Fast Bikes Magazine January 2025 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**

2025 NEW METAL… NEWS AND

NEW R 1300 GSA RIDDEN AND RATED

JAMES TOSELAND TALKS

JA N ISS UAR UE Y 2 423 02 5

VIEWS ON THE BEST FRESH OFFERINGS

ADVENTURE… AND THEN SOME

CHAMPIONING ON BEHIND THE STRUGGLES

S K C I K £10K HE PRICE T F O S S E L R O F ACE ALL THE SPICE ILE ON YOUR F M S A T U P L ’L S THAT BARGAIN BUY

USED APRILIA TUONO V4 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS NAUGHTY NAKED

HISTORY IN THE MAKING CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF THE HAYABUSA WITH A FAST-FUELLED JOYRIDE TO REMEMBER

ISSUE 423

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COLUMNISTS

£10K kicks....................................... 16

Christian Iddon ...............................96

If you think you’ve got to spend a fortune to own a box-fresh, fun machine… think again.

We check out three of the best bargains on the market.

Used Bike Guide..............................54

Aprilia’s Tuono V4 is one of our favourite nakeds of all time. It’s so good, we wanted to tell you more about it.

History in the making .....................60 How on earth is the Hayabusa 25 years old?

Big Mac goes for a trip down memory lane, while getting a refresher on the latest iteration.

Adventure… and then some .......... 78 If you like ‘em big and comfy, the all-new BMW R 1300 GSA is a bike you’ll want to know more about. See how we rated it.

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Just like that, the season’s finished – and so is Iddon’s time with Moto Rapido.

Steve Parrish...................................98 More madness and wisdom from the man they call Parrish.

FEATURES

A date in the desert: Part 2............38 If last issue’s hit of Bruce’s off-road adventure got your juices going, part two of his escapade is sure to get your heart racing.

Toseland: Championing on............. 70 The two-time world champ opens up about life after racing… and shares a few tales while he’s at it.

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WELCOME

100, not out…

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t’s crazy to think this is my 100th issue as editor of Fast Bikes. Back in late 2017 I bagged my dream job to edit this iconic title… a mag I’d learned to love and live by in my teens. Needless to say, FB influenced me and my mates in more ways than I’d care to admit, trying to imitate the madness and marvels we saw within its hallowed pages on a monthly basis. I never imagined in a million years I’d have a hand in working on the title, playing out countless two-wheeled shenanigans, and meeting some of the best of biking along the way. It’s been one hell of a journey, and it’s not over yet – and that’s all thanks to you.

It’s no secret that print media has had a bit of a kicking these last few years but we’re still here, we’re still delivering, and we’re still supported by you brilliant folk – so please accept my heartfelt appreciation. What happens next? Well, that’s down to you guys. Consider this an open offer to drop us a line and steer the path you’d prefer. Making a magazine is something of a guessing game, trying to figure out what’s core to the title, but also right for the readers. But as we all get older and our priorities change, so too should the magazine. If you want more projects, call it out. More track action – just let us know. More travel? More kit

reviews? Budget bikes? Adventure bikes?

More naked bikes? More big group tests or features on iconic sportsbikes from the past? Whatever the hook, we’re all ears and my inbox is open – bwilson@mortons. co.uk Between the likes of Big Mac, Timmy, Mr Dowds and the many other good guys who help put this title together, I have some great people around me who are every bit as hungry to make Fast Bikes your must-read every month… so put us to the test. In the meantime, we’d like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

All the best,

ADVENTURE… AND THEN SOME

2025 NEW METAL… NEWS AND VIEWS ON THE BEST FRESH OFFERINGS

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Y… A W R U O G IN D EA H L A ET M H ES FR E R O M good news is this of new bikes last issue, the If you thought we had a solid wave way than you h more new machines heading our wit s, rou ne ge s les no en be ’s nth mo for us… re’s what the brands have in store He at. ck sti l bia ver pro the ke sha can

