THE JOY OF SX SUPERLEGG GERA!
2017 KAWASAKI Z1000SX
DUCATI’S CARBON CREATION C
MON NSTER MASH DUCA ATI 1200 S LAUNCHED
JANUARY 2017 ISSUE 322
NEW W BIKE YEAR Y OF THE
TWEAKED KAWASAKI ZX-10R TACKLES STOCK BMW S 1000 RR
PLUS:
ALL THE LATEST 2017 NEW MODELS ACE 2004 SUZUKI GSX-R750 USED TEST AWESOME 2016 RACE SEASON ROUND UP MASTERCLASSES, PRODUCTS AND LOTS MORE!
SPEED TRIPLE R
KTM SUPER DUKE GT
YAMAHA MT-10
Better than its retro brother?
Turn a marathon into a sprint!
Naked nutter guns for top spot
LAUNCHES
Kawasaki Z1000SX ........................20 Kawasaki performs nip and tuck surgery to the Essex, and also donates an IMU...
Ducati Monster 1200 S .................. 24 A cute new look, more power, less weight and more brains are in store for 2017...
TESTS
The Class Divide .............................34
We take two of 2016’s new Triumphs, both with an R at their end, to see which wins!
Comfort and Chaos.........................34 BMW’s S 1000 XR ruled the comfortable roost last year, but what will the KTM Super Duke GT have to say about that?
Levelling the Playing Field..............50
Our 2016 SBOTY winner, the BMW S 1000 RR, takes on a ZX-10R with a few little extras up its sleeve to make the fighting fairer.
Prize Fight ....................................... 70
We declare a winner of our 2016 New Bike of the Year award, and also have a hoot finding out if it’s better than the current class king – the incredible Aprilia Tuono 1100 Factory...
SUBS
72
IBE CR
See page 120 ffor or tthe he b best est d deals eals
YAMAHA MT-10: FROM UGLY DUCKLING TO SUPER STAR. BUT HOW WILL IT FARE AGAINST THE APRILIA TUONO FACTORY?
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50
MAKE THE KAWASAKI ZX-10R EURO3 SPEC AGAIN AND SEE HOW IT FARES WHEN IT CHALLENGES THE S THOU’
ISSUE 322 JANUARY 2017
IT’S THE NEWS Upfront..............................................8 Eicma and MC Live sees more new bikes – and some sensational developments!
GEARED UP
Products.......................................... 16
A watch special, plus lots more new gear...
GET IT FIRST
Subscribe ...................................... 120 Get yourself in pole position for Christmas with the best pressie out there!
THE KNOWLEDGE Used Buyer’s Guide.........................84 Suzuki’s 2004 GSX-R750 is one of the best used buys out there. Find out why here!
MASTERCLASS
Riding ..............................................86
8
2017 SET TO STUN
NEW METAL/CARBON FROM DUCATI AND NORTON!
Keith Code uncovers the secrets of corners!
Technical .........................................88 Hoses aren’t sexy, but they are necessary...
Legal ................................................99 Another legal pickle is considered...
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Chatter .......................................... 100 You’d think sitting down would be easy...
Travel and Tracks.......................... 102
We uncover the best bits of the world!
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
Staff Bikes..................................... 104 It’s getting cold, but the action is hotting up! Kawasaki ZX-10R KTM SD-GT ! Triumph Speed Triple
60
THE BEST BITS OF OUR 2016 ARE UNEARTHED!
34
THE TRIUMPH THRUXTON R TAKES ON ITS BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER – THE SPEED TRIPLE R – IN A VERY CLASSY AFFAIR
Yamaha MT-10 Ducati Monster R ! Suzuki GSX-S1000F
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RACE SECTION
Race Feature ................................. 110
We round up the best bits of the 2016 season – and it’s been an amazing year...
Pit Pass.......................................... 118 Testing for 2017 gets underway worldwide!
COLUMNISTS Dangerous Brod ............................ 122
Brod rounds off his year the same way he started it. It was the middle that was crap!
