Motorcycle Sport & Leisure - September 2018

REDFOX GRINTA

Amazing Dutch retro you can build at home

HONDA’S CB B B750

1970’s very excitin n ng motorcycle (really y y!)

REVEAL LED!

DUCA ATI

DIAV VEL

SNAPPED!

KTM 790 ADVENTURE

THE

S ’ T E R C SE

!

T U O s 2019’ ST E T T HO NEW BIKES

SPOTTED!

MOTO GUZZI

V85

T U O T H CAUG

GOTCHA!

KTM 390 ADVENTURE

BMW C400X LAUNCH REPORT ◆ KTM 250 FREERIDE ◆ MV AGUSTA’S TIMUR SARDAROV SPILLS THE BEANS ◆ CURTISS ZEUS – ERM... ◆ BMW R 1200 GS RALLYE ◆ WHAT IS DVT THEN? ◆ MOTO GYMKHANA-ING IT ◆ K 1600 GT ◆ AND LOADS MORE INCLUDING DOWNLOADABLE ROUTE MAPS FOR FREE!

September 2018 Issue 696

Turn up your experience The Tracer 900 touring experience takes you to a new level The new Tracer 900GT offers the ultimate premium riding experience. Its touring capacities have been enhanced with cruise control, adjustable windscreen, heated grips and adjustable seat, plus colour-matched hard side cases as standard. Its sporting credentials are even higher with a new quick shifter system, remote pre-load rear shock absorber and adjustable upside down front forks.

Its technology sets a new standard for the class with TCS, D-MODE and full colour TFT instruments.

That’s why every ride on the new Tracer 900GT delivers the Sport Touring experience at its best.

New Yamaha Tracer 900GT. Turn up your experience

www.yamaha-motor.eu.uk

I spy with my little eye...

Often it’s as simple as: “You didn’t hear this from me but if someone is on road X in country Y, in the next few days, then it might prove fruitful.”

Tony Carter

Y

es, dear reader, despite what you might read elsewhere – or what that bloke down the pub might tell you – a large percentage of so-called ‘spy shots’ really are ‘spy shots’. They’re often taken by specialist snappers who know the routes the factories like, they’re very knowledgeable about what bikes are coming out and what any issues are with them.

Occasionally it’s the likes of me who phone these guys up and pass on information from insiders at a factory. The results, largely, you can see in MSL, filling our news pages.

Now, I’m not naive. Lord knows I’ve been in this game long enough (next year marks my 25th as a professional motorcycle journalist, I know... I don’t look old enough... ahem...) and yes, although I have never worked with a factory to bag a single spy shot over that quarter of a century, I’m sure certain outlets made sure information is fed to me in order to have a snapper at the right place at the right time.

In those situations, there’s little you can do other than get the shot and analyse what you see. You pick what you can from the bikes you’ve caught and work out what bit does what and where.

Mostly though, your spy photo is going to cause you a whole heap of headache because you’re affecting sales of this year’s stock or showing a motorcycle that’s not ready yet or getting Fabrizio into trouble because he’s wearing an old BMW jacket instead of a Ducati one. I’ve had every one of these arguments thrown at me over the years. And I understand each fully.

So what to do? Ignore what’s happening outside of the nearest dealership? No. Pretend that we’re not getting a glut of new motorcycles every November at EICMA in Milan? No.

Find out what’s coming, get excited about it, find out where it’s testing and despatch snappers to go bag it? Yep. That’s what we do.

It’s the same with patent stories. We get these patents that are filed by the factories. The factories file many patents each week (literally hundreds of patents are filed by the likes of Kawasaki, Yamaha and Honda) but only a few relate to motorcycles and only a few of those are things we’ve not seen before.

The factories try to be clever with the filing, often hiding a new motorcycle away in a patent for a sidestand widget or fairing bracket. So hours are spent each week going through mountains of paper, looking for something new.

And then you find it. That nice new motorcycle that’s coming in one or two years’ time. And you put it on the page and the cover.

Motorcycling is a constantly evolving beast. This month we’ve got four big stages of evolution for you on top of everything else we’ve been up to.

I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

Tony, Holding-the-fort

Motorcycle Sport & Leisure’s contributors...

Alan Cathcart

Alan Cathcart has been writing about bikes for more than 30 years, and riding them for even longer. He’s regularly given the keys to factory prototypes and being on first name terms with the bosses of bike companies around the world allows him to bag many scoops.

Roland Brown

Has ridden for 37 years and been a bike journalist for more than 30. At Bike he ended up as deputy editor before going freelance. An author of 11 books, as a racer he was Bemsee 1300 champion 1984 and raced UK F1, Superstock and Superbike, plus World F1 races.

Chris Moss

Mossy has raced the Isle of Man TT, dispatched in London and ridden everything from CX500s to fullblown GP prototypes. A former chief motorcycle tester for Motorcycle News, the veteran journo admits he’s still loving two-wheeled life, and still learning.

Peter Henshaw

Peter knows his stuff – he’s a former editor of this very magazine. Now a freelance journalist, he’s got the same enthusiasm for anything with wheels that he’s had since a child. An all-year-round biker who doesn’t own a car, he has more than 40 books to his name.

Mikko’s BACK! A bit. Kind of.

We couldn’t have been happier to have the Finn back in the MSL hot seat for a few minutes this week.

Marking a frankly remarkable comeback, Mikko N appeared at MSL Towers this month for the first time since his intimate gettogether with a not-so-friendly tractor.

His first visit to the offices since his huge crash in the middle of March was a happy affair, as you might expect. And as usual, Mikko had the right words ready, such as: “What’s all this mess on my desk?” and “Who the hell drank all my coffee?” not to mention “Why has Tony left his rotten old trainers under my drawers?”

In all seriousness, the motorcycle man is continuing his return to us apace. He’s doing more pages in the magazine as you’d expect and we can’t wait to have him back properly.

Say hello to him if you’re writing in.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 3

Contents

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8 NEWS & OPINION: 7

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34

44

News

The biggest stories in biking this month – including genuine from-the-bushes scoop photos!

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Timur Sardarov

30

MV Agusta’s money man shares his vision for the future.

Products

Biking kit and gizmos to spice up your ride... and your life.

ROAD TESTS

Letters

16

50

Maynard Hershon

52

The High Sider

48

You, the MSL reader, take over and have your say.

Bikes, girls and England. All the way back in 1964.

Sporting prowess from hiding behind the sofa and moaning at the telly box.

BMW C400X

38

26

KTM Freeride

102 Used test: BMW K1600GT

30

Redfox Grinta Ducati

110 Classic test: Honda CB750

4 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

They had a rubbish World Cup, but the Germans know how to make scooters.

If you want to venture right off the tarmac, this is the way to do it in quarter-litre style.

Built for the Classic TT. This is a bike you could make yourself.

Curtiss Zeus

Whether you love it or hate it, this electric machine is certainly unique.

There’s something about that six-cylinder engine... not to mention all those gizmos.

It’s a classic alright, but how does it measure up these days?

TEST FLEET

38 TOURING & ADVENTURE

90

Honda CB1000R+

92

KTM 1090

93

Husqvarna 401

94

Kawasaki Z900RS

95

Honda X-ADV

96

77

56

Toro Trail

78

61

Richard Millington

84

62

Day ride

87

64

68

74

Always be yourself. If you can’t be yourself, be like Ewan and Charley.

English rider, German bike and Spanish trails are the perfect mix.

What if the bike you really want doesn’t fit your image?

Can you get from Essex to Ypres and back in a day?

Roger meets the ‘egg boys’.

Ross enjoys the Black Arrow.

Classic looks or a classic ride?

Chris changes his habits to suit.

Yamaha Tracer 900

It’s got what Paul needs.

KNOWLEDGE

Touring news

55

Attention seeker’s delight!

Cagiva fest

If you want to see lots of Cagivas in one place, this is it.

Moto Gymkhana

The boys are getting faster, sharper, and still nowhere near the podium.

Tech talk: DVT

Three letters that make a big difference – on a Ducati, that is.

What’s on?

Don’t miss these events in the next few weeks.

Mid ride

88

One to come

Long ride

98

Tried & tested

Travel

122 Kevin Cameron

We love riding in Spain. This time it’s the Pyrenees.

Short nights, long fjords, cheap ferries and expensive cheese in Norway.

From the four corners of the globe they came (back).

56

Where to put your money if you’re looking to the long term.

Our real life tests tell the truth behind the marketing spin.

What wins races – the rider, the bike, or something else altogether?

September 2018 EDITOR: Mikko Nieminen: mnieminen@mortons.co.uk ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Tony Carter: tcarter@mortons.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER: Justin Blackamore DESIGNERS: Fran Lovely, Charlotte Turnbull PRODUCTION EDITOR: Dan Sharp PICTURE DESK: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield PUBLISHER: Dan Savage: asavage@mortons.co.uk GROUP KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Steff Woodhouse: swoodhouse@mortons.co.uk 01507 529452 / 07786 334330 DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER: Zoe Thurling zthurling@mortons.co.uk 01507 529412 ADVERTISING SALES: Lee Buxton: lbuxton@mortons.co.uk 01507 529453 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 24 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £51.60. Export rates are also available – see page 24 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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NEW Need to know ◆ Your letters ◆ First rides

McGuinness announces racing COMEBACK for THIS MONTH!

J

After a year in the wilderness, battling to be fit enough to race again, the TT legend says he’s ready.

ohn McGuinness WILL make a return to racing around the Isle of Man TT Mountain Course, and he’ll do it THIS MONTH. The road racing legend has now confirmed his entry for the 2018 Classic TT presented by Bennetts.

Now back to bike riding fitness, 23-times TT Race winner McGuinness, unquestionably the most successful TT rider of his generation, will again campaign the 500cc Team Winfield Paton in the four-lap Bennetts Senior Classic TT Race due to be held on Saturday, August 25.

Having been out of race action since the 2017 North West 200 where he sustained career threatening injuries,

McGuinness got a taste of the 37.73-mile Mountain Course again at this year’s Isle of Man TT Races fuelled by Monster Energy, with two parade laps on the SG7 Norton he had been due to ride before failing to regain full fitness in time for the June event.

He will be looking to make a winning return this month, lining up on the same 500cc Paton that he rode at the Classic TT between 2013 and 2016.

Technical issues held the Morecambe Missile back in his first two attempts with the team but team and rider made amends in 2016 when he ran out a clear winner. Indeed, having overhauled early leader Dean Harrison in the 2016 Bennetts Senior Classic TT Race,

McGuinness’ fastest lap of 113.342mph saw him set a new class lap record which still stands today and his winning margin over the Bradford rider was decisively over 20 seconds.

McGuinness said:“It’s been a hard road back from the North West 200 crash and I thought we were there heading into the TT but another setback just left us a few weeks short. I absolutely loved doing the two parade laps this year and the reaction I got from the fans was amazing.

The next big target for me was always the Classic TT, and everything is going in to being fully fit and prepared for a proper return to racing.”

He continued:“I’m buzzing about the whole thing really. I love the Classic TT atmosphere and I really enjoy working with Roger Winfield and his team and their Paton is a joy to ride around Mountain Circuit.

I’m not going to make any predictions on how competitive we are going to be, but when I rode the Norton at the TT, the feeling was good and, above all else, I just want to be out there with the rest of the guys again, going as fast as we can and putting on a good show for the fans. If we get a result out of it then that will be a bonus on this occasion.”

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 7

Top Stories

Spy shots show chain drive and new forks on the cards for Ducati’s big bruiser.

GOTCHA!

NEXT-GENERATION

DUCATI DIAVEL Stronger swingarm, chain drive – no belt – and new forks.

Sweet changes lined-up for the Italian bruiser.

T

his is the nextgeneration Ducati Diavel which was caught in action by our spy snappers at the start of the month. The new bike might look very similar to the current Italian bruiser but there’s a lot of major changes happening to relaunch the

Diavel back to something like it’s 2011 roots.

Back then the motorcycle world was agog at the bike which looked like an overtyred cruiser with bad taste in superbike clothes – but actually went, stopped and turned like a competent track bike and behaved well around town.

8 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Since then the Diavel has sold well but recently the bike has become a little blurred around the edges and Ducati’s attempts to open up its appeal to a wider market with the feet-forward XDiavel and changes to the Diavel itself have taken away some of that first-generation thrill of the bike that could tour,

commute and take on sportbikes in avant garde style.

So this version of the Diavel has a lot to live up to and the photographs show that the wheels and frame are largely staying the same, at least for this stage of the bike’s development.

From what we can see in the photographs it looks like the

NEW News in brief

The original model Ducati Diavel.

SUZUKI EXTENDS LOW RATE FINANCE

• Suzuki is extending its low rate finance across the 2018 range and it’s continuing to cut £500 off it’s GSX-R and GSX-S125 too.

As part of the extension the GSX-R1000R, GSX-S750, GSX-S1000, SV650 and new SV650X will continue to be available under the 2,3,4% finance offer, which allows customers to choose either a PCP or hire purchase deal, and select the term of their agreement from two, three or four-year plans with an APR to match.

BORING 4X4 TO COOL MOTORCYCLE CARRIER

next-generation Diavel is running the 1262cc Testastretta DVT motor (the one that you’ll find in both the Multistrada 1260 and XDiavel). If it’s the case that the new Diavel will continue to use that lump then expect a slight increase from the current 152bhp maximum output at 9500rpm.

It’s in the torque delivery where the DVT motor really shines and that’s why the Diavel is likely to continue to use it.

With variable valve timing the motor now gets to maximum 93lb-ft of torque at 5000rpm.

So you’ll not need to rev the new Diavel hard to fire it out of corners.

While the bike in the photos is clearly using a combination of parts from the current bike (exhaust, petrol tank, seat, subframe) there’s still some telling changes between the current Diavel and what we’re looking at here.

Firstly, the chain final drive with no belt drive - like on the XDiavel – visible in any of the spy shots. It’s likely that the Diavel will continue in just chain drive for the Italian bruiser.

Then there’s the swingarm, it’s a Panigale unit lifted directly from the superbike (so assume

the same mounting points and geometry for the rear shock).

The Ohlins forks and steering geometry look to have been pulled in and refined to sharpen up the steering further and the footrests are in the sporty tucked-in position instead of the feet-forward position that the XDiavel has.

Given the extent of the secrecy surrounding this motorcycle, Ducati is clearly banking on this Diavel delivering a few surprises when it appears next year in dealers.

The 2019 Diavel is likely to significantly refine the existing design.

So much so that it’s hard to tell what differences, if any, the company has made to the bike’s bodywork. The camo decals make it hard to see any subtle changes to the back of the petrol tank’s shape or how it blends into the wings of the bodywork that sits on the bike’s shoulders.

Expect to see the bike make an official appearance at this year’s EICMA show in Italy in November and then join the 2019 model year line-up sometime in the early part of next year.

• This is the MotoTote – a motorcycle carrier for a 4x4. Or big SUV. It fits to your car’s tow bar.

Once attached, all you need to do is fit the loading ramp, roll your bike up until the front tyre locks into place, and then tie it down.

The MTX Sport model can carry bikes of up to around 270kg, which covers you for most motorcycles (except some of the bigger cruisers on the market), and can be fitted to almost any vehicle with a suitable class tow bar.

TERMIGNONI FOR A HIMALYAN

• Termignoni has just announced a badass exhaust system, exclusively designed for the Royal Enfield Himalayan.

It sheds close to two kilograms of weight, and offers a marginal performance boost of power ( + 0.8hp @ 3500rpm) and torque (+ 1.65Nm @ 3500rpm).

No price as yet.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 9

Top Stories

HERE IT IS! KTM pulls the pin on the 2019 790 Adventure R! Official reveal and pics show the 2019 master middleweight in all its glory.

The Austrian factory unveiled the motorcycle at its European Adventure Rally last month.

And here’s a photo of the bike being finally shown in action.

The all-new parallel-twin powered bike has been developed alongside KTM’s latest Dakar-winning weapon, the KTM 450 Rally, to be the link between the firm’s enduro bikes and street range for 2019.

Riders at the event were given an exclusive opportunity to see an early pre-production version of the KTM 790 Adventure R ridden by Chris Birch – an eight times New Zealand Enduro champ and triple Roof of Africa winner.

After riding the bike, Chris said: “I’m honestly blown away by the new KTM 790 Adventure R. Naturally, I’ve got a lot of experience on enduro bikes and the awesome ability

of the big KTM Adventure models, and this just feels like the perfect combination of them both. Obviously, what I rode is still a prototype, but it’s looking in terrific shape. Can’t wait to ride the final product!”

KTM PR manager Luke Brackenbury said: “KTM listens to its customers and dealers throughout the world and the demand for a very hardcore, mid-capacity Adventure bike was repeatedly raised.

“Make no mistake, this new KTM will be the most performance-focused middleweight travel enduro on the market with a spec sheet to rival machines of a much bigger displacement.”

Full details of the bike will be revealed at EICMA, Milan on November 6 this year, but for now here’s what we know about the bike:

10 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

■ Utilises new KTM LC8c 799cc parallel twin engine, tuned for a wider spread of torque when compared with KTM 790 Duke.

■ Over 400km fuel tank range.

■ Low seat height.

■ Low-slung fuel tank for optimum centre of gravity.

■ Fully adjustable WP suspension front and back with

long travel and PDS for the shock absorber.

■ Radial mounted, four-piston front brake calipers with ABS and off-road ABS options.

■ Adjustable ergonomics to match the rider and the riding situation.

■ Spoked wheels in true off-road sizes for optimum tyre choice.

Adventure. It’s in your sole.

It’s in you. It’s part of you. Choose footwear your passion deserves – SIDI Adventure 2 boots give you all the edge you need to feel at one with your ride.

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Top Stories

REVEALED KTM’S TINY 390 ADVENTURE BIKE We’ve bagged these photos of the 2019 390 Adventure while it was out in final testing in Austria.

And what these photos tell us is that, in reality, the tiny 390 is actually going to be a pretty able roadster.

Seeing it with a pillion in place really gives away how much room there is on the bike which is powered by the company’s current 390 Duke motor.

In Duke guise, that 373cc liquid-cooled, single-cylinder engine puts out 44bhp so it’s believed that the same motor in the Adventure’s chassis will perform in the same way.

Expected to go on sale next year, the 390 Adventure will sit in the KTM stable as a smaller sibling to the also-coming 790 Adventure R (see page 10 of this issue of MSL for that bike), the 1090 and 1290 Adventure motorcycles too.

While KTM itself is keen to promote the bike as part of an

exciting ‘stable’ of Austrian-built motorcycles, it’s also important for the firm that the 390 stands on its own merits as a beginnerfriendly upright motorcycle.

In order for that to happen, the 390 can’t be as radical or focused as the 790 R, which is virtually a full-on serious off-roader that can happen to be good on the road as well. So, as you might expect, elements of the 390 have been kept deliberately welcoming and easy for new riders to get on with.

In our photos we can see two versions of the 390, one with the luggage rack and one without but there are common themes on both. They each get the Duke-style bodywork around the petrol tank and headlights and both versions have extra wind-deflecting shields mounted either side of the

12 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

headlight unit to divert the worst of the windblast away from the rider.

Both also get the higher screen which is angled at the top so that any air hitting it is pushed up as smoothly as possible in a bid to reduce helmet buffeting when on the move.

Longer forks and relatively low footrests combined with wide handlebars that are pulled

back towards the rider make the 390 feel physically bigger than it really is. The rider sits ‘in’ the bike instead of ‘on’ it to improve the feeling of stability at lower speeds and to make bike easy to paddle about at very low speeds.

The kitted prototype is running with KTM-standard pillion grab-handles and luggage rack so we can assume that these will be on at least one version of the finished 390.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 13

Top Stories News in brief GROM-INSPIRED ELECTRIC BIKE

• Californian firm CSC has just unveiled its new electric motorcycle – and it looks fairly close to a little Honda Grom.

It’s 1.8m long, with a wheelbase of 1.25m – but it weighs 150kg, presumably as a result of its battery and electric motor. The latter, via belt drive to the rear wheel, powers the bike up to 75kph.

RRP is $1995 (£1500-ish).

YAMAHA UNVEILS ALL-NEW TWOSTROKE ‘CROSSERS’

• Yamaha has just revealed its all-new YZ85 two-stroke motocross machine – which uses Yamaha’s Power Valve System (YPVS). Plus, it has also revealed the return of its iconic YZ125 and YZ250.

YZ series project leader Daisuke Sakurai said: “There are many merits to two-stroke, especially for the beginner.

But most importantly, it’s fun.”

3D PRINTED PARTS USED IN THE LATEST YARD BUILT BIKE • The ALTER is Yamaha Europe’s latest Yard Built custom – made by French firm DAB MOTORS. Based on the XSR 900, it utilises a range of 3D printed parts – including its aluminium seat rails, top bridges, handlebar risers and headlight holders.

Harley-Davidson baited by Trump US President claims he’s working to bring other motorcycle manufacturers to the USA.

I

n the wake of Harley-Davidson suggesting it will move some of its production out of the US because of European tariffs on American-made motorcycles (in reply to Trump’s tariffs on European steel), President Donald Trump has criticised the brand on social media, claiming that his administration is talking to other motorcycle companies.

Trump said: “Now that Harley-Davidson is moving part of its operation out of the US, my administration is working with other motorcycle companies who want to move into the US. Harley customers are not happy with their move – sales are down 7% in 2017. The US is where the action is!”

Trump has repeatedly criticised the iconic Milwaukee-based

motorcycle manufacturer over the last few weeks.

Recently he said: “HarleyDavidson should stay 100% in America, with the people that got you your success. I’ve done so much for you, and then this.

“Other companies are coming back where they belong! We won’t forget, and neither will your customers or your now very HAPPY competitors!”

These tweets from Trump came as Harley-Davidson announced that the new tariffs would increase the average cost per motorcycle by about $2200 and as a result, the company will shift some production overseas.

The European Union imposed the tariffs in retaliation against the Trump administration’s duties on steel and aluminium imports,

which were an effort by Trump to protect US jobs. Interestingly, no production will actually be moving to Europe as a result of the tariffs, according to H-D. That’s because Harley’s overseas manufacturing plants are in Brazil, India, Australia and Thailand. However, in the USA, the company is shutting down a Kansas City, Missouri, factory and transferring operations to York, Pennsylvania.

Under 1% of motorcyclists want to ride at speed, apparently Do you hate it when people pigeonhole you as a biker who rides everywhere at 100%? Well reckon on this as a pat on the back by specialist motorcycle insurers Devitt Motorcycle Insurance Brokers.

The firm has carried out a study into modern motorcycling behaviour and found that motorcyclists tend to be the ‘anti-daredevils’, with 90% saying they’re “concerned for safety” when riding next to other vehicles.

The survey found that over 99% of riders don’t set out to ride at speed, preferring a steadier journey to an supercharged trip.

In fact, fewer than 1% (0.21%) said their goal was to ride fast.

The research shows that taking care on the road is the top priority for many motorcyclists, with more than two-fifths (41%) saying it’s

14 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

their number one concern when they are on their bike. The research, undertaken earlier this year, reflects the views of 1000 British car drivers and 1400 motorcyclists.

Meanwhile, the actions of car drivers were also found to be an ongoing concern for many bikers, with nearly three quarters (71%) saying car drivers are distracted

and a further two thirds (62%) claiming their fellow road users are impatient on the road.

When car drivers were asked the same questions about their journeys, the results were surprisingly different. The majority (61%) said reaching their destination was their first priority.

In fact, under a fifth (19%) cited safety as a primary objective.

When asked whether they thought bikers were impatient, nearly half (48%) of drivers surveyed said they were, but fewer than one in 20 (4%) considered motorcyclists to be distracted on the roads.

Further to this, a third of male drivers (67%), and almost three quarters of female drivers (73%), said that they were especially vigilant when driving near motorcyclists for fear of being involved in an accident.

Test Ride BMW C400X

BACK

with the

X

BMW’s all-new super scooter looks the part – but will it impress the commuter crowd?

WORDS: Ross Mowbray PHOTOGRAPHY: BMW Motorrad

W

hen MSL was invited to Italy for the launch of BMW’s all new C400X scooter, we took the opportunity to put it through its paces on the outskirts of Milan, taking in the busy urban sprawl, some motorway miles, and a selection of beautiful twisties and tight hairpin turns.

In the wider two-wheeled community, BMW has never been widely renowned for its scooters. Of course, over the years the Bavarian brand has dipped its toe into the market a handful of times – and at the time of writing it does have a

couple of big 650 maxi-scooters in its stable, though it’s never really managed to grab a decent stronghold on the commuter crowd. But, there’s some real money to be made in the mid-sized scooter market. And BMW knows it. The sector turns over a fairly consistent 35,000-40,000 units a year worldwide – and BMW reckons it stands a very good chance of making a dent in that number with its all-new C400X. First impressions are good. In fact, photos don’t quite do the little scooter justice. It’s aggressive, almost muscular front end is undeniably a BMW – in fact, it even shares the same headlight unit as the new

16 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

ABOVE: It faces stiff competition but BMW’s C400X offers sporty handling and the latest tech.

F850GS. Overall build quality is good too – as you’d expect from a BMW. Interestingly though, the machine is made out in China, on a dedicated BMW production line at Loncin.

Don’t worry though; they know what they’re doing. The very same people used to build BMW’s almost indestructible F650GS. If you compare the C400X to the other mid-capacity scooters on the market (namely Yamaha’s XMAX 400, Suzuki’s Burgman 400 and Kymco’s Xciting 400i), the C400X seems more compact and a little sportier than the competition – which is perfect, when you consider its intended purpose; urban

LAUNCH Specification BMW C400X (2018) Engine: 350cc water-cooled single cylinder four-stroke, four valves per cylinder, single overhead cam Power: 33.5bhp (25kW) @ 7500rpm Torque: 26lb-ft (35Nm) @ 6000rpm Brakes: (F) Double 265 mm rigid discs with 4-piston calipers (R) Single 265 mm disc with 1-piston floating caliper Suspension: (F) Telescopic front forks with 110mm travel (R) Double aluminium swingarm with spring struts, adjustable preload and 112mm travel Tyres: Pirelli Angel Scooter (F) 120/70-15 (R) 150/70-14 Max speed: 86mph (139kph) Seat height: 775mm (760mm option available) Weight: 204kg Fuel capacity: 12.8 litres Economy: 80.7mpg (claimed) Price: TBC (approx. £6000) Contact: www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en

commuting. Admittedly, storage space is at a bit of a premium as a result. There are the usual two lockable cubbyholes at the front, and the right hand even comes with a 12V plug-in point. But it’s the underseat storage that’s really compromised.

Sure, there’s enough room to fit a half-face lid and a few other bits and pieces, but compared to its competitors, there’s not a huge amount of room. BMW has been quite clever though, including a Flexcase system which allows you to

BMW’S connectivity

BMW is really pushing its connectivity package for the C400X. Essentially it’s a clever TFT-Display and BMW Motorrad Connected app. The headline act is its own sat-nav system, which works through the app – and is displayed on the TFT in the form of a basic arrow-based system. The app also allows you to find out where you last parked, check the weather, see where the nearest petrol station is, and view various bits and pieces of data from the machine, including mileage, riding time and average speed. Clever stuff.

expand the underseat storage area to allow space for a full-face lid to be stored alongside a half-face one – although, you can only use it when the scooter is stationary.

Settling into the seat for the first time, I found the C400X exceptionally comfortable – with a very natural riding position. It comes with a 755mm seat height as standard, which (with my 6ft 1in frame and 32in legs) I could settle on with room to spare. Okay, so it doesn’t offer the roomiest of footwells, but there’s ample room to get settled. It weighs in at 204kg (6kg less than Yamaha’s XMAX 400), but it’s so well balanced and well-built that it never truly feels ‘big’.

From an equipment and accessory perspective, BMW offer an abundance of options, allowing you to tailor the C400X to your needs.

I was riding the top specification model, with BMW’s own integrated connectivity system, keyless ignition, heated seat and grips and LED daytime running light – all in all, the kit would set you back close to £1000, on top of the projected £6000 for the standard model. I say projected, because prices for the UK are yet to be set – but it’s highly likely we’ll see a high-spec model at a lower price than if you were to add the accessories separately.

But now it’s time to get into what it’s like to ride. First, let’s talk about the heart of the BMW C400X; its 350cc powerplant with CVT (twist and go) transmission. In practice, it’s a capable little motor, helping the scoot to be sharp off the line and get the jump on traffic, while delivering

good levels of torque right through the rev range up to an indicated top speed of 86mph. Plus, BMW reckons it’ll return 80mpg and a tank range of over 220 miles. Not bad at all.

For braking, the C400X comes with twin discs and four-piston radiallymounted Bybre (Brembo’s Chinese subsidiary) calipers at the front, and a single disc with single piston floating caliper at the rear. They offer decent power – and in fact, BMW claims that at a speed of 62mph, stopping distance is 38m – which sounds fairly impressive. And out on the road, I was impressed. They’re sharp, without being aggressive – which inspires confidence in their ability. Of course, the brakes are also assisted by two-channel Continental ABS. Admittedly, I did find the ABS to activate fairly easily, but even when grabbing a handful of front brake at high speed and pushing the C400X to its limits, the little scoot stayed in shape and I felt totally in control.

Suspension is a fairly unsophisticated affair in the form of telescopic forks at the front and a twin shock at the rear – but they’re more than up to the job. I found the suspension to offer a really comfortable, yet surprisingly firm ride – while offering a reasonable compromise between performance and comfort. I did my best to put it through its paces, bobbing around into potholes, and launching over speed bumps, and the C400X handled it all in its stride – and I was no worse for wear as a result. What more could you ask for?

From a handling perspective, the C400X is at the top of its game. www.mslmagazine.co.uk 17

Test Ride Closest rivals s YAMAHA XMAX 400 0

RRP: £6149 FEATURES: ABS, TC, an adjustable screen and a keyless ignition as standard

SUZUKI BURGMAN 400

RRP: £6299 FEATURES: ABS, advanced engine immobiliser.

KYMCO XCITING 40 00I RRP: £5599 FEATURES: Smartphone connected, ABS and an adjustable screen

I’ve spent a fair bit of time on some of its mid-sized scooter competition, and I reckon the BMW is the most agile out of the lot. It handled long sweeping twisties and tight switchback even better than I thought it would – and in traffic it’s truly brilliant, with a tight turning circle and easy handling. Motorway work is easy too, even as you push the 350cc engine right to the top of its power

ABOVE: What it lacks in carrying capacity, the C400X makes up for in agility and comfort.

Leave everything you thought you knew about sports touring behind with the supercharged Ninja H2 SX and Ninja H2 SX SE. Surge across continents, along autobahns and through mountainpasses. Go further on our most capable sports tourer yet.

For more i test ride Test rides are subject to applic

band. The engine never feels all that stressed, it’s stable and assured, and the wind protection isn’t too bad either.

Scooters aren’t for everyone and there’s a big contingent out there that would say why would you spend £6000 on a scooter, when you could get your hands on a ‘proper bike’? But they’re missing the point. The C400X is very well built. It handles well,

stops well, and the engine is punchy and capable. Sure, there’s a little less underseat storage than some of its competition, but it’s also lighter, narrower and more agile than them too. It all depends on your priorities.

If you want to go blasting down twisty B-roads or carving through city traffic on your way to work, the BMW C400X has everything you need.

