Motorcycle Monthly - January 2020 - Preview

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#163

January 2020

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BIKING MONTHLY!

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BIGGEST

✸ FIVE versions ✸ More power ✸ More torque ✸ Loads more tech ✸ Yamaha’s BRUISER Plans for a carbon frame that changes colour when damaged

REVEALED

PAGE 3

Honda’s AFRICA TWIN Now things are getting

SERIOUS

PAGE 12

BMW’ss F900 R 2020’s road bikke gets made overr

ALL OVER R

PAGE 6

NEWS 3

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Win Morocco trip

Our pals at Motorcycle Sport and Leisure magazine have teamed up with Wheels of Morocco to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a spot on the very same tour that Editor Mikko tested. Worth £1350, the th hree-day tour can be seen in detail at: MoreBikes.co.uk Search 'Morocco' to find it.

Yamaha's new w

BRUISER

Here’s a design patent from Yamaha that’s going to blow a few minds – a carbon-fibre framed motorcycle that bruises up when the frame is damaged, evenn if the bike falls over at a standstill.

Words: Tony Carter The patent was filed just weeks ago under the title ‘Leaning Vehicle’, making it suitably vague to find in the United States patent office, but now it’s been unearthed by MoreBikes, you can see that the details of what this design actually contains are pretty jaw-dropping.

In the extensive 29-page document, Yamaha outlines its plans for a motorcycle (using the current FJR bike in the illustration – could this mean that the bike where this tech is first seen will be a large capacity, fast sport tourer?) that has a carbon-fibre resin main frame with a carbon-fibre resin subframe bolted to it.

Yamaha explains that for a production motorcycle, there are issues with flex in the chassis and that to overcome this so that the motorcycle is sturdy enough on the move, the chassis has to be stiffened up. The downside to this is that the frame and subframe can suffer from cracks or other damage when the bike goes over on its side, even at a standstill.

Obviously, this is a worry for when

this chassis tech turns up on a future production motorcycle, so the solution is fourfold – accordingg to this document.

Firstly, the carbon-fibre resin chassis has an electric cable actually put into the structure of the frame during manufacture. The cable has a slightly lower resistance to impact than the carbon-fibre resin material around it. Once the bike falls over, even at a standstill, the cable is damaged and this then sends an alert to a Damage Detection Control Unit (DDCU).

Secondly, the DDCU can notify the rider of damage to the frame (throughout the document Yamaha is concerned about damage, including chassis cracks, appearing on the inside of the frame where it wouldn’t be easily spotted visually without a tear-down of the motorcycle’s major component parts). There are a couple of options for this in the document, including swapping out the idea of the electric cable for a fibre-optic version, which will also detect chassis differences between the main frame and the subframe.

Thirdly, the actual material that the chassis is made from changes colour, with this being triggered by a relay

FOUR

The amount of ways a Yamaha could tell you it’s hurt

Motor Cycle Monthly, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529529

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

Husqvarna Norden is coming

Following on from the success of its Vitpilen and Svartpilen —the factory’s first street-focused Husqvarnas since the 60s—the Norden will be Husqvarna’s first adventure tourer.

The Norden 901 will be powered by a 889.5cc parallel twin-cylinder motor, which will be tuned for ‘adventure usage’, come kitted out with spoked 21inch front and 18-inch rear wheels and WP suspension.

from the optical cable secreted into the carbon-fibre resin construction.

Whatever colour the entire chassis is, where it’s damaged then it’s that area specifically that would change colour – effectively this is a bruise on the chassis of the motorcycle.

Finally, an option also discussed in the document is a paint applied to the chassis that emits LIGHT when damaged. The idea being that the entire chassis is coated in the materiaal that, when the outer layer is damaged d in even a small way, allows light to penetrate the top layer, making damage identification easy. Yamaha says that this final option is cheaper than any of the others.

In terms of when this sort of tech is likely to make it to the current motorcycle world, it’s very difficult to say. This patent document was filed weeks ago and as far as we know, this is the first time such an idea has been explained in relation to a carbonfibre resin framed motorcycle set for production.

It could take years before these trick chassis touches actually becomee common on motorcycles (if they ever make it at all), but for now this is the current state of thinking deep in the future-tech corners of Yamaha.

Picture desk Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield Group Advertising Manager Sue Keily Divisional Advertising Manager Zoe Thurling 01507 529412 Advertising Mirela Vulaj 01507 529409 Advertising deadline for February issue January 2, 2020 Distribution 01507 529529 Marketing Manager Charlotte Park Commercial Director Nigel Hole

350cc MV plan

MV Agusta’s CEO Timur Sardarov has confirmed that the Italian firm is making a 350cc bike. He said: “MV Agusta is going to embrace more lower displacement, high performance, in its technology. We are coming up with a new 350cc engine.

We have it, it’s a twin. So, we are going to have a two-cylinder 350cc.”

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4 NEWS

Motor Cycle Monthly Hello from the Editor of MCM

Tony Carter

It’s all about the kids

N

ow that the collective dust kicked up by a plethora of new motorcycles amongst the plethora of motorcycle shows has settled, it’s time to reflect.