Chaz Davies .................................. 129
Chaz on being the winningest rider in WSB
Steve Parrish................................. 130 Stavros lets us in on a few secrets...
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THE BEST (AND WORST) BITS OF 2016’S RACE SEASON ARE UNCOVERED IN ONE OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE SEASONS AROUND. IT’S BEEN ONE HELL OF A YEAR!
BUY
GEAR
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NEW S & REV IEW S PLA NET FAST BIKES – NEW METAL,
HONDA
CBR1000RR
AN New S Standard d d
In true cart before the horse style, Honda eventually got round to showing us the standard Fireblade after teasing us with the trick ones first…
The Fireblade gets new electronics, and the world seems better again!
H
aving unveiled the tricked up SP and SP2 models at the Intermot show in October, November’s Eicma jamboree saw Honda get round to pulling the sheet off the ‘standard’ Fireblade upon which the specials are based. Given the unveiling of the SP machines, we knew the basic principles and engineering architecture of the bike beforehand, but the specifics were scant as to what the base model would wear. The key figures of a 15kg weight loss and 11bhp power boost are kept by the base bike, as is the claim by Honda that 90 per cent of the Fireblade’s parts are new. Electronics also factor in the new bike, with the new RC213V-S derived ride-by-wire system offering nine levels of traction control (called Honda Selectable Torque Control with anti-wheelie) and a new ABS system with a rear lift control system also featured (to abide by Euro4 rules – the C-ABS is gone).
Sexy new screen
FAMILY DIFFERENCES So what exactly does each bike get? A few details have yet to be decided – including the price – while Honda is insisting the power output of the SP2 is the same as the other bikes despite the changes made. It’s the same story with the weight… Fireblade
Fireblade SP
Fireblade SP2
Engine
189bhp
189bhp
189bhp, 1mm larger intake valves, 1.5mm larger exhaust valves, new valve profile, new pistons
Electronics
5-axis IMU, TC, cornering ABS, rear lift control, power modes
5-axis IMU, TC, cornering ABS, rear lift control, power modes, quickshifter up/down
5-axis IMU, exclusive SP2 settings, pitlane limiter, launch control, quickshifter up/down
Suspension
Showa BPF forks, BFR shock
Öhlins S-EC – NIX30 fork, TTX36 shock
Öhlins S-EC – NIX30 fork, TTX36 shock
Brakes
Tokico radial calipers
Brembo monoblock calipers
Brembo monoblock calipers
Wheels
Six spoke aluminium Y-shape
Five spoke aluminium Y-shape
Forged aluminium Marchesini rims
Extras
None
Lithium-Ion battery
Lithium-Ion battery, flash paint, racing kit available
Weight
196kg
195kg
194kg
Bikes
Honda had steadfastly resisted all moves to add TC to the Fireblade, arguing a well built bike shouldn’t need it. Road racing and Jason O’Halloran’s superstock campaign proved this, but Honda would be crucified if the new machine was released electronic-less – hence the addition of a five-axis IMU (although a quickshifter as an optional extra is a bit tight). The TC uses wheel speed and roll
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angle to determine intervention. The motor now uses three preset riding modes that incorporate different levels of TC, engine power and engine braking – with two user modes able to be tailored to a rider’s desires. The motor itself keeps the basic architecture of the current bike (a 76 x 55mm bore and stroke), but ups power levels in a number of ways. Compression ratio is increased significantly to
13.0:1 (from 12.3), the Fireblade gets a new set of pistons, valve lift and cam timing is changed and there have been significant internal weight savings – with a lighter exhaust system, engine covers, radiator and reduced length bolts used. The throttle body bore has been increased by 2mm to 48mm with newly reshaped intake funnels. Two kilos have been saved from the motor alone.
2016
NEW BIKE OF THE YEAR
2016 FAST BIKES NEW BIKE AWARDS
THE
WORDS: ROOTSY
IMAGES: THE MANUFACTURERS
OF THE YEAR
It’s time to dust off the tux, slap on the Brut and get the Alka-Seltzer in for the morning, because we present the biggest and best gong show of the year!
