JOHANN ANN ZARCO ZA O EXCLUSIVE BATTLING BIMOTAS AS ‘MARQUEZ DIDN’T DARE E STAY IN FRONT OF ME’
CLASSIC YB4 TAKES ON THE HE BB3 BB
FEBRUARY Y 201 18 ISSUE 336
HONDA SP-1 FOR £3.5K
MIDDLEWEIGHT MISFITS
DUCATI 959
VS
2018
MV F3 800
(AND WHY WEIRD SIZES MAKE SENSE)
ISSUE 336 FEBRUARY 201 18
GET IT FIRST!
Subscribe .........................................8 You get the mag first, at a bargain price, straight through your letterbox. You know it makes sense!
GEARED UP!
Products.......................................... 16 All the best gear you could ever want!
IT’S THE NEWS!
Upfront............................................ 10 The latest winter updates!
THE KNOWLEDGE
20
Used Buyer’s Guide......................... 70 MV Agusta’s Brutale gets explored.
MASTERCLASS
Riding .............................................. 76 The joys of cornering!
WHICH OF THESE ITALIANS IS THE TRUE STALLION?
Legal ................................................ 79 Secure it properly, or lose it.
Know Your Dampers .......................90 Steering dampers that is – they’re a must!
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
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 adventures!
TESTS
FEATURES
MV’s Euro 4 F3 800 scraps it out with Ducati’s 959!
Delving deep into smart springs.
Stallions ........................................ 20
Honda VTR SP1 ............................. 30 Revisiting Honda’s special superbike.
Bimota BB3 vs YB4 test! ............... 48 Thirty years in the making.
Electronic suspension! ................. 36 My first enduro! ............................ 42 We go racing to pass the winter blues.
Ten with… Johann Zarco.............. 46 MotoGP’s golden rookie has his say.
Get fit, ride faster! ........................ 62 Want to ride faster for longer? Read this!
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
Project Stocker ..............................84 From showroom to the race track.
Project Moto3 .................................88 Staff Bikes.......................................92 Farewells and winter thrashing! •
Honda Fireblade SP KTM 390 Duke • KTM EXC 250 •
•
Kawasaki ZX-10R Yamaha R6 • Suzuki GSX-R1000R •
RACE SECTION
Pit Pass.......................................... 100 All the best goss from the paddock!
COLUMNISTS
Neave twins ...................................111 Say hello to double trouble!
Gary Johnson ................................ 112 Gaz is warming up for a corker of a season.
Chaz Davies .................................. 113 Chaz has been publicly showing himself.
Steve Parrish................................. 114 How does this man function?
BUY
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BIMOTA BB3 TAKES ON A CLAS SSIC C YB4.
56
THE LOVECHILD OF A SUZUKI AND A DUCATI…
SU
It’s time to get a tank on our wee racer.
RIBE C S B See page 8 for details
WELCOME
New Year revolutions
H
appy New Year! Yes, 2018’s well and truly upon us. And while our current grotty roads might be about as appealing as sharing a room with Boothy after he’s consumed a couple of kilos of sprouts, there’s work to be done. It’s time to start plotting your year because before you know it the kinder months will be upon you, and I for one hope you make the very most of them. Of course, I’m sure you will, but how much new stuff have you got planned in for this season? Hopefully the answer to that question is plenty. New roads, new tracks, new bikes, new friends. While there’s something nice about keeping a familiar flow to your motorcycling endeavours, a bit of spice never hurt anyone (well, unless you happen to be allergic to turmeric). Joking aside though, sometimes you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone to reach a new high. Just this month I decided to stop sitting on the fence and do my first off-road race. It wasn’t pretty, I didn’t win, but I’ve got some great memories (and blisters)… which you can read about in this issue. I get tired of people telling us we’re only here once, but they’re right. And that’s why we all should be digging deep to make 2018 a corker. Resolutions are all good and that, but now’s not the time to be refraining from doing things, such as eating what you want or kidding yourself you’re going to exercise more often (although Pretty Boy’s put together a great exercise test this month for those wanting to get fit and ride faster). Personally, I think we should be more focused on revolutions. Complaisance comes easy for most, but now’s the time to rebel; to look your bank balance square in the face and say ‘sod it, I am going to buy that bike’; to disregard what you’ve been told about how sportsbikes aren’t built for going the distance, and just saddle up anyway. Take a gamble. You might just hit the jackpot. If you don’t, at least you’ve lived. I’m excited for the New Year, because we’ve got some great tests planned and the whole FB team is excited to make them happen. It’s going to be a corker, because we’re going to make it a corker. How could it not be when there’s so much possibility on the cards? You’ll find opportunities at every angle if you look hard enough, which might come in the form of a project bike to power your dreams, or a trackday to get your racing desires finally under way. Whatever it is, I hope you find it, grab hold of it, and ride it on the limiter every inch of the way. Because that’s what I’m going to do!