If you went to the NEC, or made it out to Milan, or attended any other of the bikey year-end bashes around the world that focused a lot of attention on the good, great and altogether swanky of the motorcycle world both now and in the near future, what did you make of it?

Was it useful to see the glossyglossy new stuff up close? Were you persuaded to part with your cash? Did you speak with any personalities? Bag a new lid? Get some stickers?

As I left the last day of the NEC and walked out to the car park, I was left wondering why we aren’t doing more to attract under 16s to the brilliant world of motorcycling.

The show itself was the usual good time of bikes and bits and it certainly seemed busy on the floor, but it felt like everyone involved was preaching to the converted.

Yes, there were some children at the show, I’m not saying that there weren’t, and they seemed VERY excited by the bikes on show and the children-specific motorbikes aimed squarely at them. This is a good thing.

But there weren’t enough of them.

So what are we doing to encourage them? Where’s the bus loads of schoolkids turning up to the NEC for FREE during the last 90 minutes of the show every weekday? Where’s the take-home packages full of stickers, posters and model bikes for that group of kids having the best school trip of the year? Where’s the brilliant engineers telling secondary school kids why designing and making motorbikes is one of the best jobs in the world?

‘‘

It’ss tiime we did moree to attract under 16s to the world of bikes

Yes, the show was good fun and the bikes amazing, but surely we could be doing more?

And yes, MCM is going to do something about this (you’d expect us to, wouldn’t you?). From the next issue of this paper, you’ll see some big changes that speak not only to the already converted like you and me, but also reach out to the younger generation who might just be aware of this thing called motorcycling and need a steer on how to get into it.

Your help to spread the word will also be needed and we’ll make that bit very easy indeed.

How exciting.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and we’ll see you bright and breezy in 2020.

g Triumph’s Tiger 900 REEVEALED

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Call 01507 529529 or go to www.classicmagazines.co.uk/mcm20

The 2020 all-new mottorcycle from Hinckley is here and thhere are FIVE different versions to chhoose from We’ve been telling you for almostt a year that a new Tiger was on itss way from Triumph, and here’s the details (it’s a bigger deal than n we imagined) with the big news for 2020 being that there’s FIVE different models.

Alongside the standard Tiger 9000, there’s the off-road capable Tigerr 900 Rally and Tiger 900 Rally Pro,, and the adventure touring ready Tiger 900 GT and Tiger 900 GT Prro.

The headline news for all five bikes is their new Euro 5-ready 900cc engine. With both higher capacity and higher performancee than the outgoing unit, the new 900cc engine kicks out 10% moree peak torque (87Nm at 7,250rpm) and 9% more power in the midrange (93.6bhp at 8,750rpm) than the previous Tiger 800 models.

There’s some clever stuff going on to achieve that. One such thing is the new 1,3,2 firing order, which has resulted in improved intake noise under load, more feedback from the engine to the rider, an incredibly distinctive engine sound and improved tractability and throttle feel – with the engine pulling harder lower down in the rev range. Triumph claims that it helps the new Tiger 900 feel more like a twin when yo ou’re low down in the rev range, while still maintaining all the torqu ue, feel and delivery of a triple when you get higher up in the revs.

Elsewhere, the Tiger 9000s get a new, lighter steel trelliss frame, which comes with a boltt-on aluminium rear sub-fram me and bolt-on pillion hangers.

For suspension, it’s kittted out with either Marzocchi orr Showa springs, depending on which model you go for, and the GT Pro comes with electronically adjustable rear suspension, which works to allow riders to adjust the rear preload and dampin ng settings via a dedicated menu on n the touch-sensitive TFT dash h.

That lets riders select frrom nine levels of damping contro ol, ranging from Comfort (softest) to o Sport (firmest), and four preload set ups. The new Tiger 900 models also come equipped with h Brembo Stylema brakes across th he board.

The Tigers also get a new, 20-litre fuel tank and a new adjustable screen (which can be adjusted with a single hand). The GT, GT Pro, Rally and Rally Pro also come with a new 7” TFT dash (the base Tiger 900 model gets a 5” TFT dash).

The GT Pro and Rally Pro are both compatible with the ‘My Triumph’ connectivity system and app, which allows riders to answer phone calls, flick between songs, access turnby-turn navigation and control their GoPro,, all from the switch cubes on the left handlebar.

The GT, GT Pro, Rally and Rally Pro are kitted out with new cornering ABS and cornering traction control.

The brain of the system is the Tiger’s Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), which has been developed in conjunction with Continental.

The system works to automatically select the appropriate level of ABS and traction control by constantly measuring roll, pitch, yaw and acceleration rates. There are also up to six riding modes, which work to adjust throttle resp ponse,, ABS and traction control settings.

“There’s some clever stuff going on...”

Thee Tiger 900 Rally Pro gets Rain, Th Road, Sport, Off-Road, Riderconfigurable and Off-Road Pro. The Tiger 900 GT Pro gets Rain, Road, Sport, Off-Road and Riderconfigurable. The Tiger 900 Rally and Tiger 900 GT get Rain, Road, Sport and Off-Road, and the Tiger 900 gets Rain and Road.

With an eclectic range of accessories, an A2-licence restriction and adjustable seat heights, the new Tiger 900 can be set up exactly how you want, to suit every type of riding.

