**FREE** May 2024 issue of MoreBikes Motorcycle Monthly Newspaper

Iknowmany of youremain decidedlyunconvinced about electricmotorcycles. Iget it;the questionsaboutrange, long-term reliabilityandaffordabilityare valid (andwewon’tevenattemptto get into allthe emissionsstuff).Andno matterhowgood the bikesactually are,forsomepeople they’re justnot goingto compare to agoodoldfashionedcombustion engine.

While it’s easy toseehow they might be theperfecttool for town andcitycommuters, there’s still

someworkto bedoneto make them atrulyviableoption for bikerswho wantto do bigmiles andlongdays, withouthaving to plantheir routes seriouslycarefullytoensurethere’s anappropriatechargingstation en route.

Thetransitionfrom petrol power to battery isn’tgoingto be an easyone,and there’saway togo beforewe’rereally ready,but itis lookingincreasingly likely it’s going to happen sooner ratherthan later, evenif the Government decides to

pushthe date back again.That’s whywe’ve chosen to pull together aloadof qualityelectriccontent (inaddition toourusual feast of bikinggoodness),togiveyoua betteridea of whatthe futurelooks likeandhopefully reassureyou thatthere’sactually plenty to look forwardtoasthe motorcycling landscapechanges.

HIPANDHAPPENING

Husky’sletloosewithallthedetailsofitsnew Svartpilen801

TARMAC TARGETS

Thestaggeringamountofcashneeded torepair thenation’scrumblingroadshasbeen revealed

It’sabit roughoutthereattheminute–quiteliterally –with Britain’sroadsinanincreasinglysorrystateand councils seeminglystrugglingtofindthe cashto keep upwiththe repairs.Whichisexactlywhatthe latestfiguresfromthe AsphaltIndustryAlliancehave revealed.

TheirAnnual LocalAuthorityRoadMaintenance(ALARM) survey,which reliesondatasuppliedby72% oflocal authoritiesacrossthelengthand breadthof thecountry, makesfor asobering,butnotaltogethershocking, read. Itsdeepdiveintothe stateof theroadsacross Englandand Walessuggeststhatitcouldtake awhopping10yearsand astaggering£16.3 billiontojustfixthe Tarmac that’slooked afterbylocalauthorities.

Speakingaboutthefindings,ChairoftheAsphalt Industry Alliance,RickGreen,said:“It’sclearthatthere isstilla mountaintoclimbwhenitcomestoimprovingthecondition ofourlocal roads,whicharea key asseton whichweall rely, everyday,”

“TheGovernmenthas recognisedthatfixingour roadsis aboutmorethanfillinginpotholeswithitsannouncement of theadditionalNetworkNorthfundinginEngland.But,while the TransportSecretarystatedthatthisadditional£8.3billion over11yearsisenoughtoresurface5000milesoflocal roads, thisequatestojust2.5%ofthenetwork– orlessthan 0.25% peryear.”

Followingthe bigreveal oftheprototype lastmonth, Husqvarna’sreleasedall thedetailsofitsnewestmiddleweight roadsterwhichislookingtotakeittothe establishedcompetition.

It’sstartingfrom asolidbase;withthe samejoyoustwin-cylinder 799ccmotor asKTM’spunchy790Duke –thoughit actuallymakes atouchmorepower,with 105bhpand64lb-ft of torqueontap.

There’s moresharedwithitsorangeadornedsibling,includingthetubular steel frame,cast aluminiumsubframe (with integratedunderseatairintakes), andJ.Juanbrakes,thoughthepricier £10,499Svartpilendoesgetsomemore premiumcomponents,includingsome top-notch,fully-adjustableWPApex suspension and amuch-desiredup/ downquickshifter.

Thespringsarea pairofcompression and reboundadjustable43mm WP APEX open cartridgeforks with 140mm oftravelupfront,andWPAPEX monotubeshockwith150mmoftravel and reboundandpreload adjustmentat the rear.

There’salso afeast of technologyto playwith,including Cornering ABSand lean-sensitivetractioncontrol –and there’salsotheincreasinglycommon ‘Supermoto’ABSmodewhichallows youtolockupand/orslidetheback end. Youcanalso opt to add aDynamic Modefora bitofextracash,which

offersevenmoreadjustabilityandallows youto finetunetheamountofwheel slipcontrol. Andyoucanalsoaddon enginebrakingmodulation,anti-wheelie assistance,andcruisecontrol. You willgetfullsmartphoneconnectivity asstandard,withthe5-inchTFT displayofferingaccesstoturn-by-turn navigation(withofflinemapstorage).

Theride’slikelytobemuchdifferentto theKTM,too,with amuchmoreupright stancethankstoitslowerseatbut higherbarcombination,whilethelonger andlower14-litrefueltankpushesthe seatback afraction.Elsewhere,the five-spoke17-inch castalloywheelswill come readywithsomequality,pseudo off-road PirelliMT60RStyres.

ExpectedtoarriveindealersinJune, the Svartpilen 801isafunkyalternative in aseriouslycrowdedmarketplace. There’samassofsimilarlypotentstreet bikestochoosefrom;fromtheKTM 790Dukeonwhichit’slargelybased, throughto SuzukiandHonda’s more conventionalGSX-8S andCB750 Hornet. Allofthoseareagoodwhack cheaperthantheHusqvarna though. Maybethescrambler-esque801 is morecloselymatchedtosomething likeDucati’slesspowerful,butsimilarly priced, ScramblerFullThrottle. Whateverthecase,itsureisagoodtime tobeinthemarketfor amiddleweight roadster.

TORQUINGTRIUMPH

Thebig,badTriumphRocket 3getsevenmore punchfor2024

The TriumphRocket’saprettyspecial machine.Althoughit’stechnically acruiser, there’sactuallynothingelsequitelikeiton themarket. That’swhywe’re alwayspretty excitedwhenwehearthatthere’sanewone (ortwo) on thewayfrom theBritishfactory. They’vehad aslight renamefor2024,and theyarenowcalledtheRocketStorm.But otherthanthat,thingsare largelyfamiliar, with apairofmodels tochoose fromeach suitedtodifferenttypesofridingandrider. There’s the sportier,morestripped-back £23,195 Randtheloaded£23,895touringorientedGT.

They’renotall-newmachines,but Triumph’smade ahandful of meaningful changestothe outgoingmodels,making themmore powerfulandmore agile. Sounds goodtous.

Thebignewsisthe revised2458cc triplecylindermotor,whichmeetsEuro5+ emissions regulationsyetmanagestokick out evenmore powerandtorque.It’llnow kick out180bhpat7000rpm,too(whichisa whopping15bhpincrease on the old model). There’salsobeen alesssubstantial,butstill appreciated,2.9lb-fttorqueincrease,which meansthere’snow awhopping166lb-ftto playwith.

Elsewhere,there’renew10-spokecast aluminiumrims(17-inch up frontand16-inch atthe rear)which Triumph reckonswillhelp maketheRocket Stormmoreagile. Well,as agileasthe 300kglumpcanevertrulybe… Thereare somekeydifferencesbetween thetwomodels,withtheGT’shandlebars asubstantial125mmmoreuprightthanthe R;thefootpegs much morerelaxed(with threehorizontaladjustmentsacross50mm); anditsseatheight23mmlower(at750mm). Incontrast,the Rgetmoreupright,midmountedpegs(andjusttwo settingswith 15mmofverticaladjustmentbetween them).

Otherthanthat,they’revery,verysimilar –withthesamealuminiumframe,thesame 18-litrefueltank,thesamefullyadjustable Showamonoshockand47mmUSDforks, andthesamefour-pistonradially-mounted Brembo Stylemacalipersgrabbingapairof 320mmdiscs up frontand asingle300mm discattherear.There’replentyofelectronic goodies,too,withlean-sensitivecornering ABS,lean-sensitivetractioncontrol, arideby-wirethrottle,andfourridingmodes. Soundslike awinnertous. Here's hoping wecangetourhandsononefor aspin soon.

BATTERY BLASTER

ElectricMotionismakingthetransitionfrom TrialstoEnduro –andwe’rehereforit

TheFrenchfirm hascarvedoutan enviable reputationforitsproperly-sorted competition-ready trialsbikes –and nowit’sdecided to putits yearsofknowhowintocreatingapairof seriously capableroad-legalenduromachines,which have already proved themselvesinthe e-explorerFIM WorldCup.

There’retwo tochoose from: thebase-model£9499Escape Xand themore sophisticated £10,999Escape XR.

Thelearnerlegalmachinesareboth basedaroundthesamemotor,battery and chassisplatform; although theXRdoeskickout afraction morepeakpower andtorque (offering12kwtothe X’s11kw, and700Nm to theX’s 600Nm. But bothbikesareactuallypowered by thesame3.5kWhbattery that’s claimedtobe good for closeto50miles of riding.

There’salsothe same35mm USDfront suspension;the same 260mm front and220mm rear Nissinbrakes; thesame21-inchfront and18-inchrearMichelinEnduro-shodtyres;and the samethree rider mapsas standard.

Thereare some keydifferences betweenthe two though,andforthe XR’s additional£1500 you’ll get ahydraulically-operated diaphragmclutch,and more capableR16V Racingrearshock (theXgetsthe standardR16V),and amorepowerful charger. Bothbikes have ahugeamountofadjustmentusing theEM app, throughwhichyou cantweakthepower availableandthethrottle responsetogetthebikeset up just so dependingonthe terrainandconditions you’regoingtobetackling,andit’llalsoallowyou to accessallthe keyinformationabout yourbike, diagnoseany faultsin realtime,andlock andunlock it withthetapofabutton. Clever stuff.

Asfaras we cantell,thecompactlittlemachines look to be on to awinner,and if you’reanenduroor trail riderwhodoesn’t want to dobig, long days inthe saddle,itcould be the perfectoption.

If you want to seewhat they’remadeof outinthe wild,the good folksatInchPerfectTrials havea whoppinggreat site upnear Clitheroe, Lancashire, whereyou canhaveaproperplay(optingfor aquick test rideor afull-onexperience day).

LIMITEDRUN ROCKET

KTM’srevealed thelatestversionofits dedicated track weapon:the RC8C

It’s thattimeoftheyearwhentheAustrianfactorywhipsthe covers offits limited-edition,all-singing,all-dancing,track-only sportbike. It’s very, verysimilarto last year’smodel –thoughfor2024,there’re only100 of them rollingoff theproductionline.

Built withthe help of Krämer,the RC-8Cessentiallyisastrippedbackversionof KTM’s890 DukeR,withthe same 889ccLC8 parallel-twin engine doing thebusiness. That said, it hasbeentuned tohighheavenand getsa much higher 12,000rpmredline and135hp ontap.

That’s notall, asthe142kgweapongetsa sweetCrMotrellis frame;some top-notch WP springsfrontand rear;race-specification Brembostoppers;andevensome MotoGP-stylecarbon aerodynamic wings. Oooft.

Ifyou’reinterested(andyou’vegotsome deep pockets),you’ll havetolaydownaninitial £900depositbeforesplashing outthe remainderofthe £36,999 price tag.The good news is thatyou’llget looked afterby KTM, who’llinviteyouto asuper-exclusive handover eventatPortimaowhichincludesatrackset up sessionandtrack dayexperience, aswanky dinner,and ameetandgreetevent. Pre-ordersopenedonMarch 20,soifyou’rekeenyou’d better actfast.NipovertotheKTMwebsiteforall thedetails,orgive your favoureddealerashout andtheyshouldbeabletosort you out.

FIFTIESCOOL

Harley-Davidson’sadded anotherbiketo itslimited-editionIconcollection:the 1950s-inspiredHydra-GlideRevival

TheAmericanfactoryhasgota long,richhistorytoworkwith whenitcomestocreatingcool retroridesthatareinspiredby thefirm’spast.Andthistime it’s decidedtorustleupa Hydra-GlideRevivalmodel, apingMilwaukeecruisersof yesteryear.

Sittingaspartofthenow four-strongIconrange,the £29,495Revivalhasbeen createdinparttocelebratethe 75thanniversaryofH-D’sHydraGlide Eand Fmodelswhichfirst rolledoutofthefactoryin1949.

Thebike’scentrepieceisatriedand-tested1868ccMilwaukeeEight 114V-twinmotorwhichkicksout 115.1lb-ftoftorqueat3250rpmandsits proudaspunchin aframethat’sbeennicked fromHarley’sSoftailcruiserrange.Theengine’s evenbeenkittedoutwith aScreamin’EagleHigh Flowairfilter –andiscompatible withallHarleyDavidson Screamin’Eagleupgradekits,if you’re after abitmoreperformance.

To makesureitlooksjustright,there’stheusual abundanceofpolishedchrome;aclassically-styled H-D‘V’badgeon thetank;and aretro-inspired,

andleathertassels),a 21-inchscreen, anda setofspoked16-inch chromewheelsshod inDunlopHarleyDavidsonSeries tyres,andyou’re away.

centrally-mountedinstrument panel. There’salsoa super-lowsingle seatthathasjusttherightamount ofwhitepiping, studsandtassles.Add in some properleathersaddlebags(with morewhiteseams

Despite its olde-skool styling, thereare afew modern conveniences, too, with electronic cruise control;ABS; acompactdigital display;andLED lights all round.There’seven apreload-adjustable rear shock tucked neatlyaway, meaning riderswill have amuch more comfortable ridethanontheold hardtails.

Harleyfan or not,there’snodoubtthatthisis aseriously-specialbitofkit.That’sespecially true becauseit’slimitedtojust1750 models worldwide, so ifyou wanttogetyour handsonone,you’re goingtohavetomovefast. Get intouch withyour closestdealerandfindoutmore.

BIGGER’S NOTBETTER

There’sanawfullottolikeaboutCFMOTO’s newly-released450MTlightweight adventure bike.Here’swhatyou need toknow

Chinese firm CFMOTOseems to begoingfromstrengthto strength,swiftlyaddingeven morebikestoitseclecticand prettyvastrange.There’snow ahealthymixof nakedbikes, tourers,sportbikes, retrosand adventurerstochoosefrom, rangingfrom300ccto 800cc.

CFMOTO’sbeenonour radarforyears,andwe’ve seenitsgradualprogression frombudget-focused manufacturertoseriousbike builder,withanall-important partnershipwithKTM helping toaddkudostothe relatively new firm.

TheCFMOTO 450MTis oneofthenewestmachines to rolloffitsproductionline. Perfectlyplacedtotakeitto thelikesofRoyalEnfield’s hugely-popularHimalayan andHonda’smuch-loved CRF300L,we’vebeeneager togetthefulllowdown onitfor awhile.And now thefactory’sreleasedall theimportantinformation, includingtheprice.

It’s poweredby a449.5cc paralleltwin(withthe 270-degreecrankshaftthat’s

soinvogueatthemoment) whichkicksout arespectable A2-licencefriendly 42bhpand 30lb-ftoftorque.Butthebig newsisthatitlookstobea properlittleadventure bike; capableoftacklingsome trickyterrainin amanageable waythankstoitscombination ofcompactseat height; decentgroundclearance; 21-inchfrontand18-inch rear tubelesswheels;adjustable KYBsuspension;switchable ABSandtractioncontrol;and off-road-readypegs.

There’smoregoodstuffin theformoffully-adjustable suspension; aTFTdash(with smartphoneconnectivity); properUSBchargingports; handguards; abashplate;a luggagerack;foldablemirrors; andanadjustablescreen.

That’sahellof alotofkit forthe £5699price –andif ridersareabletogetpast theirChinesebikeprejudices (afour-yearwarrantyshould help),thenwe reckonthelittle MTwill fly outofdealers. We’ll betryingtogetourhandson oneoncetheystarttoarrivein thecountrythisMay.

TOPPICKS

DAINESEMUGELLO3 D-AIRSUIT

RRP:£3999.95/ www.dainese.com

Dainesehas releaseditslatesttop-end D-AIRairbagracesuitsandtheylookpretty sweet.Theflagshipisthiskangarooleather Mugello 3D-AIR,whichthefirmclaimsis themostadvancedever, witheven more lightnessandprotection,plusluxurious comfortlevels.It comeswiththecuttingedgetriple-activation D-air®Racingairbag and apentaxialelasticsystem,whichis claimedto offertheveryhighestlevels ofperformanceandsafetyonthetrack, whilstmaximisingcomfort.Theairbag nowallowsforuptothreeactivations– so youcanswapoutthegasgeneratorthree

timesyourselfbefore theairbagneedsa service.Andyoucanselect aspecific mode depending on whetheryou’re on the road or thetrack.

Thenew Mugello 3weighs 20per cent lessthanthe lightestsuitwithanintegrated airbagsystemcurrentlyon themarketandthat’swiththePro-Armorprotectors onshouldersand hips, andouter titanium plates. There’sa newkneesliderfitment design;a hydropackwaterbagkit;in/out boot calffitting;andtwo-positionelbow sliderswhich keep theMugelloatthetop endofracesuits –but at aheftyprice.

ALPINESTARSSUPERTECHR10HELMET

£999/ www.alpinestars.com

Italian/Americankit makerAlpinestarshasfinally releasedtheproductionversionof its R10road/racehelmet,after releasing200limited-editionmegabucks‘launchedition’ modelslastyear.Nowinshopsfrom£999,itjoinsthehallowedranksof thesuper-topendtracklidsfromfirmslikeArai,AGV,ShoeiandHJC.The R10 isECE22.06,DOT and FIMapproved,andfeatures ahigh-speccarboncompositeoutershell; auniqueA-head fitmentsystemthatletsridersadjusttheangle andpositionofthelidontheir skull;and theusualhigh-end,quick-releaselockingvisor,removableliner,andloads of venting.

GARMINZUMOXT2

PIRELLISCORPIONTRAILIII

£POA |www.pirelli.com

ItaliantyrebrandPirellihaslauncheda new versionintoitsimpressiveScorpion tyrerange,withthenewTrail IIIversion havingmoreofaroadfocusthan previoustyres. To accomplishthis, thenewrubber hasa treadpattern basedaround that ofPirelli’sDiablosportstyre,with new compoundsusedontheshoulders and central treadband, whileboththetyre’s structureanditsprofilealsotakedesign cues fromthebrand’s supersportsand

£529.99 /www.garmin.com

TheGarminZumoXT2isaproperly capablededicatedmotorcycle satellitenavigationdevice,that’s ruggedenoughtohandleyouroffroadmapping needs.

It’sgot abig6-inchdisplay whichdisplaysanabsolute raftofinformationin aloadof differentways,dependingon yourpreference.There’saclever visual routeplanner whichletsyou customiseyourjourney;opting foreither athrillingridewithextra twistsandturns,or amoreefficient

anddirect route. There’seven apreloaded Green Guidefrom Michelinwithpictures,descriptions andratings, tomakeit easy to decidewheretostoponyourride. UsingtheGarminTread smartphoneapp,youcan take partin agroup ride withyour Garmin-equippedpals,checkout popular routes,makeuse of the MichelinScenicRoads –andyou canalso reviewandshareyour ridestats,includingyour elevation, acceleration,decelerationand

RUKKATREK-RJACKETANDTROUSERS

J:£1049.99 T: £829.99 /www.bikerheadz.co.uk

Rukka’sthecreamofthecropwhenitcomesto textile gear f bikers.It’sbuiltupan enviable reputationfordurable, protect andproperlywaterproofkitthat’lltake aproperbeating.But now, it’smostlyfocusedonheavy-duty winter-ready stuff.Th wherethe Trek-Risslightlydifferent;it’smoreofalightweigh adventure/rally-readysuitthat’s waterproofingcomesfroma separatelayer.

AFFORDABLE ALTERNATIVES

RSTPRO SERIES EVO AIRBAGLEATHERSUIT

It mightnot be cheap –but RST’soffthe-peg airbagsuit is aboutasaffordable as it getsifyouwanttogetyourhands on atop-quality racesuit that’ll keepyouwell protected shouldthe worst happen. AAAprotection,plentyofstretch,a removablelining andIn&Motion’s newairbag system. Nice. www.rst-moto.com

sportstouringmodels respectively. Sizesavailable willsuitthesortofbikes thatmaybeexpected tospendmost of their time on Tarmac, withthe occasional off-roadexcursion(i.e.adventurebikes), sofrontswill beavailable in17”,18”,19” and 21”diameters, while rearscome in 17” from120to180 section,and alsoa 150/70x18”.Allareavailablenow,except forthefrontsizeof120/70x19” and the 170/60x17” rear,which will arrivein the secondhalf ofthisyear.

more.Alsoit allowsyoutoaccess real-timetraffic and weather.

That’s justscratchingthesurface ofwhatit’scapableof,butyouget theidea. It’sa verysophisticated device –which iswhyit costsin excessof £500.

Thejacketandtrousersaremadefromabrasion-resistant Cordura500Dfabricshell,withtougher1500Dreinforcement inalltheusualareas.ItfeaturesD3OAir XTRback,shoulder, elbow,kneeandhipprotectors –andthere’sapocketfor aD3OCP1dividedchestprotector,too.There’s aloadof ventilation, abunchofpockets(with twowater-resistant pocketsonthedetachableinnerlineranda largewaterresistantpocketonthelowerback),and ahuge amountof adjustment. Anicetouchisthatthedetachable waterproofGore-Tex3-layerstretch inner liner canactuallybeworneitherinsideoroverthetextiles– oreven used as aset of stand-alonewaterproofs.

SCORPIONEXO R1 AIR EVO

Want atop-qualityECE-2206 racereadyhelmet butdon’tfancy laying downcloseto agrand?Scorpionhas gotyoucovered.

There’replentyofnice touches, including asecondMaxvision-ready2D darksmokevisor(withtear-offpins). There’salso auniqueAirfit system whichmakes it easytoget itfitting right using theinflatable cheek pads. There’splentyofventing, ahypoallergenic, removable,machine washable andsoft internal lining, andanEllip-tec II ratchetsystemtoensureatight fit betweenthevisor andthe eyeport. www.bikerheadz.co.uk

CST RIDE AMBRO CM-A1TYRES

CSTisgoing from strengthtostrength. Whileit’s traditionallybeenknownforkittingout awhole host of morebudget-focussed learnerlegalrides, it’s nowgetting stuck into thebig bike market with araftof rubberto suit prettymuchevery type ofride.

These RideAmbro CM-A1 arefor small andmediumadventurebikes (needing H-ratedtyres),andCST claimstheyoffer ‘perfect performance’ in thewetanddry, with some bigmileage to boot. We’retold they’reupfortackling some trails, too. www.bickers.co.uk

Moreofa‘sheet of paper ina tankbag’ navigation fan?Bored withever-largermassive HD colourscreens?TheBeeline MotoIIsat-navmight be for you.It’sgot asimple, compact display which workswitha phoneapp togiveeasy-to-see, ‘glanceable’ directions. It’saself-contained unit with its ownbattery insidesothere’s no wiringanditcomeswith quick-releasemountssoyoucan stick itin yourpocket when youstop. Thelatest IIversion hasnew LEDalerts, amini-map view,glove-friendlycontrols,andaneven brighteranti-glaredisplay. www.beeline.co

OXFORDDAKAR

Pricedastoundinglywellforan adventure-styled jacket andtrousers, thenew OxfordDakarkit hasan impressivespec, too.Theouter has aDWR coatingto prevent‘wettingout’, backed up by aremovable ‘Dry2dry’ waterproof andbreathable lining,whichis stretchyto cater formovement.ThereisCELevel1 armour forshoulders,elbowsand hips,withanadditional back protector (not supplied) pocket,too.There are multiple adjustersthroughout,with pressstudadjustersontheupper arms,zipperedcuffs, webbedwaist adjustment,andadditional Velcro adjustersonwaistandcuffs. www.oxfordproducts.com

BEELINEMOTO IISAT-NAV

D2DAIR JACKETAND TROUSERS

SEEKING ADVENTURE?

There’sonlyoneplacetobeacrossJune 28-30 ifyou likeyour bikesknobbly-tyredandreadyforanything: theAdventureBikeRiderFestival

Theworld’slargestadventure motorcyclefestivalisbackwitha vengeancefor2024, with aneverdiversearrayofgoodstufftokeep youentertainedrightthroughthe weekend.

ThegroundsofRagleyHallin Warwickshirewillplayhostto what’sfastbecomeoneofthe must-doeventsonthebiking calendar; aproperlybrilliantfew daysofadventuremotorcycling madness,withthelatestbikesto ride;expansivetrailstoconquer; thebestgeartolustafter;explorers tolistentoand learnfrom;musicto getdownto;andplentyof topfood anddrinktosnaffle,too.Whatmore couldanyadventurebikerwantor need?

Thisyear,there’sawhopping40 kilometresofpurpose-builttrails toplayon.TheBridgestoneTrailis thebig’un,offering30kilometres

ofoff-roadbrillianceacrossverdant opengrasslandandthrough tight,nadgerywoodland.There’s aBeginner’s Loop, too,where less-experienced riderscangeta feelforwhatit’sall about.Andif you’reaftersomething abittastier, there’s theTRF Trailwhich hasbeen designedinpartnership withthe Trail RidersFellowship (TRF).It’s amuch morechallenging eight-kilometre routewithclimbs,descents,water crossingsandmore.

Youdon’tevennecessarilyneed tobringyourown biketoridethem either.Aprilia,BMW,Ducati,HarleyDavidson,Honda,KTM,Kawasaki, Suzuki, Triumph,Yamaha and Zero Motorcycles(andmanymore)willbe inattendance,offeringdailydemo rides bothonand off-site.