30
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BOSS MAN
‘Dangerous’ Bruce Wilson dangerous@fastbikes.co.uk
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AD MAN
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, NEW S & REV IEW S PLA NET FAST BIKES – NEW ME TAL
PIRELLI LAUNCHES WSB INSPIRED ED ROAD TYRE! After seven years pumping out the incredibly successful Diablo Rosso Corsa, Pirelli have fina ally announced a replacement for the ever-popular ro oad going tyre… It was first produced in 2010 and d Pirelli say that “motorcycle torque and horsepowe er outputs have increased significantly and the intro oduction of sophisticated traction control systems and cornering ABS have enabled these performance gains to be applied by more riders at greater lean angles,” which is the why the Diablo Rosso Corsa II has been created. It’s arrival is great news for sporttsbike fans, as Pirelli say the rubber will see an increase in front grip during both turn-in and braking with lean, w while rear grip will come in abundance at full lean anglles from mid-corner to exit. The result is a tyre that provvides a confident ‘feel’ in all conditions with outstand ding performance and increased mileage. This is all possible thanks to the m multi-compound construction, which is the first of itss kind from Pirelli. The Diablo Rosso Corsa II will be equipped with three innovative profiles at the front and fi five on the rear, which has been derived from their 13 1 years supplying the World Superbike Championship. Pirelli say that the Diablo Rosso C Corsa II is designed and intended for riders of mid-high performance motorcycles, who enjoy a sporty rid ding style on both the street and the race track… … which sounds exactly like us. It’s said to have a fast warm-up, st warm up sport-like agility, excellent grip and consistent performance. Available now.
DUCATI WORLD IS A GO! Yep, you read that right! From 2019, Ducati will be opening their very own Ducati World at Mirabilandia – the second largest theme park in the tourist-hub region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Much like Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi, the complex will be a great way of blagging a motorsport themed holiday that earns you brownie points with the wife and kids… The project is set to occupy 35,000 square metres, and will have a variety of attractions that will involve the public in a real motorcycling experience, with a rollercoaster, simulators, virtual
reality and even children’s specific attractions – alongside a historic showroom, themed restaurant and Ducati shop to keep the die-hard fans happy. “Ducati World will give visitors a chance to live an exciting journey inside the Ducati brand,” stated Alessandro Cicognani, Ducati licensing and corporate partnership director. “Thanks to this agreement, together with Parques Reunidos we’re developing the first motorcycle themed area in an Italian amusement park. Mirabilandia’s location, at the heart of the Motor Valley, adds further value to this project dedicated to fun.”
Holiday, anyone?
10 FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 11
Suzuki have got your back!
NEW S & REV IEW S ANET FAST BIKES – NEW ME TAL, N PLA
SUZUKI EXTEND WARRANTIES If you’re eyeing up a new Suzuki for summer, you’ll be pleased to know the brand are keeping their three-year extended warranty across the whole on-road range. Being the only major motorcycle manufacturer to offer such a long warranty across the range, Suzuki GB sales manager Jonathan Martin said: “This industry-leading warranty period gives customers added peace of mind, and means they can buy with even more confidence, knowing that we are, in turn, confident in the quality and reliability of our product.” Have you ever needed more of an excuse to go buy a new bike? Go on, treat yourself.
DAINESE SCOOPS 2017 INTERNATIONAL AWARD! Whether you love the Italian brand or not, there’s absolutely no denying the safety and quality of Dainese’s products – so much so that they’ve just received the Compasso D’Oro International award for their Pro-Armor Protection System which is excellent news for us lot who like to crash in their kit. The awarding panel praised Dainese’s “little ideas that can save elbows, knees, backs and therefore lives”. The company had paid great attention to the safety of people in general and motorcyclists in particular. “The Pro-Armor protection system features a technical and expressive design inspired by fractal
geometry and the perforated structure, with variable pattern, distributes either flexibility or rigidity where it is needed, keeping the inserts light and breathable. “The result is a painstakingly precise design for ‘invisible’ objects that are concealed inside sportswear. Apart from the stylistic expression, which is typical of current sporting language, the quality of the solution presents the possibility of extending its functional and expressive use to other sports equipment.” I know it may seem insignificant, but trust us, it’s awesome to know how well your kit works and how hard these guys work to keep us safe!
ON ANY SUNDAY DIRECTOR BRUCE BROWN 1937-2017 Bruce Brown, the legendary motorcycle and surfing film director who brought us On Any Sunday (for those of you who haven’t seen it, we suggest you stop what you’re doing and stick it on) has died in his sleep aged 80. Following the season of National American champ Mert Lawwill and starring the one and only Steve McQueen, On Any Sunday is an absolutely classic that was both ground-breaking for its approach, and how it portrayed us bikers. 12 FEBRUARY 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
Sad times.
Dainese’s Cristiano Silei and Fanny Boria with the award.
AUDI TO KEEP DUCATI
With the rumour mill going absolutely crazy at the thought of Audi selling Ducati, the chief executive at Audi, Rupert Stadler, has finally confirmed that the iconic brand will be staying put under the German company’s umbrella. This is good news, particularly given that earlier in the year it looked as if they were going to be selling off the Italian marquee due to financial woes in other areas. Stadler said: “I can assure you that Ducati belongs to the Audi family. Ducati is the perfect implementation of our premium philosophy in the world of motorbikes.”
Relief for Ducati.