Motorcycle Sport & Leisure April 2017 PREVIEW

201 17 HONDA FIREBLADE

What the tech means to a real-world rider

TRACER

700 ALPS to the

3000 miile ch halllenge for the affordable adventurer

DISCOVER SPAIN Whatt tto see, where Wh h to t stay, t how tto ride h id

ALAN CA ATHCART TESTS:

ARCH KRGT-1 PLUS: Suzuki GSX-S750 ◆ Triumph Scrambler Peugeot Mettropolis ◆ Triumph Street Cup 2003 Ducati 99 98 ◆ 1988 Honda RC30 & more...

April 2017 No.679

KEANU REEVES’

E STA B L I SH E D 1 9 6 2 : T H E OR IG I NA L A N D B E ST B I K E M AG A Z I N E

Contents

PAY LESS MSL April EDITOR: John Milbank: jmilbank@mortons.co.uk FEATURES EDITOR: Mikko Nieminen: mnieminen@mortons.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER: Justin Blackamore DESIGNERS: Fran Lovely, Charlotte Turnbull, Holly Munro PRODUCTION EDITOR: Dan Sharp PICTURE DESK: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield PUBLISHER: Dan Savage: asavage@mortons.co.uk GROUP KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Steff Woodhouse: swoodhouse@mortons.co.uk 01507 529452 / 07786 334330 ADVERTISING MANAGER: Martin Freeman: mfreeman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529538 ADVERTISING SALES: Zoe Thurling: zthurling@mortons.co.uk 01507 529412 SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER: Paul Deacon: pdeacon@mortons.co.uk CIRCULATION MANAGER: Steve O’Hara: sohara@mortons.co.uk MARKETING MANAGER: Charlotte Park: cpark@mortons.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Nigel Hole

EDITORIAL ADDRESS: MSL Magazine, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR WEBSITE: www.mslmagazine.co.uk GENERAL QUERIES AND BACK ISSUES: 01507 529529 24 hr answerphone help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES: Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423 SUBSCRIPTION: Full subscription rates (but see page 16 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 16 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. SUBSCRIPTION AGENTS: Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR CUSTOMER SERVICES NUMBER: 01507 529529 TELEPHONE LINES ARE OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8.30AM-7PM SATURDAY 8.30AM-12.30PM DISTRIBUTION: Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU. 0203 787 9001.

PRINTED: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If you are sending material to us for publication, you are strongly advised to make copies and to include a stamped addressed envelope. Original material must be submitted and will be accepted solely on the basis that the author accepts the assessment of the publisher as to its commercial value. © Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. ISSN: 1478-8390 MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURE (USPS:001-522) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $66 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft WI and additional entries.

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20 NEW 6

News: France’s new emissions law

14

Letters: Win a Kriega pack

16

Subscribe and save money

18

Vnuk! Dooming ruling for UK motorcycle sport? Leon Mannings

20

Test ride: 2017 Honda Fireblade

30

66

Isle of Man: Time machine

70

Africa by 650

74

How to ride in Spain

77

Borders of gender: Richard Millington

78

Touring Harleys in Northumberland

KNOWLEDGE

Test ride: Triumph Street Cup & Street Scrambler

84

2003 Ducati 998 Buyer’s Guide

90

Long-term test: Piaggio MP3

36

Test ride: Suzuki GSX-S750

92

My bike: Yamaha XSR700

42

Test ride: Peugeot Metropolis

94

Long-term test: Suzuki SV650

46

Test ride: Arch KRGT-1

95

Long-term test: Honda Africa Twin

52

Test ride: Yamaha Tracer 700 to the Alps

96

Long-term test: Herald Classic 250

98

Long-term test: Suzuki GSX1250FA

60

The bigger cliché in bikes: Maynard Hershon

99

Long-term test: Suzuki GSX-S1000

62

Testing, testing: one, two, three: The High Sider

TOURING 63

Charity ride to the Mohne dam

64

UK: Over the border

100 Long-term test: KTM 1290 Superduke GT 101 Tested: Sena 10U, AGV GT Veloce, Visorvision pack, Keis X800 gloves 104 Classic test: 1988 Honda RC30 114 Displacement machines, dynamic machines: Kevin Cameron

52

104

Test Ride

2017 Honda CBR1000RR/SP

POWER to the

PEOPLE Can the 25th anniversary Fireblade’s new electronics give the average road rider the confidence to go faster?

WORDS: John Milbank PHOTOGRAPHY: Zep Gori, Francesc Montero, Felix Romero

NEW Riding modes adjust the throttle response and power output, as well as engine braking and traction control.

