Motorcycle Sport & Leisure - January 2015 - Sample

TRIUMPH’S NEW DUCATI’S ORIGINAL TIGER 800 TESTED SCRAMBLER REVISITED

Hinckley’s middleweight adventure bike raises the bar

With a new version on the way, we take a look at the first

2015

HONDA VFR800X

CROSSRUNNER

“Honda’s engineers have certainly got the best out of the VFR package”

9

MUST ASK QUESTIONS

for your tour company

2015

BMW S1000RR 199bhp, heated grips and cruise control

January 2015

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A £3000 SUPERBIKE SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA PLUS: The toughest way round: 15 nations battle it out in Canada on the GS Trophy ◆ Moto Guzzi V7 modern classic goes hi-tech ◆ Trailquest on a Tiger ◆ Ducati Monster 1100S Buyer’s Guide

Just grab a jacket and go Tony Carter

T

here’s a change happening in motorcycling.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’ve all heard that before. Whenever movers and shakers in the industry bang on about changes and all that sort of guff, it usually means that they’ve got a new style of bike they want to shi. Let’s be realistic here, ‘change’ is oen a coverall term for ‘buy’.

But the weird thing about what I’m blathering on about is this – nobody in this game on the professional side, or at the very least only a few of them, seem to have picked up on what’s going on at the moment.

It’s something I’ve noticed happening more and more each time I ride. I see more and more riders out and about and they all seem to be doing the same sort of thing without anyone really realising it. It really looks and feels like a grassroots movement that’s organic in its inception and execution.

It’s bare-bones, back-to-basics riding. Just grab a jacket, gloves and lid and go ride. None of this kittingup-for-an-hour nonsense. No camel packs for a trip to the shops on a Sunday morning. No massive transglobal pannier sets bolted onto a bike. None of that guff.

Just a jacket and a bike and that’s it.

I’m sure you’ve seen it too. Or maybe you’re part of the movement. It’s actually quite exciting to see this sort of thing growing. is month I have been riding new models in both Italy and Spain (oooh, get me… part of the job though…) and out there this sort of riding is common.

It’s not oen you’ll see riders getting kitted up in the same way that we in the UK tend to. Riding every day in the UK, especially in the unseasonably mild autumn and early winter we’ve just enjoyed, I’ve noticed the justjacket approach really happening here in Blighty, too.

MSL: Meet the Team Bruce Wilson

MSL’s deputy editor started riding aged 10. He’s 28 now.

Bruce has written for Motorcycle Racer, MCM, Classic Motorcycle Mechanics and others, before joining MSL three years ago. He has since tested almost every new bike launched.

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.

It’s the simple things that can matter the most.

I’ve even found myself just grabbing a fairly lightweight leather jacket and going for a ride, just for the sake of the ride. And when I’ve only got an hour at lunch to get out on two wheels then I’ll tell you what, not spending ages getting all the kit on really makes a difference.

Yep, I can almost hear the outraged-of-Essex-letters already winging their way to MSL Towers at the very thought of someone ‘in my position’ as editor of a motorcycle magazine advocating riding without full protection from head-to-toe, but sometimes you’ve just got to bloody get on a bike and ride without all the faffing about.

It really reminds me of being a kid and riding in that manner again. It’s terrifically freeing and really reminds you of what riding a bike can still be about.

I’m not for one second advocating riding without a level of protection that you feel you need, that’d be very silly indeed, but what I am saying is that if more people are just grabbing a jacket and going for an hour on a bike instead of not riding because of all the faffing about then good on them.

Ride, people. at’s what it’s all about. Ride and enjoy it. Either fully kitted up in leathers, textiles, body armour or whatever – as long as you’re happy and have a good time that’s all that matters.

Have a safe (and happy) ride,

Tony Carter Tony has been riding for nearly 30 years, in most countries and on most types of bikes.

A journalist for nearly 20 years, MSL’s editor has written for a host of newspapers including The Sun, The Mirror and The Observer.

Formerly head of news at Motor Cycle News, he has written for dozens of motorcycle magazines around the world.

Tony Carter Editor

Alan Cathcart

Alan Cathcart has been writing about bikes for over 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.

Chris Moss

Mossy has raced the Isle of Man TT, dispatched in London and ridden everything from CX500s to full-blown GP prototypes. A former chief motorcycle tester for Motor Cycle News, the 53-year-old admits he’s still loving two-wheeled life, and still learning.

