TOP 50 5
USED BIKES U O OUR BEST PICKS OF TH HE 21ST CENTURY
NEXT GEN STREET TREET V4 DUCATI UNVEILS 207BHP BEAST B
OCTOBER 2017 ISSUE 332
£100K FACTORY SUPERBIKE
YAMAHA’S R1M TAKES ON R1 BSB MISSILE
£19K STREET BIKE SENSATION
TO
’S
SED BU U ❯ ❯ P ❯ M H DA YE ❯❯ TRIU Y R
IDE GU 675R
A N
£40K DUCATI
SPECIAL
PLUS: LEARN CORNERING TECHNIQUES SUZUKI ASIAN CHALLENGE RACING ALEX LOWES: “THERE WILL BE NO INTEREST IN WORLD SBK” GIXER ENDURANCE RACER
ISSUE 332 OCTOBER 2017 7
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.......................................... 14 All the best gear you could ever want!
IT’S THE NEWS!
Upfront............................................ 10 Ducati’s V4 breaks cover, plus loads more.
THE KNOWLEDGE
Used buyers guide .......................... 78
18
We take a look at Triumph’s Daytona 675R.
MASTERCLASS
Riding ..............................................84 There’s more than one way to steer a bike...
WE PITCH A FULL-BLOWN BSB SUPERBIKE AGAINST ITS ROAD GOING SIBLING.
Legal ................................................87 Exploring the downsides to social media.
Know Your.......................................94 We take a look at brake pads this issue.
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Chatter ............................................88 It’s only fair we give the best readers in the world a couple of pages of their own!
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
Project TZR ......................................90 The TZR is almost ready to roll!
Project Moto3 .................................92 Another month, another dozen problems.
Staff Bikes.......................................96 Making the most of our long term lovelies. •
Honda Fireblade SP • KTM 390 Duke • Suzuki GSX-S750 • Suzuki GSX-R1000R
•
BMW S1000R • Kawasaki ZX-10RR • KTM 1290 Superduke R • Aprilia RSV4 RF
RACE SECTION
Pit pass.......................................... 106 All the best goss from the paddock!
COLUMNISTS
Carl Stevens.................................. 118 Say hello to the new weapon!
LAUNCHES
Suzuki GSX-R125 and GSX-S125.....48 Suzuki shows its strength in the lower capacity scene with two new learner legals.
TESTS
Road to Race................................... 18 How different is your bike to a fully blown BSB superbike?
FEATURES
Blast from the past!........................26 The world’s best history lesson on a 1987 GSX-R750 endurance racer.
Ten minutes with… ........................30 BSB’s Christian Iddon is given a good grilling…
Mellow Yellow.................................32 Ducati 959 + £40k = one very trick bike.
Fast 50.............................................39 Our pick of the best used bikes of the 21st Century.
60
Gaz talks Classic TT!
Chaz Davies .................................. 121 Steve Parrish................................. 122 Forever the controversial one!
GEAR R
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Asian Assassins ..............................54 We sent Bruce halfway round the world to get his ass kicked!
California Superbike School ...........66 Teaching an old dog new tricks…
Pipe Dreams.................................... 70 Are exhausts still worth the dosh?
TAKE ONE FIREBLADE, THROW A LOAD OF FANCY BITS AT IT AND INDULGE IN ITS BEAUTY.
