ADVENTURE BIKES EVOLVE A A new breed of smaller, lighter machines
BE ESTof BO OTH WO RLDS Kawasa aki Z1000SX
2017 sp ports-tourer
USED VFR1200 1200
Honda’s shaft-driven V4: Blackb bird beater
DOORSTEP ADVENTURES
Nathan Millward tours the Soutth West on a Suzuki VanVan
JANUARY 2017 No.676
S E G A P 3of 7 travel & adventure
N W NEW ME ETA AL
49 BIKES YOU MUST TEST-RIDE IN N 2017 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 January 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: Steve Rose: srose@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 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 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. 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
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34 NEW 6
News: Next year’s new bikes
16
Subscribe and save money
23
Changing habits of a lifetime: Leon Mannings
24
Letters: Win a Kriega pack
26
Test ride: 2017 Kawasaki Z1000SX
34
Test ride: Suzuki VanVan South West tour
42
Test Ride: AJS Cadwell
44
Betting on coincidence: The High Sider
46
Indians and Harleys: Maynard Hershon
TOURING
60
South Africa on Triumph Tigers
70
Self-ride Harley adventures in the US
KNOWLEDGE 77
Come and go vibes: Kevin Cameron
78
2010 Honda VFR1200 Buyer’s Guide
84
Long-term test: Kawasaki 1400GTR
88
My bike: Yamaha FJR1300
90
Long-term test: Honda Africa Twin
91
Long-term test: Royal Enfield Continental GT
92
Long-term test: Suzuki GSX1250FA
93
Long-term test: Triumph Speed Triple R
94
Long-term test: Suzuki GSX-R1000
95
Long-term test: Herald Classic 250
96
Tested: Kärcher K4 jet wash, Shark Spartan helmet, Wemoto battery charger, Bluetooth battery monitor, Knox Richmond jeans
47
Fruity adventurers head to Africa
48
UK: Classic in the Dales
50
Spain: Escape from France
54
Laos: Have dog…
58
Events and places to go
100 Tested: Furygan Legend jacket
59
Embrace the gadgets: Richard Millington
114 Recognising the solution: Steve Rose
104 Classic test: Yamaha RD500LC
50
104
NEW Need to know ◆ Your letters ◆ First rides
Ducati Multistrada 950
The smaller sister of the Multistrada 1200, the new 937cc Testastretta-powered machine makes 111bhp @ 9000rpm and 71lb-ft @ 7750rpm. Like the larger machine, which makes 158bhp and 100lb-ft, the new 950 carries its 20 litre tank on its tubular steel trellis frame for a kerb weight of 227kg, compared to the 1200’s 232kg. Seat height is non-adjustable, at 840mm (the 1200 goes from 825mm to 845mm), but accessory seats allow 820mm or 860mm. As with the 1200, a pair of four-piston radiallymounted Brembo monobloc calipers bite 320mm discs, hung from fully-adjustable upsidedown KYB 48mm forks. The rear Sachs shock is also fully adjustable, with a remote preload adjuster. A Touring Pack offers panniers and a centrestand, with other packs aimed at sport, urban and enduro. Ducati says that the ergonomics are designed to offer long distance f ffor the h rider id and d comfort passenger, giving a ‘roomy’ feel that easily fits two people, panniers and a top box. The liquid-cooled motor has been overhauled for Euro 4, and
features a slip-assist clutch for a lighter lever pull and improved stability during aggressive down-shifts. Service intervals are every 12 months / 9000 miles, with valve clearance checks every 18,000 miles. The 950 is shod with Pirelli Scorpion Trail II tyres – 120/70 19 and 170/60 17 – on alloy wheels, with ABS and traction control (both of which can be disabled for off-road use), and four riding modes. A full LCD instrument pa anel displays the gear, two trips, en ngine temperature, fuel level an nd a clock, along with Riding M Mode, miles remaining, real-time fu uel consumption, average fuel co onsumption, average speed, air te emperature, travel time and a ro oad ice warning.
