Fast Bikes Magazine December issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**

BUYER’S GUIDE

KRÄMER EVO2 R

HOW TO RIDE THE NAUGHTY NÜRBURGRING… BUT NICE CE

EXPLORING THE SINGLE LIFE

HONDA CB1000R

DE C ISS EMB UE ER 410 20 23

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW IF YOU WANT TO TACKLE THE RING.

BMW M 1000 R

KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R EVO

DUCATI STREETFIGHTER V4 LAMBORGHINI

KING OF THE RING NAKED SPORTSBIKE OF THE YEAR 2023

SCRAPPING RAPPING IT OUT ON ROAD AND THE NÜRBURGRING

1200 MILES

592BHP

ONE EPIC TEST

LIFE BEHIND BARS...

DUCATI PANIGALE V4 SP2 AND BMW S1000RR LONGTERMERS

PLUS

BRITISH SUPERSPORT SUZUKI GSX-R750

2024’S NEW MODEL RELEASES

ISSUE 410 DECEMBER 2023

70

80

THE KNOWLEDGE

TESTS

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

King of the Ring .............................. 18

Honda’s CB1000R is a popular naked bike option these days, and so too is the original it spawned from, back in 2008. Here’s what we make of it.

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It’s that time of the year when we go fully naked. Say hello to this year’s contestants, who got stuck in around the Nürburgring.

Alternatively, scan the QR code on this page and order your next copy today. We will send it directly to you!

Exploring the single life.................. 70

Going single is not for everyone, but Kramer’s EVO2 690-R might make you think differently.

COLUMNISTS

Tim Neave .......................................94

After a pause from racing, Tim’s been flat-out on everything he can get his hands on.

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

It’s all to play for as Iddon heads into the final round of BSB.

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

To pre-order your next issue of Fast Bikes, head to classicmagazines. co.uk/pre-order-fb FEATURES How to ride the Ring ......................48

If we’ve whetted your appetite for lapping up Germany’s finest circuit, here are a few pointers for you.

Life behind bars ..............................80 How we’ve been getting on with Ducati’s Panigale V4 SP2 and BMW’s S 1000 RR.

Get fit, now .....................................92 Brad Howell offers up advice on why you shouldn’t let off training too much over the winter.

18

WELCOME

Clocking the miles

G

rowing up, I remember my mates would often hop on their bikes, hit the Tunnel, and head to some exotic part of Europe for a week’s worth of scratching. In the Noughties, it was a practice as common as Covid and I regret missing out on a few chances to have joined them, often wild camping, eating Pot Noodles to save a few quid, and returning home with a partially destroyed motorcycle in the process. They also came back with the most awesome of tales, having dodged police, crashed their brains out, and shared in what is best described as an adventure. It was their seasonal highlight, their summer holiday, and their chance to act out the antics they saw in their favourite mags of that time… Fast Bikes,

Performance Bikes and Superbikes. Times have changed, that’s true enough, but you don’t have to scratch much below the surface to reignite that kind of madness, as we recently discovered on our blast to the Nürburgring on this issue’s cover bikes. It feels like it’s been an eternity since I rode further than the local Co-op, so a 12-hour stint in the saddle came as a bit of a shock, making it 600-plus miles to the Eifel in a single day for a 48-hour window of absolute shenanigans. You’ll find out more of what we got up to in just a few pages’ time, but the point here is to hammer home the simple brilliance of getting on a bike and heading literally anywhere – a notion I’ve missed in recent years for one reason or another. I had an absolute blast… we all

did, despite the long, cramped stints of motorway and the simple challenge of ordering a Pot Noodle in a language other than our own.

Nothing lets you see the world like a motorcycle does, opening up experiences and places that would otherwise pass you by. The people, the places, and the endless piss-taking... trips on bikes are nothing short of epic, especially so when you’ve got a corker of a destination to aim for. Just in case you’re wondering, the Nürburgring was that perfect place, so get it on the list, hatch a plan, and get those miles clocked.