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Credit is subject to status and is only available to UK residents aged 18 and over. K.Options Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) is only available through Kawasaki Finance, a trading style of Black Horse Ltd, St William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff, CF10 5BH. Finance figures are applicable at time of print and are subject to change. Finance offer ends 30th September 2018. Representative example based on 4,000 miles per annum. With K.Options Personal Contract Purchase you have the option at the end of the agreement to: (1) Return the motorcycle and not pay the Optional Final Repayment. If the motorcycle is in good condition (fair wear and tear accepted) and has not exceeded the maximum agreed mileage you will have nothing further to pay. If the motorcycle has exceeded the maximum agreed mileage a charge for excess mileage will apply – in this example 6p per mile + VAT for any excess mileage up to 4,999 miles and 12p per mile + VAT for any excess mileage exceeding 4,999 miles. (2) Pay the optional final repayment to own the motorcycle or (3) Part exchange the motorcycle subject to settlement of your existing finance agreement; new finance agreements are subject to status.

Top Storie Stories es

SNAPPED!

MOTO GUZZI’S V85 ROADSTER It looks like a cross between a big enduro and a scrambler.

We like this. Very much.

A

couple of things that are worth bearing in mind about the Moto Guzzi V85: these images from our spy snapper show us plenty of things about the bike that you can buy from January next year AND you can buy it from January next year.

Okay, so that’s two things that might sound very much like one thing. But we’re repeating

ourselves for a reason. This bike, arguably one of the most exciting motorcycles to come out of Guzzi for a generation, is going on sale in a few months time and we’re incredibly happy about that.

And with that launch being confirmed by Valentina Barletta, marketing director of Moto Guzzi in France two months ago, plus these photos of the bike undergoing final on-road

20 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

NEW The Moto Guzzi V85 concept, as revealed at EICMA last year.

tests in Italy a couple of weeks ago – we can see just how close to the concept the finished bike is going to be.

Very close. It’s very close to the concept V85 indeed. Brill.

So what can we deduce from the spy shots? Quite a lot, as it happens.

The motor is clearly the same air-cooled V-twin which we saw in the Show Special. Reckon on it being around 850cc and

putting out something in the region of 80bhp. Overall the rest of the bike looks very similar at first glance, but get in close and you can spot pretty important changes that the factory has made. Expect the motor to be mounted on Guzzi’s fabulous rubber mounting system.

Designer Miguel Galluzzi engineered the system on the California and Audace road bikes and is likely to use the

same trick here. The mounts allow the bikes to rock in a familiar Guzzi fashion from side to side as the pistons fire but get above 2000rpm and that characteristic vanishes, leaving you with a load of lovely torque in the low and mid-range of the revs but still plenty of smooth, higher-rev fun too.

The chassis is largely the same with the original’s black-finished forks now swapped out for trick

gold items. The rear shock on the running prototype doesn’t look to be from Ohlins though, it may well be a WP unit instead. We do know that the road bike’s ride height is under evaluation (in extreme close up you can see that the singular springer has been dropped 3mm for assessment).

There’s no pretty sump on the test bike but there is a working bash plate on the spy bike, so this motorcycle has at least been run off-road (or is about to be).

Bodywork-wise there are a few changes. The underside of the petrol tank is different, now made to whip heat from the big cylinders away from the rider’s legs (note the thermometers slapped on the sides of the bike to note temperature changes in key areas as the bike’s being ridden). There’s a bodywork frame on the side of the half-LED lights (but no bodywork mounted there yet), the front mudguard still has vortices generator slits to aid stability and direct air to the right areas of the motor and the bike’s screen gets both shoulder flairs at the top and a large channel pressed into the centre to reduce helmetbuffering at speed.

There’s much talk in hushed corners at the moment that this motorcycle will cost somewhere in the region of £10,500 when it lands early next year. As long as they paint it the same as last year’s concept motorcycle then Guzzi is looking at a potentially huge sales success, we reckon. www.mslmagazine.co.uk 21

Top Stories

It’s coming!

It’s REALLY coming!

I

Indian Motorcycle is making an FTR1200 for the road.

Yes, that’s right. It’s finally happening.

t’s just over two years since we first told you about the plans to bring the Indian flattracker to the road – and it’s had an engine capacity change during those 26 months – but at last, we’re getting a road-going flattracker from Indian Motorcycle.

Thank goodness for that.

The factory has confirmed that it is making the bike as a ready-to-buy, road legal flattrack inspired model for 2019. We couldn’t be more excited!

The announcement cames after months of speculation and public demand for a street version of the company’s successful FTR750 – a purposebuilt flattrack racer that has dominated the American Flat Track professional racing series since its introduction in 2017.

Over the past 10 months, that speculation has been intensified by the company’s development of the FTR1200 Custom, a one-off build

22 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

that toured global motorcycle shows to ‘gauge publica reaction’.

As a result of that very public focus group presentation, we now know that the new production FTR 1200 is going to be built along the same lines as the prototype (pictured).

The FTR 1200’s full specification is yet to be announced, but it will have a flat tracker style, a trellis frame and be powered by a V-twin engine

which will most likely be the 1133cc motor already in use

by Indian in other models.

Indian Motorcycle senior designer Rich Christoph said: “We wanted to make sure that the FTR 1200 wasn’t merely a regurgitation of the FTR1200 Custom, but something uniquely ‘street,’ albeit flattrack inspired. We’re thrilled about the character that this bike possesses and its ability to take American V-twin motorcycles into new territory.”

www.midwestmoto.co.uk SWITCHBACK CAFE All bikers welcome

500 arriving in August Demo available

THE NEW FTR LIMITED SUPPLY PRE-ORDERS ONLY FOR 2019 The new ZT now in stock Demo available

Come and see us at Llan Bike Fest 4th & 5th August & Brackley Festival of Motorcycling 12th August

Visit Midwest Moto - double award winning Indian dealership Unit 1, Ribbesford Business Park, Stourport-on-Severn, DY13 0TF • Tel: 01299 822862 Email: mark@grinnallcars.com

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 23

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BRONTE STEAM 25

Test Ride KTM Freeride 250F

MUD PLUGGING AWAY Brilliant iant beginnings and then so some.

WORDS: Chris Moss PHOTOGRAPHY: Pete Greaves

26 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

OFF-ROAD

Specification KTM FREERIDE 250F Price: £6599 (+otr) Engine: 249cc liquid-cooled single cylinder four-stroke Power: 20/26bhp (19kW) Torque: 16lb-ft (22Nm) Transmission: 6-speed, chain Frame: Steel-tubed cradle / forged alloy Front brake: 260mm disc, 4-piston radial caliper Rear brake: 210mm disc, 2-piston caliper Front suspension: 43mm inverted telescopic forks, 250mm travel, full adjustment Rear suspension: Rising-rate monoshock, 260mm travel, full adjustment Front tyre: 2.75-21 Rear tyre: 4.00-18 Wheelbase: 1420mm Rake/Trail: 23° / n/a Seat height: 915mm Dry weight: 98.5kg Fuel capacity: 5.5 litres

G

reen-laning is one of the most rewarding things you can do on a motorcycle. Much of the enormous sense of achievement comes from meeting the numerous challenges it presents.

Learning how to do that takes time though. Ideally the baptism needs to be gentle, with your early off-roading being more manageable. That’s precisely where KTM’s Freeride 250F can probably help.

Designed with the newcomer in mind, the Freeride makes riding the lanes as easy as it could possibly be. Just as importantly, as your experience grows it still remains fun to ride. It’s not perfect, and a couple of things about it could be better.

Even so, I’d wager if you start your trail riding on one of the novicefriendly Freerides, you’re much more likely to stick at it than you would if you began riding trails on a more demanding machine.

The most outstanding advantage might not seem too relevant, but its low seat height gives the chance for novices to control matters far more easily. By roadbike standards it might still sound lofty at 915mm, but that’s appreciably lower than most more focused enduro machines. Just being able to get on and off the Freeride more readily, and plant your feet on the ground whenever the going gets a bit too tricky, boosts confidence massively. The 250’s dry weight of just 99 kilos is also a big bonus.

It doesn’t stop there either. Friendly and flexible, the bike’s single cylinder motor is a great ally to progress. A mapping switch dictates whether it makes 20 or 26bhp, and though both peak outputs might sound a bit weedy, for newcomers they’re spot on. Power delivery is very linear and usable making lighter work of driving forward on lower grip surfaces.

There’s a traction control system fitted, though it just dulls the power a little rather than stopping wheelspin completely. All in all though, you have everything you need to accelerate in safety.

Even for older hands like me, the engine performance is very useful and can’t be described as insipid. On my outings, the KTM delivered all the pace I wanted. It wouldn’t be strong enough for a competition enduro, but for trail riding it’s more than sufficient. Returning up to 70mpg is a boon too, though I for one wouldn’t have minded a slightly

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 27

Test Ride larger tank to boost fuel range. As it is you need to start thinking about top ups when the fuel light comes on at just 60-odd miles, and make sure you refill within the realistic limit of 80 miles. That’s not too bad for an off-roader, but if it was mine I’d definitely strap another couple of litres of fuel to the bike. I had to cut one enjoyable ride short to make it to a fuel station, which was a shame.

Another thing I did to boost enjoyment was change the KTM’s front tyre. The bike comes with trials tyres as standard, and though these are fine in drier conditions, their very square profile makes harder cornering trickier and, more importantly, they can’t clear mud from their tread well. A couple of rides I made in muddier conditions were much harder work thanks to the mud-clogging reducing grip. Once I changed the front tyre for a streetlegal enduro tyre, at least the 250 steered much better. If I was buying a new bike I’d insist that the dealer fitted enduro tyres front and rear.

Trials tyres may be better for the environment as they don’t chew up the ground as much, but they’re no good for a newcomer in more sloppy terrain.

The overall chassis performance, and especially that of the suspension deserves nothing but praise however.

Steering’s very light, and both forks and shock do a fine job of helping the KTM traverse rougher sections of terrain while maintaining good wheel control. Progressive brakes make speed reduction very predictable.

The off-roader is street-legal, though its design is definitely more suited to the dirt than the road. My trail riding often involved a fair few

miles of road use to link the trail sections, and the KTM dealt with those comfortably. But I wouldn’t like to travel on those for much more than 10 miles at a time.

Once it’s on the right rubber the Freeride 250F feels right at home and is a great choice for green-laning, especially if you’re fresh to that type of riding. I certainly would have liked one when I first took to the dirt 10 years back. It would have helped me gain more experience without a lot of the stress and strain I had to put up with on my unwise choice of an excessively tall and powerful pukka 450cc enduro bike. On the KTM, early off-road life is a lot more straightforward, and very encouraging at a time when that’s really quite important.

O Once it’s on the right rubber the t Freeride 250F feels right r at home and is a great choice c for green-laning, especially e if you’re fresh to that t type of riding.

28 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Chunky switchgear makes things nice and easy.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 29

Under The Skin

30 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

TRACK

R D OX REDFOX

GR N A GRINTA Assembled to race at the Classic TT, this motorcycle is one you could make yourself.

WORDS: Tony Carter PHOTOGRAPHY: Gary ‘Dec’ Chapman

R

edfox Grinta is well known in classic racing circles for a heady combination of top-level machining skill and the dark art of putting together sorted and quick bikes. Most notably, and probably most memorable, is this bike which is the 750 short stroke race bike contested by Michael Rutter at last year’s Classic TT. The head man at Redfox, Jan De Vos, tells the story of how the partnership of Rutter and his tuning shop came about: “In 2013 I had a

telephone call from Dave Burr (Tony Rutter’s team manager) and he asked if we could do something with a Ducati TT1 for Michael, ready for him to ride in the Classic TT. “And that was it for a while. After that first question, which we said yes to, we didn’t hear anything else. At least, not for a while. It wasn’t until 2014 when Dave called back and he said: ‘Okay guys, now it’s for real.

Let’s get started on a bike’.

“So it was at that point that we travelled to the UK to visit Michael, to speak to him in person, and it was

then that we came to an agreement about what we would build and how it would come together.”

That first bike set the template for the race bikes that Rutter was to get to grips with, but for that first outing everyone involved wanted a big motor to race around The Mountain Course on.

De Vos: “So it was that we made the first bike and that was a TT1 with an 1170cc engine so that it could go out and race against the other motorcycles in the Classic TT Superbike class.”

REDFOX GRINTA

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 31

Under The Skin

It wasn’t a straight fight though, the big four-cylinder motorcycles that the Ducati was taking on were running up to 1300cc in size.

De Vos said: “Michael did a fabulous job and ended up 10th overall among the finishers. He bagged a fastest lap of 120.474mph which meant that – at that moment in time – he was the fastest twin two-valve ever on The Island.”

It was a fine start for Rutter and the bike and while there was another tempting outing on the shelves as a possibility for 2016, the planets couldn’t quite line up in time.

De Vos: “That year Michael wanted to ride on our bike again, but, in all honesty, he just called us too late and even though we would have really enjoyed having Michael on the machine again, we couldn’t get it ready in time.

“So the next chance for us to get together was in 2017 and that was when we decided to take on The Island with our comeback on two bikes – a 750 short stroker for the Lightweight category and an updated 1170 for the Superbikes.”

Michael ended up 13th in the Superbike race and runner-up in the Lightweight race – a fine result for the Redfox short stroker, but things didn’t remain as rosy for very long.

During post-race scrutineering, the Redfox bike was found to fall foul of a technical infringement and Rutter and the squad were removed from the result. De Vos said: “Our fuel tank was too big, it was as simple as that. I could have sworn that it was a 24 litre tank, which would have been okay, but the reality was that it was bigger.

“But it wasn’t as if the bigger tank actually gave us an advantage because we could prove that we used only nine litres a lap and because of that the bike was filled up with 22 litres of fuel and no more.”

Protestations fell on deaf ears after the race and Redfox was told that despite what the fuelling may have showed or not, the tank was still too big and the ruling stuck. The podium finish was taken away.

No result would stand for the 750.

De Vos: “So there was no discussion and this was a big disaster for us. At the end of the day I have to hold my hands up and say that it was a genuine mistake and it was my mistake. But there was no way back and we lost the result.”

So, result standing or not, with the 2017 Classic TT not exactly bubbling over with champagne and plaudits there were still silver linings to take away. And that was hugely positive for this year’s event.

32 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

“It was a difficult decision to put up with but that’s racing.

What we know from this race is that our bike was again the fastest 750 twin two-valve motorcycle ever on The Island (Rutter finished the race with an average speed of 115.723mph / 1 hour 18m 14.929s – Ed), and that is very encouraging for where we go with this motorcycle and the work we have done so far.”

ABOVE: It may have been controversial but look at it – it’s immense.

Splashing the cash

Here’s how much the major parts cost to buy. If you fancy having your very own version of the Redfox Ducati (and, let’s be honest, we all do) and if you’re prepared to spend the money, then you can have one of these beautiful bikes in your garage.

Marvic wheels

£2104

Cylinderhead work including Beryllium seats and bronze guides (two heads)

£745

Superfinishing complete engine

£438

Bare Pantah cylinderhead machined from Billet aluminium NCR Pantah cams for 1000, 1100, 1170 and 750 short stroker Frame Pistal racing 94mm piston

£1359 £701 £1227 £636

Pistal racing 102 mm piston

£968

Titanium valves

£192 each

Nemonic valves

£114 each

Pulleys with scale

£212

TRACK

On the dyno

These are the dyno runs for the 750 short stroker (blue line) and the 1170 (red line).

With the rom sensor failing at 8,500rom on the 750 the figure for the smaller motor isn’t all there but what Red Fox did get is a power output for the TT1 1170. That’s a meaty 121bhp at the red line. Nice and workable graph giving Rutter plenty of predictable pull out of corners.

The Rutter connection

The bike that Michael Rutter contests in the Classic TT races for Belgium-based Red Fox Grinta is identical in appearance to the machine his father Tony took to third place in both the 1984 Formula One TT Race and TT Formula One World Championship.

Rutter has always run the bike in the same livery that his dad competed in, complete with matching leathers.

Owned by Jan de Vos, Red Fox Grinta has been competing and winning in Supersport, Superbike, Battle of the Twins, Supertwins and Endurance racing for 20 years, with all of their bikes built and developed in their own workshop.

Tony Rutter had a strong association with Ducati in the 1980s, taking four successive

World Formula Two Championships from 1981-1984 but he also had success on the larger 750cc version, particularly in 1984 when he was only beaten by the works Hondas of Joey Dunlop and Roger Marshall in the six-lap TT Formula One Race.

He lapped at an impressive 111.35mph that year and went on to take fourth at the Ulster GP and Vila Real, Portugal, fifth at Zolder, Belgium and seventh at the Dutch TT to claim third overall in the World Championship.

Rutter said: “I love the Classic TT it’s a real pleasure to ride the Red Fox bikes. They really are machines that stand out from the crowd and the guys do an amazing job both in terms of their presentation and attention to detail.”

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 33

MV AGUSTA’S TIMUR SARDAROV:

RADICAL RELAUNCH (ER) Timur Sardarov, 35, is the Russian investor whose company has essentially restructured MV Agusta. Here for the first time, in his own words, Sardarov tells all about his plans for MV’s future.

WORDS: Alan Cathcart PHOTOS: Milagro

Before I met Giovanni Castiglioni (owner of MV Agusta), two years ago, I hadn’t considered investing in the motorcycle industry because it wasn’t my area of expertise. And it wasn’t a decision that came lightly, it took us almost 18 months to do so – ‘us’ being me and my partner in Black Ocean, Oliver Ripley, who’s British. That’s because when we met Gio, the conflict between him and AMG MercedesBenz was flaring up, and MV was just entering the controlled bankruptcy procedure – it’s kind of the Italian version of Chapter 11 in America. But we didn’t know if the courts were going to respond favourably or not to Gio’s restructuring plans, and in the meantime, MV sales had started to plummet, and the relationship with its suppliers got worse.

Lots of them are Asian companies, and they didn’t understand what was going on. Although MV is an important brand in terms of global prestige, it’s not a big company, and suppliers in Asia look at it differently than those in Italy.

For companies with a multi-hundred million dollar turnover, we are a very small volume customer.

34 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Timur Sardarov (left) and Giovanni Castiglioni.

KNOWLEDGE

“

We will launch the new Brutale 1000 – it’ll be a Naked bike with over 200 horsepower – 208bhp to be exact, in a 170kg platform!

”

Oliver and I signed the first agreement of intent with Gio in November 2016, and the company secured court protection in March 2017. We signed the final agreement last July, although everything was subject to getting a positive decision on the proposed restructuring from the court. This was finally secured last December.

Our deal with Gio is that we’re almost equal partners with him – he has a majority 51% of the equity in MV Agusta Holding, the parent company of MV Agusta Motor of which it’s the 100% owner, and Black Ocean has 49%. Giovanni’s skills are in product, he’s an absolutely incredible visionary on the design side, whereas my expertise is more in technology, as well as marketing and sales – that’s what I’m good at.

So I know how the tech world works, and one reason I decided to come in to MV was to work on a new way to sell these bikes, and how to gather intelligence from the market to sell better, as part of a multi-year effort for developing MV Agusta as a company.

I believe two-wheel mobility systems have a clear long term future which I’m eager to explore.

I understood where MV’s troubles were coming from, and what were the real issues confronting the company.

Our primary goal for this year, 2018, is to stabilise everything, from production to the sales network – to get back to normal again after two years of ups and downs, and so much uncertainty about the company’s long term existence. It’s not just a money issue, it’s a production issue. Don’t forget the company was positioned by AMG to

grow to 15,000 units annually, and now we came down to 3000 bikes last year, and 5000 this. This is a company that has a break-even point of 2500 units, so whatever you do above that is profit.

But we don’t want to restrict production to a 5000-unit ceiling – we want to grow organically, according to the demands of the marketplace. We’re producing 5000 bikes this year, but maybe next year we’ll produce 7000 or 8000, it all depends on how much better we’re going to sell them. We could have sold many more bikes this year if we’d had the production sorted out, and we’ve had more potential orders than we can fulfil right now – about a 5% or 7% shortfall.

We’re a premium brand, and I think we should focus on that. Some 20% of our sales are directed at a very high end, very demanding buyer, representing about 1200 units across all different platforms – especially limited edition models like the RVS that we’ll make just 100 examples of. But the rest are still premium products costing between 15,000 to 23,000 euros, either standard or RR versions. They’re volume production models, but still premium – everything we do is premium, just more affordable.

So, no more 675 Brutales, no more 675 F3. Our range begins with the standard 800 triples, Brutale and Turismo Veloce. Then next will be 800RR versions of these, and then there’ll be the fourcylinder models.

“

The Claudio (F4) will essentially be the bike which Leon Camier raced so successfully last year at the highest level in World Superbike.

”

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 35

We’re ending production this year of the existing F4, with the final edition which will be a tribute to the late Claudio Castiglioni, Gio’s father. We’ll make 64 such bikes, which was his age when he passed away. This will come quite soon in the middle of this year, and it’s going to be a very special bike which will incorporate almost all the technology we’ve been able to develop for this 20-year old platform before it fades out.

That means the Claudio will essentially be the bike which Leon Camier raced so successfully last year at the highest level in World Superbike, and it’ll be quite a special bike – a collector’s piece, with very advanced engineering and materials technology.

Later this year we’ll launch the new Brutale 1000 at the EICMA Show in November, as a replacement for the current Brutale 1090. This will be powered by a variation of our existing four-cylinder engine that’s 60% new – basically, everything from the crankcase upwards is different.

We’re about a year into developing a new F4 from the ground up, and it’ll probably take another two years from now to be ready. We expect to present it as a 2021 model.

We debated our strategy internally for that bike for quite a few months, about how to approach developing it, and essentially we had to decide what MV stands for. Our closest rival in terms of price, Ducati, has just released a fantastic new bike, the V4 Panigale – but it’s a fantastic traditional bike.

It doesn’t have anything crazy on it, it doesn’t have anything that we think MV should represent.

So we’ve gone back to the history of how MV changed the Hyperbike market in 1997 with the debut of the F4.

It was a crazy, super expensive product that every rider dreamed about owning – it was a poster bike

“

“No more 675 Brutales, no more 675 F3.”

In 2019 we will develop a new cafe racer family of models as a different platform, which we will term neo-classic.

36 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

”

for everyone. Will the Panigale V4 be like this for current riders? I don’t think so – and so it’s up to MV to continue pushing the boundaries of Hypersports development with our new four-cylinder sportbike.

But before that we will launch the new Brutale 1000, which will be in a category of its own – it’ll be a Naked bike with over 200 horsepower – 208bhp to be exact, in a 170kg platform! So it’s going to be a really cool motorcycle which is something else in terms of technology, in terms of rideability, in terms of its presence. It’s quite an amazing product – wait and see!

We’ll start producing it that same week in November that it’s launched at EICMA, to deliver bikes to customers before the end of this year. This is the Russian influence on MV Agusta, not the old Italian way where you launch it one year, and two years later, you start production! Now we have a bit more discipline here – we listen, we promise, and we deliver. And this new philosophy begins with the new Brutale 1000.

In 2019 we will develop a new cafe racer family of models as a different platform, which we will term neo-classic. This will utilise part of the new four-cylinder motor, but it’s a different engine, and this will also open that family of bikes right up.

We’ll have a naked roadster, sure – but we can have something off-roadish looking like a street enduro or flat-tracker, plus something like a neo-classic old GP racer. We’re going to have a big range of premium neo-classic products, for which we’re sure there’s a market.

We also intend to bring back the Cagiva brand; it was a big company which this year is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and we thought a lot about what we can do about that, and yes, we’re planning to show something already at EICMA in November to celebrate that birthday, and to start to produce it in the middle of next year.

It will be an electric platform rather than hybrid, which will represent us in several different segments, not just one. We still believe that a high end performance bike needs a combustion engine but the electric market is growing triple digits year on year.

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Test Ride Curtiss Zeus

38 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

ROAD

REBEL with a cause Beauty lies in the eyes of a beholder – but even so, pretty much every street legal electric bike so far has been a visual compromise at best. Until now.

WORDS: Alan Cathcart PHOTOGRAPHY: Phil Hawkins

O

kay, the Isle of Man TT-winning MotoCzysz e-racer was fine art on two wheels – but in customer streetbike terms even the different variants of the Italian Energica, while undeniably easy on the eye, still attempt to visually gloss over the fact that they happen to be electric motorcycles.

The combustion engine package and fuel tank which they and other such bikes would normally carry have been replaced by the array of batteries and ‘engine’ and various motors.

Until now, e-bike designers have done their best to hide these away in trying to produce a ‘normal-looking’ motorcycle, with nobody daring to make a design feature out of the batteries themselves, or the motors. But that’s all changed with this – the new Curtiss Zeus.

It’ll be in production next September with prices starting at $30,000 – and the fact that this has been produced by the company once known as Confederate Motors, former builder of genuinely iconic V-twin powercruisers like the Wraith, Hellcat and Combat Fighter, brings added poignancy

in its wake. But whereas Confederate’s various models all featured muscular engines that were as loud in action as they looked to be at rest, the born-again Curtiss brand’s debut Zeus E-cruiser model is a rebel with a cause.

It breaks new ground in being powered by not one but two air-cooled, brushless, permanent-magnet three-phase DC motors which give a combined max output of 127kW/170bhp with a single, common output shaft.

Curtiss boss Matt Chambers said: “The Curtiss models will deploy a modular architectural system, the design of which we’ve filed numerous patents on.

Our all-new E-Twin powertrain and batteries will have superior weight management compared to any other two-wheeled electric vehicle. The geometry and ergonomics will be benchmark level, too, empowering the rider with effortless control, as well as massive acceleration, top speed, handling, and comfort.

“New levels of safety have been designed into the Zeus.

We’re turning many pages here, and our mission is to futureproof the all-American hot rod.”

In being created by Curtiss’s youthful design director, Jordan Cornille, 25, the Zeus turns traditional motorcycle design and styling on its head, by attempting to make the bike’s batteries its focal point. The 14.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack is carried in a milled-fromsolid aluminium housing in what’s known as an inverted T-Block format, designed to hint at the layout of a conventional boxer engine.

In fact, Curtiss is planning a total of five platforms – three based on a twin-battery pack format, with the T-Block joined by a V-Block and P-Block (for the aptly named Porcupine!), and two different single-battery configurations – a Slant Block and a Vertical Block.

These two singles will be known as the Eros and the Hades, while besides the Zeus the other two twin-battery bikes will be the Medusa V-Block and the Hercules.

Chambers is targeting a 2020 model year production of 135 Curtiss e-motorcycles, and aims to be ready to start taking orders by the end of this year via the www.curtissmotorcycles.com website, with EPA approval and Euro 5 compliance www.mslmagazine.co.uk 39

Test Ride Specification CURTISS ZEUS Motor: E-Twin format with 2 x electric, air-cooled, brushless, permanentmagnet 3-phase DC motors coupled together via a single output shaft Batteries: Lithium-Ion 14.4 kWh high-energy T-Block battery packs with integrated thermal management system Charger: 1.3 kW integrated charger with 10.3 hours charging time to 95% charged from zero (faster charge options will be available) Controller: High efficiency three-phase brushless controller with regenerative deceleration Output: 127kW/170bhp (at rear wheel) at 8000rpm (estimated) Maximum torque: Constant 290lbft/393 Nm from 1rpm upwards Range: Maximum 120 miles in urban use, 70 miles in highway use (estimated) Transmission: Direct single-speed with chain final drive Chassis: Machined modular aluminium monocoque Suspension: Front: Double-wishbone parallelogram fork with tubular aluminium struts and linear-rate RaceTech G3 monoshock, fullyadjustable for high and low speed compression and rebound damping, and offering 125mm/4.95in of wheel travel Rear: Fabricated aluminium swingarm with cantilever RaceTech G3 monoshock offering two-speed compression and rebound damping, and 133mm/5.25in of wheel travel

ABOVE: Whether you think it looks modern or retro, it’s certainly... different.

Head angle/trail: 27.5 degrees/106mm Wheelbase: 1480mm/58.25in Weight/distribution: 269kg/575lb with 53/47% distribution Brakes: Front: 4 x 230mm Beringer floating Aeronal cast iron discs with four-piston Beringer radially-mounted Aerotec calipers Rear: 1 x 240mm cross-drilled Aeronal stainless steel disc with two-piston Beringer caliper Wheels/tyres: Front: 120/70ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso II on 3.50 in. BST carbon wheel. Rear: 240/45ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso II on 8.50 in. BST carbon wheel Seat height: 762mm/30in Manufacturer: Curtiss Motorcycle Co., Birmingham, Alabama, USA www.curtissmotorcycles.com

BELOW: The Zeus makes a feature of its electric powerplant, rather than hiding it away.

40 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

(which will entail fitting ABS, currently absent from the prototype Zeus) scheduled for completion

by July 2019.

There is a hurdle to overcome though – Curtiss engineers will have to establish a new set of electronic and powertrain suppliers after initial plans to launch the Zeus with batteries, motors and a controller all supplied by Zero came to naught exactly one month before the launch of the Curtiss e-bike. “We’d been working with the guys at Zero on the basis of a fixed agreement, and we were just finalising our order for the Zeus powertrain kit, when they told us they were unable to work with the E-Twin format the way that we had it set up,” says Chambers. “Our design consists of two electric motors coupled together with a single output shaft, capable of putting out double the power and torque of a single motor. Our minimalist approach to design meant we couldn’t run two shafts, when one shaft can do the job.

“Zero had given us a thumbs up on it, and we’d sent all our drawings to them, and ordered all the parts which were to be made for this specific type of powertrain that had the two motors on a single crank. But then right at the end of the trail, just as our parts were coming in, and we had already assembled the motor packages, around 30 days before launching the Zeus at Quail (see last

issue of MSL – Ed) we got word from Zero that we could not do that.”

It’s a tribute to Chambers’ perseverance, and the determination of the Curtiss R&D team, that they didn’t let this devastating blow divert them from being present at the Quail with an e-motorcycle in functioning order. “At first I was very hurt, and sad, that this should happen,” says Chambers. “But then I realised it was much better to find this out now before pre-selling one hundred of these bikes, and – then what? It was very beautiful to watch the Curtiss team in action the next day, after we all woke up ready to fight back.

“What we’ve discovered is something that I indeed imagined all along, and that is that there are very many smart young men dedicating themselves to this new EV technology. This is a very fertile field, and the technology is moving on very fast. I don’t doubt we’ll end up with a much better package at much better pricing, by just managing the situation ourselves in our newly formed Curtiss Advanced Powertrain Technology Division. Since getting kissed off by Zero, we’ve uncovered several battery suppliers, and a couple of controller companies with programmers, as well as sourcing the motors the way we wanted them from a supplier in Wisconsin. I don’t think we’ll have any problems without Zero – quite the reverse, in fact. There are

ROAD

BELOW: Dropped bars are only for the launch bike – customers will be able to choose from a range of different shapes.

many excellent suppliers that are dying to work with us, that love the idea of being teamed up with Curtiss.

So right now, I’d say the Curtiss electric powertrain is going to be the best, just like everything else we do.”

Sam Paschel, CEO of Zero Motorcycles, explains the reason for his company’s pullback decision: “Curtiss is an incredibly well respected brand, and I think they made a beautiful motorcycle. But although we sold them a powertrain, for us at Zero to feel comfortable with any powertrain customer, they have to use all of our components exclusively in that powertrain. It isn’t about picking controllers and batteries from here, and a harness

from there, and a motor from someone else, it’s a package. That’s because we’ve now spent almost 12 years doing this, and our powertrain has a unified system, so we don’t piece things out. I think on the timeline that Curtiss wanted to hit, they needed to use non-Zero components in a couple of places to put the motorcycle together. And that’s a no-no for us.” But was the essential disagreement between the two companies indeed that Curtiss wanted to have a single shaft joining two motors together, whereas Zero wanted to have two separate motors, each driving the rear wheel independently? “Yes – correct. The intent was always that we’d use two motors to drive the rear wheel, and we’re familiar with that configuration.

But when push came to shove, with the timing they had, you couldn’t make that work without some different non-Zero components.

“So that’s why we declined to be involved further – but we still wish them the best.”

