MoreBikes - April 2020 - Preview

THE WORLD’S

BIGGEST BIKING MONTHLY!

✸WORLD✸ EXCLUSIVE

On Two Wheels

The icon returns.

We’ve been for a blast on it.

BMW’s BAGGER

How the K1600B stands up to its rivals

TRIUMPH’S SECRET TIGER

CAUGHT OUT in tests and 2021 bound

KTM’s 390 Adventure WORLD FIRST RIDE on the tiny tearaway

NEWS 3

CAUGHT! Here’s our SPY SHOTS off Triiumph’s secret 1200 Tiger Slimmed down, uprated and better all round. The 2021 bike was snapped undergoing road tests abroad

Words: Tony Carter This is the new Triumph Tiger 1200 undergoing final tests on a secret road route. And whilst our brilliant spy snapper managed to bag a few prime shots of the bike in action, what the photos tell us is that the British firm is really upping the ante on the big Adventure bike.

Keen to let the new Tiger 900 sell to its own marketplace, Triumph clearly thinks that there’s room for a bigger

Adventure staying in the range – and there’s a lot of changes coming from the British factory.

The big bike keeps the 1200 triple motor, but it looks seriously slimmed down in width when compared to the current bike. The shaft drive has been completely re-designed and the single-sided swingarm has gone, replaced with a doublesider complete with a new torque compensator.

On this model, the bike has wirespoked wheels (the 2021 motorcycle, when it comes out, might split its model variants with wire and cast spoke wheels like the Tiger 1200 currently does – five Tiger 12s have cast wheels, three have wire-spoked wheels), which look more narrow than on the current bike. The front wheel in particular looks like it is a 21-inch wheel, which is better for any rough stuff.

Under the motor is a large skid pan, so this is pretty much a big Adventure that’s at least meant to be able to get semi-serious off-road.

The suspension has switched from WP to Ohlins; there’s still Brembo radial brakes fitted; and the new bike’s

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Street Triple R £8,900

beak, screen and bodywork have been sharpened up, too. Just in front of the rider’s knees are flip-out, see-through wings to aid weather protection/cooling as needed.

Cosmetic touches continue, with the indicators now sitting at the very end of the seat unit and tucked into the cut-out bodywork alongside the re-designed headlight.

We weren’t expecting this motorcycle to appear in a much-

finished form for a while yet, but by the standard of finish on the bike caught in our spy shots, the 1200 looks like it’s much further along the road-ready plan than was understood.

Even the flatter, wider petrol tank and heated rear seat look ready to go. All this means that we could end up seeing the new 1200 this summer as part of Triumph's 2021 model range.

Kawasaki patents a three-wheeled motorcycle

R18 Cruiser confirmed

Filed in Brazil, the 14 patents from the BMW factory leave absolutely no doubt that the spy shots we first brought you back in June last year ARE two versions of the R18 cruiser.

Clothed and unclothed, the bike uses the same R18 motor and looks identical in the drawings to our selection of shots of the bike during ongoing road tests last year. Expect it to appear later this year and be part of BMW’s 2021 range.

There’s a bunch of patent drawings that have appeared in Italy showing a threewheeler from Kawasaki – but these particular designs show that Kawasaki isn’t solving the two-wheels-atthe-front problem in the same way that Yamaha did with its Niken three-wheeler.

In the detailed illustrations, it’s clear that the Kawasaki is going to use a quadrilateral system for the front pair of wheels that allows the front to lean simultaneously, but stay parallel to each other at the same time. A lever system means there’s a single front shock absorber, separate from the steering which works for both wheels.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen more on a multi-wheel option from Kawasaki. Back in October last year we told you how Kawasaki Italy’s Giavanni Poli (Technical Director) confirmed that a FOUR-wheeled Kawasaki was on the way.

MoreBikes, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529529 Editor Tony Carter

The price for the new Triumph roadster has been announced, and it’s £400 less than the bike it replaces.

Power output stays the same with the 765cc (116hp and 57lb-ft), but the bike does spin up through the revs quicker and it also comes with an Up and Down quickshifter, new LED lights and fresh paint and graphics.

Vale’s big secret

Go to MoreBikes.co.uk and watch two videos where Valentino Rossi takes you round his secret museum and talks about the truth of riding 500cc GP two-stroke machines. They’re well worth a watch and give a fascinating glimpse into Rossi away from the track. Search ‘Rossi’.

Editorial design Fran Lovely Publishing Director Dan Savage Publisher Tim Hartley Email editorial@morebikes.co.uk Production Editor Mike Cowton

Group Advertising Manager Sue Keily Advertising Mirela Vulaj 01507 529409 and Chloe Jones 01507 529575 Advertising deadline for May issue Wednesday April 1, 2020 Distribution 01507 529529 Marketing Manager Charlotte Park Commercial Director Nigel Hole Customer services number 01507 529529

Telephone lines are open Monday-Friday 8.30am-5pm Call 01507 529529 or visit classicmagazines.co.uk/MB10 or email subscriptions@mortons.co.uk MoreBikes is published monthly on the third Friday of the month by Mortons Media Group Ltd and printed by Mortons Print.

