Fast Bikes March 2024 issue **20 PAGE FREE PREVIEW**

PORT HYPERSPORT HOOPS

E EIGHTH WORLD W WONDER… RIIDING AND RATING TH HE METISS MS19 EW WC RACER

MA R ISS CH UE 202 413 4

GETTING TO GRIIPS WITH BRIDGEST TONE’S NEW S23 RUBB BER

THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL? HONDA FIREBLADE MCGUINNESS TT REPLICA

DUCATI SUPERLEGGERA V4

PETRONAS FP1 MV AGUSTA CLAUDIO F4

BIMOTA TESI H2

HAT MAKE WH ES A BIIKE UNIQ QUE ND WHY – AN Y WE ATE THESE RA ESE ONES…

TAMING TIGERS...

WE GET DOWN AND DIRTY WITH TRIUMPH’S NEW TIGER 900S

ISSUE 413 MARCH 2024

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38

TESTS

COLUMNISTS

We ask the question, ‘what makes a bike special?’, then fire you five of the finest examples we know.

New year, new team, new Tom.

Think you’re special?...................... 16

Taming Tigers..................................38 Bruce is back from playing in the dirt with Triumph’s new, spicy Tiger 900s.

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

There’s no two ways about it, Triumph’s Street Triple has been a firm favourite since its conception. We take a look at the last of the 675 versions and tell you why you should want one.

Tom Neave ......................................94 Christian Iddon ..............................96 All systems go.

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

FEATURES

10 minutes with Owen Jenner.......60 We chat to the Superstock 600 champ and get a grip of his plans in 2024.

Bridgestone S23..............................64 Building off the success of the much-loved S22s, Bridgestone has gone one better with its latest sporty road tyre. Here’s our take on the S23s...

The eighth Wonder of the World.... 74 If you’re a fan of World Endurance, or simply motorcycle engineering, you’ll want to know more about French team Metiss and its Gixer-based offering.

74

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WELCOME

The best of blasts...

S

pecial bikes. I dare say we’ve all had a few in our time. I’m not necessarily on about the one’s that cost a million quid and were made to the tune of singular figures, but bikes that changed our lives, put smiles on our faces and brought about friends and experiences we otherwise might never have had. Some of the best bikes I’ve ever owned have cost less than a grand, have most certainly had a dozen other previous owners and, at times, would’ve had me pulling my hair out just to try and get them running. But when they did, they delivered. My favourite road bike of all time would probably be my Aprilia RS50 that powered many a misguided moment in my younger years. It was the bike I learnt to ride on. The bike I first got my knee down on. The bike that taught me how to jump humpback bridges and pull half-arsed endos. About the only thing it couldn’t do was get me a girlfriend… but I probably can’t blame the bike for that. It meant everything to me, regardless of how many times I crashed it or how often it decided to heat seize or melt a plug’s electrode. Fundamentally, it was the bike

that put me on the path to many more motorcycles and all the memories that have since come about. To me, that’s the true definition of special, but simultaneously, I must admit, having done this job for nearly two decades, I’ve been spoilt by the sheer volume of next-level, unobtanium machines I’ve had chance to test over the years. From superbikes to Superleggeras, I’ve been a truly lucky lad.

You’ll find a few of them in a couple of pages time, as that’s the theme to this issue, and hopefully you’ll agree that the

pick we’ve come up with are well worthy of their celebration. If not, let us know.

More to the point, we’d like to hear more about you and your bikes. Whether it’s the one(s) you’ve got now or maybe one that got away, get in touch and tell your tale.

But in the meantime, as we start out down the road of a new season, the team and I would like to wish you a fantastic and memorable year ahead.

Enjoy the mag

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2024 TRIUMPH DAYTONA 660 Return of the Daytona

If you click on the Triumph website, there’s a section we’ve all been waiting on for a long time.