There’s been no news on prices just yet, but with the outgoing Tiger 800 coming in at just over £9,000 and the top-of-the-line off-road XCA just shy of £13,000, chances are they’ll be priced quite similarly. Although the top of the line GT Pro with electronic suspension is likely to be more expensive.

NEWS 5

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Awesome news!

This is the Indian-made Ultraviolette F77 electric bike. It makes 34bhp and 450Nm of torque. It is going on sale in India in the third quarter of 2020, has a 90mph top speed and a 90-mile city riding range. When it goes on sale it’ll have a price of just £3,464.

CFMoto gets bigger

Now there’s THREE new 700CL-X motorcycles joining the range

Named the 700CL-X, the new model available in the 2020 model year range is available as either a Sport, Adventure or Heritage version.

Powered by a newly developed 692cc inline twin-cylinder watercooled engine, the CFMoto 700CL-X is the latest motorcycle to be released by the constantly growing Chinese factory. It kicks out a healthy 73bhp of power and 67Nm of torque.

The 700CL-X Heritage gets a wide tan leather seat, alloy wheels clad with road-biased rubber, a dual-tone paint job, a set of wide handlebars and midset footpegs.

The 700CL-X Adventure comes with raised bars, spoked wheels clad with knobbly tyres and a windscreen.

TECH SPEC 2020 CFMoto 700CL

Dry Weight (kg): 183 Length (mm): 2100 Width (mm): 860 Height (mm): 1150 Wheel Base (mm): 1435 Seat Height (mm): 800 Ground Clearance (mm): 160 Fuel Tank Capacity (l): 13.5 Tyre (Front): 110/80-R18 Tyre (Rear): 180/55-R17 Front Brake: Radial-mount caliper Ø320mm Single Rear Brake: Float-type caliper Ø260mm Single Front Fork: USD,damping adjustable Rear shock: Central shock absorber, damping adjustable Engine Type: Inline Twin-cyliner, 4 Stroke, Liquid cooled Displacement (cm3): 692.2 Clutch type: Slide Clutch

V-Strom for £109

The 700CL-X Sport variant gets a single-tone paint scheme, lower-set clip-ons, track-focused Pirelli Diablo Rosso Super Corsa tyres and a split seat.

The all-new V-Strom 1050 will be available for £109 per month when it arrives in the UK in March. The new adventure machine has now been added to Suzuki’s Flexible Finance scheme and dealerships are already able to take deposits. A deposit or trade-in of £2,250 means the V-Strom 1050 can be ridden for £109 per month over three years. For £129 per month over the same period with a £2,360 deposit, customers can choose the V-Strom 1050XT.

6 NEWS

BMW launches its new F900R and F900XR bikes

Two bikes boost the mid-range market from the Germans The F900R is BMW’s new mid-sized roadster, while the F900XR is the German factory’s new Adventure Sports machine. And they both look the part.

Powered by the same 2-cylinder in-line engine as the F850GS, the new F900R and F900XR manage to eek out more power from the tried and tested motor. It now kicks out 105hp – thanks in part to an increase in capacity up to 895cc (from 853cc).

Like the GS models in the F Series, the new F900R and F900XR use a steel bridge frame that integrates the engine as a load-bearing element.

Suspension is taken care of by an upside-down telescopic fork up at the front, while at the rear there’s a double-sided swinging arm with central suspension strut.

The F900R and F900XR also get a wide range of optional extras – in some cases unique in this class (including Adaptive Cornering Light, Keyless Ride, Dynamic ESA, Riding Modes Pro, Shift Assistant Pro, Intelligent Emergency Call, ABS Pro, MSR, DTC, DBC, RDC).

The two bikes offer ‘Rain’ and ‘Road’ riding modes as standard – and the standard machines also come with ABS and ASC Automatic Stability Control (which can easily be turned off ). As always with BMW, there’s also a wide variety of aftermarket

customisation available – and that means you can choose from a bank of additional riving modes. It’s also possible to fit BMW Motorrad’s Dynamic ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) as an optional extra.

The new mid-capacity BMWs come with light, plastic-welded fuel tanks with a capacity of 15.5 litres (F900XR) and 13 litres (F900R). The new F900R is available in Blackstorm metallic, San Marino Blue metallic and Style Sport in Hockenheim Silver metallic/ Racing Red, while the new F900XR is available in Light White, Galvanic Gold metallic (Exclusive) and in Racing Red (Sport). No prices were available as MCM went to press.

The 2020 S1000XR

Faster. Lighter. More of everything from BMW With a newly developed engine, suspension and an unladen weight of 226kg – 10kg less than its predecessor – the S1000XR has been launched on the 2020 motorcycle world.

Just like the motorcycle as a whole, the suspension has been slimmed down considerably.

The frame and swinging arm are now 2.1kg lighter. At the same time, the engine has a much more pronounced loadbearing function than before.

The new double-sided swinging arm reduces unsprung masses by 1.6kg, offering a particularly sensitive response, thanks to direct linkage.

The new XR already features the latest generation of BMW Motorrad Dynamic ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) as standard.

