarking70years in thebike trade this year –yes,itwas backin1955 that the firm started makingmotorcycles The first was the Red DragonflyYA-1, a 125ccair-cooled two-strokewhichwas winning races just weeks after it launched. And the firm has designed a special 70th anniversary logo,based on the YA-1’sracenumberplate frombackin the day.Here’stoanother70years from the tuning fork outfit.
DUNLOP SPORTSMART MK4T YRES
It’sgreat to see firms launching new supersports rubber,sowell done to Dunlop, which has just released the new Mark 4
version of its SportSmart sporty road tyres.It sits afew levels belowthe SportSmartTTand theroad-legal race fitments like D212 GP Racer andD213 GP Pro,and is aimed at road use on sportsbikes,with theodd bitoftrack action thrown in here and there.The firm says thenew rubber incorporates its latest rubberand carcass technology,including anew compound that gives ‘previously unattained levels of grip.’ There’sbeen much focus on the front tyre,with handling improvements comingfrom a new casing constructionand optimised
NÜRBURGRINGBANSBIK ES
ply tensions.The rear also hastweaked carcass build, with anew sidewall and shoulder construction. Dunlop’s multi-tread technology uses amix of high-silica compounds to give better grip on the sides for maximum lean angles and harder wear in the middle for better mileage –important on aroadbiased tyre like this.The new SportSmart Mk4 tyres are in shops now,only in 17-inch sizes with a 120/70 front and 160, 180, 190 and 200 rears
Planningtofinally take thebike to the Nürburgringfor apublic track day this year? Well, you’re outofluck. Thefamous road circuit in theBlack Forest has been making noises aboutthe safety of bikesand cars for years now andhas finally acted, banning two-wheelers from the‘Tourist-Fahren’ public access days.There will nowonlybea few organised private events open to bikers each year,and the dubious pleasures of Karussel, Flugplatz and Schwedenkreuz will be missed by many.A shame forsure
The electric bike market is still havingapretty rough time,especially in the ‘full power’ sector, but fair play to the likes of Harley-Davidson’sLiveWire offshoot, which is still workingaway putting out newmachinery
peak power, 196kg weight, and a 121-mile claimed urban range or 73 miles out town. As ever, if you want petrol-style from this electric bike, you’ll be out
It have decent chassis spec, though: Brembo M4.32 front brake, Showa suspension and Dunlop tyres eco-conscious midcommuters can find out more about the £17,890 Mulholland at www
This curious-lookingbeastie is thenew Mulholland, abattery-powered ‘performance cruiser’ built onthe firm’sS2powertrain.That means 84bhp peakpower out of town. operation fro of luck. It does though:Bremb suspensiona Well-heeled distance commute more aboutt Mulhollanda livewire.com
Yamaha R9 WORTH THE WAIT:
Theysay that good comes thingscome to those that wait, and after 10 years ofwondering when Yamaha would finallygiveinand slotits much-loved CP3 motor into apukkasportsbikechassis, thatmoment has finallyarrived. The questionis, will it be enough to reignite awhole newgeneration ofsportsbikeriders? Yamaha certainlyhopes so.
While 2025 will foreverbethe year we lost the R1 from the brand’sroad-going line-up,it will also be remembered forthe deliverance of the R9, which waswhatprompted a fighttoSpain for aspin aroundJerez on the supersport sensation that had only weeksearlier wononits World Supersport debut in Australia. The newhead of Yamaha’sroad-going sporty range has undoubtedlygot big shoes to fll, slotting into this new-foundmiddleground of largercapacity twinsand triplesthatare decimating the confnes of thetraditional supersport sector in away fewofussaw
coming –and perhapsevenlessfully understand. Forthe likes of youand I, possibly all we need to knowisthat this addition to the Rfamilyisone of the most evolved and excitingsportsbikes we’ve seen in along time, priced to sell and built to win… what’snot to like?
The proposition sounded pretty tasty, but beforewegot chance to putderriereto saddle, biblical rainshit our location, with Mother Naturedoing its utmost to wash away Spain’scrown jewelGPtrack. While we took shelter in the bar,the curves that makeupJerez turned into alake, prompting thegaragedoorstocaveinand the track’s
barrierstobemoved from the side to the centre. Honestly,you’ve neverseen anything likeit, which is another waytodescribe the look on the facesofthe world’spress,who were slowly but surely coming to realise that anychance of actually riding the bike had been washed away along with the asphalt.