There’smoretodo,including guidedgreenlaneride-outs; advancedridingassessments;

off-roadskillsschools;motorcycle masterclasses;and liverider displays.

And if youfancysittingdown for awell-earned restafterallthe riding, you’llbeable to grababeer andsome grub andsoak upsome ofthe60talks acrossfourstages from some ofthe biggestnames inmotorcycling,including thelikes

of SimonandLisaThomas who have over515,000miles and122 countries undertheir tyres;the legendaryElspethBeardwho at theageof just 23 rode aroundthe worldon herBMW R60/6; and globetrottingexpert Nick Sanders. Formoreinformation onthe crackingevent, visit www.abrfestival.com

CadwellParkwillplayhosttoatopweekendofSuzuki -themedshenanigansoverthe22-23 June.

Whetheryou’readie-hard fan oftheJapanese factoryor not,Suzuki Live is aproperlycool event thattakesplace in thehallowedgroundsof Lincolnshire’sinfamous racetrack. Acrosstheweekend, you’ll be treated averitable feast of Suzuki’s finest classicandmodern machinesthroughout thepaddockandinaction. Bikesonshowwillinclude stunningmachines from SuzukiGB’scollectionandclub andprivate displays, while gueststarswill notonly be drifting aroundthe paddockforchatsandautographs, but alsoexercising theirtime-worntalentsontrack too!What’s nottolike?

There’salso free test rideson Suzuki’s latest machines and the unmissable V-Stromadventure bikeoff-roadcourse, andnot forgettingallthe Saturdaynight entertainment! It’saweekendnot to bemissedforany biking enthusiast. Formoreinformation andtobagyourtickets, visit:www.classicbiketrackdays.com

the

It’sjustlikepotteringaround abikenightandchecking outwhat’sbeenbrought outfor ablast.Nowwe’ve decidedtobringthebike nighttoyou,askingreaders tosendusphotos oftheir pride andjoyfortheworld tosee.Here’resomeof ourtoppicksfromthelast month.

We lovetoseewhatyoulot areriding –andweknow

restofyoulikeit,too.

In partnership with ForcefieldBodyArmour

AlisonBrock’slookingpleased as punchastrideherKawasaki Z1000SX. Crackingbike.

PhilGirling’s gotitright.Here’s hisgleamingRoyalEnfieldClassic350 –and theYamahaMajesty400 winterhack he’sbought to keep ridingwhenthe roadsarerubbish(andsalty).

DesGibbonsis aluckylad. Check outhismint HondaDax.

Richard Cravenboughthis TriumphStreetTwin fromnewin 2017 –andhe’salready rackedup57,000miles.Goodgoing!

Thisis abit of us. TrevorWhite’s SuzukiER250 is abit of early 80s cool.

Graham Richardson hasgot aniconon his hands. We’dlove aHonda400 Fourinthe shed.

KeithMarchant’s Sinnis Retro Star 250lookslikeanabsoluteblast! Proper retroscramblerstylinganda screamingsingleengine. Yesplease.

James Tunstall’s keepingit retro withhisKawasaki Z900RS. We love these.

StephenPrice’s gorgeous Honda CB450looks like it’s been well looked after.

THE MORQUIZEBIKES

We love abitoftriviahereatMoreBikes.No matterwhetherwe’reata pubquizwitha beerinonehandand apencilintheother, orbeingquestionedbyourmateswhen we’restoodaroundat abikenight,there’s somethingaboutknowingtheanswertoan unexpectedquestionthatgivesusa nice fuzzyfeelinginside.Andifwedon’tknow, thenthere’sagoodchancewemightlearn something.That’swhywe’vedecidedto introduce aregular quizsectionsponsored byourgoodpalsatFowlers(who’llbe supplyingtheprizes).

We’llbeaskingyou questionsaboutall

1

2

3

4

5

It’stime togetout yourpens andpencilsandput yourgrey mattertothetest

manneroftwo-wheeledstuff,pushingyour memoriestothelimitand askingyou to digdeep totryand rememberallmanner of strange stufffromright across the biking spectrum.It’s achancefor youtoshowoff yourinfinite wisdomandbeinwith ashot ofbaggingsome coolprizes. All you’ve gottodoisjotdown the answersonthe entryformbelow,andsend itinusingthedetailsprovided.We’ll then pickthewinnerfromanupturnedhelmet crammedwithcorrectanswers, and that personwillbesent abrand-newbitofkit that’llhelp themstaysafe outonthe road.

Howmuchtorquedoes Triumph’slatest generationRocketkickout?

Inwhichcountyisthe spectacular KielderForestDrive?

WhenwasthefirstMotoGuzzi Stelvio released?

Whichnewbikeispoweredbythe samemotorasKTM’s 790Duke?

Howmanyelectricchargingpoints are thereintheUK?

LASTMONTH:

6

7

8

9

10

While it mightnotbe quite timetowhipout thesummer gloves justyet,wearegetting closer. Theevenings aregettinglighter, the daysaregetting warmer, and those fewfrostymornings arebecomingan increasinglydistant memory.Butinthe U even intheheightof summer,there’sstill a chanceyoucouldget caugh in adownpour.That’swhy glovesfromWeise looklikea tous.

Slimline,lightweight andc –butwith aMcTex waterpr breathablemembrane to kee worstofthe rainfallat bay, knuckleandfingerarmour,p palms,andcriticaldual-laye synthetic suede.Nice.Wan more?Visit:www.weiseclot

What’sthe bigchange tothe new HondaAfricaTwinAdventureS

WhichJapanese firmhas just itsfirst hybridmotorcycle?

Howmany ofKTM’strack-only willbebuilt?

WhofoundedZeroMotorcyclesin 2006?

Whendid Yamahaclaim fouroft fiveGPWorld Championship spots?

Didyouget’emright? Bajaj, Moto Guzzi V85,1999, Kymco,Sherpa,Salisbur Spada,Rieju, 2004,Brno

BUYINGGUIDE

FULL FACE HELMETS

There’sonlyonebitofkityou’reactually requiredbylawtowear. Ahelmet.Thatwhyit’s soimportantyou getitrightwhenyou’re splashingyourhard-earned cashon one

What ratingdoI need?

Theall-importantnumberisECE 22.06. It’s okaytobuyold stock carryingECE 22.05 from bike shows,dealers,etc.But from2024,22.06isthe requirementfor newhelmets.22.06testsacross12points ofimpacttotheshellandadded testing of rotationalforces,whichis amajor causeofbraindamage.Ifyou’relooking todotrackdays(orevenrace) thenthe helmetmustalsohave aproperACU Goldsticker.

Butwhygofor afullface?

Ahelmetistheonelegally requiredbit ofkitforbikers,and afullfacegives yousomeofthebestprotection.The chinguardaddsprotectionforyour face/mouth/teeth,andthesingle-piece constructionhelpsmakeitstronger.

Fairenough,sowhatshould Ibe lookingfor?

Thebesthelmetisthe onethatfitsyou.A £150onethatfits reallywellisbetterthan apoor-fitting£700item.

Once on,thereshouldbeaneven pressureacrossyourhead.Anytight spotswillfeelworseandworsewhen riding.Ifyourheadcantipupanddown orside-to-sideinsidethelid,it’stoo large. Differentmanufacturersusedifferent profiles;makesurethatprofilesuitsyour headshape.Glasseswearers,makesure theyslipintoplaceeasilyandsitinthe rightplace onceon;somemakershave cut-outsintheliningtohelp.

Anythingelsetolook for?

Thereare anumberofdifferentstyles: Race,Sport-Touring, Touring,Adventure

tonamejust afew.Picktheonethat bestsuitsyourriding,forexample,riding uprightforlongdistances?A race helmet (whichisdesignedfortheriderleaning overthebikewithheadpointingupward) isn’tthebestmatch.

Nowyou’ve got therightstyleandfit, theotherbigconsiderationsare airflow andnoise. Thesetwo go hand-in-hand. Intheorythebettertheairflow,the noisier thehelmet.Butmanufacturers havemade hugedevelopmentsinnoise reductionin recentyears.Again,styleandintended usearemajor– aracelidisdesignedwith aerodynamicsinmind.Bycontrast,a touringlidismeanttobequieter.

Field of visionisvital.Backwith arace helmet,it’sdesignedforusewiththe ridingfacingforward. Atouring helmet ismore concernedwith awiderfieldas

you’remoreinterestedinwhat’sgoingon aroundyou.

Anyotherusefulthings?

Howdoesitfasten?Mainfasteningtypes aredouble-Dringormicrometricratchet. Double-D hastheadvantageofalways beingtightenough(micrometricwill need thestrapcheckingtomakesureithasn’t loosened);theflip sideisthemicrometric iseasiertooperatewithcold/gloveson. Thereare quick-releasestraps(likea seatbelt)andRuroc’s‘Fidlock’magnetic system.

Notessentialbutuseful:sunvisorsand Pinlock. Pinlockpreventsthevisorfrom misting up. An integralsunvisormeans, atthenudgeof adial/slideof aslider,you canprotectyoureyes,butflip itoutofthe wayenteringatunnel.

ARAIQUANTIC

Bertie Simmonds /£499/www.whyarai.co.uk

Quitepossibly,thisisthebest motorcyclecrashhelmetI’ve ever worn.

TheQuanticismarketedasa sports-touringhelmet,despite lookingratherquite sporty, whichisrightupmyalleyasat

51 IstillweartrainerssoI look sporty,too…

Theinitialfitissuperb. The luxuriousbrushed-nylon liningisakintoputtingyour favourite,fluffyslipperson yourhead,andweall know wewouldifwecould. Arai saysthattheactualaperture youstickyournoggininis largerthanonothermodels –asyou’reoftentakingyour helmetoffandonwhen ona sports-touringmachine. AllI willsayisthatthetransitionto onyourheadandoffismuch easierandlessofanear-bending exercisethannormal.

Comfortisincreasedbya flap coveringthesecuredouble-Dring fasteneraround yourneck. Oneofthedesignhighlights includes anewventingsystem which isincorporatedin a3D Arailogoon theforeheadsectionofthelid,two browvents,twosmallerventsatthe rearofthelid,andan ‘exhaust’vent inthe rearspoiler.Theseall work superblywellinsummer,draftinga coolingbreezeallaroundyourhead. Often,such asystemmeansit’s colderinwinter –but whenyoudo shutthosevents(easilydoneonthe moveformostofthem)youcanfeel thedifference –especiallywhenyou

CABERG AVALON BLAST

sortout thespoilerventat therear. Moreventsoftenmeanmorenoise on ahelmet,but Ihave tosaythat ineither openorclosedoperation thehelmetseemsquieter thanother helmets Itriedback-to-back,including aSHARKandanolderArai.Oh,and goingback tothat‘spoiler’on the backofthehelmet:apparently that helpskeepyourheadstableatspeed. Ican’tmakeanyclaimsfororagainst this,riding,as Ido, anumber ofnew/ old,faired/unfairedbikes. I’m surethey havethe test results to proveit… Overall I’m very impressedwiththe Quantic,it’saverycomfortable,stylish andfunctionalcrashhelmet.

ChrisBailey/£165/ www.cabergcares.co.uk

Thiswasmyfirst-everlid,and I’veloveditsincedaydot. Itmightnotbethemost sophisticated,sexiest ormostexpensive, butithas anumber ofgreatfeatures, rangingfromthe multipleadjustable ventstoaninternal sunvisor,which canbedroppedor liftedonthegovia aneasy-to-access togglelocatedonthe sideofthehelmet.It’s acrackingbitofkit for thecash.

Icansaythatwith certaintybecause Igot anewpricierflip-frontlid afew monthsago,and Ifound Iwasusingthatmoredueto theease whencommunicatingwithpeople;but everytimeI slipthe Cabergbackon,it’slikesteppingintoyourfavouriteshoes. It’sso comfortable –andthatmakesitperfectforlong rides.

Unfortunately,itcan be alittlebitnoisy,butthat’snothingthat can’tbefixedwithearplugs(whichweshouldallbeinthehabit ofwearinganyway).And Ifindthat alittlebitmoreroadnoiseisa smallpricetopayforthislevelofcomfortandfunctionality.

Abrightwhitelidisn’treallymy thing,butvisibilityisthename of thegamewhenyou’reriding,andthisonewithits redand bluestripes reallystandsoutandhelpsyoutobeseenbyother roadusers.

I’ve recommendedtheCaberg AvalonBlastto afew otherswho havebeeninterestedinbuying anewbudget-friendly lid,andat £165 it reallyisgreatvalueformoney.

RUROCATLAS 4.0

BobPickett /£425/www.ruroc.com

Slippingoneasily,the 4.0 squeezesthecheeksbut is comfortable –butfora carbon lid, theATLAS4.0 isweighty (a reported1600g).Onthe plussideIt returnstotal stabilityeven on anaked bikeatmotorwayspeeds. Wherethe ATLAS4.0 shines isfieldof vision. With avast100-degree verticaland215-degree horizontalaperture,it’s likeyou’renotwearing alid. Visoroperation iseasy(big tabonthe left).There’snointegral sunvisor,but itcomes with asparedarkvisoras standard.Changing the visorissimple.

Rurocsetsgreatstorein customerinput –feedback on theATLAS3.0 was for improved ventingand soundproofing, soventilation onthe4.0comes viachinand foreheadvents, withanalways open rearexit(what looklike extraventsbeneath thevisor are closed,forstylisticpurposes only).

Thechinventsliderison the inside ofthehelmet,makingit impossible to operatewhenon. IntheopenpositionI gotgoodairflow,notablyat myface,so good newsforaglasseswearer,butno airseemed tohitthevisor(moreacold weather issue –I tested duringtheJuly heatwave).The topvents don’tseem to do agreatdeal.

As regardssoundproofing,upto around50mph it’snonoisieror quieter

thanotherhelmetsat thisprice point; picking upthe paceyou need earplugs (whichyoushouldbewearing at higher speedsanyway).

The ATLAS4.0 is somethingofa Curate’sEgg. It’scarbonyet heavy; the fasteningmechanism is ananswer to aquestionnooneasked (theTrack version has conventional double D-rings);andtheventingisamixed bag. ButIlikeit. The phenomenal field ofvisionand utter stabilityarewinning points.

SCORPION EXO1400 CARBONHELMET

Dave Manning/£320/www.bikerheadz.co.uk

Iwas hopingfora goodexperiencewiththe EXO1400.And Igot one.Firstoff,itfeels really light –nodoubtthankstothe all-carbon, pre-preg shellconstruction.ItalsohastheAirfitsystem that gives amoresnugfit byusinganairpump (locatedatthebackofthe chinbar)toinflatethe cheekpads, whichalsoaids in reducingnoise (as does the‘chincurtain’),somethingthatI’ve becomemoreandmoreaware of asmy hearing startstofail…

Somehelmetstake alittlewhileto ‘bed in’, and as thefirst time IworethisScorpion wasfora 400-mile, non-stoptriptoScotland,I wasa little concerned as tohowmynoggin wouldfare. No issueswhatsoever–itwasascomfortableas wearingafavoured, weatheredbeanyhat. Only quieter.

Theventsseem toworkfairlywell,although as theEXO1400issolightit doesn’thavethe claustrophobicfeelthatsomeheavyhelmetscan give,andthewaythatthevisorsecures withthe centrally-mountedclipisgenius –secureand really easy toopen.

It’ssecuredbymyfavoured type of strap,a doubleD-ring(made of titaniumto aidthe weight), meaningthatthestrapis alwaysastightasit shouldbe(seat-belt type claspscanbe too tight if youadd aneckscarf,or toolooseifyougo without),whilethe cheekpadshave‘emergency’ tabsso theycanbepulledout to aidhelmet removalinthe eventofanaccident.Thelining is of abeautifullysoft material –itreallydoesfeelrather luxurious –and canbe removedforwashing ifit gets alittlestinky.

It’ssuppliedwith aPinlock lens, too, which wasonceonlythepreserveof really expensive

helmets,andI’veswiftly become aconvert tothe useofone,given howmucheasier itmakes life on cold morningswiththe reductionofcondensation that it offers.Ifyou’ve never usedPinlock before, you’ll be astoundedat howclear yourvision can be througha visor on afrostymorningafteryou’ve been huffing andpuffing afterdraggingyourbike outofthe garage!

So,it’slight, quietand comfortable, so what’s nottolike? Well, noteveryone likes thatcandycolouredcarbon (I do), andthe internalvisor isa littleawkwardtooperatevia theslidingtabonthe left side, andprobablya littleirrelevantifyou usea darkvisor likeI do.

Q&A

Ourspecialistmotoringsolicitor

AndrewPrendergastguides readersthroughtheir legaltrialsandtroubles

QIt must have beenFreaky Friday!Iliveona newhousingestate. Iwasoneof thefirstto buyaflat ‘offplot’around threeyears agoand from my topfloorI’vebeenwatchingthe steady marchofprogressasthe rest ofthehousesand flats have sprung uparoundme.Anyway, last Friday Idecidedtoget my bike outand go fora spin. Iamalwaysmechanicallysympathetic and after warmingupSteve (he’saSuzukiV-Strom 650. Whywouldn’t you call himSteve?),I toddledoutthroughtheestate, headingtowards the bypass.Itwas at that pointonFreakyFriday that everythingsuddenlywentwhite,and Iwas engulfed.Thenextmemoryislying on thefloor lookingatSteve’s frontwheel.I trulyhad no idea whathadhappened.Afterwhat seemed like an eternityIcould hear avoice saying:‘We are goingtounwrapyou.’ At this pointIwas even more confused butafter afew minutes slowly Ibegan to seedaylight, andthenthefaces of my rescuers.At this pointDaveand Jenny(who hadbeenstandingatabus top) toldmethat thewhitetarpaulin(?)thathadbeenwrapped aroundthe scaffoldingofa block of flats being built,hadblown offandhitme slap,bangin theface andthen wrappedaround my bike, causingmetofall off.Irememberlaughingand sayingatleast I’mnotdeadandinheaven, but thencoughinginpain.Laterit turned outIhad brokenfives ribsand ruptured my spleen. Not fun. Fast-forward sevenweeks and Ihavejust

been told by thesalesman at theshowhomeon theestatethatitwasan ‘Actof God’ asthewind caused itandhecouldn’thelpme.Iwas raging, especiallyafterhe said he wassurprised it was awoman ridingabikeinthe first place. Itruly wanted to headbutthim,but decideditwasn’t thebestidea. So…doIhaveacase? Dave and Jennyhavekindlybeenround to seeIamokay andbroughtmeflowers. When they visited, Dave toldmeit hadbeenflappingfor weeksand he hadreporteditthe week before.Heevenhad avideo.

AIthinkFreaky Friday is aprettygood phrase inthis case.That isproper scary! However, unfortunately,itdoesn’t actuallyappearto be a‘freak’ accidentfromwhat youhavesaid. Isay this becauseitisentirely‘foreseeable’ that it maybewindy. Withthat in mind,the builderneeded to ensurethatthetarpaulinor wrappingaroundthe scaffoldingwassecured properly.Itappears cleartheydid notdothis, and even better you have Dave and Jennyas witnessestosay it hadbeenlikethatfor weeks, and that Dave hadreportedit. Therefore, if youcanprove‘onthe balanceofprobabilities’ that the builder hasbeennegligent (whichI think youwill) youwill winyourclaim.The nextissue is to directyourclaim to the right people.Oftenthesebig housingestates have severalbuildingcompanies buildingon

them,soyou (oryoursolicitor Iadvise you getoneASAP)need to trackdownwho was responsiblefor building that particular block of flatsanddirectyourclaim to them.Don’t be putoffbythe salesman at the showhome.Heis talkingcobblers!

QIwas outwithagroupof matesa week ago. We hadparkeduponalocalhigh streetand goneforthe obligatory sausageroll. When we gotbacktothebikes,Ithrew my legover, and promptlyfelloversidewaysandinto aparked carasIhadnot realised therewas adropcurb theother side.Tosay Iwas super-embarrassedis an understatement as Ijustwantedtheground to swallowmeup. Thankfully, therewas no damage to my bikeasmybar weighthadhitthe parked car’srearquarter. Ichecked thecar.It hadmarkedthe paint, butitwas abatteredold Mondeo and to be fair itdidn’tlookany worse thantherestofit. So withthat, we headedhome and Ididn’t thinkany moreofituntil Ireceived aletterfromthe Police.They arenow accusing meoffailingtoreportanaccident.Ihaveno ideahow they gotmybikeregistrationdetailsas Ichecked around before Ileft,and Icouldn’t see anycamera.Iamthinkingofignoringtheir letter as to whowas ridingasthere wasnodamage to my bikeand it wasonlyadingonanold car. However, my gutistellingmethiscould just make things worse.

The MB legalcolumniscompiled bymanagingpartnerAndrew‘Chef’ Prendergastandhis bike-riding barristers andsolicitorsatWhiteDaltonMotorcycle Solicitors. Thefirmdeals with personalinjuryclaims anditssistercompany,Motor Defence Solicitors,dealswith all themotoring offences. White Daltonlawyers havea vastknowledge of bike law,andtheyhave full bike licences,too.Theydon’tactfor insurancecompaniesor the prosecution. WhiteDaltonisBritain’spremier specialist motorcyclelawpractice,andifits professionals don’tknowtheanswer

AListen to yourgut.You have received aNotice of IntendedProsecution so youshould notignoreit. This is becauseitisanoffence underSection172 RoadTrafficAct 1988 to fail to providetheinformation requestedinthe Driver Identification Requestbycompletingthe driver identityformwithin 28 days.Aperson convicted of failingtoprovide information wouldbefinedupto£1000 andeither have their licenceendorsed with sixpenalty points or be disqualifiedfromdriving. Asforfailingto report anaccident, becauseyou hit acar with your bike and caused damage,andthen rode off,you have committedanoffence.Ifyou are if youare summonedtoCourt andarefound guiltyorpleadedguilty to this offence the likelypunishmentwould be apenalty points endorsementoffive to 10 points and fine,in addition toCourtcosts,etc.Due to the nature of the offenceallegedyou couldbedisqualified insteadofgettingpenalty points.Ifyou were disqualified forthe offence itself, this couldbefor up to 12 months.Anoffender couldalsobesent to prison for up to sixmonths.However,Iwould add that thisis very unlikelyinyourcase. At this stageall youcan do isidentify yourselfasthe riderandthen seeifthe Police/CPS pursue this further.Iftheydo, Isuggestyou takelegaladvice becauseitisactually averyserious offence.This often catches people as theythinkit’s‘just ading’ on acaretc.

to your question,there probablyisn’t one.Don’t rely on the advicefrom your insurance-appointedsolicitor,getproper independentadvice.

For road trafficoffences,calltheMotor Defencesolicitorson0800280 0912. Fornon-offencecases,call WhiteDaltonmotorcyclesolicitors on 08007836191.

If youneedadviceon abiking-relatedlegal questionorquery,emailmail@whitedalton. co.uk. ThebestQ&A willbepublishedin MB,inconfidence,ofcourse.

MSL’s theplaceto be.Inthenextissue there’sawhopping greattestfrom an absolutelegendofthe bikejournalismgame, AlanCathcart.Scan thecodeand gethis lowdowndeliveredto yourdoorforless than thecostof apint.

Wantto reallyget to knowthenewStelvio?

ITALIAN STALLION

Namedafterthelegendary Italianpass andbasedlargelyonthe muchlaudedV100Mandello (with afew keychanges),thenewMotoGuzzi Stelviohasquitethereputationtouphold.Isituptothechallenge?

Moto Guzzi Stelvio

We’vebeenoutinthehillsnearAlmeriain SpaintofindoutwhatthenewMoto Guzzi Stelvioismadeof.

Thegoodnewsisitlooksgreat andsounds great.That’s aprettygoodstart,right?

There’s ashade of Triumph Tiger tothefront end,butthesharp-angled tankandbig transverseV-Twinlumpstickingoutthesides giveit alookallofitsown.Itcould onlybe aGuzzi.

Rackingup afewmiles on thehighway on ourwaytothegoodstuff,theStelvioproved itselfincrediblycomfortable. Theshorterthan-most830mmseatisveryplushand perfectlysculpted,withenoughslimming atthefronttomakeiteasyto flatfoot for theshorterriders on the launch.Despite its bulk,it’sactuallysurprisinglyeasytomove around,too,partlybecauseItcarriesthevast majorityofitsweight lowdown.

Guzzispent alot of timeperfecting the bike’s aerodynamics.It’s super-stableathigh speeds andtheelectronically-adjustable screenis anicetouch,doingagood job of deflectingthewindtothetopofmyhelmetin itshighestsetting.

Assoonaswe hitthetwisties,the guide rideropenedthingsup.Itwasquitethe introduction –andalthoughthebikeproved itselfvery capable of hustling,ittook abit of timebeforeI feltcompletelyathome.

Thehandling’sgood,andit’sbeenupto thetaskofbeingproperlythrownaround,but thereisaslightsense of vagueness. That’s notunusualforadventurebikes,thoughit doesn’tfeelquiteassurefootedassomeof thecompetition. Alighttouch ofback brake seemstotightenthingsupenoughtohelp.

Thesuspensioniswellenoughsetup, buttheSachsUSDforksupfrontandthe KYBmonoshockatthe rearcertainlyaren’t perfect.There’s still adecentbalanceof comfortandperformance,andwewere askinganawfullot of it onthefast,twisty roads.