Malc Wheeler

Malc Wheeler has been riding motorcycles for 50 years, starting before he legally could and no one has been able to stop him since.

He raced in the TT for 16 years, collecting three podiums along the way.

mslmagazine.co.uk 3

MSL January EDITOR: Tony Carter: tcarter@mortons.co.uk PUBLISHER: Steve Rose: srose@mortons.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR: Bruce Wilson DESIGNER: Sarah Scrimshaw REPROGRAPHICS: Simon Duncan GROUP PRODUCTION EDITOR: Tim Hartley GROUP KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Steff Woodhouse: swoodhouse@mortons.co.uk 01507 529452 / 07786334330 ADVERTISING TEAM LEADER: Richard Sinclair: rsinclair@mortons.co.uk 01507 529538 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 PRODUCTION MANAGER: Craig Lamb: clamb@mortons.co.uk PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Dan Savage: asavage@mortons.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Nigel Hole ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: Malc Wheeler 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 32 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £49.20. Export rates are also available – see page 28 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

34

104

SEE SEE PAGE 28 PAGE 40

92

SUBSCRIBE

Pay less, get MSL delivered to your door and get it earlier than the poor people rushing to the shops before we sell out (again). Cha-ching!

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.

Postmaster: Send address changes to MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURE, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@classicbikebooks.com

Independent publisher since 1885

Having trouble finding a copy of this magazine?

Why not just ask your local newsagent to reserve you a copy each month?

4 mslmagazine.co.uk

Member of the Professional Publishers Association

67 98 82

CONTENTS NEW 006

ONE TO RIDE

009

WHAT’S NEW

018

POSTBAG

020

TRIUMPH’S NEW TIGER 800

If you’re in the south of France, you have to experience this stunning ride up and over Mont Ventoux.

All the latest on this month’s greatest releases, events and more.

You guys have filled another fantastic spread with some superb letters.

We’ve been talking about it for a while now, but we’ve finally had the chance to put it to the test iin sunny Spain. Here’s what we make of it...

48 TOURING

028

SUBSCRIBE

030

CONTI’S NEW RUBBER

034

HONDA VFR800X

062

040

MOTO GUZZI V7

067

048

BMW S1000RR

If you want to save money, get the mag first and never miss a month of MSL, do the wise thing and subscribe today.

056

058

We sent Roger Jones to Wales to take on Continental’s new TKC70 dual-purpose tyres.

Also known as the Crossrunner, Simon Roots rates the latest V4 offering from Honda.

On test in Italy, the second generation, hi-tech V7 pleasantly surprises TC.

This rocketship Beemer is perhaps the most advanced production superbike on the market. And now it comes with more power and cruise control.

40

OUT THERE

Great rides and great events that you need to check out.

IN THE MONEY

If you fancy that world trip, but can’t afford it, Sam Manicom talks us through the potential of commercial sponsorship.

TOURING BIBLE

Before you book next year’s big tour, read Richard Millington’s must ask questions.

5 MINUTES WITH...

This month’s dynamic duo of amateur adventurers step up and tell us the realities of their passion for two-wheeled travel.

KNOWLEDGE 080

082

092

098

104

MARKET PLACE

Stay ahead of your friends by reading this news filled spread from the industry.

GS TROPHY: PART 1

Bruce and the boys of Team GB reach Canada and get their teeth into some amazing trail rides, extreme challenges and learn the realities of a life under canvas.

LONG TERM LIFE

This month’s section is headed up by Ian Fisher, who’s headed to Trailquest with his Tiger 800 and spent a day in the dirt.

DUCATI MONSTER 1100S

Chris Moss explores the potential of this monsterous v-twin. See what he makes of it and what advise he gives for those considering buying one.

DUCATI SCRAMBLER

We’re talking about the original. Roland Brown casts his mind back several decades and recalls the joys of this iconic motorcycle. mslmagazine.co.uk 5

Malaucène

Mo

MONT VENTOUX: MALAUCÈNE TO SAULT On the mountain made most famous by the Tour de France there happens to be a fabulous biking route to ride.

IF YOU’RE PASSING

ont Ventoux

Sault

One to Ride: Over and over – if you can!

Distance: 30 miles Time to ride: One hour Climbing Mont Ventoux is a ride you won’t forget in a hurry. It’s located in the Provence region of southern France and rises spectacularly up into the sky above.