Test Ride Triumph Street Cup and Scrambler

NATURAL PROGRESSION Because every brand has to have a scrambler and café racer in its range…

WORDS Mikko WORDS: Mikk Nieminen Ni i PHOTOGRAPHY Alessio PHOTOGRAPHY: Al i Barbanti B b ti / Matteo M tt Cavadini C di i

30 The original and the best – established 1962

T

NEW

he Street Twin has been the best seller of the 2016 water-cooled Bonneville range, so it was only a matter of time before Triumph added more flavour to the accessible end of its modern classic range. Enter the Street Cup – Triumph’s nod to club racing with its sporty street performance – and the Street Scrambler, which is the reincarnation of the iconic Bonneville Scrambler. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that the new bikes are appearing just as café racers and scramblers are at the pinnacle of their popularity, with most manufacturers scratching their heads trying to find bikes that could handle a retro treatment.

All the ‘Street’ Bonnevilles (the Street Twin, Street Cup and Street Scrambler) share the same 900cc liquid-cooled parallel twin engine and many chassis components, but Triumph (which isn’t shy when it comes to excitable marketing) insists the new bikes are more than just a makeover with accessories bolted on. Both machines are said to have dedicated suspension units and a set-up to achieve a new purposeful geometry, as well as different bars, foot pegs and seats to adjust the riding position.

The 780mm high bullet seat is more plush than it looks.

Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 31

Test Ride 2017 Suzuki GSX-S 750

REAL-WORLD ES QUALITIE Mossy celebrates the fact the Suzuki’s launch was wet and slippery… isn’t that where we’ll ride it most?

WORDS: Chris Moss PHOTOGRAPHY: Suzuki

I

’ve become a little cynical about press launches in my old age. They’re normally very enjoyable events designed to give you a positive introduction to a brand new model. But the experience always needs to be put into context. The short time you get on the bike is geared to be spent in the most ideal circumstances, even if that’s not necessarily representative of the scenario an owner might experience in due course…

Luckily, the launch of the new Suzuki GSX-S 750 was more realistic – for the most part it rained, and was generally more akin to the UK climate, before I finally got the chance to conduct a bit of after-hours testing on my own in the better conditions.

I had sympathy for Suzuki’s disappointment at the inclement weather as the company had put a huge effort into the event to allow us to see the new streetbike in the best possible light. Yet I wasn’t as gloomy to see the wet roads. I don’t mind riding on less grippy routes. It gives you a great opportunity to examine just how well-balanced a bike is.

Given Suzuki had boasted about how friendly the GSX-S has been designed to be, that would make for an interesting and appropriate analysis.

The new machine is in essence an upgraded GSR 750, first released in 2011. The bike has lots of new parts and design features, the combined effect of which, according to its maker, provides a very different riding experience to the older model.

Some of the changes are obvious to the eye alone; the 750 has been

restyled subtly, with minor plastic surgery resulting in new head and tail lights, as well as having new instruments, 10-spoke wheels, a belly pan and redesigned swingarm. It retains the basic silhouette of its predecessor, but the revisions definitely bring it more up to date.

FRIST IMPRESSIONS

Not everyone admired the sharp streetfighter look, but it got the thumbs up from me. Then within a mile or two of setting off, I was also celebrating the obviously improved performance of the brakes, and engine. With appreciably more bite, the new four-piston radial calipers give more encouraging stopping power than the old twin-piston sliding arrangements, which could feel slightly lacking. Similarly, the inline four cylinder motor drives a little more earnestly from lower rpm, providing a clean and crisp response at lower rpm, with a very predictable and linear build up of power thereafter. Those two obvious plus points boosted my mood and had me believe Suzuki might have a point about its bike being more usable.

Soon out on the open roads of the hills above Alicante in Spain, where we were putting the GSX-S through its paces, another ally – its tyres – also made life a lot easier. Roads in this area are sometimes very slippery regardless of the rubber rolling along them, but a couple of days’ continual rain had washed them clean, and the Bridgestone S21s were splashing through the water and adhering to the road very impressively.

NEW

Test Ride 2017 Peugeot Metropolis

THE PO OWER OF For many, three-wheeled super-scooters are far more than a simple convenience…

B

WORDS: Peter Henshaw PHOTOGRAPHY: Peugeot & Peter Henshaw

rexit or no Brexit, the differences between European nations have long been a source of exasperation, wry shrugs and some very good jokes. They have a good one about us; one day, thick fog blankets the English Channel and all ferries are cancelled – UK newspaper headlines next day read: “Ferries cancelled – continent isolated.”

Anyway, it even extends to the reasons people buy scooters, and specifically the three-wheel tilting type. You’ll see loads of Piaggio MP3s on the streets of Paris and just about every Italian city, typically ridden by besuited businessmen in shiny, unscuffed shoes. That’s what you would expect, because the MP3, which pioneered this sector, was

designed as safe, sensible transport with good weather protection, while retaining the ability to slice through city traffic. But according to Peugeot importer Three Cross Motorcycles, that’s not the main market for the three-wheel Metropolis in the UK. Over here, a lot of the buyers are older motorcyclists who like the fact that the tilting three-wheeler locks upright, so they don’t need to balance the bike while their pillion gets on.

