Motorcycle Sport & Leisure October 2017

GORE-TEX X RIDING KIIT WORTH

£1000

HOW TO RIDE DE SAFER

& FASTE ER

ONE BIKE to RULE THEM

ALL...

KT KTM T 1290 SUPER DUKE GT

Electric bikes

Are we there yet?

DOES SIZE MATTER?

CLASSIC TEST:

Moto Guzzi V50 Monza

October 2017 No.685

Naked, superbike and tourer in one

KAWASAKI VERSYS-X 300 & VERSYS 1000 TESTED

PLUS: ENERGICA EGO – ELECTRIC SUPERBIKE ◆ BUILDING A 500CC V8 RACER ◆ HONDA CB110 00 EX & RS ◆ ZERO MOTORCYCLES SR ◆ SUZUKI BURGMAN 400 ◆ USED TEST: KTM 390 DUKE

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PAGES OF TRAVEL & ADVENTURE FROM S SCOTLAND TO THE HIMALAYAS

Bike Odyssey 2040 Mikko Nieminen

J

ust over a month ago the UK Government announced that all new diesel and petrol cars will be banned from 2040. France has also set the date for this in 2040. And car manufacturers are taking notice: Volvo will be equipping all of its cars with an electric engine from the same year, while BMW’s first fully electric version of the Mini is planned for 2019.

Now, it’s worth pointing out that at this point the Government is simply stating its intentions, not legislating, and with the proposed deadline 23 years in the future, a lot could happen between now and then.

There’s no mention of motorcycles going electric at the same time, but given how the European emissions regulations for motorcycles have followed the car restrictions at close range, it’s probably a safe bet to expect a ban on petrol bikes soon after 2040.

At the moment the main issue with electric vehicles, whether four- or two-wheeled, is their operating range and charging time. So far electric bikes have been restricted to shorter trips and longer stops after the juice has run out, compared to petrol bikes. That’s slowly changing, but it remains to be seen whether the progress will continue at a fast enough pace to bring us bikes with a realistic range of 200-plus miles at respectable speeds, and with a recharge time comparable to filling a petrol bike.

With improvements in battery technology and using removable (and interchangeable) battery packs, it could happen by 2040.

An interesting question about this green future is also where the electricity for the millions of new electric vehicles is going to come from. Power plants running on fossil fuels, increased nuclear power

capacity or environmentally friendly sources such as wind, wave and solar power? When we all arrive home after a day’s work and plug in our cars, vans and bikes to recharge them, how much of a peak in electricity demand will there be?

And where will all these electric vehicles be charged? It’s one thing to charge a car or a bike in your garage, but if you only have street parking what are you supposed to do? There have been designs of charging points that bolt on to lamp posts but even that wouldn’t provide enough charging points on busy city streets. Maybe this is the time to invest in companies producing extension leads?

With air quality in cities getting worse, it’s difficult to argue against a ban on petrol and diesel. What is more difficult to do is change drivers’ and riders’ attitudes. After a lifetime on bikes with combustion engines purring, popping and burbling, smelling of oil, grease and petrol, a future with soundless and odourless bikes seems difficult to comprehend. Maybe they will be able to programme a boxer-twin shake or the smell of two-stroke into the bikes of the future?

It’s not going to be the same, but it could be great in a whole new way!

In the meantime, in this issue of MSL we cover current electric bikes from the sporty and exclusive Energica Ego to the all-round impressive Zero bikes.

And they are better than you might expect. Not good enough to replace the combustion engine just yet, but not far off. If this rate of development continues, leccy bikes will be a feasible option by 2040 regardless of whether petrol bikes are banned or not.

Mikko Nieminen, Acting Editor

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 53-year-old 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.

Leon Mannings

Doc Leon is a man on a mission to promote the rights and interests of motorcyclists in the corridors of power where policy is shaped.

He advises various groups including MAG, and reveals what’s really going on behind the scenes...

Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 3

Contents

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46 88

NEWS & OPINION 7 News Triumph and Norton go global

14 dGuard e-call system New tech that could save lives

16 Latest books The latest publications on bike es and adventure

18 COMPETITION

Win Gore-Tex gear

20 Your letters Our readers discuss topics from pillions to cost of servicin ng

22 Subscription offer Save £££s by subscribing to you ur favourite motorcycle magazine

30 Leon Mannings: Two steps forward but hazards ahead

44 The High Sider: Monster energy required

58 Maynard Hershon: Walkin’ the Walk

4 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

TOURING & ADVENTURE 73 Touring news Classic Kawasakis round Britain

74 Day ride: Riding Kintyre

77 Richard Millington: The importance of tyres

78 Mid ride: Double crunch

82 Long ride: High on altitude

87 Events calendar All the key biking events in the next couple of months for your diary

88 e-Touring: Alan Cathcart takes on California on a Zero e-bike

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TEST FLEET

October 2017

96 Ducati Multistrada

1200 S

Could a 160bhp bike possibly need more power?