Kicking off from the town of Malaucène, you worm your way upwards, ticking off hairpin after hairpin on the smooth-surfaced Tarmac, taking note of the temperature

dropping with every bend you take. The road’s gradient is ever changing, but it’s always steep and before you know it you’re towering above towns in the valleys below.

Often referred to as ‘The Beast’, this famous climb is also one of the favourites of the Tour de France, so even if you can’t predict the weather at the top, you can bet your hat the route will be littered with daring cyclists mimicking their heroes in reaching the peak of the 6000ft-

mountain. Up the top there’s a great place to stop and see the world below, indulging in a brew from the local facilities. But if you fancy more riding, the route down is a treat and a half.

It’s far more winding than the way up, linking turn on to turn, as you slot in between a dense pine forest, until the ground eventually plateaus on the final run up to Sault. By the time you get there, you’ll be wanting to do it all again.

8 mslmagazine.co.uk

NEW News First Rides Products

BMW’s all-new F800R revealed

Lighter wheels, more power, lower seat all set to make the easy-goer even more easy-going in 2015.

FRONT BRAKE Radial calipers

T

HEADLIGHT

Symmetrical main headlight design

his is the new F800R from BMW. With a ra of changes to the popular bike the Germans are going all-out to bag the middleweight roadster upright market, it seems. e engine stays the same as before with a 798cc liquidcooled four-valve twin-cylinder lump but the power has risen from 87bhp to 90bhp for next

ENGINE

More power than the old bike. Up to 90bhp @ 8000rpm (old one was 87bhp at the same revs)

year. at peak figure is still churned out at 8000rpm but the bike itself will feel more perky thanks to shorter ratios between the first and second gears.

Peak torque stays at 63lb- @ 5800rpm. BMW says that the engine and gear changes also mean that the bike gives better mpg although no figures for this have yet been released.

GEARBOX

Modified ratios for first and second gear to make the bike more lively and easier to get on with in town

SEAT HEIGHT

Now 790mm (was 800mm before)

Chassis-wise there are some considerable changes which should make the F800R an even more involving ride. Upside-down forks are now used on the bike as are radial calipers. e seat height has been dropped 10mm to 790mm and the new tapered handlebars and revised footrest position is promised to give more room to the rider. e new bike looks fairly different to the old one thanks

WHEELS

Lighter than previous models for easier handling

in part to the symmetrical main headlight, new fairing and radiator shields. While the bike’s new face is impressive though, the list of tech isn’t anything that special. ere’s ABS as standard on the bike but if you want ASC (Automatic Stability Control) or ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) then you’ll have to put your hand in your pocket for them on the aermarket list.

Top Stories

NEXT

MONTH RIDDEN

FIRST MSL heads overseas to get the lowdown on two of 2015’s most interesting motorcycles.

And we’re doing it first.

BMW’S S1000XR: MORE DETAILS The official unveiling at Milan tells us a bit more about the German firm’s upright superbike.

KAWASAKI

VERSYS The popular Versys has been updated with 1000cc and 650cc versions. Are they any good or are they all fur coat?

We find out with the aid of a mega-mileage bike rider.

BMW R1200R

BMW attempts to make it back to the top of the sales charts in the mega-competitive big naked – but still tourer – category. It has lots of shiny bits and pieces to take on the likes of Triumph and KTM but can it cut the mustard? Our Bruce is in Spain to find out.

All of that and plenty more from the two-wheeled world... part two of the GS Trophy and amazing stories of great tours

by MSL readers just like YOU. MSL #653 goes on sale January 2, 2015

10 mslmagazine.co.uk

L

ast month MSL scooped everyone else with our first look at (among many other bikes that we got first, yeah, we did) BMW’s S1000XR – basically a S1000RR in upright, road-based adventure-style fun. is month, aer the bike was shown to the rest of the world at the Milan Show, there’s a bit more known about the package. And here’s what we now have confirmed from the factory: You get a straight four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 999cc. Output is 160bhp at 11,000rpm, and maximum torque is 83lb- at 9250rpm.

BMW Motorrad ABS comes as standard (it’s semi-integral and disengageable) and you can get ABS Pro for braking with the bike banked over in a corner (as part of the Pro riding modes optional extra).

Automatic Stability Control (ASC) is standard and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC)

with banking sensor is also part of the Pro riding modes optional extra.

Two riding modes that can be selected by the rider at the push of a button as standard – Rain and Road – and two additional riding modes, Dynamic and Dynamic Pro, are again

available as part of the Pro riding modes option.

