Motorcycle Sport and Leisure June 2018

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PAGES OF TOURING & ADVENTURE TO INSPIRE

GU UZZI’S V7 SPECIALS

YOU!

Not your usual Italiano retro offering N

GET OUT & RIDE!

FIRST RIDE

YAMAHA

TRACER 900 GT IT’S A PROPER GRAND TOURER

SPENDING MONEY

TRIUMPH T595 DAYTONA

Invest in this. Make money. Probably (ish)

EE-BY-GUM EE-BY-

CHEAP AS CHIPS

£100 HOUND How to go from awful to awesome

BUYING SMART

YAMAHA MT-10 How to buy a good one second-hand

FIRST RIDE

CB1000R Faster than a Blade, cooler than Fonzie, retro-a-go-go

June 2018 No.693

HONDA’S NEW

Error 404: Editor not found Tony Carter On this page, widely known in the magazine game as the editor’s page, it is usual for an editor (even a stand-in editor such as me) to tell you what’s in the magazine you hold in your hands. If this page was to do little else except follow the norm, that’s what I’d do right now.

B

ut we at MSL are far from the norm.

‘Not normal’ is how you might pigeon hole us – although quite why you’d want to put a pigeon in a hole is beyond me. Poor pigeons.

I’m digressing. So what to wax on about? Well, as I left you with the news of our bashed-up editor last month, so I shall continue along the same vein this time around – for what I have to tell you is good news.

Mikko is now out of hospital and back home where he continues his convalescence at a sedate pace.

He can now hobble around on a pair of crutches and, aside from getting very tired very quickly and occasionally needing things explained here and there, he’s pretty much back to full power in the noggin.

Of course, his return to power (both physical and MSL-based) will take a while still. During his accident Mikko suffered a long list of injuries and to have him back on his feet and already talking about eventually riding again is nothing short of incredible.

The superb staff at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham are magical beings who perform miracles as if they are everyday occurrences and deserve all the good things and praise that they can get. To each and every one of them, thank you from the bottom

of our motorcycle boots. We owe you lots.

On a very recent trip to Mikko’s home we took a set of photographs together which you can see here. While we were taking the pics Mikko told me that he wanted me to pass on his heartfelt thanks to everyone who has sent him positive messages and tips on how to keep a motorcycle upright and stay away from tractors in future.

The fine Finn may be limited in what he can get up to at the moment but that doesn’t mean he’s not already plotting out ideas for future issues of MSL. You just can’t keep a good Mikko down for very long.

So, let’s do it then. In this issue of MSL are a lot of motorcycles and motorcycle riders. They ride new bikes, old bikes and go on trips on bikes. There’s some news about bikes and stories about riding kit to wear while riding bikes.

Plus other motorcycle-related things.

There – with any luck that ticks all the boxes for an editor’s column.

Enjoy the issue and have a safe ride.

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 (our resident Viking) is getting back to speed. Look at this pair...

Phil West A bike journalist for 30 years, Phil’s a former editor of Bike and What Bike, executive editor of MCN, has written for the Daily Telegraph and Evening Standard and authored four books. In his garage is a 1924 Sirrah, 1980 RD350LC, 1995 Thunderbird 900 and, currently, a 2017 CB1100.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 3

Contents

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Get the original & best bike magazine every month

P22

24 NEWS & OPINION 7

TOURING & ADVENTURE

News

48

It’s been a busy four weeks in the motorcycling world. Stinger beware.

16

Riding across the North bit of Middle Earth. And not a hobbit in sight.

Products

65

New kit for both new and not-so-new riders.

22

66

SUBSCRIBE

Maynard Hershon A genuine enthusiast is identified by...

46

The High Sider Racing from the sidelines.

112

4 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Touring news It’s a festival full of ideas.

Day Ride Belgium. And not a bun in sight.

Get MSL cheaper and delivered to your door BEFORE it gets in the shops. Winner.

32

Zoe Cano

70

Mid Ride Czech Republic. And not a Brno-out in sight. Sorry.

34

74

Richard Millington On the subject of having a spare in the cupboard. And Insurance.

76

Long Ride Canada. That’s a looong way, ayyyyyyy. Accent joke for the Hosers.