THE RIDE

I have to admit I wasn’t looking forward much to straddling the seat because it looked about as welcoming as a plank of wood. But it was practically shocking how comfortable the black suede covered padding was, and in 90 minutes of riding the Zeus I didn’t remotely get any numb-bum.

The footrests are adjustable back and forth over 1.25 inches (32mm) – I had them in the midway slot, which was pretty comfortable, and there will be pillion footrests for a passenger, which hadn’t been fitted yet. But how about those handlebars – not very cruiser-esque, are they?

Turns out they’re fitted on this debut bike as a one-off tribute to Glenn Curtiss. Customers will have a choice of half a dozen different shapes and heights – though I again must admit that against all expectations, the super-dropped ’bars on the debut bike felt pretty good, and allowed me to tuck away nicely at high(ish) speed.

At such speeds the Curtiss handled the Laurales Incline’s sweeping turns and tighter S-bends brilliantly – no other word for it. For a start, the batteries are in the right place – nice and low, which means that coupled with its well-chosen steering geometry and the compliant suspension, the Zeus remained totally stable after hitting a bump cranked over at speed. The girder front end and the cantilever rear are both equipped with RaceTech G3 monoshocks, fully-adjustable for high and low speed compression and rebound damping, and offering 125mm/4.95in wheel travel up front, and 133mm/5.25in at the rear.

The way these shocks have been set up to give optimum damping and www.mslmagazine.co.uk 41

Test Ride excellent ride quality was really impressive, and I was especially impressed by the way the Zeus felt so taut and confidence-inspiring in the way it steered, thanks doubtless to the new linear rate ratio Jordan Cornille told me he’d dialled in to the front suspension link, together with Curtiss R&D engineer Tony Audette.

And the way those shocks handled the heavy 260kg/575lb weight of the Zeus in prototype form (expect upwards of 50lb/23kg to be removed in production guise, says Jordan) was also good. With 17in Pirelli Diablo Rosso II rubber mounted on specially made BST carbon fibre disc wheels, ground clearance wasn’t a problem, perhaps surprisingly with what seems to be a bulky motorcycle low down – although looking at the Zeus side on, you can see that it rides quite high on the axles. The electric motors mounted either side of the swingarm pivot are lifted to give more space for battery storage under them, and the consequent steeply dropped swingarm is also a factor in delivering that ground clearance, in spite of the T-Block’s pseudo-Boxer format.

When the E-Twin powertrain is properly dialled in, the significant weight transfer delivered by the huge amount of torque on tap will surely make the significant droop to the swingarm come into its own in combating this. Meantime, watching the upper link of the girder fork bobbing up and down before you is addictive, and strangely reassuring!

Proof that the front end setup was dialled in came when I braked for a turn, and found the Zeus to be relatively agile – nimble, even, with the reduced gyroscopic effect of the BST carbon front wheel and downsized quartet of Beringer brakes helping speed up the steering.

It switches direction from side to side pretty easily by e-bike standards,

BELOW: Low position of the battery gives the Zeus stability and agility.

42 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

albeit quite lazily due to the long 1480mm/58.25in wheelbase and conservative steering geometry with a 27.5º rake to the machine-hewn girder fork, and 106mm of trail. But in spite of the dropped ’bars this isn’t a sportbike, and I occasionally had a hard time remembering that. Its steering and handling are already dialled in, straight out of the box, with no need for the absent steering damper. That’s despite the fashion statement of a rear tyre that’s been inflicted on the Zeus by the adoption of a massive 240/45-ZR17 Pirelli Diablo Rosso II, which didn’t heavy up the steering as much as I expected.

Obviously I couldn’t make the same assessment at the rear, in terms of how well the Zeus will lay down the humongous torque available from those twin motors once these are functioning properly, but Curtiss has surely made a head start with its choice of tyres and suspension settings. But the need for traction control will be overwhelming, and Matt Chambers is right to insist on this. However, he also must tell his

R&D guys to dispense with the trendy I-Pad that doubles as a dash.

Though not yet functional for obvious reasons, it will be completely illegible in bright sunlight, and easy pickings for thieves when you park up, unless you unclip it and carry it around with you…

With such a heavy weight to stop, the 230mm Beringer Aeronal floating cast iron front discs that are doubled up each side earn their keep, gripped by four-piston Beringer radiallymounted Aerotec calipers – though interestingly the Zeus weighs exactly the same as the Confederate Bomber they formerly equipped, but with a more desirable 53/47% weight distribution which helps load up the front wheel in turns. These distinctive French brakes do an excellent job of stopping the Curtiss, with the rear brake lever moved to replace the now absent clutch lever on the left handlebar. They aren’t as snatchy as they could be, a sign that Curtiss has used its years of experience in fitting these to all its models to get the choice of pads just right.

ROAD The brains – Jordan Cornille

Three years ago the creator of the Curtiss Zeus e-cruiser, Jordan Cornille, now 25, joined the company then known as Confederate Motorcycles as its director of design.

“I went to automotive design school in Detroit, Michigan, to the College for Creative Studies.

CCS is considered to be one of the world’s top automotive/ transportation design schools, where I studied traditional Detroit heyday car-styling. But the reason I went to that school was because of the Confederate Wraith, which I came across when I was in high school. This was Confederate’s first production motorcycle that was also a work of art. It got me interested in art and design.

“I graduated in 2015, and I had just about finished applying to all the places where I wanted to work, different car companies, different motorcycle design firms. Even though Confederate was the reason I went to design school, it never crossed my mind to apply to them, because I always thought this was unachievable. It was like one of my car friends saying – I’m going to apply to Lamborghini or Ferrari.

People just didn’t do that, because you kind of figured – that’s not going to happen just yet, if ever. I was just getting ready to accept a position somewhere else, and I said, you know what, I’m just going to send Mr Chambers an email. So I went

online and found the generic email address on Confederate. com, and I wrote up a nice letter saying how the company had inspired me, and attached my portfolio. Exactly 36 minutes later I got a telephone call from Matt, and we had a six-minute conversation. He didn’t interview me, but he said he loved my work, he thought we could do some cool stuff together and he offered me the job – right then and there! Wow! “As a student of design, passionate about motorcycles, working at Confederate Motorcycles is quite literally a dream come true. I would never have imagined this to be my first position, but I was lucky enough to impress Matt with my portfolio – and he knows the auto industry, so I believe my degree from CCS helped. Matt and I get along tremendously well, and the energy we have is incredibly positive. As designer here, I have no regulations. The culture of the company that Matt has created frees me up a lot, allowing for an extraordinary amount of creativity, with essentially no push back. Unlike many of my car designer friends, I don’t have to worry about the opinions of marketing teams, accountants, managers, customer clinics, or office politics. I can simply focus on designing the most incredible products we can possibly think up. That’s a dream come true for any designer!

“The main reason I was hired was to work on the Curtiss electric models. I think one reason I appealed to Matt was because of my age – he thought bringing in someone from a younger generation could help take the company into the future with such bikes. The Zeus is the first electric vehicle I’ve ever designed, and it seems that until now the aim of other designers has always been to hide the battery as much as possible and pretend it’s that it’s not there, so as to produce a “normal looking motorcycle”.

Instead, I’ve turned it around completely and made the batteries a focus of the bike. It’s always been curious to me as a designer that you see all these electric motorcycles out there, some of them created better than others in terms of styling.

But, the general landscape of

electric motorcycles is that they’re made to look like a traditional motorcycle. Why does a motorcycle look the way it looks? It’s because of the engineering package, it’s because of the components used to create the motorcycle.

“Typically, a motorcycle has a combustion engine with a gas tank, and because it has those components, that’s why current bikes look the way they do. And so in working on designing an electric motorcycle, I said to myself, this is an entirely new engineering package, and in terms of powertrain components there aren’t really any similarities to an old-style combustion motorcycle – so why does it need to look the same? So the batteries are the structure of the Curtiss motorcycle, which I’m not aware that anyone else has done until now.”

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 43

PRODUCTS

Things to wear ◆ Kit to know ◆ Things for your bike

Alpinestars GP Plus Venom One-Piece Leather Suit RRP: £899.99 // www.alpinestars.com The Alpinestars GP Plus Venom leather motorcycle suit is part of the latest Alpinestars collection – and as you’d expect, it’s equipped with everything you need to help you keep safe out on two-wheels.

Essentially, the CE-certified GP Plus Venom one piece suit is an aggressively designed, fully featured race suit with class-leading protection. It’s spot on for track days and racing – incorporating a range of innovative features to help keep you safe, in comfort.

It’s manufactured from 1.3mm supple premium grade cow leather, and comes with large accordion stretch panels strategically positioned for improved movement and comfort on the bike.

There’s also reinforced stretch fabric panels on the sleeves, crotch, calves and chest to further improve fit, movement and feel.

It’s equipped with an ergonomic back hump shaped for improved airflow and performance at high speed – which has actually been tested in MotoGP. It also comes with pre-curved sleeves and legs to help improve comfort fit and reduce rider fatigue, and perforated panelling for ventilation.

On the inside, there’s integrated padding throughout, pre-shaped, multi-layer knee construction, and a reinforced seat area to help with comfort. For ventilation, it comes with a removable inner mesh liner. And there’s even an inner waterproof wallet pocket for safe storage of documents.

Protection comes in the form of internal CE-certified Alpinestars GP-R protection on shoulders, elbows and knees, CEcertified Alpinestars Nucleon hip protectors, Dynamic Friction Shield (DFS) external dual density TPU sliders on shoulders and knees, an innovative new elbow slider made from a triple-density polymer compound for improved performance in crash slides. And there’s also Aramid fibre inserts on the arm and leg for critical seam reinforcement.

Admittedly, it is without any hardcore chest and back protection – but this is no cause for concern there’s room for an Alpinestars Nucleon chest pad at the front, and the Alpinestars Nucleon back protector at the rear.

Crave Bear Kevlar shirt RRP: £249 // www.dot4distribution.com The Crave Bear Kevlar shirt is a clever bit of kit that looks good both on and off the motorcycle – and comes with a full Kevlar lining which should help keep your skin intact should the worst happen and you come off the bike.

It’s a simple but well equipped jacket, and comes with a full para aramid anti-abrasion layer (Kevlar) and microfibre lining layer for breathability. Additionally, there are pockets for CE protection on the shoulders and back, and room for D30 protectors on the elbows.

There’s also a phone/wallet pocket on sleeve, one zipped inner pockets and two small breast pockets.

44 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

KIT HJC RPHA11 Deadpool Helmet RRP: £469.99 // www.oxfordproducts.com

Marking the release of the second Deadpool film – which tells the story of ex-special forces agent Wade Wilson – HJC has given its premium HJC RPHA 11 sports helmet a swanky new Deadpool paintjob.

Getting down into technical specifications, HJC’s RPHA 11 helmet is constructed from carbon fibre, aramid and carbon-glass hybrid fibre, which work to provide enhanced shock-resistant performance – at a lighter weight.

For ventilation it comes equipped with an aerodynamic top vent, a new forehead vent and redesigned side-intake

vents. And if the temperature starts to rise, the lid comes equipped with a multi cool interior with advanced antibacteria fabric and enhanced moisture wicking to help it dry out more quickly.

It also comes with an enlarg ge ed view port, meaning the lid offe ers a wide field of vision. Plus, it comes with two visors, one cle ear and one light smoke – and a Pinlock anti-fog lens too.

It’s certainly not a cheap lid – but the HJC RPHA 11 has made a name for itself over the last couple of years as one of the best value helmets on the market.

Mortons Archive Deckchairs RRP: £99 // www.classicmagazines.co.uk

The Mortons Archive offers one of the greatest collections of motorcycle images in the world.

Whether it’s a rider from 1937, a showroom photograph of a rare bike model, or just a highly unusual shot of a rider in action – it’s probably tucked away in the archive.

And now you have the chance to get your hands on a deckchair bearing the image of your choice from the extensive Mortons Archive – allowing you to relax in style on your favourite moment from motorcycling history.

Whether you are looking for that unique gift or something different for yourself these are ideal.

Popular images include: ■ Ago’s Leap (Product Code 9848) ■ Ago’s Leap V2 (Product Code 9849) ■ BSA G S Engine Line (Product Code 9850) ■ BSA Goldstar Tank (Product Code 9851) ■ Clint Eastwood (Product Code 9852) ■ Hailwood 1 (Product Code 9853) ■ Hailwood Rear (Product Code 9854) ■ Joel Roberts 1967 (Product Code 9855) ■ McQueen (Product Code 9856) ■ Barry Sheene 1 (Product Code 9857) ■ Barry Sheene 2 (Product Code 9858) ■ Sidecars (Product Code 9859) ■ Triumph Petrol Pumps (Product Code 9860) ■ Triton (Product Code 9861) ■ Velocette 1 (Product Code 9862) ■ Velocette 2 (Product Code 9863) ■ Velocette Engine (Product Code 9864) For more information on Mortons Archive, and the images available to choose from, visit: www.mortonsarchive.com

R&G Indicator di t Extenders RRP: £10.83 (plus VAT) // www.rg-racing.com Following the introduction of new MOT rules stating that direction indicators must have a minimum separation distance of 240mm, R&G has launched a selection of extenders for its range of e-marked Micro Indicators, ensuring that bikes shod with R&G’s award-winning Tail Tidies can pass the new test.

The extenders are available in three sizes: 65mm, 50mm and 35mm. R&G itself makes the point that: “With some licence plates in some countries, with certain tail tidies, the indicator lenses can be partially hidden behind the licence plate. The extenders maximise safety and ensure legality, as you can choose the length of extended needed for optimum indicator positioning.”

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 45

Latest Products

Shoeii EX-ZERO ZERO Helmet RRP: From £359.99 // www.shoeiassured.co.uk Aimed at the growing scrambler and bobber scene, Shoei has just introduced its new retro-inspired open-face helmet – the EX-ZERO. The EX-ZERO is essentially a 70s scrambler lid, which takes advantage of the latest mod-cons to keep you safe out on the road (or dirt) – and it comes in three different outer shell constructions, to help you get the perfect fit and compact external dimensions.

The lid is equipped with all the features you’d expect from Shoei – from its renowned Multi-Ply Matrix AIM Shell, internal visor (CJ-3), double D-ring retention system, a fully removable and washable Interior System, and an Emergency Quick Release System.

Givi Gravel-T GRT709 Adventure Side Bags RRP: £528.37 // www.givi.co.uk Over the last couple of years Givi’s range of Gravel-T soft bags have made a name for themselves as one of the go-to choices for enduro and trail-riders looking for luggage solutions – and for 2018, there are a handful of new additions to its extensive range, including these GRT709 Canyon side bags.

They’re cool bits of kit, offering a capacity of 35 litres while being made from lightweight 1200 W/R Polyester material. They are waterproof, with waterproof roll-down closures, and have a removable inner bag for convenience – which would be particularly useful if the Canyon bags are dirty from riding off-road. There’s also a document pocket inside the liner bag, and an accessible bottle-carrying pocket.

To attach the bags to the bike Givi has developed a new reinforced thermoplastic plate using lightweight fibreglass 46 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

which can be fixed to either a Givi or OEM sideframe. It consists of a plate that can be applied to any side frame, to which the side bag is directly attached and then secured by a key lock.

This system enables the mounting of soft waterproof, modular side bags, ideal for off-road use as they are durable and are not prone to damage during minor falls. They can also be quickly removed from the motorcycle, just like hard cases.

KIT Wemoto’s Festival of Jurby Merchandise for 2018 – raising money for the Manx GP Supporters’ Club RRP: £1-£10 // www.wemoto.com/parts/jurby_merchandise Wemoto has expanded its range of Festival of Jurby Merchandise in a bid to raise more for the Manx Grand Prix Supporters’ Club’s injured riders and helicopter fund.

Over the past three years, Wemoto has raised more than £48,000 through the sale of its Jurby T-shirt. A stylish way of celebrating Isle of Man history while helping support current riders, this year’s T-shirt design celebrates the 40th anniversary of Mike Hailwood’s comeback to mainstream motorcycle racing and remarkable win at the Formula 1 TT on the Isle of Man. To add to this, Wemoto has added caps, pins (badges) and fridge magnet bottle openers to its Jurby range – with all the profits going to the charity.

The Manx Grand Prix Supporters’ Club helps to fund the life-saving helicopter ambulances on practice and race days during the Manx Grand Prix. The charity also supports injured riders and their families, as well as donating money to help with medical equipment.

Honda makes commitment to motorcycle security

Datatool TrakKING Adventure system fitted to all of the company’s new road bikes.

RRP: £349 // www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles

Honda UK has joined forces with Datatool to offer tracking equipment for each of its road going motorcycles.

Honda is offering Datatool’s innovative Thatcham-approved tracking solution (TrakKING Adventure system) supplied and fitted at no extra cost to all new road bikes. And if you’ve got an older Honda, then you can get the system fitted at a discount.

The only cost involved is the ongoing 24/7/365 monitoring subscription.

In addition to the automatic theft monitoring and instant notification, Datatool TrakKING Adventure provides a detailed journey history with every journey automatically uploaded to the cloud for later review, as well as the ability to provide location and event-based alerts.

Once activated, the TrakKING Adventure software allows riders to record and review their routes with friends online and via the free iOS or Android smartphone apps.

This mapping technology and the tracking capability covers the whole of Western Europe, allowing Honda owners to take their bikes abroad with complete peace of mind.

Honda has thrown its support behind the recently-announced MCIA Secured** initiative and is keen to highlight the role that manufacturers can play in ensuring riders have access to the tools which will keep them and their bikes safe. As well as being Thatcham Quality Assured, TrakKING Adventure is also accredited as a police ‘Secured by Design’ product, which means it meets the high standards set by police forces around the UK to reduce and

prevent crime. Datatool TrakKING Adventure is available on all new Honda scooters and motorcycles.

Honda dealers are also offering discounted purchase and

installation prices for existing owners, typically £349 fitted.

Monthly subscription costs come in at less than £10 per month, with the option to pay for the year upfront.

“Supplied and fitted at no extra cost to all new road bikes. And if you’ve got an older Honda, then you can get the system fitted at a discount.”

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 47

Letters WIN A YEAR’S SUBSCRIPTION TO MSL This month’s star letter wins a subscription to the greatest bike magazine – Motorcycle Sport and Leisure. Priding itself on being the most real-world publication, with the tests, insight, adventures and advice that really matter, it’s the best biking fix in the country.

The star letter receives a 12 month subscription, and if you’re already a subscriber, we’ll extend it for you. We love to hear from you, so send your letters to msleditor@mortons.co.uk, or write to Letters, Motorcycle Sport & Leisure magazine, Mortons Media, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. You can also join us at facebook.com/mslmag

★ Star Letter Agreeable low tech I have just been enjoying the April edition of MSL – great read as ever. And I have the answer to Dick Penfold’s ‘Low Tech’ letter.

My previous bike was a Jawa 350. Now, I know it’s not ‘sophisticated’ but to a kid from the 70s like me it’s a true reminder of past adventures.

It has an enclosed chain, proper mud guards and all the electronics any bike needs i.e. no points to adjust.

The bike’s dirt cheap and much better than its reputation. I loved mine right up to the day a BMW 5-Series helped me off it!

I now have a brand new Royal Enfield Himalayan. I couldn’t wait for the 18 plate, so picked it up asap and it’s great.

LANE HOGGING CONTINUES…

In response to Bob Dixon’s attitude to so-called lane hogging (of lane two of a motorway); it’s drivers like Bob who effectively turn a three lane motorway into a one lane road, because everyone is in lane three trying to get past.

Hogging the middle lane makes some drivers impatient and prone to make dangerous manoeuvres. And I’m afraid that Bob and his brethren must take some responsibility should the worst happen!

The advantages of riding/ driving in lane one of the motorway are often overlooked.

It’s more relaxing there than trying to fight it out with lane-swappers in lanes two and three. I have somewhere to go should an accident happen in front of me, i.e. the hard shoulder. I use LGVs as a sort of cruise control.

You can still make good progress at a mile a minute, save fuel and lower your blood

Everything falls straight to hand. The engine sounds the part and is eager enough for B-roads and lanes. I can’t wait for summer trips out in my glorious Hampshire countryside.

Watch out V-Strom, Versys and BMW, the Himalayan is here and it’s cheaper!

Graeme Moss

The Himalayan is indeed an interesting bike, bringing something quite refreshing to the market. And with other manufacturers starting to offer lower capacity adventurers there’s loads to choose from now. Let us know how your summer tours on it go.

Mikko Nieminen

pressure. Try it sometime. As for an American approach to overtaking in any lane, first of all we don’t have the huge carriageways that they have.

Secondly, I have seen ‘cruisers’ in lane two suddenly wake up and pull into lane one without looking. Should someone be overtaking on the inside and they collide then they will be equally to blame should an accident happen.

No use trying to convince a magistrate that it was lanehogger’s fault! Really, the sensible thing to do is just ride/drive according to the rules and we should all be safe. Unfortunately it’s Bob and his like-minded cohorts, who know best and make up their own rules that are a menace on our roads.

As for Bob et-al, read the Highway Code why don’t you, or better still Motorcycle Roadcraft, available at all good bookshops. You never know, you might learn something!

Ian Shaw

48 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

This seems to be a topic that has touched a nerve and there are as many varying opinions as there are readers of MSL. One advantage that we have as motorcyclists is that we tend to keep a better look around us, and with your eyes scanning the mirrors every now and again, you can tell what kind of traffic situations are developing behind as well as in front of you.

This makes it easier to decide which lane to choose for maximum safety and progress.

My personal approach is to avoid motorways as much as I can – for me, riding a bike is more fun on smaller roads.

Mikko Nieminen

HAND GUARDS

Just reading your magazine, and Bertie Simmonds asks if anyone sells hand guards for his Suzuki GSX-S1000F. Well maybe I can help, I thought heated grips were just for wimps but at the age of 52 I asked my wife for some for Xmas, and what a godsend.

A lot of the adventure bikes have hand guards, and people are saying how good they are.

Now, me being a tight git I wasn’t paying £100 for a pair and making them fit my 2004 Fazer 1000, so I bought a pair off eBay for a tenner thinking, if they don’t fit then what’s a tenner? Well, two hours later they’re on and when I went out for a ride of 60 miles in +5° temperature I was surprised how much difference they made.

I just wished I had given up my manliness a long time ago.

Bertie’s welcome to more info if he wants.

Chris Mills Agreed! Heated grips are pretty essential for all year bikers in the UK. Other good solutions that I have used are heated inner gloves (Keis makes a nice pair) and padded grip guards of muffs. Whatever makes the ride a bit more enjoyable, I’m all for it!

Mikko Nieminen

YOUR VIEW Revvy I read with interest your article on page 19 of the February edition (Issue 689) of your fine magazine Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, headed ’Try before you buy’.

The article contains a letter from another reader who had trouble sourcing a Kawasaki Versys-X 300 demonstrator to take for a test drive as he was interested in purchasing said bike. I too have had a similar experience with Kawasaki.

Allow me to explain: I visited the NEC Motorbike Show in November specifically to look at the Versys-X 300. Get this: As I was sat on the bike a representative told me that the X 300 had a very revvy engine and that I would be better off with the Versys 650, it was a far better bike. Now, if I wanted the 650, I would have been sat on the 650! I walked away very

LANGUAGE

I have just been reading Motorcycle Sport & Leisure April 2018 issue and I was enjoying it fine till I got most of the way through the report of the Suzuki GSX-S1000f written by your journalist Bertie Simmonds when he referred to the Suzuki GSXS1000FZ Phantom as being cool as FCUK. I have not finished the article as I was rather disappointed with the journalistic style, if this the direction the magazine is heading. I for one will be moving on.

One of the reasons that I have been a reader of the magazine was for its high calibre of

Versys-X 300 and the litre machine out in their natural habitat.

disappointed and disillusioned.

I own a KLX125 and wanted to stick with the brand when I upgrade. Next week I will pick up my new Honda CB500X. Great magazine guys.

Keep it up.

Darren Lindley

I guess there’s always a temptation for salesmen to ‘upsell’ if they can – this might have been one of those cases.

Also, there seems to be a widely accepted consensus in the trade that everyone who can, should ride big cc bikes.

Hopefully this will change now that the manufacturers are launching more and more interesting low and mid-size machines. Not everyone is after a gazillion horses and aeronautical top speeds.

Mikko Nieminen

writing but this is just lazy and very poor.

Ronnie MacLean Interesting that you should say that Ronnie. I thought that Bertie's article was written in his usual witty and knowledgeable style. The reference to FCUK in particular tickled me because it was not simplistically used to mask a swear word, but to say that something was as ‘cool’ as it, drawing a parallel with the trendy clothing brand of the same name. The way I see it, there was nothing lazy or poor about the article, but you are of course entitled to your opinion.

Mikko Nieminen

The big Burgman 650 is pretty much a synonym for do-it-all maxi scooter.

HURRAH FOR SCOOTERS

After a lifetime of motorcycles, 38 years to be precise, a near fatal accident on a ZZR1200 nearly finished my wife and I on bikes. After a while, I test rode a Honda Silver Wing and then bought one. I have since had two 650 Burgmans, a 400 and about six 125s. Thank you for including scooters in your test fleet. Too often they are dismissed as not really bikes by

other mags. I have just bought a new X300 Fantastic bike.

Dennis Hessman There are plenty of great scooters out there now, and it sounds like more and more bikers are making the switch to scooters at certain point of their riding career. I can certainly understand why.

Mikko Nieminen

JOIN US

Be part of our biking community

SUBSCRIBE ON PAGE 24 www.mslmagazine.co.uk 49

1964 - Part One Maynard Hershon

I

n the summer of ’64 I was working in a Yamaha-BMW-BSA store in Bloomington, Indiana. I had a girlfriend we’ll call Jenny. Our life together was rough, never sweet, and I can’t after all these years tell you why. Was I am impossible guy... or was Jenny a deeply troubled woman? We broke up and she went off on a trip.

Her family was able to afford to send her overseas, I guess, lucky girl, but when she got to England she found herself intolerably lonely. The phone rang at the little motorcycle shop in Bloomington. It was long distance, and it was for me.

She missed me, she said, and offered to send me a ticket to London, where we’d meet. We’ll buy a motorcycle and ride to Spain, she said, where we’ll spend a few months. At that point I was pretty broke and had hardly been out of the Midwest, so I was thrilled by her offer.

I couldn’t forget that we’d been unable to get along as boy- and girlfriend in small-town Indiana though.

How were we gonna do in Spain, as perhaps the only English-speakers?

I flew to London. We arranged through a dealer there to take factory delivery of a 500cc Velocette touring model with fairing, a Venom Veeline, in a part of Birmingham called Hall Green. I’d owned two Velos in the US and loved them.

A touring bike then had a more upright seating position than a more sporting model. It might have a more expansive fairing, if indeed it had a fairing.

Few bikes came with them. If memory serves, this Velo fairing had small pockets near the grips for incidentals. What luxury!

At that time I would have called myself a Velocette guy, but even having owned a couple of them, my knowledge of Velos generally was scanty. Beyond the manual you got with your bike and the workshop manual you could buy, there wasn’t much you could learn in the States about Velocettes. There certainly was no cult of lovers of big single-cylinder street bikes. No online owners forum. No online.

I suspect, nearly 55 years later, that I loved them because no one else had one or in most cases had ever seen one. A genuine enthusiast British bike made me look like a genuine enthusiast. While we waited for the factory to start on our bike, the dealer, L Stevens, loaned us an LE Velocette, a little 200cc water-cooled opposed twin, the model that local police forces used.

I had to learn to ride on the ‘wrong’ side of the road on a hand-shift three-speed motorbike.

Jenny and I rode to the fabled Ace Cafe, where we parked among the cafe racers. Didn’t seem to matter what we’d ridden to the Ace; everyone was welcoming and nice. Not nearly as intimidating as they looked in 50 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

The past may be a foreign country where they do things differently, but in Maynard’s past, he really did go to a foreign country – Britain. He was the first American since the war to visit Velocette... but how would his plan to tour Spain on one pan out?

Who is Hershon?

MSL’s Maynard is our man with a very unique view on motorcycling from both sides of the pond. Yes, he is American, yes, he does ride around on a second-hand Kawasaki that causes him grief... and yes, he does have his finger right on the pulse of life on two wheels

all that studded black leather. At the Velocette factory, I was asked to meet briefly with Bertie Goodman, who ran the place. I was told that I was the first Yank since the war to visit there. A fellow named Lou Branch in southern California imported Velos into the States, but my impression was that Branch hadn’t been to the factory. Transatlantic travel was for rich people then.

Goodman asked me what Velocette could do to sell more bikes in the States. I told him I didn’t see many street singles at home, that we Americans were more interested in big-power twins, bikes with (gulp) 50 formidable horsepower. I was so green, having been riding for two years at that point, I may have thought that was news to him. As I think about all that today, the overseas travel, the buying of a brand new Velo, watching it move along the assembly line at Hall Green, the riding off on it two-up through three countries, all totally unfamiliar… I can’t believe I did any of it. But... I did. We did, Jenny and I. Somewhere en route to Spain, I made a mistake and pressed the button to sound the Velo’s horn.

That brought to an end the operation of the bike’s lighting system. The lovely Velo ran fine thanks to the (separate) magneto but henceforth it had no lights, not even a brake light, not that such failures were surprising. People said Velocettes ‘ran on daylight’.

I’m sure someone more savvy than I was could have made the lights work, but I was never able to do so on any of my Velos, whose Miller electrics made Lucas stuff look just goddamn brilliant.

In Spain, the locals were fascinated by the faired Velo, so much bigger and more powerful than their tiny, smoky two-strokes. I’m sure they thought we were rich, carefree Yanks, travelling so far on that firebreathing black bike. They were astounded: 500ccs!

I don’t remember how we carried our stuff. I’m sure the bike had a luggage rack and maybe we had throwover saddlebags. We had nothing like modern luggage accommodation. Need I say that Jenny was a trouper, a woman who would hang in there, rain, cold... whatever.

■ Next month: What happened then, Maynard?

photo: Josh Sawyer

SRT-MODULAR THE NEW SRT-MODULAR PUTS THE SPORT BACK INTO TOURING. IT TAKES THE QUALITY AND CONSTRUCTION OF OUR SRT, AND ADDS THE EASE AND ACCESSIBILITY OF AN OPEN-FACE FOR WHEN YOU WANT TO FACE THE WORLD HEAD-ON. WITH A FIBERGLASS SHELL, CLASS 1 PANOVISION OPTICS, RECESSED EPS SPEAKER POCKETS, AND A BROAD RANGE OF SIZING OPTIONS, THE SRT-MODULAR IS BUILT FOR THE OPEN ROAD. LEARN MORE AT WWW.BELLHELMETS.CO.UK

Choose online and pick up in store.

Available from all Premier Stockists by visiting www.bellhelmets.co.uk

BELLPOWERSPORTSUK

Why stop, just when I’m enjoying it?

The High Sider

R

epsol Honda factory rider Daniel Pedrosa Ramal, age 32 and born just north of Barcelona, announced his retirement from racing at a marginally teary press conference a few weeks ago. The sniffles were no surprise; after 18 years in the same job one tends to become institutionalised and it’s hard to adjust to life outside prison. Sorry, I meant ‘the MotoGP circus’. Stripped of routine – promotional tours, press commitments, testing and actually racing – riders simply aren’t emotionally tooled-up to deal with mundane realities, like being bored of a Sunday evening when there’s nothing good on the telly. If you think it’s hard being a factory MotoGP rider, try being an ex-factory MotoGP rider.

Some riders can’t cope with the existential void and instead of going cold turkey choose a gradual, slightly humiliating descent through the ranks of MotoGP’s satellite teams, or even parachuting into World Superbike and hoping the canopy opens and they can steer themselves away from landing on something unrideable, like a FireBlade. There’s something faintly undignified about watching an ex-premier class rider hoofing in WSB, like an ex-TV soap star doing a panto run in Great Yarmouth.