Y
et again, the last 12 months has offered a blistering array of new bikes for our collective indulgence. We thought the year would be doom-laden, what with the curse of Euro4 legislation inflicting us all with reduced power levels, nanny-state ABS and a curbing of modification ability, but it really was business as usual with manufacturers pumping out ever more elaborate, enthusiastic and ebullient machines in their quest to usurp their rivals. We’re rounding up the top 20 bikes of the year here, 2016’s finest. It’s not been an easy task, and the office disciplinary warnings are testament to the depth of feeling we have over the ranking, but here is our run down of the best new bikes of the year – feel free to disagree!
2016
NEW BIKE OF THE YEAR
WORDS: A-FORCE
IMAGES: MARK MANNING
COMFORT AND
CHAOS BMW’s S 1000 XR is now joined by the KTM 1290 Super Duke GT in an all-new hypersports-tourers-adventurers-tall-rounders class, demonstrating you really can mix comfort with chaos…
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DUKE GT VS S 1000 XR
TM It boils down to the KT R being a Super Duke with a comfy seat...
...while the XR is less of a S 1000 RR with a comfy seat...
E
dging ever closer to that bus pass? Does your back protest anytime your eyes spy a sportsbike? Are you always abroad exploring new roads? Or are you simply looking for something that offers more versatility in your dotage? In previous years, you would have had to make serious compromises to obtain a blend of comfort and anything resembling sporting talent – but evolution is a wonderful thing. Nestling somewhere between supernakeds and sports-tourers is this pair of European nut jobs. You’d think cosy mile-munching, frenzied A-road sessions, lethargic commutes and the occasional trackday wouldn't be possible without any detrimental concession, but this pairing proves that 100mph wheelies followed by 200 miles in the saddle is effortlessly feasible. Taking an engine based on the original S 1000 RR lump and housing it in comfort and joy, comfort and joy, has resulted in the hugely popular BMW S 1000 XR. In the process BMW created its own segment; adventure sport, or, as we’d prefer to call it, scratching on stilts. It's a completely different and rather more straightforward concept for KTM’s 1290 Super Duke GT, a creation formed on the firm’s bonkers R model with suitable versatility tweaks made to convert it to mega mileage. Both trumped the job during their respective launches, both are superb in isolation, so we spent some time spanking them both and busting some serious miles to provide the answers you need. Once right up there with the best roads in the UK, the A39 – or the Atlantic Highway as it sweeps towards Devon’s north coast – runs from Fast Bikes’ previous home in Bath, all the way into Cornwall and ending near Falmouth. Local authorities and the health and safety brigade have ruined sections by either installing pointless speed limits or painting double whites, although its fundamental snaking sections, sexy cornering, surreptitious coves and stunning views remain. Certain parts of the road replicate the TT’s Mountain section and hence this was an ideal examination for these hypersport-tourers-adventurers-tall-rounders. JANUARY 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 43
FEATURE
If a bomb went off now and destroyed the cream of the UK press, it’d be the waste of a good bomb...
016 2 THE UNT TOLD STORY…
ROOTSY: FORMATION FLYING
Hats off to Yamaha for hiring a little runway for the location of the wheelie shots on the very badly behaved MT-10 launch. We’d been wheelieing the cock off the bikes all day, but Yamaha refused to take any pictures of us, saying that this would all be sorted at the end of the day. It was tempting to give in to beer after we’d been taken back to the hotel, but we had a job to do and had to act professionally. So we rode off to the strip and duly performed – before being asked by the snapper to do a group shot for posterity!
Have a sneaky peak behind the scenes of the year at Fast Bikes…
L
aunches, tests and shenanigans galore was the story of 2016. We thought it would be a shocking season, what with Euro4 throwing its oar in, but as it turned out the year morphed into something seriously special. From the January launch of the Kawasaki ZX-10R in Sepang, getting us out of the cold of winter, to the Tracer 700 launch in the summer, to compiling our New Bike of the Year tests, we’ve had nothing but a blast, riding bikes as hard as we dare, abusing hospitality as much as we can and getting away with it for yet another year. This is our album of the year, a little look behind the scenes of Fast Bikes. It may not be pretty, but this is the life we lead…
FAGAN: HAVING A FIDDLE
It’d been years since my last trip to the Cat and Fiddle and not even the speed cameras could scupper this year’s trip aboard a pair of 125s. Glorious sunshine, the best stretch of Tarmac in the UK, throttles pinned and hideous corner speed; a fine day out with Beaky. We’re still putting Beaky to good use...