Spring elements come with long spring travel for more agility and damping and there’s an electronically controlled suspension system, Dynamic ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment).

NEW

TRIUMPH LAUNCHES

NEW ROCKET X AND REVEALS PRICE OF NEW TIGER 800

Under £8.5k for the Tiger! Rocket X also shows the way at Milan alongside special Thunderbird version

P

hew! Triumph has announced the price of the new Tiger 800 and it’s well under the £9k mark. In fact, for the UK market, the seriously upgraded latest version of the bike will go on sale in dealerships in January with prices starting at £8499. at’s not a lot of money in the marketplace for a bike with very serious amount of spec including traction control, cruise control and a host of new touches designed to make it more roomy and easy-going. We’re impressed by this price and you can see how impressed we are with the bike during our world first launch report which begins on page 20.

Rocket X Limited Edition

To celebrate 10 years as the world’s largest-capacity mass production motorcycle, Triumph is launching a limited edition version of its iconic Rocket III. Originally unveiled in 2004 and developed continually ever since, the Rocket III now gets a new limited edition Rocket X version.

Limited to just 500 units, each with individually

numbered side panels and billeted aluminium name badges, the 2294cc three cylinder gets a colour scheme from paint specialist 8 Ball contrasting the jet black paint with ‘grinded’ polish metal strips and Triumph logo.

The Rocket X special edition is priced at £14,799 and will be in dealers in spring 2015.

Thunderbird Nightstorm Special Edition

Based on the successful Thunderbird Storm and powered by the big-bore 1699cc version of Triumph’s acclaimed parallel, the special edition Nightstorm has been announced by the British firm.

The Nightstorm gets custom hand painted ‘ghost flames’

in a two tone combination of phantom black and silver frost colours and there’s black handlebars, mirrors, control plates, rear brake and gear levers.

Next spring will be when the Thunderbird NightStorm goes on sale at £13,399.

mslmagazine.co.uk 11

Top Stories HONDA’S ROAD-LEGAL GP BIKE IS NEARLY HERE...

True Adventure

Reaching the final stages of development, Honda’s road-legal RC213V-S should be in production soon.

T

his is what you call a showstopper. Or a Honda RCV213V-S, if you want to know its technical name.

Unveiled to the public at the EICMA show in Milan, a Honda spokeman has suggested that the hand-built motorcycle is likely to retail at around €200,000 a piece, with a production run of 213 machines. e bike is thought to be around 90% complete in its build, with no firm timeframe set before any launch date. All we can say is that it’s understood to be based largely around Honda’s production GP racer, adapted accordingly to suit road riding, being fitted with headlights, indicators and a registration plate.

Two versions of the bike were shown in Italy; a static bike painted with the distinctive Japanese flag design to mark 100 years of the EICMA show and alongside that a fully functioning, running version clothed in full carbon-fibre.

Both looked amazing and Honda is confident that even with its top-end price, selling units won’t be an issue. So if you fancy one, get your name down today.

VFR800X

CB1000R

And there’s more Honda news Eight bikes now get the DCT clutchless system, but another prototype caught our eye.

Honda’s ‘second’ prototype was what the company called the True Adventure Prototype.

What it boiled down to was that this is the way Honda wants to go in the Adventure sector and boldly said that it was going to make bikes that have more than one development foot in the firm’s Adventure-sport competition market.

It looks quite an interesting idea, something like a pukka,

40th Anniversary Gold Wing

updated and thoroughly modern XR but dripping with race-bred credentials could be the perfect antidote to plasticcovered posing machines in the sector.

Honda is being very cagey about the details of the bike (basically, not saying anything about it) but out of this and the ‘MotoGP-for-the-road’ prototypes that were shown in Milan you can bet that this is the one that you’ll probably see on the road in the fairly near future.

CB500F

VFR1200F

New paint elsewhere in the 2015 range REPSOL REPLICA PAINT

GOLD WING F6B AND GOLD WING F6C Marking 40 years of continuous Gold Wing production Honda is putting out the Gold Wing in pretty fabulous two-tone paintwork and blacked out chassis, plus there are special 40th Anniversary emblems which will also be found on the

12 mslmagazine.co.uk

three other 2015 Gold Wing paint options.

The 2015 Gold Wing F6B 40th Anniversary model gets cruise control and reverse gear, commemorative emblems and a unique matt silver paint finish.

The F6C power cruiser also gets a 40th Anniversary emblem on its key fob.