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Whether we like it or not, it’s 2023, not 2003, so a lot of the new bikes coming out this season are ADV machines rather than supersports bikes. But there are still some saucy pieces of nonsense in the post for 2024 – here’s our pick of the latest new releases…

DUCATI RELEASES A PSYCHO EDITION OF THE DESERTX AND AN EVEN MORE LUXURIOUS MULTISTRADA V4 S

Ducati DesertX Rally

The strapline for this release was ‘Race Wilder’, which made us go a bit funny at first, as we contemplated a new Desmosedici road bike based on Ducati’s latest MotoGP weapon. But no, – this particular wild racing is of the dirty type.

The Bologna massive has dropped a tougher rally edition of the posh DesertX adventure machine launched a couple of years ago. That bike uses the firm’s excellent 937cc 110bhp Testastretta 11° V-twin motor in a slim, tall, posh chassis, and it works extremely well on road and off. Now, there’s the DesertX Rally, which gets a dirt-racer style chassis upgrade for even more performance away from the asphalt.

First up is the suspension, which (like the standard DesertX) is from Japanese outfit Kayaba rather than the perhaps predictable yellowspringed Öhlins upgrade brand. A 48mm USD front fork sports DLC and Kashima Coating treatments to reduce wear and stiction in the sliders, and is, of course, fully adjustable. DLC is diamond-like carbon, a hard ceramic, and Kashima is a type of anodising with molybdenum solid lubricant impregnated into the surface.

Cunning stuff, and a nice match to the high-end closed-cartridge pressurised damping circuits.

Out back is a 46mm piston shock with full adjustability and separate high/low speed

10 DECEMBER 2023 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

compression setting. There’s a vertigo-inducing 250mm of travel on the front and 240mm on the rear end, and a stonking 280mm of ground clearance. Shorties need not apply, we reckon – the seat height is a giddy 910mm.

Away from the suspension, the chassis upgrades continue with an Öhlins steering damper behind the top yoke (both yokes are themselves posh machined billet components, as are the adjustable gear and brake levers). The wheels are extra-tough Takasago Excel parts, with machined hubs, carbon steel spokes and reinforced outer rims, and Ducati has approved three different versions of the Pirelli Scorpion dirt tyres, with varying levels of off-road performance.

A high ‘beaky’ front mudguard, ‘Iron Giant’ paint scheme and tweaked riding aids settings completes the Rally, which weighs in at just one kilo more than the stock bike, impressive considering the extra kit.

The DesertX Rally looks amazing – but we are wondering who’ll be doing any wild racing on it.

It’s clearly got the kit and the cojones, but at £18,995 you’d be a brave rallyist to start throwing it up the side of a mountain in the mud and rain. As a tall person’s high-end piece of dirty exotica though, it looks like a winner. You can find out yourself in February when it hits the showrooms.

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

DUCATI MULTISTRADA V4 S GRAND TOUR Fancy your V-twin adventure kicks in a more luxurious, high-tech format? Then this gentleperson’s express should be right up your mellow green lane. Ducati’s taken its already awesome Multistrada V4 S, with its 170bhp V-four engine, 218kg dry mass and electronic suspension, and added even

more touring kit. Hard luggage, heated grips and seat, LED spotlights and a centrestand are all there, as you’d expect, but there’s also radar-assisted cruise control, keyless ignition, tyre pressure monitoring, air vents around the leg area, and a waterproof phone charging compartment. Add

in an auto-lowering mode and sidestand lift assist on the Marzocchi Skyhook electronic suspension, cornering headlights and massive 6.5-in colour dash and you have a pretty tempting performance mile-muncher, priced a few grand more than the base V4 S, at £23,595.