Gary Johnson ................................ 120
Clawing back those championship hopes…
32
WELCOME
Imitation game
E
verything looks so much easier from the sidelines: wheelies, rolling burnouts, pub fights. And the same goes for hustling a superbike. I was at Cadwell Park recently to watch the spectacle that is British Superbikes, and found myself among the folks critiquing the slower riders: “What are they doing out there? I could ride faster than that!” Of course you could, mate, if you found a big dollop of talent and lost five stone. In truth, riding any bike at that level of competition is ruthlessly difficult… it’s just that these guys make it look easy. How do I know this? Well, I spent six years trailing around mid-pack in the BSB circus, perfecting my excuse book, which was out in force the day after Cadwell BSB when Fags and I pulled off the most blinding of blags to ride Michael Laverty’s McAms Yamaha R1 superbike around the aforementioned circuit. And it scared the crap out of me. I’ve ridden countless laps of Cadwell, on countless steeds of all sizes, but my sojourn on the big Yam, with all of its 225 ponies, was something else. My brain was taxed to the limit; incapable of calculating the vicious speed at which one corner morphed into the next. It was nothing short of mesmerising, especially when compared to the otherwise brilliant Yamaha R1M we were riding simultaneously and comparing it against. But I’ll leave Al to go into the intricacies of those differences in this issue’s cover test. In a complete contrast of speed, I’ve also been racing in Indonesia this month in the Suzuki Asian Challenge on diddy GSX-R150s. According to BSB’s Taylor Mackenzie, who carried my bags on the trip, I could have done with a 250cc motor; you’ll find more of his insults and a load more of my excuses on page 54. Sticking with the small bike theme, for those interested in a belter of a beginner bike, you’ll also want to take in Pretty Boy Stevens’ launch review of the new GSX-R125 and its naked sibling, the GSX-S125. From what he’s told me, he had a lot of fun putting them through their paces. It’s been another busy month, but that’s the nature of maximising the last few weeks of summer. It’s been a corker of a season so far, with many great memories having being made. I hope you can say the same. And if you can’t, get out there and do something about it. Take that trip, do that trackday, buy that trick part you want. Because, as wise folk have often said, you only regret the things you didn’t do. So get cracking while there’s still chance.
18
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BOSS MAN
‘Dangerous’ Bruce Wilson dangerous@fastbikes.co.uk
WINGMAN
Benjamin ‘BJ’ Kubas Cronin beej@fastbikes.co.uk
FAST MAN
Alastair ‘A-Force’ Fagan fit@fastbikes.co.uk
AD MAN
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NEW MAN
Carl ‘Pretty Boy’ Stevens teaboy@fastbikes.co.uk
TECH MAN
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, NEW S & REVIEW S PLA NET FAST BIKES – NEW ME TAL
DUCATI’S
V4 ‘STRADALE’ UNLEASHED After months of speculation Ducati’s finally released more details about its much anticipated V4 powerhouse. The new engine, which is closely derived from the brand’s blisteringly fast MotoGP Desmodesici offering, will sport a slightly larger capacity than its counterpart at 1,103cc, though a higher revving R version with less than 1,000cc will also be produced for homologation racing purposes. Power is claimed to be in excess of 207bhp at 13,000rpm, while torque figures are suggested to see a monstrous 120Nm from as low as 8,750rpm. The 90º V4, which is the first ever production four-cylinder engine to be released by Ducati, will be mounted to the Panigale V4 with its front cylinders banked 42º back from horizontal to permit optimum weight distribution, the utilisation of the largest possible radiator, and so that the swingarm pivot point can be brought as far forward as possible; allowing a shorter overall wheelbase. An 81mm bore mimics the GP motor, as do its near identical valves, oval throttle bodies and intake ducts. Likewise, to reduce the overall gyroscopic effect and
ensure a smoother power delivery, the crankshaft is of a counter rotating type with its crankpins set at 70º. The motor’s twin-pulse firing sequence has been applied to optimise traction out of corners (Big Bang style) and offer more manageable driveability. Naturally, the motor features Ducati’s iconic and proven Desmodromic valve train system, which permits the engine to rev higher. Another first for Ducati is the company’s use of variable height air intake horns, which adjust according to revs in order to maximise engine performance throughout the Stradale’s rev range. Following its unveiling at the San Marino MotoGP, Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali was keen to highlight the synergies between the new motor and the Grand Prix engine that influenced its design and build: “It is with undiluted pride that we unveil this technological gem. It represents the
start of a new chapter for our company, underlining our vitality and an unshakeable commitment to investment in new products. “This engine also highlights the close collaboration between Ducati Corse and the factory bike development team, proving just how instrumental racing can be in developing the technology that is later applied on production bikes. On November 5 at 21.00 CET at the Ducati World Premiere 2018, we’ll be showcasing the new Panigale V4, an all-new motorcycle powered by this extraordinary engine.” For us, and those of you Ducatisti out there, that’s a date that can’t come soon enough, as we expect nothing but utter brilliance from this milestone motor and the brand’s new Panigale that’s set to shuttle it around. We’ll be back with more info as soon as we have it. Bravo, Ducati.