Yes – there’s now a ‘Sport’ tab alongside the adventure bikes, modern classics, roadsters and the like. There’s only one bike in there when you click through, though – the new 2024 Daytona 660. Now, it’s great to see the Daytona name back in the Hinckley range after an absence of a few years, since the 675 was dropped. Sadly, it’s not a full-beans 140bhp supersport 765, nor is it a 210bhp three-cylinder litre-class superbike – but a much more sensible A2-friendly 660cc machine that bears the historic moniker. Ah well, maybe next year (actually, probably not).

A closer look cheers things up a bit because it’s got quite a decent spec for the class. It has the maximum power possible in a bike aimed at the A2 market, neat styling, a basic but decent chassis kit, and a sensible price. The key numbers are £8595, 95bhp and 201kg wet, which puts the little Trumpet in a great spot to do battle against the likes of Kawasaki’s Ninja 650, Yamaha’s R7, Honda’s CBR650R, the Aprilia RS660 and the Suzuki GSX-8R. Those are big-selling bikes, and if Triumph can snatch a bit of the action in this ‘softer road-sports’ market, it’ll be trebles all round in the pubs of south-west Leicestershire…

The new bike is, of course, based on the same triple engine and steel tube frame as the Trident 660 and Tiger Sport, hence the accessible pricing.

The Hinckley engineers have done a proper top-end tune-up on the motor though, liberating nearly 20% more peak power, which is up from

10 MARCH 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

80bhp on the Trident to the Daytona’s 95 ponies. That comes from a new cylinder head, with bigger valves, a smidgeon more compression, new inlet ports and a low-friction coating on the pistons. There’s also been a big change to the fuel injection, with three individual 44mm throttle bodies replacing the single throttle body on the Trident and Tiger, and a new airbox.

All those changes mean peak power is made at 11,250rpm, 1000rpm higher than on the Trident. But there’s plenty of grunt too, with 80% of the torque available from 3125rpm up past the power peak.

There’s been mods to the steel tube perimeter frame, too. The Daytona has a steeper head angle, and the rear suspension sits higher, putting the little sportster on its nose for sharper steering and more agile handling. The riding position obviously follows this too, with the rider leaning forward, putting more weight on the front. The swingarm is unchanged (remaining a steel double-sided unit with minimal glamour) and the suspension is unadjustable, apart from preload out back.

There’s a Showa rear monoshock, plus Showa separate function big-piston 41mm USD front forks, which will no doubt be more than fine for road use. Want more? Or considering taking the 660 racing? Triumph’s already come up with a race kit that uses Bitubo suspension parts, plus a race ECU, bodywork, seat, wiring loom and more.

Brakes are subtly branded Triumph parts, with dual 310mm discs and four-piston radial calipers out front, while the cast aluminium wheels carry decent rubber in the form of sporty Michelin Power 6 tyres in full supersport sizes (120/70 17 and 180/55 17).

The electronics package is probably the bare minimum you’d expect in 2024: three rider modes, ABS and switchable traction, plus an optional factory quickshifter install. You do get a full-colour LCD dash though, with optional Bluetooth connectivity and full LED lighting.

Styling is familiar Triumph fare and neat enough, if a teeny bit ‘safe’. The paint schemes are sensible low-key black, white, or red, and we do wonder if something a bit livelier would have helped attract the younger demographic this bike is presumably aimed towards. Yamaha’s faux-Marlboro GP neon red and white scheme on the XSR900 GP knocked everyone’s socks off at the shows last year. Imagine something like that on one of these…

The new 2024 Daytona 660 will be in the shops in April, priced at £8595 otr.

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

LIMITED EDITION DUCATIS Winning is becoming a serious habit for Ducati’s Corse racing division. Not only did it repeat the incredible MotoGP and WSBK double championship win of 2022, but the Bologna outfit also snapped up the 2023 WSSP and BSB titles.

And it’s marking its 2023 success with not one, not two, but FIVE special limited edition

Panigale race replicas. There are four Panigale V4 specials, painted in the colours of MotoGP champ Pecco Bagnai, WSBK champ Alvaro Bautista, Jorge Martin’s Pramac MotoGP bike and Marco Bezzechi’s VR46 machine. The firm has also released a special Panigale V2 to mark that World Supersport success: a Nicolo Bulega Aruba.it replica.