SUZUKI V-STROM 800 RE

Suzuki’s 800DE V-Strom has been a big hit for the firm, pairing up its excellent new 800 parallel twin engine (also seen in the GSX-8S) with a decent adventure sport chassis. Of course, most of the bikes sold will spend the vast majority of their time on the tarmac, so Suzuki’s released a new V-Strom 800 RE road-biased variant. The new model keeps the 84bhp engine and steel tube frame, but swaps in cast aluminium road

wheels, a 19-inch front rim, road rubber, firmer suspension with less travel, and a set of more roadfriendly radial front brake calipers. The riding position is also tweaked for road use, with a slightly sportier crouch, narrower bars, and more rear-set pegs. Finally, the screen is wider and taller. Add in the optional factory-fit hard luggage, centrestand and hot grips and you’ll be all set for that midlife crisis adventure…

HONDA GIVES THE AFRICA TWIN MORE ROAD KIT, EXTRA TORQUE AND UPDATED ELECTRONIC SUSPENSION Honda’s CRF1100 Africa Twin has been a big hit for the firm, despite being squeezed a bit from both sides of the adventure touring sector.

It’s a bit small against the 1200cc-plus behemoths, and a bit big against the smaller 800-900s, which arguably lets it through the middle in a Goldilocks fashion. And now, for 2024, Honda’s given it a bit of a tweak, adding more midrange

grunt – 7% more torque thanks to a top-end tune-up, and a new, more road-biased chassis on the Adventure Sports premium version. That AS model now has a standard Showa electronic semi-active suspension set-up, while switching from a 21-inch front wheel to a 19-incher with a wider tyre. The DCT automatic transmission variants have more refined

settings, and there’s new bodywork for better wind protection, plus the best bit: a 24.8-litre fuel tank. Yum. In shops now from £13,199 or £17,599 for the electronic suspension AS model.

TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER 1200 X AND XE Triumph’s 1200 Scrambler is one of those bikes that just looked right from the off. A mild adventure bike with 1960s scrambling style, it used the firm’s Bonneville 1200 parallel twin ‘modern classic’ engine in a long-legged chassis with high-level pipes and premium componentry. The posh XE version, with its Öhlins shocks, added extra pizzazz, and the bike famously featured in the James Bond film No Time To Die. Now though, five years on from its initial launch, the Hinckley firm has unveiled a revamp, with a new entry-level

X variant replacing the XC, with more road focus, shorter seat height and a cheaper price tag. The X has Nissin sliding calipers up front rather than the Brembo Stylemas on the XE, and less travel on the suspension, which is only adjustable for preload on the rear shocks. Both models have switched to Marzocchi suspension at both ends, with the XE getting 250mm travel and full adjustability on both the 45mm USD front forks and the twin-spring rear shock units.

Triumph says the move from Öhlins to the Italian suspension

brand on the XE isn’t a downgrade, though: the firm has gained much experience from working with Marzocchi on the latest Tiger 900s, and being able to spec front and rear suspension from the same firm brings dividends in terms of set-up and performance.

You’d also imagine that the purchasing department will appreciate spreading out the supplier list, to help with cost negotiations and add resilience to the logistics chain. Both the entry-level X and posh XE Scramblers will be in shops just after Christmas, costing from £11,895 and £13,295.

DECEMBER 2023 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 11

PLANE T FAST BIKES – NEW METAL

, NEWS & REVIEW S

BMW R1300 GS BMW celebrated 100 years of motorcycle manufacture last month and marked the event with a significant unveil – the new 2024 R1300 GS. It’s an upgrade of the Bavarian adventure battle cruiser, with a total engine revamp and fresh transmission design, plus new steel frame construction and more posh kit all round.

Starting with the engine (which will no doubt appear in all the firm’s Boxer bikes over the next year), we get more capacity with an even wider bore and shorter stroke, now up to 106.5x73mm from 102.5x76mm, as well as higher compression, up to 13.3:1, bigger valves, and revised liquid cooling set-up. It’s got nine more bhp, up to 145bhp from 136bhp on the current 1250, and an extra 6Nm of torque, as well as a broader range: there’s 130Nm all the way from 3600 to 7800rpm.

The ShiftCam variable valve set-up remains on the intake camshaft, providing two different cam profiles for low and high-speed operation, and we also keep the chain-driven DOHC four-valve heads.

The most revolutionary change is in the gearbox, which moves from behind the engine to low down, below the crankshaft in the

main cases. That change means both a lighter and more compact powertrain, as well as giving a longer swingarm, which is always good for handling. It also improves the Paralever rear shaft drive installation – having the output shaft lower down reduces the angle changes needed on the universal joints in the drive shaft, further reducing size, mass and losses. The overall engine weight saving is about 6.5kg, with 3.9kg saved on the transmission changes.