BALLISTIC BEEMERS S1000R, S1000RR, M1000R AND M1000RR There’s a heap of fresh updates for BMW’s inline-four 999cc S1000 and M1000 models, in both single R naked and double R superbike format. The big news is the 2025 M1000 RR, finally crowned as WSBK king under Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, which gets a stonking six extra bhp peak power. The WSBK champ now makes 218bhp, up from 212 last year, thanks to a top-end refresh, which is an amazing output from a normally aspirated 999cc street-legal unit. There’s more compression, now a near-diesel 14.5:1 from 13.4:1, new-shape titanium valves and rejigged seats, oval intake and exhaust ports, new pistons and bigger 52mm throttle bodies (up from 48mm). Toprak’s top ride also gets a new frame for ’25 with relocated engine mount and altered stiffness, new M Winglets 3.0 for even more downforce

10 JANUARY 2025 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

(30kg at 186mph…) while keeping the 195mph claimed top speed – eek! The rider aids package now adds a steering angle sensor to make the slide modes even smarter (cars have had this sort of thing for decades, but this is a first on a bike, we reckon).

The other BMW 1000 to get engine mods is the S1000 R supernaked. It’s got a mild 5bhp tweak up to a peak of 170bhp now – an almost sensible number in this company – thanks to altered intake ports and mapping adjustments.

As you probably worked out, the S1000 RR and M1000 R both stick with the same engine spec as last year, with ‘only’ 210bhp for the standard superbike and premium hypernaked machines.

How will we survive?

Away from the engine, the S1000 RR gets a new aerodynamic package with updated

winglets, new brake cooling ducts and more downforce; up by 6kg to 23.1kg at 186mph. You also get a new quick-action 58-degree throttle twistgrip (shared on all these new models), tweaked bodywork design, and upgrades to the rider aid package which now includes the ‘PRO’ modes as standard. For the S1000 R, you get a new ‘dual flow’ twin headlight and bodywork design and more rider aids; engine brake control is standard. The M1000 R also has a bodywork refresh, fine-tuning to the traction control, and the new quick-action throttle.

The S1000 RR starts at £17,990 and arrives in January, the M1000 R costs from £19,990 and S1000 R £13,760, both here in March, while the new M1000 RR will set you back a WSBK-approved (and very decent considering the performance) £32,850. It hits BMW dealers in April 2025.

Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.

HONDA TOP HITS HORNET CB1000/SP

I know what you’re thinking – didn’t we do this already? Well, yes: Honda first showed the new Hornet 1000 off around this time last year, as a 2024 model. It’s kinda heartening to think that the enormous moto-industrial complex which is Honda is just like us – project bikes taking much longer than you thought they would to finish off… The bike, now a 2025 model, is a fairly standard Honda take on the roadster theme: an old (2017) CBR1000RR Fireblade engine, suitably detuned from 190 to 150bhp with soft cams and less compression, bolted into a steel frame with cooking running gear and neat styling. It weighs 211kg wet, which isn’t amazing but isn’t terrible, and you get a fairly unremarkable 2025-spec set of rider aids including wheelie and engine brake controls.

But the big H has made up for that 12-month delay in two ways. Firstly, it’s made the new bike a stone-cold bargain, with retail pricing that’s seemingly from the 1990s. And the engineers have also produced a cheeky SP version, that not only has Brembo Stylema brakes and an Öhlins

TTX36 rear shock, but also has a unique and new ‘Revolutionary Controlled’ (RC) valve in the end can, which closes at low revs then opens at 5700rpm for full-power breathing.