Thanks to the latest valve technology, the versatile Adventure sports bike provides a particularly dynamic riding experience with a high level of ride comfort. Dynamic ESA Pro is available as an optional extra with two damping modes (Road, Dynamic) and automatic load compensation.

The newly developed in-line 4-cylinder engine is based on the S1000RR engine and delivers an output of 165hp @ 11,000rpm.

The maximum torque of 114Nm is available at 9,250rpm. The 4th, 5th and 6th gear now have longer ratios in order to reduce

NEWS 7

Here’s Ducati’s DESERT X and MOTARD concepts Official photos of the NEW Scrambler motorcycles show how serious the Italians are with these things At Ducati’s World Premiere in Bologna last month CEO Claudio Domenicali announced that there would be two new Scrambler concepts shown to the public – the Desert X and Motard - with both bikes being based around the current Ducati Scrambler family. It’s pretty likely we’ll have to wait another 12 months for the production machines to arrive. Try to be patient.

Desert X

noise, fuel consumption and engine speed level, especially at country road speeds. In addition to a smoother and self-reinforcing anti-hopping clutch, the new S1000XR also features engine drag torque control (MSR) for the first time.

Electronically controlled, the MSR prevents the rear wheel from slipping as a result of abrupt throttling or downshifting.

The new S 1000 XR has four standard riding modes – ‘Rain’, ‘Road’, ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Dynamic Pro’. The ‘Dynamic Pro’ mode, which can be fully configured for the first time on the S1000XR, offers a wide range of setting

options. In addition to throttle response, engine brake, ABS control and traction control, wheelie control (including the new ‘Power Wheelie’ setting) can be configured separately for the first time in the new S1000XR. ABS Pro now takes the braking a step further to offer increased safety when braking mid-corner.

The new S1000XR comes in two different colour schemes: the basic finish in Ice Grey and the ‘highly dynamic’ finish in Racing Red/White Aluminium, available at extra cost. As MCM went to press, no price had yet been announced for the bike.

The new Ducati Desert X concept pushes the off-road credentials of the Italian factory’s Scrambler lineup one step further. Powered by the existing 1100cc powerplant, the new retro enduro machine takes obvious inspiration from Cagiva Elefant 900 of the 90s (and there’s arguably a bit of Aprilia’s Tuareg thrown in for good measure). With

Suzuki launches new V-Strom 1050XT and V-Strom 1050

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a 21-inch front wheel and a 17-inch rear wheel, clad with knobbly tyres, it looks like a proper bit of off-road kit. Factor in a bash plate, an upswept Termignoni exhaust, handguards and a rear rack, and the new Desert X looks up for tackling some serious terrain.

Motard

In addition to the well received Desert X 1100, Ducati is also displaying its new Motard concept at EICMA. While still sitting in the Scrambler line-up, it’s a bit of a departure from the Italian factory’s usual fare. Powered by the 800cc Scrambler motor, it comes with 17-inch blue spoked wheels clad with some sticky rubber, wide bars, handguard and a little bash plate.

And with its number boards, Ducati seems to be suggesting the new Motard concept would be up for some on-track action.

Suzuki has unveiled two new V-Strom models for 2020 with a new V-Strom 1050XT and V-Strom 1050. The bike’s main features include: ■ Design heavily influenced by Suzuki’s iconic DR-Z desert racer and DR Big, with a new vertically stacked rectangular LED headlight and distinctive ‘beak’.

■ New Euro5 version of the flexible and characterful 90° V-Twin engine producing 105.6bhp (79kW), a 7% increase over the previous generation.

■ New ride-by-wire throttle with three selectable engine modes and a threemode traction control system.

The flagship V-Strom 1050XT gets new Suzuki Intelligent Ride System (SIRS), which features a full suite of electronics including an inertial measurement unit (IMU), lean-angle sensitive ABS with two settings, linked brakes that can detect and adapt to load and inclines, plus hill hold control and cruise control.

The V-Strom 1050 shares many of the features of the flagship V-Strom 1050XT, but with some differences to enable a lower price. The V-Strom 1050 shares the same engine and chassis platform as the XT model, but replaces spoked wheels with cast aluminium items. Whilst keeping the same three-mode traction control system and three selectable engine power modes, the V-Strom 1050 loses the Suzuki Intelligent Ride System and its cruise control and Motion Track Brake System with linked brakes, hill hold, slope and load control and switchable ABS modes.

The new V-Strom 1050XT and V-Strom 1050 are due to arrive in authorised Suzuki dealerships in the spring. The XT version costs £11,299, while the lower-spec V-Strom 1050 will set you back £9,999.

Dakar 2020 is ON

The 42nd edition of the iconic off-road race begins in Jeddah on January 5, 2020, and will end 12 stages later on January 17 in Qiddiyah, near the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.

Covering close to 8,000km, the first half of the race will take riders through a maze of tracks, while the second part of the race will see some big desert landscapes and spectacular sand dunes. To follow it all go to: dakar.com

SEAT e-Scooter

Coming from the SEAT Urban Mobility company (which is managing everything for the company’s eponymous range) the e-Scooter concept has a 7kW motor that makes 14.8bhp, making it a 125cc petrol-powered equivalent. SEAT says that the runaround can get from 0 to 31mph in 3.8 seconds and has a HUGE 240Nm of torque. Expect to see this arrive in finished production form at some point in 2020.