10

48

TEST FLEET 94

£100 Hound Bertie has spent his own cash.

Not a lot of it, granted, but it has landed him a VFR with some work to do.

100 Au Revoir, Strom Time for Mossy to wave a tearful goodbye to his Suzuki.

He has loved this bike. Oh deer.

102 Bonjour, mille quatre

vingt-dix

Entering the ring, from the orange corner is the beginner’s big boy Adventure bike. Roger steps up to see what’s what.

ROAD TESTS 10

Honda’s X-ADV

KNOWLEDGE 58

Looks like a nutter. Goes like a dream.

Funky all-round.

24

Yamaha’s Tracer 900 and 900 GT More of this. More of that. More of everything the old Tracer needed.

34

Honda’s CB1000R Quicker than a ’Blade (to a point).

Looks terrific. Smells of avocado.

40

Triumph’s Speed Triple Sharper. Meaner. Better looking for 2018.

86

Moto Guzzi’s V7 specials Three variations on a theme. The theme is super cool Guzzis that stop and go really well. We’re in.

112 Used test: Yamaha MT-10 Now is the time to buy and here’s everything you need to know.

Taking the perfect TT photograph It’s not luck. It’s art. Secrets revealed.

99

What’s on?

Things coming up in the biking calendar that you might find interesting to go to or ride in.

104 Coming classic Spend your money here. Better than a bank. And more fun (probably).

108 Tried & tested Kit that we’ve ridden in and, sometimes, crashed in. What’s good and what’s not.

120 Reflections Ducati’s 1979 Pantah. Essential to what we now know as Ducati.

130 Kevin Cameron Changing gear in a gear changing world.

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June 2018 BASHED EDITOR: Mikko Nieminen: mnieminen@mortons.co.uk SPARE EDITOR: Tony Carter: jclements@mortons.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER: Justin Blackamore DESIGNERS: Fran Lovely, Charlotte Turnbull PRODUCTION EDITOR: Dan Sharp PICTURE DESK: Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield, Angie Sisestean PUBLISHER: Dan Savage: asavage@mortons.co.uk GROUP KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Steff Woodhouse: swoodhouse@mortons.co.uk 01507 529452 / 07786 334330 DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING TEAM LEADER: 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 22 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £51.60. Export rates are also available – see page 22 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

Kawasaki’s Z900RS gets the Mad Max ‘Goose’ treatment This heavily modified Z900RS pays tribute to the Main Force Patrol bike which starred in George Miller’s classic 1979 film Mad Max...

Now here’s a bit of modern customizing that we’re loving at the moment – a modern Z900RS bit of dressing up in the style of Mad Max’s motorcycle-loving mate, Goose.

In the 1979 original movie, motorcycle traffic cop Jim ‘Goose’ played by Steve Bisley went about his business on a modded 1977 Kawasaki Z1000, the original movie machine was dressed with bodywork supplied by Melbourne-based company La Parisienne, which went out of business over 30 years ago.

And this latest tribute motorcycle, made by top custom house Deus Ex Machina, is built around the new Z900RS retro-styled motorcycle. It uses an Airtech fairing and seat unit which has been heavily modified with metal grill additions, a cut-down Hi-Octane ceramic-finish exhaust and the seat has been upholstered by the Bad Arse Trim Company.

The Z900RS’ new paint comes from Dutchy’s Motorcycle Spray Art. Okay, so the bike isn’t an exact replica of the movie motorcycle but it’s pretty sweet all the same.

In fact, it’s the perfect blend between Goose’s bike (pre-SNAFU) and the up-to-theminute-on-trend Z900RS.

RIGHT: The original movie bike that started it all – Goose’s iconic Mad Max Z1000.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 7

Top Stories News in brief

Suzuki registers new Katana logo and name protection Patent hints at design

DUCATI PANIGALE V4 BURSTS INTO FLAMES

• Oh dear, how about this for when your Panigale V4 gets a touch TOO hot to handle.

These pictures have been posted on the DucatiForum. com by a user going by the name Nitrouz. Nitrouz says that the fireball happened as he was riding his 214bhp, 91lb-ft Italian beauty as normal through a city in the USA. According to the rider, he smelled something burning underneath him and pulled over for a look at the bike only to see flames already licking up the side of the machine.