Thebrakesare decentthough. They’re properBrembomonoblocs,andalthough

there’snot exactlysuperbikelevelsof bite,theyhelptheStelviostopquicklyand efficientlywith only alittledivefromthefront suspensionwhenyoureallygrab ahandful. As with anyGuzzi,theengine is ahighlight. It’sflexibleandfun.It’s notthefastestthing intheworld or ascharacterful as Iexpected, buttheliquid-cooled1042cctransverse V-Twinkicks out arespectable113bhpand 77lb-fttorque. There’sa nicewhackoflowdowntorque,anditpullswelluptop,too. Thegearboxis alittleagricultural,needinga firmhand(particularlybetween1stand2nd). Theclutchisplentylightthough,andGuzzi havealsoworkedtomakeiteasiertoshift withoutit.

Abriefstint on gravel suggeststhatthe Stelviomightnotbemostathomeinthe dirt.There’saspecificridermode(inaddition tofourmore road-focused ones)andyou canturntheABS offentirely,buteventhenI suspectitmightstrugglewithanythingmuch trickierthan awide, open, firetrail.Though Idoubtmanyriders wouldwant todomore thanthatanyway.

Thetopspec£15,400bikealsocomes with awholeloadofrideraids. There’sa ForwardCollisionWarningsystemwhich flashesandbeepsatyouwhenyougettoo closetosomethinginfront,andthere’sa rearradarthing,too, which flashes awarning onthedashandlightsup alittlespotonthe indicator. I’mnotsureit’sallthatuseful,and it’sabitfrustratingthatyou’ve gottospend morecash tomakefulluseofthefrontradar, andbeabletousetheRadarCruiseControl. Ifitweremymoney,I’dbemore inclinedto goforthe£14,700basemodelandspend theextracash on someaftermarketgoodies. Thereisalot tolikeaboutthenewest iteration of theStelvio.Themotorandthe brakesaretop,it’scomfortable,itlooksgood –and it offersriderssomething abitdifferent intheincreasingly-crowdedadventure bike market.Isitthebest?Probably not.Butit’s amorethancapableadventuretourerthat manyriderswillfind plentyto likeabout.

BUYING USED

Honda Varadero

2003-10 /£1800-£4000

The Varaderonever really had enoughaboutittoreallywin theheartsofadventurous ridersin abigway,butsome foundlotstolike.Andit’s nottoohardtoseewhy,with itssuper-smoothFirestormderived V-twinmotor, armchairlevelsofcomfort, andthatfamedHonda reliability(andbuild quality) helpingtomakeit aserious optionforriderslookingto coverbigmiles.

MotoGuzziStelvio

2008-2010 /£3000-£6500

Whatabouttheoriginal Stelvio?Builtfromtheground uptotakeittoBMW’s massivelypopularR1200GS, itwasalwaysgoingto have atoughjobonitshands. Andyet,ifyouwereafteran easygoingadventure bike forthe road,itwaspossibly thebetteroption.It’dmakea lovelybuytoday,and you’d bewelllookedafterifyou neededany help,advice, partsorridingbuddies,too, thanksto asuper-active communityofGuzzifans acrosstheUK.

BMWR1150GS

2000-2003 /£2000-£4500

Nolistofadventure bikes

canbecompletewithoutat leastoneofBMW’stried, testedandtrueGSs.This one’sthelastproperoldschoolone,withlittleinthe wayoftechnologybutbags ofcharacterfromthatBoxer motor.It’sfastbecoming amodernclassic,andyet youcanstillpickthem up relativelycheaply.

WORDS: RossMowbray PHOTOS: MotoGuzzi

ONE FORTHE ROAD?

Honda CRF1100L Adventure Sports

For2024,Honda’sfinessedits Africa Twin AdventureSportssoit’s farmoresuitedtothe road(whilelargelyleavingthe‘standard’Africa Twinalone –asidefromnowofferingelectronic suspensionasanextra).Thefactorysortof downplayedit,butIt’s aprettysubstantialshift. ThebignewsisthatthenewAdventureSport gets a19-inchfrontwheel,and awider110/80 tyre(incontrasttotheoldmodel’s21-inchwheel and90/90 tyre combination). Butthat’snotall,as they’veshortenedthesuspension,droppedthe seatheightfurther,tweaked theengineformore mid-rangepowerandtorque,andfittedawider fairingand screen.

To findoutwhat’s what, weflewoutto Portugal for agloriousblastonboththe£16,299 manual versionandthe£17,599DCT(whichincludeda brief,tokenstintalong afire trail).Here’show we goton.

It’s immediatelyevidentthattheridingposition's differentthanbefore.Thatsmallerfrontwheel andshorter,squattersuspensionmeanthat it'smuchlower(835mmatitsloweststandard seatsettingand855mmatitshighest,withan additionallowseatoptionifyouneedit –which’ll takeitdowntoanimpressivelymanageable 800mm).Thecentre ofgravity'slowerdown, too,andas aresultitfeelseasiertomanage. Thebar,peg,seatspaceis alittletighterand pushesyoumarginallyfurtherforward overthe bars,butit'sstillsuper-comfortableformy6ft1" frame.There'sadditionalpaddingon theseatto makethelongstintsit'sdesignedfor evenmore tolerable.AndHonda'sevendonesomeworkto improveitsaerodynamicabilities, reducingsome ofthebuffetingandfront-endlightnessfoundat highspeedswiththeoldmodel. Abitoftownwork,beforewindingourway along abrilliant,tight,twistystretchof roadup intothehillsofferedtheperfectopportunity toseejusthowwellthenewbikehandles.It's exceptional. Planted andpoised,withfarmore feelingthantheoldmodel.

TheBridgestoneBattlaxAdventureA41s certainlyhelpthecause,providinggood,reliable gripandallowingforswift,assured progress. The surfacewas great andthe roadsbonedry,though I'veriddenwith thesetyres alotandcantestify that they'rejustascapableof holdingtheirown ongrimyBritish roadsinthedeadofwinter. TheelectronicsuspensionfromShowais top, too.Itworksjust as wellasitdidonthe previous generation ATAS(thoughit'snowavailableasan extraonthestandardAfricaTwin,too),working tostiffenupthesuspensionthefaster youride. There's ahugeamountoffine-tuningavailable, withSoft,Mid,Hard,Off-RoadandUsersettings tochoosefrom.Andyoucannowadjustthe preloadontheflyifyou’readdingluggageor carrying apillion.Nice. Idoquestionhowmuch tweakingactualownersofthisbikewilldo,

Stepping everfurtherawayfromitsDakar Rallyracing roots,Honda’s overhauledits Africa TwinAdventure Sportstocreatea seriouslycapablebig-miletourerthatcan holdits ownwiththebestofthem

suspectingthatthey’ll find asettingthatworks forthemandsticktoit.It’snicetohavethough, forsure.

Theengine'shadsomebigupdates,too.Honda havemanagedtoincreasepeaktorqueby7%–whichisthesameincreaseaswhentheyupped thecapacityfrom1000ccto1100cc.Itkicks outthesame100bhp,butthere'snow83lb-ft of torquetoplaywith.Itactuallyfeelsmuchpeppier thantheprevious generation,with asmoother butmore directthrottleresponse,too.Toachieve allthat,they've fitted alongerpistonfora highercompressionratio;they've reshapedthe crankshaft; reshapedtheconrod;added alarger airduct, ;tweakedtheexhaustvalvetimings; andthere's alighter,moreefficientmufflerwitha shorter,wider,and lowertailpipe.

Thatallcombinestocreate aprettypotent package.Otheradventurebikesmighthavemore ccsandmore outrightpower,butthe Hondais plentypunchyandhasbagsofcharacter.And afterall,howoftencanyoureallyexploit150bhp onthe road?

Thegearboxisgood, thebrakesaresharp,and theelectronicsareplentiful –and relativelyeasy tonavigateafter abit of time gettingacquainted. There'smoregoodstuff,likecruisecontroland AndroidAutoandAppleCarplaycompatibility.

There’stheusualDCT(DualClutch Transmission)offering,too.Itwasverynearly the onlyoption,withthe UK arm of Hondafirst announcingthattheywereonlygoingtobe importingtheDCTversionoftheAdventure Sports.Whilethesemi-autoequippedbike accountsfor55% of sales,itwas abit of abold call –andtherewas abitofan uproarfrom manual-lovingridersbefore theychangedtheir mind. TheDCTis good though.Every time Iget thechancetouse it,I’mmoreimpressed.And thisisthebestyet.That’sprobablybecausethe Africa Twinmakesuse of real-timeinformation todecidewhentochange(ornot change) gear. Forswifterriding,Idofeelmore confidentusing theup/downpaddles on theswitchgear,butfor everythingelseI’dhavenoissuestickingitin Autoandlettingitdoitsthing.

Thereare compromisestobemadethough. We wereletloose on ashort5km-longgraveltrack, andasfunasitwas,thelatest ATASisnot really anoff-roader.It'lldoit,andyoucanwhackitin Off-Road or Gravelmode,switch offtheABS and HSTC(tractioncontrol) togetitsetupjust right,butthestandingridingposition feelsfarless naturalformylankyframe. Thankfully,ifthedirtis whereyouwanttoride,youcansnagyourselfa 'standard'Africa Twin which retainsits21"front. Thefactory'sdecidedtomake amoreobvious distinctionbetweenthetwomodels,and Ireckon it'sallthebetterforit.Thechangesmakean already great adventuretourerevenbetter.Nice work,Honda.

Thisisjust atasteof the fullsix-page writeupinthe currentissue of Motorcycle Sport andLeisuremagazine, which goes into even moredetailabout whatitisthatmakes thenewestAfrica Twin AdventureSportsso goodonthe road. Scanthe codeand findout more.

BUYING USED

TriumphTiger 955i

2001-2006/ £1000-£3000

TheTiger 995i is aseriously brilliantbikeforthemoney, deliveringahealthy dose ofoldeskooladventure bike charm. While thenext generationmodelwas tweakedto be evenmore suitedtotheroad,there’s plentyof fun to be had pushingits softsuspension andskinnyfront wheelon theTarmac.Itstriplemotor’s probably thehighlight.

Kawasaki Versys 1000

2015-2018/ £4500-£8500

Despite itsadventurestyling, theVersys is completely focusedon beinganexcellent big-mile road bike.And that’swhatitis.It’sincredibly comfortable, super-smooth andtop handling (withsome proper sports touringtyres fittedasstandard). There’s areasonyouseesomany ofthese loaded tothebrim withtworiders ontheirway to somewherefaroffinthe distance.

DucatiMultistrada 950

2017-2021/ £6000-£12000

It mightneverhavegotthe headlines,but in our mind,the previous-generationentry-level Multistrada950was aboutas goodanadventuretoureras therepossibly has ever been. It’s nimble,punchy,and just theright amountofsporty, with enoughabout it to show up its biggerbrother.Whether you’d wantto crosscontinents on itis another question.

NORTH YORK MOORS

Yorkshireismassive;andthere’sno endofgreat ridingcontainedwithinit.That’swhywe’vebroken theusualformatandwillbedelving abitdeeper intoonespecificpartofGod’sowncountry. This timewe’rebringingyouthebestoftheNorth York Moors.Withitsvastskies,heather-clad expanses, tree-linedlanesandsalt-spatteredcoastalvillages, it’stheperfectplaceforyournextbigride.

GatewaytotheMoors

Theshortride up fromBartonHillis thebestwaytostartany triptothe Moors(ifyou’recomingfromthe south);gettingyouoffthemain roads andintotheHowardianHills.Passing throughHowardCastleestate,you’ll betreatedtosomeglorioussceneryas youpassthroughswathesoffarmland, underhugestonearchesandpast ornamentalponds.After the castle, takethelefttowards Terringtonand followthenarrow,butflowing, road uptoHovinghamwhere you’lljoin the infamousB1257.

The YorkshireTT

TheB1257isquite awellknownstretch of Tarmac –it’s unofficiallyknownasthe YorkshireTTcourse, a70-mile circuitthattakesyouright aroundtheedge of theMoors onsomeofthemostbeautiful, winding roadsyoucould imagine.The19-milestretch fromHelmsley(home of the FarmyardPartybikerbash)to Stokesleyisprobablythebest bitthough; aproperlybrilliant stretch of road.

Backroadbrilliance

The A171issurprisingly decent,despiteits combinationof singleanddual carriagewaysand relatively highdensity oftraffic –but you’dbemuchbetternipping downintotheMoorstowards Castleton. Fromthere,swing aleftandaimforWhitby–passing throughAinthope, Glaisdale,Grosmontand Sleightsalongsometight, twisty landandsurprisingly leafybacklanes.

WHAT’S YOURS?

There’snothingquitelikea bitoflocalknowledgewhen itcomesto findingthebest roadsanareahastooffer.If you’vegot atopblastonyour doorstep(andyoudon’t mindsharing),we’dlove tohearfrom you.

Oliver’sMount

Notripouteastwould be right without anip roundOliver’sMount. It’sactuallyEngland’s onlynatural ‘road’racetrack.Situatedjust five minutesfromScarborough’s towncentre,theraceshave been likenedto a‘miniatureTTbythe seaside’.The2.43-miletrack hasalwaysbeen regardedasa challenging,tightandtwistycircuit, whichtestsriderstothemaximum. Justdon’tforgetthatoutside ofracedaysthespeedlimitis restrictedto30mph.

Riding amotorcycleisoneofthebestthingsyoucan do –weallknowthat. Butif you havebeen ridinga littlewhile,youalsoknowthatit’snotalwayseasy,and advancingyourriding skillsisessentialtokeep yourselfsafe.The cleverwaytotakeyour firststep towards advancedridingis toundergo an Enhanced RiderScheme(ERS)trainingcourse.Butbeforeyou signup,here’salittlelookbehindthe scenes with ERStrainer IanBurchell from Phoenix MotorcycleTraining, so you know whatitwillentail…

Theproblemwith advancedridingisthat almosteveryonehas aslightly differentidea aboutwhatitmeans,andatwhatpointyour ridingqualifiesas‘advanced’. To sidestep thetrapofbeingdraggedintothat argument, wearelookingathowanyordinaryrider canstartthejourneyintobecomingmore advancedintheirriding.Andmostpeople wouldagreethatit allstartswithhavinga plan...

We know…itdoesn’tsoundvery rock’n’roll tostartwith plansandstructures,butit’sthe samewithmotorcyclingasitiswithanything else:you canonlymakeitlookslickand effortlessifyouhavespentlongenough honingyourskills.

The reasonweneedastructuredplanis thatithelpsuspreparefor,anddealwith, hazardsin asystematicway. Therearea coupleof‘systems’thatyoumayhaveheard advancedriderstalkabout:IPSGAand OSM-PSL.Both equally dull acronyms,but bothverypowerfultoolsinprovidingthe rider asystemofmotorcyclecontroltorelyon. OSM-PSLstandsforObservation,Signal, Manoeuvre–Position,Speed,Look.Thisis aroutinethatyoumayhave comeacross inyourinitialridertraining. The Observation partmeansthatyoushouldlookinyour mirrorsandallaroundyousoyou’reaware ofthetrafficsituation. YoushouldSignal clearlyandingood time,andyoushould ManoeuvreusingthePSL routinetoPosition yourmotorbike correctlyand ingoodtime, adjustyourSpeedasnecessary,andLook forothertraffic.

IPSGAisshortforInformation,Position, Speed,Gear,Acceleration.Thisisthe systemthatpoliceridersusetoapproach andnegotiatehazardson the roads.Ithas also been adoptedbymostadvancedriding organisationsintheUK.TheInformation partofthesystem continues throughout theprocesswiththe ridertaking, using, andgivinginformationaboutthesituation. Theotherpartsofthesystemarerunin succession,startingwithconsideringyour Positiononthe road,theSpeedyouare travellingat,theGearyouareusing, and finallyAccelerationonceyouhave dealt with thehazard.Allofthesearedoneto putyou intherightposition,attherightspeed, and intherightgeartobestnegotiatethehazard, thenaccelerate awayfromit, whateverit

maybe. We couldtalkforhoursabout what isinvolvedineachstageofthesystemin differentsituations, butwithoutgoing too deepintoit,sufficetosaythat it providesa system to dealwithprettymuchanyhazard thatyou mayfaceonyourbike.

Naturally, just knowingwhatthe acronyms meandoesn’tmakeyou anadvanced rider.It takesafairbit ofriding, thinking,thenriding againtoappreciatewhat eachcomponent partofthesystemmeansin different situations, andevenlongertomakethema partofyourriding. IfyoudoanERS training day,thetrainerwilllook forcorrectand effectiveuse of OSM-PSL/IPSGAforall road andtrafficsituations.

More experiencedridersoftenride with more confidenceandassertivenessthan thosenewtotwo wheels.Some ofit comes withthemiles yourideovertheyears, butyoucanalsoactivelyworktowards improving yourskillsandknowledge, which inturnincreasesyourconfidenceandhelps youbemore assertive in yourriding.Just be carefulnottomistakethisfor riding aggressively– that’ssomethingthatnever leadsto anythinggood.

Another area thatisdevelopedaspartof becoming abetterrider ishazard perception. Themoreyouknowabout whatmight be apotentialproblem,andhowdifferent situationsmightdevelop, themoreyou know to be onthelookoutforthem. Something thatmightlook like possessingnodangerat alltoanewridermaybe areasonfor amore experiencedrider to changetheirposition, speedand gear to prepare for apotential hazard.Sometimesthehazardsremain just that,potential,butiftheybecome realand acute,you needtobe readytodealwith them, and knowexactlyhowtodothat.

Ian Burchell,anERS trainer atPhoenix Motorcycle Training,hasseenlarge numbers of ridersstrugglewithhaving astructured andplannedapproach to riding.Themain problemhehasdetectedinmanyrides is“lack of forwardvision,linkedtoa lack of planning the ride.Thisoftenshowsas stoppingunnecessarilyatroundabouts and junctions;missing speedlimitsigns and otherwarnings.”Ifyourecogniseyourself in thatdescription,itmightbeworthgivingIan acallandstart working on advancingyour ridingskills.

Wheretoget theskills?

PhoenixMotorcycleTraining istheUK’slargest motorcycletrainingorganisation,withERS coursesavailableatseveral locations. To find your nearestlocation,visit phoenixmotorcycletraining. co.uk or call03302234000.

Howtoget better quickly?

Unfortunately,thereare noshortcutstobecoming anadvancedrider,itwilltaketimeandpractice. However,you canmaketheprocessmuch quickerandeasierbysigninguptodo atraining daylikethe one-dayEnhancedRiderScheme (ERS)with aqualifiedandDVSAapprovedtrainer.

IT’SALRIGHT UPNORTH

Theterm‘adventurebike’isoften attributed toloftyseatheights,enginesover alitre in capacityandlarge pricetags.Thisneedn’t bethecase,asMossy discovers

WORDS: Chris Moss andDaveManning PHOTOS: GaryChapman

Iwasalatecomer to this party, buttheinvite sounded likeitwould be greatfun. Ridingaroundthereputable Northumberland250,alongside good friends, with along-distancetrialthrowninfor good measure instantlylit my fire, so Ihappilysaid: “I’min!” Whentheexcitement wore off,and Iconsidered things further,someminorconcernsbegan to develop. Thefirst worrywasbike-related.I’mnotnew to modestly-powered machines,and have learned inall my journoyears that getting‘bikesnobby’ canbea mistake. Even so,Idid wonder if touringfor twodaysonfourseemingly-underpowered bikescould gettiresome. Andwould thelong-distance trial be tootough? Ihadn’t ridden seriouslyoff-roadfor ahellof alongtime,soIfearedit mightbreakme,oratleast cause afewcracks.Still,therewasonlyone waytoanswerthose questions –headnorth,meetup with mates Gary,Rossand Charlie,and simply getonwithit! Here’s what Idiscovered fromtheadventure.

Forthislook at oneofourgreatNationalParks,weheaded to themostnortherly of England’sParks,Northumbria National Park.

Covering anarea of 410 squaremiles(1050 square kilometres)and said to be theleast populatedareain

England, it covers nearly aquarterofNorthumberland; stretching outtothe border with Cumbria, andnorthwards to theSouthernUplandsof Scotland –includingmuchof theCheviotHills,and alarge part of Kielder Forest,which itself covers 250 squaremilesandis thelargest manmade woodland withinEngland.

As ourown excursion into Northumberland involveda levelofgreen-laneexploration,and even aforay into the worldofLongDistanceTrials (moreonthat, and thebikes used,soon),wechose to dressthebikesused in some suitable rubber.

Somewhat conveniently,all thebikesused Bridgestone Adventurecross AX41 tyres, aroad-legaltyredeveloped primarilyfor Adventurebikesthat hasarated balanceof 40% road/60%off-road, so ideal forthe mixof Tarmac,forest roads,trailsandgreen lanesthat were setfor ourweekend.

While theon-/off-roadbalanceofthe tyressuggeststhat morefun will be hadinthe dirt, they’reactuallysurprisingly goodonmetalledroads –alittlenoisierand harsherthan pure road tyres, butwithanimpressivelevel of grip(no doubtthanksinparttothe staggeredtread pattern)thatonly seemedtobeunsettledbyrain –butthen, what tyresaren’t? Very impressive.

THEROUTE

Thankstothe popularity ofthe500-mile route around Scotland –the NorthCoast 500 –an enterprisinggroupoffolkdecided to organise aroute around thenorth-east of England that washalfthelengthcalled,obviously enough, the Northumberland 250(not to be confused withthe NE250in Scotland).

Asidefrompassing through alarge part of Northumberland National Park,the routealso covers thevisuallystunningstretch ofcoastline that bordersNorthumbria and theNorth Sea, as well asdippingoverthe borderand into Scotland.

As acircularroute,it’spossibletostart at anypoint, butwe’ll begin at KielderCastle, immediatelytakingtheamazing Forest Drive, a15-mile toll road(witha£3charge)that runs throughtheforestand isentirely appropriate if you happen to be ridinganAdventure bike, giventhat thesurfaceisunsealed.The road ends at Blakehopeburnhaugh, closetotheA68, arollercoasterof aroadthatheadsnorth-west, acrossthe Scottish border andon to Jedburgh, whichwas,forus,a convenient spot to stop for lunch. Northoutof Jedburgh,andthen striking eastwardsonthe A698 to headfor Kelso, but peelingoffontotheB6401andthenB6352 aimingatthemost northerlypoint of theNational Park itself,crossingbackintoEngland at Shotton, thentakingaright on to theB6351 back into the National Park,skirtingarounditsnorthern edge before turningleft, northwards, on to theA697 for ashortblast.

Theofficial routenow headsfurthernorthto Berwick-upon-Tweed, butwecarried eastbound ontheB6353,throughthe spectacular Ford &Etal

estates, and terminatingataT-junction withthe A1, to head southwiththe stunning NorthSea coasttothe left.Thereare numerous distractions alongtheA1 –HolyIsland, Seahouses,Bamburgh, Craster, etcetera –andthepukka Northumberland 250 routeusesthe roadthat hugs thecoast rather thantheslightlyinland (and much busier) A1, andwhile we startedtoheadwesttowardsthe settingsun,the routeloops furthersouth,through Warkworthand back up to Anwick,which is worth astop, even ifit’s onlytovisit thePoison Garden at Anwick Castle.

FromAnwick,theB6341 runs south-west, throughRothburyand back into theNational Park,onwards to Otterburnwithatruly wild feeling in theopenlandscape,and while we cut back acrossthe Park to completethe loop at Kielder,the proper routesweeps southdownto CorbridgeontheA68–it’safastand fairly straight piece of road, butbewaryofthe creststhat can hide oncomingtraffic.Fromhere, theroute is back to Broads,cutting into theNorth Pennines AONB to Blanchland,across to Allenheadsand thennorthwards, crossing theA69on to theB6318 (thisiswhatisknown astheMilitaryRoad,and is typicalasaverystraightpieceof Romanroad), and into theNational Park and past OnceBrewed.

TurningleftinChollerford takes youontothe B6320,whichrunsalongside theNorth Tyne riverfor awhileon theway to Bellingham,and aftercrossingthe rivertakethe first left, on to an unclassifiedroadthatcontinues to followthe river, eventually bringingyou around thesouthern banksofKielder Waterandthen back into Kielder itself,ready foranother£3trip throughthe forest.

Galashields

Jedburgh

Eyemouth

Kielder Forest Drive Hexham

OnceBrewed

Carlisle

Allenheads

Penrith A68 A68 A1 A1 A69 F

Berkwick-upon-Tweed

Seahouses

Warkworth Rothbury Newcastle upon Tyne

Sunderland

Blanchland

VOGE300RALLY

Ifthere’sonecontentious subjectinmotorcycling guaranteed to prompt alonganddivisive debate,it’sChinese-builtbikes. I’ve hadmany aconversation with avariety of peopleon thesubject, andthoughfewrarely endinfull agreement, almosteveryoneadmitsthe Fareastern Nationis gettingbetterand better at producingmoreandmore credible machines. Personally, Ihavelittledoubt aboutChina becomingabig playerinbikemanufacture. It’s just aquestion of when.I’mold enough to remember thearrivalofJapanesebikefirms, and just how much theirproduce polarisedopinion, too. We all knowhow that storyended.