Night riders
BJ: YAS MARINA, BRIDGESTONE S21 LAUNCH
As far as posh locations go for launches, this one takes the biscuit. If you’ve never been to a place like Abu Dhabi, that alone is an experience. Staying in a seven-star hotel (seven!) with a race track for views is also bananas, as is the fact that the establishment lives in this peculiar bubble cut off from the rest of the country and, for most of the year, is absolutely dead unless Formula 1 is in town. And then there’s the track, which was my first experience of a race track under the lights. With a decent tyre shod on a raft of top sportsbikes it was absolutely brilliant, and I even liked most of the circuit too, despite it being first and foremost a car venue. Every time the hotel (resplendently lit in multiple colours) homed into view you’d catch your breath for a moment before cracking the gas underneath the bridge/nightclub. Watching revellers watch you wazzing around was surreal to say the least!
84
USED BIKE GUIDE: ARGUABLY THE BEST GIXER 750, EVER...
RI DI NG , M OD IF YI NG , FI XI NG AN D BU YI NG
96
EVERYONE WANTS A BETTER RUBBER HOSE, RIGHT?
MASTERCLASS
Riding ................................................. 94 All about the different corners this month, shapes and sizes!
Technical ............................................ 96 Are aftermarket rubber hoses actually better? Find out here!
Legal ................................................... 99 On why endangering nobody else should equal no offence...
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Chatter.............................................. 100
More froth and bluster from the best readers anywhere, ever!
Tracks and Travel............................ 102
91
USED ZX-10R MAKES FOR A GREAT TRACK HACK
USED BIKE GUIDE
Suzuki GSX-R750 ............................... 84 Maybe the best Gixer 750 ever? The 2004 machine had it all...
RACE SPEC
Kawasaki ZX-10R ...............................91 Your guide to turning a 2014 ZX-10R into a proper weapon!
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
Staff Bikes ....................................... 104 It’s a month of partings, oh, what sweet sorrow... KAWASAKI ZX-10R KTM SUPER DUKE R SE • TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE R • •
YAMAHA MT-10 DUCATI MONSTER R • SUZUKI GSX-S1000F • •
Treat yourself to a winter trackday, why don’t you?
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MASTERCLASS WORDS: KEITH CODE IMAGES: CSS/FB ARCHIVE/HONDA
THE CALIFORNIA SUPERBIKE SCHOOL Founded by the legendary Keith Code in 1980, the California Superbike School offers a step-by-step method of technique oriented rider training in the art of cornering motorcycles. Over the past 30 years hundreds of thousands of students have improved their riding skills and cornering capabilities at CSS and their team of professional coaches are dedicated to your improvement.
Three slightly different lines, which is better depends on the exit...
Corner Variations – From Hairpin To Sweeper Unless you’re into speedway or only ever go round roundabouts, any road or track has a multitude of different corners, of various shapes and sizes. But how best to tackle them?