It’s not going to be the 1100cc road warrior you might be expecting with a name like Katana, but the turbo-charged motorcycle that we’ll get is very funky indeed.

Suzuki has filed a new trademark application with a logo attached, and it’s all around the name and logo ‘Katana’.

There’s no other details to tell you other than the logo and trademark name were registered in the USA and the move is fuelling speculation that the Recursion project (see below), which was a turbocharged concept bike originally shown at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show in Japan, IS the bike that will form part of Suzuki’s 2019/2020 model line-up and will get the Katana name along with the funky new logo.

We’ve already brought you a sneaky photo of a Suzuki planning screen which shows a

GSX700T (where the T stands for Turbo and the 700 fits in with the original concept Recursion’s engine size of 588cc, given a slight tweak here and

VIDEO: LUCKIEST BIKER ALIVE! (HE’S OK)

• Go to: www.MoreBikes. co.uk. In the search bar type in ‘luckiest’ and watch this video.

It’s incredible.

Posted by a rider going under the name Hammy, the video is a self-shot bit of film that shows Hammy getting into a tank slapper and sliding UNDER a moving truck, popping out the other side relatively untouched.

there) being part of a model line-up soon from the Japanese factory. And Suzuki recently filed a series of patents on the Recursion bike in very-finished, road legal form.

It’s worth pointing out that while this is all very exciting stuff, we might be picking up small snippets here and getting it all wrong. Suzuki previously revived the Katana brand in 2010 and nothing much happened that time… still, fingers crossed for something new, turbocharged and Recursion-y under the Katana name sometime soon.

In detail The Recursion has already been shown as a Suzuki concept but the production drawings gave us the clearest indication yet that the model was heading for production, something the president of Suzuki himself confirmed to us last year.

On some of the patents, no fairing is visible on the turbocharged bike, but the patent makes it clear that a surge tank for the supercharger is mounted behind a cylinder head. An intercooler is adjacent to the surge tank (behind the cylinder head, too) and there is a supercharger mounted in front of the intercooler.

Elsewhere the patent drawings for a narrower

8 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

V-twin engine and exhaust that Suzuki is working on expose the level of detail that Suzuki has gone to in protecting what it considers to be a very important motorcycle in its near future. Filed with various patent outlets, the plans show a developed version of the current V-Strom motor but with a much more narrow layout and design.

Speculation has been rife since then that this engine is to get a turbo fitted to it and spur on development of a new big, sporty roadster twin from Suzuki in the same vein as the iconic TL1000 range of the 1990s.

Test Ride

10 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

LAUNCH Honda X-ADV (2018)

BACK WITH THE

X (ADV) Honda’s hybrid-adventurer has been a sales success across Europe. We tested the 2018 model to see what makes it so popular.

WORDS: Roland Brown PHOTOGRAPHY: Zep Gori, Ciro Meggiolaro, Francesc Montero & Felix Romero

O

n its launch a year ago the X-ADV seemed – to many motorcyclists, at least – like another entry on a list of bizarre Honda models that few people understood or would buy. A scooter with off-road styling? A feet-forward, small-wheeled adventure bike?

Surely it was just another crazy Honda creation that made little sense and would follow the DN-01 and Vultus by selling in tiny numbers before being quietly dropped and forgotten about.

But that’s not what happened at all.

Instead, the X-ADV’s blend of chunky looks and maxi-scooter performance and practicality struck a chord with plenty of people. This was motorcycling’s first Sport Utility Vehicle – stylish, rugged, versatile and desirable. It ended up as Europe’s seventh best selling model last year, doubtless to the delight of Honda Europe’s Italian-based R&D team, who had come up with the concept and persuaded their Japanese bosses to put it into production.