97 Suzuki V-Strom 650XT After a brief riding break, the V-Strom delivers happiness

98 BMW R1200 GS TE

Exclusive

A group of ‘old farts’ playing away in Scotland

100 Benelli TRK502

ROAD TESTS 08 Energica Ego: Electric superbike hits UK roads

24 Zero SR: Finally an electric bike that delivers?

32 Does size matter?

Kawasaki Versys-X 300 & Versys 1000

40 Scooter test: Suzuki Burgman 400 is back

46 Touring test: KTM 1290 Super Duke GT takes on Europe

54 Retro Hondas: Honda CB1100 EX & RS

102 Buyer’s guide: 2014 KTM 390 Duke

112 Classic test: 1983 Moto Guzzi V50 Monza

Paul is back in the saddle after 15 years, and loving the Benelli

101 Suzuki GSX-S1000F Bertie is really enjoying his ‘normal British summer’

KNOWLEDGE 60 School of Speed: Getting up to speed at the California Superbike School

66 Home-built: Building a 500cc V8 race bike

108 Tried & tested: Knox jacket, Touratech Aventuro flip helmet, Absaar mini-jump starter, Givi top case

111 Kevin Cameron: Whence came overhead valves?

122 Tony Carter: Those lustful feelings

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ACTING EDITOR: Mikko Nieminen: mnieminen:@mortons.co.uk ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Tony Carter: tcarter@mortons.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER: Justin Blackamore DESIGNERS: Fran Lovely, Charlotte Turnbull and Tracey Barton 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 ADVERTISING MANAGER: Martin Freeman: mfreeman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529538 ADVERTISING SALES: Sam Lawson: slawson@mortons.co.uk 01507 529468 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 £50.40. Export rates are also available – see page 22 for more details.

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NEW Need to know ◆ Your letters ◆ First rides

TRIUMPH AND NORTON SET SIGHTS ON GLOBAL GROWTH Triumph and Bajaj Auto India announce partnership, while Norton and Chinese Zongshen agree a deal on the new Norton engine.

T

riumph and Bajaj have announced a global non-equity partnership to deliver a range of what they call ‘outstanding mid-capacity motorcycles’ benefiting from the collective strengths of both companies.

This new partnership will enable Triumph – which currently builds around 65,000 bikes per year and has more than 700 dealers across the world – to significantly expand its global reach by entering new higher volume market segments, especially within the emerging markets across the world.

The deal means that Bajaj, the world’s third largest motorcycle manufacturer, will gain access to the iconic Triumph brand and its motorcycles, enabling it to offer a wider range of motorcycles within its domestic market and other international markets. Bajaj is currently best known for its Pulsar, Discover and Boxer motorcycle brands.

Triumph isn’t alone in joining

forces with an Asian partner: Norton and Zongshen have entered into a 20-year design and licence agreement based around Norton’s all-new 650cc twin-engine.

The 650cc twin-engine has been jointly engineered and developed by Norton and Sussex-based engineering firm Ricardo and has been specifically designed to the requirements of Zongshen. It will be Euro 4 compliant, which enables Zongshen to meet current and future emissions regulations, allowing it to continue its growth in the global

motorcycle market. The Chinese company is already a big player in motorcycling, with around four million engines produced last year.

The Norton-developed engine and its IP is exclusive to Zongshen – and it is expected that the engine will be produced under its Zongshen or Cyclone brands.

Norton CEO Stuart Garner said: “It’s a great endorsement of our new 650cc engine platform and shows the high level of engineering expertise we have here at Norton.

“The commercialisation of

our IP is a key area for Norton and we will be investing the substantial revenue received back into our skills, training and engineering capability, thus ensuring long-term sustainability to our Britishmade Norton motorcycles here in the UK.” The value of the deal is to remain private – but the initial fee paid to Norton is said to be in the millions, with ongoing royalties paid on each engine produced. Importantly, Norton will continue to produce all of its own engines in the UK at its Donington Hall factory.