Rossi Panettone?

If you want something a bit different for the festive season then you need to get out to Italy pronto to grab some VR46 ‘officiale’ panettone for the festive season. We don’t know any more than that about this, other than it costs just under €2.

If anyone’s out in Italy in the next couple of weeks, can you grab us some please? Thanks.

8 CROSSWORD

IT’S S THE MOTOR CYCLE MONTHLY

CROSSWORD!!

Win this AMAZING new Shoei Glamster helmet Crossword compiled by Ben Rumbold of MotoXwords.com

It’s so new that these won’t be in the shops until March 2020 (so you u’ll have to wait for yours until then n, if you’re our lucky winner), but you can bet that the beautiful new w Glamster is going to be an insttant modern classic.

To o be in with a chance of

Shoei Glamster Spe Specification ● Shell: Organic fibre and multi-composite fibre in various layers for a shock-absorbent shell with optimum rigidity ● EPS Liner system with multiple densities ● CPB-1 Visor: Clear vision in many conditions; shield outer has a classic look; 3-position adjustment ● Double D-Ring fastener ● Three different shell sizes: 1. XS-M 2. L 3. XL-XXL ● Completely detachable and washable lining ● Multiple venting and extraction: Inlets at the chin and forehead, outlet at the rear ● You can learn more about the complete Shoei range, including the new Glamster helmet, at www.shoeiassured.co.uk

winning this stunning lid, simply complete (correctly) this month’s MCM Crossword and send it to the details provided on the opposite page. We will pick the winner from an upturned helmet crammed with correct crosswords - and that

Worth over £399

person will get some super-cool retro-Glam for th heir 2020 riding season.

The Glamster comes in plain colours which cost £399.99, whilst graphic options sell for £499.99. Good luck!

CROSSWORD 9

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Hessler Rallye Team has revealed its custom V-Strom 1050XT Desert Express in a kit that lets you turn your new V-Strom into a tricked out desert racer. It gets 30mm more suspension travel (up from 160mm to 190mm) with modified front forks, a Wilbers rear shock and a new HRT-made linkage. The front forks slot into new yokes and above there’s some X-Line handlebars from MAGURA. HRT has also created new footrest hangers, a rear brake pedal, a gear lever and a skid plate. It gets Suzuki RM-Z450 footpegs, a new headlight protector and a Zeta Rallye 1050 screen.

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November 2019 Issue #161

Last Month’s Answers: 34

Across 1: Engine components most famously championed by Ducati in recent years. (11,6) 7: Birmingham-based manufacturer that was founded before the First World War, but ground to a halt in the late 60s. (9) 8: Black ___ Motorcycle Club, Marlon Brando’s gang’s name in the movie ‘The Wild One’, which inspired an American rock band to take the name in the late 90s. (5) 10: Goggles and visors stop you getting stuff in here. (3) 11: Pudding ___ ___, very old-fashioned headgear. (5,6) 13: American exhaust pipe specialists with red & yellow logo. (3) 15: Now defunct privateer class within a class for Superbike-engined bikes in MotoGP. (3) 16: A really small fairing. (4) 17: Japanese-sounding French former bike GP venue. (6) 19: See 9 Down.

20: Major leg bone broken by Tito Rabat in practice at Silverstone last year. (5) 21: Livio, diminutive Belgian who took a crazy Moto3 win at Indianapolis four years ago. (3) 22: The part of your foot where the peg normally goes. (6) 24: Classic German bike and car maker, one of the largest before World War II. (3) 25: The younger, more successful Espargaro brother. (3) 26: Return-to-invoice insurance that the dealers like to sell you on new bikes! (3) 28: There’s been a lot of this at Silverstone over the last couple of years… (11) 30: … especially after these conditions cancelled the MotoGP! (3) 32: __ Professional, silver-canned lubricants supplier. (3) 33: Method of fuel supply that is replacing standard carburation for many manufacturers. (9) 34: Royal Speedway team for the Scottish capital. (9,8)

Down

1: See 12 Down.

2: Scary metal Armco-lined Austrian race circuit. (12) 3: South Korean bike and scooter makers since the early 60s. (6) 4: Shiny reflective mirror-like plating. (6)

Across 5: Silverstone corner that confuses Rossi fans with the pronunciation. (4) 6: JG___, Leon Haslam’s BSB title-winning Kawasaki team last year. (8) 9 & 19 Across: Tyre marks under a mudguard mean your suspension is probably doing this. (9,3) 12 & 1 Down & 21 Down: American electric model ridden the Long Way Up this year. (6,8,8) 13: Performance brakes use this technology to combat warping and improve stopping power. (8,4) 14: Mainland Britain had its first of these in 1977. (5,4) 18: Rude sounding cleaning products company who have enjoyed prominent exposure this year with a sticker atop Scott Redding’s lid. (3,3) 21: See 12 Down.