The bikes are being made in weird numbers too, which correspond to the riders’ race numbers, with a hundred or two added on (or not) where needed: 263 of the yellow Bagnai bike; 219 of the Bautista rep; 189 Jorge Martin bikes; 72 Bezzechi reps; and 111 V2 Bulega replicas. The V4 Panigales are all S models, which come with posh track parts, including carbon fibre bodywork, Akrapovic race pipes, STM-EVO dry clutch kits, Rizoma rearsets, and much more. The V2 also gets special Öhlins suspension, and each bike is individually autographed on the fuel tank by the respective rider – nice.

No word on prices for the bikes – but get along to your dealer for more info. www.ducati.com

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PLANE T FAST BIKES – NEW METAL

, NEWS & REVIEW S

SHARP RETURNS The UK Government is relaunching its SHARP helmet safety rating programme. The scheme, which will be run by the Department for Transport and the TRL road safety agency, aims to give end users extra information on how much protection bike helmets give, over and above the basic legal minimum ECE 22.06 standards. SHARP will test up to 30 helmets each year, giving them a rating out of five stars depending how well they protect from impact in the TRL’s laboratory simulated crash tests. The DfT is also launching a publicity campaign to promote the scheme, which was first introduced in 2008 but has seen lower levels of public perception in recent years. Check out the scheme online at https://sharp.dft. gov.uk

HYDROGEN KAWASAKI Kawasaki chose a corporate event in Japan just before Christmas to highlight the latest R&D work it has carried out on hydrogen power for motorcycles. The firm showed off an H2 SX supercharged sport tourer

TORRENS TROPHY

The same day Triumph released its 2024 Daytona 660, it also collected a very prestigious award indeed – the Royal Automobile Club’s Torrens Trophy. The Hinckley firm won the trophy for its super successful Moto2 765 triple control engine supply project, which has been running since 2019. It seems ‘normal’ now, but we still remember the stunned, silent disbelief in the office when we first got a tip-off that Triumph would replace Honda as the engine supplier for the series. Fair play to the British firm, though: its 765 Street Triple motors have done

converted to run on zero-carbon hydrogen fuel, sporting a pair of massive fuel storage cases where the panniers would go. Inside are a series of hydrogen gas tanks, which are burnt inside the modified H2 SX

well in terms of performance and reliability, and while we are still disgusted by the lack of a proper 765 supersports road bike, we have to doff our caps at the success.

The Torrens Trophy is a motorcycle-only award, given by the RAC to the British organisation or individual which has made a massive contribution to two-wheeled sport.

Previous winners have included Jonathan Rea, the Crescent Yamaha team, and the late Mike Trimby. The trophy itself was presented to Triumph CEO Nick Bloor by Ben Cussons, chairman of the Royal

12 MARCH 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

engine, producing only water as the main exhaust product. A production bike is a long way off though, and doubts remain over the viability of hydrogen as a mainstream road transport fuel.

MACKEMS GET NEW DUCATI BRANCH Ducati is set to open a new dealership in the north east of England. The Vertu Motorcycles Ducati Sunderland store will be located next to Vertu’s other outlets at Boldon Business Park and is set to open this summer, selling the full range of Ducatis, Scramblers, parts, kit and accessories, as well as extensive servicing facilities.

ULSTER GP CANCELLED

Automobile Club, at the Pall Mall clubhouse. Well done, all.

As we went to press, things were looking bad for the Ulster Grand Prix road race, which was cancelled for the fifth year in succession.

Insurance woes are behind the decision, according to a statement from the Dunrod and District Motorcycle Club (DDDMC), which organises the event: “It is with regret that the DDMC must announce the Ulster Grand Prix will not take place during 2024. Despite recent positive negotiations with stakeholders, the club has been left with no choice but to take this course of action given motorcycle sport’s ongoing insurance issues and a lack of sufficient time to find a solution to these challenges.”

