MCGUINNESS ON THE NEW FIREBLADE: “IT’S GOING TO BE A TT WINNER IN 2017…”
WIN W
A YAMAHA MAHA R R1M E EXPERIENCE AT SILVERSTONE
MARCH 2017 ISSUE 324
FIREBLADE UN LEASHED AND TAKEN TO THE LIMIT! TOP
10
UK CIRCUITS
RATED!
PLUS: MINIMOTO MAYHEM
RACE SPEC YAMAHA R1 BIKING BUCKET LIST 2017 TEST OF TIME: ENERGICA EGO NEW TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLES KAWASAKI ZX-12R BUYER’S GUIDE BRADLEY SMITH: KTM’S GOING IN BLIND
SKILLS SCHOOL CUNNING STUNTS MADE EASY
LAUNCHES
2017 Honda Fireblade ...................20 They made us wait an agonisingly long time before they released a brand new Fireblade. So, just how good are the new RR and SP versions?
TESTS 2017 KTM Super Duke R – Track ...32 As if the new Super Duke 1290 R wasn’t already good enough, Rootsy finds out what a fully track prepped version can offer – madness!
March of Time ................................38
SUBSC
110 See paget deals es b e h t r fo
FEATURES Skills School ...................................50 Learning the ropes from renowned stunt god Lee Bowers.
BE RI
Energica’s new Ego electric bike marks the start of big change. But how does it compare to a modern day BMW S 1000 RR and Suzuki’s seminal 1985 GSX-R750?
Minimoto Mayhem ........................62 Twenty minimotos, twenty teams, and Fagan – what could possibly go wrong?
50
WANT TO RIDE LIKE THIS? WELL, YOU’D BETTER READ WHAT WE LEARNED FRO OM LEE BO OWERS S.
4 MARCH 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
68
SUMMER WILL BE ON US FAST, SO BEST WORK OUT WHICH UK TRAC CKS S YO OU’D LO OVE TO O THRAS SH ARO OUND!
38
ELECTRIC BIKES, WHILE EXPENSIVE, ARE SUPPOSED TO BE RU UBBIS SH,, RIG GHT? THE NEW ENERG GIC CA SETS S US STRAIG GHT...
ISSUE 324 MARCH 2017
IT’S THE NEWS
Upfront..............................................8 Triumph’s new Street Triple & lots more!
GEARED UP
Products.......................................... 16
A collection of the finest top-spec race helmets known to man, plus other great kit...
GET IT FIRST
Subscribe ...................................... 110 Just do it! Why wouldn’t you have it come through your door, cheaper, each month?!
THE KNOWLEDGE
Used Buyer’s Guide......................... 76 Kawasaki’s ZX-12R is still a warp-speed riot, and well worth your pennies!
MASTERCLASS
Riding ..............................................86
20
2017 HONDA FIREBLADE
THE ONE WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...
Keith Code waxes lyrical about proper rider training, and why it helps you rather a lot...
Technical .........................................88 JHS James raps about alternators...
Legal ................................................ 91 More legal woes given the proper treatment.
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Chatter ............................................92 The best readers in the world get their say!
Travel and Tracks............................94 Places to go & things to do on two wheels...
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
Staff Bikes.......................................96
It’s adios to the Kawasaki ZX-10R this month! ! !
Kawasaki ZX-10R Suzuki GSX-S1000 F
!
Yamaha MT-10
RACE SECTION
62
MINIMOTO ENDURANCE RAC CING G? UTTER CARNAG GE!
104
BRADLEY SMITH ON POL, KTM & BRITS S IN GP
Pit Pass.......................................... 100 Celebrating Sam Sunderland’s Dakar win and a chat with BSB boss Stuart Higgs.
Race Feature ................................. 104 Bradley Smith goes all wikileaks about his new venture with KTM’s GP effort.
COLUMNISTS
Gary Johnson ................................ 112 Gaz attends the new Triumph 765 launch!
Chaz Davies .................................. 113 All about the new WSB rules for Chaz...
Steve Parrish................................. 114 Steve talks shop, and is cruel to Germans.
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FEAST YOUR EYES UPON KTM’S SUMPTUOUS RC16 MOTOGP MACHINE THAT THEY’LL BE RAC CING G IN 20 017,, IN THIS S MO ONTH’S S ADDIC CTIO ON! DRIBBLE...