Following four consecutive Constructors’ Championship wins, and to get that ‘very important’ Marc Marquez look, the NSC50R, CBR125R, CBR1000RR Fireblade and CBR1000RR SP Fireblade are all being turned out in Repsol replica paint.

VFR1200F Honda’s V4 sports-touring flagship model gets a new pearl glare white finish.

CB500F The naked twin-cylinder CB500F gets gunpowder black metallic/ matt summit white paint. Two other 2015 paint options – Ross white/candy lightning blue and Ross white/millennium red – will also be available.

Consulting, insulting or railroading, to make UK roads better for biking?

Leon Mannings

B

elieve it or not, everyone in the UK has just been consulted about a controversial plan to convert miles of main roads into highways just for cyclists. Admittedly, this one is in London and may not interest you much, or at all. Yet. But if it’s built by 2016, as proposed by Transport for London (TfL), motorbike access to crucial parts of roads will be blocked. Motorcycling will be made harder, and roads made far less efficient for all motorised modes in the Capital. And, similar plans are being pushed elsewhere.

The plan is to create fully segregated ‘cycling superhighways’ by cutting existing road-space and capacity that is controlled by traffic lights – and hiving it off for cyclists. One scheme runs North-South, and the other stretches many miles between Tower Bridge in the East, to Acton in the West. This might be nice for cyclists – but it would certainly make life much worse for motorcyclists, and the vast majority of road users in Europe’s most congested city. So, the sanity and fairness of the plan seems questionable in a town where; only 3% of transport is by bicycle, there are over 130,000 motorbikes, and the population is set to rise by two million in ten years.

Nevertheless, public ‘consultation’ on key parts of the routes like Parliament Square in Westminster, just closed. And according to the Mayor’s Cycling Czar, Andrew Gilligan, “the overwhelming response to the plans has been positive.” But serious concerns have been raised by others. Martin Low, Transport Commissioner for Westminster City Council, is worried by TfL’s predictions which show that capacity for cyclists on key parts of the East-West scheme will not meet existing usage – let alone the significant rise in cycling that the plans are supposed to deliver. And, capacity for ‘general traffic’ will be cut by up to 70%.

Objections about the lack of consideration for motorcyclists were made by me on behalf of MAG, and bigger fish including the RAC Foundation are concerned that no proper business case has been made. It says that some evidence published to support the proposals suggests they will create “very substantial disbenifits for road users and pedestrians across a large area of London”, and TfL’s statements seem to imply that “almost everybody will be worse off ”.

But one of the most challenging questions, in a city that is already facing huge fines for failing to meet EU air quality targets, was asked by a Westminster Councillor.

Why was there no environmental impact assessment of a

High cost plans to build new superhighways for one type of biker make Doc M wonder how well public opinion is gauged, and what might be ‘approved’ next...

Who is Mannings?

Leon is MSL’s political man. Working within the corridors of power Dr Mannings is consistently on the inside picking up the big political changes and whispers that threaten to change the motorcycle world we all inhabit. Always on the side of the biker, Leon is a hardedged, educated campaigner for twowheeled rights and has been hugely influential where it really matters

project that was likely to slow down traffic and add to congestion? TfL’s response was that they were ‘working on it’, but a report would not be ready until aer the public consultation period ended.

All of which may seem a tad mad, and trigger critical questions: Isn’t this a teeny weeny bit undemocratic and bonkers? And, how so? Two answers have already crossed my mind. ‘Quite possibly’, came first, followed by; that’s how ‘consultation’ can work in our green and democratic land. In theory and by law, access to public roads can’t be altered unless the public who own them have been formally consulted. But there are tricks of the trade for consultation managers to limit the impact of objections to schemes that make roads worse for motorcyclists. e easiest trick is to ignore or reject our objections, and that still happens, despite the legitimacy of our concerns and the efforts made to get them duly considered. In my view, bikers can justifiably feel that this is wrong and truly insulting when you stop to think about it. Another trick helps get schemes through when the majority of road users might object – if they could in an effective way. In many situations, the only people that Authorities must consult are the small number who live in the immediate vicinity of a proposed scheme, but that can exclude thousands who use those sections of road every day, including bikers. To be clear though, all legal requirements for public consultations about these cycle superhighways were met. And, in theory, everyone could have their say. In practice, it doesn’t always work like that and consultations can seem like a box-ticking exercise to sanction schemes for a chosen few, and allow them to be railroaded through. But perhaps we get the consultation systems we deserve, and it will definitely stay that way until demand for change gets too loud to ignore.Meanwhile, debate will continue about whether these schemes will actually make roads better enough for some bikers, to justify the huge costs that most road users would have to bear. With luck and effort we may reduce the likelihood of road capacity for motorcycling being cut – and our congested roads being jammed even more to create cycling superhighways. Hopefully, a properly balanced view will prevail, and it will, if more of us do what we can to make that happen. mslmagazine.co.uk 13

Competition

WIN WIN WIN!