As we said, though, the most amazing thing is the pricing. The stock bike is just £8999, which looks like you’d need to add VAT to it or something. The SP is a grand more, at £9999, also impressive. Both bikes will be on sale in January, and we’ll be riding ‘em very soon…

CMX500 AND 1100

You may not love Honda’s CMX range of soft-ish Japanese cruisers, but you have to respect it for its massive sales performance. The CMX500 Rebel is a big hit with the A2 licence brigade, so much so that Kawasaki virtually copied it with its latest Eliminator 500, and the Africa Twin-powered CMX1100 provides a full-power hit in the same vein. Both bikes get a modest refresh for 2025: the 500 mostly on the cosmetic and Euro 5+ homologation front, with the 46bhp 471cc twin motor largely unchanged. The 1100 now comes in three models: base CMX1100, a new ‘T’ touring variant with half-fairing and bagger-style panniers and an SE version packed with bolt-on factory custom bits. The motor has some of the upgrades seen on the Africa Twin this year, with more compression, different cams, heavier flywheel and new exhaust, plus ride-by-wire throttle. Peak power is about the same at 87bhp, but there’s much more low-down and midrange grunt. Prices and availability for the Rebels is TBC; expect more news next month.

COOL KAWASAKI Z900

It’s often overlooked for its fancier retro sister, the Z900 RS, but Kawasaki’s Z900 is a big hit with its owners and sits nicely in between the mental supercharged Z H2 and the smaller Z650 twin naked.

It’s been overlooked a bit by Kawasaki too, arguably – but no more. For 2025, the 124bhp inline-four 948cc motor gets ride-by-wire fuel injection, the ancient axial-mount front brake calipers are finally binned in favour of proper radial-mount parts, and there’s an IMU-based suite of electronic rider aids. You also get a new 5in TFT colour LCD dashboard that includes navigation functions, plus cruise control and an up/down quickshifter. As ever, Kawasaki’s also offering an SE version, which features an Öhlins rear shock with remote preload adjuster and Brembo radial monobloc calipers with Brembo discs. No price as we went to press, but the Z900 will be in the shops in March.

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PLANE T FAST BIKES – NEW METAL

, NEWS & REVIEW S

TRIUMPH’S NEW TRIO TIGER SPORT 800

Didn’t Triumph do this before? Well, yes – the Hinckley firm sold a Tiger 800 model between 2010 and 2019, but it’s keen to stress this new machine has nothing to do with the old ‘un.

In fact, it’s basically a grown-up’s version of the firm’s highly successful entry-level Tiger Sport 660 model. Indeed, the engine on this new 798cc 800 triple is based on the same crankcases and cylinder head on the 660, but with a bigger bore and longer stroke to get those extra cc. There are new pistons, with the same bore size as the 765 Street Triple, a longer throw crank than the 660, and further mods to the head. The 800 also has triple throttle bodies instead of the low-performance single throat design on the 660, and the result is a beefy 114bhp peak power, with 83Nm of torque and a broad range of grunt.

Similarly, the chassis takes its basic layout from the 660, with a similar steel tube frame design, and uprated running gear. Triumph’s added fully-adjustable 41mm USD Showa forks and a rebound/preload adjustable rear monoshock with remote preload adjuster, Triumph-branded four-piston front brakes and road-friendly cast aluminium wheels with Michelin Road 5 rubber. The electronics package includes cornering ABS and traction control, cruise control, quick shifter, LCD dash and Bluetooth connectivity, and the Tiger Sport 800 will be on sale next March, costing from £10,995.

SPEED TWIN 900

Triumph’s given the novice-friendly Speed Twin 900 retro roadster a tweaking for 2025. The fundamentals are as you were: the engine is the same friendly 64bhp parallel twin SOHC unit in a lightly modded steel tube frame. Suspension is now by Marzocchi, in common with much of the rest of the Triumph range, and there’s a radial-mount front brake caliper, fresh bodywork design and uprated electronic kit.

It’ll be in the shops in February priced at £9195.

TRIDENT 660 A minor refresh for Hinckley’s budget 81bhp roadster, the £7895 Trident 660 gets cornering ABS, new Showa Big Piston forks and cruise control, as well as a styling refresh.

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Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.