BUY
GEAR
FASTBIKESMAG.COM MARCH 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 5
WELCOME
Wheelie good times!
50 New dog, old tricks...
W
hen it comes to filling shoes, there’s little chance of packing out the size 11s of former editor Simon Roots. Well, not without a bit of added tissue paper. It was through him I first got the chance to dabble in the intoxicating world of Fast Bikes; a title I’ve followed avidly since pinching my first copy from a mate, aged 14. From that day forward Fast Bikes has been a huge part of my life and it’s still not sunken in that I’m the new editor of this iconic title. How the hell did that happen? One minute you’re bunking off school to practice your burnouts, the next you’re sat behind the ‘bars of Britain’s – maybe even the world’s – finest sports bike title. So, without any further ado, allow me to introduce myself: My name’s Bruce. Hello. And it’s my privilege and pleasure to be sitting in this hot seat, from which I endeavour to deliver you the most engaging, most informative and, above all else, most fun reading material any newsagent has stocking its shelves. To be fair, if things continue the way they’ve started, that’s a pledge which is going to prove all too easy to deliver on. I’m not sure how many jobs are inaugurated by a trip to Santa Pod to learn the intimacies of stunt riding, but that’s how this show went down. Under the watchful eye of stunting sensation Lee Bowers, BSB showdown finalist Luke Mossey and I got an education like no other. Despite our best efforts, no one got hurt, but quite a few tyres were sent to early graves on a day of unadulterated debauchery, topped off by a personal stunt show by the rudely talented monsieur Bowers. You can read all about it in this issue. But that’s not all we’ve got in store for you. Fagan’s been out terrorising the local youths on a minimoto – no, really – and Simon-of-Roots didn’t leave without wanting you to engross yourself in the intimacies of razzing the nuts off a race spec Super Duke 1290R around Qatar’s Losail circuit. That’s one special bike; quite like the electric Energica Ego he got a buzz from on the mean streets of Herefordshire. It’s a quirky bike and it’s eco-friendly principals couldn’t be any more out of line with the fuel guzzling ZX-12R we’re covering in this month’s Used Bike Guide. Remember them? One bike you won’t have forgotten is the Honda Fireblade. Yes, the king of sports bikes is back and I got the chance to violate its piston rings around Portimao imao racetrack. I guess the big question is: has it been worth the wait? Well, read on and you’ll soon find out...
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EDITOR
‘Dangerous’ Bruce Wilson bwilson@mortons.co.uk
DEPUTY EDITOR
Benjamin ‘BJ’ Kubas Cronin bkubascronin@mortons.co.uk
CONTRIBUTOR
Alastair ‘A-Force’ Fagan
fastbikesmag@mortons.co.uk
AD MANAGER
Charlie ‘The Sheriff’ Oakman coakman@mortons.co.uk
To see the latest Fast Bikes subscription offers look at p110 or visit classicmagazines.co.uk/fb
Subscribe! MARCH 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 7
NE W S & REV IEW S PL ANET FAST BIKES – NE W ME TA L, The one we all want – the nutty Steet Triple RS!
WE R FAMILY
Still clearly a Street Triple!