OUR AMAZING ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME SAFARI AND TRACKRIDING COMPETITION PRIZE WORTH NEARLY £3000!

T

his is the biggest foreign prize ever offered in MSL – a stunning time in South Africa which culminates in three days of stunning track riding on the amazing Phakisa Freeway MotoGP circuit in Welkom.

Flying out from Heathrow you’ll go on an amazing African safari, stay in luxury accommodation and then ride the circuit for three days with all riding kit and motorcycles provided. ere’s even the chance to take part in a club race at the end of the track training, should you feel quick enough!

And it’s not just about bikes either. You’ll also get the chance to go on safari, getting up close and personal to wild predators in the African wilderness. e prize itself is worth almost £3000 and we’re giving away this incredible trip to one lucky MSL reader.

Entering the competition couldn’t be easier. And it’s free to enter, too. Just fill out the competition form on these pages and send it to us. If you don’t want to cut up your copy of MSL then don’t worry, we totally understand and we’ve also sorted it so that you can enter online at our facebook page, just go to: facebook/mslmag and you’ll find all you need there.

What the mega-prize includes

If you fancy doing this tour directly…

Don’t worry if you’re not lucky enough to win this incredible prize in MSL this month, you can still experience the joys of South Africa and get all the incredible track time and tuition.

Speak to the chaps who run this tour directly at Super Bike Rentals (SBR) and they can

16 mslmagazine.co.uk

offer you the package of a lifetime or tailor something more suited to your needs.

You can ring the team on +27 743585544 email mike@sabrein.co.za or log on to sbr-southafrica.wix.com/http ... and tell them MSL sent you.

See you in SA!

■ The prize is eight days long in total and has all of this on the itinerary: ■ Three days at the MotoGP race track, Phakisa ■ Rental of Super Bike Track day entrance ■ Sunday participation in Club Race ■ All riding kit included ■ Tyres for the three days ■ Fuel included ■ Accommodation/meals at the track ■ All transport to and from venues ■ Five days on Safari ■ Visit one of SA’s national parks – the Pilanesberg National Park – where you will have a specific ‘predators’ trip in the Predators Park ■ Game drives ■ Accommodation in one of the luxury hotels (this will be four nights at the Cabanas Sun City resort).

On hand to make sure that you get everything you can from the track riding part of the trip, is South African national superbike champion Clinton Seller. He gives specific training and helps all levels of riders to improve during their time on track.

Once you’ve spent the track time getting to grips with the awesome Phakisa track you can (if you want to, it’s not compulsory) take part in the Club Championship race.

In the race there are four groups to ensure that each rider can compete at a level that’s comfortable for their speed, these are; Group A: Experienced riders with times of 1.42 to 1.50, Group B: Intermediate riders with times of 1.50 to 1.58, Group C: Novice Riders with times of 2.00 and higher, Group D: First time riders. For the track riding the tour has a range of bikes available from 600 to 1000cc.

NEW

How to win this fantastic prize To be in with a chance of winning just fill out the details below and send it to us at MSL Towers (address on page four), please mark your entry envelope ‘MSL January 2015 South Africa Competition’. Or enter online, details below.

Only tick this box if you do not wish to receive information from Mortons Media Group regarding or relating to current offers of products or services (including discounted subscription offers via email/post/telephone) ❑ On occasion Mortons Media Group Ltd may permit third parties, that we

Title ..................... Initial .................. Surname ................................................................................................................................

Address ............................................................................................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ ........................................................................................... Postcode ................................................................................................

Email .....................................................................................................................................................................................................

Telephone ...........................................................................................................................................................................................

deem to be reputable, to contact you by email/post/telephone/fax regarding information relating to current offers of products or services which we believe may be of interest to our readers. If you wish to receive such offers please tick this box❑

IF YOU DON’T WANT TO CUT UP YOUR MSL… ... but still want to enter the competition, then you can do it absolutely for FREE at our Facebook page. Just go to www.facebook.com/MSLmag and how to enter is right there at your fingertips.