Not just a pretty face, this V4 is likely to prove a nightmare for its rivals.
10 OCTOBER 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
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TRIUMPH AND BAJAJ AUTO INDIA TEAM UP
What a Triumph!
Triumph’s strong name and exemplary R&D credentials which are sure to ignite excitement in this tie up, which we hope, and expect, will see the likes of baby Daytonas, Street Triples and other cool models being brought to life. There is no talk of specifics just yet, but it’s likely a hand will be shown during November when all manufacturers head to EICMA in Milan to unveil their latest and greatest machines for 2018. With a resurgence in the number of small capacity models being released from just about every major manufacturer, it’s self explanatory why Triumph have taken this direction that will see them broaden their range substantially. We only wish they’d have done it sooner.
SUB
The UK’s largest motorcycle manufacturers Triumph have agreed a deal to team up with small capacity big timers Bajaj, which on face value is great news for all. The agreement suggests that Triumph, via this link-up, is on the verge of releasing a whole new wave of small CC motorcycles, which is something the British brand currently doesn’t do. Bajaj is the biggest exporter of two wheels in India (and the fourth largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world), which is an absolutely mahoosive claim to fame, as the Asian market makes Europe’s efforts look like amateur hour by comparison. Or at least as far as volume production is concerned. But while the Indian company has all the credentials on the assembly line, it’s
WORLD’S FASTEST WHEELIE AT 217MPH! It all happened at the Motorcycle World Wheelie Championships at Elvington Airfield, where 30 competitors came from the USA, France, Holland, Ireland and the UK to try and beat the former record of 213mph. Jeez, that takes some doing, doesn’t it? And for once in the UK the weather was actually ideal, giving a slight tailwind on the kilometre long wheelie comp… This meant that all competitors were able to take advantage of the conditions, with six riders breaking their kilometre wheelie ducks, and seven actually breaking the 200mph club. Now, do you think you could do that? The best of the day though, and in turn the new world record, came from Irishman Ted Brady who managed to make the whole kilometre with his exit speed being a monstrous 217.85mph, which is the same sort of speed you’d see a MotoGP bike hitting at the end of Mugello’s straight. If that doesn’t impress you...
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MOTORSPORT VISION’S TAKEOVER OF DONINGTON PARK DONE AND DUSTED It has finally been announced that the CMA, or Competition and Markets Authority, have cleared the request of Motorsport Vision to take over Donington Park after buying the lease for a 21-year term. So what does this mean for us lot? Well, it’s bloody good news. If you’ve ever been to the other MSV circuits – Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park, Snetterton, Oulton Park or Bedford Autodrome – you’ll know how well equipped and maintained the venues are. This essentially spells an injection of cash (and love) into the legendary track, which is jewel in the crown of Britain’s best race tracks. Exactly what MSV intends to do with the circuit is still unknown, but you can rest assured they’ll be going all out to lure MotoGP back to the iconic circuit, and possibly Formula 1, too. What we do know is that MSV’s chief executive have promised that “Donington’s customers and end users will benefit significantly from MSV’s much greater investment in all aspects of the venue”. And who are we to doubt them considering their exemplary form at their other more recent takeovers, where it’s not just physical appearance and the track’s surfaces that have benefited, but key factors such as run-off have massively improved. With this kind of treatment in mind, surely Donington’s set to get even better. 12 OCTOBER 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
More of this then!