For Dani the withdrawal symptoms will be even more acute; a record 13 of his 18 years at the grindstone were spent earning a king’s ransom as a factory rider (so much so that, in 2015 and tax exiled in Switzerland, Pedrosa was caught up with by the Spanish authorities who demanded £6 million in unpaid taxes).

Pedrosa is, of course, famous for what he hasn’t done: he’s never won a MotoGP title. A 125cc title, yes, and even two back-to-back 250 titles. But the big one has eluded him; forever, now. But he needn’t see this as a cross to bear for the rest of his days.

Look at the positives; there are plenty of ways in which Pedrosa has set multiple MotoGP records.

Turns out he’s been world champ at lots of things, and no-one’s even noticed.

For a start, and most obviously, Dani has been MotoGP runner-up a record three times, in 2007, 2010 and 2012 – which means he might not have ever been a MotoGP world champ, but there’s never been another rider better than Pedrosa at coming second. Speaking as life’s habitual runner-up myself, I can confirm it’s even cooler than winning the thing.

You have to come second before you can realise that winning isn’t everything.

Meanwhile, Señor Pedrosa has spent his career watching three of his four teammates become World Champions on the same bike he’s riding – which, for 52 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Dani Pedrosa has retired from racing without winning a MotoGP world title. But he’s still a world champion in so many ways.

Who is The High Sider?

The High Sider’s 25-year career riding and writing about motorbikes, both on track and off, has been fuelled from the start by a passion for racing. From the technical aspects of race bike design and performance to the motivations of the people who ride them, if it’s about going faster in circles, it matters.

a racer, must be appallingly tough to digest. Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden and Marc Marquez have all done what Pedrosa couldn’t, and lifted the title on a Honda (only Andrea Dovizioso, like Dani, failed). But Pedrosa needs to know that’s also a record; no-one else has been such an effective wingman. Props, Dani.

Another record you may heave heard about is Pedrosa’s astonishing run of winning at least one MotoGP race every season between 2006 and 2017 (12 years), and at least one in all classes every season since 2002. And that’s not a record anyone will beat anytime soon; the only current rider who could match it is Marquez, in nine years’ time.

But Pedrosa also holds another, less cheerful record: since his MotoGP debut in 2006, only five years out of 13 of have been injury or operation-free. The lad has carried more injuries than a stretcher. And they’ve often come either with a bizarre twist or at inopportune moments.

Take his first MotoGP season; in 2006 Pedrosa came within a whisker of ruining teammate Nicky Hayden’s eventual title, by torpedoing him at the penultimate race and handing Rossi the title lead (which Valentino then magnanimously handed back to Hayden by crashing at the final round). Or Aragon in 2013, when class rookie Marc Marquez clipped Pedrosa’s rear wheel in a typically risky out-braking manoeuvre – and damaged his rear wheel sensor rendering the Honda’s traction control inoperative. When Pedrosa touched the throttle, he was launched into orbit.

So as Pedrosa drifts into retirement – and with his recent form he appears to have begun early – there’s no immediate sign of him going into management, or hanging around the paddock to ‘advise’ younger riders. There are a few more Pedrosa stats that, in all seriousness, reveal the level and duration of his talent: he’s joint eighth in the all time top class wins table, alongside four-times champ Eddie Lawson with 31.

And that’s in front of Schwantz, Rainey, Roberts Snr, Sheene and Spencer. Pedrosa is also fifth in the table of the all-time number of race starts, with 208 to date.

Only Loris Capirossi, Hayden, Alex Barros and Rossi started more. And the little Spaniard is second only to Rossi in number of podiums, with 112 to 196.

All of which makes a fairly compelling case for inducting Pedrosa directly into the MotoGP Hall of Fame, without passing Go. “But he hasn’t been a champion!” you shout. Oh really?

54 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

TOURING Your rides ◆ Expert advice ◆ Places to go

Once in a lifetime adventure:

TRANS-SIBERIAN TOUR Fancy following in the footsteps of Ewan and Charley when they crossed Siberia on their Long Way Round tour? Here’s your chance!

C

rossing Siberia on a motorcycle is proper bucket list stuff – and now there’s an easy way to tick that box. PeterPanBike’s organised trans-Siberian adventure takes you over 8000 miles and through four countries in 42 days. It is your chance to ride across Siberia from the edge of Europe all the way to Vladivostok on the other side of Asia.

On this adventure of a lifetime, you’ll start from Tallinn in Estonia, then ride through Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Forty-two days and 8000+ miles later you’ll arrive in Vladivostok at the Russian shores of the Pacific Ocean.

On this trip you’ll experience famous and fabulous cities like St Petersburg, Moscow, Astana, Ulan Bator and Irkutsk, as well as cities you’ve probably never

heard about like Uralsk, Onguday, Altanteel, Erdenesant and Bikin. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit unique places like Baikonur – the world’s first space centre – in Kazakhstan, awesome Lake Baikal, Moscow’s Red Square, the magnificent Altai Mountains and Genghis Khan Square in Ulan Bator, and spend a night or two camping out in a yurt and drinking yak butter tea!

WHAT? WHERE? WHEN?

This is an organised motorcycle adventure of 10 bikes and a lead rider from Tallinn to Vladivostok. Pre-trip webinars, road tolls, accommodation, meals and return flight from Vladivostok to Tallinn (with bike transfer) are included in the price. All you have to pay yourself is visa costs, meals on days off, booze and other personal expenses.

PeterPanBike

Established in Finland in 1997, PeterPanBike started big: “We bought 10 Enfield Bullet Machismo 500cc motorcycles from the Agra Motorcycle Shop in India and rode them to Finland,” says the company’s founder, Peter Ruotsalo. Today their tours cover the whole world, and their business plan is simple: “Our goal is not to be the biggest in the world but simply the best motorcycle tour operator on our great planet.”

You can take part in the tours using your own bike, or with one of PeterPanBike’s bikes (custom bikes as well as street-, touringand all-road bikes available) – You choose!

All tours are led by a professional English-speaking tour leader who loves to ride and is a very experienced biker.

There are two sets of dates to choose from: August 10 to September 20, 2019, and August 9 to September 18, 2020.

CAN I HANDLE IT?

This tour can be a bit extreme, especially in Mongolia with poor or no roads. And there will be some long days.

So, this is not a tour for beginners. You need to be a confident rider even if you haven’t done a long tour before.

But don’t worry too much, there is always someone to help if needed!

How much?

Rider in a shared room

€8990

Pillion in a shared room

€7990

Rider in single room

€10,590

For more information and bookings: https://www.peterpanbike.com/trans-siberia-motorcycle-tour

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 55

Stress free adventure

TWISTIES & TRAILS M A ffather th and d son d duo ttake k on th the ti tight ht ttwisties i ti and d wide id open trails of southern Spain p with ToroAdventure.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: Ross Mowbray

alaga is home to Toro Adventure – the latest venture of established Spanish off-road tour experts Toro Trail, and MSL recently paid them a visit. Based in a luxurious mountain top villa in Alhaurin el Grande, Toro Adventure offers the ultimate no-hassle riding experience, with participants being collected and delivered direct from Malaga Airport. It’s the perfect base from which to explore Spain, Portugal and Morocco on a fully-equipped BMW R1200GS Rallye.

56 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

There’s a lot of choice too. Trips can be fully guided, or if you prefer, you can simply grab a sat-nav and follow a pre-set route yourself. You can also pick whatever mix of road and off-road riding you fancy, with mapped routes taking in some of Europe’s best roads, along with awesome mountain tracks for the more adventurous among us.

The road routes feature an incredible blend of long fast sweepers, technical curves, endless S-bends and sensational switchbacks, while the off-road mainly consists of various gravel tracks and even a slippery river crossing or two. What more could you ask for?

TOURING & ADVENTURE

Toro Adventure

Toro Adventure was launched off the back of ToroTrail, one of Europe’s leading trail riding holiday companies which was established over 12 years ago.

Since then, it’s had more than 4000 clients and has covered more than two million miles of trails in Spain, Morocco and Portugal.

■ For more information, visit: www.toroadventure.com

Spain is a brilliant place to ride. The weather’s usually decent, the roads are fantastic, the landscapes are spectacular, and you can stop pretty much anywhere and find great food.

What more could you need?

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 57

Meandering through Arrivals at Malaga Airport, I gave Lyndon, Toro Adventure’s MD, a quick call. He was on his way and told us to head out to the front of the airport and wait on the roundabout. Within a couple of minutes, we were sitting in his truck, windows down, en route to ToroHQ. It turned out we had got the place to ourselves over the next few days – and with Lyndon’s undivided attention, talk soon turned to the next few days’ riding. We were going to be guinea pigs for the newly introduced On/Off Road Tours and take the chance to explore some new routes, working out what was possible on the behemoth BMWs. A quick tour around HQ and a bite to eat at the locals’ favourite restaurant and it was time to get out on the bikes. That’s why we were here after all. By the time we were ready to go, it was mid-afternoon, so really this was just a quick opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the bikes and have a quick explore of the area surrounding Alhaurin el Grande.

Winding our way through olive groves on a quiet back road, we began to get to know the GS. This was first time that I’d ever ridden one of BMW’s big adventure machines, and I’ve got to admit that I was shocked at just how well bike handled, despite its weight. Its sophisticated electronics inspire confidence and encourage you to wind open the throttle every time you see a twisty road ahead.

I can see finally why they’re so popular. A few miles later, and Lyndon pulled over to take in the scenery and grab a couple of photos of me and the old man in action – before declaring it was time to switch to Enduro mode and hit the trails. Off-road the GS is just as impressive, its deceptively light handling, purposeful power delivery and sophisticated ABS technology make it a doddle to ride. It was going to be an awesome couple of days.

Our route over the two and a half days was varied and free-flowing. Lyndon knows the area so well and there’s such an abundance of choice we decided not to make any particularly concrete plans, and instead meander around the local vicinity with a little flexibility. Incredibly, I don’t think we strayed more than 70 miles from Toro Adventure HQ – and yet, we never touched the same piece of tarmac or trail twice.

58 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

ABOVE: The roads in the region are incredible.

Smooth, varied and empty – it’s the perfect playground for twowheeled adventures.

From fast flowing sweepers to tight switchbacks, you’re spoilt for choice.

BELOW: I was amazed at the landscapes we passed through. From lush, green hillsides and rocky moonscapes to the area’s gorgeous coastline. And the roads are sensational.

I can’t stress enough how spectacular the roads in this region are. If you’re coming from the UK, you’ll undoubtedly be amazed at both the range of roads and quality of the tarmac, but also just how quiet it is; most of the time you’ve got the roads to yourself. As far as I’m concerned, it’s some of the best riding I’ve experienced anywhere. And then there’s the off-road riding. It’s just endless.

Over our few days riding, we took in plenty of spectacular scenery and riding. We visited, in no particular order, the Lakes at Ardales, the Camino del Rey path, the moonscape-like landscape of El Torcal, the Parque Natural Mottes de Malaga and El Burgo.

On our final day, we also headed towards Granada on a spectacular 25 mile long off-road trail – before high tailing it back to Toro Adventure HQ on a beautiful twisty stretch of road. And to be honest, we only really scratched the surface – with a little more time I’ve got no doubt you could really cover some distance, and take in even more of the beautiful roads, trails and scenery.

Spain is a brilliant place to ride. The weather’s usually decent, the roads are fantastic, the landscapes are spectacular, and you can stop pretty much anywhere and find great food. Arriving back into Alhaurin el Grande after two and half days of

TOURING & ADVENTURE

What about gear?

If you fancy travelling light, Toro Adventure has full riding gear available for rental. It’s good kit too, with RST boots, trousers, jackets, gloves and Nexx Helmets on offer.

And it’ll only set you back €40 (about £30) a day.

How much will it cost?

There’s a range of options and packages to choose from. Toro Adventure’s on/off road tours enable GS owners, or simply riders looking for a GS experience the chance to have a go on top-spec BMW R1200GS Rallye bikes in the amazing and varied landscapes of southern Spain. There are experienced guides on hand to show you some of the best roads and trails in Spain – and if you’ve not done much off-roading before, don’t worry; riders are taught the basic principles then guided on appropriate trails.

Prices are all dependant on exactly what you want from your trip. Do you

need a sat-nav? How about gear?

Inevitably, self-guided tours are a little cheaper – but if you get the chance, I’d recommend making use of the extensive knowledge of the Toro Adventure team.

Our three night stay and two (and a half) days’ riding, worked out at around £515 (including breakfast, accommodation and airport transfers). Technically, that doesn’t include Lyndon’s company, but because he was free for a few days – he came along for the ride.

■ For more information, visit: www.toroadventure.com

Toro Adventure HQ

Toro Adventure HQ is based in Alhaurin el Grande, just 30 minutes west of Malaga airport.

It’s a hell of a set-up, with the gated mountain-top villa offering everything you’d need for a few days of stress-free motorcycling fun. There’s a swimming pool, a hot tub, a big barbecue, and plenty of beer on offer. Perfect.

Plus, the Toro staff are always on hand to make sure you’re being well looked after.

Malaga is a brilliant base to explore Andalusia and beyond.

You’re only an hour and a half away from Gibraltar, two hours from Seville – and just an hour and a half away from the ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 59

incredible riding, I had a big, wide smile plastered all over my face. I could have quite happily kept the keys for the GS and continued riding. I guess I’ll just have to wait for next time.

THE BIKES

The off-road biased Rallye is a halfway house between the standard GS and the GS Adventure. When an R1200GS Adventure is just that bit too tall, and a standard R1200GS just won’t quite cut it on the dirt, maybe it’s time to try the new R1200GS Rallye. It’s the most off-road focused GS yet, and it looks awesome too, with its BMW Motorsport/Dakar Rally-inspired blue frame and blue/grey and red paintwork.

After two and a half days in the saddle, I’ve got nothing but nice things to say about it. It’s an astonishing motorcycle – a bike that you can push surprisingly hard on Spanish roads that seem to have been dropped straight from heaven and then flick straight off on to some hardcore trails.

Okay, so the R1200GS Rallye is a big old bike. It weighs in at 250kg with fuel, but it’s so well balanced with its Euro 4 friendly boxer twin carried low down, that you barely think about it (until you come to a stop). I don’t think you’d want to drop it too many times though, as I expect it’d take it out of you trying to pick it up. It’s well kitted out too – with a sports

60 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Who’s the boss?

The man behind the magic at Toro Adventure and Torotrail is Lyndon Foster, an ex-merchant banker who gave up the rat race to spend his days exploring southern Spain on two wheels.

He told us: “Using excellent organisational skills and a well-travelled team, our dedicated route planners will plan the perfect getaway to suit your needs and make it a memorable one too. This is what we specialise in. Nothing is too much trouble.

“Tell us what you want to do and for how long, we will do the planning, then come and ride our 2017 BMW R1200GS Rallye bikes in the full knowledge that we will give you more than just a holiday. We hope to welcome you on your adventure soon.”

BELOW: The majestic BMW R1200GS Ralleye stands proud atop a Spanish hillside. It’s shockingly capable.

screen, radiator guards, wide off-road footrests, removable pillion pegs, an enduro-oriented seat which stands at 860mm high, frame protection, hand guards, gorgeous wire-spoked black rims, and left and right pannier fittings.The bikes we were riding also came equipped with ToroAdventure topboxes.

In addition to its beautiful, punchy boxer engine, the most impressive thing about the Rallye is its ESA (semi-active suspension). It’s a glorious system that helps to offer an impressively smooth ride – no matter what you throw at it. In essence, it stops the bike pitching and diving at the rear, especially on the road – allowing you to push the big adventure machine harder than you’d ever expect, offering almost hovercraft levels of smoothness.

Its ABS system is equally impressive. I left it switched on pretty much all day – and although I got it to kick in a couple of times, it’s in no way intrusive, and works intuitively in the background to keep you safe, and most importantly, upright. Same for the Dynamic Traction control. Off-road, it finds grip in places where you’d never expect it too.

In short, the R1200GS Rallye is a standard GS, just that little bit better. It doesn’t compromise the capability of the standard model, but enhances it.

Basically, the Rallye is even more capable, ready to take on a round the world trip, blast up your local green lane or tackle some twisty tarmac. I’m amazed by what it can do – and after spending a few days in the saddle, it’s no surprise just how popular the GS is on a global scale.

Motorcycling is a journey Richard Millington

M

otorcycling is a journey. Not just touring or blasting out for a Sunday run – the whole adventure is a journey. For those of us that started as teenagers it started with tentative steps and little bikes. These got bigger, faster and more, well, just more. Then as age catches up they often get smaller, easier to handle and manoeuvre.

This is not everyone’s journey but it is pretty typical.

My journey may be taking an unpredicted step, for me at least… It started typically enough at 15 with a Honda C70 Cub ridden around a field, and occasionally elsewhere when nobody was looking!

This morphed into an FS1E at 16. I was 6ft 3in at 16, so looked completely ridiculous. This became a CB125S, not J I’ll have you know, and then the test was passed and proper bikes followed.

As I say this is not everyone’s journey. We have just returned from a tour with an 80-year-old still piloting a K1600GTL, and very capably at that. Clearly he is not ready for the downsizing trend. Why go with the norm when you can be different?

As I tore my L-plates up I had no idea where my journey would take me. In terms of bikes it started with a GS550E, which was followed by a number of other big Suzukis including one with the word Katana written on it.

The journey I am talking about is not where bikes take you. Everyone has their favourite destinations and want to go places. This grows and changes as well.

The journey I am referring to is the actual bikes. My GS550E was four cylinders of raw Japanese power.

With an Alfa 4-1 exhaust (anyone remember them?)

I was like a pig in poop. With the biggest bike in my college, a little brother to my best mate's GSX550ESD, I had made the big time. That best mate never let me forget the day when I said “I don’t think I will ever want anything faster than this.” To be fair, when I said it I had owned the bike less than a week, and it was a big step up from a 125 single!

The lack of desire for something bigger didn’t last that long, and as soon as money allowed the 550 was replaced with a string of GSs 750, 1000 and that Katana, before I moved onto ‘modern’ machinery in the shape of a ZZR1100.

Big Kawasakis occupied the next decade and then the journey took an unexpected step. A life-changing one. I make no bones that I was inspired by the Long Way Round – you can really do that sort of stuff on a bike? A GS with just two cylinders arrived as did ‘Adventure Touring’. Morocco, Thailand and then the Americas top to bottom. This really did change my life, and from spending my weekdays running car

Richard Millington is a seasoned adventurer more at home perched on a GS than a Chesterfield sofa. But guess which bike he’s drooling about now? Yep, it surprised us too…

Who is Millington?

Richard Millington has been riding for more than 30 years, touring for more than 25, and has never looked back.

He’s the founder of Motorrad Tours, and has ridden on five continents, guiding motorcycle tours in Europe, Africa, North and South America and Asia. www. motorrad-tours.com offers a wide range of adventures, with something for every rider...

dealers I moved to organising and leading tours, never wanting to go back to a ‘proper job’.

Adventure bikes rule! You can tour on them, Sunday scratch on them and circumnavigate the world on them. I can’t be wrong as they are everywhere.

The BMW G/S invented the category and every other manufacturer has followed. The biggest selling bike in the UK, year on year, has been an adventure bike for a while now. As sports bikes have declined, adventure bikes have grown.

Now the adventure bike has been joined by the hipster retro, which is everywhere. Well, when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere as long as that’s not too far from home, a coffee shop or tattoo parlour.

Before you write in, yes that’s a generalisation but not far from the truth for many.

So what’s the surprising step in my journey? Fifteen years ago while my Buell was being serviced the dealer loaned me a 1450cc, FLHC XST wide, fat, super glide boy. Sorry, I have no idea what it was but I spent the whole day on it and sort of got it! It surprised me and delighted me right until the point I pushed too hard into a roundabout and the sound of scraping iron drowned out the exhaust note. So that was cruisers and customs done and dusted. If you can’t have fun in the corners, then what’s the point? That was until I rode the BMW K1600 Bagger. Feet forward, cruising, apparently oozing style over function, it still rides like a great bike. I really don’t want to like it. It is not me.

I am an Adventure Biker! I travel remote places, visit far away countries, this is not me! ARRGGHH! Then again, maybe the journey can have a fork in the road and I can take both options? Now how do I make the Bagger sound like a cruiser should? The look is great but I think playing the Harley potato, potato sound track through the stereo would be a step on a journey down a very bad road…

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Day Ride

YPRES IN A DAY

Essex to Ypres and back home in time for a late night cuppa – it can be done.

I

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Dick Underdown

have stopped in Ypres many times on the way to or from Calais, but never really explored it.

I’ve also never witnessed the daily memorial service at the Menin Gate. This memorial to the unknown soldier commemorates those who gave their lives in the First World War but don’t have a grave or whose bodies were never found.

It has more than 54,000 names inscribed on it, and many troops actually passed through here on the way to the front line. Every day of the year, at 8pm, a moving ceremony is held to remember them.

Getting there and back in a day meant using Eurotunnel, which may be a soulless crossing compared to the ferry but is also quick and weather proof – to clinch the deal, when I did this trip they were offering £10 tickets each way.

I left the house at 5am, which I had to do to beat Dartford Crossing chaos. Essex seems to get g busier

62 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

ABOVE: Dick took the scenic route to Ypres.

ABOVE RIGHT: Menin Gate can’t be missed.

BELOW LEFT: It’s easy to while away an afternoon here.

BELOW: Evening ceremony is well attended even in midweek.

every year, and even at this time I was sharing the A12 with cars making their normal early start, and long lines of HGVs just off the ferry at Harwich. As most were left-hand drive I was wary as I pass themed.

Still, once onto the M20 everything disappeared. With a range of over 300 miles I didn’t need to stop for fuel and was sipping a coffee in Folkestone by 7am, though what with the tunnel formalities and losing an hour to French time, it was 10am by the time I was in France.

BACK ROADS ROUTE

Now I could have ridden straight to Ypres on multi-lane roads and have been there in 90 minutes, but I didn’t need to. Some of the smaller roads I’d mapped out looked familiar, and then it dawned that I used to come this way in the early 1980s, when French beer was relatively cheap and ‘booze cruises’ were popular. I would come with a minibus on a works outing to stock up with beer and have a good lunch, though being relatively teetotal I was usually elected to drive. Thirty years later, the route was scenic and with rush hour over, there wasn’t too much traffic either.

The sun was shining and within an hour I was tasting my first croissant and café au lait. The cakes were fresh out of the oven and the coffee poured like tar, thick and strong. Good job I like it like that! As always, the local reception was very welcoming and even though I was only abroad for a day, I was relaxed.

Possibly more than I would have been if I had a similar day in the UK. I had the luxury of time, and

TOURING & ADVENTURE

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Clacton-on-Sea

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A12 Southend-on-Sea

M25

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Hastings

A16 A26

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Lille Le Touquet

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Berck LEFT: Ypres’ 13th Century cathedral was rebuilt after the war.

enjoyed watching the locals pop in and out for a liquid (coffee) breakfast.

Trundling along at about 55mph I crossed the border on the D916A at Oost-Cappel. There is a sign signifying the fact, and even without this you would know. Once into Belgum, road signs are written in a different font with different colours. From here it’s a short hop to Ypres (signposted ‘Leper,’ the Dutch). The centre is all cobbles, which today were dry, though I’ve had many a slippery entrance into town in the past.

On balance I think I’ve had more wet days than dry in Belgium, but today I was lucky.

Right in the centre is a magnificent cathedral, built in 1221. It stands next to Cloth Hall, also built in the 13th century – cats were allegedly thrown from the top to ward off evil spirits. It is now the Flanders Fields Museum and well worth a visit. A lot of the city was flattened in the First World War, but both of these iconic buildings were rebuilt using reparations money, as close to the original design as possible.

There are many places to eat, but I usually have lunch in the main square, paying a slight tourist premium for the privilege of watching the world go by.

You can leave your bike under the cathedral without paying and walk around the moat surrounding the old

city. It is very picturesque with several gates in and out of the centre. It’s not hard to lose yourself for an afternoon before the ceremony. Eight o’clock soon arrives, and I thought the memorial would be nearly empty on this midweek evening, but throngs of people were queuing early for prime position, with seats for more senior citizens.

It was a very moving and fitting service, with the Last Post sending shivers down my spine. Most of the people were respectful, but one tourist got a severe telling off from the local police for allowing his mobile phone to go off and talking on it through the ceremony.

The Belgian national dish is a wrapper of chips smothered in mayonnaise, which is good enough for me. Suitably fortified, I rode slowly back over the border on the D642 (which was empty), enjoying a series of 90º bends before a surprising ride through the Parc National, just south of Calais. To be honest I never knew it was here, and although it was now dark, I realised I had missed out. This got me to Eurotunnel ahead of a pre-booked departure, and in time for a last coffee before slipping back to Blighty.

In midweek, the shuttle queues aren’t too bad and I was soon on the train, reclothing myself in the extra layers I peeled off that morning. Two hours later I was back home with a cuppa. I’m lucky to live within two hours of the tunnel – this trip totalled less than 300 miles, needed one day off work and cost me £42 plus fuel. With a bit of imagination you can do something a bit different for not much money.

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Mid Ride

Fancy going?

If you want to ride in this part of the world check out the crossings and deals on: www.brittany-ferries.co.uk

PRE-SEASON

PYRENEES

We all know the Pyrenees are a great summer destination – but did they make sense in March?

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Ian Ashdown

I

t had felt as if the trip hadn’t really begun until I set off for Jaca. I’d slogged over the border from France at Arneguy, bounded on both sides by a narrow tunnel of trees, from above by sleet and snow and by the slippery, winding road beneath.

On my way into Spain I’d been overtaken by an old van that went like the clappers through the twists and turns despite the conditions. I’d also been avoiding pilgrims on foot, on their way to Santiago de Compostela, and the overcast sky and fading light didn’t help. By now I could no longer feel my fingers and toes and I couldn’t decide whether to stop and warm up, or push on to Pamplona. I pushed on.

On the final stretch though, coasting down the hill towards the city, I felt relief as suddenly it all looked familiar, recognisable from the pictures.

I spent a couple of days sightseeing in Pamplona and was now preparing to leave, sitting in a restaurant enjoying good food and hospitality. It was three degrees outside with the sleet coming down and a bitterly cold wind blowing umbrellas inside out. Had I done the right thing to head for the Pyrenees before Easter? I’d had a warning that the mountain passes would be snow-bound and I wouldn’t make it over them, although as far as I could work out they were by now mostly clear and open, though the forecasts were for colder weather than usual.

Even before leaving home I’d had second thoughts.

Although reassured that my Kawasaki ER-6f was freshly serviced, this would be my first big trip and riding for eight months. I whittled spare clothing down to what would fit in a roll bag and rucksack.

64 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

ABOVE: 3300m Monte Perdido facing down the ER6f.

Then I started reading about brown bears running wild in the Pyrenees. Still, I couldn’t do anything about that or the weather and in any case didn’t have any choice now – I had to keep going.

ABOVE THE SNOW LINE

BELOW: Colourful buildings in a Pamplona back street.

Day six started with ominous black clouds hanging over Pamplona’s surrounding mountains, though the rain had stopped and it felt a touch warmer. I went to a nearby bar for breakfast where punky staff played the Ramones loudly and served well-dressed locals who dropped by for coffee and pastries. No one was in a hurry, despite being on the way to work, which all seemed entirely normal and I was happy to be a part of it. Energised by the music ringing in my ears, I layered up once again.

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London Calais

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I was soon out on the road to Jaca and by now the sun had come out, the sky was blue and the river Aragon flowed into sparkling turquoise lakes set among the dusty hills. I regret not stopping to take it in but after a few days off my bike I was keen to get back in the saddle. In the far distance I focused on a medieval village standing up on the flat plain and then towards the mighty Monte Perdido in the National Park of Ordesa. Faced with the view of a monastery made tiny set against the 3000m mountainside, I stopped in nearby Torla for lunch. Peeling off many (though not all) layers of clothing was liberating – I’d perhaps overdone it in preparing for the worst that morning.

I emerged from the bar into the fresh mountain air and was soon back on the road, grinning at the unbelievably smooth winding tarmac of the N260. I was relying on a good old paper map and the complete absence of traffic added to the fun. I had to stop and gaze at the huge spiralling grooves around the hillside made even more mysterious by the turquoise pools and the abandoned village of Janovas, evacuated in the 60s to make way for a dam that never got built.

Another biker stopped, although with few words in common we smiled, snapped each other’s photos and enjoyed the landscape. It wasn’t long after that I reached Ainsa and as the only guest in the B&B I was welcomed by the family for dinner.

The next day was just as bright and I headed upwards to the Bielsa tunnel with the intention of dropping back into France for a spot of lunch. On the way up the mountain I spied frozen waterfalls in shady, pine-clustered crags and eventually came up

Montauban A65

Albi Montpellier

Toulouse A61 S F

Beziers

Marseille

Perpignan

TOP LEFT: N260 was entertaining.

ABOVE LEFT: Turquoise pools far below the road.

ABOVE: Pausing for breath, anticipating the next leg via Bossost.

behind a few cars queuing for the tunnel. Here there was traffic after all, mostly Spanish people heading north and the usual local white van, this time waiting patiently. We headed into the mountain and all went dark and gloomy for several minutes while listening to the pulsating echo of my bike reflected off the sides of the tunnel. Then I burst out into blinding sunlight reflecting off a blanket of snow. I was level with a couple of clouds in the distance, with a spectacular view down a seamless white valley into France.

I nervously hovered on the brakes all the way down, the overbanding and meltwater streams coming as a surprise after Spain. A lazy lunch followed in Mairie d’Arreau, where a local chap snoozed in the sun beside my bike in the town square. One cassolette and two hours later I returned, and the sleeper was still there although now it had hit ten to two and being France others gradually emerged from bars to return to work.

Now firmly in Tour de France country, the 650 parallel-twin wound its way up Col de Peyresourde easily enough followed by the snow-lined Col du Portillon back into Spain.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 65

Not having done this type of thing before I often found I was in the wrong gear mid-hairpin although the ER6 was usually forgiving, having enough in hand to get me around the corner. The clear, unblemished roads were a joy and I stopped only for the arresting Pyrenees views that fought for my attention over riding. Back with the deserted, flowing bends, now on the N230, I’d returned to mysterious arid landscapes again. I pulled into my next stop of Altron, Catalunya, in the spectacular Vall D’Assua feeling somewhat overstimulated but happy to have made it. Once again there were dramatic mountain views and fresh mountain streams. I ate well again and slept like a log.

ABOVE: Heading for the snow. At this point, Ashdown wondered if he had the right bike for the long climb up Col de Peyresourde.

RIGHT: Clear mountain water tumbling through Mairie d’Arreau.

NO BEARS

Reassured by the hostel that I wouldn’t be accosted by bears, I set off confident for the next leg. Along mountainsides, ducking in and out of shadows, through dark and damp tunnels but then, on an upward stretch of bends a herd of goats suddenly blocked the way. They were oblivious to me, standing silently in the middle of the road, so I took a break and reflected. I’d got this far and most of the things I’d feared might go wrong hadn’t. While I felt a long way from home it was still familiar Western Europe.

It seemed easy enough to find my way and to find fuel and food. The people I’d met all seemed willing to help and tolerant of my lack of language. I’d dropped the ER6 in a French car park but easily picked it up, and being 6ft 1in my biggest issue had been cramped legs over long distances. The bike ran without any hint of trouble and while I wasn’t in a hurry it was still fun, moving easily with me and luggage on board.

Foggy surprise on the side of the mountains from Andorra.

66 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

ABOVE: Villages in the Vall D’Assua, Catalunya are charmingly rustic (falling down).

BELOW: He was expecting worse weather – note muffs!