6 The original and the best – established d 1962
Test Ride est Rid
The new cornering ABS is effective and unobtrusive.
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NEW
Kawasaki Z1000SX
MORE O SAME OF
THE
Kawasaki’s third generation sports-tourer gets smarter, cleaner and comfier.
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WORDS: Bruce Wilson PHOTOGRAPHY: James Wright / Double Red
ooks familiar? It should do. This 2017 version of Kawasaki’s hugely successful Z1000SX mirrors its predecessor in many ways, with key crossovers including the last model’s frame, engine, wheels and much more. So what’s new? Well, quite a bit was the message during the model’s presentation in the south of France. Right at the top of the list was the addition of a Bosch Inertia Measurement Unit (IMU), which we were told took feeds from six inputs to master the bike’s threestage traction control system. Then there was the new cornering ABS technology, along with a taller screen, wider fairings (28mm each side), a sportier and more aerodynamic nose cowl and the introduction of LED headlights. Add to that bundle new clock features (such as gear selection), comfier seating for the rider and pillion, and tweaks to the suspension and you’ll get a better idea of how different the new bike actually is. Oh, and some clever white-coated folk managed to mirror the previous SX’s 140bhp output, despite having to strangle the exh xhaust h flow to meet Euro 4 emissions.
The bad news is that in doing so, along with the other features that got bolted-on, the new machine weighs 5kg more than before; now at 235kg. On an outright sports bike, that kind of weight gain would be frowned upon, but this bike has a far more rounded make-up. Kawasaki claims to have established the sports-tourer section when it launched the original SX back in 2010, with versatility being the key focus of the latest model (though we’d also point at bikes like 1989’s Yamaha FJ1200, 1987’s Honda CBR1000F, or the Super Blackbird of 10 years later, even if they are more portly). It’s that balanced persona of capable sports bike and consummate tourer that has continued to define the machine – for every touring credential, there’s a sporty element too, which is what makes this bike so endearing. For all the Ninja styling influence, the SX packs the comfort of a GTR or Versys, with its tall and wide handlebars. Combine them with the 5mm lowered seat height (now 815mm) and the relaxed positioned pegs, and you’ve got a motorcycle that eases you into a comfortably upright stance.
Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 27
Test Ride Suzuki VanVan 200
LITTLE
ENGLAND Taking a small bike on a big trip is a great way of seeing places in a new light. Round the world adventurer Nathan Millward heads down through Devon and Cornwall on Suzuki’s new 200cc machine… WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY: Nathan Millward
Riding the sand on the beach of Trevone.
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Day Ride
The guys sought out unpaved tracks and byways.
CREDIT: Welcome to Yorkshire
CLASSICS IN THE DALES Can old Brits tour? Well, the bikes certainly can...
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: John Stone
F
our of us made the trip from Cornwall to Derbyshire – me on my 1959 Velocette Venom, Allan on his ’64 Triumph Trophy and Sid on his ’62 Norton 350. Plus Gunner, who was due to bring his Bonneville, but that seized just before departure, so he got special permission to ride a Kawasaki instead. The Japanese machine had a tendency to lie down at times – not the bike’s fault, more that our mate has a habit of kicking the side stand down before stopping. It looks good when it works, but sometimes he misses, and rider plus machine crash to the deck, making a spectacle of both. Well, he is 79. I have to admit that we didn’t ride the 400 miles up from Cornwall, instead using a trailer and van. But we did get a lot of riding in up there, using Buxton, then Meltham, then Reeth as bases for a series of day rides. We weren’t disappointed. The villages were cute, the dry-stone walls (we still called them hedges) to be marvelled at, and the local people superfriendly. We dived up every ‘unsuitable for vehicular traffic’ road we could find, some of them not Tarmac’d but perfectly ridable on an old single. We also got totally lost in the process, but that was part of the fun, and we did have ‘Jane’, our TomTom voice to guide us back to base. Although it was September, accommodation proved 48 The original and the best – established 1962
ABOVE: 350cc Norton and 500cc Velocette proved perfect for exploring the Dales. BELOW: Aysgarth Falls.