FEATURE

THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL? WORDS: BIG MAC/ DANGEROUS PICS: CHAPPO

In a world rammed with super trick, super fast and super saucy motorcycles, what does it take to be defined as truly ‘special’?

We ponder that question, then offer up some of best bikes we’ve ever ridden…

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THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL? Honda’s RC30 was a gamechanger back in the day, with a V4 motor and gear driven cams helping it to stand out from the masses.

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traight away I want to acknowledge that most of what of what you’re about to read leaves me on extremely thin ice, and open to a lot of head shaking and tutting from people who probably know better than me on the subject of special bikes… or at least have a greater passion on the subject than me. The problem is that the whole topic is highly subjective, and therefore open to all sorts of interpretations.

For starters, just how to define one bike more special than another is a problem. Is it the price tag? If so, that would rule out the humble Honda C90, a bike on which the entire Honda Motor company was built on, and without which we wouldn’t have things like RC30s, Fireblades, NR750s or RCVs. Maybe the C90 and other humble bikes without which there would be no uber-bikes, are “just” a significant bike rather than a special bike - and this is why the subject is so open to disagreement. A special bike to one person is just some stickers and plaque on the headstock to another person.

There are, however, some rules of thumb which can be considered safe ground when it comes to the subject, and one of them is that it doesn’t actually have to be any good to ride. For example, I’ve been lucky enough to ride a couple of Ducati Desmosedicis on the road, a bike that was presented as a replica of their GP06 but in reality is more of a

tribute to the MotoGP bike to raise money to fund the MotoGP program, sharing only it’s bore and stroke and the cylinder head base bolts from the GP06. Ducati’s own 1098 from the same year was a much better bike to ride, but the “Desmo” is the iconic, special, desirable one that today commands daft money. Also, you can add pretty much any Bimota from the 90s and 00s as examples of bike which are at best average to ride yet have that “thing” some call “X-Factor”.

It helps massively if a bike is produced in limited numbers, and the smaller the better.

It took KTM just 45 minutes to sell the 500 SuperDuke RR’s which they made available to the world when they announced it, probably because they made it clear that there would only ever be 500. There’s just five of Kawasaki’s homologation special ZX-6RR M1-Hs on the road in the UK, which admittedly is a bit of an anoraks bike, but at the very least does make it way more special than not only every other ZX-6R, but every other 600 supersport bike ever made. As featured more recently in Fast Bikes, Ducati only produced 630 of their Street fighter V4 “Lamborghini” edition which people are already falling over themselves to pay nearly double what Ducati did in the first instance.

“Supply and Demand” is the oldest trick in the book for making something more desirable than it probably deserves to be, and

therefore special. The fact that the Lambo Ducati and ZX-6RR aren’t any better than the bikes their based on is irrelevant, and proof of this.

Sometimes we get bikes that give us a rare insight into what their designers would actually like to have made if it wasn’t for those pesky accountants and company shareholders; bikes get the sign off for no other reason than corporate willy waving.

I’m thinking Ducati’s Superleggeras, Honda’s RCV213V-S and NR750, Kawasaki’s H2 and H2-R, Bimota’s Tesi and BMW’s carbon fibre framed HP4 Race off the top of my head.

Statement bikes designed and produced with an open cheque book for the engineers so that all the best materials can be used, all the best components, and if they want to experiment with oval pistons or carbon frames and design and build your own supercharger, then they can. Bikes that only happens when the shackles of profit and loss are not in the room, and anything goes, no matter the cost… which is why inevitably not many ever get produced. They’re usually violently expensive, and often make the company a loss, so only enough are made in order to get the desired headlines, which is why sometimes such bikes get funded by the marketing department as well as the usual R&D department - there is usually a line that can be drawn between such bikes, and a MARCH 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 15

FEATURE The RCV213V-S brought MotoGP technology to the streets.

manufacturer’s brand values. They’re referred to as “Halo Bikes” by the manufacturers.

Homologation bikes are notoriously fickle when it comes to capturing the imagination of the public, and it’s usually a combination of how successful that bike is/was on track, and how geeky you have to be to appreciate

Yamaha’s R7 maybe never got the adoration it deserved.