A new engine needs a new frame, and BMW has made some big changes here too, with a fabricated sheet steel design instead of the old steel tube trellis affair. The main frame reaches around the engine to the swingarm pivot and looks much slicker than the slightly untidy tubes on the old design, and it also gives more control over stiffness, flex and mass to the design engineers. It has a separate cast aluminium rear subframe, and accommodates a new Telelever front suspension design. That combines the ‘sporty’ stiff steering

connection of the more road-biased Telelever Boxers with the longer-travel design on the old GS models, giving the best of both, thanks to a cunning new flex-plate link.

The rest of the upgrades are mostly as you’d expect: even more technology, including radar-assisted cruise control modes, electronic suspension system, and a return of the variable spring rate first seen on the old K1300 models. That system used a cunning polymer sleeve insert to let the suspension ECU change the spring rate – the stiffness of the spring, if you like – rather than just changing preload. There’s no word on how the 2024 bike does this as yet, but we are interested to hear more, for sure.

Expect the new 1300 GS to hit the streets before the end of this year, priced from £15,990.

KAWASAKI EL500 ELIMINATOR We did a proper double-take when this one landed. A small black 500cc twin, with sort-of drag racer styling, steel trellis frame, kicked-out front end and a slightly aggressive name? It’s a Honda CMX500 Rebel, surely?

But no – it’s actually the Kawasaki EL500 Eliminator. That moniker dates back to the

12 DECEMBER 2023

mid-1980s American market, when you could buy a variety of Eliminators, from a 450 twin (with half a GPZ900R motor) to a 1000 (with a tuned-up GTR1000 shaft drive lump).

They were actually quite

cool in a run-what-you-brung hot-rod kinda way. This 2023 version is a little anodyne, with just 45bhp, but it’s low, light (176kg wet), and stylish enough.

The Honda Rebel has been a big hit, and Kawasaki will be hoping to emulate that. As an aside, the parallel twin 451cc DOHC 8v engine is all-new, and features in the new Ninja 7 hybrid machine also just launched.

PLANE T FAST BIKES – NEW METAL

, NEWS & REVIEW S

KAWASAKI NINJA 7 HYBRID BIKE As anyone with a hybrid car knows, they make a lot of sense at the moment. They have a modest electric powertrain and battery paired with a petrol engine, and a cunning computer blends the two. They use battery power at low speeds around town, and also recharge the battery when braking and coasting, recapturing energy that would otherwise be lost. But you can always put petrol in them, giving you a much longer range when needed.

There’s not been a hybrid bike though – so far. The weight, cost and space penalty is tougher to

sort on two wheels. But Kawasaki is releasing a new hybrid bike for 2024, and has released some pre-launch details. The Ninja 7 has a 451cc parallel twin petrol engine, as in the Eliminator 500, making around 58bhp, plus a 12bhp electric motor and battery pack. The firm

reckons it will combine 250cc fuel consumption and emissions, with the performance of a 700cc machine – and acceleration off the line on par with a litre bike.

We’ll be riding the new Ninja 7 next month: much more on this new tech then!

KAWASAKI

Z E-1 LAUNCH

When Bob Dylan went electric, they called him Judas. Is Kawasaki committing treason with the new Z e-1 battery bike?

It might not look like it, but the new Kawasaki Z e-1 is a bit of a revolutionary machine. Okay, it’s got less power and range than most 125cc petrol bikes, but this is the first proper battery-powered motorbike from a big Japanese firm, and it seems set to be the first of many as firms move away from internal combustion engines, for small commuting bikes at least (the upcoming hybrid Ninja 7 looks like a solution for bigger machinery).

We rode the new Z e-1 in Paris last month, and while it shows up the problems of the class, it also works well within those parameters. It has a continuous power output of around 6.5bhp, and a ‘e-Boost’ power-up mode that gives you a full 12bhp, but only for 15 seconds before it has to regenerate. Top speed is around 62mph with boost, but more like 50mph once the boost runs out…

Range is claimed at 45 miles, and the power comes from a pair of roughly pizza-box-sized battery packs, which are removable and can be charged in or out of the bike.