That success still seems slightly strange, but also makes some sort of sense as I aim this year’s mildly updated X-ADV along a winding road in southern Spain. I’ve just finished a short dirt-road diversion, where the Honda’s flexible, 745cc parallel-twin engine and long-travel suspension made it easily controllable when standing on the pegs, despite its weight, big-scooter-like geometry and

Specification HONDA X-ADV (2018) Price: £9959 Engine: 745cc, liquid-cooled, SOHC 8-valve parallel twin Power: 54bhp @ 6250rpm Torque: 51lb-ft (68Nm) @ 4750rpm Transmission: 6-speed, Dual Clutch Transmission, chain Chassis: Steel cradle Suspension: (F) 41mm USD telescopic with adjustable preload and rebound damping (R) Single shock with adjustable preload Brakes: (F) 296mm discs, Nissin four-piston radial calipers (R) Single 240mm disc, single-piston caliper Tyres: Bridgestone Trail Wing (F) 120/70 x 17 (R) 160/60 x 15 Seat height: 820mm Fuel capacity: 13.1 litres Kerb weight: 238kg Contact: www.honda.co.uk/ motorcycles

ever so slightly eccentric combination of cycle parts.

Now I’m back on tarmac and sitting on the seat, my bag stashed under the seat, my feet on the footboards, and the X-ADV’s fairing, adjustable screen and hand-guards combining to keep me reasonably comfortable on a cold day. With the DCT transmission set to Sport mode the torquey, 54bhp engine is making the Honda both quick and easy to ride, and it’s handling sufficiently good to be fun.

SMALL ADJUSTMENTS

Given the X-ADV’s impact, it’s no surprise that Honda has done very little to update it just a year on from its launch. The mods are really just electrical tweaks: the rev limit is raised by 900rpm, to 7500rpm. That doesn’t affect the character of the SOHC powerplant, shared with the NC750 models and Integra (which got the same rev increase this year). www.mslmagazine.co.uk 11

Test Ride

Closest rival HONDA INTEGRA – £8399

The only model that is remotely similar to the X-ADV is its closely related maxi-scooter sibling the Integra. They share the 745cc parallel twin motor also used by the NC750s, but differ substantially in their chassis.

The Integra’s suspension gives a roadster style 120mm of travel, and its front brake is a simple single disc and twin-piston caliper. A price advantage of £1560 is some compensation. p

ABOVE: The X-ADV is rugged enough to handle dirt roads with relative ease.

LEFT: The switchgear is pure Honda quality.

BELOW: Not quite knobblies but the X-ADV’s Bridgestone Trail Wing tyres are suitably chunky.

12 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

The long-stroke unit is designed mainly for economy and low-rev performance, producing maximum power at 6250rpm and its torque peak of 51lb-ft at just 4750rpm.

The X-ADV comes only with Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission, unlike the Africa Twin and NC models with their conventional six-speed option. Like the Africa Twin, for off-road use it now gains a ‘G’ button on its dashboard, which when pressed gives a more direct drive to the rear wheel, to allow better control. The X-ADV also gains a traction control system that can be adjusted through two positions, or turned off, with the press of a button.

There’s no change to its chassis, with its lengthy tubular steel frame, similar to that of the Integra scooter, and unique combination of chassis parts. While the suspension matches the NC750X adventure bike with its travel – 153.5mm from the upsidedown forks, and 150mm at the rear – and the wheels have wire spokes and fairly chunky Bridgestone Trail Wing tyres, their diameters are 17in front, 15in rear. And while the Integra’s front brake comprises a single front disc and twin-piston caliper, the X-ADV gets twin discs and four-pot radials.

It also gets a pretty high

specification, with keyless ignition, LED lighting, hand-guards (borrowed from the Africa Twin), centre-stand and a screen that is manually adjustable through five positions and 136mm. The seat hinges to reveal a courtesy light, USB socket and room for a full-face helmet.

TALL AND RAPID

At 820mm the seat is 30mm higher than the Integra’s, and its height and width combine with the long footboards to make the X-ADV slightly tricky to climb aboard, and to balance unless you’ve got long legs. But once you’re under way it’s simplicity itself, with the ultratorquey parallel twin motor and DCT gearbox combining to give scooterstyle convenience with respectably motorbike-like performance.

Despite weighing a hefty 238kg with fuel (same as the Integra) the X-ADV accelerates respectably briskly, especially if you’re in automatic mode and using the sportiest of the three Sport settings, rather than one of the other two or even the softer still Drive mode, which changes up even earlier. In its latest incarnation the DCT system works well, and also gives the option of manual change using the thumband forefinger-operated paddles on the left bar.