YAMAHA’S DELIGHTFUL DUO MT-07 Yamaha’s MT-07 sits at the heart of a tasty middleweight range: its engine and basic chassis layout forms the basis for the R7, XSR700, Tracer 700 and Ténéré models. And for 2025, the tuning-fork firm has given the neat roadster a chassis and tech upgrade, as well as the Y-AMT automatic transmission option.

There’s a new steel tube frame with revised swingarm pivot design, less mass, and more rigidity. You also get a lighter, slimmer swingarm design, and new suspension units: 41mm USD forks up front, now with radial-mount front brake calipers for the first time.

Lighter SpinForged aluminium rims with Dunlop Sportmax Q5A tyres, new bodywork and revised riding position rounds off the chassis mods.

The electronics see a bigger 5in colour LCD dash fitment, and extended rider aids, with traction control and power modes. And you can also spec the bike with the Y-AMT automated manual transmission, as seen on the MT-09 last month. No big changes to the engine for 2025: it sticks with the 74bhp 689cc 270-degree parallel twin set-up. Pricing is to be confirmed, and it’ll be available early 2025.

TRACER 9 We’re definite fans of Yamaha’s excellent Tracer 900 range: it’s a practical, quick, capable all-rounder with minimal ‘adventure’ styling. And for 2025, Yamaha’s gone all-in, launching a range of four models, with optional Y-AMT automatic transmission, premium GT and GT+ spec versions, and a radical new LED Matrix multiple-headlight set-up that looks like nothing else out there.

The four Tracer models start out with the base Tracer 9, which features the same new 7in colour LCD dash which is common across the range, and a version of the LED Matrix headlight, with a cornering function. The posh GT and GT+ models have a smarter LED Matrix lighting set-up, adding a smart computerised ECU and a built-in camera to the mix. This set-up analyses the

scene ahead for oncoming traffic and ambient light levels, before fine-tuning the light output from the banks of high and low-beam lighting panels to suit – clever stuff.

There’s uprated KYB suspension, with semi-active electronic kit on the GT and GT+, an optional Y-AMT automatic transmission, radar-assisted cruise control on the premium models, and upgrades to the IMU-assisted rider aids package. A smart keyless ignition option now also operates the steering lock, fuel cap, and even centrally unlocks the factory three-case hard luggage set-up. No final word on price – though the massive spec list suggests the high-end models may be on the expensive side. The new Tracer 9 range will be in shops in the spring.

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PLANE T FAST BIKES – NEW METAL

, NEWS & REVIEW S

THE KTM COLLECTION

2025 KTM 1390 SUPER ADVENTURE S EVO

Self-driving cars are still science fiction, despite the promises of mad Elon Musk. But many new models come close: all manner of computers, cameras and sensors take the strain out of driving, with active cruise-control and automatic lane-keeping. And this latest KTM Super Adventure S EVO comes closer than anything we’ve seen in terms of applying that technology to two wheels. The basic top-end adventure bike is there under all the tech, with a saucy 170bhp,

990 DUKE R

It’s like a hamster-wheel with performance bikes these days… the big ‘uns have been growing and growing so the 1000s are now 1100s and even 1350s, while the smaller middleweight machines have also expanded. That’s why the new 2025 990 Duke R – an ‘upper middleweight’ machine – actually tips its metaphorical hat to the full-bore KTM supernaked of 20 years ago: the 2005 990 Super Duke. The 2025 990 now has a similar capacity and performance to the old 990, albeit from a 947cc parallel twin motor instead of the 999cc V-twin of old. Got all that? Good.

For next year, then, the 990 Duke R gets an extra 5bhp, up from 122bhp to 127bhp, and a little less mass, down 2kg to 190kg (this is where the old bikes win; the 2005 990 was just 179kg).

The power gain comes purely from mapping changes rather than any mods to the engine itself, so the cheeky Austrian gnomes already had

245kg wet mass, all the performance riding aids, and a new CAMSHIFT variable valve timing setup in the 1350cc 75-degree V-twin-powered motor.