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4 NEWS

Robert Pattinson on a rat bike in The Batman movie

A nod from the Editor All systems go for a new biking world

Tony Carter

The species continues

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hat a future we have in store. And what a terrific time to be alive we are in right now.

Just over the horizon are yet to be thought of electric and hydrogenpowered motorcycles that will leave everything we have known and now know consigned to the annals of history. In two or three generations’ time the very thought of putting petrol into a motorcycle will seem as archaic as having specific areas of a rev range in which to find the most torque on your bike.

Imagine having to explain not only about the sheer danger of filling up at a flammable liquid station amid hot engines and other vehicles driving past just feet away, but also that your first two-stroke bike didn’t make much power below 9000rpm and the fun was all over by 11,250rpm.

Madness!

Right now, we’re at the final stages of motorcycle evolution (in terms of petrol-powered, super performers).

In strict evolutionary terms – these are known as VIST – this is the evolutionary principle of time. We’ve had the variation phase of petrol motors (1920s/30s motorcycles that ranged wildly in motor layout, ideas and execution), then the inheritance phase (bikes that were good were bought in large numbers, spurring similar, slightly improved versions that in turn sold well). Up next was selection (as the not so good or practical styles of motorcycles disappeared through lack of success in the dealerships), which leaves us in the final section of evolution: time.

With variation, selection and inheritance out of the way we can enjoy the final stages of a long journey as – over a period of the time we have left – what we have to work with quickly becomes even more efficient and productive from the natural elements in the equation. You can only get so much power from a given quantity of fuel, after all.

This means that we have, arguably, the best performing motorcycles that have ever existed with petrol engines.

And our motorbike chassis are about as brilliant as they can be. We can get motorcycles with huge mpg figures, we can get motorcycles with outrageous bhp figures. In reality, there really isn’t a bad motorcycle out there these days and (through selection) we’ve ended up with a motorcycle available to fill almost any niche you may need.

Many can fill more than one niche, these are the most clear indication of evolution of motorcycles at work. They adapt and spread.

So enjoy it whilst we can.

Motorcycles have never been better.

And we’re at the apogee of bikes and when this is naturally over, evolution dictates that we will take the next big step. How exciting.

Oh, and we’ve got two massive first rides this month so enjoy them, too.

Fan photos have emerged of not only the new Batcycle used in the upcoming film The Batman – and now more photos were taken by members of the public showing Bruce Wayne (Pattinson) sitting on a beaten-up old bike, rocking the 1980s ‘London Courier’ look with baggy trousers, bomber jacket and massive canvas backpack.

The bike that Pattinson is on looks very much like a Honda CB750 (dohc kind of gives that bit away – but hey, we might be completely wrong here, for all we actually know this is a Harley-Davidson electric LiveWire made up to look like a snotter for the magic of movies).

Nice to see that motorcycles will continue to play a part in the film that’s going to centre around the second year of the Batman story in DC Comics.

Elsewhere in a wet Glasgow, the new Batcycle (see story below) was seen with a stuntman riding it around the Necropolis cemetery during rehearsals for filming at what it’s thought will become Arkham Asylum in the new movie.

The film, which will focus on the second year of The Batman’s storyline from DC Comics, is due to be released in June 2021 and alongside Pattinson it stars Colin Farrell, Peter Sarsgaard and Zoe Kravitz.

It’s the first time we’ve seen a new Batcycle since 2008’s The Dark Knight movie, where the truck-tyred hingedchassis creation was developed and ridden by French stunt ace (and former trials champion who once competed on the televised 1970s BBC TV series Kick Start) Jean-Pierre Goy.

Holy Batbikes! Here’s the new Batcycle!

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Here’s our first look at the new Batcycle, courtesy of a body/stunt man paddling it around a wet Glasgow in February.

Bar-end mirrors, massive cylinder blocks, rorty café-racer bend pipes and a retro slap-on top fairing all make the latest incarnation of the Bat’s two-wheeled ride pretty much bang on poseur’s trend.

As you’d expect, the bike has been doing a lot of back and forthing as shots are set up for the incoming movie, due to be released next year, and there’s video of Batman taking a tumlbe (go to MoreBikes. co.uk and search ‘Batman’), which may or may not be a planned thing that happened. You be the judge.

Shark Helmets launches range of iridium visors that you can use at NIGHT

And over in the Matrix corner...

Head over to MoreBikes.co.uk to see some behind-the-scenes video footage of Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss filming for the upcoming Matrix 4 movie. And they’re using motorcycles in the sci-fi outing.