On that very basisIwas keen to trythe Voge inthis test.Avisual studysoonbrought encouragement. UnlikeseveralChinesemachines I’ve looked at in recentyears,the300 Rallyis solid, stylish,andcertainlyappears very well put together.Itfeaturesplenty of well-engineered parts likethe steelbeamframe,and thefitandquality ofallfastenersisexcellent. Overall, theVogeis robustly finishedwithdurable-looking paint. Had it nothad thebrand nameon thefairing, Icould have beenconvinceditcamefromabigger, more establishedmanufacturer.

In time,riding itbroughtfurther positivity, and though by theendofthetestitwasobvious some improvementscould be made to theperformance in keyareas,the overallassessmentofthebike simply hadtobeveryoptimistic.Mindyou,when Gary handedoverthe Voge keys,hedid so warning me aboutthe weaknessofthefrontbrake.Imust sayIcouldn’t agreewithhim totally,though Ido think stoppingcould be asharper,shorter affair.

When you’reusedtoit, andaccept that quitea bit morepressureneedstobeapplied to thebrake lever, it’s not toobad. Ithinkfittingsomemore aggressive padsmighthelp,but brakingdistances aredefinitely somethingyou have to make allowancesfor.

It’s asimilar storywiththe suspension,with bothendsofthebikefeelingunderdampedand generallyhavingacrudeactionwhen youask

moreofthem.Both Gary and Ross rodethe300 well off-road,nodoubthelped by theirleglength allowing them to ‘paddle’thetall machine with theirfeetdown throughthe rockier sections.I hadmoredifficultythankstothe Voge’s loftyseat. Also, Ihad abitof ascare whenthe forkssnapped back to theirfullextent afterbottomingout when Ihit adeephole.Indoingso, the steering was effectively lost, asthefrontwheel suddenlyleftthe roadmomentarily.Afterthat, Iwasalwayswaryof the same chanceof reducedcontrol. On the road, the suspension just felt abitdeadanddidn’tcope withmoreseriously-damaged roadsas wellas I’d have preferred. Like thebrakes,it’snot toobad, andsome remedial work would nodoubtbring improvementtoitsaction.

Luckily,theengine performanceispretty modest, withthe sort of restraineddeliverythat encourages steadier ridinganyway. It’s by no means aslug, butjustlikethemotorspowering allfourofthesebikes,theysimplycan’t send you up to headyspeeds, howeverlongyou wait.Once youadjustyourexpectations,you’ll be fineand willprobably enjoy the lazy nature ofits power delivery. Somethoughtthemotor wasabit vibey, thoughpersonallyIfeltit wasjustalittle harshand could easily livewithit. Gary thoughtsomeofthe gearboxratios were spacedalittle toowidely for ridingoff-road.

The happytrade-offofthisengine calmness is,ofcourse,reducedrunning costs.Fuel consumptionis superb,thoughusingE5unleaded is recommended,whichismorecostlyandnot alwaysavailablein somesmaller petrol stations.I have iton good authorityrunning onE10 everyso oftenisn’t harmful, butitcan end up with throttle responsebecoming abitfluffy withcontinueduse.

Fluffy’sawordthatcomes to mindwhen describingthe Voge’s comfortlevel. Okay,it’s betteronsmoother roads,but with agood protectivefairingand screen,decentiftall seat, and roomyridingposition,longerdistanceruns arewell withinthe remitofthisbike.

Butwithoutdoubt,one keyfactorofthebike

that’s bothexceptionaland beyonddebate isits value.Discussions betweenusonthequestion of just howabikelikethis cancostonly£4000 lasted forquitesometime. Givenits buildquality, acceptableenough performanceleveland componentslikecrash bars and rack fittedas standard,thereisnootheroptionthandescribing the Voge Rallyasanabsolutebargain. Andusing thepricetagaloneasthe standardbywhich everythingabout the Chineseshould be judged, it’s alotmoredifficult to fault.

Left:Nottheleastpowerful engineinthistest,butperhaps themosteconomic

TECHSPEC Voge300Rally

Price: £3999

Engine: 292cc,liquid-cooled, 4v, DOHC,single

Power: 28bhp(21Kw) @9000rpm

Torque: 25Nm(18.5lb-ft) @6500rpm

Transmission: Six-speed,chaindrive

Frame: Steeldiamond

Suspension: (F)41mminvertedforks, noadjustment,(R)rising-ratemonoshock, adjustablepreload

Brakes: (F)265mmdisc,twin-pistonABS

caliper(R)220mmdisc,single-pistonABS

caliper

Wheels/Tyres: (F):90/90-21 (R):130/80-18

Seatheight: 915mm

Wheelbase: 1430mm

Wetweight: 158kg

Fuelcapacity: 11litres

Fuelconsumption: 88mpg(claimed)

Warranty: 2years,unlimitedmileage

Serviceintervals: 3500miles /12months

Contact: www.motogb.com

“Givenitsbuildquality,acceptableenough performancelevelandcomponentslikecrashbars andrackfitted as standard,thereisnootheroption thandescribingthe VogeRally as anabsolute bargain”

Ross’opinion

TheChinese-built Vogewas abitof arevelation.Builtto abudgetwith softsuspensionandunderpowered brakes,it’saneasybiketocriticise –butwhenyouconsideritcosts justshyoffourgrandanditwent everywheretheHondaandFantic didwithout agrumble,you’ve gottogiveitsomeseriouscredit. Itlooksgood,appearswellput togetherandhasenoughpower andpresenceto holditsownonall butthefastestof roads(ifyoucan forgivethevibrations).Question marks remainabouthowit’ll standthetestoftime,butiffirst impressionsareanythingtogoby, I’dsayitlookslike aprettysafebet.

ROYALENFIELDHIMALAYAN411 TECH SPEC

The Himalayanhas ahealthy andloyal following andit’s easy to seewhy.Difficult to compareto mostotherbikesonthe market,its uniqueness givesit arealadvantage anddistinct appeal. Solidlybuilt,its robust,utilitarianstyleisunlike anyother,andgivestheimpression youcould chuckitoutof aplane,withtheonlything likely to be damagedbeingtheground! Notdissimilar to anarmy vehicle,the‘fit-for-desert-war’look is emphasised by thecolour schemeof ourtest bike,labelledbyRoyal Enfield’scatalogueas ‘DuneBrown’.Fittedwithnon-standardhard alloypanniers, the Himalayan’sindustrial-like appearanceisaccentuated allthemorebythese usefulaftermarket carriers,asitisbythe hewnfrom-granitelookofthe sizeableblack-finished, air-cooledengine.

After afewhoursonthe Enfield, Imadea deliberatenotetomyvoice recorder notto prioritiseexaminingits dynamicproperties. The Himalayansimplyshouldn’tbeassessed by its performancealone,quitesimply because there’smuchmoretoit thanthat.Thisis alovely, endearing, character-ladenmachinethat oozes personalityand charm. It quickly seduces youinto approval, just asitdidwithallofus. Thisis nota bikeyou rate onlybyits spec sheet.

NowIdoappreciate not everyone will seeit quiteaspositively,andif youhaveany need for speed,evenofamoderatelevel,thenthisisnot thebikefor you.It’sprobablythe slowestofthe quartet, butletme remind youagain,that’s not the standardbyhow the Himalayanshouldbe solelyjudged.The411ccair-cooled,2vmotoris slow to revand simply can’t be hurried. I’dsay it gathersspeed morethanaccelerates,but even so,itstill hassomeengagingfeatures. Fuelling iscrispand clean,andtheforgivingsinglepulls wellenough to negatetheneed for abusygearchangingfoot. It’s pretty smooth,veryfrugal,

and makesanicenoise. There’s absolutely no doubt it’s moreathomeonnarrower, quieter, sweepingbackroads,likemanyofthose on the Northumberland250,that itis sittingonfaster, straighter stuff.Infact, stayingwell away from lengthystintsalongmotorways is goodadvice I’dsay.

Idon’t likeusing themonanybikeatthe best of times,butontheEnfield routechoiceisamore importantfactor, and multi-lanehighways simply don’tallowyou to appreciate itsvirtues to their fullest.

Luckily, we used itinanarea whereyou could love it more, anditfittedinperfectly withthe Northumbrian routes and landscapes, often commanding moreattentionthananyofthe otherswhenever it wasparked. On themove, it’s tempting to be critical oftheperformanceofsome ofthe Enfield’s keycomponents, butasIhada quiet moan aboutthebrakesand suspension not beingasgoodastheycould be,Iwas reminded of anothersignificantfactornecessary to put opinions into context, theHimalayan’sprice of just £5049. On a‘youpay forwhatyou get’ basis, theslightinferiorityofthe suspension’saction, andwooden feelofthebrakesreallydon’t deserve toomuchcriticism.And to givethatanalysis further perspective, neither when Iwas ridingit morekeenlyonthe road,orwhentheotherstook it off-road,didit getintoany majordifficulties.I simply madeallowances forthebrakesanddidmy best to acceptthe‘crashy’ feelofthesuspension over rougher terrain. It’s notliketheyaren’tfitfor purpose. In fact,Charlielooked rightathomeon theEnfield when we returned to oneofthelongdistancetrial’sspecial teststoassessthebike’s off-roadabilities stillfurther. The grunty engine andlower seat height nodoubt playingapartin hiscomfortwiththebike.

Whenever IwasontheHimalayan, Icouldn’t

“Thisisalovely,endearing,character-ladenmachinethat oozespersonalityand charm.Itquicklyseduces youinto approval,justasitdid withallofus.Thisisnota bikeyou rateonlybyitsspecsheet”

help butenjoy it.Thewind protectionfromthe screen isdecent and helpful,asare theseat comfort and very relaxedriding position, in combinationlendingthemselves well to giving thebikesomemoreserious longerdistance potential,albeit at amoresedatepace. Perhaps its overall easy-goingnatureisthe Enfield’s secret to happymile-eating. By very rarely taxing the mind,primarilybecause of itsrelaxed feel,and persuasive ability to make youride more gently, journeys aregenerallynotablylessintenseand stressful. IknowwheneverIgot off it,Ijustfelt likeI’d beenon it fora fewminutes regardless ofwhetherit’dactuallybeenfar longerthan that. As mentalenergysaversgo, theHimalayan scores very well. It’s just alovely, very endearing motorcycle.

Rider’sown satnav mountedonthe bars

RoyalEnfieldHimalayan

Price: £4949

Engine: 411cc, air-cooled,2v, SOHC,single

Power: 24bhp (18Kw) @6500rpm

Torque: 32Nm(24lb-ft) @4250rpm

Transmission: Five-speed,chain drive

Frame: Steel-tubed semi-doublecradle

Suspension: (F)41mmtelescopic forks, no adjustment (R)rising-ratemonoshock, adjustable preload

Brakes: (F)300mm disc, twin-pistonABS caliper (R) 240mm disc,single-pistonABS caliper

Wheels/Tyres: (F): 90/90-21 (R): 120/90-17

Seatheight: 800mm

Wheelbase: 1465mm

Wetweight: 188kg

Fuelcapacity: 15litres

Fuelconsumption: 70mpg(claimed)

Warranty: 2years,18,000 miles

Service intervals: 3000miles/ 12 months

Contact: www.royalenfield.com

Ross’ opinion

Whileit mightlackoutright power andperformance,theHimalayan morethanmakes up forany shortcomingswith bagsofcharm andplentyofcharacter.It’salovely littlemotorcycle, perfectly suitedto slightly moresedateexploring;with afocusonsoakingupthe views ratherthan barrelling into corners. You’ll quicklyfindits limitoff-road, with alackofground clearancethe most obvious flaw,but ultimately it feelssolid,and thebuild quality looksdecent, particularly whenyou consider it’s essentiallyabudget motorcycle. It’seasyto see why Royal Enfield’s beenstrugglingto build them quickly enough.

FANTIC XEFTRAIL250

Anundoubted left-fieldaddition to thetest, theFanticXEF250 Trailneedstobefullyunderstood to be appreciated. Obviously morefocused onoff-roadperformance, theItalian bike is distinctlyshortofcreaturecomfortsandtech, thoseissueslikely defining howwellit suitsyou.Ifyou just want to usethe 250for the road,thenit maynot be yourfirst choice.Butif spending more timeonthedirtisa preference,thenitwarrantsmore seriousconsideration.

Nothavingriddenthe Fantic before,Ichose it first to get acquainted,the earliestimpressions soonunderlining itsmore focused identity.Theloftypositioned seatmakes just getting aboard achallenge,its narrow,plank-like nature obviously shortofcomfortwhen youdo. More used to thesesortsofbikes, Iwas happytotolerateit, andimmediatelyenjoyed itsoverall toy-likefeel,and characterofthe250’sperky motor,withits close-ratio boxhelpingtokeepitinits sweetspot. Though performingquitemodestly,alliedtothe Fantic’s slimness and very lightweight, thesingle-potterhelps give thebike plenty offunfactor.Getting abit buzzyathigherrevsadds to its overall rawness, butasthe 250’ssoeasytothrow around, withthelightnessalsoreducingthe workload forthe decentbrakesandfirmer, butwell-controlled suspension, Iliked howreadilyI couldenjoy the250. It wasapleasuretozip keenly along Northumberland’s narrow backroads,but thentheenjoymentwas temporarilyhalted. It mighthaveinstantlyfiredupfirstthing, butafter refuellingthe tiny,mile-limiting 7.5-itre fueltank(anotherdiscouraging factorfor some),the Fantic calledtimeon furtherfunand wouldn’t restart. Flattening thebattery hadustry bumpingit, butafter repeated rearwheellocking, we hadto getit runningvia ajumpstartpackatalocal garage. Luckily,itnevercausedmeaproblemafter that, andfaith returned in spadeswhen we joinedthe excellentKielder Forest Drive, described accurately inthe on-linebrochureasa‘12-mile journey onunsealedforest roads,throughbreathtakingscenery’. Gary andIclocked up extramileagetryingtofindtheothersafter an unintended separation. Butgetting lostand having to tacklemore testing off-pisteterrain suited me perfectly,theFanticfeeling right at homeon muddier,rockier,andaltogethermoreslippery surfaces.Though withouteither ABSortractioncontrol systems,theemphasis wasonrider control.

Fantic-mountedCharlieand Ilooked at thenextone,asteep,rocky incline, with shared concern. Beingnew to off-roadexcursions,hedecidedhe’d bypass theslippery-lookingascent, thengivingmeanewleaseoflife by swappingthe 300 Rallyforthe250. Armedwiththe better-suitedFantic weapon, Ireached thetopofthe hill reasonably comfortably,feeling distinctlymorecontent with life than Ihad at thebottom. Youneed to meterthepower carefullyasthrottle responseissharp at higher revs,but by and largethe Fantic just duginand summited withoutexcess wheelspin or worry.The AX41Bridgestone tyres alsoinfluencedthe success, and though Ithought the50/50 rubber mightstruggle,justastheyhadon allthewet roads so far, they dadmirably.Ididn’t make quiteasgoodajob gettingtothe topofthe next, even tougher imb, butrider errorratherthanmachine failings caused that.

The rewardingsection served as aperfect warm-up to the following day’slong-distancetrial’s sterner challenges. After I’d disappointinglyslipped offtheHonda onthefirstspecial test,

Petitebutpunchy powerplant

TECHSPEC

FanticXEF250 Trail

Price: £5599

Engine: 250cc,liquid-cooled,4v, DOHC, single

Power: 21bhp (15.8kW) @8.750rpm

Torque: 18.6Nm(14lb-ft) @6750rpm

Transmission: Six-speed,chaindrive

Frame: Steelsemidouble-cradle

Suspension: (F)43mminvertedforks,no adjustment,(R)rising-ratemonoshock, adjustablepreload

Brakes: (F)260mmdisc,twin-piston caliper(R)220mmdisc,single-piston caliper

Wheels/Tyres: (F):90/90-21(R):120/9018

Seatheight: 915mm

Wheelbase: 1420mm

Wetweight: 130kg

Fuelcapacity: 7.5litres

Fuelconsumption: 78mpg (claimed)

Warranty: 2years,unlimitedmileage

Serviceintervals: 3000miles /12months

Contact: www.fantic.co.uk

Ross’ opinion

Ross laterprovedinaspirited runalong dryroads just howwellthebike-tyre combination worked andadmittedhe’d ended up likingthe 250 –evenifCharlie didn’t care forit. Poor Gary nevergot to sampleit off-road. My onlygripeswiththe Italianbikeincludedthe home-madelook someof itsminorcomponents, making ok abit unfinishedinplacesandactually appearmoreChinese-built thantheVoge, with thedulland unimaginativepaintjobalsospoilingthe overallaesthetics.Havingtopulltheclutch in to startit, even in neutral,andthedifficult-to-reach starterbuttonrestrictedfull endearment, too.

Effectivelynot havingarearmudguardhad bothbikeand riderlookingfilthybeforelong, andnothavingadecentfuel gauge wasapain, too. Thefruity-soundingArrow end can didn’tpleaseall ears either,evenifweliked it. Thatpolarisingissue sums upthebikereally. It’s amachine you canonlyfully enjoy at theright timeandplace–justasI’d doneinNorthumberland. Elsewherethough, itsfocus means there’sachance, dependingonwho you areand whereyou ride it,you’ll notalwaysfindfavour withtheFantic.

The most off-roadfocusedof the bunchbyquite some distance,theXEF250 actually makes fora deceptivelyusable travel bike –once youadjust the rock-hardseatandstiffersuspensionset up. Itisa trailbike though, muchmoreattunedto searchingout green lanesthan cruisingdowndual carriageways, andriders with anounceofmechanicalsympathywill wincewhile makingprogressonbigger,faster roads. All is quickly forgottenwhen you find asteep, rocky incline,wind openthethrottleand lettheFanticdo what it doesbest…

“Getting abit buzzyathigher revs adds to its overallrawness,but as the250’s so easy tothrow around, withthe lightness also reducing theworkloadfor the decentbrakes and firmer,butwell-controlled suspension...”

HONDA CRF300L

I’dhad to waituntiltheendofthefirst daytogeton theHonda,butthetimingturned outtobeperfect. Darkeningskies,with rainimminent, meanttheprospect of ridingthe last 80-milelegtothe hotelwasn’texactly thrilling.Butfrom very earlyon, Iwarmedtothe 300. Only havingriddenthe Lversion before hadme appreciate the Rally’sbiggertank,and itsfairing and screenfeltheaven-sent.Themostexpensive bike of thefourmighthave someminorshortcomings,butfor this tripandmostofthetime Ispent on it afterwards, the Hondadrewplenty of praisefromme. By thetimeI parked itup at theendofthe test,Ipaidittheultimate compliment. More ofthat later.

That first ride,essentiallyjusta must-dotripfrom AtoB,might well have been riddeninfarfromideal circumstances,butit stillshowedthe Hondaina very good light. It’s clearlytheproductoflotsofcareful thoughtand design. The ridingpositionfeels spoton; thecontrolsarelight and easy;there’s plenty ofuseful instrumentation;it feelsreallycomfy, relaxed,friendly, and manageable;and sipsfuel at amiserly rate.It’s actually quitehardtoknock.

Ofcourse,realisticassessmentofthe Hondaand puttingits performanceinto contextisimportant. This is arelativelysimple,basicbike withmodest powerand speed.Yetwhen yourideit,you quicklylearnit’s much morethanthe sumofits parts. As with mostbikes,the engineplaysaninfluentialrole, withthesmall-capacity singleprovidingsoft,friendly, butmoreoftenthan not, promptthrottle responsetomakegearchanging lessobligatory than youmight expect.Itmay wellonly produce amaximum of just 27bhp, butadjustyour speed expectationsand routes,and theHonda canfeel sufficientlynippy.

It felt alittle at themercy ofthefastertraffic onthedual carriageways Iusedtobegin with,but if you find agroup of vehiclestravellingatthe rightspeed to fitinto,allfeels wellenough.Seeingaclaimed 90mpg onthedashmore thancompensated for thesteady50-60mph Iendedup progressingat.

On bigger A-roads,you stillneed to keep youreyes on themirrors forthefastertraffic, and yourown overtakesneed to be assessed carefully,oftenrequiringa

Ross’opinion

TheCRF’sabrilliantmotorcycle.I’vespenta goodchunkoftimeonpreviousandcurrent generations,andthenear-bulletproof,goanywheretrailbikestillmademesmileevery time Imanagedtonabthekeys.It’sthe benchmarkinthis category –not becauseit’s thebestatanyonething,butbecauseit’s so easytoride,easytolivewithandeasytotrust. Itmightnotofferquiteenoughpotencyfor ‘serious’off-roadridersand thesuspension’s verysoftasstandard,butnomatterwhether youwanttoexploreyourlocallanes orcross continents,theHonda’sasolidchoice.I’d haveone.

significantspeed advantage to be completed swiftlyand safely.Withoutthat, it’s acaseofknowingyourplace and sittinginline.Evenso, Istillended whathadbeenalong dayfeelingcomfortableand freshenough, appreciating theHondahad been agreat ally, reducing theburdenof what could have easily feltlikeaverytedioustrip.The moreinteresting, rewardingridingcamethenextday.

On theofficial N250 route, alongsome of theslower sections,the 300’sflexible,friendlynaturehasitfitin nicely.Handlingbetterthanyou mightthink(a static test ofthelongertravelforks andshock hasyou expecting they’llbothbemuchtoo soft to cope), theCRFcovers ground morethancompetently.Evenifthe ground is unevenand rutted,asitwason many oftheoff-road sections,the controlissurprisinglyacceptable.Ididn’t rideit much onthedirt, butIwitnessed both Gary and Ross doingagoodjobforlongenoughtojudge itas capable.Besides,I’vealsodoneenoughmiles ontheL versionofthebiketoknowhow wellit cuts themustard ontherough stuff.

Ridingthe 300 swiftlyonthe roaddoesn’t faze it either. There’s abit ofdivefromtheforksifyou usethe capable brakes harder,thoughthat’smoreofa reflectionon thesoftness ofthesuspension thanthepowerofthe stoppers. Butallinall, thecombination worksvery well,and beingable to switch off therearABS helps on thedirt.

Maybethe positive verdictonthe Hondashouldn’t comeas asurprise. Thebiggestbikebuilderinthe worldhas ahabit ofoftengettingthingsright,and unsurprisingly both theL and Rallyversionsofthe 300 arebig sellers.Allied to theCRF’s reputation forreliability and good dealer back-up, itssolid-lookingbuildquality, and theoverall sorted and user-friendlyfeelsotypical of thebrand, theHonda turned outtobeeveryone’s favouriteofthe bunch.

Personally, IlikeitsomuchI’d consider buying one.Itmight be short of power, and lackingalittlein personality, butasabudgetall-rounder/dual-purpose bike, it ticksmanyboxesand scores very highly.

TECH SPEC

Honda CRF300 Rally

Price: £6599

Engine: 286cc,liquid-cooled, 4v,DOHC, single

Power: 27bhp (20Kw) @8500rpm

Torque: 26.6Nm (20lb-ft) @6500rpm

Transmission: Six-speed,chaindrive

Frame: Steel semi double-cradle

Suspension: (F)43mminverted forks,no adjustment, (R)rising-ratemonoshock, adjustable preload Brakes: (F)296mm disc, twin-pistonABS caliper,(R)220mm disc,single-piston ABS caliper

Wheels/Tyres: (F): 80/100-21 (R): 120/80-18

Seatheight: 885mm

Wheelbase: 1455mm

Kerbweight: 153kg

Fuelcapacity: 12.8litres

Fuelconsumption: 90mpg(claimed)

Warranty: 2years,unlimitedmileage

Service intervals: 8000miles/ 12 months

Contact: www.honda.co.uk

“Maybethepositive verdicton the Honda shouldn’tcome asa surprise.Thebiggestbike builder in theworldhasahabitofoften gettingthingsright...”

TheCRF’scockpitis averyendearingplacetobe

Anyoneelse thinkingofPatrick Moore?

THEVERDICT

AsI’msureyou’vededuced bynow,ifIwasinvitedto samplethisadventure again, in aheartbeatI’dshoutout anunreserved“Yes!”atfull volume.Thetwodaysturned outtobefabulousfun, even iftheweathercould’ve been kinder.Icantotally recommend theNorthumberland250.Never mindif,likeus,timeprevents youcompletingthewhole route, youwillnotbedisappointed. Greatbiking roads,threading throughsomespectacular mainlandandcoastalvistas, arejustsomeofthe250’s numerousattractions.Lots ofhistoricallocations,plenty

ofplacestoeat,drink and sleep, andplenty of extremely friendlyandhospitablepeople addtothepleasureofitall. Despitemypre-rideconcerns, thebikesprovidedmore thanenough paceto enjoy thewholeadventure.After we’dadjustedour ambitions andexpectations, their more moderateperformanceturned outtobetherapeutic. Itwas really nicetorelax,takeiteasy, andabsorbtheattractions we rodethrough.Andthelongdistancetrial got abig thumbsup,too.Testing in places, it’s themost easy-going,highly welcomingandlaid-back

LongDistance Trials

Ratherthaninvolvetheacrobatichighjinks thatthelikesof ToniBouandDougie Lampkin performinthe World TrialsChampionship,Long Distance Trialsarea far morerelaxedaffair, takingplacemostlyontrailsthatareopentothe publicandof aformat muchmoreliketraditional trialsofover 50yearsago.Consequently,bikes needtobe roadlegal,andriddenbetweenthe observedstagesthatmustberiddenfeet-up.

