Motorcycle Sport & Leisure - May 2014 - Preview

Get out and ride Steve Rose

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kay, so here’s the question. Push comes to shove, which one is your favourite road? Which strip of Tarmac is the one that, in the event of a theoretical meteor strike, you’d waste your last ever tank of gas on?

Seems like an easy question, but the truth is, when you start to turn the cogs, somehow, somewhere they all seem so memorable. I won’t bore you with the whole 30 years of rose-tinted Rosie but the fact is that from Stelvio to Santa Fe, from Matlock to the M25, I can sink back and enjoy the memory of something spectacular on two wheels.

Most are deeply personal, of course. My M25 adventure will mean nothing to you, nor will the blasts through France, or watching the sun set on Monument Valley or setting another personal best through Leeds city centre in 1988. Yours will be equally special and I’d love to hear the tale sometime. But we were talking in the MSL office the other day about this and the sad, or great thing for blokes of a certain age is that we have nothing other than those memories. Back in the dark ages of D-reg there were no Go-Pro micro-video cameras to record the adventure. No camera phones, no Facebook, nothing that would store a memory.

Which is good in a way because it allows the passage of time to, ahem, accentuate the heroism and ignore the nerdiness with no one around to argue. e older I get the faster I was etc. I’m not lying, just remembering the good bits.

I still remember my mate Phil strapping a cam-corder to the tank of his GSX600F in 1989 and filming his regular blast to Squire’s Caff. Back then it looked like the craziest movie we’d ever seen. at was pre Face-Tube, I’m guessing it wouldn’t look so scary today.

Go searching online and you can find a million on board vids of the greatest roads on earth. And, every

Watching others having fun on two wheels is nothing compared to being there and doing it yourself, says Steve.

Who is Rose?

Steve Rose is a high mileage road rider.

A former editor of Bike and RiDE magazine and one time back street bike dealer. He’s also one of the UK’s most experienced and trusted road testers Nothing beats being out on a bike.

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single one of them is boring as hell because it turns out that the only really interesting road is the one I’m (we’re) riding. My bike, my adrenalin, my experience. Wow, isn’t motorcycling wonderful. Yours? Not interested… really.

Unless you can actually tell the tale. Which is why I love being part of this mag. Dozens of stories of ordinary people’s extra-special moments. No one in MSL is trying to be epic. ere are few, if any tales of corrupt border guards and middle-of-nowhere breakdowns. MSL readers don’t try to out-scare each other. Reading this mag makes adventure seem accessible and enjoyable, which in a world of cynics, sarcastic nerks and miseries is a welcome relief.

All of which is a long-winded way of saying thank you. Your tales of adventure are what keeps us going through the long Lincolnshire winters. Helps the planning, helps keep up the excitement, helps put the pin in the map for this year.

Because that’s the other bit to this favourite road business – it’ll never be the same the next time you ride it. Sometimes it might be better and that’s what keeps us going back to our real favourites. But most times it won’t be quite as magical as that one time when it really blew our minds.

So this year, in among all the other things I’m going to do differently (starting next week, one to ride one new road every single week. at’ll be one new adventure, one new dint in the Rose road atlas, one new tale to tell the grandkids.

And I still won’t be taking a camera, still won’t be uploading to anywhere, still not interested in anything other than actually being there. And that, I’m sure is at the root of it all. at’s what makes motorcycling mean so much. Being there, right there, in the thick of it. Part of the scenery, not just a spectator. Watching on YouTube, you might as well be in a car. Do it on a motorcycle and the memory is imprinted forever.

Still not convinced? Ask yourself this. How much detail can you remember from the last mountain pass you drove in the car? And the answer to that question at the top of the page? If I’m being honest…the road home, because that one always seems to be the slickest, the sharpest, the quickest and the best ridden. Besides, if there’s a meteor coming, it’ll never land in Horncastle.

Jeff Goldblum couldn’t even find it, let alone save it.

That single moment of absolute biking delight Tony Carter

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t’s silly really. You know it, I know it. e people stood in the lay-by knew it. e outcome would have been very different had it gone wrong. On reflection, in the cold light of day, I’d sit here writing this column and I’d tell you that I’d not repeat my actions. But I also know that to say that would probably be untrue.