It’s a brief bit of footage grabbed from the side of the road, but it does confirm that Matrix 4 is featuring Ducatis. In the footage Reeves is harnessed to an overhead rig whilst Moss fakes riding the bike.

The whole set up is locked into a ‘Process Trailer’, which lets the film crew do it’s work safely while moving along a road.

In the rear shot you can just see that this Scrambler, although it looks like an 1100, has an underslung

800-style exhaust and a car mudguard over the back wheel. This is probably to make sure that no part of Keanu gets caught in the back wheel whilst he does whatever it is he’s going to do in the scene.

The Italian brand has already been in previous Matrix films with Carrie-Anne Moss’ character Trinity rushing through a motorway chase on the back of a 999. In the original film, Trinity was also seen riding a Triumph Speed Triple.

And now we know that a Ducati Scrambler is going to be in at least one major scene in the upcoming film, which is due out in cinemas next May. Which is good news if you like the Matrix films, Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss or Ducatis.

Shark Helmets has just revealed a new range of iridium visors – and they’re certified for use in the day and at night.

If you own a Shark Spartan, Spartan Carbon, Skwal 2 and D-Skwal 2, gone are the days of having to carry a spare visor for when the light fades. That’s because the French helmet specialist has released a range of clever iridium visors.

They’re available in four different colours – light blue, light green, light red and light pink – and are scratch-resistant and Pinlock ready. They’ll also be available for Shark’s Spartan GT and Spartan GT Carbon in the not-too-distant future.

If you fancy kitting out your lid with one, they’re available in dealers right now from £59.99.

NEWS 5

BMW patents front wheel ‘catcher’ Design will cut forces in head-on impacts

In a head-on collision, a motorcyclist will usually come off far worse than in any other type of crash. That’s largely due to the forces of the impact having nowhere to go and nowhere to dissipate, so the full impact gets transmitted straight back into the bike and rider.

BMW thinks it has worked out a way to cut the amount of force in these type of crashes and thanks to a patent filed in January, we can see what the German factory is thinking.

The idea is based around a very specific ‘V’ module that comes off the bottom of the frame (or front of the engine if it’s being used as a stressed member of the chassis design). The ‘V’ sits at the same height as the front wheel’s axle.

In the event of a crash, the front wheel is usually pushed back into the motorcycle and is forced to one side or the other, becoming nothing to do with any possible force dissipation – but with this design the front wheel

is pushed back into the ‘V’, held pretty much in a straight line in the direction of motion into the impact, which then means that sufficient force is dissipated into the front wheel as it collapses.

Effectively, the design turns the front wheel into a crumple zone to get rid of a lot of energy on impact.

BMW has obviously got one of these designs working because in the patent the German factory has submitted, it goes into very specific detail about the angles used in the ‘V’.

BMW says that the ‘V’ module has opening angles of between 50 and 90 degrees – although ideally if it can be fitted with angles of 60 and 80 degrees then that’s even better for catching the front wheel and holding it in such a way as to use all the ‘breaking’ properties of the front wheel. The patent goes on to state that the device should also be able to withstand lateral forces of at least 1000 Newtons.

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The ‘V’ has to be wide enough to still catch the front wheel if it is pushed either side of a central line.

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Mike the Bike movie

The patent is desig gned to aid in the eff ffect f of a head-on collision n where the impact forces travel through h the front wheel.

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Thee ‘V’ iss placed at the bottom of the bike’ss frame or the bottom of the engine, in a position to catch the front wheel as it’s forced backwards.

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Once the wheel is in the ‘V’ the force dissipates into the wheel itself, which can collapse to take energy away from the rest of the motorcycle.

Aussie movie superstar Eric Bana is making a film about Isle of Man TT legend Mike ‘The Bike’ Hailwood.

Bana is writing, co-directing and starring in the feature film that will tell the story of the near-mythical return of Hailwood to the Mountain Course 42 years ago. Hailwood had not raced on The Island for 11 years when he returned on the Sports Motorcycles Ducati and won.

Zontes going big?

A graphic render is doing the rounds which suggests Chinese factory Zontes is working on an 800cc triple for 18 months’ time. There are several rumours swirling about what we’re going to see first from Zontes, but the one that’s getting the most attention is its three-cylinder 800cc naked.

Zontes’ 310cc range has made waves since its recent introduction into the market and if these rumours are true, it could soon be entering the bigger bike marketplace.

6 NEWS/WHITE DALTON

Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycle go to war (sort of) Harley-Davidson has (unofficially) bitten back at Indian Motorcycle, following the resurgent brand’s recent marketing campaign, which pits its new Challenger against H-D’s Road Glide.

To show off the Challenger’s 122hp V-twin engine, Indian’s filmed it going up against Harley-Davidson’s Road Glide in a drag race and a taco truck tow-off. And it’s even offering back-to-back rides of both bikes at its dealers.