23: Malaysian turquoise-branded oil giant. (8) 27: Many modern bikes have replaced traditional dials with a TFT one of these. (6) 29: Giving a KTM Duke a 1300cc engine adds this title to it. (5) 31: Classic rare Bimota model that used hub-centre steering. (4)

1 Conventional Forks, 9 Husqvarna, 10 Ace, 11 Neutral, 14 Neat, 15 Smoked, 16 Dani, 17 Shiftcam, 19 Oils, 20 Amm, 22 Leap, 23 Gorse Lea, 25 Rins, 26 Starts, 28 O’The, 29 Benelli, 31 Ear, 32 Batteries, 34 Michael Van Der Mark

Down

2 Nostalgia, 3 Niall Mackenzie, 4 Orange, 5 Ad, 6 Four, 7 Real, 8 Steering Dampers, 9 Honda Super Dream, 12 Tiddlers Tootle, 13 Aldo, 18 Map, 19 OMG, 21 Elettrica, 24 ISDE, 27 TriBSA, 29 Broc, 30 Nuda, 33 Ml

Here’s the legal bit that you need to know

To be in with a chance of winning, fill in your details on the form and return the completed crossword to: Motor Cycle Monthly, January 2020 Competition, Mortons Media Group Ltd, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Competition closes: January 10, 2020

Mr / Mrs / Miss / Ms (please circle)

#9

First name:................................................................... Surname:..............................................................................................

Address:.................................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................................................

Town/City:.............................................................. County:................................................ Postcode:.....................................

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There are no cash alternatives available. The winner(s) will be the first name(s) drawn at random from the upturned MCM helmet. Terms and conditions apply.

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10 NEWS AND WHAT’S ON

ON S I H T H WATC IKES.CO.UK MOREB

Want to be on television?

Channel 4 restoration show Find It, Fix It, Flog It is looking for sheds across the country filled with vintage vehicles and d automotive memorabilia.

The series follows Henry Cole and Simon O’Brien as they search for vintage and unusual items gathering dust in people’s sheds, to restore and sell at a profit for their owners.

They want to hear from anyone with sheds, garages, lock-ups, barns, outhouses or even shipping containers fullll of mechanical curiosities and anything automotive they can bring back to life.

The upcoming series of Find It, Fix It, Flog It will start filming in March 2020.

If you, or someone you know, has a fantastic assortment of vintage memorabilia, an

Kawasaki’s electric motorcycle filmed testing

incredible i dibl automotive i collection or just needs a good old-fashioned clear out of motoring ‘junk’, email: info@ hcaentertainment.com for more information. The production team says that it’s always careful not to reveal the location of any sheds featured in the programme.

Read this then go and WATCH the video yourself

If you go to MoreBikes.co.uk and search ‘Kawasaki’ you’ll find the official video of the Japanese company’s future electric motorcycle being put through its paces.

In the video, Yoshimoto Matsuda, Senior Manager, Innovation Department, Research and Development Division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, explains that Kawasaki has been working on the technology under the skin of its EV Project since the early 2000s.

If you keep a close eye on MoreBikes and Motor Cycle Monthly, you’ll have no doubt spotted our reports on the raft of patents filed by the Japanese factory over the last few years about this exact motorcycle.

We’ve seen chassis patents, powertrain patents, transmission patents and regenerative braking patents – and we’ve told you time and time again that Kawasaki was gearing up to reveal an electric motorcycle just like this one. And now it has.

It’s a bit of a departure from the rest of the electric motorcycle market

Tesla Cyberquad

Italian legends arrive in E-Book range

though – using a chain drive and four-speed gearbox to help provide a familiar riding experience.

But the bike’s not going into production just yet. Kawasaki has said that it will instead be used to inform and influence its future electric machines. We’re quietly hoping a production version of the Ninja 650-inspired electric machine makes it to market sooner rather than later.

Go watch the video – it’s worth your time.

Three genuine icons of Italian motorcycle racing comprise the e latest release of new titles in the e catalogue of The Motorcycle Files, the range of e-books written by MCM contributor Alan Cathcart.

They are the legendary Moto Guzzi V8, the Bicilindrica V-Twin from the same factory, and the four-cylinder 350 that was the final Grand Prix racing motorcycle from MV Agusta.

Each e-book in The Motorcycle Files series provides s the reader with a full history of the subject machine, an in-depth technical analysis and track test riding impressions

by Alan Cathcart. They are illustrated by rare archive material and superb digital photography, including many shots with fairings removed to give a close-up look at engine and chassis technology.

IMPORTANT DATES FOR YOUR DIARY DECEMBER 21 Scorton Auto & Bike Jumble. North Yorkshire Events Centre, Scorton, DL10 6EJ. Tel Bert 07909 904705.

22 Bike Day. Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com 26 ‘Cold Turkey’ Day. Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com 28 VMCC (Dorset section) Breakfast Meet. Henstridge Golf and Leisure,

Marsh Lane, Henstridge, Somerset, BA8 0TG. dorsetvmcc.co.uk Tel 01258 860864.

29 Bike Day. Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com 29 Huddersfield Auto/Retro Jumble (Xmas Do). Market Building, Brook Street, Huddersfield, HD1 1RG. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com Tel 01773 819154.

31 New Year’s Eve Party (TBC). Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd,

Tesla’s Elon Musk has taken to Twitter to confirm that the electric ATV ‘Cyberquad’ will be put into production, coming as an option (at first) to those who buy the firm’s newly launched Cybertruck. Musk has said that you can get one if you buy the electric £30k Cybertruck from the Tesla company in the first instance.