Easy as you like.

For full terms and conditions please visit our website (www.mslmagazine.co.uk). The winner will be the first name drawn at random. The competition ends on January 20, 2015.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS – THE SERIOUS BIT

Usual terms and conditions apply and must be agreed to before entering.

A full list of usual terms and conditions can be

found at www.motorcyclemonthly.co.uk/competitions

The holiday package prize must be undertaken

within six months of the competition closing date

responsibility for the prize, its itinerary and its delivery lies entirely with Super Bike Rentals

Mortons Media Group works in conjunction with

Any changes, additions or cancellations

third parties to offer prizes and incentives. Once the

encountered before or during the trip are the

Additional terms and conditions also apply –

competition has been processed and relevant

responsibility of Super Bike Rentals and not Mortons

Entrants to the competition must be 18 or over

information has been passed to the prize provider,

Media Group

mslmagazine.co.uk 17

Letters Sponsored by

★Star Letter

WIN SCOOPS AHOY! THESE DVDS

Remember to keep sending in your letters, as here at MSL we want to know your thoughts!

Plus every issue’s star letter will win two fantastic free DVDs courtesy of Duke Video!

A DECADE IN MOTOGP

RRP £19.99 Running Time: 109 mins Celebrating 10 years of the world’s premier motorcycle world championship, this official documentary charts 10 years of headline-making MotoGP history.

Action-packed footage, behind the scenes access, new, exclusive interviews from experts re-examine the on and off-track incidents which defined the first decade of the post-500cc era since 2002.

These are the races, the passes, the crashes, the controversies, the rivalries and the technical innovations which have made MotoGP one of the most exciting, and popular sports in the world.

JOEY DUNLOP – NO ORDINARY JOE

RRP: £19.99 Running Time: 101 mins This is a fascinating new documentary about motorcycle icon Joey Dunlop, world champion, 26-time IoM TT winner and tireless charity worker.

No Ordinary Joe includes tributes to the star who died in a crash in 2000 from Joey’s wife Linda and his family plus John McGuinness, Steve Parrish, commentator Richard Nichols, Phillip McCallen, Eddie Laycock, Hector Neill, Barry Symmons and Brian Reid.

Never-before-published pictures of the Ballymoney hero are provided from his family’s private collection, are also included in the documentary.

DUKE READER OFFER:

As a MSL reader, you can enjoy a 10% discount on any Duke product by quoting ‘MSL’ at the checkout of Duke’s website: www.DukeVideo.com or call: 01624 640000. You’ll also receive FREE worldwide postage on all DVD/Blu-ray orders!

18 mslmagazine.co.uk

Dear MSL, I really enjoyed the last issue of the magazine and found it entertaining and informative. But I have a question about the bikes you chose to put on the cover. Which one do you think would be best? e Triumph looks like the most useful in most situations, the BMW looks like being the best road bike if that’s all I’m riding and the Ducati seems to be the bike to choose for next year if I’m aer lots of adrenalin rushes every time I ride. So I’m at a loss about which one to go for. Any ideas?

James Huxley Email Hi James, well it’s a bit early to say until we’ve ridden all of those bikes on their respective launches, but I’d say that your early assessment of their characters is pretty close to what we’ll find although the Ducati seems to be dripping with enough tech to make it a bit more everydayuseable than what went before, and we know how capable the BMW is likely to be. What we thought was most impressive (and why it got top billing on our cover) is the Triumph. Traction control, ABS, Cruise control and a whole host of

new bits and upgraded WP suspension on the XC version has really upped the stakes in the middleweight Adventure bike class and that’s impressed us a lot. TC

I’m a believer (who now subscribes) Dear MSL, Congratulations on another brilliant magazine. I have just started my first-ever subscription to a magazine and it’s yours. I decided to do this aer finding the magazine at a motorcycle show, I’ve never seen it before. I wish I’d seen it a long time ago and not been wasting my time with other, lesser motorcycle magazines whose staff all seem to think that

they’re more important and more interesting than the motorcycles they ride. Also, when I get MSL I find that I am learning about motorcycles and issues within motorcycling that nobody else seems to know about. More power to your MSL elbow and long may you continue to grow and reach more people. You really deserve to.

Robert Pocklington Email

Hi Robert, thanks for the kind words. It’s no easy task to get the stories about the new bikes or what’s really going on in biking every month, and to scoop all the other magazines out there with them, but we do it virtually every issue.