tricky a couple of times as we’d not booked anything, but we did find a brilliant B&B in Meltham as our second location. The landlady’s hubby has a Ducati Light 900, Honda VFR and BMW boxer, but keeps them in the garage at weekends due to the racers who come out from nearby cities. This seems to be a bit of a problem up here. We rode the Snake Pass, where local police are reputed to be very hot on motorcycle riders. Then we learned that two riders had died just the previous week, one going at such a speed that he took out a cyclist as well. Is it any wonder that the police use a helicopter? Anyway, the area around Meltham is fantastic, on the edge of the Peak District National Park and crossed by the Pennine Way and coast to coast trail. This means happy people in walking boots frequent the pubs, and you can see why they come here. This part of Yorkshire is stark and wild, a vast, magnificent landscape very different to our compact Cornwall. On one of the days, we visited Bolton Castle, built in 1399 and still lived in by the same family, while Sid found the highest railway station in England, at Dent. Riding back over the moors was the finest trip of the week, not once using or even crossing
Big Ride
One of many precarious bridge crossings.
HAVE DOG… Emily Freeman rode 500 miles through Indochina on a 100cc scooter. With a sidecar. And a dog.
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WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: Emily Freeman
hat do you need to be a hardcore biking adventurer travelling the dirt roads of Indochina? A beard? Knobbly tyres on a giant adventure tourer? What about your pet dog? Plus a 100cc scooter that hates hills, and a sidecar to carry the dog. Not forgetting a bit of make-up and mascara for evenings out. As a woman biker in Laos, with my collie-cross dog Pip sitting up in the sidecar watching the world go by, I was bound to attract attention. But until 12 months ago I had never ridden a bike and arrived in Laos intending to buy the same sort of car I had just sold in the UK for scrap money. Then I discovered this would cost me £4000, so I began to reconsider. Enter Delia, a teal-coloured, leaf-patterned 100cc automatic scooter with a homemade sidecar attached at a rather dubious angle, and who knew how many miles on the clock. Bought via a Facebook market for £400 she was battered and uninsurable; it wasn’t love at first sight (for me or the dog). She pulled heavily to the left, was prone to lifting a wheel on anything other 54 The original and the best – established 1962
Is this really a good idea? Canoe needed bailing before the cave trip.
Bags strapped in, dog happy... good to go!
Everyone was free to ride at their own pace, which meant the slower riders never felt pressured into riding faster they wanted to.
2000 MILES ACROSS
SOUTH AFRICA Deputy editor Bruce Wilson rides the epic Trans Baviaans Expedition on a Triumph Tiger 800 XCx.
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A DIARY OF THE
MILD WEST The problem with riding America is that you want to go back again and again. MSL’s Steve Rose is back for a third go. WORDS: Steve Rose PHOTOGRAPHY: Steve Rose & Julie Brown
LONG-TERM REVIEW
Test fleet: Kawasaki 1400GTR Two friends find their own little bit of peace in the south of France. WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: Bertie Simmonds and Tim Jones
M
eeting someone twice a week for 12 years makes you think that you know them. But really you don’t. I first met Tim Jones at the end of 2004 when I started playing five-a-side twice a week. He rode bikes, so we talked bikes and we went for the odd ride together, but despite the passing of the years, talk of a big tour together stayed just that: talk. Until early 2016 that is. Tim is in his early 60s (still got good feet on the pitch, mind); he first rode a Bantam in 1969 and wanted to re-create some of the tours he’s enjoyed in France over the years. I had a big tourer that needed to be tested – Kawasaki’s 1400 GTR – so a plan was hatched.