Away from the air-cooled electric motor and battery powerpacks, the rest of the Z e-1 is much like the firm’s Z125 learner machine, with slightly higher spec running gear. The 14 DECEMBER 2023 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

TECH DATA

trellis frame, long swingarm and disc brakes all give solid urban performance, and it was super nimble round the Arc de Triomphe and Eifel Tower traffic jams. There’s enough power to stay ahead of traffic, especially once you work out how to get the best from the e-Boost button. It lasts 15 seconds and takes over a minute to fully regenerate (it’s actually limited to prevent overheating in the motor and batteries), but if you’re smart about using it, you can accelerate for a gap, then let it regenerate, and get back on the ‘gas’ again. Once it runs out, you’re snookered though, and stuck with the 6.5bhp output.

That probably rules it out for use on dual carriageways or motorways in the UK. The bottom line is that 125cc internal combustion engine machines, like the Kawasaki Z125, are faster, cheaper and more flexible than the Z e-1, and probably nearly as ‘green’. You’d have to be dead set on an electric bike to pick it over the petrol powered alternative. But, like Dylan with his electric guitar, this could well be the start of that revolutionary change.

2024 Kawasaki Z e-1 Air-cooled permanent magnet synchronous motor Power 6.8ps/5kW (12PS/9KW peak with e-Boost) Torque 40.5 Nm Transmission One gear, no clutch Batteries Dual battery packs, 30Ah 50.4v Frame Steel trellis frame Front suspension 41mm non-adjustable forks Rear suspension monoshock, preload adjustable Front brake Single 290mm disc, dual piston caliper Rear brake Single 220mm disc dual piston caliper Tyres front/rear 100/80 17 130/70 17 Wheel base 1,370mm Seat height 785mm Weight w/batteries 135kg Price: £7,799 Powertrain:

• The new Kawasaki e-1 is also available in fully-faired Ninja form, with the same spec, slightly higher top speed and a couple of kilos more mass for £8,299.

DECEMBER 2023 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 15

ALL THE LATEST, CO OL ES T & TRICK

S CTTS UC DU ES T PERF ORMA NC E PROD

R&G RACING STREET TRIPLE British crash protection outfit R&G 765 PROTECTION has released a slew of new bike fitments, including for the latest Triumph 765 Street Triple. There’s a set of aero crash bobbins, engine case covers, and smart brake caliper protectors, as well as lever

www.rg-racing.com

guards and tail tidies. R&G crash protectors are always worth the cash, especially if you like a trackday, and will repay the investment if you do have a spill.

RRP: £199 (crash bungs)

from £85.60 (engine case covers)

There’s nothing worse than a poor-fitting glove, so a women-specific design, aimed at smaller hands, makes a lot of sense. These RP-6S women’s gloves have a hybrid leather/ mesh construction for urban commuting in better weather and a PU knuckle protector with bonded leather outer shell. There’s touchscreen-compatible fingertips, a single cuff adjuster with stainless D ring and Velcro closure, and they come in black/white or black/pink highlights. Well priced at £39.99 too.

Everyone loves a hoodie (the garment, not the feral teenage scrote) – but they’re not always ideal for bikewear. Unless, of course, it’s a bespoke biking hooded top like this one from family-run British firm Roadskin. The Easyrider II has a load of cunning design details to add function and protection – CE-approved, abrasion-proof seams and outer shell, Level 2 back, shoulder and elbow armour, mesh lining and a waterproof membrane. There’s storm cuffs and a removable hood for higher speed riding, and it’s also EN388 level three stab-proof, which might be of use should you encounter the feral yoot mentioned above… Comes in black, in sizes XS-4XL.

www.oxfordproducts.com

www.roadskin.co.uk

OXFORD RP-6S LADIES GLOVES

RRP: £39.99

MINT CHAIN CLEANER

Italian pipe maker Zard has been making sweet exhausts for decades now, and the firm has just released this full stainless system with a carbon end cap for the 2023 765 Street Triple. There are four options: you can have it as a full race system with no catalyst and a removable baffle to suit both quiet and loud trackdays, or a road-legal Euro 5 system with catalyst and neighbour-friendly silencing. Both systems are also available in natural finish or black ceramic coated.