I’d encountered no bears as yet. Best of all, the weather had improved and I didn’t have to ride layered up.

With all this in mind I set off relaxed for Andorra. The peaks were bright and snowy while the French side of the mountain was thickly smothered in fog. From there I tracked across wine country, beside more flat-out small white vans and across a windy plateau to Carcassonne.

Sitting out the gales while there I checked out the castle. The following days got me up to Le Mans, gradually escaping the wind only to hit pouring rain again. I looked forward to a warm hotel room to dry off in, although first came a battle with the Friday night rush hour of Caen. Once again in a city, the freedom evaporated. I seeped back into reality, herded with others, no longer quite so free.

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Long Ride

NORTHERN LIGHTPART Very short nights, long fjords, cheap ferries and expensive cheese – it must be Norway. WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Mike Taylor

T

he Lofoten are a group of islands off the northwest coast of Norway, a sort of Norwegian Outer Hebrides, and my dad wanted to go back there to recreate a previous trip. Good idea, but going that far north we might as well carry on to Nordkapp. After a few more beers we decided, what the hell, we’d keep going into Russia. Dad and I were both on Africa Twins, and we reckoned this trip into the far north would total 5000 miles and take 23 days. We booked the ferry to Ijmuiden (you can’t sail direct to Norway any more) bagged our Russian visas and headed off.

Other than that there was no proper plan – no accommodation booked, no route planned, but we did have tents.

68 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

ABOVE: Stunning sunsets preceded very short nights.

BELOW: On Route 40, early days, pre-snow.

ONE

We also had mobile phones, and with mobile charges recently dropped in the EU I was able to phone home while we were on the Puttgarden ferry from Germany to Denmark – Carina was on the computer and a quick Google suggested a campsite for us in Maribo, just a few kilometres away – it was the perfect place for our first night. We met a Polish guy called Michael who lives in Nottingham and rides a V-Strom – he’d planned to do the same trip as us but circumstances back home prevented it.

He said we were riding his dream, which makes you feel pretty lucky.

We soon passed through Sweden using motorways, though the west coast has some great scenery that would be worth taking time to explore – for us, it would have to wait for another trip. Our first lesson in Norway was that it has the strictest speed limits this side of Switzerland, but fortunately Route 40, which we joined at Kongsberg, was a great road even at its 50mph limit. The Continental Trail Attack 2s I had fitted are a great road tyre, giving great confidence when hustling the bike up the riverside curves.

The 40 was a foretaste of what was to come. Next day, riverside roads climbed Alpine style switchbacks out of the trees on to high open plateaus. Signs appeared warning of reindeer and moose, while the snow-capped mountains took on a mutant quality.

Until now, Norway had looked a bit like Austria, but now it was showing some of its own personality.

The road along Geirangerfjord was stunning. It’s a bit of a mecca for bikes and the sun was pumping out 26-degree heat while the lakes were still frozen and we passed patchworks of snow on the roadside. Norway

TOURING & ADVENTURE

ABOVE: Africa Twin proved well up to the job, as you’d expect.

RIGHT: One of the best bits about travelling – the people you meet.

BELOW: Norwegian police are friendly – just as well, with a 50mph limit.

Passing Places Tours

Mike Taylor has been travelling on bikes for years, blogging about his travels online as well as writing for various publications. He has recently started running guided tours around Scotland too. To read his blog check out www.WintonMassif.co.uk or to go on one of his tours have a look at the website – he’s willing to organise everything from wild camping to glamping or luxury hotels, all connected by some of the best roads and scenery Scotland has to offer.

Mike tells us he swears too much, rarely misses a meal and likes a pint or two. www.passingplacestours.com info@passingplacestours.com Tel: 07773 018883

is the sort of place to wear out your camera, and I found myself stopping every few kilometres for photos. It’s incredible.

The cheapest way to eat in Norway.

DON’T MENTION WHALES

On the other hand, it’s expensive. At 7pm one evening I picked up a few things for our meal – some cold meat, cheese, Ritz crackers, two apples, a double Snickers bar and six beers. The cost? It worked out at £42. Ooya! I had two boil-in-the-bag veggie curries from home and dad had some cup-a-soups, but that was about it. Fortunately some Norwegians at the campsite had had a barbecue with loads left over, and suddenly our snack turned into a feast. www.mslmagazine.co.uk 69

Want to do this?

HOW LONG?

Two weeks from Calais, if you’re doing Lofoten and Nordkapp, riding 6-7 hours a day.

HOW MUCH?

Scandinavia is expensive, there’s no getting away from it. I’d say a bare minimum budget will be £1500, not including the cost of getting to the continent, assuming you’ll camp the whole way and occasionally wild camp. Plus you’ll burn through a pair of tyres and you’ll need to make sure your bike has had a service.

CURRENCIES?

An American couple turned up and we had a great night talking to them all (not to mention eating).

When I finally got to my tent to settle down for the night, at 2am, it was barely dark.

Food might be expensive in Norway, but the ferries are cheap and hyper efficient, and in no time we were riding north on the 63 towards the fabled Trollstigen (Troll Road) and then the E6, a trans-Europe route which we would use on and off right into Russia. Fifty mph feels slow on such a straight open road and we spoke to a lass on a tuned GSXR1000 at a fuel stop.

Yes, she had been caught speeding (96km/h in an 80 limit) but reckoned that the £450 fine was money well spent to break the monotony!

Mo i Rana is quite a large town just south of the Arctic Circle. As it was Saturday night Dad and I wandered into town for some food, choosing a nice pizzeria. There were some seriously nice machines driving around too, from big American muscle cars to an immaculate Z1B Kawasaki and later we found a woodcutter themed pub, but we were the only people in it! Norway seems to lack any real pub or café culture so it was a bit harder to meet local folk, something I enjoy about travelling.

We were all feeling like awesome adventurers having ridden to Nordkapp on our big bikes when Mats comes along on his wee 50.

ABOVE: These Harleys had been ridden all the way from Italy.

MAIN IMAGE: Heading for the north.

To get around all the different currencies we used a pre-paid travel card. We went for the Revolut card (https://revolut.com/) as it gave the best exchange rates with no fees. Once set up, it’s easily topped up from an app on your phone. The only downside was that it didn’t work at pay-atthe-pump fuel stops, which is all they seem to have in Sweden. You can pay by card pretty much everywhere in Scandinavia and North West Russia.

I’d still advise on carrying some local currency, even if it’s just a small amount.

WHEN TO GO?

The best time is the end of June to early August, though it can still be very cold and wet. It doesn’t get dark so remember your eye mask.

FUEL AVAILABILITY?

BELOW: Watch out for marauding reindeer.

If your tank range is less than 160 miles, carry a few extra litres of fuel when in the far north. In Norway, Sweden and Finland there are obvious signs telling you how far away the next fuel is.

TOURING & ADVENTURE

The further north, the straighter the roads.

But it does have bikers, and through a Facebook group I found Ole and Lena who were happy to let us stay in their small house on Lofoten. I also got into an interesting discussing with Bjorn, a whale hunter from Tromso. Over whisky we had brought from home, the conversation turned to his line of work. I said I wasn’t going to sample whale meat on our travels, which got Bjorn quite animated – shouldn’t he be allowed to make his living hunting whales? I told him that whale hunting was part of his country’s culture and it wasn’t really my place to judge. Sure I don’t agree with it, but whale watching is more popular back home. I guess part of travelling is meeting different cultures and practices. You’re not going to agree with them all.

The topography changed next day, and we climbed steadily to another plateau, crossed the Arctic Circle and noticed that it was a fair bit colder, not to mention our first real rain of the trip. After stopping at the Arctic Circle Centre (postcards posted, pannier stickers stuck) we took the ferry to Lofoten and found our way to Ole’s ‘small house’ which wasn’t that small and we had it to ourselves. Ole had left the Wifi code and messaged me that there was “beer in the fridge,” all for free. What a guy.

We spent two days there, catching up on laundry, relaxing and doing a bit of local exploring. Everywhere you go you’ll see these large wooden racks that are used for drying the stockfish, which is Lofoten’s main source of income. Stockfish is unsalted dried fish, usually cod, hung in pairs over the wooden racks to dry in the cold arctic air. I tried some – it’s very meaty and quite nice, but there’s a lot of eating in it and I couldn’t finish mine!

E6

Abisko

E10 Reine

Mo I Rana E6

SWEDEN

FINLAND

NORWAY Helsinki

Oslo

ESTONIA

E18

LATVIA

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Rotterdam

Hamburg 1

Berlin

GERMANY

POLAND

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It was far colder now, all the hills were covered in snow...

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Hammerfest

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TO THE TOP

We rejoined the E6 at Bjerkvik. It was far colder now, all the hills were covered in snow and the landscape was opening up, trees thinning out and being replaced by tundra. Towns were smaller and further apart, the traffic grew sparse and the amount of reindeer cutting about the place increased.

Everyone had told me that the E6 from Lofoten to Nordkapp would be a long, boring, exercise. It was certainly wet, cold, windy and exposed but I thought it was amazing. I really felt like we were somewhere that not many people go. We met Alexandr, a Russian from just outside Moscow. He too was heading for Nordkapp on his Varadero and we agreed to keep an eye out for each other on the road.

Nordkapp is the furthest north you can drive in continental Europe, though technically it’s on a wee island linked to the mainland. But come on, who’s got time for that sort of pedantic nonsense? People complain about the 270 NOK (about £25) charge to visit the place, but when you think where it is, and the infrastructure that’s been put in place for the tourists, then it’s well worth the price. Alexandr turned up so we ate waffles, congratulated each other and jumped on our bikes to head back south.

ABOVE: Local fauna.

The bikes

We both rode 2016 manual Honda Africa Twins.

Both were fitted with Honda’s high screen and recently upgraded heated grips, both of which worked well, especially up at Nordkapp. My bike had Touratech Zega Mundo panniers and Dad’s had Bumot panniers. Compared with the Touratech boxes these have the edge in terms of build quality, but they were a wee bit more expensive and don’t sit on the bike as well as the Zegas, especially if you take a pillion. My bike was also fitted with a BoosterPlug, giving it a bit more tractability further down the rev range. We both ran Continental Trail Attack 2 tyres which were great wet or dry, and Scottoiler systems which worked faultlessly.

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ABOVE: Norwegian chocolate became a staple.

BELOW: E6 passed through spectacular scenery.

We got back to Oldefjord and refuelled. We had planned on trying to get a bit further east towards Kirkenes, but there was space in the hotel and a few bikes were already parked up outside. We stayed, and I smoked a big cigar I’d brought with me to celebrate getting to Nordkapp while having a beer with Tomas, a GS rider from Switzerland. Alexandr arrived and I shared the last of my whisky with him, Tomas and Dad before we all headed to the restaurant for a meal and a beer. We were sitting sharing travel tales when out of the window I saw a guy ride up on a tiny moped towing a bicycle trailer.

“Check out this guy! I’m going to have to go out and find out what he’s up to!”

Mats Hallin lives just outside Stockholm and was riding to Nordkapp on his 50cc moped, with carrier bags on his hands to keep warm and dry and wellies on his feet. He was doing his trip to raise money for a mental health charity, and of course I invited him to join us and bought him a beer. We were all feeling like awesome adventurers having ridden to Nordkapp on our big bikes when Mats comes along on his wee 50.

It just shows you, you can tour on any bike.

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Elspeth Beard was at Overland Expo to promote her acclaimed book.

Travel author Sam Manicom gave nine presentations.

Overland authors speak to America Four British writers famed for their overland motorcycle travels – Ted Simon, Elspeth Beard, Sam Manicom and Tiffany Coates – are just back from speaking at Overland Expo, a major travellers’ festival in the USA. WORDS: Peter Henshaw

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stablished in 2009, the Expo is a big event, with around 12,000 people flocking to an ex-military site at Flagstaff, Arizona. It started off as a 4x4 event, but the motorcycle component is growing fast, and includes the usual mix of talks, workshops and panel discussions as well as plenty of travellers’ tales. MSL caught up with Sam Manicom shortly after he arrived back in the UK.

“It was quite hard work,” he said, “and I had to give nine presentations over the three days, but the response was excellent. There are lots of overlanders in the States, but few have been outside the country, mainly because it’s an incredibly diverse place. But I always like to emphasise the upsides of travelling to other parts of the world, that it can give you a perspective on how good things are at home. Also that you don’t need to be anybody special to go overlanding. Some people do concentrate on the disaster stories, and things do go wrong,

Overland Expo started as a 4x4 event, but the bike component is growing steadily.

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but it’s how you deal with them that counts.

“I spent one talk promoting Corsica and Sardinia as a destination. Many Americans do Europe in three weeks and miss out on this sort of corner, but I’d recommend the islands to anyone. Really they are a microcosm of Europe with all sorts of different influences from both Europe and North Africa.”

I was there

MSL reader Mark Manley took in Overland Expo as part of a bigger tour of the southwestern USA. “I toured the southwest for three weeks on my R80 G/S, starting from my friend Julie’s home on the Central California coast. We took Highway 56 towards Barstow which is sometimes referred to as the lost highway, a small winding road with little traffic and pleasant scenery. We took three days to get to the show, camping wherever possible before taking a mixture of Route 66 and Interstate 40 to get to Flagstaff.

“We talked to local riders about the best roads on our route after Expo and headed

Ted Simon, author of milestone book Jupiter’s Travels.

Meanwhile, Ted Simon was talking at Expo on the wider view of travel – the whole concept and its ethics, while Elspeth Beard made the show the last stop on a gruelling tour of the States to promote Lone Rider, the acclaimed book about her 1982 trip which made her the first British woman to ride around the world.

south towards Phoenix along a small thoroughfare through the mountains, then east along more small roads through the Apache and Navajo reservations. We spent a few days at Moab, looking round what has to be one of the most scenic parts of the US before heading west again to find the start of Highway 50, which bills itself as ‘America’s loneliest highway,’ though this good marketing ensures that it’s now anything but!

“It took us back into California and historic mining country, through small towns whose main streets look little changed from 100 years ago.

We’d done 3000 miles in three weeks and had a great trip.”

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KNOWLEDGE Riding ◆ Buying ◆ Rating

HISTORY TIME:

Cagiva-fest (kind of)

For the first time in Cagiva’s 40-year history, 11 of its red racers will be displayed in one place – the Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show, held in Stafford on October 13-14.

The machines are part of the collection owned by Dean Simpkins and his father Martyn and are all genuine factory racers, ridden by some of Grand Prix racing’s greatest riders, including the Eddie Lawson and John Kocinski 500cc race-winning bikes.

The collection is so extensive that it’s never been seen in public before. Not even at the Cagiva factory itself!

After agreeing the deal with Dean Simpkins at Donington Park, the show organiser’s associate director Malc Wheeler said: “This is something very different and special for the show. I am genuinely excited about this display and can’t thank Dean and Martyn enough for making it possible for people to enjoy this incredible collection.”

In addition to the machines on display, there will also be two former factory riders, Jon Ekerold and Pier Paolo Bianchi on hand to meet fans throughout the show weekend. South African Ekerold won the 1980 350cc World Championship on a privateer Bimota Yamaha against the might of the Kawasaki factory team and their ace rider Anton Mang. An old school all-rounder Jon also won the Ulster Grand Prix and finished runner-up in the Isle of Man TT twice.

Ekerold was also a factory Cagiva rider in 1982 and the machine he rode forms part of the exclusive Stafford display.

Bianchi is a three-time World Champion, winning the FIM World title in the 125cc class in 1976 and 77, and for the third time in 1980. He was a factory rider for Cagiva in 1988 and the machine he raced is also part of the display.

Bianchi and Ekerold will be interviewed on stage throughout the weekend by compere Steve Plater, alongside the show’s third guest of honour, racing legend Terry Rymer. The Carole Nash Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show at Stafford is the biggest classic bike show in the world of its kind.

Get your tickets Discounted advance tickets for the show are now on sale, with a one-day adult pass costing just £12.

Tickets will also be available on the gate, priced at £14 each.

Under-12s tickets are £3 in advance or £4 on the day and parking is free.

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3 E D O S I P E

MOTO GYMKHANA

For old blokes and slow bikes (NOT)

Two-stroke magic with championship leader Rob Fox. WORDS: Ross Mowbray IMAGES: Gary D Chapman

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MOTO GYMKHANA

THE STORY SO FAR

We’ve been getting our teeth stuck into the Japanese dark art of Moto Gymkhana for the last few months.

So far, Tony Carter (current acting editor of MSL, and the man behind Island Racer, Classic Racer, Motor Cycle Monthly and MoreBikes.co.uk) and I have spent some time with Andrew Freeman, boss man at the Moto Gymkhana Association in the UK – who’s been showing us the ropes; explaining what the different coloured pylons (cones) mean, how a competition course works, teaching us a few moves, and trying to get us competition-ready.

Next up, it was Round One of the championship.

Tony put in a solid couple of laps, and clocked a respectable time for his first go – but I didn’t have quite so much joy, failing to post a time after messing up the course on both attempts. Plenty of room for improvement for Round Two.

WHAT’S MOTO GYMKHANA?

Moto Gymkhana is a high energy, technical motorcycle sport that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s all about skill – requiring accurate control, bursts of speed and ruthless braking to navigate a pre-designed course in the shortest amount of time, with the least number* of errors.

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GETTING TO KNOW THE COMPETITION – Rob Fox

Rob Fox is incredible to watch out on the Moto Gymkhana course. He has cemented his place at the top of the British MG circuit over the past few years, riding with unrivalled precision and speed, while making it look deceptively easy – despite his less than obvious choice of machine; a beautiful Honda NSR250. After Round One of the Championship, we caught up with Rob to talk all things Moto Gymkhana…

MSL: How did you get into motorcycles?

RF: I’ve been riding since I was a youngster.

My parents actually wanted me to get into cars, but I like bikes. Bikes are just cool.

Growing up, I was never really interested in competition. I’m not naturally a competitive person. But, as I sort of progressed through bike sizes, I was getting faster and faster on the road. I was leaning over more, braking a lot harder – and getting an adrenaline rush from it.

There came a point where it wasn’t really sensible to do that any more. I tried slowing down, but it just wasn’t that easy – and so I decided to pack in road riding and go club racing instead.

I wasn’t really interested in the competition – I just wanted to get my knee down, you know? So, the first couple of years of racing were a lot of fun, but gradually, the competition gets to you. You start looking at people with a similar bike to you, and then you start thinking, ‘hmm, I might be able to beat him’ – and by then, it’s got you hooked. So, I did club racing for a while, and you know, that was brilliant – it’s one of the ultimate things you can do on a motorbike really. Then my wife had a baby – and I think that can affect blokes who are into racing in one of two ways. You either stop racing, or you carry on. And I was one of those who stopped racing immediately.

MSL: How did you get into Moto Gymkhana?

RF: So, I’d given up club racing – and then Moto Gymkhana came along, pretty much in the same year. And I thought, wow, this is fantastic. Something I can still compete in, something I can still give myself a bit of scare, a thrill and a buzz from. And I can use an old two-stroke too.

I think this must be my fifth year of Gymkhana. The first year and a half was just ridiculous; I was all over the shop, swerving about. The thing is, I got into it straight after finishing club racing – so initially, I rode Gymkhana like a club racer. I had my knee down, taking these wide sweeping lines – and I was having loads of fun, but one of the things I found hard was remembering the course.

Trying to remember the course is hard. Trying to then ride the course under pressure, as fast as you possibly can, is even harder – and I think a lot of people getting into Gymkhana totally underestimate that. It didn’t really bother me much at first; I was having too much fun – but after a while of getting the course wrong and not posting a time, I had a bit of a rethink.

I worked really hard on learning how to remember the course, and I slowed it down a little bit too, taking the shortest line – and suddenly, out of the blue, I was getting into the top 10 - then into the top five and then, eventually, on the podium.

I think the NSR is the fourth bike I’ve used for Moto Gymkhana, and I’ve geared all of them, so I don’t have to use the clutch.

You know the slow rotations? I think it’s preferable to gear your bike low enough, that you don’t need to use the clutch. Every time you touch the clutch you’ll change the amount of drive going through the rear wheel, and every time you change the amount of drive going through the rear wheel (assuming you’re leaning), it’ll either lift or drop the bike – and every time the bike lifts or drops, the line that you’re on, or the radius you’re turning will change. In Gymkhana you’re trying to make a precise turn, and if you’re fiddling with the clutch the bike’s probably going to change

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MOTO GYMKHANA direction – and as a result, slow you down.

Really, you want to leave the clutch alone, keep the throttle and brakes on – and make one smooth turn.

MSL: And do you think it’s good for road riders?

RF: The first time I saw Moto Gymkhana was years ago. I used to be a motorcycle instructor at a school in Swindon called Abbey Rider, and I saw Gymkhana on YouTube. I didn’t really understand what I was seeing, but I started incorporating it into my training with my students. That was a long time ago now. Yeah, that was like 15 years ago. I got my CBT and DAS students to kind of do this slow control round these awkwardly positioned cones – and they all hated me for it – but when we used to arrive at petrol stations, they’d be able to carve their way around the pumps and parked cars really easily.

I’m so in love with Andrew Freeman (and his financial partner Duncan Mackillop). They had the guts to go over to Japan, where no-one really speaks any English and bring back this thing that I can use – one to have fun and keep safe, and two, to pass on to young people. It’s fantastic. I run a youth project called Wheels Workshop down in Swindon for young boys and girls aged between 12 and 16, who are struggling with school. I mainly teach them motor mechanics, but actually, it’s about giving them the confidence to see a project through – but we also do some riding as well, and I coach Moto Gymkhana.

It’s awesome, all you need is a little bit of tarmac and a few cones – and I can coach them and get their bike control to a pretty high level. I’ve actually had a couple of the kids go for CBTs after doing some training, and I’ve had instructors call me up and say ‘I’ve just had one of your lads up here, and he’s amazing – he can do a U-turn from the kerb to the middle of the road’. As far as I’m concerned, it’s brilliant. Bottom line, it’s going keep them alive. That’s the original concept of Moto Gymkhana in Japan; to make road riders safer, more capable, and more experienced.

Another reason why it’s fabulous for road riders is for the fact that you need to think not just about the obstacle that you’re approaching, but the one after that – because, you need to come out of the obstacle ready to go for the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Essentially, you’re planning ahead under pressure – at what feels like quite high speeds. Unfortunately, I don’t ride on the road any more – so I can’t really tell you hand on heart that it makes me a safer rider, but I’m sure it does. Another thing – during your bike training and tests, you’re told to never turn while using your front brakes. But you can.

You definitely can. It’s only a problem if you lose grip – but if you learn where your limits are in a safe environment, you’ll have a lot more confidence in your everyday riding.

MSL: What would you say to someone considering giving Moto Gymkhana a go?

RF: You’ve got to be open-minded – because it is hard. You’ve really got to have your ears and eyes open, and always be ready to learn, because it is very different from how we’d normally ride. If you try to ride the same as you

normally would on the road, it’s going to be tough. The beauty of it is, you’re just riding your bike – but you’re just going further than you usually would. You turn the handlebars more and you use the front brake more – and it’s probably going to make you a better rider.

And best of all, it doesn’t cost a lot of money.

It doesn’t really require a massive amount of commitment, you can do it on any road legal bike, and you don’t need special tyres – from an ex-road racer’s point of view, it’s staggeringly easy to get involved in, with little commitment.

It’s amazing. And because you don’t know what the course is until you arrive on the day, no-one’s got a real advantage. Okay, so I’ve been doing it for a few years now and I’ve figured out a lot of factors – and when you come along for the first time, there’s a lot to take in. But the trick is to practice. And it is so easy to practice. If you can find a bit of a car park, you can get two or three cones and you can do really valuable, constructive practice – which is going to help your results. You don’t have to drive off to a track to get some practice in; you can just nip down to a car park and do half an hour here or there.

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HOW DOES IT WORK ON THE DAY?

On the day you’ll rock up – grab a coffee, say hello, meet the organisers, sign on, grab a numbered bib and listen to the riders’ briefing. From there you’ll be given a course map and will be partnered up with an experienced rider or a course marshal, who will be on hand to assist you and help you learn the course. You get 40 minutes to walk the course before your first run – and you’ll get another crack at it during the lunch break, before your second run.

When your number is called, you’ll head across to a short warm up course (typically a figure of eight) to get you ready for your run. You’ll then be called to the start box by the marshal, and told “When you’re ready, in your own time”. Then it’s over to you – you’ll get two attacks to set your best time around the pre-set course, hopefully without any penalties (from touching a pylon, missing a jink line or dabbing your foot down). As soon as your front wheel breaks the beam the clock is ticking, and it won’t stop until you make it back to the finish box. Simple. Well, in theory at least – providing you can remember which way the course goes and what the coloured cones mean.

COMPLETING THE COURSE

Moto Gymkhana courses are created using a number of set pieces. There are slaloms, figure-of-eights, full rotations, 180º turns and jinks which are linked together to create a full course. Simple. What’s not simple is working out which way to go around them.

Admittedly, the colour of the cone does let you know from which direction you need to pass. If it’s red, you pass on the right, if it’s blue, you pass on the left.

And if there’s a yellow band around it, you do a full rotation. But, some sections can be completed in any number of ways, so it’s imperative that you learn the course in detail at the start of the day – because if you get it wrong, and fail to correct yourself, you won’t post a time. Ultimately – having a good understanding of the course is the best way to lower your lap times; you’ll be anticipating what’s coming next and setting up for the next manoeuvre in advance, rather than hesitating as you think about where you’re going and what you’re doing. Of course, it’s easier said than done – but like anything, the more you do it, the simpler it gets. Or so we’re told.

Captured mid-track walk, trying to work out the quickest way through the gates.

The atmosphere at Moto Gymkhana is brilliant. There are no egos – everyone’s warm, friendly, and up for a laugh.

Smooth and stable, Tony picks his way through the complicated course with confidence.

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MOTO GYMKHANA ROUND TWO AT DONINGTON PARK

After a mildly successful first outing at Round One of the Moto Gymkhana Championship – Tony and I were ready and raring to go for Round Two. I say mildly successful, mainly because neither of us crashed – and Tony actually managed to post a very respectable time of around two minutes 50 seconds.

Not bad at all for his first crack at it. Sadly, I didn’t quite have as much success, failing to post a time at all after getting the course wrong on both attempts.

As a result, we both had slightly different expectations for Round Two. Tony was keen to pick up the pace, and push a little harder. I was wholly focused on remembering the course and finally posting a time.

Rocking up at Donington Park – we were once again offered a generous welcome. I don’t know if I’ve said before, but the atmosphere at Moto Gymkhana is brilliant. There are no egos – everyone’s warm, friendly, and up for a laugh.

I wasn’t going to be riding the Bandit this time round. Instead, I’d brought my long-term Husqvarna Vitpilen 401 along for the ride. Arguably, it’s not the most obvious choice, as a result of its limited steering lock. I had to adapt my riding style, but found myself surprised by how quickly I got comfortable and found my groove on the lightweight commuter. My first run started well – but I soon fell back into old habits, and missed a manoeuvre – which I tried and failed to correct. Disappointed to have messed up, once again – I sat down with my map, insistent that I had the course down in time for my second run. Tony’s first run went well though. Smooth and stable – as he picked his way through the complicated array of manoeuvres and clocked a decent time of two minutes, 42 seconds.

After a quick bite to eat, it was time to get back out on the course for another walk. After a couple of laps – I felt confident that I had it in the bag this time

TAKE A LOOK AT THE COURSE FROM ROUND TWO OF THE MOTO GYMKHANA CHAMPIONSHIP

ABOVE: What do you reckon? Could you remember the course?

There are tricks to make it easier – but everyone has their own technique.

Moto Gymkhana UK dates

National Championship Series 2018 Round 4 – September 1 – Donington Park Round 5 – October – Donington Park

round. It’d finally stuck. Right then, run two.

Determined to post a time, I slowed the pace down slightly – and took my time ensuring I was passing the cones in the right order. It worked. I got around – clocking a time of two minutes, 41 seconds. I was elated. Next up, it was Tony’s turn. After a successful first run, with the course stuck in his head, it was all about picking up the pace slightly for his second attempt. And he did, shaving five seconds off his first time – posting a time of two minutes 37. Not bad at all.

To offer a little bit of context, championship leader Rob Fox managed to get around in a blisteringly quick one minute 50 seconds – five seconds quicker than second placed Ian Hadley. So, we’ve still got a bit of a way to go… But regardless, both Tony and I had another cracking day honing our Moto Gymkhana skills, hooning around the course. I’d wholeheartedly encourage anyone to give it a go. It’ll make you a more capable rider – and you’ll have a laugh doing it.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

All that you need to take part is a willingness to improve and learn, along with your licence and a road legal motorcycle – and from there you’ll be able to improve your throttle control, steering and braking, and push your skills in ways you probably never thought possible on a motorcycle. And best of all, it’s an open displacement competition – which means you can take part on any machine you like, providing it’s road legal – and is all about a rider’s ability, rather than about how much (or little) horsepower a particular bike kicks out.

For more information, visit: www.motogymkhana.org

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 83

KNOWLEDGE

Tech talk: DVT Ducati’s clever DVT technology explained by the man who knows everything worth knowing about Ducati engines.

What is DVT? The short answer is that it stands for Desmodromic Variable Timing, but if you want to know more read on as Marco Sairu, head of engine project management at Ducati explains it all.

MSL: What is Desmodromic Variable Timing?

MS: DVT is an engine feature or device that enables the cam shaft to change the so-called cam timing of the engine. Cam timing is what determines when the valves open and close with respect to the position of the pistons in their bores, and this timing is relevant to let the engine work properly. To guarantee the sync between the valves and the piston, the camshaft and the crankshaft need to be correctly related: the camshaft is rotating at half the speed of the crank and they are driven by a chain or belt or gears in order to keep the right relative position. The DVT lets the cam shafts slightly change their relative position from the crankshaft in a controlled way, modifying the in-flow of the mixed air-fuel into the combustion chamber, and the out-flow of the burned gases. These changes lead to different behaviour of the engine, which is tunable depending on the rider requests: sporty on high revs, smooth and stable in low speed.

MSL: What are the benefits?

MS: On engines such as those of Ducatis, where the combustion chamber, the intake ducts and bore-stroke choices are performance driven, on low loads and low revs, the combustion repeatability could be difficult.

This affects the engine stability and in some conditions the rider comfort. The DVT changes the fluid dynamics and lets a sporty engine act as a comfort and touring-oriented one would.

This is the major purpose of DVT, to have the best of both worlds: reducing the so-called overlap (the time where the intake and exhaust valves are open simultaneously), the combustion became stronger in stability and repeatability. Increase the overlap and the engine reverts back to its sporty character.

MSL: How does it work?

MS: The DVT system is controlled electronically and acted by pressurised engine oil. It is made of two parts: the inner rotor is fixed on the camshaft, the outer one is driven by the belt from the crankshaft. These two parts can rotate thanks to the pressure of the oil, charging the chamber on one side, and discharging the one on the other side of the inner rotor. Once the target position is reached, the pressure on the two chambers becomes equivalent, holding the DVT in a fixed position.

The position of the camshaft is continuously checked by sensors in order to reach and keep the target.

84 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

MSL: Which bikes is it used in and why?

MS: We use DVT on the Multistrada and XDiavel. These are big engines with a sporty DNA but they have to be super smooth in cruising conditions.

MSL: What possible future developments could there be?

MS: We believe this is a key feature for our large displacement and bore engines. There is a real advantage over combustion control and there’s still room for improvements. This technology will also help these types of engines to be compliant to increasingly stringent emission standards that we will see in the future.

TOURING & ADVENTURE

Featured Event

’Normous Newark Autojumble WHAT – ’Normous Newark Autojumble WHEN – August 5, 2018 WHERE – Newark Showground, Winthorpe, Coddington, Newark NG24 2NY Spanning 10 separate Sundays throughout the year, ’Normous Newark Autojumble is the go-to event for all things car and motorbike related.