1

MARCH 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

it – see previous example of the ZX-6RR M1H. A couple of great examples would be Honda’s RC30 and its successor the RC45. It’s night and day between them when it comes to desirability and therefore special-ness, as it is with Ducati’s 916 and 999, while trick homologation specials such as the Kawasaki ZXR750-RR, Suzuki’s GSX-R750RR, Yamaha’s

OWO1 and OWO2 (R7) never really caught the imagination of buyers.

Then there’s a massive grey area of bikes which are not much more than some trinkets and stickers added to an existing bike which then gets produced in small numbers and called a “Special Edition”. These bikes often irritate the hell out of me for being cynical and clearly a move by the manufacturer to shift some slow moving stock. Ducati went through a phase of putting a few carbon bits on a bike, and maybe an end can, then calling it an “SP”, and Suzuki painted a lot of GSX-Rs in their MotoGP colours when it was clear they were about to discontinue the GSX-R, and more recently Kawasaki have announced some 40th Anniversary of the “Ninja”, by releasing the ZX-10RR, ZX-6R and ZX-4RR in some paint jobs from the 90s, and last year Honda gave us the “McGuinness” Fireblade. The thing about these bikes is that while most of them are just the manufacture needing to shift unsold units – which I don’t have a problem with by the way – some are very clever and press all the right buttons to make an otherwise unloved bike suddenly very desirable. If the message is right, or it’s a nod to better times, a tribute or special bike can appeal very strongly to our emotions, which after all are the hook that gets us to part with our money for anything motorbike related.

The McGuinness Fireblade is one such bike as it celebrates a truly remarkable achievement by the hugely popular TT legend John McGuinness. This is Honda acknowledging their man in a very classy, simple but high quality way, by producing a colour scheme precisely the same as the one McGuinness used for his 100th TT start at the 2022 Isle of Man TT races.

THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL?

BMW threw its hat into the ‘special’ ring with its carbonised HP4 Race.

He only raced in the colour scheme for the first Superbike race that year – his 100th TT start - and his 5th place finish in that race was his best result at the TT since 2016. At one point during the race, he was as high as 4th, and he set a best lap of 129.4MPH during the six-lap race. While the fairy-tale podium wasn’t to be, I was one of the lucky ones to be on the grid for that race as I was working for Bathams Racing for Rutter who had the start number 3, and therefore only a couple of bikes behind McGuinness. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when McGuiness got the race underway, and then later returned to parc-ferme at the end. It was a genuinely significant milestone because only three other people have ever started 100 TTs. It was a genuinely emotional day for a lot of people, and there was a enormous amounts of respect and appreciation deservedly heaped on McGuinness that day by all of the racing community.

For the TT geeks amongst us, I like to think that the gesture from Honda to McGuinness to produce a run of 30 special edition Fireblades in his name goes even deeper than the 100 starts, and so it should when you realise just how significant the McGuiness/Fireblade marriage has been at the TT over the years. The Fireblade has won 21 TT races in its time, and McGuinness is responsible for 12 of them. For perspective, the next most successful rider at the TT on a Fireblade is Ian Hutchinson with “only” 4 wins. Spookily the Fireblades first win at the TT was Hondas 100th TT start in the 1998 production TT in the hands of Jim Moodie, but I digress…

Back to the McGuinness/Fireblade love affair, and it’s also worth remembering that the first ever 130MPH lap of the TT course

Is there a bike more iconic than the 916?

was… you guessed it… McGuinness on a Fireblade in 2007. So, when McGuinness returned to Honda after a few years at Norton, and a couple at Kawasaki - which coincided with the Covid cancelled TTs - this McGuinness Fireblade doesn’t just celebrate McGuinness’s 100 TT starts as Honda have presented it, but thanks to the wonders of coincidence, that 100th TT start was also McGuiness’s first race back with Honda after his brief hiatus in silver, then green.