One of Triumph’s worst kept secrets has finally been revealed – the new bombastic 765cc Street Triple family…
W
hen the last round of big motorcycle shows opened their doors, we were surprised that there was no new Street Triple revealed. We knew one was coming, and we knew it’d be a larger capacity than 675cc, but nothing was forthcoming from the British manufacturer. A lavish unveiling launch at the beginning of January in dat dere London finally allayed our concerns with not one, but three
new versions of the Street Triple – the S, the R and the RS. All three are powered by an uprated, redesigned and larger capacity three-cylinder engine. More than 80 parts are new, including the crank and the Nikasil plated aluminium (increased bore & stroke) barrels. All three versions have different states of tune, mostly through different cranks, although much of it will be attended to through the ECU. The vanilla ‘S’ model
produces a claimed 111bhp at the crank, with 73Nm of torque. The ‘R’ hits 116bhp with an extra 4Nm of torque added on, while the ‘RS’ nets a 121bhp output married to the same 77Nm you get with the R. Interestingly, the R makes its maximum power output at 12,000rpm while the RS makes its 300rpm earlier. It’s clear that the extra cubes, despite Euro 4 restrictions, have added some much needed pep to the ST’s go-show especially
STREET TRIPLE TIMELINE 2007 The original is released and at £5,349 is the bargain of the century. The modded Daytona 675 motor, decent handling and light weight make it an instant hit – there are many, many wheelies! Used from £3,100
2008 The R version is revealed, featuring a sportier slant with adjustable suspension from the Daytona, better anchors and some nice touches to differentiate it from standard. A brilliant machine. Used from £3,500
8 MARCH 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
2011 The second coming of the ST is lighter, more powerful and comes with new bug-eye headlamps. The R is likewise as impressive, winning test after test in FB, securing middleweight naked top-spot again. Used from £4,300
2013 The final 675 iteration comes with a low-slung exhaust, a complete chassis rethink and is honed to near perfection. Lighter, more powerful, yet some of the verve had been polished out somewhat. Used from £4,600
UP FRONT
TECH DATA
ENGINE
Street Triple S Type Bore x stroke Compression Tested power
41mm Showa fork Showa monoshock Two-piston calipers, 310mm discs
41mm Showa fork, fully adjustable Showa Monoshock, fully adjustable Brembo M4 calipers, 310mm discs
41mm Showa fork, fully adjustable Öhlins monoshock, fully adjustable Brembo M50 calipers, 310mm discs
1,410mm 24.8°/104.3mm 166kg Pirelli Rosso Corsa
1,410mm 23.9°/100mm 166kg Pirelli Rosso Corsa
1,410mm 23.9°/100mm 166kg Pirelli Supercorsa
ELECTRONICS
Yes/five Yes/five levels Yes Yes
CHASSIS
Yes No
Yes/four Yes/four levels Yes No
Front suspension
Wheelbase
Quickshifter
Rear suspension Front brakes
Rake/trail Dry weight Tyres
Street Triple RS 765cc 78 x 53.4mm 12.65:1 121bhp @ 11,700rpm 77Nm @ 10,800rpm
RBW/riding modes Yes/two Traction control Yes/two levels ABS
Street Triple R
765cc 78 x 53.4mm 12.65:1 116bhp @ 12,000rpm 77Nm @ 9,400rpm
DIMENSIONS
Tested torque
765cc 78 x 53.4mm 12.65:1 111bhp @ 11,250rpm 73Nm @ 9,100rpm
considering that its main rivals have been running larger lumps for a few years already. Ensuring one stays sunny-side up is a new traction-control system, which on the S can be toggled to match its two rider modes (run by the new ride-by-wire throttle) of ‘road’ and ‘rain’. The other two get extra modes to play with, namely ‘track’, ‘sport’ or ‘off’, and there’s a rider-programmable mode option, too. ABS can be switched off on the two R variants, or finely adjusted for track use via the aforementioned programmable rider mode. Only the RS comes with a quick-shifter (an option for the others), while both Rs get a slipper clutch. On the chassis side of things (not forgetting the brand new
2015 The RX version sports a quick-shifter, new seat & tail, among other extras. The zenith of the 675cc powered Street Triple range, it had never been creamier, a fitting finale indeed. Used from £6,200
gull style swingarm) the All of the bikes have the same economy S brags a 15mm lower wheelbase, length and dry seat height to its flashier siblings weight measurements, the S and (825mm on those), and far less R have Pirelli Rosso Corsa tyres impressive suspension plus a (the RS the Supercorsa variant), lazier rake and trail angle. and all three come with their The forks on all three are own differing colour schemes. 