WELL PROVEN

There’s nothing new about the concept of a tilting three-wheeler, and it’s 10 years since Piaggio launched the MP3. The idea is that two contact points a certain distance apart, even small ones, have more grip than one and should be more stable on uneven surfaces. The trick was in making the three-wheeler narrow enough to slip

42 The original and the best – established 1962

3

ABOVE: Metropolis has always been a smart bit of kit – RX-R version comes in matt black with red graphics.

RIGHT: Luggage is accessed via rear hatch as well as lifting the seat, with space for one full-face and one open-face lid. The MP3 can take two full-faces.

through traffic, and also comply with legislation that allows it to be driven/ ridden on a car licence.

This must have been galling for Peugeot, especially as Parisians in particular have taken to the MP3, which may be why the French company launched its own tilting trike in 2014. It was very similar to the Piaggio, though with a 400cc motor instead of a 500 and a few extra items like a remote smart key,

NEW Peugeot Plans

Specification

Peugeot scooters is changing.

Indian firm Mahindra took a 51% controlling interest in 2015, with the rest held by Peugeot France.

It makes sense on both sides, with Peugeot scooters getting an injection of cash, while Mahindra gets access to upmarket styling nous and a premium brand – it’s the same reason Mahindra bought the BSA name recently.

So what does this mean for Peugeot? Well the company’s adamant that it will carry on building scooters in France, rather than moving production to India, though in future these may use some cheaper Indian parts.

The plan is also to concentrate on bigger-engined premium scooters, like the Metropolis, rather than try to compete with the Chinese. The French will also be seeking to increase sales by going into new markets such as Vietnam, Africa and the Middle East. In 2015, Peugeot sold 80% of its scooters in Europe; a dangerous dependency on an uncertain market. Like every other business of a certain size, it’s having to think internationally in order to survive, and it’s a fair bet that not many at Peugeot will be in favour of ‘Frexit’.

an electronic parking brake, tyre pressure monitoring and a flat floor for shopping. And there was a clear attempt to give it a Peugeot car look.

The result saw Peugeot grabbing a 20% share of the EU tilting trike market last year. The firm thinks it can do better though, and has just given the Metropolis a makeover.

You could be forgiven for thinking that not much has changed, because this latest Metro looks very similar to the old one. Under the skin though, there’s a lot of new hardware. Peugeot says the four-valve 400cc single (named Power Motion) is all-new, and while peak power and torque has hardly changed (36.5bhp and 28.1lb-ft), Peugeot claims a significant torque boost at 3000-6000rpm, a 7% improvement in mpg and compliance with Euro 4 emissions standards.

The chassis also comes in for substantial changes, with a stiffer front frame section, bigger 13in wheels and revised spring/damper rates – the front suspension incidentally, is take care of by

PEUGEOT METROPOLIS RX-R 400 Price: £7899 Engine: Liquid-cooled SOHC 4-valve single, 400cc Power: 36.5bhp (27kW) @ 7000rpm Torque: 28.1lb-ft (38Nm)@ 5500rpm Frame: Tubular steel Transmission: Automatic Suspension: (F) Single spring/damper; (R) Twin shocks, pre-load adjustable Brakes: Discs front and rear, linked, ABS Kerb weight: 256kg Fuel capacity: 13.5 litres Contact: www.peugeot scooters.co.uk

ABOVE: Tilting three-wheeler concept still works well on the twisty stuff.

LEFT: Electronic parking brake is easy to use.

a horizontally mounted unit. The bigger wheels allow for larger, 200mm front discs, while the rear brakes gets a two-pot caliper. There’s traction control (two modes, plus it can be turned off), a restyled dash, two smart keys instead of one, and if you brake hard enough the hazard flashers come on automatically.

ON THE ROAD

We rode the Metropolis in Nice, and I’ve got news for you (or, at least, it was to me) – the French Riviera is decidedly chilly in mid-January.

Anyway, riding any of these tilting trikes takes some acclimatisation, but the Metro isn’t too intimidating, with a low 780mm seat making it easier to cope with the 256kg kerb weight – yes, it really does weigh the same as a big sports tourer, because this is a large piece of kit.

But you don’t need to balance it upright at the lights – flick a switch and it locks in place while you sit feet up. When you open the throttle, it unlocks automatically and you just

ABOVE RIGHT: Designed for the urban metropolis, but it’s pretty good on the open road as well.