T
he first task for any rider to accomplish when entering a corner is to determine its shape. Is it a wide-open sweeper? A hairpin? Or is it one of the countless variations we see between these two extremes? This is a priority because once in the corner the bike is following an arc. The path of that arc is usually different than the curvature of the corner itself; that’s why we call it a cornering line. The challenge of finding a good line partially stems from the fact that a corner’s shape and radius are its most easily observable characteristics. Our eyes and instincts naturally guide us to follow that curvature, but this is not necessarily always the best line to take… At 5mph, that instinctual guidance would work fine. A tight path right around the inside of the curve would indeed be the best line. At higher speeds, however, riding parallel to a corner’s radius – right in the middle of the lane, all the way through – is seldom an optimum
line. This begs the question, what is an optimum line? To answer this question, first consider a common error typified by a rider who fixedly tracks the inside edge of a corner for clues about its character. Let’s say the turn changes from tight to open and back to tight again. What will he or she do? A less-skilled rider might make multiple steering and throttle corrections in that corner, based on their distance from the inside edge. As the edge closes in, the rider might straighten the bike up some and dip the gas. As the kerb recedes away, the corner opening up, the rider will often lean in more and add some gas. As it tightens up, the first part of the scenario plays out again. When a rider reacts to the corner in this fashion, the corner dictates the line. This is riding by survival instincts or what we call ‘survival reactions’. What information goes in through the eyes comes out, unfiltered, as control inputs through the arms.
What do you do if the corner tightens up on you on the road?
CONTACT CSS TO BOOK: TEL 08700 671061 EMAIL INFO@SUPERBIKESCHOOL.CO.UK WEB WWW.SUPERBIKESCHOOL.CO.UK 94 JANUARY 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
RACE FEATURE
Ready for the body popping...
Wheelie impressive!
Another one!
Scary stuff at the TT
Spray of light!
THE RACES OF ACES WORDS: ROOTSY/ BJ
IM AGES: REP S OL MEDI A, YA M A H A, SUZ UK I, RED BUL L, MICHELIN
What we’ve learned in racing this year…
T
Worth a slap!
his year has been another classic at the track. We may not have had many titles decided on the last corner of the last lap of the last race at the last round, but the season has offered entertainment, intrigue and upset galore. The season kicked off with WSB in Phillip Island and kept on giving until Loris Baz crossed the line, last, at the Valencia round of MotoGP. In between, we’ve had lap records tumble at the TT, seen surprise winners in BSB, watched the weather play its part in MotoGP, finally got the Barry Sheene-shaped monkey off British riders’ backs, winced at all the injuries, rejoiced in all the glories – and been generally captivated at the skill, commitment and bravery of our heroes every step of the way. But what have we learned from 2016? In an attempt to answer that, we’ve come up with a list of everything that we’ve gleaned throughout the season in all the big classes… Strap yourselves in, It’s going to get all a bit hairy…
Winning’s not worth that...
TEN THINGS WE LEARNED FROM
MotoGP The new MM93 is like the old MM93, but cleverer...
1
Marc Marquez has brains as well as balls
There once was a time when piloting a Honda MotoGP bike was half the battle won. Given the array of resources available to an HRC rider, the onus was solely to beat your team-mate – that way you were virtually guaranteed top spot by the end of the year. That mantle has changed, and after a difficult year in 2015, 2016 got harder for any Honda rider thanks to a switch in tyres and, more importantly, the curtailment of electronics. The move to the Magnetti Marelli ECU (the AGO 340 unit) was intended to level the playing field – meaning in 110 JANUARY 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
Honda’s case they were no longer shooting at the goal at the bottom of the hill… The recalcitrance of the 2016 RC213V was plain to see. The redesigned counter rotating motor proved to be slow out of the turns, the electronics in an argumentative marriage with the colossal grunt available. Add to this, the Michelin front wouldn’t take the abuse that Honda had got used to with Bridgestone. That meant that RC213Vs were been thrown about the world’s tracks like confetti. Marc Marquez, however, was playing the long game. The Spaniard was never going to repeat his 13 wins of the 2014 championship – nor was
he to suffer the six DNFs of 2015. DNF-ing in just one race, Marquez got his bike wrecking done early to understand where the limits were. That meant letting Lorenzo go in Qatar, leaving Jack Miller to win at Assen, riding for points after dislocating his shoulder in Austria and admitting Cal Crutchlow was the faster man on better tyres at Brno. All these actions built his points up, and in a championship where no-one else wanted to challenge, that meant Marquez won the series at a trot. It may not have featured the hatred of 2015, the imperial riding of 2014 or the boy-ish enthusiasm of 2013, but that’s what won him the 2016 title, his fifth of many more to come…
2017 CALENDAR