Theshortexplanationisthatthismeans thatyou’llberidinginsomefantasticscenery, muchofwhichare greenlanes orByways Open To All Traffic,while the observed sectionswilltakeplaceintherathermore technicalareasoftrail,oroccasionallyonbits ofprivateland.

Withcategoriesforallkindsofbike, with prettymuchtheonlystipulationbeingthat youusetrials-styletyres(thatmustbe road legal,forobvious reasons),butthere canbe

competitiveeventI’veever takenpartin. Ididn’t meeta single officious oregotistical person.It’s agreatadvertfor thehumanrace. I’mdeadkeen to returnnextyearanddo it again.Despitetheweather throwingjustabouteverything at usthattheweatherman couldpredict,westayedas warmandcozyascouldbe possiblewhenoutinthewilds ofNorthumberland,thanks to Bikerheadzand thevariety of Bering,Rukka,Schuberth, Scorpionand Falcoproducts thatwewore. More details canbefoundat www.bikerheadz.co.uk

allowancesmadeforthosewhouse roadbasedrubbersuchastheBridgestones that we used. Full-onenduroormotocrosstyres areabig no-no. Theevents attractan incrediblevariety of machinery,frompukkatiny-tankedroad-going trials bikes,toconvertedHondastep-thrusvia classicmudpluggersandmodern traillieslike yousee here.

We tookpartinaneventorganised by M-ECVC(theMiddle EnglandClassicVehicle Club,find themonFacebook)basedinthe north-east,butthereare similareventsall aroundthe country throughouttheyear. Theytendtobesingle-dayevents,although some clubs addanextraday trailridingto make for afulloff-road weekend.Someevents arerunin conjunctionwithcartrials(yes,they exist,andareratherimpressive),andmore detailscan befoundon social media.

BridgestoneAX41tyres

To makethe test fairerandgive us all abetter chanceofmakingsafer progress bothon-and off-road,wefitted apairofBridgestoneAX41 ‘50/50’tyres toallthebikes.Designedfor adventure bikesofall sizes, thedual-purpose rubber let’s you takeyouradventuringthat bit further.Whichispreciselywhatwe discovered. We rode in avarietyofweatherconditionson Northumberland’sroads, includingheavyrain, butalwaysgotgoodgrip.And evenwhen tractionlooked in distinctlyshortsupply offroad,theAX41sgave surprisingperformance, allowingustogetthroughsectionsunhindered. It’sfairto say the test bikes’engine powerwasn’t evergoingtotestthetyres too much,butgivenhowcapable thebikeswerearoundcorners,the Bridgestones’ excellentfeelandfeedback proved abig bonus, really helpingconfidencetopushon harder.Someofthebikes’ averagesuspensionmadetheAX41s’ job abit harder,but we never hadtomakeallowancesfor it.Bridgestonemight say they’reneither asports-touringnoranendurotyre, butthey’reversatileenough to copewith muchmorethanyou mightexpect.Andthough it won’tbeviewedas importanttoeveryone,thetyre’schunkytread patterndefinitelyimproves theappearanceofanyadventurebike bymakingitlookthat bitmorepurposeful. As wellasactually doing justthat.

What do you reckonto this then? Prettycool, right? If bigmiles, big skiesandbig tests areyourthing andyou fancy afixeverysingle month droppedstraight throughyourdoor,then Motorcycle Sportand Leisuremagazine is well worth alook.Scanthe code,tap in yourdetails andit’llbeonitswayto you quick-sharp.

KymcoDTX360-320

‘Absencemakestheheartgrowfonder.’I’vealwaysthought thatwas afunnyphrase;inthismodernworldofconstant connectivity,You’renevermorethan acallawayfromthe onesyoumiss.That’snot soeasywhentheoneyoumissis ascooter.

I’vebeenwithouttheDT360Xfor acoupleofweeksnow. Itwaswhiskedawaytobeservicedandhavesome new rubber fitted,andI’vebeeneagerlyanticipatingamessage fromthegoodfolksatKymcotosayit’sonitswayback tome.Theslightlynaffweather haseasedtheblow,andI havebeenthinkinghow wetI’m notgettingatthemoment –butonthoseoccasionaldrydays Iamdreamingofthe DTX.There’salotstilltodowithit,afterall;includingmy run-it-until-it-stopsfueltest. afavouriteofmine.

Beforeitwasabductedforitssessionof fluid exchange andnippletweaking, Irealisedthatthe reartyrewasgetting veryclosetothelegallimit. Ithoughtthatwas abitweird, becauseI’veonlydonejustovertwo-and-a-halfthousand miles. Sure,someofthosehavebeenoff-road,butthere’ve been acoupleofmotorwayrunsandlotsandlotsof backlanecommutingaction.Isthatthenorm forKymco’s crossoverscooter?Insteadofthefactory-supplied,semi off-road,CSTknobblies,woulditbeworthsplashingout on somethingalittlemore‘premium’? Iguesswe’ll findoutas I’veaskedforsomeslightlymoreroad-focusedMichelins. To befair,theCSTs havebeen agoodall-roundtyre,and Ihaveneverfeltliketheymightletme down ormove underneathmemid-corner(evenwhentwo-up).Theyhave alsohandledtheoddoff-roadexcursion,too.Itisgreat tobeabletomix up the routenowandagain,andwith theextragroundclearanceandsuper-smooththrottleand powerdelivery,I’vefeltconfidentgettingout andexploring.

I’mwillingthephonetoring.Myfingers arecrossed,my ridinggearis ready.HeyKymco,don’t keepmewaitingtoo long,please.

ChrisMoss/ 11,000 miles/£10,655

Afterdoingsomuchtogetherin11monthsand 11,000miles,biddingfarewelltothe trusty V-Strom 800DEhasn’tbeeneasy. Ishouldn’tfeelsosad aboutthesplitreally.VerysoonI’ll be gettinga newlong-term test bike, somethingprobablyeven bettersuitedtomy needs.Evenso,mymoodis melancholyas Idon’t wanttoendmytimewith my V-Strom800DE.Bythetime Ido returnthe Suzukitoitsowners,I’llhaveclockedupover 11,000miles,andduringthattimeI’vecontentedly travelledfarandwideon avarietyofdifferent journeysincluding abit ofgentleoff-roading,and even atrackday!On reflection,there’snot muchI haven’tdoneonit,andalthoughit’snotperfect,I can’tsayI’veever dislikedit.

The V-Strom’ssheerversatilityisthebiggest andmostobvious of itsnumerousvirtues,andthe fact Ican relyonittodoprettymuchall Ichoose hashelpedittobecomesoendearing. Abitof aSwissArmyknife,theSuzuki’sdo-it-all ability hasbeenespeciallyuseful as it’s mysoleform oftransport.Performingthatmulti-tasking roleis challengingforanybike,yetbar acoupleoflessthan-idealaspects,theDEhasbeensocapable it’sbeendifficultto offeranythingbut praisefor it.SayingI’dratherkeepitthanswapitfora differentmachine,isperhapsthebestcompliment Icanoffer.

Idon’trecall atimeonanyridewhereIhaven’t trulyappreciatedthe V-Strom’ssuperb‘real world’engine.Ifthere wasever atimetoforget thespecs,thisisit.Onlymaking apeakof‘just’ 82bhpistotallyacademic.The more important factto recogniseisthewaytheparalleltwin’s powerandtorqueareso broadlyspread. Youcan alwayscountonthemotor’sabilitytopullstrongly

andcleanlywheneveryouopenthethrottle.IfI had aquidforthenumber of timesthedigitalgear indicatorhasdisplayed anumberatleast one higherthan Iexpected, Icouldaffordtobuythe V-Strom!Initsclass,it’sone of thebestengines I’veevertried.

Aswellasbeing flexibleanddependable,the motor’sfrugal,too.You reallyhavetotryhard togetanaverageoflessthan50mpg,with 58-62mpgbeingfarmorecommon. WhenI’m runninglowonfuelandtryingtomakethenext petrolstation,it’llhappily returnover70mpg with abit of throttle restraint. Therealityofthe excellentfuelconsumption is200-275miles from atank,andwiththeSuzuki’scomfort easily goodenoughtorideallday,averagespeeds on longerjourneysarealwaysimpressive.Actually, there’sa slightmistruththere,asthestandard screenissimplytoosmalltooffersufficientwind protectionatsustainedhigh speeds. So Ifitted thesignificantlylargeronefromtheREmodel, andthatinstantlysolvedtheproblem.As alongdistancetourerthe V-Strom scoresbigpoints. I’dsay the V-Strom handlesverywelloverall.On the road it steersnicely,thoughthe21-inchfront wheeldoesfeel alittlevagueifyou’repushing veryhardintightercorners. Thelongertravel suspension helpsdealwithpotholes well and thebrakes,thoughnotfancyinspec,workwell andprogressivelyenoughfor safer,fasterriding. The800canfeel alittleweightyat230kgfully fuelledand readytogo,butonlywhenI’veridden itoff-roaddid itfeellikeitcouldbea handicap. Insayingthat,onlesschallengingterrain,the V-Stromisstillcapableofasafeandpredictable adventureintherighthands.

Jonathan Schofield /2611miles /£5299

Likeitornot,thedaysofpetrolvehiclesare numbered.Ifwewantthisplanettocontinue tosustainlife,weneedtodrastically reduce emissions. Bikes,cars,vansandlorriesproduce aphenomenalamount,butwestill needtobeableto movearound,sowe’regoingtohavetofind anew, cleaneralternative.Andtime’srunningout,too, because thedecisionwasmadebytheUK Government thatfrom 2035 (itwas 2030, beforebeingpushedback) purepetrol vehicleproduction willcease.

Attheminute, it’s lookinglikebattery-powered vehiclesaregoingtobe abig partofthe solution. But theindustry’sstillinrelativeinfancysothereare some bigquestionstobeanswered,includingwhetherthe technologycan replaceasystemoftransport that’sbeen aroundforoveracentury…?

It’s clearly amassive challenge to put theframework in placeto supporttheinfluxofelectricvehicles.Butwhat aboutthevehiclesthemselves?There’s notalotof love from‘traditional’bikers wholikethe rumbleofengine andthescream ofanexhaustbeneaththem. Raisethe subjectandyou’llinvariablyhearsomevariation on ‘Theirrangeistooshort’,‘Theytakestoolongtocharge’, ‘They’resoulless,nofun,justtogetyoufromAtoB’, and ‘Loudpipessavelives’.

To seeifthey’reaseriousalternative,we’vespentsome timedoingaproperdeepdiveintoelectricmotorcycling. We’velivedwitha bikefromoneofthebiggest manufacturersinthe game; we’ve talked toindustry figures;we’velookedattherulesandregs; and we’ve road-tested aloadofcommuterscooters,too. We hope youfinditenlightening.

Ridesafe,

THEKEY FACTS

Ifyou’re14orover,youcanridean ‘electrically-assistedpedalcycle’ withouttheneedforregistration, tax or insurance.Itmusthavepedals,andits motor shouldnotpropelthebikeonce it hits speeds of15.5mph.Ifit’snotan EAPCand ispropelled withoutpedalling (orexceedsthe15.5mphspeed limit), it willbeclassifiedas amotorcycleor moped.As aresultyou’llneed adriving licencetorideone,andit’llalso need tobe registered,taxedandinsured.Oh, andyou’ll need to wear acrash helmet, too.Simple,right? Thereisabitofconfusionabout what sort of sizeofelectricbike youcanlegallyrideas youprogress throughthe variouslicencecategories. Butit’snotascomplicatedasit mayfirstappear.Insteadofpaying attentiontopeakpowerlikeyou wouldon aconventional petrolpoweredmotorcycleorscooter, UK regulationsforelectric machinesfocus ontheamountofcontinuouspower* available.Thatmeansyoucould buy a11kW (15bhp)electricmotorcycle orscooter,whichisactuallycapable ofdeliveringaround45kW (60bhp) of peakpower. Butbecause it doesn’t make that power‘continuously’,you’d still beable to rideit with your CBT certificate.

HOWTOCHARGE?

Thereare afewdifferentways tochargeupyourmotorcycle or scooter,althoughitall dependson the adaptors that comewithyour rideofchoice. Most of thelowerpoweredand lower-priced machines can onlybechargedusing your standardthree-pinplugsocket that you’dfindin anyhomeinthe UK, andgenerally it’sonlythebigger andmoreexpensivemachinesthat canmakefulluseof thenetworkof fastchargers. Thepubliccharging networkisactuallygrowing fastand at thetime ofprinting thereare over 57,290connectorsacross the UK at 32,575differentcharging locations (accordingtowww.zap-map.com). That’sawhopping47% increase in thetotalnumber ofchargers since thestart of2023.Sadly,it’sstill not asconvenientasfillingupwith petrol.Thereare manydifferent operators –somepay-as-you-go, somesubscription-based –andyou invariablyneeddifferent payment methods,apps or accountsforeach.

*Continuouspower isdefined as the amount of powerthemotoriscapable of sustaining(continuously)for30 minutes.

ELECTRIC SOLUTIONS

HowT&Dhelpelectricmotorbikebrands createthebikesyouwant

Lastyear wemetwithT&Dat the Motorcycle LiveshowinBirmingham, where theyspoketousabout theirposition aspowertrain innovatorsfortheelectric motorcycleindustry.

They’reacoolcompany thatare focused oncreatingcompletesets of thenecessary componentsto create avarietyofdrive systemsforelectricmotorbikesinvarious shapes andsizes –and at theNEC,that included apair of off-roaders thatwere readyforriderstotryout inthe electric test ride area.

Mostridersknowwhattheywantintheir motorcycle;with responsiveness,agility, speedanduser-friendliness often topof thelist.Butforelectricmotorcycleproduct designers,creating abikethatmeets those expectations canbe adifficulttask –particularly whenyou’vethen got thetask ofidentifyingcompatiblecomponentssuch asmotor,battery,control units,displays andchargingoptions. Withthe electric motorcycleindustry evolvingswiftlyand numerousbrandsventuringintovarious categories,there'sapressingneedto simplifythisintricateprocess.

T&Dhavesteppedintosolvethis problemfor productdesigners in several innovativeways. Firstly, they develop whole systemsthataredesigned for optimum inter-compatibilityandtailoredto different bike types,sothatmaximum performance canbeexpectedby the rider.

ThankstoT&D’smodular designsand strongafter-sales service,techupg areeasytoimplement –meaningy alwaysbenefit fromthelatesttechnology on yourride.

Anotherservice T&Dhavecreated tohelp productdesignersistheir configurator, whichallows aproduct team to calculatethe idealattributes of componentswithina complete system, identifying acustomised solution preciselycrafted to match specificrequirements.

T&Dworkclosely with partner brandsin theelectricmotorcycle sectortoestablish thevery bestsolution for newbikeprojects, resultinginmotorbikesthatarefunto ride, easytocareforandbuilt to last.

If you’recurious abouttheT&D configurator,youcancheck it outfor yourselfate-tiandi.com.

SERIOUS CONTENDERS?

Whileitmightbeeasyto dismisselectricbikesas impractical,due to issues with rangeand acharging networkthat’sstrugglingtokeepup withgrowingdemand,thatdoesn’t meantheydon’t have their own uniquemeritswhichhelpthem stand apartfromtheir petrol-powered counterparts.There’ssomething quitespecial aboutbeltingthrough verdantcountrysideinnear-silence, withnothingbutanelectricalwhirr fromthemotorforcompany.There’s alot to likeaboutthenear-instant powerandplentiful torqueontap whichcantrumpall butthefastest ofcombustionengines;and there’s

ZeroSR/S

TOPFIVEBIG ELECTRIC BIKESWORTHACLOSER LOOK

plenty of satisfaction to be hadfrom pluggingyourbikeinatthe office in themorning andleavingatthe end oftheday with afull‘tank’ofjuice whichyou’venot hadtopay for. There’s atonof choice at thelearner legalendof themarket, with bikes and scooters of allshapesand sizes designedto dominatethe daily commute. Butifyou’rea‘serious’ motorcyclist, with apenchant for speed,then you’refairly limited whenitcomes to electric.Therearea handfuloffirmswho’vemade aname forthemselvesinthe past fewyears, anda fewmoreworking on some pretty special-looking stuff.Hereare ourtop picks.

Price:£20,495 /Power:110bhp/Range:171miles

ArcVector

Price:£90,000 /Power: 115bhp /Range: 225 miles

ThefuturisticArc’s aseriouslyspecialbitofkit; a£90,000 passion projectofex-Jaguar/LandRoverdesignerMark Trumanthat’sloaded with cool features, including acarbon-fibre‘frame’; hub-centre steering; aself-supportingseat unit; andmorefamiliarkit including BST wheels; Ohlinssprings;Brembostoppers;andPirelliDiablo IV Corsarubber.

They’re handbuiltnearCoventryby atopteamofengineers (includingsome ex-Triumphfolks),andhavebeen developed with thehelp of someseriously-capableridersand races(includingJames Ellison).Although it’s unlikelywe’re goingtoseemanyonthe road anytimesoon,it’safascinatinginsightinto what’sactually possible.

Zero has carvedoutanenviable reputation for itspolished,premium rangeofelectric motorycycles over the pastdecade-and-a-bit.This sporty fairednumbersitsatthetopofits ever-growingline-up(alongside the more stripped-backSR/Fnaked). It’s aproperlyusablebit ofkit; quick,agile andsurprisingly easy tolivewith(if youslightlyadjusthowyou tacklebig journeys).

Theonlystickingpointat themoment isthe price. Youcan getsimilar performancefrom apetrol-powered rideforafractionofthe cash.

Harley-DavidsonLivewireOne

Price:£22,990 /Power: 100bhp /Range:146 miles

KTMFreerideE-XC

Harley-Davidson’sone ofthe fewestablished motorcycle brands that’sgoneafter the electricmarketina seriousway.Itwasa surprising twist fortheAmericanbrand that’s madeits fortune building big,brashand bellowing bikesthat’vetendedtobe alittle agriculturalinnature. TheLivewirecouldn’tbe moredifferent.

Thefirst-generationLivewirewas launched in2019 andsurprised themarket,delivering exceptionalhandling,top-notchperformance and refinedtechnology,andwas only letdown by aslightlymeagrerange whenbeingridden hard.They’vesince created aspecific brand identity for theLivewire;and added acouple of slightlymoreaffordable modelstothe range.

Price:£11,370 /Power:24bhp /Range: 25 miles (1-2hours)

Thisone’saslightlydifferent proposition totheothers.That’spartlybecause it’s notofferingeye-wateringlevelsof performance –andsecondly,it’snot reallybeencreatedwithroadriding inmind.No,thisis aproperoff-road weaponfrom afirmthat’s knownfor buildingproperoff-roadweapons.

Soundsgood,right? Well,itis. It’sa seriously-capableandsilent littletrail bike that’llclamberits wayup,

acrossordownany terrain youthrow itsway.It’sgot allthegoodstuffyou’d expect,with adjustable WP suspension atthefrontand rear; Formulabrakes; there’sthatall-important21-inchfront and18-inch rear wheelcomination; andergonomicsverysimilartoKTM’s establishedandmuch-lovedEXCrange. Whileitmightnotkickoutbagsof power orhave aparticularlyextensive range(partlybecause they’ve chosen

Price:£26,690 /Power: 171bhp /Range:261miles

Energicahasbeenat the forefrontofelectric motorcycling foryears, and itspreviouslongstanding partnership withDornato supply bikesfor theMotoE Championship wasthe perfectenvironment to learnonthe job, with some ofthebestracers inthelandspinning lapsandsupplyingdata nearly everyweekend. TheEva Ribelle’sits top-of-the-line super naked which offers superbikelevels of punch, solid handling andpremiumbuild quality. There’stalkthat it won’tbe around formuch longerthough,withthewhole rangeexpectedto bemovedacrossto itsExperia platformsoon.

tokeep weightlow),itwill charge upsuper-quickly. Run ithard for 90 minutes, headbacktotobaseandstick on charge,andyou’ll bebackout on thetrailsor trackwithafullbattery in 110minutes. Theonepotentialproblemformore experiencedoff-roadridersisits singlegearand lackofclutch;though you’lllikelyget usedtotheslightly unconventionalsetuppretty sharpish.

Whatdoesourelectric future looklike?

STATE NATION

TheUKGovernment hasdecreedtheendofproduction ofICE(InternalCombustionEngine)vehiclesfrom2035. ManufacturerslikeMaevingare filling thesmall-capacity space,butwithjust11yearstogo,therangeof larger capacity/power electricmotorcyclesonthemarketstill remains relativelysmall.

Leadingthewayinthelargercapacitymarket since beingfoundedbyformerNASA EngineerNealSaikiin 2006 isZero.Since releasingitsfirstelectric-powered bikein2007,it’s gonefromstrengthtostrength, creatinga rangeofbikestosuitridersofalldispositions.

MoreBikesspoketoDale Robinson,ZeroMotorcycles’ UKcountrymanagersince2018aboutthecurrent stateofelectricvehicleinfrastructure, how theysee this developing,andwhattheelectricmotorcycleindustryhas todotocatchupwiththecarside.

Let’stalkcharging.How many publicpoints doyou feel willbe needed tomeet 2030/2035’send ofICE production?

That’s ahardquestionto answerbecauseformany customersit’snot reallythat relevant. Thebeautyofa Zerois thatyoucanchargeitthrough athree-pinsocket,at home andat work,andbecause ofthatlesspeopleusethe ‘infrastructure’thanyoumight think. Charging at homefor acouple of quid,you’ve got over100miles of ridingbefore havingto rechargeinmost

circumstances,soformost of the people,mostofthetime, they’re not even usingpublic charging facilities.

Whataboutcoverage? Some areashavegot itbetterthan others… Forsurethere is better coverage in someareas of the countrythanothers. I’ve personallybeenridingmyZero in Scotlandthis summerand found it one ofthebest parts ofthe countryfortouringonan EV.There aremultiple charging pointsinmost villages, afairly standardisednetworkthrough

theChargeplace Scotland schemeand, if anything, I’d say Scotlandisone ofthe best partsofthecountryfor coverage.

Of course,everything can always be improved, but something people notused toriding ICEvehicles don’t consider is thatyoucharge at home(or work)soyoucan always leave with afull charge. Most ofthetime you don’thave touse specialfacilities to refuel aZero,whichmakes public charginginfrastructurelessof an issuethanmany(non-EV riders)thinkitis.

WORDS: BobPickett PHOTOS: ZeroMotorcycles/Bob Pickett

Andwhataboutstandardising payment?

Thisisprobablyoneofthemost frustratingthingsaboutusing publicchargers. Ihavesomany appsonmyphoneanddifferent RFIDcards,buttheredoesseem tohavebeen achangein recent years.Mostnewfacilitiesseem tobeincorporatingcontactless, payasyougo,chargingwhich ismucheasier,andhubslikethe onesyoumentionandtheones fromGridservearededicated towardsEV recharging.

However,thecheapestand easiestwayto rechargeformost riderswillbeathome,andthat’s oneofthebiggesteducational messageswetrytomake. You don’thavetousethesefacilities veryoften,it reallyisaseasyas pluggingyourbikeinattheend of aride,andhaving afull‘tank’ readyforyouatthestartofthe nextday.

Doyoufeelridersneedtoshift thewaytheydealwith‘filling up’?

Youdoneedtoplanwhenmaking longerjourneys,that’sforsure. Quicklyyoubecomeaware oftheeffectyourridingstyle hasonrange,andthefamous rangeanxietyfadesawaywith experience.On alongerjourney youdefinitelywanttostartout fullycharged,andtoplanany stopsinplaceswhereyou know therewillbe acharger.Making sure youpluginthe bikewhen youstophasitsbenefits,and even a20-minutestopcanadd 40orsomilestoyourrangeifyou planitright.

There’snodoubtthatdoing longerjourneyswithanEV requirestherider/driverto adapt, butiftheystartoutfullycharged, managetheirspeedandusethe mosteffectivechargingposts thenitisn’ttheproblemmany thinkitis,andpersonally Ihave regularlyrackedup300-miledays whileoutondealervisits.

Likeeverythingitisabout experience. We areconditioned by alifetimeofpetrolbikesand itis difficulttochangethings whicharesecondnature.It canbebewildering,butthose whoembraceitknowit’s nota problem.Like amobile phone, youpluginattheend ofthenight andarefullychargedthenextday. Unlessyou’redoinglonger journeys,youneverneedto chargeanywhereelse,butwe

acceptthisisperceivedasa majorbarriertomakingthe switchbymanyandmuch ofourmarketingisaimedat informingand educatingpotential customers,throughourdealer trainingprogrammeandthrough contentonsocialmedia,where youcansee allsortsofUKfocused filmsshowinghowto maximiserangeand to charge usingpublic chargers.

Whataboutthelackof sound? Coulditbedangerousfor pedestrians?

Vehiclesarebeingmadequieter andquieterallthetime with thelatestemissions laws, and modern petrolvehiclesarealso veryquiet,sothat’sprobably morea questionforthe legislators thanitisamanufacturer.A Zero stillmakesnoise,thetyrenoise beingthemostprominent. Idon’t reallyfeelthere isanyparticular validargument,and Iamnot awareofanysuchincidents involvingourbikes. Increasingly weseepedestriansanddrivers distracted bytheirdevices todayand Itendtoridemore defensivelyinbuilt-up areasthese dayswhateverI amriding. In termsofsound andfeel, yes, Iagreetheyarepartofthe motorcyclingexperienceand the sound andexperience of aZero gives atotallyfreshandunique perspectiveto riders–it’spartof theexhilarationandthe reason manypeoplearebuying electric motorcycles!Thesmoothness and accelerationareunrealandthe lackofan enginesound(although thereisa futuristic‘whoosh’) givesyou aconnectiontothe road that’s differentto anything else.