But KTM’s added a series of clever tech upgrades, including its gigantic new 8.88in LCD dashboard, WP semi-active electronic suspension, radar-assisted cruise control and the firm’s new automated manual transmission, with centrifugal clutch and computerised gearchanges. Even more impressively, the radar

those 4bhp in their pocket. We’re still pleased to have ‘em though. Away from the engine, KTM’s modded the frame and swingarm, with a new linkage for more grip, extra ground clearance, and a few degrees more lean angle. The WP APEX suspension is also new, with an Open Cartridge damping mechanism on the forks, which now have 48mm stanchions, up from 43mm. Brakes are top-end too, with Brembo Stylema front calipers, larger 320mm discs and a Brembo MCS master cylinder, while Michelin Power Cup 2 tyres and 1390 Super Duke R wheels completes the chassis mods.

The electronics are sharpened up, of course, with the new KTM 8.88-inch landscape TFT LCD touchscreen dash, refreshed switchgear, and improved rider aids, including Sport and Supermoto+ ABS modes. Pricing is TBC, and the bikes will be in shops in January.

AND IN THE DUCATI CORNER NEXT-GEN DUCATI V2 MOTOR RELEASED Released just before the EICMA show, here’s the new mid-power Ducati V2 engine for the foreseeable future. Big news is the firm’s dropped the desmodromic valves and is using common old coil springs for its valve control.

What next – hairpin springs? Anyway, what we

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lose in unique engine tech, we regain in easier servicing, possibly. The motor is light, at 54.5kg, and is an 890cc DOHC 8v 90-degree V-twin with oversquare dimensions (bore x stroke of 96x61.5mm) and high compression, 13.1:1.

There’s variable timing on the intake camshaft with a hydraulic variator, chain cam drive and a clever design that locates the water pump in the front cylinder head for more compactness.

It's not a mega-powerful unit – just 120bhp in high power format – and there’s also a 115bhp version. That’s not bad for a sub-900 twin (something like a BMW F900R makes just 105bhp) and will be fine for the likes of the Multistrada V2, DesertX and Monster models. But it’s well down on the current Panigale V2’s 157bhp, so you imagine they’ll have to do something else for that.

cruise control and automatic transmission work together in traffic, so the bike will actually come to a complete stop when the vehicle in front halts, then pull away again when the traffic moves off. We imagine an automatic sidestand will be the next innovation, for the truly dense riders out there… No word on price for the 2025 1390 Super Adventure S EVO, but it will be on sale in February.

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5

TEST

£10K

s k c i k

16 JANUARY 2025 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

WORDS: BIG MAC

PICS: JAMIE MORRIS

Does buying a bike on a budget of roughly ten grand mean you’ll limit your fun as well as your cash? There was only one way to fi nd out… find

£10K KICKS

T

he middle ground is often overlooked in many areas of life.

We are all guilty of focusing on the extremities and the niche, instead of where all the actual action and fun regularly takes place. In the case of the motorcycle market, which as I type is in the throes of experiencing something of a transformation, manufacturers are putting much more emphasis on affordable options as opposed to big-ticket mega bikes as buying habits change.

Many of us mourn the loss of over-thetop, over-powered, over-priced bikes, while simultaneously welcoming with open arms much-needed bikes that provide an entry point into motorcycling, but it’s easy to miss that there’s been much activity at or about the £10,000 mark this year. This is important, because if you’re on the market for a circa £9000 parallel twin, steel-framed bike, but can spend a little bit more, then a whole world of options opens up.

At £10k-ish, there’s also much more variety than the go-to format for manufacturers which want to build a bike to a price point, which is why we selected

the apparently odd mixture of bikes you see in this feature. We are focusing on said price point, rather than the genre of bike, and with so many options we decided to gather the three newest bikes this year which qualify by virtue of being all-new, updated or, in the case of the Honda, re-engineered and reintroduced for a piece of the £10k action.