The consolation? Well, achance to get a good and proper graspofthe bike’sdesign, build, and focus from the team behind it, who wasted no time in hammering home that one of the major focusesofthe R9 was ‘accessibility’.For context, Yamaha, likeso manybrands,has been on the receiving end
of dwindling sportsbikes sales, faced with the reality that it either needed to evolveor wave this sector goodbye.Back in2020, just 7% of itssales were sportsbikes,while 2024 sawthatpercentagecranked to amuch healthier 15%. Howso? Well, Yamaha puts it down to an evolving range that features the R125, R3,R7and now, theR9. The thing theyall have in common is agreater sense of useability,better suited to theroad as opposed to being all-outwrist andback killersakin to the much more focused R1 and R6 that nowreside in track-only specs, should hardcoretrack fanswish to part with some cash. But while theywerepleased to
BACK IN 2020, JUST 7% OF ITS SALES WERE SPORTSBIKES, WHILE 2024 SAW THATPERCENTAGE CRANKED TO A MUCH HEALTHIER 15%.
explain howthe R9’sbar,pegs,and seating triangle aremuch gentler on its usersthan the likes of an R6, that wasn’ttosay that this thing wasasportsbikeinname but little else.Infact, one of the biggest talking points was the introduction of ashiny new frame,based largely around the learnings of the R6’sset-up, albeit to alighter design, hitting the scalesatjust 9.7 of your fnest kilos. Tuned for the right fexibility and rigidity,italso sawthe input of asharper headstock angle than the MT-09, which shares so manycommon components along with the R9, including that aforementioned CP3 triple motor.With literally zerochanges
to the internals,the donor engine still boasts some solid numbers, such as a117bhp peak output and, perhapsmoreimportantly,a claimed 93Nm of torque –32Nmmorethan what you’ll fndona stockR6, despite the peak powerbeing one moreponythan that found on its inline-four sibling.
Forthose who likesome pokedownlow, the R9’sengine should be right up your street. Interestingly,the only changesthey made to the engine were some subtle tweakstothe ignition timing and the input of amoresportsbike-inclined throttle map. Throw in some taller gearing to help you out in apolice chase and that’syour lot as
far as performanceisconcerned. Where Yamaha really hasgone to town is in the electronicsdepartment. To coincide with a six-axis IMU,there’sadecent 5in colour TFT dash, fully loaded with features and functions, including severaldifferent display screenstosuit road or track riding. As for the tech, it’sdefnitely not lacking –with everything from launch control to cruise control fnding itself at home.Based loosely around what you’d fndonthe R1, youalso get the likes of changeable powermodes, traction levels,wheelie control and slide control. And if you’reina hurrytoslow down, adjustable engine braking is also on the cards,alongside cornering ABS, that can be disengaged at the rear.Lastbut not least, alongside athird-generation shifter and blipper and the brand’slatest design of switchgears… youalso get ahorn.
Youget the point, this thing is no Luddite, and after the event’sin-depth overview, the general mood grew evenmoredepressed at the fact we actually weren’t in aposition to takethis thing for aspin… until asmall miracle happened. Spain’snot exactly short of racetracks, and while severalof the country’smajor players were mullered after the unimaginable monsoonsthat had descended, acircuit just down the road had somehow managed to be spared from the brunt of it.
So, after an early night and an even earlier start, we were shipped out to Sevilla, where I’d ridden only afew weeksearlier,putting this machine’sbiggest rival through its paces. The gig wasback on, and not even the sight of alargely soaked track was enough to dampen the excitement.
Not quite drenched enough for wets but arguably plenty wetenough to cause yourself some self-inficted trauma on slicks, Bridgestone’sstock ftment RS11sproved every bit the inter we were looking for as we trundled out on track and beganour frst stint behind the barsofthe Yammy.
First impressions? Well, the thing that hit home frst was arguably the handling of the bike. Feeling physically big, the R9 was deceivingly lithe,pitching into cornersnicely and making no complaints whenforced on its ear.Itfelt very stable and predictable, made all the sweeter by the feedback from the KYBfront forksthat were chattier than a talk showhost, telling me all thatwas going
PHYSICALLYBIG,THE R9 WAS DECEIVINGLITHE,PITCHING INTO CORNERS NICELYAND MAKING NO COMPLAINTS WHEN FORCED ON ITS EAR. IT FELTVERY STABLE AND PREDICTABLE.
Elbowskids were on thecards.
on as Ipitched into wetpatchesand hoped for the best. Even in the damp,knee-down was no drama and Isoon learnedtotrustin the R9’straction control system that wasset to levelthree and fashing more than a stripper,lighting up relentlessly as it did its best to keep the gripatall times.Itwas a smooth operator,never knowingly holding the bikeback, but instead allowingmeto thoughtlessly twist the throttle and milk the offerings of the CP3motor.While Iwasn’t exactly threatening the lap record on that frst
outing,I was still able to graspthe bare bonesofthe engine that feltpunchy yetso useable,with alinear spread of powerupto the awesome sounding limiter
It was during the second20-minute stint that Iwas able to actually appreciate the genius on offer,not just liking the engine’s punch and predictability,but also coming to appreciate it for its mannersgoing down the box. The start straight seesyou hit sixth gear beforebraking hardand shifting down the selection to second. It’sabusiveonthe
engine,tosay the least, and especially so because youhave so little time to go down so manycogs,sending the revs into the stratosphereinthe process.But despitethis reality,therewas little to no protest from the CP3, which seemed to suckupwhateverI sent its way,causing only minor wagging of the rear wheel thankstothe brilliance of the slipper clutch. Ishould also addinthat Ihad the bikedialled in with max engine braking, so the rear had everyright to leave afew skid marks, but that justwasn’tthe case… the
Bruce’stakeonthe Spanishweather.