BELOW: Dash has a lot more information than this picture implies...

accelerate away, without touching the ground. The Metropolis is narrow enough to filter through the traffic of downtown Cannes, and it only really gets held up when its sheer length (2.1m) gets in the way. It’s helped by a smooth power take-up at low speed and that the whole thing feels very stable and well balanced – the foot pedal operates linked brakes, while the bar levers work the front and rear individually, so you can still feather the rear at walking pace.

Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 43

Test Ride

46 The original and the best – established 1962

NEW Arch Motorcycle KRGT-1

STAR STRUCK K

Understand what goes into Keanu Reeves' genre-defining machine, and the huge expense starts to make a little more sense…

Bikes have always bee n an integral part of Keanu’s life.

WORDS: Alan Cathcart PHOTOGRAPHY: Kevin Wing g

H

ollywood A-lister Keanu Reeves, star of The Matrix, Speed, Point Break and numerous other box office hits besides Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, which shot him to stardom back in 1989, rides a bike everywhere. In doing so he’s suffered his fair share of injuries, including a ruptured spleen, some broken teeth, and arm and leg fractures – mostly lowsides that he’s humble enough to admit came from rider error.

When he’s away from his Los Angeles base shooting a movie on location, Keanu’s regular custom is to purchase a bike locally that he can ride for the duration of the shoot, then sell it back to the dealer when filming is over. Such ‘Ex-Keanu Reeves’ highlights of the local secondhand marketplace have included everything from a 1978 Moto Guzzi T3 to an ’88 Suzuki GSX-R750, and from a Harley Shovelhead to a Kawasaki KZ900 and Suzuki GS1000. When he went to Australia to shoot The Matrix he got a 750 Norton, and then for the second Matrix sequel a Harley Sportster. But back in California Keanu’s Hollywood Hills home has a garage housing four Norton Commandos of different vintages, with occasional Harleys that come and go while the Nortons stay put.

While customising a Harley Dyna in 2006, Keanu met Gard Hollinger, then proprietor of top Custom bike house LA County Choprods, and a veteran of TV shows such as the Discovery Channel’s Great Biker Build Off, ESPN’s Chopper Nation and Speed TV’s Build or Bust. The two became friends, and Reeves commissioned Gard to build him a Custom hotrod based on the Dyna, creating what pretty much amounted to an American V-twin powercruiser version of his Norton Commandos.

A PARTNERSHIP BEGINS

With Keanu out of town shooting his next movie, it was Hollinger who took up the story when I visited the 10,000sq ft restored 1950s Arch factory in suburban Los Angeles. “That first Dyna custom motorcycle project took quite a while to complete, mostly due to Keanu’s work schedule, because he needed to evaluate it as it came along,” says Gard. “It was the first time I’d built a motorcycle that way, where the customer had very specific ideas about what he wanted it to do.

Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 47

Yamaha Tracer 700

THE SIZE OF THE

FIGHT WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Nathan Millward

TEST RIDE

Random military base somewhere in rural France. The benefit of taking the back roads.

Round-the-world adventurer Nathan Millward takes Yamaha’s Tracer 700 to the Alps and back to find out if it’s the size of the bike that matters, or the size of the fight in it...

S

tanding at the top of the Alps you’d be forgiven for thinking that some of the best riding you can do in the world is right here in Europe.

Obviously you have to ride a long way through France to get to the Alps, but once you’re there it’s hard to find fault with the quality of mountain roads and passes available.

I was heading this way to visit SWM, just north of Milan, and would have flown, but thought it would be a good chance to test one of the latest adventure machines like Ducati’s Multistrada Enduro or Triumph’s Explorer. But editor John suggested Yamaha’s new Tracer 700, a bike the Japanese manufacturer is keen to promote as a junior tourer…

The plan was loose. I had nothing booked besides the overnight Brittany ferry from Portsmouth to Caen on the Friday night, the SWM factory visit on the Monday and the return ferry journey the following Saturday. Six

days of riding nearly 3000 miles, plus one day at SWM. I carried a tent and planned on camping the whole way. I took a paper map of Europe, and supplemented it with a basic TomTom Start 20 that I picked up at Halfords on the way. It wasn’t a proper motorcycle GPS, but at £89.99 was good enough to slip under the perspex cover of the tank bag and plug into the 12v aux uxiliary x charger Yamaha had fitted to the bike. Why these things are not factory fitted as standard, I’ll never know.

Other accessories fitted were the 20-litre per side ABS side-case set worth £464.98 including frames, a quick-release tank bag including mounting ring at £136.78, side slider engine guards at £164.99, handlebar cross brace at £35.52, full radiator cover at £92.49, heated grips at £128.98 and comfort seat at £128.99.

This brought the total value of the test bike up from the base price of £6299 to £7451.73. Hard panniers are also available, as well as a larger touring screen and top box.

The Tracer 700 is the highly successful