Our cast could not be more diverse, which in itself is a reason to celebrate how good we’ve got it right now. There’s a 77bhp single-cylinder supermoto and a pair of 119bhp bikes, one being a three-cylinder naked and the other a four-cylinder supersport. So, as well as variety, there is plenty to get the juices flowing in terms of spec and performance – while still staying on the right side of the line where things can start to get a bit intimidating.

In other words, these bikes play to both sides of the crowd. There’s enough going on to engage an experienced rider who doesn’t want to break the bank but does want fully adjustable suspension, or an alloy frame, or something

more than what a user-friendly parallel twin-cylinder engine can offer. There’s also not so much going on that a relative newcomer couldn’t jump on any of these bikes and be thoroughly entertained as opposed to being overwhelmed. In many ways, these bikes – and others like them at the same price point – are, in fact, the real heroes of motorcycling. They can please all of the people, all of the time, with the exception of the few who will never be moved from the ‘biggest is best’ position.

When it came to who rode which bike for our day out, it would be a brave man who stood between flat tracker and general slippy-slidy Timmy and the Ducati, while Bruce had unfinished business with the CBR600RR after having his time (ahem) cut short on one at its press launch – with a trip to the medical centre thrown in for good measure – and I was keen to get the key to the Yamaha to make myself one of the very few people to have ridden all three versions of the newly-updated MT-09, having already had the SP and Y-AMT spec versions already in the bag.

Let the fun begin…

JANUARY 2025 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 17

TEST

A H A M YA 9: 0 IN T K S M R THE

W

: ORDS

BIG

MAC

E D N U

T

he base model MT-09 is the cheapest on this test, cashing in at £800 less than the most expensive (the Ducati), yet it is the biggest capacity at 890cc and therefore by far the most torque, and it also has the most sophisticated suite of electronic rider aids by a country mile.

It’s little wonder that the MT-09 is such a hit in the showrooms. Since it was introduced in 2014, it has achieved an almost cult status and following by virtue of its brilliant engine, decent handling and distinctive looks. It’s been a smash since day one, and in this, it’s 10th year of existence, it got a fairly hefty update as opposed to a complete reworking.

This, the fourth-generation MT-09, kept the same engine from the thirdgeneration one – which was a new engine – and it also carried over the same frame and swingarm, with just a few very subtle tweaks to stiffness

18 JANUARY 2025 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

around the engine mounts and a teeny tiny tweak to the steering angle.

Elsewhere, the riding position got lower handlebars and a slightly different position for the footpegs, which combined with a new fuel tank design and shape gives the latest MT-09 a slightly sportier layout.

The front forks got slightly stiffer springs and the rear suspension a different linkage to make the relationship between shock absorber and swingarm movement different, although it was never clear whether it increased or decreased the rising rate of the swingarm, but more on that later.

Aside from the new look courtesy of a new headlight cluster and a nip and tuck on the rear end, probably the single most significant update which separates

£10K KICKS

this fourth-generation MT-09 from its predecessor is its electronics package, which is on another level to all the other mid-sized naked bikes, but also all the other bikes at the same price point, regardless of genre. There are three rider modes, all made up of different engine outputs, traction control, slide control, engine braking and anti-wheelie settings, plus there are further two rider modes which are customisable, and all controlled by a six-axis IMU. Then there’s a separate function which literally lets you scroll down the list of what’s available and just disable whichever one you want without having to go into the main settings menu, which can be a tad laborious. It’s simple and brilliant and without doubt an idea proposed by someone who rides a lot.

The electronics pack doesn’t end there, because there’s also cruise control, a really trick quickshifter/ blipper that lets you downshift on an open throttle and upshift on a shut throttle, and you can also connect your phone to the bike, which through Yamaha My-Ride app lets you record all sorts of data from your rides and share them with others, while also giving you access to other people’s rides so you can discover new routes. In short, the electronics aren’t a watered-down, less refined version of what’s found on something with a much bigger price tag such as the R1 – they are the same.

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TEST

WORDS: BIG MAC

YAMAHA MT-09: RATED

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