Test Ride

2017 Energica Ego

SILENT ASSASSIN

Can an electric bike be as much fun as a ‘normal’ bike? And more to the point, does it have the range to get Mikko all the way home?

A

WORDS: Mikko Nieminen PHOTOGRAPHY: Gary Chapman

re electric bikes the future or an abomination? Can you have the same riding enjoyment when there is next to no engine noise and you don’t feel the pistons pumping life into the machine? Can they be cost effective? There are many questions that we ‘traditional’ riders ask when faced with electric bikes, but the one thing that it always comes down to at the end is range – and that’s what the biggest challenge was for testing the Energica Ego too.

I had charged the bike fully before setting off, and theoretically it should have been plain sailing as the bike’s spec sheet claimed 93 miles from a full charge. In the real world however, the dash told me there were 42 miles left in the ‘tank’. My journey home was 43.5 miles.

Given how unreliable range indicators are in traditional petrol bikes, I wasn’t too concerned. If I nursed the bike along at slow speeds, with the Eco mode selected, surely I would be able to extend the range enough to make it home. Only one way to find out...

8 The original and the best – established 1962

NEW Specification

LEFT: Even with all the options for set-up, the controls are easy to operate.

ENERGICA EGO (2017) Price: £27,999 Power: 136bhp (100kW) Torque: 143.8ft-lb (195Nm) Battery capacity: 11.7kWh Tyres: Pirelli Diablo Rosso II (F) 120/70 ZR17, (R) 180/55 ZR17 Frame: Steel Tubular Trellis Suspension: (F) Marzocchi 43mm, fully adjustable, (R) Bitubo mono-shock adjustable rebound & preload

RIGHT: Socket for charging the bike up is located under the seat.

Final drive: Chain Brakes: (F) Brembo 330mm double floating discs, 4-piston radial caliper, (R) Brembo 240mm single disc, 2-piston caliper

LEFT: Great weight demands great braking power. The Ego’s got it.

Weight: 281kg Seat height: 875mm Contact: www.motocorsa.co.uk

HEAVY FUEL To look at, the Ego looks much like a regular sportsbike, only a bit wider in the middle, and rather tall. The seat is at a lofty 875mm, and as you sit on the bike and move around you can feel its weight – the whole 281kg of it.

Compared to modern petrol-powered bikes, which wear the bulk of their weight fairly low, the Ego feels quite top-heavy at standstill. To help move the bike around a car park there is a slow drive (both forward and reverse), which helps manoeuvring in crowded car parks.

On closer inspection, the lack of a gear shift and a clutch lever indicate that this not like other bikes, but the biggest shock comes when you press the starter button – a green GO symbol lights up on the dash, and that’s it. There’s no sound, not a clunk nor a whirr, just that light on the dash. The synchronous oil-cooled motor with its permanent magnets is running and ready to unleash enough power to leave many other bikes in its dust, but apart from that one light, it looks and sounds as dead as a dodo.

TWIST ‘N’ GO LIKE HELL On the move, the Ego feels like riding a great big (and completely silent) twist ‘n’ go. Squeezing the twist grip delivers instant power to the back wheel and the heavy bike rolls down the road with ease.

In terms of comfort and riding position, the Ego feels much like a regular sports bike. The riding position is involved, with high foot pegs and a bit of weight on the wrists placed on the bike’s clip-on bars. It’s not bad by the standards of the class, but it’s not comfy.

Leaving the office I crawled through town and carefully approached the A-roads with the Eco mode switched on. This restricts torque level to 160Nm (from a max 195Nm) to preserve battery levels.

After about five miles of very conservative riding the range had shot up to 57 miles, so I promptly selected the Sport mode and silently left the rest of the traffic to trundle along at their sedate pace. Engaging the Sport mode gives you full power – and you can feel it! Acceleration feels more urgent and top speeds are better, but still restricted to 150mph.

Maximum power is 136bhp (100kW), which isn’t mind-blowing given the bike’s weight issues, but it’s all about the torque, and there’s plenty of that.

The curious thing with electric bikes is that they deliver the torque steadily from 0rpm right to the limit, giving you incredibly smooth and predictable acceleration. No power peaks or dips at all.

After about five miles on Sport mode and some rather sporty riding, the range was back down again, now showing 36 miles, so I selected the Standard mode and slowed down a bit.

EQUIPPED TO PLEASE Riding slow I had time to experiment with the Ego’s settings. In addition to the ride modes (Eco, Standard, Sport and Wet) you can disable the ABS and select the level of regenerative engine braking to help keep the charge going a bit further.