In terms of what you get or rather got - as they’re all sold - for your £30,000, which is £7000 more than a standard Fireblade 30th Anniversary edition, there’s a carbon mudguard and hugger, a pillion seat cover, taller “TT style” screen, gold pin stripes on the wheels which are fitted with Metzeler Racetecs for full authenticity as McGuiness is sponsored by Metzeler. The tank cover is signed by McGuinness, there’s the obligatory serial number on the top yoke, a garage mat, dust cover, and if you really wanted, you

could have your bike handed over to you by the man himself at the Honda Racings workshop in Louth.

However, it’s the paint scheme that is the thing which really matters, as it’s the thing above all else which pays tribute to McGuinness and his incredible achievement at the TT. It’s not a sticker kit slapped on a Fireblade, it’s a genuinely heartfelt homage from the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer that’s packed with painstaking details such as a photo of every one of McGuiness’s previous 99 TT starts, and it is perfectly identical to his race bikes paint scheme for that 100th start.

All of the things that are on the bike don’t or shouldn’t add anything to how the bike rides. There’s nothing there that would dynamically change how the bike behaves or increase its performance, except possibly the tyres, but there’s also the “special-ness” factor, which only riding it can tell you if it exists. Over to Bruce…

MARCH 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 17

FEATURE

WORDS: DANGEROUS

PICS: CHAPPO

HONDA FIREBLADE CBR1000RR-R SP JOHN MCGUINNESS TT REPLICA...

18 MARCH 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

THINK YOU’RE SPECIAL?

H

ave you ever found yourself in two minds, arguing with your own thoughts as to whether something is better, worse, or simply indifferent? Is it worth paying an extra 70p for the specially dried Columbian virgin coffee beans from your local barista, or does the run-of-the-mill stuff they serve taste just as good, at half the price? Can you really tell the difference, or are a few sexy words scrambling your brain into thinking something is simply better because it costs more?

The reason for this tangent is to give context to the Blade and my relationship with it. It is a bike I know well, having not only been on the latest iteration’s launch back in 2020 under a roasting Qatari sun, but also going on to clock 5000 miles on my termer that very same year. In 2022, I was there on the launch of the updated 30th anniversary model, on track with a certain Mr McGuinness, and only last year that same bike powered me through some unforgettable riding experiences on the Isle of Man. The Blade is one of my favourite motorcycles of all time, made so alluring by its precise and informative front end and its mind-warpingly fast and exciting motor. It is an absolute

That’s just knocked a few grand off it...

FEATURE

It’s hard to describe how good that system sounds.

beast to ride – a literal testament to Honda’s engineering prowess that’s translated to many wins on the racetrack, and which is sure to power a fair few more in the months ahead (albeit it on the newer, tricker 2024 spec machine).

But here is my quandary… why is the McGuinness bike any better than the 30th anniversary SP, which in itself is a looker and comes fully loaded with about 95% of the components you’ll find on this limited edition? That question rattled around my grey matter as I blasted along my favourite backroads, getting reacquainted with this compact pocket rocket.

And there lies the problem. Within five miles, I was back on a Blade. Albeit a speciallooking Blade, but the same Honda I knew and loved. Its handling was just as lithe, it felt entirely just as cramped, and featured the same awkward switchgear that takes you all of a day to stop thumbing the horn instead of

the indicator. For all the glitz, glam and added shiny bits, the McGuinness machine felt a mirror image of all the 2022-plus examples I’ve ever ridden – and there was nothing wrong with that. More to the point, what the hell had I been expecting to experience? Well, for six grand more, a fair bit, being honest. Only because as much as I like John McGuinness, I think even he’d stop short of spending that much extra on a bike because of a fancy paintjob, which is largely the hook to owning this machine. Yep, the rational part of my brain was soon arguing that the rep was a rip-off, with the only tangible riding difference between this and its different colour-schemed brethren being the aftermarket system that my mate Alan, who owns this example, had got fitted to the bike. Weighing in at about £3000, the full titanium Akrapovic on this thing delivered the most heavenly of noises, allowing the Honda’s motor to breathe and bark on a level

Pull up on this and you’ll be mobbed.

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Special? Oh, yes!