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The first thing I realised about Tim was that he is much more organised than I am. I was happy to roll up at the boat, choose a crossing and simply head south from there. Tim wanted to have many meetings on the run-up to our early autumn departure; meetings where he’d pore over maps like some military genius, discuss our ETA and final destination and want to book hotels in advance. I just wanted to ‘head south’. Sisteron was chosen (by Tim) as it was scenic and ‘in the south’ and I was more than happy to follow his lead. It’s been a while since I’ve ridden on the continent so I was looking forward to it. We also managed to get hold of a Honda VFR1200 Crosstourer to accompany the Kwak.
LONG-TERM REVIEW INSET: Over the year, the GSX-R proved it was far more than just a track tool.
Test fleet: Suzuki GSX-R1000 It’s been a year of fulfilment for Bruce on his long-term Suzuki GSX-R1000.
T
he sky was rich blue, the temperature in the mid-teens and the roads were unconventionally dry for the first of November. It was the day before my GSX-R was due to go back to Suzuki and I couldn’t think of a better way to waste a few hours than a final blast on the Gixxer. The end of my time with the machine might have been near, but it mattered little as I wheeled the bike from the garage, warmed the engine and got kitted up for this final frolic. It’d been a hectically busy month, riding loads of different bikes in all kinds of places, but the Suzuki felt like the perpetual slipper as I dropped the clutch and made for my favourite roads; the Wolds. That’s where this love affair had started seven months earlier, some 4872 miles earlier in our relationship. It’d been a season of touring, trackdays and two-up adventures. A season of defying convention and broadening horizons. A season of making new friends and
riding new roads, which simply wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the GSX-R. But my ride, like my loan, had to come to an end, leaving me with little else to do than reflect on a year full of highlights. People had questioned my choice of bike when I told them about the Suzuki, claiming it to be a one-trick pony that was useless away from a racetrack. Others mocked its technology and slightly dated looks. How naïve they were. I’ve ridden a lot of bikes over the years, and while I’ll stop short of saying this has been my favourite of all time, it’s certainly made it into the top 10. The list of reasons is a long one, but it’s the engine that sits at the very top. This bike has one of the smoothest engines I’ve ever known, packing bucket loads of torque and a clean selecting gearbox to go with it. It’s impressed me on road and track, and even the missus fell in love with its jerk-free nature when clinging onto the high-perched pillion saddle. Okay, maybe it’s not been the
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best bike for two up travel, but it’s proven itself capable of the job, and my trip to the Swiss Alps showed it wasn’t afraid of touring either. I guess you could say the bike’s a good compromise of many qualities. It’s never been the best in any field, but it’s never held me back from tackling any road or challenge. The second best attribute to this motorcycle has got to be its handling, which has impressed me year-round, despite never really needing that much tweaking of its suspension. New tyres did come in handy though. If I were to have this bike again, I’d swap the standard fitment Bridgestones for Metzeler’s Racetec RRs in an instant. They really made this bike come alive, offering faster steering and more stability, which made a huge difference on the race circuits. In all I did four track days on this bike and really got to see the Suzuki’s true sporting potential. Its lack of traction control or wheelie restricting technology never bothered me, though I wished it’d had a quickshifter.
That and cruise control, like BMW’s S1000RR, but now I’m just being greedy. Above all, I wish I’d had more time with the GSX-R. It served me well all season and made me proud every time its Yoshimura exhaust came booming into life. I’m going to miss that noise almost as much as I’ll miss the bike itself. Still, things could be worse. There might be a GSX-R shaped hole in my garage, but the subsequent loan of Suzuki’s GSX-S1000FA Tour Edition has helped to blunt the pain. Let’s see what that has to offer…
THIS MONTH Rider: Bruce Wilson Cost new: £11,599 Spec: 182bhp/86lb-ft Kerb weight: 205kg Tank: 17.5 litres Seat: 810mm Miles this month: 870 Miles on clock: 4872 Average mpg: 41.6mpg Current tyres: Metzeler Race RR K3s General impressions: As much fun to ride in the autumn as it was in the spring.