It’s a bold move from Polaris-owned Indian, and we can’t imagine Harley bosses are particularly pleased with

the campaign, which might explain H-D’s ‘unofficial’ advert which is currently doing the rounds on social media. Apparently, the advert hasn’t been officially sanctioned by the Milwaukee factory, but even if that’s so, it’s a pretty hilarious comeback. ‘Honestly now, did you spend your youth dreaming about someday owning a Polaris?’

There’s been no rebuttal from Indian just yet, but we can’t see Harley-Davidson’s words going without a response for long. Sit tight. This could get interesting.

Is Harley-Davidson working on a sportbike?

Hero MotoCorp boss says yes to partnership with Harley-Davidson

Could it look like this?

H-D’s been in a bit of a slump recently.

It’s not selling their same old bikes in the same old quantities, which might explain why it’s stepping out of its comfort zone with a range of slightly left field machines.

There’s talk of small capacity bikes coming very soon; there’s speculation about a couple mo ore electric models; and now,= it seem ms there’s a sportbike on the e horizon, too.

Although there’ss been no official confirmation from m H-D, this is what our pals at Japanese biker magazine Young Machine reckon it’ll look like. At first glance, it looks

Th he MB legal co olumn is co ompiled by managing m pa artner Andrew ‘Chef’ P Prendergast and his bike-riding barristers and ssolicitors at W White Dalton M Motorcycle S Solicitors.

The firm deals w with personal injury claims a and its sister company company, Motor Defenc Defence Solicitors, deals with all the motoring offences.

White Dalton lawyers have a vast knowledge of bike law, and they have full bike licences, too. They don’t act for insurance companies or the prosecution. White Dalton is Britain’s premier specialist motorcycle law practice, and if its professionals don’t know the answer to your question, there probably isn’t one. Don’t rely on the advice from your insuranceappointed solicitor, get proper independent advice.

For road traffic offences, call the Motor Defence solicitors on 0800 280 0912.

For non-offence cases, call White Dalton motorcycle solicitors on 0800 783 6191.

a little out there, but Young Machine is usually pretty spot on with its design renders. Ignoring its bikini fairing and number board, it’s not all that dissimilar from the Bronx streetfighter, which we’re expecting to see at the end of the year.

Q&A Q

Our specialist motoring solicitor Andrew Prendergast guides readers through their legal trials and troubles

I got spanked off my GSXR1000 by a van as I was filtering through traffic. I broke my femur and pelvis. As I was getting scooped up by the ambulance, the Old Bill said they would get the bike recovered. Two operations later and some metalwork inserted and I’m home, only to find an invoice for the bike recovery and storage. I’ve tried to get hold of the copper’s boss as he should have told me there was a charge. I’ve also asked my insurer to sort it, but they reckon it’s nothing to do with them as I’m only insured third party, fire and theft! Do you think I’ve got a leg to stand on?

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I’m afraid you ‘haven’t got a leg to stand on’ (no pun intended) with the Police or your insurer. Starting with the policeman, he has the power to remove a motorbike (or any other vehicle for that matter) that has been left or parked illegally, obstructively or dangerously, or that has been abandoned or broken down ,etc. So, if your poor old bike is in bits, Mr Plod can legally have it removed to make the road safe for everyone else to use. As for the charges, over the years, governments have repeatedly taken the view these costs should not be paid out of the ‘public purse’.

The charges are detailed in Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Charges) Regulations 2008. For bikes, the removal fee is £150 and storage is £10 per day. Whilst I know insurers don’t generally like to pay out, yours are correct on

For more info, go to:

Need advice If you need advice on a biking-related legal question or query, email mail@whitedalton.co.uk. The best Q&A will be published in MB, in confidence, of course.

This could be some significant news in the future of HarleyDavidson, and publicly at least one of the big bosses involved says he’s up for it. Indian company Hero MotoCorp is being widely rumoured to be joining up with the iconic American brand for a range of small and mid-capacity motorcycles.

Speaking to the Times of India, Hero’s chairman Pawan Munjal said that such a thing could happen.

He told the newspaper: “If they want to [join up to make bikes – Ed], then why not? Sure… I am open to the right kind of match.

“The sooner it happens, it’s good for everyone.”

It won’t be the first collaboration with another manufacturer for Harley-Davidson, though. In 2018 H-D very openly said that it wanted a partner from Asia to help the company develop product for the area. Chinese company Qianjiang began talks with H-D soon after and in the middle of last year an agreement was launched that will ultimately result in a Benelli-based (Qianjiang owns Benelli) 338cc H-D twin arriving in dealers later this year.

SOLICITORS

www.whitedalton.co.uk

this occasion. You only paid to cover your bike if it caught fire or was stolen. My advice is pay the fees before the recovery company threaten to dispose of the bike (which they can) and then look to claim these back from whoever spanked you off.

Q

The plan had been a romantic weekend with my fella. I booked us into a pub in the Lake District.