Showgoers can revel in the vast array of parts, restoration services and related products for all things automotive.

Each ’Normous Newark Autojumble sees Newark Showground filled with hundreds of inside and outside trade plots, as well as a classic car and bike display area. On-site catering units are available as well as an inside cafeteria.

Run by a friendly and experienced team of event staff from Mortons Media, each ’Normous Newark Autojumble attracts a large number of visitors from across the UK in search of the great finds and bargains on offer.

Newark Showground is just off the A1/A46 and A47 junction and has easy access from Newark, Lincoln and Nottingham. Early bird admission (from 8am) is £10 per person with standard admission (from 10am) at just £7 per person, with under-12s allowed in free of charge. Free trade newspapers are available for guests at the visitor gate, with friendly dogs welcomed as long as they are on a lead.

Event planner Nick Mowbray said: “We are looking forward to the next ’Normous. It’s guaranteed to be a great day out.” out.

Tell us about your event

For the chance to be featured in MSL, email us at jclements@mortons.co.uk

EVENTS JULY

Cheshire Classic Motorcycle & Car Show.

Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 9JY. Tel 01484 667776. www.classicshows.org 22 Old Fossils Charity Bike Run. Horndean Technology College, Barton Cross, Horndean, Hampshire PO8 9PQ. Tel 0239 259 3004. www.waterlooville-mcc.co.uk 22 BTSC Eddie Creighton Memorial.

Newbridge Garden Centre, Broadbridge Heath, Horsham, West Sussex. Tel 01798 812383 22 Bike Day. Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, Stonebridge, London NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com.

22 Rideout.

Meet Morrisons supermarket, Diss IP22 4XF. In aid of The Brain Tumour Charity. Tel Andy 07774 780992 25 VMCC (Essex section) Third Wrinkly Run. Starting from Writtle Green.

Tel 01268 763805 26 LE Velo Lancs & S Lakes.

Malham, meet village centre.

Tel 01772 782516.

26 Krazy Horse – Park it in the Market.

Greenwich Market, Greenwich Church Street, London SE10 9HZ. www.krazyhorse.co.uk 26-28 Moto Guzzi Club GB Summer Camp.

The Powis Arms, Brampton Road, Lydbury North SY7 8AU. Tel 07593 676802. www.motoguzziclub.co.uk.

27-28 Armoy Road Race. www.facebook.com./faugheen. rrclub 27-29 Kingdom of Mourne Weekend 2018.

Newcastle, Co Down. Organiser: Adrian Saunders, adriansni@gmail. com. Tel 07545 274883. vmccni.org.uk 27-29 Scottish National Assembly of Vintage Motorcycles.

Coupars Sports Ground, Coupar Angus Road, Blairgowrie, Perthshire.

Tel 01241 852369 28 LE Velo Northampton gathering.

Red Lion, Thornby NN6 8SJ. Tel 01604 499858 28-29 Vintage Garden Festival.

Letchworth Garden City. letchworthvintagefestival.org.

Tel Norma 07445 705673 or Hayley 07900 287778

29

22

29

29

29

29

29

Classics at the Castle.

Bodelwyddan Castle, Rhyl, North Wales LL18 5YA. Tel 01484 667776. www.classicshows.org Sports Bike Special.

Ace Cafe, Ace Corner, North Circular Road, Stonebridge, London NW10 7UD. london.acecafe.com Vintage Motor Cycle Club North Cotswold Section.

Cotswold Way Run. Hayles Fruit Farm, Winchcombe GL54 5PB. Email ncvmcc@gmail.com or see www.northcotswoldvmcc.com Suffolk Auto Jumble.

Church Farm, Kettleburgh, near Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP13 9JX. Tel 01728 724858 (before 9pm) Exeter Classic MCC 30th Annual Dartmoor Charity Run. Start Exeter Quay. Tel 01647 252680. www.exeterclassicmotor cycleclub.btck.co.uk/Dartmoorrun TT Riders’ Association Event.

Wheatsheaf, Westgate, Louth

AUGUST 3-5

3-5 4-5

4-5

4-5

4-5

4-5

The 44th Annual Gloucestershire Vintage & Country Extravaganza.

South Cerney Airfield, Cirencester. www.glosvintageextravaganza.co.uk British Superbikes – Round 7: Thruxton. www.britishsuperbike.com S&T Regularity Run. VMCC (Stirling Castle Section), Cultybraggan Camp near Comrie.

Tel 01764 653474.

International West Kent Run. The Friars, Aylesford, Kent ME20 7BX. Tel 07761 005995 or visit iwkr.co.uk Trimpley Vintage Rally Weekend.

Bite Farm, Trimpley, Bewdley, Worcestershire DY12 1NU. Tel 07986 170715. www.bvmc.org.uk LlandBikeFest 2018.

Royal International Pavilion, Llangollen LL20 8SW. www.llanbikefest.co.uk.

Tel 07960 693398 National Sprint Association (Southern Section).

Westonzoyland Airfield, Bridgewater, Somerset TA7 0LZ. www.sprinting.org.uk

RIDE MORE

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Please email your event details to jclements@mortons.co.uk www.mslmagazine.co.uk 87

BE SMART

Coming classic: Aprilia RSV1000 Mille 1998-2003 Prices haven’t yet soared for this Italian classic-in-the-making. Here’s why you should buy one...

A

rmed with a 60-degree dry-sump V-twin motor produced

by Rotax and pumping out a claimed 120bhp, the real-world 110 gee-gees were plenty enough for the time – even if it was outgunned by both the Yamaha YZF-R1 and Suzuki’s TL1000R. While the TL1000R has faded from history and the R1 has rightly become a bona-fide classic (just look at the prices) you can still find the Mille for a good price. What the it offered people was a real alternative to a Ducati, but with character the Japanese couldn’t emulate. Back

in the day the looks were a little problematic compared to the elegance of the Ducati 916, but the ergonomics offered those bigger and wider than the average jockey a chance to enjoy Italian style and performance.

That said, the bike is stalky on its undercarriage and can be hard to mount for the smaller chaps among us and the clutch can be on the heavy side. Issues are few and far between (which is thankful due to finding Aprilia parts and a good dealer) but include oil pressure sensors blowing, connectors to the reg-rectifier failing, clutch slave cylinder seals blowing and fork-seals popping on the

Who’s Berrtie Simmonds?

Bert is editor of M MSL’s sister title Classic Motorcycle Mech hanics. Since taking over in 2013, he’s been k keeping an eye on the movers and shakers of th he coming classic scene, so we’ve asked him to tell us what’s a dead cert and what we sh hould be tucking away in the garage for the e future!

The world’s best place for superbikes from the 1970s, 80s & 90s

www.classicmechanics.com 88 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Ohlins-equipped bikes. Ohlins?

Oh yes… in 1999 the RSV-R was launched. Basically a standard bike with lightweight OZ wheels, Ohlins forks (not top of the range by the way) shock and steering damper.

This was a nice halfway house between the stocker and the 150-only-ever-made SP race homologation version. Shapewise the bike evolved slightly before a full update in 2004, so later models have revised tail units and headlight fairings.

Prices? Well, I found a scruffy one in 2014 for £1300 – but prices have stiffened a fair bit since then and the mate I sold it to sold it on for £2000 a year and-a-bit later. That said, you can still nab a slice of V-twin history for just under two grand, but it will need a once over (legendary spannerman Griff Woolley can help at www. apriliaperformance.co.uk).

RSV-Rs have a premium – but not by much (they start around £2750 for a clean one) SPs are rocking horse poo and rarer than RC30s, if cheaper.

Limited-edition Noriyuki Haga (2001, 300 made) and Colin Edwards replicas (2003) are basically RSV-Rs with

Akrapovic pipes and ECU chips.

The Edwards bike also had radial brakes and bigger throttle bodies. These still command a fair few grand more than the standard R due to scarcity. Do check they are legit replicas and not replica replicas! Get a good one and you’ll love it.

Specification APRILIA RSV1000 MILLE Years available: 1998-2004 Major changes: Updated plastics from 2001, and modifications to engine (more power) and suspension Price when new: £9449 1998 £10,749 1999 RSV-R £19,999 1999 RSV Mille SP Values now: £1750-£8000 (top end for replicas)

Verdict

A bona-fide future classic that has pose and performance.

FOR: Big and comfy for an Italian V-twin, looks haven’t aged.

AGAINST: Still in the 916’s shadow and parts back-up still not the best.

LONG-TERM REVIEW

Test fleet: Honda CB1000R+ Tony’s Honda has finally arrived, just in time for him to get his grump on. Again.

S

o here we have it – the 2018 Honda CB1000R+. It’s the bike that Honda itself says can out-accelerate a Fireblade at the sort of speeds on the road where you’d want to out-accelerate a Frieblade. Should you want to out-accelerate a Fireblade.

And I’ll be looking after this most funky of modern motorcycles over the next few months. While I’m sitting in the MSL hot seat and Mikko’s making himself strong again, I’m on the Honda. Me. So what to tell you of this bike? Well, firstly we (as in, the motorcycle world in general, not just MSL) have had to wait a very long time for the CB to land in our grubby, eager hands.

The middle of summer feels like a lot of potential motorcycling miles lost. Bugger.

But it’s here now and so far I’ve managed a whole 224 miles on the bike. Bear with me for this introduction to the Honda,

it’s late arrival has meant I’ve not been riding it near and far – yet.

So this is very much a shakedown opener of my time on the big H. An amuse bouche for what’s to come. It’s a proper first impression. And those really do count right – both the good and the bad.

Let’s start with the less than good. Because there’s a few things on this bike that are already driving me a bit twitchy.

Style-wise, this Honda is always going to draw out a partisan response. It’s too ‘out-there’ not to. I like the overall style of the bike, it’s a head-turner and that’s already evident with every ride we take out together. People gawp.

But it’s the little things that just don’t sit right yet.

Let’s start with the headlight.

It’s lovely. All round and LED lights and sitting proud of the bike’s face and all that. Yep. But we’ve got plastic cooling ‘fins’ out the back of the unit to give it a retro appeal. Why? Why do

90 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

that? The LEDs don’t need cooling. The plastic is pointless.

It doesn’t look retro enough.

Then there’s the brushed metal steel bits in the rear mudguard and on the rear seat portion of the bike. They’re okay but boy do they feel like an answer to a question that nobody asked. I like them to look at but would the bike have looked as cool without them?

Yeah, I think it would.

But it’s not really the looks of this bike that are grating from the off. There’s some mechanical touches that I’m sticking on… let’s start from the front of the CB1000R+ with those.

The front brake span adjuster.

It’s sited exactly under the brake reservoir (from the POV of the rider) so that you can’t adjust it with one hand.

You have to stop and lean right over the front of the bike so that you can see what you’re doing. Moving the reservoir two inches left would solve this.

Currently, it’s a pain.

THIS MONTH Rider: Tony Carter Cost new: £12,299 Spec: 144bhp/79lb-ft Kerb weight: 212kg Tank: 16.2 litres (3.5 UK gallons) Seat: 830mm Miles this month: 221 Miles on clock: 227 Average mpg: 44.2mpg Current tyres: Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S21R Modifications: None

LONG-TERM REVIEW The indicator button. It’s a traditional left-switchgear mounted unit (so far, so normal) but for some reason Honda has started mounting the indicator control UNDER the horn button. Doesn’t sound like a big deal does it? Until you hit the horn 7/10 times when you’re coming up to a corner or junction. Arrrrgh! Honda, why?

What possessed you to switch these switches around? What was wrong with the horn button being on the bottom of the switchgear just like it has been since the dawn of time? Why? Then there’s the, quite frankly, remarkable hero blobs. Look at them. Look at the photo and tell me what you think. That’s not right, is it? In position on the mount, they’re longer than the footrest. Why is this like this? If you’re leaning the bike over far enough to get them down then that’s fine, they’ll burn away quickly (which prompts the question, why are they there at all) and if you’re not into those sorts of lean angles, why would you ride around with such growths coming off the bottom of your biking boots?

Above the right footrest on the motor is an ugly hose that has been pushed into the motor in an ‘after thought’ kind of way.

Wrapping it in a plastic covering reminiscent of a 1970s deckchair material doesn’t help, either.

Oh, I nearly forgot the dash.

It’s lovely. It’s small and has a LOAD of information on it. It’s easy to navigate using two switches on the left hand handlebar unit. It’s not a full-colour, computer lovely thing with swooshy graphics aplenty, it’s more like the dash from a 1988 Astra SRi. Black background and gold lettering.

It’s ace. It’s how a lot of dashes should be. I’m a big fan of this.

Until the sun is behind me.

Or in front of me. Or exactly 12º to the right. Or 18º to the direct left of the motorcycle. Or coming over the horizon. Or just about to dip below it. Then I can see about a third of the screen thanks to overt sun glare that wipes out much of the viewing surface.

Okay, so we’ve had a largely brilliant summer of amazing sun and blue skies and I truly think that in 99% of British road riding this will not be much of an issue, but over the past couple of weeks I’ve really had my fill of sun glare and a screen that I’m completely unable to read. Wow. I’ve just read this

back… I sound like a right moaning arse. Sorry about that.

The thing is, this Honda has a great motor (it’s the 2006 Fireblade motor with the longer stroke, lovely on the road making just shy of 144bhp), the Showa suspension is bang on and the front brakes are ideal for road riding.

I am really enjoying the riding experience on the CB1000R+ and I’m sure that once I’ve got more miles under my belt with it, it’ll be my most favourite motorcycle ever, Rodders.

But right now, I’m gritting my teeth each ride until the Honda and I get to some bends. Then the smiles emerge.

JOHN’S OF ROMFORD 2018 CB1000R Neo Sports Café

Honda Finance is available subject to status and conditions.

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www.hgbmotorcycles.co.uk Tel no: 01895

676451

69-71 Park Way, Ruislip Manor, Middlesex HA4 8NS

motorcycle & scooter specialists | est. 1966

CB1000R

No.1 for Honda in Essex BOOK YOUR TEST RIDE TODAY! Please call us

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sales@johnsofromford.co.uk 46/52 London Road, Romford, Essex RM7 9QX

www.johnsofromford.co.uk www.mslmagazine.co.uk 91

LONG-TERM REVIEW THIS MONTH Rider: Roger Jones Cost new: £11,599 Spec: 125bhp/92kw Kerb weight: 205kg dry Tank: 23 litres Seat: 850mm Miles this month: 452 Miles on clock: 2267 Average MPG: 46.2 Current tyres: Metzeler Tourance Next Modifications: Heated grips, GPS bracket, touring top case with carrier bracket and back rest, touring panniers, Quick Lock tank bag, 12v socket, crash bars, radiator cover, headlight protector and Akrapovic Silencer.

Total value of modifications: £3070.14 General Impressions: This is a pretty basic motorcycle as far as the market is concerned, so why does it float my boat? I reckon it’s because it does exactly what it’s designed for.

Test Fleet: KTM 1090 Roger needs a destination to head for when he rides the big orange bike. The ‘egg boys’ provided exactly that.

I

don’t know about you, but when I go for a ride it is usually a ride with a purpose – I’m not much of a ‘romp around’ rider where I can just aimlessly ride around without a destination in mind.

So it was that I put in a 70-mile-plus ride along some of my favourite roads, in south Lincolnshire, Rutland and Northamptonshire to eventually get me and the KTM to a lovely little village called Ashley, near Market Harborough.

The purpose for the healthy route was to visit Ashley Farm Shop and stock up on the farm’s home-made produce, mainly for the barbecue later that day. See? Any excuse for a ride out, but I’ve got to have an excuse...

The shop has been going for over 10 years and is supported by locals and people from afar.

My partner and I have been visiting the shop for a few years

now one of the things that we have homed in on during our visits is: ‘The boys’ layaway hens’ eggs on sale inside the shop. The boys are seven-year-old Jack and Drew, 11, who both collect the eggs. The hens are those that roam the farm and have their own nesting places. If you like eggs uniform in size and all one colour shells, then these are not for you, but I defy anyone to find better flavoured eggs than those collected and sold by ‘the boys’. Jack and Drew were playing football in the car park when I arrived but the game soon came to an end when they heard the KTM. They ran over to me and started asking many questions including the “what will it do, mister?” one.

They were quick to tell me that they had an 80cc paddock bike that they used on the farm and loved riding it when they weren’t egg hunting.

Bags filled, it was a pretty leisurely ride back and given where I was in the country there was plenty of possibilities for a few “grass up the middle” roads on which the KTM is an absolute joy to ride.

Not only do I enjoy these roads, but our horse riding friends use them regularly. Five times I pulled in and killed the engine to allow the horses to come by. While I enjoy the crisp sound of the Akrapovic Silencer, horses don’t seem to share the

sentiment. Down another partial road and I just had to stop for a traveller with an old-style caravan, pulled by two horses, who had his stick fire going, making himself a brew.

Idyllic moments that would have been missed were I on a motorcycle that didn’t encourage heading off the beaten path. Still, 10 days away on holiday this month has kept my KTM mileage down; it’s frustrating but I’ll make up for it in the coming weeks.

Main dealer for Essex and Suffolk 92 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

LONG-TERM REVIEW THIS MONTH Rider: Ross Mowbray Cost new: £5599 Spec: 373cc liquid-cooled, single cylinder four-stroke, 44bhp, 37Nm torque Kerb weight: 158kg (dry) Tank: 9.5 litres Seat: 835mm Miles this month: 251 Miles on the clock: 1031 Average mpg: 30 (ish) Current tyres: Metzler Sportec M5 Modifications: Up to now, I’ve just stuck a RAM Mounts sat-nav set-up on the bars for my TomTom 450 Rider. As Husky unveils its range of aftermarket bits and pieces for the Vitpilen, I’ll be looking to make a few changes and upgrades.

Test fleet: Husqvarna Vitpilen 401

General impressions: I’m still loving the lightweight, agile and very flickable Vitpilen 401.

Admittedly, I’ve not spent quite as much time on the Husky lately as I did last month – I’ve been darting about on jobs and testing a range of other bikes, but each time I settle back in the saddle and open its free-revving single cylinder engine up, I find myself beaming from ear to ear.

Ross takes his Vitiplen 401 termer to do some Moto Gymhkana.

A

s you’ve probably spotted across the last few issues of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – we’re deep in the throes of our first season of Moto Gymkhana.

If you’ve missed our previous coverage, Moto Gymkhana is essentially a high energy, technical motorcycle sport that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

It’s all about skill – requiring accurate control, bursts of speed and ruthless braking to navigate a pre-designed course in the shortest amount of time, with the least amount of errors.

Honestly, it’s bloody brilliant.

Up to this point we’ve spent most of our time practicing and competing on an old Suzuki Bandit 600 – but this time round I thought it’d be rude not to give the little Husky a chance, and put it through its paces at Donington Park for Round Two. After spending the last month or so getting used to the compact

urban commuter, I had high hopes that the agile machine would help me get me around the course quicker than my journalist peers.

Sadly, it didn’t – but it got me pretty damn close, with only a second separating us. Arguably, the Vitpilen isn’t the most obvious choice of machine for the close quarters cone manoeuvring involved in MG – as a result of its very limited steering lock. Initially, I started off a little wobbly – trying to ride in the same way I was on the

Bandit. But that was never going to work. With a little flexibility and a slight change of style, the Husky and I found our groove, and together we began to pick up the pace. Instead of whacking the steering lock on to turn tightly and whizz around the cones, I was more reliant on lean angles and aggressive braking – and by the looks of the tread on the tyres, I could have banked it over even further. Regardless, by the end of the day I found myself even more confident in the Husqvarna’s ability.

My new-found confidence in the Vitpilen transferred out onto the open road too. With a deeper understanding of the levels of grip on offer, the specifics of its power delivery, and effectiveness of its brakes – I could push it harder than I had up to that point; much harder than you’d ever expect to be able to push a ‘learnerfriendly urban commuter’.

In short, it’s a dynamite bit of kit that’s (arguably, most importantly) great fun to ride.

I love it.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 93

LONG-TERM REVIEW THIS MONTH Rider: Bertie Simmonds Cost new: £10,949 Spec: 110bhp/73lb-ft Kerb weight: 215kg Tank: 17 litres (3.7 UK gallons) Seat: 835mm Miles this month: 56 Miles on clock: 510 Average mpg: 48.2mpg Current tyres: Dunlop GPR-300 Sportsmax Modifications: None.

Total value of mods: £0

Test fleet: Kawasaki Z900RS Bertie has had Kawasaki’s Z900RS on test for the past few months: but does it deliver the real flavour of a classic Jap bike or is it simply a modern machine with retro looks?

R

iding pukka classic bikes is both different and the same to riding a brand-new bike.

It’s the same as the thrill of two wheels is there and it’s different because – not only are you often riding something special –there’s a unique bond between rider and machine.

There’s a deep emotional link that we have with our classics.

It may be shared history, pure nostalgia or the fact that we know every nut and bolt on the bike. It’s a heady blend of thrills and the passion of our chosen pastime.

I was born in 1971, therefore I’m a tad too young to recall the first wave of Zed fever back in 1972-on… hence I loaned the

bike to our friend Roger Jones, who remembers those halcyon days well, for two weeks for his take on this new Zed. Rog, it’s over to you!

Roger says: “In 1974 (blimey that’s 44 years ago) yours truly had one of the first Z1 900s in Lincolnshire, so when I first set eyes on the Z900RS I just had to have a shot on it for old time’s sake. And Bertie allowed me it for a couple of weeks.

“At a smidge under £11k, the modern Z1 (if I may call it that) at first seems an awful lot of dosh for an updated Z1 but my faithful notebook from 1974 shows that I paid £1199 for my original bike and bolted on a second disc costing £97.

Interestingly, this equates to around £13,800 in today’s

money. My notes also showed a set of Koni rear units at £25 and a pair of Borrani wheel rims laced up for £28. A genuine Kawasaki steering damper (and you needed one) was just £6.50!

“Enough of the old Z1 though, how does this new baby sit in the modern-day bike scene? As a Sunday morning ride bike ridden at Captain Sensible speeds, it fits in very well indeed. Don’t expect to pack in the miles at anything marginally above the open road speed limits as this un-faired machine will start to feel like hard work for the torso.

“The engine is super smooth right up to its 10k max; the mirrors begin to blur slightly above 8k, but to be fair these revs are not required or even

needed for normal riding, as at a steady 70mph, just 3800rpm is required.

“Back in the day my Z1 was my only road bike so was used for touring and Sunday blasts but if there is one thing the new Z900RS will do is handle. Those readers old enough to have owned the original will know exactly what I mean. No such problems with the Z900RS! “For a nostalgic bit of fun though, this bike slots nicely in to the ‘I want one in the stable’ box. Alongside something more practical, of course… oh and your classics…”

So, our Rog – like me – loves the Z900RS, but (also like me) tends to think of this as a ‘second’ bike. Let’s see what develops…

Corby Kawasaki Centre Ltd

T: 01536 401010 W: www.corbykawasaki.co.uk Opening times: Monday-Friday 9am-5.45pm, Saturday 9am-4.30pm

94 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

LONG-TERM REVIEW THIS MONTH Rider: Chris Moss Cost new: £9959 Spec: 54bhp/50lb-ft Kerb weight: 238kg Tank: 13.1 litres Seat: 820mm Miles this month: 456 Miles on clock: 872 Average mpg: 68 Current tyres: Bridgestone Trail Wings Modifications: None Total value of mods: £0 General impressions: Two 200+ mile runs highlight the virtues of the X-ADV and my need to adjust my own habits to improve it still further. It’s not rocket science.

Not enough luggage space is solved by carrying less. And going further on a tank is achieved by slowing down. Doh!

Test fleet: Honda X-ADV Shortage of space and limited fuel range are easily sorted for Chris and the super scoot.

I

’ve learned to make some personal changes to get the best out of my Honda X-ADV adventure scooter.

I had no choice really, if the machine can’t be altered, then the rider must!

I’ve come to that inevitable conclusion after covering another 400-plus miles on the Honda. The mileage has been accrued largely from two separate longer rides, each quite different in nature. First was a 230-mile business trip to Nottingham with the X-ADV serving my purposes perfectly adequately. It was a pretty straightforward mix of A-roads and motorways ridden at busier times of the day but the following 220-mile outing was quite different. The chosen destination was the Goodwood Festival of Speed and not only was it my first visit, I would be doing two runs up ‘The Hill’, as well. With an overnight stay planned in a hotel deserving smart casual dress, I needed to pack some decent civvies. And with a requirement to wear full leathers for the blasts I was

going to make on a Fireblade and CB1000R, some careful packing was needed. There’s not a mass of room in the X-ADV’s underseat compartment and top box, and certainly not enough to hold everything I wanted. But changing my attitude to accept that, and choosing to wear rather than carry the sportsbikesuitable outfit soon sorted the space issue. Though I’m sure my inappropriate bright one-piece suit drew some sniggers on the way to and from Goodwood.

Arriving at the hotel in comfort, ready for the next day’s action was something I didn’t really give a second thought to.

And that’s the real secret of the X-ADV; its ability to despatch miles without too much consideration. The seat still feels too high for my liking, but it’s plush, and given the Honda’s dependable provision of an easy-going ride on both body and mind, the 105-mile, two-hour run felt shorter than it actually had been.

The Festival of Speed turned out to be an enjoyable event with my Hill runs being the

highlight. The occasion’s quite an eye-opener. A huge crowd gives it plenty of atmosphere, with plenty of very famous faces to spot and some extremely exotic and expensive vehicles on show, I’ve never felt quite as anonymous and impoverished!

The run through West Sussex and Hampshire on the way back home was also very pleasurable.

Getting a little lost at one point lengthened the journey and encouraged me to make another rider change: calming down!

My TomTom Rider 400 sat-nav said my house was around 20-30 miles short of my usual limit of the Honda’s fuel range, so rather than stop and go through the palaver of a refuelling break, I elected to run at lower rpm to make it in one hit. My no-stops

strategy worked well, arriving home with 212 miles and a 82mpg average recorded on the clocks. I much prefer bikes with 200-mile or more fuel ranges, so it’s good to know the Honda has that potential.

One adjustment I have made to the machine is lowering its tyre pressures. I’ve dropped them by just a little to 34/38 psi, and the feel from the front end is better, boosting confidence while maintaining the Honda’s lovely agility and stability. It’s encouraged me to shelve my plan to fit some stickier rubber.

Next stop is to the press workshop to give the X-ADV its first service. It’ll be somewhat over mileage by the time I get there, and next month I’ll let you know what that entailed.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 95

LONG-TERM REVIEW THIS MONTH Rider: Paul Fincham Cost new: £9249 Spec: 113bhp/65lb-ft Kerb weight: 214kg Tank: 18 litres Seat: 850mm/865mm Miles this month: 522 Miles on clock: 2100 Average mpg: 59.7mpg Current tyres: Dunlop SportMax D222 From: www.yamaha-motor.eu/uk

Test fleet: Yamaha Tracer 900 Paul’s falling in love with the big Yamaha. And rightly so. They’re on the right track (arf).

I

f you read last month’s MSL you’ll know that the Tracer and me had an interesting first date, with one of us ending up on the back of an RAC lorry. Well I’m pleased to tell you that she’s back at MSL towers and all fixed.

Since being back she’s had to contend with the mundane life of a commuter, with the occasional after work extended ride home – one of which ended up being 160 miles. I think that says a lot about how I’m finding riding the 900 Tracer. It can do everything you want any bike to do. You want to sit at 60 following the traffic? Done.

Want to drop a gear or two and keep up with bum-up, head-down bikers? Done.

The Tracer can also carry as much as an adventure bike, without the need to be one of those riders who have every adventure accessory bolted onto

the side of their machine (you know the type, the closest they get to going off-road is turning around in a lay-by).

These are all fine reasons to have the Tracer underneath you.

Okay, it’s not the absolute best at any one thing, but this superb motorcycle can hold it’s own in most sectors. And that’s exactly what I want my bike to do. If you have only one space in your garage, then the Tracer is a bloody good bike to fill that gap.

The only issue question is, would I get this model, or would I go for the higher-spec, more-cash GT version?

The 900 (non) GT’s starting price is £9249 and in my opinion you get a lot of bike for that money. The version that I’m riding however tips the scales at is over £10,000, once you add up all the extras like the soft ABS side case at £281 with stay system at another £266. It’s then

fitted with over £300 worth of protection kit in the guise of engine side sliders and front and back axle protection.

Doing the Tracer thing this way means that I can have exactly what I want on the bike and still save money. A touch over ten grand might seem like a lot but (in this sort of company for a bike of this standard, it’s really not) when you compare it directly to the GT it seems a savvy way to go.

The base model GT, for instance, costs £10,649 and for that you get the side cases, cruise control and clutchlessupshifter as standard. The GT also has the uprated suspension with remote preload adjustment which is fine but, to be honest, the 900 (non GT bike) suspension is fine for everything I’ve thrown at it and copes more than adequately with my 6ft 2in frame. It’s a fine machine which

is giving me the confidence to really enjoy getting out and riding – always finding the excuse to do a few more miles.

One night after work I set off for a spin to clear my head before heading home. I ended up some 80 miles from home, having a cuppa with my brother and sister-in-law.

On the way, I turned on the Garmin Zumo 395LM sat-nav I’d been lent by stand-in editor Tony. This offers ‘adventurous routing’ and I can definitely say it took me on an adventure!

Each turn brought me to a smaller road, ending up with me having to get off to open gates.

In the end, I just had to stop following it. Next time I’ll double-check how adventurous I really want my ride to be.

The Tracer, however, was superb. It soaked up the bumps, navigated the gravel and got me back home before dark.

CENTRAL GARAGE, WATER STREET, ROCHDALE, LANCASHIRE OL16 1UH TEL: 01706 716 650

TEST RIDE THE

www.robinsonsrochdale.co.uk

TRACER 900

96 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Dealer Locator

ALAN DUFFUS LIMITED

DAYTONA MOTORCYCLES

19-21 St Clair Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife KY1 2QF 01592 264135 www.alanduffus.com

42-48 Windmill Hill, Ruislip Manor Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 8PT 01895 676451 www.daytonamc.co.uk

BLACK DOG MOTORCYCLES

FLITWICK MOTORCYCLES

Yamaha

Kawasaki Suzuki Piaggio Yamaha

139 Kingstone Road, Staines, Middlesex TW18 1PD 01784 451344 www.blackdogmotorcycles.co.uk

Station Road, Flitwick Bedfordshire MK45 1JR 01525 712197 www.flitwickmotorcycles.co.uk

CORBY KAWASAKI CENTRE LTD

MOTORCYCLE MART LIMITED

Kymco

Courier Road, Phoenix Parkway Corby, Northamptonshire NN17 5BA 01536 401010 www.corbykawasaki.co.uk

Kawasaki

ROBINSONS OF ROCHDALE

Central Garage, Water Street Rochdale, Lancashire OL16 1UH 01706 716650 www.robinsonsrochdale.co.uk

Benelli, Hanway, Hyosung, Kawasaki Keeway, FB Mondial, Lambretta Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Sym, Yamaha

Yamaha

Unit 4 Oldington Trading Estate Stourport Road, Kidderminster Worcestershire DY11 7QP 01562824259 www.motorcyclemart.co.uk

Yamaha

RIGHTGEAR MOTORCYCLES

40 Bathhurst Walk, Iver, Buckinghamshire SL0 9BH 01753 655511 www.right-gear.co.uk

Lexmoto / AJS / Herald / UM / Sym Motorcycles / Keeway / Hyosung / Benelli / Hanway

TAMWORTH YAMAHA

SOUTH COAST HONDA

Unit Q Riverside Industrial Estate Fazeley, Tamworth Staffordshire B78 3RW 01827 254994 www.tamworthyamaha.com

Unit 7 Chichester Trade Centre Chichester PO19 8ET 01243 844144 www.southcoasthonda.co.uk

PETER HAMMOND MOTORCYCLES LTD

Wood Lane, Hemel Hempstead Herts HP2 4TP 01442 255272 www.thektmcentre.co.uk

Yamaha

44 Watermoor Road, Cirencester Gloucestershire GL7 1LD 01285 652467 www.hammondmotorcycles.co.uk

Honda /Variety of used bikes in stock KTM CENTRE

KTM

JIM AIM MOTORCYCLES LTD

ROBINSONS FOUNDRY LTD

144 Rayne Road, Braintree Essex CM7 2QS 01376 402006 www.jimaimracing.co.uk

Suzuki, Indian, Aprillia, Moto Guzzi, Piaggio, Vespa, Victory, Fantic

58-60 Hydepark Street Finnieston, Glasgow G3 8BW 01412258100 www.victordevine.com

Yamaha

Broad Oak road, Canterbury Kent CT2 7QG 01227 378430 www.robinsonsfoundry.co.uk

SKELLERNS MOTORCYCLES

52 Sidbury, Worcester Worcestershire WR1 2HZ 01905 20580 www.skellerns.co.uk

Yamaha

KTM

VICTOR DIVINE & CO LIMITED

Honda

YORK SUZUKI CENTRE

179-181 Burtonstone Lane, York YO30 6DG 01904646769 www.yorksuzuki.com

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www.mslmagazine.co.uk 97

TRIED &TESTED Things we’ve worn ◆ Kit we like ◆ Things we put on our bike

AGV Sport Modular Flip-front Helmet Tested by: Mikko Nieminen | RRP £549.99 | www.agv.co.uk The flip-front helmet has traditionally been the lid of choice for tourers, riding instructors and police officers, but is shunned by many due to it typically being rather bulky and heavy. However, they have been loved by scores of everyday bikers, myself included.