Well, somebody has to put some flippin’ passion into motorcycle mags these days, don’t they? TC

2015 – the year of Adventure?

Dear MSL, Looking at the last issue I was wondering where all the naked bikes seem to have gone. It seems as though every manufacturer has churned out a big Adventure bike that does pretty much the same thing as its rivals. Where are the exciting and fun naked bikes for us riders who don’t want to pretend that we’re going to ride

around the world in search of other cultures and weird little insects that can crawl up our nether regions?

Andy MacGladwin Email Hi Andy, umm… there were a few big nakeds in the last issue (the BMW, the Street Triple R etc) but I think that what you’re

talking about is the awesomelooking Suzuki GSX-S1000A. We scooped that in issue #650 and showed it with a fairing in the last issue too. A GSX-R1000K5 motor with three-stage traction control and a wide-bar, upright riding position? We like. Very much. And I, for one, can’t wait to see what this naked GSX-R can do on the road. TC

NEW

Loving the old guys Dear MSL, ank you for showing that age is no reason to stop larking about on motorcycles. I’m talking about the ‘Last of the Summer time’ article in the last issue of the magazine where three of the older members of your staff were let out of their comfy chairs and slippers to go and have what looked like a wonderful trip to Yorkshire and back.

Everything about the trip, from the choice of motorcycles to the attitude of the riders themselves, really spoke to me and I’m sure it resonated well with others from my generation. It’s almost unheard of to see older riders in motorcycle magazines so when I see riders in their mid-60s riding and enjoying life it really stands out.

Are there any plans to feature more of this sort of article in MSL in the future?

Michael Hemsworth Email

Hi Michael, I’m very pleased you enjoyed the article. I’ll be honest with you though, herding those three about for the photos was a bit like herding cats! Nobody can tell me that the older generation of bikers are the more sedate, our lot are certainly bloody lunatics on two wheels. Yes, we’re going

to be doing a lot more of this sort of thing in the future – and to be fair we’ve always included the older riders in the magazine. My philosophy in terms of riders is pretty much the same as it is in terms of the bikes; if they’re interesting and engaging then they’re in the mag. TC

Rhys is an inspiration Dear MSL, I’m amazed at how well Rhys Lowry is doing on his record-breaking attempt for riding around the world and going through so many capital cities etc. To do it at such a young age and without seemingly many hold-ups so far I can’t see much stopping his attempt.

Thank you for keeping us up to date with the youngster’s exploits during his mega-trip. Long may he continue and grab the record for Wales!

Yours sincerely,

Michael Pennington Email

Suzuki, call this a Bandit!

Dear MSL, How long is it going to be before Suzuki start calling that bike with the GSX-R engine the Bandit, like you have done? I saw the pictures you printed recently of the bike with a fairing and it looks even more like it should be the Bandit for a new generation to the name.

I’ve got a fiver says that they give it the Bandit name before next summer.

Barry Butler Email

‘Appalling’ language in MSL

Dear MSL, In your MSL issue No.8 August 2014 which I’ve just got from the International Dirt Bike Show there is language by the editor and others that is completely incompatible with a ‘real’ Christian reading any further. This is such a shame as without the appalling and lazy language the magazine is excellent and I would have jumped at a subscription.

Any way you could repent over this and clean up the magazine?

Please let me know when it’s safe to return to your publication.

Many thanks,

Andy Burton Milton Keynes King James Bible

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Exodus 20:7

Hi Andy, I’d like to apologise for any offence caused – it was certainly not my intention to cause offence to you or any other reader of MSL (unless you’re an old biddy on her mobile phone who nearly killed me last month, in which case I wish to cause you much offence). Hope you find plenty of things in our magazine that you enjoy and cause you to continue with MSL in the future. TC

Bring back two-strokes

Dear MSL, How much does it take in terms of resources and money to produce these electric bikes that everyone is blathering on about? I’ll wager that whatever the amount of money is it’s nowhere near as much as it would cost to develop and make a new two-stroke motorcycle, which would burn clean enough to get past emissions regulations, and still give a generation of riders the fun and thrills that we enjoyed in our youth.

Trevor Wilson Email

mslmagazine.co.uk 19

First Rides Triumph Tiger 800s

ALL THE DOODAHS Triumph’s Tiger 800s have been a hit since their introduction.

And now with a complete rework for 2015 and a whole variety of versions on the cards, these middleweight adventure bikes are set to become even more popular.

WORDS: Tony Carter PHOTOGRAPHY: Triumph