We rocked up to the place and went to park up near the kitchen door on the side of the property, out of sight of the road. That’s about all I remember for half-an-hour. It turns out that as I was parking my BMW F800, my front wheel slipped on used cooking oil which had leaked from a big drum by the kitchen door. I fell over and hit my head on a metal bin.

Apparently, I was knocked out for a few minutes and when I came round I was mumbling for a while.

The owners called an ambulance and off I went.

Thankfully, I had no brain damage, but I have been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and I have had a seriously ‘foggy’ head for about two months and been off work with headaches. Whilst the pub landlord was nice at the time and offered us a free meal when we next stayed, he has said I shouldn’t have parked near the kitchen door and that he’s not liable because it didn’t happen inside the pub.

A

You went to park in his car park and fell off on cooking oil that leaked from a drum he had stored there. This is a classic ‘occupiers’ liability’ case. In short, the pub owner is an ‘occupier of land’ and owes you a duty of care as a visitor. As per the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, he has a ‘…duty to take such care as in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable to see that the visitor will be reasonably safe in using the premises for the purposes for which he is invited or permitted by the occupier to be there.’ Therefore, he is liable for the accident and injury caused by the oil that has leaked from the big drum. My advice, get yourself a solicitor and go down the formal route.

President leaves Announced by the American firm, Harley-Davidson’s big boss has gone from the socalled Bar & Shield brand.

President and CEO Matt Levatich, 55, has left after 26 years at H-D and said: “I am very fortunate to have spent many years with a company as revered as HarleyDavidson.

“I am proud of what we have achieved during my time as CEO, in one of the most challenging periods in our history, and I am confident that the progress we have made on the More Roads plan will position Harley-Davidson for longterm success.” Levatich’s replacement is H-D board member Jochen Zeitz, for the time being. Zeitz will assume the role of acting President and CEO whilst – according to the official statement – Levatich will help the company through March.

Zeits has also been named Chairman of the Board. This is a position that he will keep when the new CEO is appointed.

Electric Logos for H-D appear

Harley-Davidson has registered two new logos with the European Patent Office. The two designs are clearly intended for H-D’s upcoming range of electric machines, as they feature lightning bolts front and centre.

The registration documents filed with the European Patent Office don’t detail which type of vehicles the logos will be used for, but using a bit of logic, it’s fair to assume that the circular design is intended for its electric bicycles, while the more traditional design will be utilised on its new range of electric motorcycles.

Listen to the Blade

Check this out, it’s a video of topend testing on the new Honda Fireblade. Riding the bike at the Japan Automobile Research Institute (JARI), specifically on the very high speed Yatabe test course, the bike was put through a series of high-speed runs, with the test rider launching the bike out of corners in different gears to see how it performs with the throttle pinned. The video is on MoreBikes. co.uk and it’s well worth a watch.

Search ‘Fireblade’.

8 NEWS/WHAT’S ON

Call for inquiry into government cash ploughed into Norton Motorcycles This is the Voltu Rod 1

Shown at the International Motorcycle Exhibition in Munich, the Rod 1 naked has been created by Voltu and DB-Matik.

Its electric motor will kick out a claimed 150hp, 250Nm of torque and a top speed of over 250km/h (155mph) from its 20kW water-cooled battery. It can charge the battery from zero to 50 per cent in 15 minutes, and 30 minutes will charge it to 85 per cent. No details about the prove yet, but expect this to be buyable from later this year.

Bennetts sold

Motorcycle insurance company Bennetts has been sold to Ardonagh’s Atlanta division, which already owns Autonet, Carole Nash and Swinton.

Ardonagh has exchanged contracts ahead of the purchase going through.

The news means that Bennetts is now leaving the Saga Services group which has owned the brand since 2015. Back then, Saga Services paid £26.26m for Bennetts. The new deal is understood to be costing Ardonagh around £26m.

An MP has called for an official investigation into the Government’s funds that were put into Norton Motorcycles.

Meg Hillier MP will now write to both the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to request an official inquiry into what happened to Norton Motorcycles and how it led to the firm going into administration at the end of January.

Hillier accused the Government of “blindly pouring millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money into the motorcycle company” prior to it going into the hands of administrators BDO after they were called in by the Metro Bank following news that Norton owed HMRC £300,000.

In July 2015 (the then) Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne visited Norton to announce a £4 million investment from the British Government.

The Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative was intended to allow Norton and its 11 supply chain partners to set up a new British

Motorcycle Manufacturing Academy to train and supply the next generation of engineer apprentices, build a new 10,000 square feet manufacturing facility, and develop clean motorcycle engine technology in the UK within two years.

The AMSCI funding was expected to result in 159 jobs at Norton – which was expected to grow to 600 direct and indirect jobs, including 200 apprentices, by 2020.

Hillier said: “Government has got to step up and be better in its due diligence of the companies that it gives money to. A little bit of digging would have uncovered some of the problems that were going on at Norton … [the Government] seemed to go on blindly pouring money into an ‘iconic British business name’, seemingly not having picked up that there were problems with this business.