Enfield Electric

Priced at £2.99 each, all 30 titles in the range are available worldwide for download via Amazon or the Kindle bookstore.

RE’s CEO Vinod Dasari has confirmed the Indian factory is starting to get serious about electric. Speaking to Economic Times Auto India, he said: “I don’t think we’ll spend any more on any large [facility]. Most of our capital expenditure will go into capability building, new products, electric and other stuff.”

TO LIST YOUR EVENT EMAIL jclements@mortons.co.uk

Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com

JANUARY 1 The Hangover Meet. Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe. com 5 Bike Day. Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com 5 Rich Moore’s Chilly Willy Charity Ride.

Start: All Seasons Café, Billing Garden Village, Northampton, NN3 9EX. Ride leaves at noon. Email chillywillynbc@ gmail.com.

11-12 The Carole Nash Classic Bike Guide Winter Classic. The Showground, Drove Lane, Winthorpe, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY. www. newarkclassicbikeshow.com Tel 01507 529529.

12 Bike Day. Ace Café, Ace Corner, N Circular Rd, Stonebridge, London, NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com 12 Maldon British Motorcycle Owners

Club Bike Jumble. Royal British Legion Hall, Newland Street, Witham, CM8 2AZ. Email rogerbeadle@btinternet. com.

18 Kempton Park Motorcycle Autojumble. Kempton Park, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 5AQ. www. kemptonautojumble.co.uk Tel 01507 529529.

19 VMCC Sporting Trial. Stainby. www.thetaverners.co.uk Tel Peter Hydemonk 07826 683600. Email pmonk83@yahoo.com.

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

11

12 WORLD LAUNCH REPORT TECH SPEC AFRICA TWIN ADVENTURE SPORTS

Engine: 1084cc SOHC liquid-cooled 4-stroke 8-valve parallel twin with 270° crank and Uni-cam Max. Power Output: 100bhp (75kW) at 7500rpm Max. Torque: 77lb-ft (105Nm) at 6250rpm Fuel Tank Capacity: 24.8L Clutch Type: (MT) Wet, multiplate with coil springs, aluminium cam assist and slipper clutch (DCT) 2 wet multiplate clutches with coil springs Transmission Type: (MT) 6 speed manual (DCT) 6 speed Frame: Semi double cradle Wheelbase: 1575mm Seat Height: 850/870mm (low seat option 825mm, high seat option 895mm) Ground Clearance: 250mm Kerb Weight: (MT) 240kg (DCT) 250kg Suspension: (F) Showa Telescopic inverted fork with an inner tube diameter of 45mm, and Showa EERATM with compression and rebound damping adjustments, 230mm stroke (R) Monoblock aluminium swing arm with Pro-Link with Showa gas-charged damper, hydraulic remote control preload adjuster and electric control unit with compression and rebound damping adjustments, 220mm rear wheel travel Wheels: (F) 21M/C x MT2.15 wire spoke with aluminium rim (R) 18M/C x MT4.00 wire spoke with aluminium rim Rims: (F) 21in (R) 18in Tyres: (F) 90/90-21M/C 54H (tubeless type) Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross Tourer AX41T (R) 150/70R18M/C 70H (tubeless type) Bridgestone Battlax Adventurecross Tourer AX41T Brakes: (F) 310mm dual wave floating hydraulic disc with aluminium hub and radial fit 4-piston callipers and sintered metal pads (R) 256mm wave hydraulic disc with single piston calliper and sintered metal pads. 2-Channel with rear ABS off mode ABS System Type: 2 channel with IMU/ Selectable ABS MODE with on-road and off-road setting Contact: www.honda.co.uk

GETTING SERIOUS Honda Africa Twin and Africa Twin Adventure Sports

Honda’s stepped up its game for 2020 with not one, but THREE new Africa Twins. So that’s Africa Triplets now, surely?

At first glance, you’d probably be forgiven for thinking that Honda’s done very little to the Africa Twin for 2020. But you’d be wrong. Despite the quite subtle visual changes, they’re completely new machines; all three of them. The headline news is that they’re lighter, slimmer, more powerful and come kitted out with an eclectic mix of the latest technology.

There’s no doubt they are a serious step up from the previous generation machines. There’s been a shift of priorities, too. The ‘standard’ Africa Twin now becomes Honda’s out and out off-road adventure machine, while the Adventure Sports is all set for some serious touring – either with or without that new Showa EERA suspension system.

The standard Africa Twin will set you back £13,049 for the manual transmission machine, or £13,949 for the DCT bike. The base-model Adventure Sports will cost £14,649 for the manual, or £15,849 for the DCT. And finally, the electronically assisted Adventure Sports is priced at £16,049 for the manual, or £17,349 for the DCT. So they’re not cheap – but when you look at all the work that Honda’s put into the new bikes, it’s easy to see why.

We spent the bulk of our time on the new top-of-the-line Adventure Sports, covering close to 200 miles across a mixture of tight twisties, fast sweepers and wide, undulating gravel trails. As a result, that’s the bike we’re going to

focus on. We will touch on the other two though, just in slightly less detail.