I’ma motorcyclist:I’vegot two-strokes,V-fours, Harleys… allsortsinmygarage. I’ve owned andriddenand raced prettymucheverything outthere and Iloveallmybikesfor the character theybring. Zerosare likenothing elseand that’swhy we’vebeenveryactivewithour Experience Electric tour,where wetakethebikesto ridersand givethem achancetogofor ano obligationride. They comeback with asmile,they always come backwithasmile,evenwhen theywant tohateit,because it’s anamazingexperiencethat compares tonothing else.They comealong thinkingit’s likea petrol bikewithnovolume,but theysoon realise they’re full of torque andcharacter,andyou don’tmiss allthethingsyouthink youwillbecauseeverything’s so differentwhenyoursensesaren’t beingassaulted. Comealong andtry one,it’s the only wayto understand!

How doyousee Zero’s position inthemarketplace evolving as ‘bigger’manufacturers begin to releasetheir ownelectric bikes?

As above, we’rethemarket leaderand thesector innovator. We makeelectricmotorcycles becausewe believe inthem. We’renot heretobashpetrolor preech tothemasses, wethink ourpremiumelectricmotorcycles giveanelevatedridingexperience that’ssuperior inmanywaysto ICE-poweredmachines.That’s ourUSPandrightnowpeople buyourmachinesbecause they wantto,andnotbecause they haveto.We’re proudtobethe torchbearers for thisnewsector

and we wouldn’t be here if we didn’tbelievewewouldcontinue to beattheforefrontofthe sector andthe brandeveryone islooking to as themarket leaders.

Howabout hydrogen? Zeromakeselectric motorcycles, that’swhatwedo.There’salot oftalk abouthydrogenandIhear argumentsforandagainst. We make 100% electricmotorcycles andwedothatbecausewe believe init.

Somearguethatriding electricjust moves thepollution elsewhere. Whatwouldyou say tothat?

All our research pointstothe lifetimeemissionsbeing less thanthat ofanequivalent petrol

motorcycleand, obviously,the tailpipe emissionsarezerowhich keeps ourcities’ aircleaner.How ‘clean’the Zero is will dependon howthe electricityisgenerated, butindependent studies back up ourown numbers.

But,attheend oftheday,we knowthatthemajorityofour customersarenot buyinga Zero to be green,butbecause they love theexperience. We’re seeingthat in thecarworld,too, wheredriversappreciatehow easyEVsare touseandbecause they fit their lifestyle. We’renot telling people to buy ourbikesfor ecological reasons(eventhough thereare some) butaskingthem to judgeusonthe elevatedriding experienceourproduct brings.

THEZEROSR/F

Twoweekswiththe flagshipstreetbikefromtheproven Americanfirm

Forridersofpetrolbikes,the firsttimepullingaway onan electricbikeissostrange.No clutch,nogears,justtwistand go. IusedECOmodetoget usedtothepowerdelivery. Don’tletanyonetellyouECO isgutless.Itdialsdownthe powerdelivery,butovertakes areeffortlessevenatmotorway pace.Standardmadeeverything brisker; Igavethethrottlea snap,theaccelerationwaseyeopening!Sport?All restrictions areoff;havingmovedtothis mode Iconcentratedonbeing smooth,learninghowtodial inthepower,watchingthe numbersonthedial fly pastin ablur.

It’salovelyhandlingmachine, withmilesofgroundclearance.

TECHSPEC

ZeroSR/F Tech Specs

Engine: Z-Force75-10enhancedthermal efficiency, passivelyair-cooled,interior permanentmagnetACmotor

Power: 110hp(82kW) @5,600rpm

Torque: 140lb-ft(190Nm)

Frame: Steel Trellis

Suspension: (F)Showa 43mmBigPiston

SeparateFunctionforks,withadjustable springpreload,compressionandrebound damping(R)Showa40mmpiston,piggy-back reservoirshockwithadjustablespringpreload, compressionandrebounddamping

Brakes: (F)BoschAdvancedMSC,dualJ-Juan radial4-pistoncaliperswithradialmaster cylinder,320 x5mmdiscs(R)BoschAdvanced MSC,J-Juansinglepistonfloatingcaliper,240 x4.5mmdisc

Tyres: (F)120/70-17 (R)180/55-17

SeatHeight: 31in(787mm)

Weight: 500lb(227kg)

Range: CityEURegulation134/2014,AnnexVII :114miles(183km),CombinedCity/Highway (55mph)142miles(229km)

Price: £23,350RRPbutthereareshowroom dealsavailablebringingthisdownto£19,850

Ifoundthe bestwaytocorner wasbyusingthewidthofthe roadandletthatbig rearboot roll throughthebend. Ithink owners oflarge-capacitysportsbikes willfindthesuspension soft,but forme(spending alotof time onmiddleweightandsmallercapacity bikes)itwas fine.The frontforkssoakedupeverything, feelingcomposed,andthe rearhandledeverythingbut transmittedeverybump andripple.

TheJ.Juanfrontbrakestook gettingusedto.Initially,I found themgrabby, butwithpractice theygavegoodfeelwithbags ofstoppingpower. Stickingwith practicalstuff,themirrors were fantastic.TheTFTscreenis excellent,withalltheinformation youneedataglance.

Thelongwayround Talktoanyoneaboutanelectric bike,andtheconversation will quicklyturntorange. To workout what’spossible(without getting strandedtoofarfromhome)I workedout a27-mile route,taking intown, Aroads,RedRoutes, motorway andcountry roads.

I’dridethecircuit,notedistance covered,chargeleftandrange remaining,thenswitchmodeand dothesamethingalloveragain. Zerorecommends asmooth ridingstyle;how Iridenormally. Iwouldbe respectfulofspeed limits(overtakeshard/fastenough togetmepastthendropback). Here’swhat Ifound.

■ Eco:81% remaining,estimated range124miles

■ Standard:62% remaining, estimatedrange90miles

■ Sport:43% remaining, estimatedrange61miles

■ 81milescovered,with61‘inthe tank’suggeststhat140milesis possible;thoughthebikedropping into‘limphome’modetowards theendofthechargehastobe considered.Whatsurprisedmewas theconsistencyfromonemodeto thenext.The reducedReGenin Standardmodeshowed aslightly higheruseofcharge,whileSport recordedthesame as ECO. ‘Butwhataboutmotorways, don’t theyeatthecharge?’ Ihadtovisita client;73milesfromthemtohome, 70viamotorway. Ileftwith90% charge,and Iarrivedhomewith 27miles’ range and22%charge remaining,whichindicatesthatover 100milesispossible.

Don’tworry, behappy With43%(61miles)leftinthe Zero, Idecidednottocharge overnight.Instead,I’d ride over toShell’sflagshipEVCharging Hub in Fulham, abit over20miles away.The route wouldbeAroads thentown,playingtotheZero’s strengths.LikingSportmode’s performancebutmissing the ReGen, Idecidedto testCanyon mode.

I’dforgottenhowmuch of CentralLondonissubjecttoa 20mphlimit;peopleofWalesyou havemysympathies. Irode into Shell’sflagshipEVHubwith10 ultra-rapidchargers…none of whichhas aType 2cable.Really, Shell?Rookiemistakebyme taking it forgranted,butnotone?

CheckingZapMap,therewas aBPPulsefourmilesawaythat definitelyhad aType 2. Findthe Type2,plugin…won’t acceptmy creditcard.AnEVownerpulled upandhelped.Shesuggested downloadingtheBPPulseapp as“thesecanbeerratic, usedas guest’.Downloadtheapp,enter creditcarddetails(aftermorefaff), trytoaddcredit.Atthatpointit buffers,butdoesn’t complete. Try again: Same result.Switchmobile offandon,gettingsomewhere… anerrorcodeappearsonthe chargepoint! ShesentmetotheEventim Apollowhereabankofchargers acceptcreditcards. Won’taccept thecard(thecardlockedincase offraudulentactivity!). Nothing foritbuttogohome,conserving energy,switchingtoECOmode andtakingeveryopportunitytoput alittleinthebattery via ReGen.

Oddly,Ineverworried,probably because Iknewhow faritwas tohomeandIshouldbeableto makeit(arrivedwith 9% battery, 22milesrange).IfI’dbeen somewhereIdidn’tknow, itmight havebeenanotherstory.

Thecostof‘filling-up’

It’sworthcomparingcosts. MyKawasaki Vulcan hasa comparablerangetotheSR/F.It takes14.5litresoffuel.At151.9p alitrethat’s£22.03tofillup. Charging the SR/F’s17.3kWh batteryathome(mysupplier charges34.9pperkWh)is£5.90, at apublicpointcharging 59pper kWhis£10.20;orifyou havea rapidchargerit’s79por£13.67.

Could IlivewiththeSR/F?

Definitely.Therangeavailableis morethanenoughformy regular needs.Ifyourcommute(one way)ismorethan60milesoryou regularlyrideseriousdistances thenperhapsit’snotforyou. Myoldcommutewas 25 miles eachway,soIcouldeasilygoa coupleofdayswithoutcharging. I’ddefinitelychargeitathome–andif Iwasgoingfurther afield, I’dchecktherightchargeris available,amddownload(in advance)thepaymentappsfor thesuppliersl’dbe usingmost. As aride?It’sgreat. Smooth, greathandling,amazingpower delivery.It’sarealsurprise how muchfresheryoufeelwithout enginevibrationsor noise.But it’salotofmoney up front(even recoupingno roadtax,cheaper priceof ‘filling up’,lowerservicing costs,etc.).

THEBEST ONEYET?

VMOTO STASH

SuperSoco’shad arebrand andcreatedits most polishedlearnerlegal ridetodate

YoumighthaveheardofVmoto before.They’vebeenknockingout well-put-together,value-for-money electricbikesandscootersand floggingthemintheUKfor afew years.Butuntil recently,theywere operatingundertheSuperSoco banner.

Butthat’schangedfor2024; andalongsidetheircost-effective offering,they’rereleasingtheStash, whichpromisesmoretechnology, improvedperformance, amore premiumpricetagand afunky newlook,thankstofamedBritish motorcycledesignerAdrianMorton (whospent20yearshelpingto createsomeofthemoststylish machinesknowntomanforMV Agusta).

Therelookstobe plentytolike

abouttheA1licencelegalmachine, with a74.6mphtopspeed(when takingadvantage of thenewboost button); aclaimed93.2milerange from asinglecharge; aswanky TFT display;storagespaceforafull-face helmet;andPirelliDiabloRosso tyres(freeforthe first40soldinthe UK –andavailableasanoption thereafter).Soundslike awinner. Pricedat£6299plusOTRfees initially(before beingbumpedup to£6599plusOTRaftertheinitial promotion),it’snotgotan easy jobonitshands,withplentymore affordableoptionsavailablefor cash-strappedcommuterslooking tododgeever-tighteningemissions regulationsandeco-conscious youngsters on thehuntfortheirfirst tasteoffreedom.

1.BRAKES

Forstoppingthere’sascooter-style combinedbrakingsystemthat’s perfectforless-experiencedriders, whichworkstonipboththe single frontand reardiscssimultaneously (aidedby aradial-mountedcaliper upfront).

2.STORAGE

Anicetouchisthedummyfueltank, whichsits justin front ofthe 830mm seatanddisguises adeceptively spaciousstoragecompartment thatVmoto reckonsis capableof accommodatingmostfull-face helmets.

3.POWER

The A1licencefriendlyridecanbe ridden on aCBT –andassuchit kicksoutjust 8kW ofcontinuous

power(whichisequivalentto 10.7bhp).It’salittlelessthanthe 11kW/15bhplimit,butit’sstillenough toseeover 65mphonthedash.

4.BOOST

There’salso apretty nifty'boost' mode,whichincreasespeakpower to aprettypotent15kW(20.1bhp).It’s beenaddedwithovertakinginmind, andforbriefblastswillallowthe Stashto reachspeedsof 74.6mph. Nice.

5.BATTERY

Tuckedunderneaththestoragespace is a100Ah,72Vbatterywhichkicks out7.2kWh.Vmotoclaimsit’ll return animpressive93.2milesfrom asingle charge(initsleastpotentridingmode), andoncedraineditcanbecharged upin5.5hoursusing aconventional three-pinplug.

ROADTEST:BMW CE 02, SEGWAY 300SE AND HORWIN EK3

CITY SLICKERS

WORDS: AdamChild,ChrisBaileyand RossMowbrayPHOTOS:BMWMotorrad, Segway,HorwinandMortonsMedia

Whilethere’s stillscepticismfrom ‘traditional’bikersof acertainvintage about theviabilityofelectricmotorcycles, thereisone arenawherebattery-power makesa lotofsense.Urban commuting. Ifyou’reinthemarketfor alearnerlegal electric,therearea wholehostofrides to choosefrom,with50ccand 125cc

equivalentsfroma healthymixoffirms both newand oldworkingon creating, fine-tuningand flogging theirwares. We’vehandpicked three ofourfavourites, from right across thepricing spectrum, to seewhatthey’remade ofandif they’rereallycapableof replacingtheir combustion-engined counterparts.

BMWCE02

Thesuper-coolone fordeep-pocketedmillenials

Enterthe BMWCE02,an11kW (15hp)e-scooterthat looksmore like adesignprojectdreamt up by askateboardinginternthana productionmotorcycle, butinterms of youth appealand, yes, that Xfactor, itistakingnoprisoners.

It willcome to the marketthis spring in twovariants. Abasemodel (whichmakes4hpandis effectively a50cc equivalent) will be priced at £7450,while afull power15hp version will startat£8450.Optfor the Highline package, whichadds goldforks andgraphicsand araft of goodiesincludinganextra riding

mode,hot grips, asmartphoneholder and aquick-charger that reducesthe chargingtimefrom5.2 hoursto3.5 hours, andthat priceleaps to £9330. So it’s expensive, especiallyfor kids. The15hpCE02’smotor hasa continuous powerratingof6kW/8hp and makesahandsome55Nm (40.5lb-ft)of torque rightfromthe initialopeningofthe throttle.The bike hastwo batteries, each 48 volts and ratedat 1.96kWh, and aclaimed topspeed of59mphand0-30mph accelerationofthreeseconds.Under WorldTestMotorcycleConditions, batteryrange is aclaimed 56miles.

There aretwo ridingmodes,Flow and Surf.Flowisanurbansetting with asoftthrottle responseand mediumenergyrecuperation,and Surf is asharpermode withnoenergy recuperation to allowcoastingona closed throttle.AsportyFlashmode is availableonlywiththe Highline package.

As you roll away in near silence, the torqueoftheair-cooled, synchronous currentmotorgivestheBMW serious energycomparedtoequivalentpetrol scooters.It’satinymachine but makesanimmediatestatement that it won’tbepushed around,and while electricbikes canfeelabit jagged anddigitalontheinitialpickup, the CE02’sresponseissmoothand easy, especiallyinFlowmode.

Once used to Flow mode,you can starttouse itsrecuperativefunction to slow thebikedown, much likea soft rearbrake, andthereisenough instantdrive to jump easily aheadof thehordes at thestoplights.However, Ipreferred Surf mode,which is more responsiveand,likeatwo-stroke, hasminimal engine brakingona closed throttle.You adaptquickly by closingthe throttle earlierforturns and rollingsmoothlyand satisfyingly to astop, whichalsoincreasesthe displayed batteryrange.

It’sfun to hustle.Imanaged to hold thethrottle to the stop longenough to seeanindicated 100kph,and withinstant torque andnoclutch or gearstoworry about, thedrag race fromthelights iswherethe CE02 trulyturnsheads. It’s agood feeling to sitwaitingatthe lights –silent, confident, alittlebit self-conscious, too–knowingyou’regoing to leave the rush hour behind as soonas the lightturnsgreen.

The CE 02’ssuper-compact chassis comprises asteel double-loop frame with upside-down 37mm forksanda single-sidedswingarmanddirectly mounted,preload adjustable shock. Wheelbaseisjust1353mm,the headangle is steepat24.5degrees, andthe wheels arejust14inches in diameter,suggestingagilitywasa highpriorityfor BMW. Brakingisvia a239mmdiscupfront and a220mm discrear, withABSonthe front wheelonly.

TheCE02’ssteeringisresponsive to the touchandpredictablyquick; so fastithas made aturnor jumped into agap seemingly before you’ve thought it.Stabilityissuperb, even at 100kph,but you need to be aware that the slightestinput by the rider will affectthe steering. Ridequalityisexcellent, and the

CE02 soaked up all the cobbles andpotholes Lisboncould throw at it.Thesuspensionissoftbut supportive, though the rear can feel alittle harshwhen jumping over speedramps andhitting imperfections at speed.

The TFTmicro-dash is clearand functionalandgives amileagerange andpercentage of batteryused.

Ridingbriskly around hillyLisbon, Icovered 52.3km andhad 25km or 27% batteryremaining, which suggests arange of 77km,though in reality youcould expectmoreas yourridingstyle adapts to the range remaining, much as youwould with thefuel warninglight on.

Overall, thereisnodenyingthat the build qualityandleveloffinish of theCE02 areabove anypetrolor electricscooter in this segment, or that itis abrilliant, charismatic and enjoyable waytodealwith the daily commute, andthe best electricbike in this segmentbyfar.But it’s hard to ignorethe price: ahefty £8450 for the11kW,125cc-equivalentversion and, withthe Highline package, £880 more. Addsome luggageanda comfortseatand you’reupataround £10k.That’s abig ask, morethan likelytoo much formanycompared to the petrol equivalent.

SegwayE300SE

Theonefromtheelectricinnovators

The Segway brandhas been around since1999,creatingall sorts, from gokartstoroboticmowers.And in the last few yearsit’sentered the scooter market,too,developing arange of electric scooters including this,the E300SE.

It’s agreat-lookingthing; sleekand sharpand super-futuristic,witha multi-coloured dashthat’s awork ofart. It’s comfortable,too,witha plush seat whichpopsopentoreveal acompartmentbig enough to house the charger(butnot ahelmet).There’s alsotheoption to integratea third battery,inaddition to the twowhich come as standard.

Theysitunderneaththefootboard, and slotinand outeasilyifyou need to bringthemin to charge.Thereisa plug pointonthe body ofthe scooter itself,ifyou’vegot somewhere safe to keepit topped up.Segwayreckons thebatteries will getyou atotalof80 miles with economic riding, andthat seems aboutright in my experience. They’renot toobad tocharge either, takingjustfourhours from flat.

Turningiton, Igavethe throttlea bitof atwist,andalmostperformed my first-everwheelie.Electricsoften have swifteraccelerationthan petrol machinesandthe Segway is capable of reaching40mph in aboutthree seconds.Igrewtoloveitveryquickly, forobvious reasons.

It comes withfour riding modes,as opposed to thethree you seenormally onelectricbikes.Ithas Ecomode, Regularmodeand Sportmode, but italsohasanAssist mode,which is limitedto3mphand makesiteasyto pushitaround.

Thebrakesaremadeupof afront and reardisc, with bothABSand aTraction ControlSystem(TCS) to helppreventthewheelsfrom slipping, reducestoppingdistances

andalsoimprove performanceunder harshacceleration. Ifound that both worked perfectly;not toosoftand nottoo sharp,and that’s evenmore impressive when youconsider the sodden roads Iwas testingthison.

The suspension is simple but effective,withthe frontshock and adjustable rear springscombingwell. It’s smoothand firmwhen you’re pushing onalongthe nationals, butalsolight andforgivingwhen you’retravellingoverthe less-wellmaintainedroadsurfaces.

Engine,braking and suspension work together to give you anamazing levelofhandling. Idid findthat Ihad to takea lotofsharpercornersatad slowerthanImight normallytoavoid alight, vaguefeeling fromthetyres.

The Segway alsocomes witha phoneapp,which does everything fromenabling youtoremotely startit from yourphone to changingsettings likemax speedandsharpness of acceleration/braking –and youcan even sendanalerttomakethe E300SE honkitshornandflash itslightsto help youfind itin abusylocation. It alsohas areallycoolfeature where ittracksin realtime your journeys, giving abreakdown ofthespeed you were goingateachsectionandthe option to save theroute forfutureuse.

Idohaveone criticism.Thedipped beams.Itwasn’tsobadin townsand citieswithstreetlightstohelp(which iswherethe bulkofits riderswill be usingit),but my journeyhomefrom MoreBikesHQwasalongcountry roads,and quickly Ifound that with thedippedbeamson Icould barely seeanythingmorethanafewmetres infrontofme.

Ibegan to rely on thefullbeamsa lotmorethanIwouldnormally–and eventhey seemed much lesspowerful thanothersI’veused(andafter

accidentallyleavingthemonandnot receivingthe usualpassive-aggressive flash fromoncoming traffic, Iused themallthetime). The Segway E300SEcomes in at £4499,which, fora well-put-together ride fromoneofthebiggest names in electrictransport,seemspretty decent value to me.Ifyou’relooking to get anelectric, Iwouldn’thesitateto recommendtheSegwayE300SE– and if you’re apetrolheadwho stillisn’t convinced that electricmakes sense, I’dimploreyou to givethisone ago.

LEARN ON ASEGWAY

Ifyou’rebased in Essexand you’relookingtolearnhowtoride, thegood folksat Pass Bike Motorcycle TraininginRochfordhave introducedthefirst Segway Rider TrainingProgram in theUK.

Speakingabout thelittlebattery-poweredscoot,Pass Bikes ManagingDirectorandChiefInstructor IanBurrell MBEsaid:“The Segway E110 mopedis agreat platformtoteach both newand experiencedriders. It’ssuperbly balanced,has averysmooth powerdelivery, excellent buildqualityand three powermodes which complement themanoeuvres required during aCBT. “I don’tbelieve that bikescould have beentestedmore thoroughly!ThepairofSegwayE110andthe E300weuse for traininghave beenfaultless.Hundreds of studentshaveridden thebikes this yearandthe response hasbeenoverwhelmingly positive.”

Formoreinformation,visit:www.passbike.co.uk

HorwinEK3

Thebrilliantbudget-consciousone

I’ve riddenmorethanmyfairshareof compact battery-poweredcommuters overthe past fiveorsoyears,from cargo-carryingscootsloadedwith luggagetoretro-inspiredridesthat wouldn’tlook outofplaceonthe streetsof ParisorRome.

The HorwinEK3 sitsfirmlyinthe second camp.It’sasleek,strippedback and stylishlearnerlegal125cc equivalent, whichactuallybagged itself aprestigious RedDot Design Awardbackin2021. It’s easy to see why, withits round edgesandsmooth linesgivingitapremiumfeel,despite its budget-friendly£3399pricetag. There’ssomenice stuff fittedto itas standard,includingasuiteoffunky

LEDlights; aslickdisplay (which offersalltheusualinformation in anice,easy-to-readlayout);cruise control; areverse gear;ananti-theft alarm system;aUSB chargingport; and akeylessignition system.It’snot loadedwithtechnology –but what is thereworks well.

It’s afairly comfortableplaceto spendtime, too, with itsdiminutive dimensionsofferingenoughspace for my longlimbsasInipped around town in near silence.Tuckedunder theplush-enoughseatyou’ll findthe single batteryset up,withenough space remainingtostashanopen facehelmet (ortheall-important waterproofsthat areworth keepingon handforridinginthe UK). Talkingbatteries,Horwinreckons theEK3’scapableof rackingup55 miles if youkeepthe speeddownto 28mph –and, surprise,surprise, it’ll dodouble that if youopt to splash outthe extragrandonthesecond battery.Those figures seem about right, thoughif you’re alittleheavyhandedwiththe throttleand you spendanytime on faster roads,you’ll quitequickly findthebattery zapped. Itookthe chancefor across-country nine-mile runonA-roads to ameeting in anearbytown,and withthethrottle pinnedthewhole way, Iusedover 50%ofthecharge.

Thankfully, chargingisa straightforwardaffair though;either plugthescooter directlyintoathreepindomesticplugorunhookthe batteryand bringitinthe house. It’s nice to have theoptionifyou’renot blessedwithanelectrichook-up in yourshed. It’ll takeabout fourhours from flat. However, onone occasion when Iwas caught outandneeded to nip into acaféand borrow their socket, Ifound that thebattery topped up to near40% withinanhour. For security,it’salsogreat to be able to stickthe steering lock on while there’snopowerconnected usingthe small keywhich fitsneatly undera

little slot inthe middle of the pushand-twist ignition.

As you’dexpect, theurban environmentiswherethisbikemakes themostsense; itsnippy motor, lightand agile handlingand slimline dimensions make it easy to whizzpastandthrough longqueuesoftraffic. Torque’s available immediatelyso you’ll easily get thejumpat thelights, and thethree rider modes make it easy to get your speedjust rightand ensure youdon’t getthe dreadedflash from aspeed camera.

Mode1’sgoodfor 30mph zones,Mode2’s good for40s,and Mode3’sbetter suited to theopenroad. That said,I struggledtogetmore than 56mph outofitsoit’sprobablybesttoavoid anyproperly fast-movingroutes, though itis useful to knowit’scapable of trouncingupa dual carriageway or twoifyourcommute into town demandedit. The suspension’sprobablyone of

the weakestlinks. It’s not bad, just basic, andany seriouslumps or bumpsinthe road will rattle your bones andthe scooter. It doesn’t upset the handlingthough, so that’s pretty good.