But now you can forget everything you thought you knew about flip-front helmets, because the AGV Sport Modular is rewriting the rulebook big time. The new model is compact, light, sporty, and looks very much like a racing-style full-face helmet.

First of all, the weight. This is a full carbon fibre helmet with an official weight of 1295g, although my kitchen scales returned 1382g. Still, it is an incredibly light helmet. My Shoei Neotech 2, which also feels reasonably light, tipped the scales at 1682g, making it 300g heavier – that’s the equivalent of wearing the AGV with a 10oz

steak taped on top. When you pick up the box in the shop it feels almost like they forgot to put the helmet in there.

The lightness is combined with good aerodynamic performance, so the helmet still feels light at higher speeds and there’s no vibes.

There’s also an adjustable integrated spoiler at the back, which reduces turbulence and maximises stability – I know, it sounds more like a sports helmet, huh?

There are the standard chin and top vents for air to flow in and an extractor vent at the back to let it out. The lining is plush, as you’d expect at this price point, and it’s cleverly shaped at the bottom to close as many gaps as possible and keep the lid quiet. The really clever thing about the lining is that it’s reversible, offering either a warm or cool feel and making the lid more versatile. The chin strap is secured with a traditional double D buckle.

The view from the Pinlockequipped visor is great, with a wide aperture and no distortions. The internal sun visor is also handy, and it’s easy to operate from the left side lever. I love the visor release mechanism, which is easy to use 98 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

and pretty much guarantees that you won’t break your visor every time you do a bit of kit maintenance.

The only issue I had was with the shape of the chin guard, which didn’t leave much space between the front of my chin and the helmet. Admittedly, I have a pretty big chin, so others will probably not have the same problem, but for me it was a niggle.

Overall the lid is brilliant. It’s manufactured with care and high-quality components, which goes a long way towards justifying the price tag. But the real selling point of this helmet is the weight and sporty design – together they are sure to lure a fair few full-face wearers to try a modular helmet.

Forcefield Freelite Back Protector

KIT

Tested by: Jonathan Schofield // RRP: £99.99 // www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com Back protectors are important pieces of kit – right up there with a decent helmet and pair of gloves. Up until February this year, I’d not been wearing one – but since then, following the arrival of my Forcefield Freelite, I’ve made sure to always stick it underneath my jacket to keep me just that bit safer should the worst happen. I’m really glad to say that I’ve not needed to thoroughly test it quite yet – but knowing I’m as well protected as possible inspires riding confidence.

The overall design of the Freelite is one of simplicity.

No fancy clips or buckles, just a wide Velcro strap and elasticated shoulder straps to hold the CE2 layered armour in place. And in place is where it stayed. Even when I was riding a machine that needed a bit of playful man-handling, it neither moved nor came undone. It’s a clever

bit of kit, and with its nicely breathable, flexible construction you’re getting good bang for your buck.

The armour itself is soft enough to shape to your body when it warms up under your jacket, making the fit snug. As with all new pieces of clothing it took a few rides to really bed in fully and for me to get used to the feeling and forget it was even there. It was in no time that I found myself in the routine of back protector on before jacket.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 99

Tried & Tested Furygan Fury Sherman Jacket Tested by: Dave Bell // RRP: £399.99 // www.nevis.uk.com This jacket is the first of Furygan’s leather gear I have tried – and I have to say, I am very impressed. Of course, I expected great quality from the French brand, well known for its sharp design and classic styling.

Furygan has certainly earned respect in the industry for its continued investment in development at its in-house R&D facility they call Motion Lab, where several entirely new innovations such as their skin protect lining and aluminium lining were developed.

Although the Sherman is very much a sport-oriented jacket, it offers classy, classic styling. It’s not garish, and won’t look out of place on any machine – whether you’re riding a sportsbike, cruiser or modern retro machine. I often have to explain to my wife that I need different jackets depending on the weather or type of bike I am riding, it’s not a one-suits-all type thing (a bit like her shoes, handbags and sunglasses) – but Furygan’s Sherman gear is a versatile bit of kit. I personally

love the sepia decals; they are really quite stylish and somehow make the product less obviously ‘in-your-face’ sporty.

This jacket feels as though it is moulding itself around your torso, yet at the same time is not as restricting as some leather jackets I have worn. This may be partly due to the fact that the Sherman jacket has been crafted using brand new leather working techniques developed especially for this jacket and partly due to the leather stretch panels above the elbows and shoulders, plus high tenacity bi-stretch inserts at the armpits and neoprene inserts to the collar and wrists.

This garment inspires confidence, and God forbid the worst does happen, you feel assured you’ll be protected.

The triple stitching at the most vulnerable areas exposed to abrasion or tearing during a crash, the D30 CE protectors to the shoulders and elbows and leather and foam reinforcement on the elbows all add up to make this an incredible piece of PPE. It’s well worth a look.

Furygan Sherman Pants Tested by: Dave Bell // RRP: £299.99 // www.nevis.uk.com These leather trousers matching the Furygan Fury Sherman jacket are just as well made as the jacket, again using the same high precision leather laser marking developed by Furygan for the Sherman jacket.

The style is undoubtedly sporty, but again, matching the Sherman jacket the Furygan logo is depicted in a stylish sepia colour, which I really love.

The new leg and knee designs derived directly from Furgan’s GP racer’s suit further add to the overall comfort and flexibility of the trousers. High tenacity bi-stretch between the legs and behind the knees help make these trousers very comfortable

to wear indeed – and the leather stretch at both the waist and the knees has proven to be ergonomically perfect for all riding positions. In fact, they are by far the most comfortable ‘leather’ trousers I have worn.

From a safety perspective, they come with CE certified D30 protectors for the knees and hips, Furygan’s Motion Lab created Skin protect lining to reinforce the product’s tearing and abrasion resistance, and triple stitching and Kevlar padding to the bum.

They’re well equipped, and should be well up to the job in the event of an accident out on the road.

100 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

STICKNEY AUTO JUMBLE

Sunday 16th September and

14th October From 8am FREE CUSTOMER PARKING & ENTRY

TEL: 01205 480274 POST CODE PE22 8AG

(ON STICKNEY CAR BOOT FIELD) www.mslmagazine.co.uk 101

102 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

BUYER’S GUIDE

Used test:

2017 BMW K1600GT SE

ENRICHING EXPERIENCE Some BMW die-hards might well have thought the German firm had taken leave of its senses when the K1600s were introduced in 2011.

WORDS: Chris Moss PHOTOGRAPHY: Mark Manning

O

kay it had been quite a while since BMW had shed its relatively dull and conservative image, and its new reputation for offering a more exciting model range had definitely stepped up many gears when the incredible 2010 S1000RR superbike came along. But even so, just a year later when the K1600GT and GTL arrived, many Bee-Em fans must have shuddered in their slippers. A couple of massively proportioned and very speedy sports touring bikes, powered by a brand new 160bhp inline six-cylinder motor, was so far removed from what the brand was normally associated with it was hard to comprehend.

But any surprise quickly turned to approval and many deposits were put down. The 1600s might well have been bulky and weighty, and at over £15,000 for the GT model, with the GTL version on offer not far short of £17,000, neither were what you’d call affordable. But what they were considered to be was fast, well-equipped machines with, wait for it, remarkably manageable handling.

Both were primarily geared towards comfortable mile-eating, with the GTL being even more relaxed and better equipped for crossing whole countries with ease. As is usual with BMW, a selection of factory fitted options were available to make life more bearable. They included heated grips and seats, top boxes, fog lights, sat-navs, central locking, keyless ignitions et al. The majority of buyers elected to have several, or even all of these fitted. It’s rare to see a K1600 in unaltered trim. Higher spec GT SE and GTL E models subsequently came to market.

The following year, 2013, saw upgrades and further model range expansion. Gearbox and engine management revisions helped refine the ride, with the additions of the GTL Exclusive and GT Sport models boosting choice all the more. www.mslmagazine.co.uk 103

I own one

Ian Johnson, a 59-year-old finance director from Cricklade, Wiltshire, is on his second K1600, having bought a used 2014 GT SE model in 2015 and then part exchanged it for a second hand 2017 GT SE last year.

“I had an R1200RT, and fancied something different. A BMW dealer in Cardiff had quite a few very low mileage K1600s advertised after loaning them to 1200RT owners while their faulty rear shocks were being sorted under warranty. They were as much as £6000 less than list price for a new one.

“As soon as I rode one I thought this is different, this is really nice. My initial concern was that it was going to be too heavy and cumbersome. It’s not a small bike but as I discovered, once you’re moving it becomes quite manageable. It helps that I’m quite a tall guy and can flat foot the bike.

I liked how smooth the engine is too so I decided to trade my RT in for one.

“It became my long distance commuting bike. I rode up from Wiltshire to Grimsby three or four times a month and also to my HQ in Windsor.

It just eats the miles with ease and was good fun on the backroads. I went down to watch MotoGP in Jerez with my wife who just loved it. It’s so

smooth and comfortable for her.

For a long continental trip like that, it’s just wonderful.

“I did 20,000 miles on it and it was totally reliable. I used to change the tyres every 6000 miles. I loved the engine and its power that let you whizz past things with ease. I never needed any more power regardless of how much it was loaded up with. It just copes with everything. The speeds it could get up to could be worrying at times though.

“I like the stable handling and the Duolever front end though the length of the bike could be a bit of a handicap when I need to park it at work. The other downside was the quality of the finish, especially on the engine. The paint began to fall off mine, and when I told the dealer when it was being serviced they agreed to change the cases under warranty. It took about a month to do the huge job, though I did get a replacement courtesy bike. I always wondered how much it must have cost them.

“It rode nicely enough but I traded it for a 2017 demo bike at a local BMW dealer which was just a few months old not long after. I’ve done around 3000 trouble-free miles on that so far.”

RIGHT: The expression ‘fully loaded’ feels slightly inadequate when it comes to the K1600’s huge range of options and gadgets, selected via the thumb-wheel.

BELOW: It feels enormous when you climb aboard but give it time and you’ll stop noticing its size.

Four years on, the K1600 range was improved and increased in size once again. The fitment of a reverse gear proved very popular and saw many owners trade in their older models to take advantage of this significant modification. The 2017 machines also met the new Euro-4 emissions rulings, with the lower, US-influenced Bagger model arriving later in the year.

This year sees the highest spec K1600 yet in the form of the fully dressed Grand America, as well as the Sport SE being added to the current nine bike line up.

WHAT'S IT LIKE TO RIDE?

There are very few motorcycles like the K1600GT SE. Your senses are in overload from the moment you approach what looks like an impossibly huge bike to master. Getting aboard it only reinforces the questionable faith. This really is a truly gigantic machine. But be patient. Your opinion of it will quickly change. In fact I’m confident you’ll form so many unexpected views, and feel so many unusual emotions when you ride this BMW. It provides a truly unique experience.

I’ve been very keen to have a go on one since they first came out in 2011. Then after waiting so long, I got to ride two of them in the space of just a fortnight.

Each of the two journeys will remain etched on my mind forever. And the unforgettable memories are said in the context of having done a lot of miles on a lot of very different bikes in my 40 years on two wheels.

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BUYER’S GUIDE Specification BMW K1600GT (2017) Engine: 1649cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 24v, inline six Power: 158bhp (118kW) @ 7750rpm Torque: 129lb-ft (175Nm) @ 5250rpm Transmission: Six-speed, shaft drive Frame: Cast alloy bridge Suspension: (F) Duolever, electronic semi-active damping (R): Paralever, electronic semi-active Brakes: (F) Twin 320mm discs, four-piston ABS calipers (R) 320mm disc, two-piston ABS caliper Tyres: (F) 120/70-17; (R) 190/55-17 Seat height: 810/830mm Wheelbase: 1620mm Kerb weight: 334kg Fuel capacity: 26.5 litres

DEALER SERVICING

EVERY 6000 MILES/12 MONTHS =

£200-£250

AT 18,000 MILES =

£400-£650

*Costs will vary depending on labour rates and condition of your bike and parts required

Let’s begin with the story of this, the second outing on a used 2017 GT SE model. Familiarity definitely pays dividends with this BMW, and after the 250-odd mile run I’d previously had on a new one, I knew more of what to expect. That didn’t stop me giggling for at least the first 10 miles though. You never really get used to the surreal nature of this machine. But though it’s impossible not to be constantly bowled over by its sheer scale and magnificence, the super tourer’s balance and poise is one of the hardest things to believe. It doesn’t take long to be amazed at what it’s actually capable of. In short, the massive BMW has absolutely no right to handle as competently as it does, and you’ll gasp regularly at just how much progress can be made. Out on the open road, ideally along fairly empty thoroughfares, the K1600 is staggeringly manageable. Once used to it, I could actually hustle the behemoth in quite a spirited fashion thanks to its easy and predictable steering, decent brakes, and composed suspension.

But though that praise is justified, it really does need to be qualified a bit further. It won’t be a surprise to learn this is not an everyday bike. You certainly can’t just take it where you want, when you want, with any sort of ease. Crucial to every single ride is a need to anticipate everything you approach with care, a well as being prepared to be patient at all times. That keen sense of planning applies in both the short and long term. For example, I deliberately timed my departure

from the owner’s house to begin my 120-mile trip after 9am, and carefully chose a route less likely to be congested. Being caught in heavy traffic on the 1600 can feel like trying to navigate a canal with a super tanker. It’s agreeable enough to ride in town, but that’s not in its best environment.

As is the case with the 1600 generally, you do get used to its generous dimensions and can filter to some degree. Even so, moves like charging to the head of a queue for pole position at traffic lights needs to be done with lots of careful consideration and always with a plan B to quickly revert to if you’re to remain safe and secure. Trying to do stuff like a U-turn in a gravel car park can be testing to say the least. I’m not tall, and I did manage most things aboard the Beemer, but I never did any of that tougher stuff without

VALUES

£7000£18,000

*Prices are for early models sold privately in average condition to newer, well cared for examples available at dealers. Better equipped bikes are naturally more expensive.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 105

Other bikes to t c consider

HARLEY ELECTRA GLIDE ULTRA CLASSIC 2006-present, 1690cc, 45° V-twin, 95bhp, 394kg Continually updated, just like the Beemer, the Harley is an outrageous head-turner, and not for the shy and retiring types.

Lots of style and clout give you the biggest bragging rights.

Torquey and comfortable, it also handles and brakes well.

Most refined Harley ever.

TRIUMPH ROCKET 111 TOURING

2009-2017, 2294cc, inline triple, 106bhp, 367kg The Touring version of largestengined mass produced motorcycle ever is built for longer runs, as well as gaining attention. It has a retuned engine with more torque, hard panniers, a slimmer 180-section rear tyre, tank mounted clocks, and a large quickly detachable windscreen.

concentrating hard. Just wrong-footing this bike at a standstill could easily lead to something more serious.

Any such furrowed brows are soon replaced by wide grins once more when you get back on more hospitable territory though. At least 99% of the journey I took from Cirencester to the Midlands and back was truly satisfying. There are plenty of reasons why the K1600GT SE is so thrilling to ride. The aforementioned novelty of being aboard something so damned different, so well-equipped, and so impressively luxurious can’t be dismissed at any point.

Neither can the fantastic engine which really gives the Beemer so much of its huge and highly appealing character. The inline-six is so ridiculously flexible and super smooth it’s almost untrue. Such is the complete lack of vibration, if it wasn’t for the exhaust note, you’d wonder just what the hell was beneath you propelling the bike forward so impressively. And boy, oh boy can it thrust the bike toward the next horizon with urgency. Twist the throttle open wide and, whoosh, the 1600 just takes off with unique strength.

It’s like a jet, and the intoxicating surge is hard to resist sampling. One hundred and sixty horsepower has never felt as refined, sophisticated and addictive as this. Such is the immense drive on offer and the speed you can nip up through the gears thanks to the quick shifter, you never feel as though you’re losing out on acceleration even when you’re short-shifting. Even so, after a while I stopped toeing the gear lever quite as often. The noise from those six cylinders reaching the world via the twin pipes is absolutely magical. I ended up hanging onto lower gears just to hear more volumes of the sweet mechanically-made music.

Coupled with the K’s fantastic level of comfort, covering miles really does feel like first class travel.

When I got to the end of my first 120-mile stint, the clock may have recorded a time very similar to the trips I’ve taken along the very same route on several other bikes. But the big difference with the Bee-Em is the journey didn’t feel like it had taken anywhere near as long. Rarely have I arrived at a destination feeling more relaxed than when I started! Whether it was because of the distraction of the highly alternative way the bike goes about its business I don’t know. But my perception of the trip length was unlike any other.

106 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

HONDA HO GOLD WING

2001-2018, 1832cc, flat six, 117bhp, 363kg One of the most famous and eye-catching bikes ever, the Wing’s touring capability is legendary. Massive luggage capacity swallows everything, six-cylinder engine takes it all there with refinement. It may be big and weighty, but the 1800 performs well on all roads.

VICTORY VISION TOUR

2008-present, 1731cc, 50° V-twin, 92bhp, 395kg Get ready to feel like a celeb.

Outlandish looking tourer/cruiser draws global attention. Performs pretty well too. Agile chassis is kept in check by decent suspension, even if the brakes could be better. Well spread, smooth engine power helps with hauling kit and pillions.

Once the time came to return home I took more time to study some of the effect of the 1600’s multiple buttons and switches. The difference in altering the semi-active electronic suspension from the firmer Dynamic setting to the super plush Road option is instantly appreciable. So too are the differences provided by the three engine modes, the electric screen, heated seats and grips. I didn’t bother with cruise control and only tried the reverse gear a few times when appropriate. I was impressed thumbing the bar-mounted control wheel through the electronic option menu for quite a while, before giving up to concentrate more on the exceptional overall experience the BMW so readily provides. Time didn’t allow the chance to try the hill start control, see how well the adaptive headlights lit the road at night, or make a decision on whether I approved of the keyless ignition or not.

All I definitely know is, when I handed this incredible machine back to its owner I felt mildly depressed. It had been an extraordinary day clocking up the 250 or so miles I did in total, and sadly, it had come to a premature end. I’d love to do it all over again as soon as I can.

ABOVE: For a big bike with a big engine, the K1600 feels smooth and refined but also flexible and very quick indeed.

BUYER’S GUIDE Hard panniers are capacious and secure.

Revving the K produces a gloriously muscular bark.

PILLION LUXURY & SECURITY

If it’s fitted with a top box, pillion riding feels totally secure, even when the engine is being used harder. The plush, heated seat guarantees all-day comfort. Virtually all other bikes feel basic by comparison.

OVERHEATING

OIL CONSUMPTION

Some pre-2013 bikes could suffer from high oil consumption. In some cases the whole engine was changed under warranty. Almost all should have been sorted by now. Check the bike’s history via a dealer. Make sure you check levels regularly.

Check the running temperature of the engine coolant. Water pumps can start to give up and if there’s a lot of dirt around the radiator, the motor can overheat.

ENGINE

There may be many powerful bike engines, but few produce their potency in the first class fashion the K’s six-cylinder 1600 does.

It’s so smooth it’s hard to believe it’s an internal combustion engine. Its exhaust note is full American muscle car, making revving the six hard to resist.

RUNNING COSTS

Ride a K1600 hard and its weight and pace means consumables like tyres and pads won’t last anywhere near as long. It’s the same story with fuel consumption. Take it easier and running costs are perfectly reasonable.

FAILING ELECTRICS

Early bikes’ switches could pack up. Check every switch functions as it should. It might take time, but can save lots of money. Electric screen adjusters, indicators, and adaptive headlights can sometimes fail. Engines cutting out has also been known.

GEARBOX ACTION

Early models’ gearbox action is more clunky compared to that of later bikes. Try it to see if it’s acceptable. For many it’s good enough.

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I’m sure you’ll have guessed – I was really taken by the bike and the stimulation it offers, and would highly recommend visiting your local BMW dealer to sample one of its demo bikes. I can’t guarantee you’ll want to own one, but I very much doubt if it won’t enrich you in a way other bikes simply can’t. It really is something else. I love it.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

There are plenty of used K1600s on the market and as a general rule you get what you pay for in terms of spec, model and age. The vast majority of them are owned by conscientious riders who ride carefully, and generally look after their bikes very well. They’re kept clean and serviced by official dealers at the time they should be. As there are lots to choose from, you can be fussy. It’s a buyer’s market.

However, the used K1600 world isn’t a perfect one and you need to take care to avoid facing expensive issues. Early bikes did have a few more serious problems and you’ll need proof from a seller that these have been rectified. Electrical faults, excessive oil consumption and corrosion are some of the most common. Thankfully most of the issues were sorted under warranty and became rarer as the bikes were developed. If there was ever a model to recommend buying from an official BMW dealer, this is it.

You’ll get a sorted machine that includes two-year warranty and breakdown cover. Of course this extra guarantee will cost you more, and you can opt to buy privately. Take great care if you choose this option though. You won’t get a warranty and any saving you make could easily prove to be a false economy if you hit problems.

Check the service history to make sure everything that’s scheduled to be done has been. Ideally work will have been done by an official dealer, though there are a few reputable non-franchised ones out there. Higher mileage machines are rare, with few around having topped 50,000 miles. That’s not a bad thing if the bike’s been maintained well enough though. Conversely, lower mileage K1600s that have been stored more than ridden need to have been looked after properly too. They should have been parked in the right conditions, have had

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I sell them

Garry Mackay of BMW dealer Wollaston BMW in Northampton knows all about the ins and outs of K1600s.

“K1600 customers are usually 40-somethings and older. Many have come from Wings, 1200GS and RTs, FJR1300s and the like. One of the primary attractions of the bike is its two-up comfort. The security and serenity the 1600s offer really wins pillions over, and I sell many based on their approval. Quite a few have raved about how luxurious they feel, with some being converted to being a motorcycle passenger for the very first time. I’ve heard the K1600GT LE being described by some as the Bentley of bikes.

“It’s a really good bike for us, and though owners don’t mind riding them in all weathers, the 1600s are seasonal for us in terms of sales. If you want a cheaper one, looking in dealers towards the end of the year is a good move. They tend to be looked after very well, and serviced by dealers. But though they’re passionate about their bikes and love riding them on longer tours, as they’re normally second bikes they don’t tend to clock up massive

mileages; about 4000-5000 miles a year is typical.

“The vast majority I’ve sold are of higher spec. Owners love being able to adjust things like the engine modes, suspension, screen height and cruise control, and switch on heated grips and seats. It allows them to make the bike suit different roles. Although the engine and chassis of all models is basically the same, the 1600s can have a very different feel depending on the model you choose.

“K1600s have improved throughout their life, and the later the bike the more refined it is. In saying that, the earliest models still feel very sorted.

Models from 2017-on with their reverse gear and hill start control are popular as they’re more manageable in certain situations. There’s no doubt the Ks are very big bikes and I’d advise people to try them first to see if they feel happy with them. The majority that demo ours find them to be surprisingly easy to get on with. It’s certainly a bike you need to try before passing judgement. I’ve lost count of the number of people that admit to having their preconceptions altered.”

their batteries kept charged and engine oil and filter changed annually regardless of mileage. Doing those sorts of jobs is easy enough for the home mechanic, though top end work like valve clearance inspections and plug checks/changes aren’t at all. Modified bikes are rare though the spec of machines can differ. You’ll obviously need to pay more for higher spec examples, though very few 1600s are in basic trim. Decide on the ideal model you’re after and consider the factoryfitted extras you’d like it to come with. It’s not always an option to retro-fit parts like the very useful reverse gear.

Join the BSA Owners’ Club and celebrate with us our Jubilee Year!

Visit our website for more details...

www.bsaownersclub.co.uk PO Box 235, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 9DJ

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Classic test:

1970 HONDA CB750

INVOLVING. GORGEOUS.

I had expected this immaculate CB750 to be good, but had never imagined that it would be so... well, exciting.

WORDS AND PHOTOS: Roland Brown

A

s I followed a line of cars at about 50mph, a gap appeared in the oncoming traffic, and I trod down a gear and wound open the throttle to overtake. The Honda responded instantly – not just with a burst of acceleration that was impressive for an elderly bike, but with a throaty four-pipe roar that made me want to take it right to the redline.

Suddenly I’m back in 1970, devouring everything on the road aboard the machine that redefined the motorcycling experience. Head down; hold those high bars tight; let’s make that motor really sing. I’ve got 120mph-plus performance on tap, with levels of reliability and sophistication that have never been approached. In short, I’m riding the world’s first true Superbike – and it feels mighty good.

The CB750 reached UK roads in 1970 but its public debut had come at the Tokyo Show in October 1968, so this year sees the 50th anniversary of the unveiling of the model that, for many people (this writer included), is the greatest motorcycle of all time. That can be debated. What’s indisputable is that, with its blend of powerful and smooth four-cylinder engine, five-speed gearbox, electric starter, front disc brake and unparalleled all-round performance, the CB750 redefined motorcyclists’ perception of speed and sophistication.

In the modern world with its wide variety of 150bhp-plus bikes, with competition among manufacturers so fierce that a new model rarely stands head and shoulders above the crowd, it is hard to appreciate just how much impact the CB750’s arrival made. This was a bike from a different world to the existing ranks of British iron, including Triumph’s new but comparatively old-fashioned Trident triple. To its spectacular quartet of cylinders and pipes, the Honda added not just a high specification but also a competitive price.

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REFLECTIONS

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The CB750’s appeal centred on its engine, which produced an impressive maximum of 67bhp at 8000rpm. Honda’s racing heritage was obvious in its layout, although the roadster differed from the predominantly 16-valve, DOHC racers in using a single camshaft, driven by a chain up the centre of the engine, and only two valves per cylinder. The capacity of 736cc was achieved by long-stroke dimensions of 61 x 63mm, which helped reduce engine width.

Another feature unusual for Honda was the dry sump, which was also chosen to save bulk.

That didn’t stop the CB750 from being physically large and imposing by Sixties standards, thanks partly to its rounded tank and sidepanels, plus a thick dual-seat. “Although produced in Japan, the 750 is an American motorcycle,” reported US magazine Cycle Guide. “Its big, it’s fast, and it’s flashy. It would seem these are the prerequisites for success in the US motorcycle market today. Americans like big machines, and make no mistake about it – the Honda four is big.”

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ABOVE: Riding the CB750 hard is a great feeling.

It was certainly fast, with a top speed of 125mph, despite its fairly soft state of tune. Its standing quarter time of around 13.5 seconds was hot stuff, too, and was backed up by a reasonable spread of low and midrange power. Its four-cylinder smoothness encouraged high-speed cruising, even if the high handlebars did not. The clutch was light; the fivespeed gearbox slick; the whole powerplant efficient, oiltight and robust. Contemporary road-tests told of prototype motors being run at 6000rpm for 200 hours and at the 8500rpm redline for 20 hours during development, something that had not been attempted at Triumph’s Meriden factory...

What to look out for One of the main reasons for the CB750’s success was that it matched its performance and specification with outstanding reliability. Of course many things could have happened to an individual bike in the last 50-odd years, but the SOHC four is mildly tuned and essentially robust. The familiar warnings of rattly camchains, smoky exhausts and gummed-up carbs of bikes that have been stood unused still apply, but the Honda has no major flaws to be wary of.

As with any historically significant model, it’s important to be sure that a bike is what it’s advertised as. “If it’s advertised as a K0, check the engine and frame numbers – the ranges are all published,” cautions Marc Earl.

“With a K0 you should also make sure it has the original side-panels and big tank badge.” The K0 and K1 came with an exhaust stamped HM300; the K2 had HM341s which are similar but not identical.”

The CB750’s popularity also helps with spares availability. Most parts are available, with Suffolk-based David Silver (www.davidsilverspares.co.uk) having a particularly large stock of original and replacement bits. Silver is hosting a celebration for the CB750’s 50th anniversary at his Honda Collection museum on Saturday, September 29. Bikes on show will include a 1969 machine on which Norwegian owner Erling Kleve has ridden more than 385,000 miles.

REFLECTIONS

What’s it like to ride?

Like most early Japanese superbikes the CB750 did not have a chassis to match its engine, but by the standards of the day its handling was not at all bad.

The twin-downtube steel frame held suspension that was fairly stiff at both ends. Aggressive riding could make the frame flex, and if pushed hard enough its shocks could be made to overheat. Chassis firms including Rickman and Seeley would create sweeterhandling specials around the engine, but for most riders the standard Honda was fine. And its front disc brake helped give good stopping power despite the bike’s 230kg wet weight.

Most magazine reports were hugely enthusiastic, especially in the States, where the bike went on sale first, in mid-1969. Cycle Guide concluded that: “status seekers, thrill seekers and motorcycling enthusiasts look no further – the Ultimate has arrived.” Cycle also called it “the ultimate bike”, and Cycle World was not to be left out, referring to the CB750 as “the ultimate weapon in one-upmanship – a magnificent, musclebound racer for the road”.

Predictably it was a massive hit, selling in huge numbers. The initial production run of 600 units per month was totally inadequate, so in August ’69 it was increased to 3000 per month. Even this was not enough to keep up with the demand, so Honda built a new production facility. The bike didn’t need a marketing boost but got one anyway, in March 1970, when veteran Dick Mann won the Daytona 200 on a modified CB750.

By then the model had gone on sale around the world, initially in limited numbers, to an equally rapturous reception. The 1969 production total of over 50,000 units was increased to a staggering 70,000-plus for the CB750 K0 the following year.

Changes were very minor for the first few years.

The famous four-pot motor burst into life with a potent-sounding blend of engine whirring and exhaust note that would be far too loud for modern legislation, and added considerably to the experience of riding it. The Honda was just about as fast as any bike on the road when it was launched, and decades later its clutch felt light, its gearbox slick, its whole powerplant efficient and strong.

Of course the Honda’s level of performance is below that of a modern bike of half the capacity, but I was still pleasantly surprised by just how lively it felt. It pulled crisply through the midrange and really quite hard at higher revs, with the benefit of that atmospheric four-pipe howl that added to the impression of speed. Like so many Honda fours since, it cruised effortlessly and smoothly at the legal limit with plenty of acceleration in hand, yet was also totally docile around town.

Perhaps inevitably the CB750’s chassis was no match for its engine, but handling was not at all bad. Back in the day, aggressive riding could make a CB750 lose its cool. One contemporary

tester, after some hard cornering on a bumpy road, wrote about “heart-stopping twitches as the power was poured on through the bend”.

This immaculate Honda, a UK bike registered early in 1970 and now owned by Kent-based enthusiast Mick Taylor, gave no such drama, though admittedly I wasn’t riding as hard as I would a new machine. Although quite heavy, the four carried its weight well, thanks partly to firm suspension that gave a rather harsh ride. Steering required a fair amount of effort, but the wide bars helped counter the heavy feel given by its conservative geometry and 19in front wheel.

By modern standards the front brake, a combination of single-piston caliper and 254mm stainless steel disc, felt pretty wooden but worked reasonably well if given a firm squeeze.

It was easy to understand why the disc was regarded as an improvement on rivals’ drums, and the same was true of the bike as a whole. Riding this gorgeous, quick and involving CB750 made it clear why Honda’s four was such a hit all those years ago.

FUEL TANK

The 17-litre tank gave a respectable range from a bike whose softly tuned engine was capable of delivering 40mpg or more. Honda called paint colour ‘Candy Blue Green’.

EXHAUST

Honda’s early four-pipe system, designated HM300, sounded as good as it looked, giving the CB750 K0 and K1 more of a snarl than later models.

HANDLEBARS

FRONT BRAKE

Fairly high bars reflect the fact that Honda designed the CB750 primarily for the US market, which was by far the world’s most important in the late Sixties.

FRAME

The CB750’s twindowntube steel frame could be made to flex under hard cornering, but relatively firm suspension helped give decent handling.

What’s it worth?

The good news for anyone thinking of buying an early CB750 is that the model’s popularity means many have survived, so prices aren’t as high as for many less important but rarer classics.

That said, a first-year four in top condition won’t be cheap. “An immaculate K0 is worth up to £15,000 if it’s an import, and as much as £18,000-£20,000 if it’s a UK model,” says Marc Earl, boss of Kent-based Japanese classic specialist Earls Classics (www.earlclassics.com), who has a beautifully restored US-market Honda on sale at £14,750. “UK-market bikes tend to be worth 10-15% more.”

If you’re not set on a first-year model, the K1 is almost identical apart from paintwork, and substantially less

That single front disc was just one of the advanced features that put the CB750 ahead of drum-braked rivals including Triumph’s Trident 750.

ENGINE

Honda’s 736cc four-pot powerplant featured a single camshaft and eight valves, and matched its 67bhp output with outstanding refinement and reliability.

valuable. Earl Classics also has a very clean and original CB750 K1 on sale for £11,500, complete with the louder HM300 exhausts. And the K2 model, introduced in the States in 1972 but still sold elsewhere for several more years, is less valuable again. Marc is advertising a very clean looking UK-market K2, registered in 1975, for £9250.

It is, however, possible to spend a great deal more if you want one of the first CB750s, which had sand-cast crankcases. These were produced in much smaller numbers in 1969, and are occasionally advertised at £30,000plus. A rare pre-production bike sold for almost £90,000 in 2014.

There’s a dedicated website at www.cb750sandcastonly.com

114 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

WHEELS

Wire-spoked wheels came in diameters of 19in front and 18in rear, typical at the time. Tyre manufacturer Bridgestone was still producing bikes in 1969.

On its 50th anniversary, the CB750’s legacy remains as strong as ever.

REFLECTIONS Specification HONDA CB750 Engine type: Air-cooled SOHC, 8-valve transverse four Displacement: 736cc Bore x stroke: 61 x 63mm Compression ratio: 9:1 Carburation: 4 x 28mm Keihins Claimed power: 67bhp @ 8000rpm Transmission: 5-speed Electrics: 12V battery, 210W generator Frame: Tubular steel duplex cradle Front suspension: Telescopic, no adjustment Rear suspension: Twin shock absorbers, adjustable preload Front brake: Single 254mm (10in) disc Rear brake: 178mm (7in) sls drum Front tyre: 3.25 x 19in Rear tyre: 4.00 x 18in Wheelbase: 1450mm (57in) Seat height: 800mm (31.5in) Fuel capacity: 17 litres (3.7 gal) Weight: 230kg (506lb) wet

ABOVE: That mighty Honda four in all its be-finned glory.

The 1971-model K1 had linked carbs, revised sidepanels, a black brake caliper and no chain oiler; the following year’s K2 had headlight revisions and a ‘750 four’ logo on its sidepanels.

That lack of updates means that the first CB750s are in many ways the best. In 1973 the CB was outgunned

by Kawasaki’s 903cc, DOHC Z1, and also lost some performance itself due to emissions-related updates.

Although some ground was later recovered with hotted-up versions such as the CB750F2, the planned DOHC model didn’t arrive until the 1979-model CB750K, and the Honda never regained its performance lead. But its influence continued to grow, helped by smaller fours from 350 to 550cc.

By the end of the decade its influence was clear, as multi-cylinder Japanese superbikes of previously unimaginable performance and sophistication, including Honda’s own CB900FZ four and CBX1000 six, ruled the roads. Soichiro’s four had transformed motorcycling, broadening riders’ horizons beyond the limits of the parallel twin, and shifting the balance of power from Britain to Japan. On its 50th anniversary, the CB750’s legacy remains as strong as ever.

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Classified

APRILIA RST 1000 Futura, 2002, Sports Tourer, 13,700 genuine miles, Sorned at moment but will MOT for successful buyer. 50+mpg on my last European trip, c/w Baglux colour matched tank cover, more photos available if required, £2000 ono. Tel. 07929 747165. lowerwynters@ outlook.com for more details.

ARIEL SQUARE FOUR 1958, this 60 years old bike looks fantastic, runs excellent, no dings or dents, clean and registered vehicle title, €10,000 US. Email: motorcup70@gmail.com California.

BMW K100RT 1987, in Motorsport white colours, one owner and in truly outstanding condition, comfort seat plus original unused, BMW panniers and top box, 86k very careful miles, £2850 ovno.

Tel. David on 01482 814103. E Yorks.

BMW R100RT 1991, 43k, high and standard screens, Krausers, all MoT’s, excellent condition, original tool kit and hand book, MoT, photographs available, £3950 ono. Tel. Mark 07761 951298.

Lymington.

BMW R1100RT 1998, R, very low mileage, 14,335 only, fully serviced, new tyres, 2 stage heated grips, electronic screen, arctic green, full touring spec, new inner pannier bags, MoT 17/4/19, £2225 ono. Tel. 07375 776467. Somerset.

BMW TOP BOX and panniers, 139,000, full s/h, too heavy for me now, 6 previous owners, £1500. Tel. 07775 994087. Berks.

BSA BANTAM D14 1968, 175cc, restored back in 1995, only taken out a couple of times a year and on sunny days, just had carbs cleaned, new ignition coil, spark plug, battery and oil change, starts and runs well for 50 year old bike, brakes and electrics all work, tax and MoT exempt.

Tel. 07802 504756. Northants.

BSA GOLDSTAR 1956, beautiful ‘56 BSA Goldstar motorcycle, runs perfectly, no need to work with the machine, rust free, private collector. Asking price £12,000 dollars. Email: otokram55@gmail.com USA

CUSTOM SOFT TAIL CHOPPER 2011, less than 6k miles, Ultima 107 CI polished V-Twin with 6 speed rsd polished gearbox, Hawg halters breaks and calipers, braided hoses throughout, only £10,500 ovno. Tel. 01256 355561; 07753 603515. Basingstoke.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON Street Rod 750, 1,200 miles, 17.5.17, extras, 3 year warranty, metallic green paint, high bars and std, data tag plus H/D alarm fobs, £5750 for quick sale. Tel. 07905 796557.

Northants.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON XLH 883 Sportster, 1990, 25k miles, excellent condition with extras, £3000. Tel. 01905 641012.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON Fat Boy FLSTF, 2008 (08 reg), 10,511 miles, 10k service, two owners, two keys, screen and rear carrier, garaged, MoT Aug 18, reluctant sale, must be seen, vgc, £9000. Tel. 01273 842943. West Sussex.

HONDA CB125S 1972, complete rebuild (cheap insurance), best example, £3000.

Tel. Paul 01935 474998. mailto:yeovil@ bransonsmotorcycles.co.uk

HONDA CBF600 N9 600cc, 2009, Pearl amber yellow, 4,500 miles only, mint condition Ð never seen rain, many extras, currently Sorned, will get new MoT, must be seen. Tel. 01582 601467. Dunstable.

HONDA CBR250R 2011, 1,300 miles, excl condition, lovely bike, same family from new, always garaged, MoT Apr 19, £1750. Tel. 07548 373257. W Mids.

HONDA CBR600F-T £1800. Tel. 07837 101226.

HONDA CJ 250T 1976, good condition, alloy rims, custom exhaust, running last year, tax and MoT exempt, becoming rare, £1500. Tel. 01269 822516.

Ammanford, Dyfed.

HONDA CX500 Custom, 1981, Canadian import, vgc, no MoT, garaged and not ridden for 4 years because of ill health, two new tyres, new battery, £1000 ono.

Tel. 01244 378828. Cheshire.

HONDA DEAUVILLE 650 motorcycle, Model NT 650V, only 5,072 miles, registered 1999, excellent condition, MoT until end of August 2018, panniers and top box fitted, high screen, dark purple, £2350. Tel. 07749 800597. Lincs

HONDA GB 500TT super little rare classic, e/start and auto decompression, fitted with the indestructible RFVC, 4-valve overhead cam motor pushing out, 38bhp, super shinny condition with lots of chrome and aluminium, speedo in mph.

Tel. 01204 791764.

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HONDA GL1800A GoldWing 1832cc, 52 reg, silver, genuine 7,800 miles, 2 owners, vg condition, reverse function, MoT to 24/6/2019, viewing by appointment, sold as seen,. Tel. 01356 623981. Tayside.

HONDA NIGHTHAWK 650 1985, full MoT, steering head, stripped and cleaned new fork seals, rear tyre, HT leads, plus, brake seals, pistons, pads, repair manual, £1600. Tel. 07434 483039. Warks.

HONDA ST1300 Pan European, 2003, 30,700 miles, lovely condition, ill health forces sale, £3000 firm. Tel. 01283 820063. Email: jn.jgstone@tiscali.co.uk Derbys.

HONDA SUPER BLACKBIRD 1100XX, 2000, MoT September, vgc, only 15,300 miles, alarmed, new d/b screen, plus matching Corbin seat included in price, £3000. Tel. 01622 817183. Kent.

HONDA VFR1200FA Sept 2011, 55k miles, MoT Aug 2018, full s/h, panniers, top box, centre stand, heated grips, good tyres, £5500. Tel. 07876 426745. S Yorks.

HONDA VFR750FJ 1989, very good orig cond, sympathetically restored, zinc plating painting, refurbed, all done to original spec, lots of new parts, lovely bike, 40k miles, £1900. Tel. Stephen 01283 210624. Derbys.

KAWASAKI ER6F 2007, mature owner since 2009, 36,572 miles, well maintained, repaired, damage r/h fairing, Pilot 4 tyres, Scottoiler, braided hoses, Givi top box, garaged, £1800. Tel. 01964 551089; 07925 494026. E Yorks.

KAWASAKI KZ1100-A1 1981, 48k, MoT, no advisories rebuilt, frame and panels/ tank resprayed, all parts either replaced with new or overhauled using new parts where necessary, brand new Hagon shocks, new Motad exhaust, lovely bike, Sorned, £2900 obo. Tel. 079170 62811.

Dorset.

KAWASAKI VERSYS 650 650cc, 2010, 640 miles from new, showroom condition, one owner, Givi top box, new battery, £3150. Tel. 01606 46527. Cheshire.

KAWASAKI ZXR-750 H1 1989, low mileage, 11 months’ MoT, Street fighter, too many new parts to list, needs carbonation sorting, commitments force sale, £1600 ono. Tel. 07470 200136.

Essex.

KAWASAKI ZXR-750 L2 1995, MoT 1/6/19, 44,651 miles, Micron carbon race can and standard, K+N Dynojet, new battery, lots of history, additional bodywork available, £1800. Tel. 07780 361893 after 16.30.

MOTO GUZZI V50 1982, Monza, 15,198 miles, plastics and fairing are all in good condition, full MoT, fans of the marque will know that the Monza edition differs from the V50 ‘tourer’ as it has clip-ons, £2900.

Tel. 07547 37376. Man.

SUZUKI BANDIT (GSF 1200 SA K6) exc cond, quick sale, one of the last of the original Bandit 1200’s (2006/56), looking good in black, very low mileage at just under 5,900 miles, one owner, two keys and full s/h with receipts/MoT’s, currently on Sorn and MoT’d until 30/08/18, £2999.

Tel. Dave on 07719 476144. Worcs.

SUZUKI BANDIT GSF1200 silver, 04 Plate 25,490 miles, MoT 26/09/18, 3 owners, good service history, fairing with tinted screen, 2 keys Datatool immobiliser, rack, standard exhaust, engine bars, LED spot lights/indicators, good condition, very good runner, £1750 ono. Tel. 07944 176232. Middx.

SUZUKI BURGMAN 400 2008, 2 owners, dealer history, Mot to May 2019, 25,500 miles, 2 keys, Haynes manual, £1495 ono.

Tel. Jon 07593 299752 . Leamington Spa.

SUZUKI BURGMAN AN650 Executive, 2016, only 2,768 miles (still riding so may go up slightly), great bike c/w TomTom Rider Sat Nav and Givi box shop fitted, manual or auto trans, data tag security, full s/h, 2 keys, c/stand, h/brake, elec start, h/grips, h/seats. Tel. 077010 87895 you will not be disappointed.

SUZUKI GS550 Four, 1978, 37k miles, runs great, current MoT, very clean example, new front tyre, recent battery, tax exempt from this year, £1750. Tel. 07814 355571. Lancs.

SUZUKI GT750 1976, full mechanical rebuild, still running in, cosmetics in good condition, lots of new parts, receipts available. Any questions £7000 ovno; cash only. Tel. 07854 079563. cathnjohnhall@gmail.com Leics.

SUZUKI SV650 2014, MoT, full s/h, 1,020 miles, new battery, £3200. Tel. 01902 791570. W Mids.

SUZUKI SV650S K6 2006, in really nice condition, only done 2,196 miles, owned 10 years, dry stored 4 years, new battery ready for new owner. Viewing welcome, sailed through MoT, no silly offers, MoT Apr 19 - HPI clear, £2249; cash on collection only. Any questions to roger. sweeting@sky.com

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Classified

TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE America 800, 19,290 miles, 2003, much preferred carb model, fully loaded with extras, MoT till May 19, must be one of the smartest show models in country, £3950. Tel. 01621 778184. Essex

TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T120R 1964, fully restored, completely rebuilt with Black Diamond valves, and the lowest compression pistons that could be found to deal with modern fuels, starts first kick, and idles like it should, 2,333 miles from rebuild, £1295. Tel. 07956 946625.

TRIUMPH T100SS 1962, bike has been fully renovated over the last few years and is in exc cond, 12v elecs, transistorised ignition, engine rebuild, wheels rebuilt, new tyres, a lovely example of this classic 500cc Triumph sports twin, ready for those summer ride outs and shows, MoT, oiro £5995. Tel. 07970 088234. Hants.

Classic Bike

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TRIUMPH T140 Jubilee Bonneville, 1978, S reg, great condition, ready to ride or investment, £7100. Tel. 01706 852775.

Lancs.

TRIUMPH THUNDERBIRD 1996, good condition, MoT, 31,200 miles, history, spares, now too heavy, will sell or exchange for America or Speedmaster, £3650 ovno. Tel. 01509 559930. felix31@ live.co.uk Notts

VINCENT FIREFLY 1956, V5, in my name engine sweet Raleigh sports, 24in frame, Sturmy Archer 3 speed with hub brake, 26 x 1 3/8 inch stainless wheels, show or ride, shoulder injury forces sale, £2100.

Tel. 01782 392090. Staffs.

YAMAHA DIVERSION 600cc, 2001, in use, MoT Sept, 32k, gone back to small bike, age 77, £750. Tel. 01767 691209.

Beds.

YAMAHA FS1E 1988, 30th Birthday in August, owned by same family since new, MoT, Cafe racer style, prefectly useable as is or could be restored back to standard, collection only from Raunds NN9 6JF, just off A14 Jct 13, £1500 ono; cash on collection or bank transfer please.

Tel. 07802 504756. Northants.

YAMAHA TR1 XV1000, 1983, matching numbers, 12k miles, later model refurbished, resprayed, rechroming many new parts, rare bike, superb condition, £3250 ono. Tel. 01246 200842 or 07935 175649. Derbyshire.

YAMAHA XJ 550 Special, 1981, 46,370 miles, good condition, runs well, ill health forces reluctant sale, import, £1195 ovno. Tel. 01508 528379; 07876 497888.

Norfolk.

YAMAHA XJ900 Diversion, 90,900 miles, very reliable workhorse, full MOTAD 4-into-2 exhaust, new MoT, £895 ono.

Tel. 07976 269958. Beds.

YAMAHA XV250S Virago, 1997, excellent condition, red, MoT, 11,972 miles from new, starts runs and rides like new, original red 2-tone paintwork, careful lady owner, service book stamped and many receipts for servicing, luggage rack, engine protectors, £1695 ovno. Tel. 01329 289080. Hants.

YAMAHA XVS650 1999, black, shaft drive, 40 hp rating, light custom work, full service, very reliable, starts first time, some history to verify low mileage, low seat, light and easy to ride, on Sorn, will come with full MoT, reluctant sale moving house, £2100. Tel. 0791 9158173. geoffrey.downing@ntlworld.com Hants.

SUZUKI V650 V-STROM 09, (AK9 Model), petrol tank and all 4 side panels, silver, £150 buyer to collect from KT12.

Tel. 01932 240150. Surrey.

TRAILER made to carry scooter, 188cm long, could be lengthened, c/w trailer board, lights, spare wheel and ramp, £130. Tel. 07836 505163. clive.pearce1@ btopenworld.com Wolverhampton.

120 mslmagazine.co.uk

HONDA CJ 250T

ARIEL BOBBER STYLE fitted with V-Twin S/V Jap engine, interesting fun bike, £10,000. consider as p/x basket case lightweight bike. Tel. 01978 842668. Clwyd.

EXCELSIOR MANXMAN 1936, in sports trim, rare old classic cam my, nice condition, £9500. Tel. 01978 842668 (please leave message if no answer).. Clwyd.

HARLEY SPORTS CUSTOM 2008, 883cc, injection model fitted, 1200cc, S&S Conversion, n tyres, new MoT, some extras, only 5,000 miles, £4900.

Tel. 01745 823233. N Wales.

HAYABUSA 1300R unrestricted, 99 model, 14,000 miles, two owners, £3250 ono. Tel. 07976 752528. W Mids.

HONDA C90 2002, 37k, red, fair condition, owned since 1,100 miles, must be clean, no time wasters, good investment, £800 ono. Tel. 07546 963739. E London.

HONDA GOLD WING 1100 1979, genuine Honda Comstar alloy rear wheel, 2.50x17, new/unused, £100; Honda CM400, 1979, exhaust prechamber/collector box, solid condition, £25. Tel. 01285 659376. Glos.

HONDA MSX125 Grom, 2014, black/ gold, lovely learner bike, cheap to tax, good mpg, less than 4,000 miles, careful mature owner, no damage, cash on collection please, £4150. Tel. 01872 572887. Cornwall.

HONDA MSX125 2014, black/gold, lovely learner bike, cheap to tax plus good mpg, less than 4,000 miles, careful mature owner, no damage, £4150. cash on collection please. Tel. 01872 572887. Cornwall.

NORTON COMMANDO 850cc, Mk 3, 1975, electric start, excellent condition, reluctant sale by mature owner, £8950. ono. Tel. 0116 241 4354. Leics.

PIAGGIO ZIP scooter, 50cc, 2015, black. Tel. 07867 804593. Herts. paulwash277@gmail.com TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T100 Genuine EFI loud Tor pea shooter silencers from 2012 model, l/h silencer has 1 inch scuff on it, hardly noticeable, other silencer immaculate, will split if price right, prefer collection but if has to be delivered buyer has to pay postage, £100. Tel. 079060 80814. Northumberland.

TRIUMPH T100 EFI rear Rentec carrier, no. REN7256 B/C plus fittings and instructions, all but new free choke, nob for above, bike included, £25. Tel. 07840 364013. Bucks.

YAMAHA RS200 200cc, 1981, one year’s MoT, very good condition inside and out, very original, eligible for classic insurance, selling due to age! mine not the bikes, £1850. bargain. Tel. 01227 740909; 01227 40909. Kent.

YAMAHA FZS1000 2005, MoT, blue, 30,820 miles and counting, new rear tyre, rear brake pads recent chain and sprockets, vgc for year, £2650 cash or would prefer to swap for a good condition smaller bike, just want something a little lighter, Fazer 600, Honda Hornet, anything considered.

Tel. Andy 07783 946490; 07783 946431.

Cambs.

Parts for sale AMAL CARBURETTOR 376 size 15/16”, £30 inc post. Tel. 01522 794711. Lincs.

APRILIA PEGASO STRADA 2007-2009, 660cc, fuel tank cover cowl plus electric cowl opener, dual seat fairing cover, l/h, r/h windshields, new dashboard panel, new Aprilia windscreen, £60. Tel. 07759 659969. Cheshire. Email: ernestealey@ hotmail.co.uk CARBON FIBRE HUGGER for Yamaha MT-07, (believe it fits all models), provides greater protection than the original Yamaha hugger, slight scuff on front end, but cannot be seen unless you know it is there, otherwise as new, c/w original fittings and is an easy replacement for the original hugger, cost £154. new, accept £80 plus £5 p&p. Tel. 07831 643825. Tyne & Wear.

DOUGLAS DRAGONFLY leading link forks, suspension units, mudguard, headstock, no wheel, may suit trike builder, good condition, £300. Tel. 01159 300100. Derbys.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON 1973, FLH Electraglide, matching numbers, totally original, recent restoration and serviced, starts and runs like a champ, panniers and top box included. Any questions, get in touch, £12,950. Tel. 0742 7008163.

London.

HANDLEBAR RISERS approx 3”, polished alloy, actually used on Yamaha XJR1300 but maybe used on other bikes, £15. the pair. Tel. 07504 327299.

Torquay.

HONDA DEAUVILLE SEAT 650 650, very good cond, £60; Honda CB250F, not Superdream seat, 1980, good cond, £70. Tel. 01299 210758. Worcs.

HONDA MBX125 83/84 model, parts MTX 125, 83/84/85/86 parts, NSR125 JO20 89/90 model parts, Honda CB550 rear drum wheel, complete, £150 plus postage; CB650Z 81 model parts, Honda VTR1000 Scorpion, s/s cans and link pipes, £175; small grab handle, £35.

Tel. John 07858 134475. Durham.

MOTO GUZZI NUOVO PARTS: frame/ forks, wheels (spoked) with brand new tyres (Avon), was being built as bobber, hence frame deluged), £350 the lot; also: dynamo, gear-lever, main rand, engine side cover, h/lamp shell. Tel. 01978 842668 (please leave message if no answer).. Clwyd.

MOTORCYCLE TYRES Avon Gripster AM24, 120 x 90 x 18”, as new, £25; Mitas Enduro rear, 120 x 80 x 18”, new Dunlop D803 trials 400 x 18 radial, part worn, £10. Tel. 01380 870819. Wilts.

PAIR DUNLOP WM2 19in steel rims, taken from 1969 Norton Mercury with full width hubs, in need of refurbishment but sound, logo very visible. Tel. 07845 682582. S Yorks. onearmedbandit@ btinternet.com TOURING KIT for Kawasaki Versys 650 (2010-2013), one PLXR450 Quick Release pannier rack, £75 ono; one pair of monorack arms for rear rack, £30 ono; all in good condition. Tel. Alan on 0771 5056674. Groby, Leics.

TRIUMPH 675 STREET TRIPLE blue flame, stainless cans and link pipes, £175; Honda VTR1000 top yoke handlebar conversion kit, £125; Suzuki 750/800 Intruder rear wheel, 86 onwards; GPZ1000 ZX rear wheel/ crushdrive, Ducati front wheel/no discs.

Tel. 07858 134475. Durham.

TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T100 King & Queen seat, £100; Honda VFR, 1996, hugger, £15 and luggage rack and two mirrors, £30; Goretex leather boots, new, 10/44 EU. Tel. 01189 678802; 07974 234466. Berks.

TRIUMPH PARTS: R & G tail tidy to fit S & R models up to 2017, vgc, £40 plus postage; Evotech Shark fin toe guard to suit Street Triple 2014-2016, vgc, £10. plus postage. Tel. Sarah on 07511 865455. Email: sarahwensley66@ internet.com BMW F800GT 2013, Ztechnick ‘V-Strom’, tall touring screen, Z2478, as new, £75; Motorad tank, rucksack, used 3 times, exc cond, £70; Motorad battery charger, used twice, bus plug type, £55.

Tel. 01483 284652. Surrey.

YAMAHA MT09 850cc, Renntec grab rail, as new condition, instructions and all fittings, £40 or £55. with postage, a must if you carry a pillion. Tel. 01706 215436. Rossendale, Lancs.

Wanted ANY MAKE OR SIZE classic motorcycle wanted, in any condition from a basket case to one in nice condition, cash waiting. Tel. 07811 189755.

MOTO GUZZI BREVA 750cc wanted, good price paid for clean low mileage bike. Tel. 01751 474350; 078160 57187.

N Yorks.

LEWIS LEATHERS/D LEWIS /Aviakit leather jacket wanted, any size, any colour, check the back of your wardrobe? £100. plus post, maybe more. Tel. 01223 350289 or 07788 636027. Cambs.

PEUGEOT MOPED 50cc, have approx 1960-1980 and used all over France, believe model is Velos? with big wheels, similar to NSU Quickly 50cc. Tel. 07910 448662 (can leave message). Herts.

TRIUMPH ROCKET 3 WANTED 2300cc, flyscreen and fitting kit, front and rear dresser bars, must be in excellent condition, cash waiting, any distance collected or post paid, UK only. Tel. 07775 680094. Essex.

YAMAHA RD250E WANTED seat, rear light and bracket plus mudguard tail piece etc, plus Allspeed exhausts, will travel. Tel. 07946 331428. W Yorks.

Miscellaneous BELSTAFF LEATHER JACKET ladies, size 12, and trousers, used only once, £450; no offers. Tel. 07592 737696.

Staffs.

SINGLE M/C TRAILER c/w loading ramp and spare wheel, well built and robust in design, tows really well, also lighting board fitted, £150. Tel. 01743 860362. Shrops.

BIKE MAGAZINE from No 2 to present date plus Motorcycle Sport (red cover) from same era to date, many Classic mags as well, show brochures from many years offers over £400 please, buyer collects (many boxes). Tel. 01293 776098; 07542 589733. Gatwick area.

VESPA BADGES, posters, patches and other collectables. Nice collection as a job lot. £70. ono for details (worth much more!) Tel. 07904 873626. Lancs.

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Green motorcycles with English-speaking riders Kevin Cameron

K

awasaki, after a 20-year absence from World Superbike, returned in 2014 with rider Tom Sykes and took a championship. Sykes’s engineer, Marcel Duinker, noted that measures to ‘control’ the Kawasaki were soon forthcoming. Since that time it has been clear that the two 100% factory teams of Kawasaki and Ducati are the power in the series, as many of the other teams are at best ‘semi-factory’, hoping one day to be transformed by factory help.

In 2015 Jonathan Rea was engaged as Sykes’s teammate, having previously served on one of the ‘semi’ teams whose bikes were well behind in electronic strategies. Once on a full function bike and freed from having to perform manual driveline management, he was revealed as smooth, adaptable, and very fast. Rea was champion in 2015, ’16, and ’17.

For Rea’s first year, World Supers engines were required to run stock pistons, valves, and crankcases and were limited to a single set of transmission gear ratios (rather than the three sets of ratios previously permitted in the class, or the five alternates for each gearbox speed usual in GP racing). Performance balancing was to be achieved by intake restriction (in practice this was only applied to Ducati, forcing the Men in Red to adopt a top-weighted power band) rather than by weight. All teams were allowed to employ throttle-by-wire – not just those whose production models included it.

The next year the number of engines used by each rider was limited, and the year after that, stock throttle bodies and working generators were required. The first of these limited engine airflow and the second added mass to the crankshaft, slowing acceleration.

For this year rev limits were substituted for intake restriction as a means of performance balancing. Each team was permitted 3.3% beyond its advertised red line.

A further provision instituted an algorithm that would order a further 300-rev cut for any team whose performance rose unacceptably above the average: no Alan Turings will be tolerated! For sluggard teams found wanting by ‘the algorithm,’ a system of concession points (rather reminiscent of popular video games) permits them access to parts upgrades.

So far, Kawasaki have been cut back from their original 15,200 (limited by engineering) to 14,100, with a further 300-rev cut for ‘too-good behaviour’ after Assen, for a total of 1400 revs.

Because horsepower is basically net stroke-averaged combustion pressure (bmep) multiplied times rpm, and because all well-developed race engines make roughly the same 200psi combustion pressure, that cut takes away 20hp. Other teams breathe a sigh of relief 122 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Is racing success all thanks to the rider or the bike? And what about the changing rules and factory support?

Kevin Cameron takes a look at the various forces at play…

Who is Cameron?

Kevin is one of the most widely-respected technical gurus on the planet. Author of some of the most iconic and landmark books in motorcycle publishing, the American brings the innermost workings of what goes on in an engine to the fore in an easy-to-access way.

Simply put, Cameron is a genius of all things metal that are fixed to two wheels.

– “Okay, guys, you can furlough the R&D staff – we won’t need ’em this year.”

Evidently the algorithm considers best performance only, because at the US Supers round, where Rea won both quite close, difficult races, his teammate Tom Sykes finished seventh and eighth, mainly because of front tyre issues (everybody had them!).

Tom Sykes was series champion in 2014 riding in his own aggressive Superbike style of braking late and very hard, getting turned early at a lower apex speed, then shooting the bike off the corner using its powerful acceleration. This classic style still frequently puts him on top in qualifying. But every year since then he has done less and less well, for as acceleration has been taken away by rules changes, he has had to modify his riding style to one less dependent upon acceleration, a style that works the front tyre harder.

People at the track were saying things like, “If Jonnie Rea didn’t exist, pundits would be saying, ‘too bad about Kawasaki – their bike is well obsolete. Still fast for five laps, then they go backward. Tyre-eaters. Tut-tut.”

In the old days teams could say, “Well, the rules are the same for everybody, so let’s get on.” But now they’re not.

I’ve got it! Sykes should just adopt Rea’s riding style.

When Valentino Rossi went from Yamaha to Ducati, was he able to become Casey Stoner? When Colin Edwards went from Honda to Yamaha, was he able to become Rossi? This is a long list, and it suggests that only a very few riders can click to another style.

The refractory problem in World Superbike is that of trying to equalize performance between factory teams of top professionals backed by experienced R&D staff, and semi-pro teams operating out of dealerships with vague promises of factory help that may or may not come. I suspect World Supers management would really like all teams to be grassroots amateurs who bolt on homologated factory kit parts. Good luck with that.

That was already tried in the US by Daytona Motorsports Group, whose ideology called for systematically driving out the factories. When their series dwindled away, its manager apologised, saying, “I underestimated the importance of the factories to our racing.”

Ride like a champion!

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