“It reads a bit here of Whitehall not doing its due diligence and, perhaps, not challenging ministers enough when they said this is a good company.”

‘SSignificant innterest’ from potential p buyers raaises hopes of o saving the motorcycle m brand

Administrators shine light on Norton’s numbers Norton’s administrators, BDO, have compiled a report into the state of Norton Motorcycles, and it makes for interesting reading.

In light of the company going into administration last month there have been calls by frustrated customers, suppliers and now MP Meg Hillier for more clarity to come out about

Cardboard funsters

Three lads in Vietnam got a ratty 125cc engine, bodged a frame and a car-tyred back wheel, then dressed their creation in cardboard so that it looked like a BMW S1000RR superbike. The group seem genuinely joyous about doing this and the test ride is heart-warming, too. We won’t mention the fire at the end of the video that you can see at MoreBikes. co.uk. Search ‘cardboard’.

what’s been going on at the motorcycle firm – and these figures will clear some of the fog that’s enveloped Norton recently.

The report has been compiled by BDO for possible buyers of the company.

A section of the report is based around Norton’s last set of published results. which are up to March 2018. The Guardian has been through the report and found that it shows that CEO Stuart Garner owed the company £160,000, and a £324,002 loan given to Norton by another of Garner’s companies had been ‘deemed irrecoverable’ and was written off.

In a freedom of information request submitted by both the Guardian and ITV News, it’s emerged that the £4m awarded to Norton by the Government in July 2015 wasn’t all used in direct connection with the motorcycles. £1.8m of the £4m was awarded to Norton and a further £968,123 went to the British Motorcycle Manufacturing Academy, which was a charitable business under the control of Garner.

In another section of the document from BDO it explains that Norton also owns six Aston Martins, three Range Rovers and an F-Type Jaguar. The vehicles’ group value totals nearly £800,000.

This could be the first chink of light in the dark Norton story, with a new statement from BDO – the company brought in to oversee administration of the company which collapsed at the end of January.

Whilst there are no details of potential buyers at the moment (and everyone from Amazon to Keanu Reeves has been much rumoured to be about to pull Norton from the mire, all rumours without, it seems, any base in proof so far). Lee Causer, BDO business restructuring partner, said: “As joint administrators, we are taking all necessary steps to ensure that customers, staff and suppliers are supported through the administration process, as we seek the sale of the business and assets.

“We have had a significant volume of interest and are hopeful that a sale of Norton Motorcycles (UK) Ltd can be secured.”

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 2020 MARCH 21 Mathewson’s Motorcycle Auction Roxby Garage, Pickering Road, Thornton-le-Dale, Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7LH. mathewsons. co.uk Tel 01751 474455; 07507 210031. Email enquiries@ mathewsons.co.uk.

21 Scorton Auto & Bike Jumble North Yorkshire Events Centre, Scorton, DL10 6EJ. Tel Bert 07909 904705.

14 Tailoring & Made to Measure Day Bike Stop, 104 High Street, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 3DW. www.bikestop.co.uk Tel 01438 317038.

22 Straightliners Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Road, Podington,

Wellingborough, Northants, NN29 7XA. www.straightliners.co.uk Tel 01234 782828.

22 Overland & Adventure Bike Day Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com 22 Sunbeam MCC 81st Pioneer Run (pre1915 machines) From Epsom Downs to Brighton City Airport.

Tel Ian McGill 01293 771446.

Email pioneerorganiser@gmail.com.

22 The Churchill Arms Spring Bike Jumble in association with Wheelers Motorcycle Events The Churchill Arms, Daggons Road, Alderholt, Fordingbridge, Hampshire, SP6 3AA. www.wheelersmce.co.uk

Tel 01425 652147.

22 MotoGP – Thailand www.motogp.com 26 LE Velo Lancs & S Lakes Glasson Dock. Tel 01772 782516.

26 S Dorset VMCC Club Night The Three Compasses, Charminster, DT2 9QT. Tel Martin Figg/Rod Hann 01935 872528.

27-29 NG Road Racing Pembrey. www.ngroadracing.org 27-29 World Superbikes Round 3: Spanish Round www.worldsbk.com 28 South Cumbria VMCC George’s Spring Run Start: Red Lion, Lowick.

Tel George Bownass 01229 580776.

28 LE Velo Northampton Plume of Feathers, Weedon Bec, NN7 4QR.

Tel 01604 499858.

28 RST Airbag launch event & demo Bike Stop, 104 High Street, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 3DW. www.bikestop.co.uk Tel 01438 317038.

28-29 Goodwood 78th Members’ Meeting Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0PX. www.goodwood.com 28-29 Manchester Bike Show EventCity, Phoenix Way, off Barton Dock Road, Manchester, M41 7TB. www.manchesterbikeshow.com Tel 01484 482005.