Therain andsleet was biblical.
upside of whichmeant that meeting the frst corner’sapexwas effortless on every occasion, with the bikesettled nicely beforebeing askedtolean for all it wasworth. Beforelong, my exaggerated elbows were skimming the tarmac and making me smilelikethe cat that got the cream –Iwas loving life and soon fell into that trap of taking one too manyrisks. Whether I’d simply found the RS11’s limit or the still-present damp patches, I’m not quite sure, but Ihad afew moments in quick succession, loosing the front at one point, beforehaving the rear step out afew times. With the bikenow in traction levelone,the least intrusiveof the lot, the engine waspretty much free reign and so muchpunch at big lean on agreasy surface wasprobably up therewith introducing your wife to your mistress– which Iimagine is not recommended. But I’ve neverbeen a logical kind of blokesojust cracked on
as before, rolling the dice and scooping up the pleasureofthe Yamaha.
The crux is that Iwas very much liking what Iwas experiencing, slowly but surely getting afuller and more appreciable pictureofthe R9 and its potential. The best bit was defnitely the engine,but the handling also impressed, and while the bite of the Brembo Stylema calipers weren’t overwhelming, the braking was consistent on every application. Ialso quite liked the riding position on tap that allowedmetoget properly tucked in behind the sizeable screen and bodywork, seeming morereminiscent of aNoughtiesoffering in sizethan anything elsewe’ve seenoflate.A few people complained about the swept angle of the bars, but Ihad no issue with them. In fact, therewereno glaring hang-upswith the bike, and I was excited to get stuck in after lunch with slicksinplace to take things to
WHETHER I’D SIMPLYFOUND THE LIMITOFTHE RS11S OR THE STILL-PRESENT DAMP PATCHES, I’M NOT QUITE SURE BUT IHAD A FEW MOMENTS IN QUICK SUCCESSION.
He’s neverbeengood with
that next level–and then it decided to rain. And once it started, it didn’t stop.Short on time and with no chance to switch to wets before our airport shuttle,the only thing left was to pull afew wheeliesand wonder what else we’d have learned about the R9 had moretrack time been on the cards.Then again, it paid to remember that just 24 hours earlier,ithad looked as if therewas no chance to get even abasic understanding of this thing, so all things considered we’d been pretty lucky. The truth is that being so limited in laps, the 40 minutesof riding in some precarious conditions
didn’t allowfor the full pictureof this propositiontobepainted, but I very much likedwhat Isampled and am already gagging to get backon oneand exploreitfurther Ultimately,Yamaha’sdone something pretty ballsyhere, building abikethat’smuch more practical and in line with what it thinksits customersactually want, rather than getting carried away with its ownego and building a bikethat’stoo focused, too cramped and too expensive.And if the pre-ordersare anything to go by,it would seem that this punt has already paidoff
YAMAHA’S DONE SOMETHING PRETTY BALLSY HERE, BUILDING ABIKE THAT’S MUCH MORE PRACTICAL AND IN LINE WITH WHATITTHINKS ITS CUSTOMERS ACTUALLY WANT,RATHER THAN GETTING CARRIED AWAY WITH ITS OWN EGO AND BUILDING ABIKE THAT’STOO FOCUSED, TOO CRAMPED AND TOO EXPENSIVE.
Rsuspension: KYB monoshock with full adjustability
Front brakes: Brembo Stylema, four-piston monobloc callipers
Rear brake: Single-piston caliper, 220mm disc
ELECTRONICS.
Riding modes: Yes
Traction control: Yes
ABS: Yes
Quickshifter/autoblipper: Yes
Wheelie control: Yes
Launch control: Yes
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 1420mm
Seat Height: 830mm
Wetweight: 195kg
Fuel capacity: 14 litres
INFO:
Price: £12,250
From: www.yamaha-motor.eu
ENGINE:
TheR9’s CP3motorisa proven and much-loved performer,hopping over withoutanyfettlingfromthe MT-09 Claiming 117bhp fromits 890ccoutput,the 93Nm-rich triple isa cracking optionfor thisnext-generation supersport sensation. To make themost of the output, both the ignition timing and throttle have been changed Throw in some taller gearing and a third-generation shifter/blipper, and that’s about all you need to know
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