41mm units by Showa, but in Must say, it’s a pretty ascending order of capability. impressive line-up from Triumph The S has separate function forks although we imagine at least one (which we think means only one of these versions will suffer in leg actually has a spring inside the sales charts and at a guess, it) with limited adjustability, as we’d say it’s going to be the does the R but in a BPF (Big vanilla S that does – but that all Piston Fork) version this time depends on pricing, all we know with the full adjustment gamut is £8,000 and over. Otherwise it available. The RS runs the more would seem that Triumph have traditional fork arrangement, everything in place to wrestle again a 41mm Showa affair but back control of the naked bike far more sophisticated. They’re middleweight market off Yamaha joined by a pukka Öhlins STX40 and MV Agusta, whose 800cc (or rear shock, while the S and R larger) machines finally overtook both feature a Showa piggyback the legendary Street Triple in unit instead. dynamic terms during 2016. The braking setup is likewise There are some launches we as varied, with old-school Nissin really can’t wait to go to and, sliding two-piston calipers on the rest assured, these may not be S, more than adequate Brembo pure sportsbikes but this one’s M4 32 calipers on the R, and going to be a doozy – did top-rated Brembo M50 items on anybody say wheelies?! the RS which, quite frankly, is pure overkill on a bike like this! Other differences are mostly cosmetic and functional, Sweet in black! such as the RS and R’s full-colour TFT dash over the more conventional unit on the S. The S also doesn’t have the others’ new and special DRL LED headlamp ps, but does posssess some LED runn ning lights. MARCH 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 9
ND REV IEW S NEW S AN PLA NET FAST BIKES – NEW METAL,
VANGUARD ROADSTER This one flew under the radar a little bit, but looks bonkers enough that we simply must include it somewhere! Vanguard is a new American motorcycle manufacturer, and this Roadster one of three models they’ll be initially launching. It’s powered by an S&S 1,917cc V-twin, which also doubles as part of the frame. Suspension is top-spec Öhlins front and rear, although the shock is hidden within the barmy-looking swingarm and accessible through a clear viewing port. Brakes are by Brembo, yet in the images they supplied we can’t see any lines! Apparently the bike’s designer is a master of doing things differently, the lines are there, just hidden somewhere (Really? Where?!). A rear-view camera (and LCD dash) replaces mirrors, the tank is in carbon-fibre. Overall it looks purposeful and cool for a roadster. Prices start at $29,995 and they expect the first units to roll off the production line in early 2018.
FAST BIKES – INDIA! Oh yes indeed, we here at the original FB Towers welcome wholeheartedly Fast Bikes India to our stable – great to see you guys! In what’s quite clearly the fledgling steps of, basically, ruling the world, Team FB continues to spread its wings around the globe as India joins Thailand (and others) in offering our unique content to the biking masses abroad. Of course, they will be creating a lot of their own work for their target home audience, too, so we’re pleased some brand new FB’ers will be ripping it up and flying the flag. Their first issue is out right now, and we wish editor Adil Darukhanawala and his team all the very best for the future.
WIN! A SILVERSTONE MASTERCLASS! That’s right! If you head to Page 74 in this magazine RIGHT NOW you’ll find out how to enter an amazing competition – a FREE masterclass at Silverstone with Niall MacKenzie AND a Yamaha R1M to ride for the day! Now, just how cool is that as a prize? Have you ridden an R1M? Or around the incredible Silverstone circuit? Have you hung out with a GP legend? If not, this is your chance to bag all three – so get entering NOW!
BIKESHUTTLE – GROUP BOOKING OFFER
GO TO PAGE 74!
Remember way back when in issue 323 (Okay, about two months ago…) when Rootsy tore up the Alps after having his bike delivered there by Bikeshuttle? Those fine purveyors of motorcycle transport are now offering a discount deal on group bookings. Get 10 or more of your biking dearly beloved to book en masse and you’ll receive 10% off the usual fare. This would make an individual bike’s return journey £391.50, lopping £43.50 off. Across 10 of you, think of what you could do with that combined saving while you’re away! Their superb service of getting your bikes to Geneva (while you trip happily along on a plane), kicks off from mid-May and finishes at the end of September. If you want to go in the summer months, make sure you book early. So, best you get on the phone to your buddies then! You can find more info at www.bikeshuttle.com
APRILIA RSV4 R FW-GP
We’ve finally gotten our hands on some more details of what could be the greatest track bike ever built – although you’d better start saving! Weighing in at somewhere over 100,000 euros, the FW-GP tops Aprilia’s ‘Factory Works’ customer programme, which goes all the way from a near stock, track-prepped RSV4 RR, through Superstock and WSB versions to this, the 250bhp GP’esque monster. Aprilia begin with the top SBK RSV, but wang in a hybrid version of their 2015 MotoGP, pneumatic valved engine. Where it gets properly Gucci is the support, which sees a visit to the race department to select your own configuration, live updates of the build and technical training as well as hands-on assistance by Aprilia engineers on track. We can’t imagine the rebuild costs are cheap, seeing as the 230bhp SBK version needs a 10,000 euro fettling every few hundred kms. But if you can afford the outlay, that probably won’t bother you. Even a virtually stock RSV is incredible, but we’re just chuffed that this option of absolute top-spec tech is available to us great unwashed. Even if we never get to try it out, it’s nice to dream! 10 MARCH 2017 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM