Motorcycle Sport & Leisure February 2017 preview

HO ONDA VFR100X CROSSTOURER THE GS ALTERNATIVE: COMPLETE BUYER’S GUIDE

2017 YAMAHA

MT 09 MT-09 Better suspension, tech & seat Yours for just

£7799

S GE PA 27 & ING UR OF TO ADVENTURE

WITH FREE DOWNLOADABLE ROUTES

MV boss reveals struggling brand’s future

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

THE LIGHTER ALTERNATIVES

CB500, Z300, MT-03, 390 Duke & Scrambler Sixty2

Full details of Norton Norto to V4 V & Spirit GP

BON NNIE BABY Y Triumph’s T100

FEBRUARY 2017 NO. 677

NEW BRITISH BRI TALENT NT

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

Contents

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

EDITORIAL ADDRESS: MSL Magazine, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR WEBSITE: www.mslmagazine.co.uk GENERAL QUERIES AND BACK ISSUES: 01507 529529 24 hr answerphone help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES: Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423 SUBSCRIPTION: Full subscription rates (but see page 16 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 16 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. SUBSCRIPTION AGENTS: Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR CUSTOMER SERVICES NUMBER: 01507 529529 TELEPHONE LINES ARE OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8.30AM-7PM SATURDAY 8.30AM-12.30PM DISTRIBUTION: COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. 01895 433600 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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66 NEW

76

Self-guided touring in the USA

6

News: New British sports bikes

16

Subscribe and save money

18

Letters: Win a Kriega pack

64

Adjusting history: Kevin Cameron

20

New broom vs old rubbish?

Leon Mannings

83

Points make prizes (except when they don’t): The High Sider

22

Exclusive interview: Is this MV’s last chance?

26

Test ride: 2017 Yamaha MT-09

32

Test ride: Metisse 8V Mark 5 Café Racer

38

Test ride: Ducati Monster 1200

40

Group test: Small capacity bikes

48

Test ride: Triumph Bonneville T100

52

It wouldn’t happen to me…

Maynard Hershon

TOURING 53

2017’s new adventures

54

UK: Lochs around the clock

56

France: Bol d’Or or bust

60

Russia: Ducati Globetrotter

66

South Africa Expedition

KNOWLEDGE 84

Buyer’s Guide: Honda Crosstourer

90

Long-term test: Piaggio MP3

91

Long-term test: Yamaha XSR700

92

Long-term test: Suzuki SV650

93

Long-term test: Kawasaki 1400GTR

94

Long-term test: Honda Africa Twin

96

Long-term test: Herald Classic 250

97

Long-term test: Suzuki GSX1250FA

98

Long-term test: Suzuki GSX-S1000

99

My bike: KTM 1050 Adventure

100 My bike: Honda Silver Wing 102 Tested: Keis heated vest & gloves, Schuberth E1 104 Classic test: 1967 Bridgestone 350GTR 114 Sense in a nonsensical world: Steve Rose

96

32

NEW Need to know ◆ Your letters ◆ First rides

The R models – this is the GP Sport R – have hand-made swingarms.

Own a road-going GP bike New company Spirit Motorcycles has announced its incredible debut machines…

T

he result of a collaboration between Tony Scott’s road and race engineering company T3 Racing, and Kev Taggart of custom bike builder Spirit of the Seventies, Spirit Motorcycles was only registered as a company in July 2016. However, three years of work behind the scenes have led to the new GP Sport and GP Street motorcycles, which are claimed to offer the closest experience to a Moto 2 bike possible.

As MD of Spirit Motorcycles, Tony is passionate about developing the UK’s racing talent, hoping to see a British MotoGP champion. The Triumph Triple Challenge – a BSB support class – was managed by T3 for eight years, and in four years of racing

it, the team won three titles and one second. They’ve also claimed ‘top Triumph’ at the TT Supersport race, and never failed to finish due to mechanical failure.

“We claimed the championships through experience, and providing the right environment and the right team,” said Scott. “We’ve always been keen on the development of riders, and would dearly love to see another Barry Sheene before they lay me to rest. You only have to look to Spain and Italy to see how it’s done. It’s about time we did something here.”

By working with BSB race director Stuart Higgs, Spirit has secured the new GP Sport’s place in the Supersport class during 2017, ridden by Dean Ellison and Alastair Seeley.

“This bike was born out of a passion to provide a structure that will take our new riders forward,” said Scott. “We wanted to build a motorcycle that would emulate a Grand Prix bike, to

allow young talent and their teams to experience a MotoGP chassis long before they ever got to the events.”

But these race machines will also be available for the road.

The GP Street is an un-faired, high-bar version of the Sport.

Test Ride Metisse 8V Mark 5 Café Racer

MODERN BRITISH MULTI An all-new café racer designed and developed in the UK by one of Britain’s most historic motorcycle brands is finally nearing production…

WORDS: Alan Cathcart PHOTOGRAPHY: Kyoichi Nakamura

32 The original and the best – established 1962

M

NEW

étisse is th he iconic multi-purp pose motorcycle marque founded over o 50 years ago by thee two Rickman brothers, Derek and Don, to further their careers as star scramblers back in the 60ss. After achieving dirtbike dominaance with its good-handling frames powered

by British twin and single-cylinder motors, Métisse went on to t become Britain’s largest streetbike builder (after the demise of Norto on first time around, and before John Bloor B resurrected Triumph) wheen the Rickmans began wrappingg metal tubing around four-cylind der engines from Kawasaki, Honda an nd Suzuki.

Today’s 4000sq ft Métisse factory in rural Oxfordshire – in its unlikely location as part of the eleggant, upmarket Carswell Counttry Club that’s company owner Gerrry Lisi’s main business – is where the t new Métisse air/oil-cooled doh hc eightvalve motor has been creaated. It’s taken shape there alongsid de the classic range of off-road ch hassis that until now have been the Métisse M stock in trade, spearheaded by the t 122 replicas of movie star Stevve McQueen’s favourite bike of the h Triumph hundreds that he owned: his Métisse desert racer. The company c has constructed these for customers in 13 different countries at a a price of £13,650 (not including taxx) in fully street legal form, with thee approval of the actor’s son Chad, and the Rickman brothers. “It’s really fantastic to see this Stteve McQueen bike bein ng built,” says Don Rickman n. “It’s very nice to think thatt a firm we started back in 1958 1 is still in existence as a looked-upto name, and thaat a bike we actually built 50 years ago can be revived to o such a high standard off quality.”

Brother Derek aggrees: “We’re really proud of what w Gerry’s achieving in termss of keeping the Metisse name aalive. He has our complete suppo ort for what he’s doing.”

Gerry Lisi, 68, says his h intention was always to develop a range of modern Métisse motorcyccles, after the Italian-born former ro oof thatcher acquired the historic bran nd in 2001.

He came to Britain as a veery young child when his father retu urned to the UK post-Second World War W to work on the farm where he’d beeen interned as a PoW during wartimee.

Lisi Junior eventually tired of tying straw to country cottage rafters in all weathers – a gruelling but lucrative profession that fuelled his hobby of racing pre-1965 vintage dirtbikes in scrambles and enduros – so when he established Carswell in the 1990s, he decided to add pleasure to business by acquiring an interest in Métisse in 1999, which eventually led to full blown ownership in 2001.

By now Lisi was intent on ramping up the business quite substantially, including building street bikes. Only one thing was missing – he needed an engine to do it with, preferably a parallel-twin, because that’s what the Métisse DNA dictated. Métisse frames had always used other companies’ proprietary engines, but he needed a modern motor to meet today’s emissions requirements. The obvious candidate was Triumph’s then-new born-again Bonneville’s 790cc parallel-twin, so Lisi contacted John Bloor to seek supplies.

Initially, Triumph agreed to furnish engines to Métisse, but according to Lisi then withdrew a year later, after he’d developed a Mark 5 frame to house the Bonneville motor. “They told me it would be too big a problem to supply me with that engine because of product liability issues in America,” he says.

“So having been let down by them I decided to create my own engine to produce a modern Métisse. You could say this engine only exists because of Triumph!”

A UNIQUE MOTOR

Starting in 2003 with a clean sheet of paper, Lisi set out to pen his own Métisse engine, still using the same parallel-twin dohc eight-valve format with traditional British 360º crank (both pistons rising and falling together) as the Bonneville had back then, but now measuring 98 x 66mm for 997cc. This produces considerably more power as well as torque than the Triumph motor, and is much more compact, as well as air/oil-cooled, rather than liquid-cooled like the Bonneville. “I don’t want to take Métisse too far into the future immediately,” says Gerry.

“It needs to catch up with itself, which means going air-cooled first to maintain a link with the past and the retro bikes we’re building now, but then in the future we can produce a higher-performance liquid-cooled version, if needs be.

The basis is there.”

Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 33

Group Test

SMALL MINDED MOTORCYCLING

There’s been a significant increase in sub-500cc motorcycle sales, plus a sizeable number of new models entering the category.

So what’s the hook with these minuscule machines?

WORDS: Bruce Wilson PHOTOGRAPHY: Gary Chapman

N

ot so long ago only a few of the major brands produced small capacity motorcycles, but things have changed and the trend is now shifting the opposite way.

But why, if it’s not due to a surge of new, young riders coming into the fold in the UK, despite the best efforts of many organisations and the bike builders themselves?

Manufacturers want to expand global sales in developing markets such as South America and Asia – the kind of places where litre sports bikes simply don’t sell, but small capacity, economical and affordable 40 The original and the best – established 1962

motorcyclles are what everyone wants. Thee sales volume potential in these arreas is huge, so every brand is having to seriously consider developingg products to suit the demands.

But as a direct spin-off, it means these new bikes, such as the five machines we’re putting through their paces in this month’s group test, have become available to the European market and they’re proving pretty popular here too – not just with the youngsters, but also with experienced riders, commuters and social motorcyclists who are after easy-going bikes at sensible prices.

And the kind of people who want to downsize, and are now being presented with

credible options to consider, sporting decent power outp puts, reasonable handling and d styling that doesn’t make it look as if you’ve stolen a child’’s toy.

It’s good news for all, and it’s a scene that’s getting bigger all the time, with the likes of Kawasaki’s Versys-X 300, Suzuki’s and BMW’s G310. But what are these bikes actually like to ride?

To find out, we paired off our team of five experienced riders with a small capacity machine of their own and sent them out to clock up the miles over a two week period...

Day Ride

LOCHS AROUND THE CLOCK

Glencoe – proof that bloody deeds and beautiful scenery can share the same spot.

260 miles round central Scotland, where the A-roads are twisty and the power stations underground…

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Alex Carnegie

P BELOW: Maid of the Loch paddle steamer is being restored.

North Ballachulish

Crianlarich

Callander

Ardanaiseig

Balloch

54 The original and the best – established 1962

eople travel from all over Europe to enjoy the roads of central Scotland, but I’m just lucky to live here and have it all on my doorstep. So rather than ride long distances on an adventure bike or big tourer to get here, I only have to walk into the garage, start up my Hyosung 650 and head off for a few hours’ fun.

This figure of eight circuit is 260 miles and should take about five hours plus stops.

I’ll start at the Kirkhouse Inn in Strathblane, a few miles from home on the A81 out of Glasgow. It’s a main road, but takes a pleasant meander into the Loch Lomond National Park, and on to Aberfoyle – it marks the start of the Duke’s Pass, a road originally built by the Duke of Montrose in the 19th century to improve access to his estate, and later upgraded to cater for Victorian tourists. This town is a popular tourist stop with a Woollen Mill Outlet, sheepdog demonstrations and various shops and cafés. It’s also a favourite destination for Glasgow bikers wanting a short blast into the countryside, so there are often plenty ready to chat.

The Duke’s Pass is now the famously twisty A821, which we follow for seven miles until meeting the A84. Turn left for Crianlarich, and the road becomes the A85 as you travel north past Lochearnhead.

Further along you can make a detour to visit Killin and the beautiful Falls of Dochart, on the left as you ride into the village. Continuing through Killin would

Mid Ride

BOL D’OR OR BUST It might take a little longer now, but the annual pilgrimage to the Bol is never going to stop…

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Emrys Jones

I

can remember 1978. I read a magazine article on the Bol d’Or by one Zed Zawada. It was so inspiring I rode from Peterborough down to the Bol d’Or the following year, in one hit, though that bit wasn’t planned. We’d got chatting with some German riders during a fuel stop, early evening just north of Paris – when we explained our plan to camp for the night it quickly became clear this was simply not done. Blast for the sun, don’t stop until you hit the Med and sleep on the beach. I did it, and since then I’ve had the fever bad, real bad.

There have been many trips to the Bol since, including one by van to pick up a journalist’s stolen test bike in Marseilles. It was an early Yamaha R1, and rather than load it straight into the van, I couldn’t resist giving it a quick blast up the infamous twisty DN58 to Paul Ricard. Still, that’s a story for another day.

Years later, I’ve got my own R1, and the plan to ride it down to the Bol along with my brother Chris (Honda SP-1) and pal Chris 2 (Kawasaki ZXR600).

As if that weren’t confusing enough, we were meeting

56 The original and the best – established 1962

three Marks down there, two of whom rode down while the third (short of time) took an easyJet to Marseilles. Mark 3’s trip worked out significantly cheaper than riding down, but I couldn’t help feeling that he’d missed out on the experience somehow.

All of us were there for the full Bol d’Or experience, finally back at Paul Ricard after being held at various French circuits over the years. It’s still one of the best 24-hour endurance races, and before 1953, the rule was one rider per bike, so they had to do the whole 24 hours solo – Gustav Lefevre won that seven times on a Manx Norton!

BELOW: Arrived! R1, SP-1 and ZX6R had no problem with the largely motorway route.

FREE PEAGE

The days of Peterborough to Marseilles in one hit are long gone, though I did ride straight from home down to the Eurotunnel to meet the two Chrises, and I can tell you it was uncannily warm at 4.30am.

With bikers collected together in the same carriage by train we were like naughty boys on a school trip.

The banter started instantly and a couple from Milton

Big Ride

Wherever you are in the world, sheep feature.

Part 1: RUSSIA

DUCATI GLOBETROTTER How do you prove a bike’s reliability? Ducati sent a Multistrada 1200 off on an 18,000-mile round-the-world trip. Frenchman Laurent Cochet did the Moscow to Vladivostock stint – we join him at Lake Baikal…

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Laurent Cochet

A

n easy day today, I just have to ride 45km to the north of this island in Lake Baikal, and back to my hotel tonight. The first 20km are on easy trails, so I set the Multistrada on enduro mode and at 45mph I feel like the king of the world.

I come to a barrier with guards who take 240 roubles for me to continue (about £3) to a crossing.

Right trail or left? Both are really bad, with some big ruts, mud and sand. Let’s take the left one and… I crash, my right foot trapped under the pannier, and there’s nobody coming.

I breath deeply, remove my helmet and my gloves.

I try to remove some sand from under my boot, but it just sinks deeper, as does the bike. Then I manage to put my video tripod under the pannier to support it, remove more sand and yes, it works! I won’t have to 60 The original and the best – established 1962

Perm

Moscow Omsk Chita

Vladivostok

This concrete road through the Great Karoo led the team to Willowmore and the start of the Baviaans trail.

Part 2

2000 MILES ACROSS

SOUTH AFRICA The technical riding challenge intensifies as Bruce Wilson’s expedition from Johannesburg to Cape Town with Trailquest enters its final stage...

66 The original and the best – established 1962

TOURING & ADVENTURE

South Africans Arnold, Andre and Roan proved to be pros at fixing punctures.

WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Bruce Wilson

T

he Dutch word Baviaanskloof translates roughly as the ‘valley of baboons’, but to us – on day five of our South African expedition on Triumph Tigers – it meant narrow gorges, tricky river crossings, steep mountain passes, and loads of technical riding. It was set to be a challenging 153-mile route that was 90% off-road. It was as if the trip had been turned on its head, with the unwelcome prospect of yet more relentlessly straight roads exchanged for visions of adventure, excitement and a step into the unknown.

We were in for a long, hard day and that meant hitting the trail early and working our way south along a narrow, concrete road. Being only wide enough for one vehicle, it meant a detour onto the surrounding dirt was needed each time we came across oncoming traffic, but thankfully we were pretty much the only travellers passing through.

We were deep into the Karoo with only the occasional pen of sheep for company.

The air was cold and the odd drops of rain only made the ride to Willowmore drag that little bit more.

When we got there it hit home instantly how lifeless the place was, with the attendants at the fuel station where we filled up being the only people visible.

Where was everyone? Why were there no cars? Where did people go to shop? I never did find the answers as we were soon on our way again, edging closer to a route known as the R332. It turned out to be a dirt road that stretched away as far as the eye could see towards distant mountains. Being visitors, we had little idea of its significance, but as our Triumph Tigers’ wheels span, flinging clouds of dust in every direction, we had without realising it just started out on an unforgettable journey.

Those mountains that had once been so remote were soon all around us, bringing with them long sweeping bends and some amazing views from their summits. In the distance we could see the trail’s continued progress but no sign of its end, which must have terminated well beyond the horizon.

Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 67

Used test:

2015 HONDA VFR1200X Looking for a comfortable, big-mile bike that isn’t a GS? Don’t forget the Crosstourer…

WORDS: Chris Moss PHOTOGRAPHY: Mark Manning

I

t’s a wonder why Honda took so long to build the VFR1200X Crosstourer. Long before its 2012 introduction, the big-bore adventure bike class was already well established, not to mention hugely popular. The sector had plenty of buyers willing to part with significant sums of cash, yet Honda was slow to react seriously.

To be fair, it had made some attempt to steal market share at various ous po points ts aalong o g tthee way be before o e finally a y building the Crosstourer. Back in 1987 it responded to BMW’s 1980 R80GS – the bike that arguably invented the class – wiith the XL600V Transalp. But that same year the Germ man model got bigger still, becoming the R100GS. Two o bike seasons on, and Honda at last showed signss of being a much more interested player, bringing out its acclaimed 1989 XRV750 Africa Twin.

While the 750 did well, staying in production until 2003, th he Japanese firm failed to keep up with the increasin ng popularity of larger capacity bikes like the 1994 BMW R1100GS. Healthy sales of the German bike b demonstrated that it was a sector worthyy of investment, a fact the Munich-baseed men acknowledged themselves by launching the 1150GS in 1999. Hondaa responded with the XL1000V Vaaradero that same year.

But it wasn’t a great bike and by then o well established it the GS was so mpossible act to follow. proved an im

84 The original and the best – established 1962

BUYER’S GUIDE

Despite its heftysounding 275kg, as soon as those spoked wheels are revolving, the Crosstourer feels surprisingly manageable.

Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 85

LONG-TERM REVIEW WITH

My bike: 2010 Honda FJS600 Silver Wing g Photographer Martyn Boyd, 55, from Northern Ireland shares his experience of Honda’s super-capable super-scooter…

I

’ve been riding since I was 18 and commuted for more than 20 years, whatever the weather. I owned a 1988 BMW R80RT ex-police machine for 12 years (and two other similar ones before it) – I still liked that but had an itch to try something quite different.

I now cover about 5000 miles every year, mainly for pleasure, and was riding a 2001 Silver Wing as an experiment when my friend decided to sell this younger, fuel injected model for £4500. I had no trouble selling the 2001 model to help pay for it, and have since put about 14,000 miles on the clock.

It’s been used for some commuting, some shopping, to carry camera kit but mostly just for pleasure trips alone, two-up, with a friend or with a group from my motorcycling association on our charity trips.

My daughter loves being pillion,

as does my wife sometimes. The ’Wing performs great two-up, so long as I remember to adjust the rear suspension and pump the tyres up appropriately. Fast runs, motorways etc. are no problem, though the front end feels quite light at very low speeds, and acceleration from a standstill is much reduced – as is the economy. But it’s always comfortable, peppy and stable.

The furthest I’ve been is a 250 mile day tour that took me out around County Tyrone in the west and back home over the top of Lough Neagh. I love it because it’s different in so many ways but also familiar. It’s comfortable (up to about 100 miles at a time), enjoyable to ride, economical, very reliable and requires fairly low maintenance, which is easy to carry out. It’s just so easy to live thanks to the capacious under-seat lockable storage and

100 The original and the best – established 1962

the parking brake, which is very useful sometimes! It puts a smile on my face and that’s what any motorcycle should do.

It’s not all perfect – the fuel tank is small at only 16 litres, and I wish I could turn the headlight off (but that’s not on option on any modern bike).

It’s lacking hazard lights and the rider’s seat adjustment isn’t enough for me – I’ve had to make a small personal modification to accommodate my long legs, in the form of a thinner rear rider back rest, which gives me about three inches more legroom.

I replaced the windscreen for a Givi Airflow adjustable one and its brilliant. The horn is feeble so I fitted a Denali SoundBomb Mini, and the mirror stalks are too close together, so I fitted 2in extenders to take the view past my elbows.

Mirror extenders give a better view past the elbows.

MY BIKE

Owner: Martyn Boyd Price paid: £4500 Spec: 49bhp/40lb-ft Kerb weight: 247kg Tank: 16 litres (3.5 gallons) Seat: 754mm Miles on clock: 17,452 Average economy: 60+mpg Current tyres: Avon Vyper Strike rear and Dunlop ScootSmart front.

General impressions: Fun, capable, thrilling, useful, surprising and deceptive.