29 Scooter Sunday & Raleigh Chopper Meet Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com 29 Stickney Autojumble Stickney Car

Boot field, Stickney, Boston, Lincs, PE22 8AG. Tel 01205 480274.

29 South of England Classic Show & Bikejumble South of England Showground, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TL. www.elk-promotions.co.uk Tel 01797 344277.

29 VMCC Grasstrack & Speedway Section Victory Field, Banbury Road, Ashorne, nr Warwick, CV33 9QJ. Tel Neil Waddoups 07949 231009.

APRIL

4 Kempton Park Motorcycle Autojumble Kempton Park, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 5AQ.

E&OE: All events are subject to change. Please check with the event organisers before booking accommodation or travelling.

NEWS 9

Jorge Lorenzo confirms Wild Card ride in MotoGP

Speaking on his social media channel, the former World Champ clearly can’t resist any more and after a couple of very positive, and quick, pre-season tests on the Yamaha M1 2020 bike he’s coming back to the light with a racing return at Barcelona.

It’s not a surprise. This has long been on the cards since the first rumour of a return after officially retiring last year. Then he announced he was coming back to MotoGP as a test rider with Yamaha. That was followed up with the second quickest time during his first day at Sepang, a pledge to be even faster and then, responding to calls for him to do a wild card appearance at this home round of Catalunya, saying: “A wild card ride? Why not?”

After the Sepang tests, Lorenzo said: “As for the wild card, I still can’t say much. We will see in the future. If I am competitive and I can take advantage of the opportunity, then why not?

I will do the wild card if I have the certainty of ending up in a position that matters, otherwise it’s useless to do it.” So he clearly reckons he can be somewhere near the front during the race. An added bonus for Lorenzo at this round is the fact that there’s even more MotoGP testing scheduled immediately after race day in Spain, so he can continue upping his pace, or problem-solving, if needed.

And this is just the start. Alongside the muchpaddock-talk about the wild card possibility (which has been going on since early January), was the openly discussed possibility of Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi joining up in a factorysupported squad in 2021. The season when Rossi will no longer be in the official factory Petronas squad, replaced instead by quick youth Fabio Quartararo.

TO LIST YOUR EVENT EMAIL jclements@mortons.co.uk www.kemptonautojumble. co.uk Tel 01507 529529.

4 VMCC (Isle of Wight Section) - Isle of Wight Vintage & Classic Show Winter Gardens, Ventnor. Tel Keith Hadfield 01983 730559. Email keith. hadfield1@btinternet.com.

4 Dainese D Air Day with demo Bike Stop, 104 High Street, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 3DW. www.bikestop.co.uk Tel 01438 317038.

4-5 South Wales Sunbeam Motorcycle Club 28th Annual Bike Show Llanishen High School, Llanishen, Cardiff, CF14 5YL. www. southwalessunbeammcc.co.uk 5 Normous Newark Autojumble The Showground, Drove

Lane, Winthorpe, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY. www. newarkautojumble.co.uk Tel 01507 529529.

5 Kawasaki Sunday Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com.

5 Malvern Festival of Transport Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs, WR13 6NW. www.classicshows.org Tel 01484 667776.

5 Pre-65 Sporting Trial Lount.

Tel Peter Hydemonk 07826 683600.

Email pmonk83@yahoo.com.

5 Ledbury MCC Ledbury Leader Grasstrack Racing for Youth and Adults Sparrington Farm, Pencombe, Bromyard,

Herefordshire, HR7 4SL. Tel Sally Palmer 07968 649327.

Email sallyannpalmer226@ gmail.com.

5 LE Velo Lancs & S Lakes Lower Barn, Rivington.

Tel 01772 782516.

5 Hoghton Tower Sprint Hoghton Tower, Hoghton, Preston, PR5 0SH. www. hoghtontower.co.uk/event/ motorcyclesprintevent Tel 01254 852986.

5 Sunday Biker’s Breakfast New Inn, North Thoresby, Lincs, DN36 5QS. Tel 01472 840118.

5 Classic Motorcycle Show Three Magnets, Leys Avenue, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3EW. Tel 07963 609143.

10 NEWS

MotoGP: Dorna boss Carmelo Ezpeleta talks about the impact of the Coronavirus ‘We will race at Christmas if we have to and GPs run behind closed doors might happen!’

Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna boss (basically the head honcho of MotoGP) has been talking about the impacts of the Coronavirus and how it will/could/might continue to disrupt the MotoGP calendar this year.

There’s already been some upheaval in MotoGP plans with the opening round of the MotoGP championship being cancelled in Qatar – although the Moto2 and Moto3 races still went ahead in the desert because those smaller

classes were already out there after test days.

The second round of the MotoGP championship at Buriram in Thailand has also been moved in the calendar until later this year.

It’s been moved to October in what was the Aragon round position.