Iwasn’t ahugefanof thetyres either.They’reasetofquite clever tubeless,liquidfilledvacuumones that Horwin claims are‘wear resistant’ and‘breakdownproof’.Great idea, butIdidn’thave quite the same confidencein them as Iwoulda setofconventional equivalents.

It stops well though,withits CombinedBraking System evenlydistributing thebraking forcebetween thefrontand rear brake discs to make itincrediblyeasyto haulupquickly when yougrababig handful of both.

There’sa lot to likeabout the Horwin. It’s fun to ride,cheap to run, easy to maintain andmoreaffordable to buyoutright thananannual Tube pass inthe capital. Sound

to us.

Chargingtimeisoneofthemajorstumblingblockswhentrying toconvince non-EVownerstoswitch.Butwhat ifyouhad abikewithsmall,easily removablebatteriesthattakemomentstoswapinand out?

Startingoutin Taiwanin2011,Gogorodeveloped an urbantransportsystembasedaroundthis concept.Theyhaveestablishedthelargest batteryswapping networkintheworld withover 2000chargingstationsinTaiwanalone,allowing more than250,000batteryswaps aday,enough powertoride15,000,000km.

Arangeofscooters(Gogoro'sownmodels plusothervehiclepartnerslikeYamaha)are availablewithbatteries thatcanbeswapped on thenetwork.After registeringwiththe network, choose aridingplanbasedonbikeanddistance. Thiscanbeaslittle asTWD299 (around£7.80) amonth.

Swappingthebatteriesissimplicityitself.Pull upat achargingstation,opentheseatand removethebatteries.Insertthedischarged batteryinto avacant slot anda charged replacementis released.Slotthecharged batteriesintothescooter andyou'rereadytogo. Youcanswapand bebackonthe roadinjust SIXseconds.

Thenetworkofchargingstationsisspread across Taiwan.Gogoroworkswithlocal businessestogetchargingstationssitedat

useful locationssuch assupermarketcarparks, conveniencestoresandparkinglots.In Taiwan’s cities there arestations every 500metres or so. Gogoro arealsoinvolved in constant development work on theirbattery tech.Their third generationbatteryallows the rider upto 170km(around100miles)betweenswaps. It isimportant tonotethatthe consumerdoesn’t ownthebattery,itisincluded intheir monthly subscription. This enables Gogorotoswapout oldbatteries withnewones, ensuringthelatest tech isalways available

Movingbeyond itshomemarket, Gogoro have beenaggressivelyexpanding internationallyover the lastfewyearstoreachcountriesacrossAsia includingChina,India,Indonesia, thePhilippines, Korea,Japan,Singapore,and Israel.

Admittedly,Gogorooperatesincountries where small-capacity scooters havelongbeenan established partoftheurbantransport network and with centralisedpopulationclusters,buttheir massivegrowthinsuch ashort timeline shows what canbeachieved.

For more information abouttheGogoronetwork and their rangeofvehicles,visit:www.gogoro.com

TheBritishmotorcycleindustryisinthe kind of rude healthnot seenindecades.Buthowmanyfirmsare actuallybuildingbikes intheUK? Notbespoke,big pricetag stuff,butproperproduction runs? Notasmanyasyou mightthink.Wedon’t want to go all patrioticon you, butthere’s nothingwrong withcelebratingsome ofthecoolfirms keepingthingsgoing onhome soil.

The onlyelectricmotorcyclemanufacturerin ourlistisMaeving. Foundedin2018and basedinCoventry, awhopping100%of Maeving’sworkforceisemployedintheUK,65% of theRM1’s componentsaresourced fromoverhere, andevery RM1 bikeis designedand builtinCoventry. Nice.

TheMidlandshas arich historyofmotorcycle production. Nowthere’s anothername to addto thelist

WORDS: BobPickett andMikkoNieminen PHOTOS: Maeving

To properly getundertheskinof thefledglingBritishbikebuilder, we fired off some questions andwent foraspinonits base-modelRM1.

MuchoftheRM1isBritish, so why look to overseaspartnersforyour fuel cellsandpowertrain(themotor isbuilt by Boschinpartnership with Maeving,the batterya custom designinpartnershipwithSamsung andLG)?

Forthedrivetrain,if we were to use anyoneotherthan Bosch, we’d be compromisingonquality. Forthe batterycells,ifweweretouse anyone otherthanSamsungorLG, we’d be compromisingonrange.Wedo, however, lookforward to apoint in timeinwhich we have theexpertise andmanufacturingcapabilityto source bothmotorsand batteriesin theUK.

Maeving hasaninteresting and differentapproach.You want to move away fromthetraditional dealership concept,withbikes soldonlineand delivered to the customer’sdoor. Doesn’tthis presentchallenges?Asa small company,isn’tthis astretchof resources(asthecustomer base will be all overthecountry)?As yougrow,isthis servicing model sustainable? It absolutelydoespresent challenges! It’s nosmallfeat to resourceand coordinateadirect-to-consumer operationlikeours, butit’sso valuable.First ofall,it’s convenient forconsumers; it removesthe need forthem to travel to dealerships–inherentlymasculineenvironments, ofteninobscure locations –and to waitwhilsttheirmotorcycle is readied. Instead,delivery and servicingare carriedout at alocation of their choiceatconvenient times. Quitesimply,it’s thelevelofservice that customers nowexpect, andit allowsus to reallyget to know our customersand respondquicklyto theirneeds, whatevertheymay be. We believe themodelis absolutely sustainableas we expandand,with regard to emissions,theadvantageof DTCisthat we areincomplete control ofthe whole operation’ssustainability

credentials.Forexample,the introductionofanelectricfleet andwhollygreen energy plans for charging. We exercise thelevers, and as acompany we areworking towards carbon positivity. Talk to anyone that doesn’tdrive/ rideanelectric vehicle,and you canguaranteethe subjectof‘range anxiety’ willcropup,aswellasthe problemof chargingabikeonthe road. Maeving’sansweristwo-fold.

Firstly,theRM1 chargesusinga conventional13Aplug socket (to charge asinglebattery is alittle overfourhours0-100%and just shy ofthreefor0-80%). Secondly, the batteryisremovable (ataround12kg you’ll perhapsnot be lookingtodo so toooften),meaningyou cantake it outofthe RM1and, forexample, charge whereyou arevisiting… and noone canrideoffwithitasthere is no powersource! Talkingabout thebattery,slotitinto placeandit connects automatically... noleads or plugs.

My firstclose-upexposure to the RM1was at theNEC Bike Show.I wasstruckbyhow theRM1looked futuristicyet… familiar.Acertain HenryCole compared thelookto his vintageBSA,whilefriends have saidit remindsthem more ofanold flat-tracker. Howimportantwas it to includethese classic linesinthe RM1’slook, whilegivingita modern feel?

There is nodenying that uscofoundersloveour classicmotorcycles! Forus, it’s importantthatconsumers lookingtomakethe leap to electric arefacedwithdesirable machines that ride well,andwhen we thinkof desirability, we think ofmetalwork, exposedand visiblecomponents that arepleasingtotouch,quality materials –inshort we thinkof nakedmotorcycles.Thisalsomakes sensewhenoptimisingfor weight and range:noextraneouspartsand plasticfairings.Withsimplicityon themind, we lookedtothe board trackerera inthe1920swhenthe first elegant motorcycles were being fashioned fromwhat were essentially bicycleframes.Atthe sametime, ourmotorcyclehasallthebenefits

ofmodernengineering;fromthe removable batterytechnology itself,toelectronically-actuated compartmentsand aGPS tracker. Cruciallythough, we’vemade sure that thetechnology is not invasive andthat theridingexperienceis pure. Amotorcyclistwillfeel at homeon theRM1, familiar with everything fromtheswitch gear to theanalogue speedo.

Ridersofconventionalbikes will pointatthe RM1’srange.We should make it clearthatthe RM1 isdesignedasan‘urbansolution’ wheretop speedand rangeare not theprimary concerns.Inan urban/cityenvironmentease of ride,manoeuvrability and frugalityare the majorissues. The RM1 is equivalenttoa conventional125cc bike, withgreatlyreduced runningcosts.Crafted to be light,manoeuvrable, cleanand quiet,It’ssmall, lightand easy to ride (asMaevingsay,ifyou canride abike, you can ride aMaeving).Maeving estimatesthecostofchargingat around £60annually(afraction of thecostoffillingevena125).

forall occasions,but for nowour focusissolely on urbanenvironments.Why?

Anicetouch istheability to adda second batteryinwhatlooks likea conventional fuel tank.Withouta batteryinserted,thisgives you10 litres’cargo space, making theRM1 both flexibleinuse andpractical. Andtalking aboutpracticality,the RM1 is designedprimarily to be an urbanbike. Is this whereMaeving will continuetopositionitselfin themarket?Or as time (and battery technology)moveon,doyou see yourselftransitioningtoother typesofbikes? Ultimatelywewill make motorcycles

Firstofall the vast majority of people inthis countrylive in oraround cities (andthe 0-125cc segmentis34% of the market) but, more importantly, this is whereelectric motorcycles are trulyina classoftheir own–thisis theirsweetspot. Thisisbecause,given therange andperformance needed in urbanenvironments,you areable to utilise removable batterytechnology. We understandthat thelastthing that anymotorcyclistwantsis to have to useafastcharger at apetrol station every60-80 miles (asisthe case on larger,full-poweredelectric motorcycles,inreality), butthe ability to simply take the batteryoutoncea weekand charge it at astandardplug socketovernight, as youwoulddo aphone or alaptop… that’s agame

changer. Youare then able to benefit fromall theadvantagesthatelectric brings –namelyzeroemissions and extremelylow runningcosts –with none of thedrawbacks. Iwon’t focustoo heavilyonthe tremendous benefitsofgoing electricforour planet,but Ican trulysay electric excels in urbanenvironments.

The future of motorcyclingis electric. The Governmenthas seta target of 2035(fiveyearsafterthe carmarket) to ceaseproductionof petrol-driven bikes. So it’s good to seethere is aUKmanufacturerwith thevisiontobothlooktothe future andembrace ourrichheritage.

MAEVINGRM1

Every nowand again you ride abike that takes youbysurprise. Forme, the MaevingRM1 wasoneof them.I thoughtIhadit figured out: another 125ccelectricbike that will turn out to be abitof atoy without much considerationforwhat amotorcycle should be like, onlywhatconstitutes urbanmobility.

Iwaswrong. The Maevingisa thoroughlypleasantbiketoride withqualitycomponentsandlotsof thoughtputinto making it ride well. It isdesignedpurelyforcityriding with classicstylingandmodern power delivery. It’s idealfor carvingthrough busystreets(likeLondon wherewe tested), buttakeitoutofthecity and you willfinditslimitations.

TheRM1islimited to 45mph with three ridemodeswhich giveyou 45mph,28mphor20mph.Allofthem putdifferentdemandson thebattery andoffer adifferent ridingexperience, butinevery modethe powercomes onandgoesoffverysmoothly.There isno ‘on/off’feeltothe throttleand it’s easy to adjust theamountofdrive required.Accelerationisniceand crispinthe toppower mode; there is ever so littledelay inthe power demand goingtothe rearwheelbut it’s so marginalas to not be anissue. Powerisdelivered to the back

wheelbya Boschhubmotor which iscompletelysilent even by electric bike standards.Peakpower is6hp, whichdoesn’t soundlikealot,but to compensate there’s160Nmof torque.

RidingtheRM1was super-easy. It is nicely balanced; feels stable butnimble;cornersquickly but accurately;and doesprettymuch everythingyouwant from acitybike. It weighs only 111kgsoit’seasyto move around,and theseatisfairly low at 785mm.

There’sno regenerativebraking, whichmeansit just rolls onwhenyou closethethrottle,but thebrakes are pretty good,especiallythe rear that alsoactivatesonepistoninthethreepistonfront.Sounds oddbut works greatinpractice.Suspensionisfairly soft and simple butitdoesthe job.

The inevitable rangeissue.The differenceridingstyle makeswas evident.Back at base Ihad55%left, while someoneelseridingmore ‘reservedly’ had75%left.

Ihaveridden some bikes in this category andcome away feelinglike they’retoys. TheRM1isdifferent; developedby bikers withallthe consideration needed to make it nice to ride,ithandles so intuitively.Ican’t thinkof abetterway to carvethrough abig city.

COOL COMMUTER

Thereareplentyoffunandfunky optionsifyou’reaftera littlerunaroundwith awhiffofoff-road prowess.Thisisone ofourfavourites:UBCO’sfarm-readyutility vehiclethat’s gottwo-wheeldrive

UBCO2x2

Thisis asuper-coollittle AWD mopedcalledtheUBCO2x2that’s beendesigned,developedand testedtoitslimitsinthe wildsof NewZealand.

Startinglifejust10 years ago, UBCO’soriginalideawastocreate aruggedelectricride totackle the toughterrainsofitshomeland; somethingthat’dbecapableof sloggingitouton thefarmand withcarrying capacitytomakeit practical, too.Andthat’sexactly whatfoundersDarylNealand AnthonyClydedid.

ButitturnsoutthattheUBCO had abitof abroaderappeal thantheyoriginallythought,and thebikeslowlybutsurelyfound favourwith adventuroustypes whowanted atooltoexplore.I’m nofarmereither, butI’vehadmy eyeononefor awhile –and was eagerlyawaitingtheirarrivalon toBritishshores –butittookme afewyearstofinallywanglean opportunitytorideone.

The£4499UBCO2x2Adventure is acharmingthingintheflesh, withitsbicycle-likedesignand easy-to-manageseatheight.It’s light,too,weighinginat52.7kg withoutthebattery(andthen 65.7kgor79.7kgdependingon whetheryouoptforthe2.1kWhor 3.1kWhbattery).Thecontrolsare sparse,andawayfromtheLCD displayandsimpleswitchgear, there’sverylittletowritehome about.It’s strippedbackand simpleinalltherightways. Butdespiteappearances,there’s someprettycleverstuffgoing onwhenyoutakea closerlook. There’sadjustablesuspension frontand rear;anIP66-rated water-resistantbattery; akeyless ignition; remoteupdatesusing Bluetooth; aneatlittleFieldKit (withtoolsandusermanual)under theseat;19different pointsto makeiteasytocarrywhateveryou needtotakewithyoufortheride; and a150kgcarryingcapacity–andthat’swithoutgettingintothe twoweather-sealedhub-mounted motorsatthefrontand rear.

Itis alovelythingtoride.Witha topspeedofjust30mph,you’re notgoingtobe rushinganywhere –andit’sobviouslynogoodon biggerfaster roads –but ifyou’re

happy cuttingthroughbusytown traffic or gentlyamblingaround thecountrysideandtaking inthe views,it’sjusttheticket. Onthe road it feels light and nimble,whilethesoftly-sprung asstandard(thoughadjustable forbothpreloadand rebound) suspension does afine job ofkeepingthingspoisedand perfectlycomfortable. Thebrakes workwell,too,withtheradially mountedtwo-piston calipersand discs offeringmorethanenough biteto haulupthelightweightride quicklyandefficiently.

The2x2 reallycomesintoits ownoff-road. While Ididn’tget the chanceto get stuckintoanything tooextreme(thebadlands of rural Lincolnshirearen’texactlyknown fortheirsteephillsandabundant trails), Idid takethe opportunity tohead outonthelocallanes andwhiparound amate’sfarm. Thepluckylittleelectriclapped itup –slowlybutsurelypicking itswaythrough,overandacross everything Icould throwat it. Thefrontand rearmounted1kW motorshelpthecause,allowing theUBCOtofind tractionwhere otherbikescould onlydream of, andthe only slightlydisconcerting thing is thefrontwheel’stendency tospinupwhenyougive ita handful of throttleonanythinga bitslippery.

Best of all,it’sanabsolute doddletoride –itstwist-and-go motor,smallsize,lowcentreof gravityandlightweightmeanthat it’ssounintimidating thatevena completebeginnertobikeswould beveryhappytohave abimble about. Thosecompactdimensions won’tsuitallthough,and Isuspect thatridersonthetallerend of the spectrumwithlessyouthfuljoints thanminemightstruggle.

There’salot tolikeabout theUBCO2x2Adventure.It’s acharmingoff-roadcapable runaroundthat’scarved outits ownplaceinanincreasingly competitivemarket.It’dmakea greatcitycommuter; acracking firstbikefora16-year-oldiving outinthesticks;andwouldbe absolutelyperfect on theback ofa campertonipdownto the shops. I’dhave one. Ithinkthatsays alot.

WORDS: RossMowbray

ANOTHER OPTION

RGNTNo.1 Scrambler

£13,990/ www.

englishelectricmotorco.com

This is aseriouslycool, properly puttogether,retroish ScramblerfromSwedish firmRGNT. Thehandbuilt bike is packedwith quality componentsand is capable oftopping70mph (using theBoost button).The only problem’stheprice. We don’t thinkmanypeople will fancy splashingout closeto14 grand foran A2 licencelegal electricthat’ll struggletodo morethan60miles froma singlecharge.

Sur-Ron Light Bee L1e

£4299/ www.sur-ron.co.uk

We’rebig fansofSur-Ron’s rangeoffunkyoff-roaders. While theymighthavebeen adopted by slightly more unsavourysegmentsof society, there’snodenying they’recracking bits ofkit for blastingabout eitheraround townoronthetrails. They’re super-lightweight, nippy off theline,andsimple enough to improve(usingbig-name mountainbikeparts).

CakeOsa

£6010/ www.ridecake.com

We’rebig fansofCake’s incredibly versatilecargo bike.Alsobuilt in Sweden, thelearnerlegalrideisreally aimedat businesses who needtogetthemandtheir geararoundthe cityeasily. There’sactually overa thousand differentaccessory combinationstochoosefrom –and there’reeven outletsin thebatterysoyoucan plug in appliances.

OFF-ROADBRILLIANCE

Howaboutcombining amotor with abit of pedalpower?

It’sbecomingincreasinglycommontosee traditionalbikerbrandsgetting involvedin cycling–andwhywouldn’tthey?There are plentyofsimilarities.Gear’saneasywin –MTB kitis relativelyeasilyadaptedor repurposed fromthedirtbikemarket, with body armour, gloves,luggage andevenhelmets shared acrossthetwodisciplines.

That’sjustthestart.Plentyofbig-name motorcyclemanufacturersare nowbuilding bikes.too.Husqvarnaand GasGashavean impressiveline-upofeMTBs;Ducatiare playing inthedirtand on roadwiththeire-offering;and thenthere'sYamaha,whichlaunchedthree eBikes ayearago,thatarenowavailableto testrideacrosstheUK.

Yamaha’shistoryinthe productionof eBikeshasalreadybeen welldocumentedin MoreBikes.In anutshell,theyhave beeninit fromthestartwiththelaunchofthe PASsome 30yearsago.Sincethattimethe Yamaha electricmotorhasfednumerouswell-known cyclingbrandsaswell as thosecloserto home (ahem...GasGas).However, in amovethat ‘reclaimstheirtech’, Yamahalaunched three newbikesas Yamahain2023: astyle-laden commuter(Crosscore), aspiritedgravelbike (Wabash),andthise-MTB,theMoro07.

Thelaunchin theBegurregionofSpain,in constantsunshine, wastheperfecttestof

thenewride. Givemethe onea yearlater atAshton Court, Bristol; amud-bathafter substantialrainfall,freezingtemperaturesand nota canapeorglass of fizzinsight. Wouldthe Moro 07still do thejobinthe realworld? Well, thatdependson what... Themotor iswithout doubt thejewelinthe crown. Yamaha’s PWX3Drive Unithasbeen extremely well receivedbyallintheknow– and there’s beenplenty ofpraisefor the qualityof many of the componentsthat arehardtofind on abikethat costs‘just’£4100. It’sgot alot goingfor it;thoughit’sworth mentioningthat theoverallgeometry didreceive criticismfor inspiringa lackofconfidence,especially on downhill sections.

Ididn’tfind that;and Ihadasgoodan experiencethrashing aroundthe‘Court’asI didinthesun-baked hillsofSpain.Nimbleand exciting,the Moro 07did everythingI needed itto do,fromtackling slipperytrails atspeedto helpingme clamberupsteepclimbs.Theextra weighthelpedthetyresdiginontight corners, and the powerassistallowedmetotackle the trailsfasterforlonger, amplifyingmyenjoyment oftrails thatI have riddenmany timesbefore. TheMoro07wouldn’tstopmeridingmy regularMTB, norwould it replacea dirtbike–it’s acompletelydifferent kind ofride whichI wouldurge anyonetotry.

1.MOTOR

ThePW-X3 Drive unitis Yamaha’smost powerful electricmotorto date.85Nm oftorquewithamaximum power outputof500W is alotof punchfor abike weighing in at 23.9kg–andit’sall powered bya removable500Whbattery thatsitswithin theframe.

2.INTERFACE

Theinterface divides opinion.Itmayhave been designedwith simplicity in mind,buttheneed to memorisewhatdifferent LED combinations mean could easily be avoided with asimple LCD screen. Withexperiencethough, youwill findEco,Standard, High,MRB and Extra-Power modes.Apparently.

3.WHEELS

Givenmymoreregular ride ison 29”wheels,the650b cameas apleasantsurprise.

Extremelyagile,capable and stable onthetrails, thebike felt nimbleat pacethough well-groundedwith lotsof feedbackthroughthebars viathesuspension and Maxxistyresforeand aft.

4. BRAKES

Thebrakesareprovided by Magura. They’reMT5s with203mm Storm CL rotorsand4-pistoncalipers. Confidence-inspiring stoppingpower,certainly necessarywhenconsidering theweightofthebikeand inertia it will collectat pace.

5. SUSPENSION

Another instantly recognisable brand, the Moro-07 boasts RockShox Lyrik Select ChargerForks with160mmoftravel in the frontand theSuperDeluxe setat thereargiving 150mm travel. Plentyof damping for thetrails, thoughthey maystrugglewithmore aggressive drops.

WORDS: Charlie Oakman PHOTOS: YamahaEurope

Kawasaki Ninja 7

HYBRID THEORY

Whetheryou’re afanofthefuture,thegreen movement,orsimplywanttosave afewquid onyourmonthlyfuelcosts,Kawasaki’snew hybridNinja 7couldberightupyourstreet

Hybridtechnologyhasbeenaroundinthecarworld fordecades now. Indeed,you’veprobablypouredinto ahybrid Toyotataxiafter anight inthepubatsome pointinthepast...cabdriverslove aPrius fortheirfuel consumption roundtown,andthey’vebeencompulsory forsomecitytaxifirmsforyears.

Basically,youaddanelectricmotoranda generator tothetransmissionof apetrolengine.Whenthecaris coasting,braking,orslowingdown,thegeneratortakes thatwastedenergyandchargesthebatterywithit.When youspeed up again,the batterypowerstheelectricmotor, whichacceleratesthecar,savingfuel.Thepowertrain mixesthepetrolandelectricpowertocreate ahybrid output,givingthebestofbothworldsandsavingfuel.

Uptonow,ahybridenginehas beentoobigandheavytomake sensein abike,butKawasakihas manageditwithsomeverysmart technology.Theengineerstake usthroughthedesignofthenew Ninja 7hybridbeforewehead outfor aride,andit’scunning stuffindeed.Firstupisthe petrol engine,acompact451ccparallel twin,withitsfoundationsinthe Ninja400motor,andis apretty conventionalaffair.Themadness startsattheclutch –thisisa computer-controlledaffair,asis thegearbox,meaningthere’sno manualleverstooperate.Instead, there’s abankofbuttonsonthe left-handbar,alongside apairof upanddowngearshiftpaddles. Thecomputerlooksafterall the transmissiongubbins,allowinga battery-poweredelectrictraction motortoeitherdrivethebike completelyitselfinEVmode,or helpoutthepetrolengineinthe ecoandsporthybridmodes. Thisunique,intriguing powertrainlivesin achassis whichisprettymuchthepolar oppositeofthatdescription.It’s aplain-vanillasporty roadbike chassis,sharingmuchofits designandethoswith aNinja650 or400.So,youhaveconventional 41mmunadjustableforksanda preload-adjust rearmonoshock, plainbox-sectionswingarmand steeltubetrellisframe.Addin sometwin-pistonslidingNissin brakecalipersandyoucansee thatalmostalltheefforthas goneintothepowerplant with its ridingmodes. Andit’sthosethreeriding modesatthecentreof theNinja 7experiencethatI’maboutto sample.Theplanistotrundleout ofthecitycentreinclean,cool, silentbatterymode,thenfire uptheburnerswhenwehitthe motorway.

I’mpleasantlysurprised:EV modeisapuretwist-and-go experience,thebikeautomatically clickingupthroughthe gearsto amaximumoffourth gearand 60kph/38mph.Itgetstherepretty sharpishthanksto thetorquey motor –andwhileKawasakisays therangeis‘limited’,weeasilydo agoodfewmileswiththebattery gaugestillshowingplenty of charge.