The race system saves 5.4kg and adds 7% peak power, making 137bhp on the RS Street Triple – nice.

The road system still adds a bit of power – 3% peak – and saves 2.4kg over the 9.5kg stock pipe. It looks great too, with a carbon heat shield and underslung silencer can.

www.oxfordmint.co.uk RRP: £8.99 (500ml can)

1

RRP: £139.99

ZARD STREET TRIPLE FULL EXHAUST SYSTEM

We love aerosol cans of chain cleaner... there’s nothing better for getting nasty grime off the chain and sprockets, wheels, and the whole back of the bike. The Mint brand produces this excellent cleaner, which has had rave reviews but has been in short supply of late – though the firm reckons it’s now back on stream.

The 500ml can uses a proper emulsifying formula, which carries the dirt away when you hose it off with water, rather than just moving the oily filth onto your driveway…

£12.99 (750ml can)

ROADSKIN EASYRIDER II ARMOURED HOODIE

www.performanceparts-ltd.com

DECEMBER 2023 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

RRP: from £1,497 (stainless race) to £2043 (black road system)

PRODUCTS

ALPINESTARS BOULDER GORE-TEX JACKET

Givi’s current range of semi-hard (!) luggage is proper useful kit and just the job for adding storage to sports and naked bikes.

This Sport-T tank bag uses the firm’s Tanklock system, which uses a bolt-on carrying ring attached to the fuel cap, so no silly magnets to erase your bank cards or carry grit onto the paintwork (plus it works on bikes with plastic tank covers). It’s a compact 15-litre bag so will hold the essentials for a day out, but also expands if you need a little extra space. Comes with a rain cover and a carrying strap, and if it’s like the Givi kit we have in the garage, it will last years and years.

A really, really top-spec winter motorbike jacket is one of the best human inventions ever – and an essential part of your riding kit armoury. You don’t HAVE to spend nearly £1200 on one, but if you can afford it, it will repay the investment when you’re caught in a storm halfway up the Alps or in the middle of Glencoe.

This Boulder jacket from Alpinestars is up at the top of the price scale, and has the spec to match.

It’s a proper Gore-Tex item, with lashings of the original waterproof breathable membrane in 3L laminated format, and a high-spec removable thermal Primaloft thermal liner. It’s got loads of ventilation panels for summer use too, and comfort is guaranteed with plenty of adjuster straps and an inner waist belt. Standard protection includes Nucleon elbow and shoulder armour, plus a Nucleon back protector, and there are pockets for chest protectors. It’s also compatible with the firm’s latest Tech-Air 5 standalone air bag.

It comes in dark blue and black or light grey colourways in sizes S-4XL. We’ve got one we’ll be trying out this winter…

www.givi.co.uk

RRP: £1179

GIVI SPORT T TANK BAG

RRP: £121

www.alpinestars.com

(needs a mounting flange to fit your bike, £15-20)

RST S1 BOOTS A no-nonsense pair of entry-level sports boots from top kit brand RST, the CE-approved S1 features a replaceable plastic toe slider, full heel protection, PU shin and ankle armour, and a tough reinforced polycarbonate sole shank. The outer is made from microfibre and leather material, there’s zip/Velcro fastening, and it comes in any colour you like, so long as it’s black!

www.rst-moto.com

RRP: £99.99

THE VERY BEST KIT – USED, ABU SED

AND REVI EWE D

For this year’s NSBOTY test, we put our faith in Dunlop’s SportSmart Mk3s. They didn’t disappoint.