Get MSL extra at www.mslmagazine.co.uk 9

Test Ride Considering that the combined weight of the bike and rider (with no luggage) is in the region of 360kg, the suspension and brakes have their work cut out. The 43mm Marzocchi forks are fully adjustable, while the Bitubo rear mono-shock is rebound and preload adjustable. They do a fine job, and keep the bike stable through bumpy surfaces and hard cornering.

The brakes are equally good, with four-piston, radially mounted Brembo calipers biting 330mm floating discs at the front and the same company’s two-piston caliper digging into a single 240mm disc at the rear. Overall, the chassis works much better than you’d expect from a heavy bike like this.

For the rest of the journey I kept switching between the ride modes, experimenting with power delivery and ensuring that I’d make it home without having to knock on someone’s door and ask to plug my bike in. When I finally arrived home I still had a generous eight miles left according to the dash – I could have stayed in Sport mode a bit longer after all! In reality the remaining range was probably much more than that, and the battery level indicator is a better guide for range. I probably had another 20 sensible miles left.

ABOVE: The Ego is made in Modena, Italy.

HOW MUCH? The Ego is a very impressive bike in many respects, and once you get over the initial shock, it soon starts to feel natural to ride. But the range still needs to improve to make it feasible as anything other than a short-range

RIGHT: The Bitubo rear mono-shock is rebound and preload adjustable.

10 The original and the best – established 1962

missile. When the charge time from flat to full is 3.5 hours with a standard home charger and a real-world range with spirited riding closer to 60 miles than the maximum claimed 93 miles (which would require fairly conservative riding), it just won’t be able to do the miles that most people want from touring and even longer day and weekend rides.

And then there’s the price: at £27,999 this is an expensive piece of kit even if its running costs are cheap (especially if you charge it at work).

To put it in perspective, according to my amateur mathematics you could buy a Yamaha R1 (£15,799) and

10,609 litres of petrol (at £1.15/litre), equating to over 90,000 miles on the bike (based on claimed 39.2mpg), for the same money.

Putting the price to one side, the instant and consistent torque is addictive and the Ego is great fun.

Definitely worth trying it for size if it fits your riding style and budget.

Top Stories Iconic films now on DVD ON ANY SUNDAY DVD: £15.99 | Second Sight Films | www.amazon.co.uk • The iconic film from Bruce Brown, co-produced by and featuring motorcycling icon Steve McQueen, is now available on DVD, on-demand and download thanks to Second Sight Films.

The documentary takes you on a ride from the legendary Daytona Beach to dunes, ice, motocross and drag racing, all the way to the Baja 1000 and Elsinore Grand Prix.

This DVD is a must-see for anyone who loves motorcycling.

Suzuki confirms pricing for new V-Strom 250 Suzuki’s latest addition to its adventure range, the V-Strom 250, will be sold for £4599 when it arrives in dealerships in October.

The V-Strom 250 features a 248cc parallel twin engine, delivering a claimed 25bhp and 17.3ft-lb,

with impressive fuel economy at 88.28mpg.

The V-Strom 250 gets an LCD dash, wind tunnel-tested screen and bodywork, and a range of accessories, including three-piece luggage, hand guards and centre stand.

SILVER DREAM RACER Blu-ray: £14.99, DVD: £9.99 | Network | www.amazon.co.uk • Silver Dream Racer is a thrilling ride through the cut-throat world of motorcycle racing. Starring pop legend David Essex (alongside Beau Bridges) as a hot-headed racer who inherits an untested, super-fast 500cc prototype – the Silver Dream Machine – and is determined to prove himself on the track. With gripping scenes filmed at the 1979 British MotoGP at Silverstone, Silver Dream Racer is presented here in a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film materials in its original, as-exhibited aspect ratio.

Club Moto London bike loan scheme launches New club gives Londoners access to a fleet of retro bikes.

The Bike Shed in London has teamed up with Classic Car Club to create Club Moto London – a new members’ club with a fleet of brand new modern-retro motorcycles.

The idea is for the members to have access to bikes without the hassle of ownership, such as insurance, MoTs, servicing, storage or security.

12 The original and the best – established 1962

The fleet includes a Triumph 1200 Thruxton, Bobber, Street Scrambler and T100 Black; Ducati Monster 1200S and Desert Sled; Yamaha SCR950, XSR900 and XSR700; Honda CB1100RS and EX, plus five BMW R nineTs, an Indian Scout and a Chieftain, with more to follow.

For further information, visit: www.ClubMotoLondon.co.uk