It’s petroltimethough, and beforewehitthering road highway Iclickintoecohybrid mode;madeforeasy,longdistance commutingortouring with automaticormanual gearshiftavailable,andtheEV motorassistingthepetrol side inaneconomymode,saving gaswhereitcan.That promises good resultsinterms ofrange; Kawasakiclaims77mpg inthis mode,whichgivesabout240 milesfromthe14-litre petrol tank. Ecomodealsoswitches offthe petrolenginewhenyoustopthe bike,further saving fuel, noise, andheatintown.Whenyoupull away,the electricmotorgetsyou movingandthepetrolengine kicksinwhenit’sneeded.

Ispendthenext10milesorso cruisingin Ecomode,and the Ninja 7isverycivilised indeed. Theautomaticgearboxisnice andeasy, though abitclunkyfrom firsttosecondgear. Atspeedin thehighergears,it’sjustlikea big maxi-scooter.Youcanoverride thegearboxwiththe paddles atanytime,which kicksitinto manualmode–andwhenyou stop,itwillautomatically select firstgear(youcanswitchthisoff). Youcan’t reallyfeeltheelectric motor so much, unlessyoucome to ahalt,whenthepetrolengine stops. Weirdat first,butyousoon getusedtoit. We’vestuck tothemainroads

sofar,butthelead rider turns off andheadsfor thehills.Now, with somemuchmoretwisty Tarmac, we cansee howtheNinja 7works in sportmode. Thefirstchange isthatthere’snomorelazyauto box: sport ismanual-only,which the engineerssay theydid on purposetogive amoreinvolved experience.Ittakesme alittle whileto properly work it allout, though. Thegearshiftpaddles only change upwhenyou’re onthe gas,anddownwhen thethrottleisclosed. Now, that sounds logical,butitseemsthat Iquiteoftenwantto changegear inthe ‘wrong’conditions.Going foran overtake,I’llsometimes changedownquicklywithclutch andgear leverwithoutnecessarily closingthethrottlecompletely,or change upon aclosedthrottle. Youcan’t do thathere;you need amoredeliberateaction, abit of musclememoryrelearning, which takestime,butby the afternoon I’ve prettymuchnailed it. Ineed to be onmytoesallround, actually.The leadrider is quick,butthere’straffic,solotsof overtaking,which needsa spotof planningas Ilearnmyway round. OnegreatthingistheE-boost button, though:it’s areallyneat extrabitof grunt,like amini nitrousshot,thatworksinany

gear or revs.

Awayfromtheengine,the chassisisprettymuchlikea Ninja 650. The suspension is onthe softsidebutperfectly fine, and the brakes do asquidgy old job butalways stopyou.The Dunlop Sportmax tyresareanunusual Q5A fitmentand aren’t being stressed toomuch(it’s dryand 26 degrees), butworkwellanyway.

There’sdecentground clearance, andthe extramassofthebattery andmotor doesn’treallyget in theway.

Thenew Ninja 7worksas claimed,and is very usable comparedwith pureelectric powerthankstogreatrangeand decent performance. It’sabit fat andabit expensive, butneither areoutrageous.

This is abit outof theordinaryforFast Bikes; butifit’scapable ofgoingquick,then they’regoing to be interested. Ifyou want thefulllowdownonthe hybrid Ninja, scan the codeand snagyourself acopy, andyou’llget someseriouslyspecial roadtestsand technical featuresthrown in,too. Soundsgood,right?

WORDS: AlanDowds PHOTOS: Kawasaki

NEW DIRECTION

BritishbikerkitspecialistSpadahas undergone aradical revampof its brand,withoverthree-quartersofthe rangeremodelledinjust18months. Headingupthis transformation is JamesKent,ProductDevelopment andDesignManager.

In acareerspanning20years, Jameshasworkedformajorbrands

Whatdoes ittaketorevamp aclothing brand and come upwith awholenew rangeofkit? We satdownwithJames KentfromSpadatofind out

such as FatFaceandSuperdry,highend clothierHollandCooper,aswell assportsbrandsand even aballistic clothingmanufacturer. We spoketo James aboutthe remodellingoftheSpadabrand,his approachtodesignandhis visionforSpada inthe future.

Whatyouhavedone at Spada isn’tasimple rebadging exercise.Thisis amammoth revamp,introducingthree majorareas,further broken downbypricepoint.Wheredid thisconceptcomefromand howlonghasittakenfromfirst stepstolaunch?

Thankyou. Ithinkitwouldbe fairtosaythatwhen Ijoined Spada18monthsago we did not expectthecollectionandrebrand todevelopsoquickly –which is arealtestamenttoeveryone involved.

Itwascleartomefromdayone thatSpadawasalreadydoinga lotofthingsright,itjustneeded amorerefineddevelopment direction,whichissomethingthe teamhadalreadyidentifiedwhen Ijoined.Itwasunderstanding what relevanceourcurrentrange hadtotheridingcommunityand howbesttocategoriseit.

Thisiswhywenowsplitthe rangeintothreeclearriding preferences(Urban,Streetand Explore),eachwithitsownthree tierpricingsystem(Raw,Forge andEdge);thisallowedusto categoriseourexistingproducts withintherangeandhelpidentify gaps.Allwiththe purposeof providingridersaneasy-to-filter shoppingexperience. Riderscannowsimplypicktheir

profile andrequirementbased onfeatures,orprice,andbe presentedwith asuitablerange ofgear.

Whatare thechallengesto offeringthreepriceranges withinanarea? Youhaveto coverthebasics(protection, fit, value formoney), buthow does each bandtakethatstepup, whileensuringevery product reflects Spada’sbrandand style?

I’dsaymoreexcitingthan challenging.Ultimately our fundamentalprinciplesneed to becateredforineveryproductI design:protection, fit,andvalue formoney. We knowwhatweare as abrand, andthisiswhat our customers expect of us.

Ultimatelyit’sabout understanding therider’s requirements anddesigning products toaccommodatethem. Someonewho commutes 10 mileseverydaywon’tnecessarily need, orwant,thesamefeatures as ariderthatcovers thousands ofmilestouring,butiftheydo, they’refreetomake thatchoice, whichissomethingwe’ve not necessarilydonewellinthe past. Essentiallyourproducthierarchy worksbyproviding riderswith aclearbreakdown withineach profilewhilemaintainingthe

Spadabrand identityandstyle. While allour products comply withthe requiredsafety standards, higherpriced optionswillfeature morepremiummaterials, often enhancingdurability, comfort,and performance.

Designinnovation alsoplays ahugepartinthedevelopment process,andsomething I’malwayschallengingour manufacturerson. Allour productsundergo ameticulous design refinementprocess toensurethat eventhemost budget-friendlyoptionsreflect theSpadastyleand attentionto detail. Thismeansfindingcreative solutionstodesignelementswhile keeping costsinlinewithournew structure, thenewBlade hoodie being aperfectexampleof this. Initiallyintendedas asingleA ratedproduct, wewere ableto achieve adoubleAAratingatthe samepricepoint.

Youhaveworkedinhigh-end fashion,sportswearandeven ballisticclothing design.What doyoufeelthis variety of roles hasbroughtto your design approach,andwhatdoesthis bringtoSpadatomakethem stand out?

Yes,and Ihope I’ma better designer for it.I’ve hadthe privilegeofworkingfor some

fantastic brands as botha garmenttechnologistand designer,bothofwhichmean IcametoSpada with amuch better understandingofwhatis applicableandachievable. But Istill approachthedesign process in thesameway Ialways have: firstandforemostwork tothe brief, andstartwiththe functionover thefashion. Oncetheperformanceofthe productisassured, Icanfocus onthe style. This is whereIcan againleanonexperienceto reinforcethe Spada‘Rideand Wear’philosophy –essentially thatyourriding kitshould complementyourlifestyleand notjustprovide protection. Thelatest collection takes stylecuesfrom streetwear,snow sports,and conventionaland historical biker jackets, allofwhich I’vehadexperience with.It’s been an opportunity to develop areal diverserange, craftedforalltypes of riders. This is whatsets Spadaapartfrom everyone else.

Whatotherprojects have youworkedonthatyou’re particularlyproudof,andwhat werethechallengesin bringing themto fruition?

Whatwe’veachievedwithSpada inthepast18monthscertainly rankshigh,butthereare other projectsthatI’llalwaysbe particularlyproudof.

AtSuperdry Iwasprivileged tobeinvolvedincreatingthe launchoftheirSUPERDRY SNOWcollection,whichwasthe introductionof atechnicalproduct into ahighstreetfashion brand –arangethatnotonlyneeded to retainthebrand’siconic aesthetic,butalsohadtoperform exceptionallywellinextreme weatherconditions,bothofwhich wesuccessfullyachievedand continuestothisday. Anothernotable,andmore relevant,achievementisthe designanddevelopmentof EngineHawkmotorcycleclothing. Thiswasmyfirstroleas afullyfledgeddesigner,and Iwas taskedwithdevelopingtherange fromconcepttoconception. Thecollectionwas aresounding success,exceedingcustomer expectationsandachievingovera millionpoundsinsalesduringthe firstday.

Thiswasmyintroductionto themotorcyclecommunity, and anindustry Ifeltanimmediate connectionwith.

Howmuchof achallengeisit tobringyourownvisionand conceptsto acompanylike Spada?Howdoyoubring innovativeideastotherange while respectingwhathas gone before?

When abrandcarries so much history(30years),thechallenge

will alwaysbestriking the right balance betweeninnovation andtradition.InSpada’scase it provideda solidfoundation to buildon,anopportunity to focus onevolution,not revolution–updating andre-engineering items that workedwellandintroducing newlineswhere theyfellshort–allalignedwiththebrandsDNA. It also helpedthat theSpada philosophyverymuchaligned withthewayIwanted to design ridinggear, although Ican’t take creditforeverything.Asa relativelysmallteamtherewas alotofcollaboration,anditwas thisprocess that allowedusto bringthenewcollection tomarket muchsoonerthanexpected. WhatI hopewe’veachieved istheperfectbalancebetween retainingour currentriders, whilst providingnewalternativeoptions fortheridingcommunity.

Canyoutakeusthroughthe steps youtaketodesigna projectfromstart tofinish?

Theprocessofdesigninga product fromstart tofinishis quite anin-depthprocess.

To summarise:

Identifydesigndirection

■ This isthestart of theprocess andisessentially establishinga developmentplan, outliningthe designobjectivesandendgoal.

Market research

■ Agreat waytobenchmark andidentifyopportunity for improvement.

Materialsourcing

■ Workingwiththe right manufacturersandsourcing materialsthatalignwithdesign directionandexpected quality standards.

Identifyingoptions/styles

■ Developdifferentconcepts, including styles,colours, and end uses.

Creatingdesignpacks

■ Translateconcepts into comprehensive technicalpacks to providemanufacturerwithclear productioninstructions.

Briefingfactories

■ Supplytechnicalpacksalong with clearcommunicationon qualitystandardsandtimelines.

Receiving prototype samples

■ Comparesamples to design specificationandquality standards.

Wearer Testing/Refiningfit

■ Itakearealhands-onapproach tofit,usingthisasanopportunity tomake any necessary adjustments.

Confirmingquality standards

■ Evaluatefinalsamples to ensuretheymeetwithexpected design specification andquality standards. These sampleswillbe used as the qualitycontrolmetric whentheorderarrives.

Alongsideallthe abovesteps, wewill becontinuouslytesting fabricsand constructionbefore thefinal garmentissubmittedfor CE certification.

What does atypicaldaylook like foryou?

Thatscertainlythebeautyofthis job; Icanconfidentlysaythat no twodaysare everthesame. Let’staketodayforexample. We’rejust aboutto release our new collectionsoI’vespentthe firstpartofmy dayonvideocalls talking to suppliers andreviewing finalsamples beforetheyship. Then Ispenttime with purchasing reviewing ourcurrent stock inventory.I’m nowenjoying talking withyou guysat MoreBikes beforeIfinishmy dayanalysing riderfeedbackandreading commentsonoursocial platforms –thisisagreatwayto identify developmentopportunitiesand forinspiration.

That’sthree-quartersofthe brand revamped.What’snext?

Well,atthe momentI’mfocused onthe newcollectionarriving in April.Public reaction tothe waythe range looks hasbeen extremely positive, but I’m excitedtoseewhattheriding communitythink whentheygeta chancetoactually wearit–and thisfeedbackwill determine our design directionforthenext collection.

Inthemeantime, I’vealready started to look atourlegacy

productsand howtheycan be updatedwiththelatest branding andcolouroptions, andI’ll continuetoworkclosely withour manufacturersto identify areas for improvementor refinement in bothournew andexistinglines.

■ James andSpada have takentheirrangeina new andexcitingdirection,and iffeedbackfromtheirrange revealisanything toby,a successfulseasonliesahead forthe British brand. We can't waittosee what they come up withnext.

1988was agoodyearfor Yamaha.Fourridersinthetop fiveandaworld championshiptitle toboot.Here’sthestory

Words: SteveCooper Photo: MortonsMediaArchive

With 10 ridersacrosseight teamsand aseriously improved bike therewas ahopeandexpectation back in Iwata that everyone would have something to celebrate. Oneofthe numerouschanges includedopening up theangle between the twobanksofcylinders, to allowfor morespaceforthereedvalveinduction system.With some150 bhpontap thebike certainlyhadthe powerbutthequestion remained–woulditshandling be up the task in hand.

Marlboro Yamaha TeamAgostini had EddieLawsonaslead rider with Belgian Didierde Radiguèsaswingman.Sonauto Gauloise-Yamaha with ChristianSarron

and PatrickIgoaalsoappearedtobe fielding astrongteam. Butthere wasalsoa newboy ononeoftheteams whohad just come upfromthe250s –Wayne Rainey.

Runningfor theLucky Strike Yamaha RobertsTeam, theyoung Californianwas under King Kenny’swing. With somefour yearsofGPexperience on250shimself, he’d spottedsome seriouspotential in Rainey, even if some punditsdidn’t think he wasthat good.Thedetractorswould soon be eating humblepie!

Allthe ridersweretheoreticallyon similar if not identicalmachinesbut Marlboro and Gauloisehad Michelin tyreswhich were said to offer better compounds. Doubtlessthisdidn’t go down to well withtheLucky Strike boys whowerealready startingtofeellike thepoorrelativesgiventhat theYamaha

factoryappearedtobegivingthemless directsupport.DespitethisKevin Magee took acheekyfirstplace at Jarama –no doubtupsettingthe morefavoured Yamaha teamsand riders.

Despitehaving‘sorted’YZR500s thebikes remainedWIP (aka Work In Progress)throughoutthe seasonas considered upgrades wererolledout. Shortenedswing arms appeared part waythrough theyear, then it wasextra radiatorstobring down theoperating temperaturesofthehardworking engines. Next up were carbonfibre discbrakes–butthese came with caveat,theyhad to be kepthotortheysimplydidn’t function properly;and numerous riderswere initiallycaughtout by the‘upgraded’ technology.

Overthefifteenracesoftheseason

it wasEddie Lawson that took thetitle from Hondamounted Wayne Gardner on the HondaNSR500 by 252 points to 229. RaineySarronand Mageerodetothird fourth andfifth places to give Yamaha its fifth500cc Constructor’sChampionship… It hadallfinally come togetherand Yamaha were riding high.Hondawasn’t happytoplaysecondfiddlethough, and were already plotting revengewhich would ultimately come fromanunexpected quarter.

TYRES

ForSale

BMW R1200GS,2008,32,000 miles,MoT June,wirewheels, goodcondition,TomTomRider GPS,BMWluggageandinner bags,Touratecht/bag,touring sparesandtools,manualetc, £4900Tel.John01323895572; 07752128527.EastSussex.

BMW R1250GSTERallye,2022, justunder4000miles,fewwear andtearmarksbutstillinvery goodcondition,servicedinJuly 2023byKHMotorcycles,2nd owner,allkeys,datatagged, soldasseen,£12,950collection fromNottinghamTel.07832 485175.Nottingham.Email. marksmithzzr14@gmail.com

BMW R80GSwasbuiltin December1987,reg1989,8900 miles,DVLAMoTcertification from2006topresentismatching engine &framenumbers,boxfile fullofreceiptsforparts &work done,bikeisonstandardbores &standard crank as onewould expectforsuch alowmileage bike,£14,000Tel.07870 847213.

BSA A10GoldenFlash,1960, veryoriginal,650cc,twin,fully enclosedchaincaseandairfilter housing,newbattery,ready to ride,photosandV5Cavailable, freedeliveryarranged,£5450 Tel.01723372219.Yorkshire.

HONDA CB125RABS,2018, greatcondition,12,025 miles,newMoT13/03/25no advisories,new Dunlopfront tyre,newdrivechain,fullservice history,topbox,padlock &heavy dutychain,bikecover,viewin Winchester,canarrangedelivery ifrequired,cashorbanktransfer, £2995Tel.07884180883. Email.cameronjohn@mac.com

HONDA VFR750, 1992,metallic green,excellentoriginal condition,owned20years, runsanddrivesverywell,good tyresandchain,MoTtillMay canreMoTifrequired,£1450 Tel.07775925395.South Lanarkshire.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON 1200 lowriderwithscreenleather panniers& crashbars,only3000 milessoit’slikenew,agood honestbike,reluctantsale,£6650 onoTel.07988149448.Lancs.

HONDA CBFrearsection silencersOE,excellentcondition, off2000milesbike,smallindent toleftnarrowpipeunderneath, manufacturing fault,notvisible whenfitted,£600,£25postage Tel.07434513161.Lancashire.

HONDA XL250S,1981,23,000 miles,23”frontwheel,£2000. AlsoMZ301SaxonFun,1993, 30,000miles,£2000plus spares,bothbikes areredTel. 07751628528.WestMidlands.

HONDA VFR1200FD,metallic red, 29,500miles,serviced (recall)rack/boxoptional,£4990. HondaCB750Four,1979,black, 9000miles,newpipes,tyres, serviced,£5490Tel. 07759 607498.

KAWASAKI W650,2002,red andcream,excellent condition, 16,000 miles, £3900Tel.01291 423392.

KAWASAKI W650, 2005,one owner,MoTAugust,27,000 miles,veryreliablesome tarnishingonengine,some extras,notfittedsomespares factoryworkshopmanual, £2500.Tel.07853929691.

LEXMOTO Vendetta250V twin,20plate,turnsheadswith stainlesssteel straightthrough exhaust,only3200miles, excellentcondition, knobbly tyres,Scottoiler,recently serviced,currentlySorn,in garage,£2500 ono Tel. 07505 003737.NorthYorkshire.

NSU Quickly,1965,V5inuse, newtyres,re-paintedthree years ago,blue/cream,twospeed N23 model£950onoTel.Les01625 576295. Macclesfield. Email. ames_lesmondo46@yahoo. co.uk

ROYALENFIELD 350cc, Treg, sound,MoTAugust,alloytank, wheels,tyresasnew,£2400 ono.BSAA10clutchcovers, £275Tel.07956121054.

ROYALENFIELD Meteor 350, 22/10/22,Stellarred,as new,only2000 miles,many extrasfactory fitted,Sorned inwintermonths,full service historyandwarrantiesformore information,alsoclothingand helmet, bargain£3200.Tel. 07836 700313.Kent. SYM Cruisym,2023,125cc, learnerlegalmaxiscooter, 4900miles,blueandsilver, largeunderseatstorage,new Symforcessale,excellent condition garaged, 100mpg, comfybigscooter, £2699. Tel. 07784 499299.Yorkshire.

SUZUKI GSX1400,2003, blue,whitewheels,excellent condition,MoTJuly,Michelin Road 4s,parthistory,all bills, 17,900miles,£5750onoTel. 07774172081. Cheshire.Email. glynstanway@gmail.com

TRIUMPH BonnevilleT120R, 1970,650cc,matchingframe andenginenumbers,notrattles orsmoke, excellentcondition, runsverywell,ringformore details,£6750onoTel.07887 674467.Hampshire. SUZUKI DRZ400SM,2006, the2ndowner,hasfullservice history,twosetsofkeys,itis ULEZ Compliant,V5inmyname, anyquestionsdonothesitateto message,£3850SouthCroydon. Email.charles.ballards@ googlemail.com

heatedgrips,fender extender and aradiatorguard, thebike isdatataggedandhas afullservicehistoryandhasalways beentreated withACF50,£5199 Tel.07552832382.South CroydonEmail.jonjoe.ballards@ gmail.com

YAMAHA VMax1200,Full Power,1991,immaculate, totallystandardUKbike,12,300 drymiles,perfectrunner,new Avons,onepreviousowner,readvertisedduetotimewaster, £6450.EastYorkshire.Email. johnturner8mlsn@yahoo.co.uk

TRIUMPH Daytona675R,2016, Rspecificationwith carbonfibre, Ohlinssuspension,quickshifter, switchableABS,clearLEDtail light,goodtyres &chain,always servicedtoschedule,newMoT, servicebookletandmanual, 2keys,19,500miles,rides superbly,looksstunning,£6999 Bristol.Email.haynessean@ outlook.com

YAMAHA MT07,2018,bought fromWoodfordMotorcyclesin 2018,thebikeisanunmolested exampleandtheonlyextras fitted aregenuine Yamaha

YAMAHA YS125,servicedin December2023andfittedwith newchainandreartyre, MoTin AprilbutisbookedinforMarch renewal,bodywork/headlight hasminorscratches,comes withOxfordheatedgrips,phone holder,dashcam,Oxfordbike chain,Oxforddisklock,£1800Tel. 07753105108.Stevenage. Email. danny_crooks@hotmail.co.uk

PartsForSale

KAWASAKI ZZR600,1990-93, fullbodykit,mudguardandtank, allingoodcondition,£120ono. FZ12008Yamahastandard silencerlinkpipe,exhaustvalve andcableclutch,springs, gaskets,£60onoTel.07758 515696.Lincolnshire.

TRIUMPH Bonneville,black leather,CafeRacer,humped seat withTriumphontheback, asnewcondition,fits2017 onwardshardlyusedcost£200, bargain£100onoTel.07505 003737.NorthYorkshire.

TRIUMPH Thunderbird900, chromeheadlightbucket,7” diameter,excellentcondition, £70,£5postage.Alsorearbrake cylindercover, 2boltfitting, black,excellentcondition,fits 1995onwards,£35,£5postage Tel.07434513161.Lancashire.

YAMAHA XSR700 complete originalexhaustsystem,asnew, £75.YamahaYFZ450barreland piston95mm(fivevalve),£45. Disc padsnew,Suzuki DR650 Bombardier,KawasakiZR750 TriumphDaytona/Spring(R),£8 setTel.01772783774.Lancs. Email.derek.leach@icloud.com

Wanted

CLASSICMOTORCYCLE wantedanybike,anymake, anycondition,goodprice paid bygenuineenthusiast Tel. Alan 07432566835.

JACKETS Belstaff‘Trailmaster’, D.Lewis‘Lightning’1960’s-70’s, 38”-40”,806‘zipper’race gloves,T-shirts, Heuer, Assen TT,AGV,Castrol,KNMV,etc, alsocloth/pinbadgesTel.01277 200530.

TRIUMPH T140V,1978,green andsilver,UKmodelTel.07816 123450.Devon.

WANTED for aBSAB40 greenlane,rollingchassis,a suitableengine,B40,B25or similarcontactwithdetails Tel. David07436002647.Email. thehubbards1954@hotmail.com

Miscellaneous

BSA Bantam,gearchangelever, £15. Eversure carramps,one ownerfromnew,drystored,no damage,pair£20Tel. 01299 266565.Worcs.

ERDE310 motorbiketrailerfor sale,lights,newtyres,invg order,£325.Tel.07872969902. HAYNESMANUALS new,Suzuki GSXR600,01to03,GSX-R750 00to03,GSX-R100001to02, £10.SuzukiGSX-R600 &75006 to09,£10.SuzukiGSX-R60097 to00, GSXR75096to00, £10. UsedYamahaIT175/Jgenuine manual,£10allpluspostTel. 01926770198.Warwickshire.

LEATHERJACKET withtassels usedoneweek,small,£30. AssenTT‘70s rare b/cap,£20. Sheenebook,T-shirt,poster, new.£30.BillLomassigned ClassicBikeShowGuide‘85 &‘81, £20.MBA125owners/ sparesmanuals2xnewboxed, £105.12vbulbsH4,3,21Wetc, MV‘98RallyItalyb/caprare, £20.750SMinichamp,new boxed, £175. Large collection magazinearticles,badges,TT/ GPbikesetc£5each.Classic &Racebooks/magazines,sell swapengineers &AFtoolsTel. 01277200530.

LEATHERJACKET pristine condition, Ihaveanasnew used BMWleather ‘heritage’ styleleatherjacket,size(Euro) 44,back,elbowandshoulder armour,plainblack withdiscrete BMWtag,emailmeforpicture etc,£125.Suffolk.Email.peter@ foxyman.co.uk

LEATHERJACKET good condition,size 44/46”, £45. Leatherboots,goodcondition, size10,£45.Newleatherjacket, 44/46”,£70.NewJethelmet/ visor, 73/8blue,£35Tel.07759 607498.Berks.

LEATHERWAISTCOAT black, sizemedium,zippedandstuds, fourpockets,asnew,never worn,£40collectorpaypostage Tel.07919884322.WestMids. OXFORD BoneDrygentsm/c jacket,XL,thermallining,elbow shoulderbackprotection,£25. M/Chelmetopenface,visor, grey,L,£15.M/Cgloves,black, knuckleprotection,XL,£10,all as newconditionTel.01299 266565.Worcs.