WORDS: BRUCE

I

n just a few pages, you’ll see the start of one of the most audacious naked group tests we’ve ever undertaken, heading to the Nürburgring on three of the spiciest supernakeds known to man, woman, and everything else out there. It turned out to be an absolute belter of a shoot-out – and a lot of that was down to the rubber we fitted to the bikes. As with all our big tests, we look to use a control tyre to keep us shiny side up and to help extract the true potential from our contenders. The question before this gig was: which tyre would suit a 1200-mile road trip with a smattering of track action around

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the Ring? From the everyday road stuff to the most unthinkable of track antics, our tyre of choice would have to deliver in every instance. Luckily for us, the decision on what rubber to run was taken out of our hands, being guided by Dunlop itself on what would work best for this particular escapade. There was no question about it… SportSmart Mk3s were the solution.

Now, before I get stuck in and tell you how we rated them, here’s a little more info on the tyre. It’s a mostly street-orientated product (90%), but with track potential. It slots into Dunlop’s premium hypersport

family and was originally introduced back in 2010. This third-generation tyre is – unsurprisingly – the best yet, with a claimed 20% gain (rear grip) over its predecessor in wet weather performance thanks to a new compound of rubber (dual at the rear), improved grip resins and an optimised tread pattern.

Dunlop is also claiming a faster warm-up time and more even wear owing to the improved front profile that better relates to the one at the back. But the biggest gain is perhaps the rear’s 15% hike in durability, which is attributed to all of the above

TRIED OUT: DUNLOP SPORTSMART MK3

SIZES TO SUIT...

If this rubber’s whetted your appetite, you’ll be pleased to know it’s available in a broad range of sizes, which are listed below. For more info, head over to www.dunlopmotorcycle.co.uk

Left: The Mk3s held up to our abuse.

changes, plus tweaks to the rubber’s Rayon carcass that harnesses a talkative Jointless Belt (JLB).

If you’re a road rider who fancies tackling the occasional trackday, this product is for you. In all honesty, the bigger the bike and the faster the rider, the further this tyre will be out of its comfort zone – because it’s ultimately aimed at fast road riding – but it’s still a very capable tyre, and will be a perfect pairing for a mid-capacity bike and an intermediate level trackday rider.

How do we rate it?

We have used this tyre quite bit over the years, on road and track. It’s proven, much-loved, and one of our go-to options for big mile-munching tests at hasty speeds.

With that in mind, you won’t be surprised to know that we found the Mk3s pretty awesome on our naked bikes.

As already mentioned in the spec above, they warm up super-quick, which is an important trait for us when undertaking the

FRONT 120/70/17

REARS 160/60/17 180/55/17 180/60/17 190/50/17 190/55/17 200/55/17

stop-start antics of photoshoots and such like. They also wear unbelievable well, not really looking worn in the slightest by the time we got back home, some 1200 miles later. They’re a stable tyre, as we learned on track, and they offer a lot of feel through the carcass, which is important when pushing on. On track, the grip levels were decent; not the best, but enough to support us around the Ring (if you want something sportier but still road legal, look to the TTs).

As you’ll read shortly, our journey home, all two miles of it up from Dover, was in torrential rain... rain so bad that you couldn’t see the road, let alone the cars up front, from all the spray. It was pretty hellish, but these tyres saw us through those conditions without any drama. They were bloody impressive to say the least, earning our respect with every mile clocked. In fact, throughout the whole test, Rich, Johnny and I came to really rate them for being such a diverse hoop. Would we recommend them?

100%.

WHAT IS RAYON? At the heart of these Dunlops is a Rayon carcass. Never heard of it? Well, it’s an alternative material to nylon and Kevlar, with which you might be more familiar. It’s part of the cellulose family and it’s actually made from wood pulp… with a few additives thrown in. You might think you’d have to be ‘barking’ to use wood in your tyres, but this mostly natural product is crammed with great qualities, including high levels of stability and durability, but its USP is its thermal stable attributes that allow for even heat dissipation across the entirety of it construction, which is great news for road riders who aren’t using tyre warmers on their daily blasts to work and back. Because the carcass warms the compound more evenly than an equivalent nylon or Kevlar carcass, it also encourages more even-wearing of the rubber compound… so your tyres last longer. Wood you believe it?

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WORDS: BRUCE

PICS: CHIPPY WOOD