And now Ezpeleta has said that the possibilities for even more shifting around are being planned, including the most drastic shift in the year’s schedule ever seen in MotoGP. “It may not be a normal championship, but for us it is very important to maintain the integrity of the calendar and the carry out as many races as possible during the season,” he said.

“We will run at least 13 races, but our goal is to

run all 19 races still on the programme and there are possibilities for that to happen.

“If necessary, we also run at Christmas in the warmer countries.

“It is our duty to carry out as many races as possible and we will try to do that. We are also ready to cancel the awards ceremony on November 22 because the most important thing is to run the races.”

Ezpeleta also said that we could see a situation develop whereby fans are completely excluded from trackside, adding: “The possibility of GPs being run behind closed doors is not to be excluded, everything is possible.

“The most important thing is to make good arrangements for everything.”

Video upload lands trouble Camera footage lands group of riders 132 points and €14,100 in fines!

A group of 10 Spanish bikers have been hit with €14,100 in fines and 132 points after one of the lads uploaded a video of their ride to the web.

It’s tricky not to get a little bit carried away when you’re riding as part of a big group – and if you’re on a wide-open stretch of road with good visibility and fast corners, the pace is bound to hot up.

But here’s what can happen if one of your mates decides to upload a video of your raucous ride to the internet. You’ll get a fine, and points. And maybe even a bit of time in prison, too.

And there’s no denying the riding’s reckless. They’re overtaking on solid

white lines, leaving no gaps, massively exceeding the speed limit and cornering on the wrong side of the road. But if one of the group hadn’t chosen to upload the e video to the web – they might have got away with it. As it turns out, they didn’t.

The Guardia Civil have been working since March 2019 to identify and prosecute the riders after spotting the five-minute video, which shows two crimes and 39 road safety infractions on the popular NA-1110 road in Navarra, also known as ‘Mataburros’. Now they have – with the 10 bikers (aged between 28 and 38) sharing €14,100 close to £12,000) in fines and 132 points between them.

If you want to see the footage that got the group into so much trouble, get over to MoreBikes.co.uk and search 'fine'.

Isle of Man TT 2020 Coronavirus statement With the Isle of Man Government’s latest update confirming that so far 16 tests for Coronavirus have been carried out on the Island and all have been clear of the infectious disease, TT bosses are saying that there’s no reason to cancel the annual road race event.

The action around the Mountain Course is set to start on Sunday, May 31 as scheduled. Here’s the actual statement from the Isle of Man TT organisation: ‘The Isle of Man Government is carefully monitoring the Island’s position regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus) with a cross-government working group established to regularly review the changing situation. While the threat to the public in the Isle of Man remains low, a number of future contingency scenarios are being considered. This is usual practice and is in line with the WHO advice for preparations in case of a pandemic.

“The risk is low and preparations for this year’s TT remain on schedule.

Work will continue as usual in order to ensure another successful TT. “The organisers, in partnership with the Department for Enterprise and the Isle of Man Government and in line with experts in the UK, will continue to monitor the situation.’

12 WORLD FIRST RIDE

THE ITALJET DRAGSTER

RETURNS! And we've had the world’s first (short) run out on the bike. Here’s what it’s like to kick out some miles on the icon reborn.

WORDS: Alan Cathcart PHOTOGRAPHY: Kel Edge Italy’s EICMA Show last November saw the start down the comeback trail of the least conventional, most dramatically individual series production scooter yet made.

That’s when we saw, in the flesh, the all-new 2020 version of the unique Italjet Dragster.

It’s worth knowing that 70,000 examples of this trellis-framed two-wheeled testament to innovation, carrying hub-centre steering and radical styling, were built and sold between 1995 and 2003. It became an icon of the time and comfortably bridged the gap between superbike and funky scooter. At least, with it’s looks.

But where the original Dragster was powered by a range of two-stroke engines varying from 50cc to 180cc in capacity (with just a handful of 250cc four-stroke models built), the all-new version due to enter production in June at Italjet’s factory southeast of Bologna will only be available in either 125cc or 200cc fourstroke variants.

Each uses a Euro 4-compliant dohc four-valve liquid-cooled Piaggio-designed motor with CVT transmission and belt final drive previously found powering other models like the Aprilia Scarabeo 125/200 and Vespa GT 200, as well as non-Piaggio products like the retro-inspired Scomadi scooters.

The power stats

So these are proven powerplants, with the 125cc version delivering 14.9bhp/11kW @ 10,000rpm and 12.5Nm/9.2ft-lb of torque @ 7,750rpm in a scooter weighing 108kg dry.

The 200cc version is quite a bit punchier, producing 19.8 bhp14.6kW at 8,250 rpm and 17Nm/12.5ft-lb at 6,250 rpm, with a 112kg dry

weight. These motors were previously built in China for Piaggio by Jincheng, but after the Italian scooter giant forged its current exclusive links there with Zongshen, Jincheng revamped the engines to continue making them for its own models, and for clients like Italjet.