I’ll come clean. I am a big fan of the Africa Twin. I was seriously impressed by the 2016 model when it was first introduced. I liked it even more when it was updated in 2018. And in spite of the Adventure Sports’ gigantic seat height, I was a big fan of that, too. Now that’s not to say I couldn’t find any faults, but they made a lot of sense to me, sitting somewhere between the big behemoth 1200 and the slightly smaller middleweight 800. I loved their looks, their off-road abilities, and their heritage, too. In essence, I thought the Africa Twin stood apart from much of the rest of the big adventure motorcycle market. It was a comparatively back-to-basics bike, in a field of seriously sophisticated and properly expensive metal. And I liked that. But after spending a full day covering close to 200 miles on the new flagship Africa Twin Adventure Sports, I realise I might have been doing the bike a bit of a disservice.

I didn’t like that it was comparatively simple – I liked that it’s a bloody good bike. And with the addition of Showa’s semi-active suspension and a range of serious updates, it gets even better.

Touted as a sports tourer rather than an off-road weapon, it’s a massive step forward for Honda, and brings the Africa Twin Adventure Sports much closer to the big boys in the adventure motorcycle market. I’m thinking BMW’s R1250GS, Ducati’s Multistrada

1260 and KTM’s 1290 Adventure. And this time it’s lighter, more powerful, slimmer and easier to get on with.

What more could you ask for?

Alongside the semi-active suspension, the headline news for 2020 is the bike’s new engine. It’s now a 1084cc unit, which is (a little bit) more powerful than the old one, kicking out 100.5bhp and 77.5lb-ft of torque. It’s got plenty of power as far as I’m concerned – even though there’s quite a bit less than its most obvious competition. There’s more than enough in reserve to tank along in excess of a ton, and Honda has worked hard to make the power much more freely available right through the rev range from 2,500rpm. It pulls extremely well. There’s some clever stuff going on to help achieve that,

WORLD LAUNCH REPORT 13 Honda Africa Twin

including a new cylinder head, a new throttle body with improved flow, new valve timing, and a new exhaust profile and exhaust control valve.

The suspension’s the star of the show, though. Alright, so it’s a fairly heavy bit of kit and it makes the bike significantly more expensive, but as soon as you ride with it, you’ll wonder how you ever coped without. It’s brilliant, helping the top-of-the-line Adventure Sports handle better than it deserves to.

You can push the bike hard, really hard, and the suspension looks after you. It’s a clever, clever system. It reacts to data gathered from stroke sensors and the new six-axis IMU. It adjusts the damping force depending on the riding mode you choose (there’s six of them by the way – OffRoad, Gravel, Urban, Tour, User 1 and User 2) – and you can even fine-tune it using the left-hand switchgear (or the touchscreen TFT).

Let’s backtrack quickly, and talk about that new six-axis IMU for a

minute. It’s linked to the ABS and HSTC (Honda’s traction control system) and works to offer lean angle-sensitive traction control, cornering ABS, wheelie control and rear lift control, too. There’s a hell of a lot of flexibility built in. And it’s not all that complicated a system to get used to. Within an hour I felt comfortable flicking between rider modes, adjusting traction control and turning rear ABS on and off using the touchscreen TFT screen. No problem.

Off-road, it really comes into its own.

Adjusting HTSC settings down from 4 to 1 let me break traction at the rear with increasing drama – and yet I never felt like I was going to get in trouble.

Interestingly, the brakes are pretty much the only thing that are unchanged from the previous generation bikes. While they’re nothing hugely revolutionary, they’re more than up to the job; smooth and progressive, but with enough bite to halt you in a hurry.

While the Adventure Sports was previously Honda’s hardcore off-roader, this time the standard Africa Twin’s the one that’s ready to hit the trails.

It’s much the same as the top-of-the-line Adventure Sports, but instead of semi-active suspension, you get knobbly tyres.

Quite often on launches you get to ride a 200-metre stretch of flat fire trail to test a bike’s off-road abilities. Not this time.

We got a chance to put the new Africa Twin through its paces on a decent enduro loop. I went around twice – once on the manual, and once on the DCT. Admittedly, it wasn’t overly technical or tight, but it was challenging enough for me, with a mix of wide, open trails, tight switchbacks, climbs and downhill sections across sand, gravel and rocks.

The Africa Twin’s new 6-axis IMU was the real highlight. It was working overtime. I’m no

off-road god, I’m just about competent, but the electronics helped me push harder and harder as the day went on. I had a couple of really quite sketchy moments where it felt like the front end was going to wash out on loose gravel and sand, and somehow I managed to stay up.

Overall, I was seriously impressed with Honda’s newest off-road ready Africa Twin.

It’s agile and unintimidating, and yet when you want to have a bit of fun, a blip of the throttle and a tweak of the HTSC settings mean you can get the back end sliding around like a pro.

If you’re a serious off-road rider, you’ll be amazed at what the bike’s capable of doing. And if you’re an average off-roader who likes to tackle the occasional trail, the Africa Twin will help you get a real wriggle on. It’s also the cheapest of the bunch, coming in at £13,049 for the manual model and £13,949 for the DCT.