So, here’s what happened. We were doing the photoshoot for the new 2014 Yamaha Super Ténéré (you can see my report about the bike on page 38 of this issue). It was Italy, the Amalfi coast road. In the background was the beautiful island of Capri. e sea was a crisp blue and flat. e sun was high in the sky…

I was having a really good time on the bike. e Super Ténéré has always been a great bike to ride. e new version of the bike is no different in that respect to what’s gone before – the handling sublime and the roads offered up plenty of grip.

Now, photoshoots aren’t anywhere near as glamorous as you might think they are. Essentially you get on a bike you don’t know, on tyres you’ve not had much time on, riding roads you’ve never seen before at a pace that you’d normally only push to on familiar routes. en you get put in front of a few pro-snappers and you’ve got to strut your stuff. ‘Okay, Tony – you’re next,’ and of course, you don’t want to come away with pics where you don’t show the bike in a good light. So you go for it.

Usually, what happens is that you get three or four passes. e snappers taking everything they can each time you ride by. You whoosh past (or try to) then do a U-turn, pick an empty spot in the traffic then go again.

Whoosh, snapppppp. Whoosh, snappppp. Et cetera. is particular corner was just like the hundred we’d just pushed past as a group of four or five testers and a couple of Yamaha official riders. It was blind entry, tightening up, decent grip levels. On the le-hand

It lasted for no more than three seconds but the grin went on for much longer… sound familiar? corner there was a huge wall of stone on the inside from the cliff edge the road was bolted on to. To the right there was a lay-by with a small stone wall on the edge of it which stopped people falling 300 feet straight down.

In the lay-by stood very nice Yamaha people. And the odd other test rider. Now, I’d done three passes and this was the last one. I sat ready to make my U-turn to begin the final le-hand corner, by now I knew the corner and figured that I should push harder this time. I wanted more lean angle on the bike and the speed would help that. Plus this was the first time I’d been able to get the bike over as far as I could in such a way that I wasn’t worrying about what the road was about to do next.

So I set the bike up, went into the turn a bit faster than before, held off the peel-in point for a bit longer then pitched the bike. It was lovely. e Super Ten tracked really well and the feedback glorious. I pushed on and then ‘Skkkrrrrtttsshhhh’ the satisfying sound and feeling of the footpegs going down. Getting back to the lay-by we were all happy cheesy-grins. Yes, if I’d got it wrong then it would have been messy but you know what, I didn’t and it was a great moment for me during a great ride in a great part of Europe. ere are few thrills out there like riding a motorcycle at pace. And the Super Ténéré reminded me of that in the Italian sun. Of course I’d do it again.

You know where I’m coming from with this, right?

MSL’s deputy editor started riding aged 10. He’s 27 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.

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

This month's contributors...

Bruce Wilson

Tony Carter

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.

Ian Grainger

Ian’s a twowheel nut. He’s particuarly fond of his scoots, but he’ll take on any bike. A journo for the best part of his life, he’s also edited Used Bike Guide in his time, meaning he knows a thing or two about fixing and buying bikes.

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MSL May 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 DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sandra Fisher: sfisher@mortons.co.uk GROUP KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Steff Woodhouse: swoodhouse@mortons.co.uk 01507 529452 / 07786334330 ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE: Sandra Fisher: sfisher@mortons.co.uk 01507 524004 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 36 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £49.20. Export rates are also available – see page 36 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 DISTRIBUTION: COMAG, Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. 01895 433600 PRINTED: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If you are sending material to us for publication, you are strongly advised to make copies and to include a stamped addressed envelope. Original material must be submitted and will be accepted solely on the basis that the author accepts the assessment of the publisher as to its commercial value. © Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. ISSN: 1478-8390 MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURE (USPS:001-522) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $66 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft WI and additional entries.

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CONTENTS NEW 6

ONE TO RIDE

9

NEWS

12

WIN WIN WIN

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FIRST RIDE: BMW’S R NINE T

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HOME-BREWED CUSTOMS

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36

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Another great moment on a great ride that we’ve checked out for you.

Book this one in.

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Things about motorcycles that are current and interesting.

Kit your bike for perfect 2014 long-runs with our fabulous Touratech competition.

The funkiest of the modern cafe racers and it’s from BMW. But how does this motorcycle rate when ridden?

The British way of making cafe racer styled customs. There’s some beautiful machinery being turned out by amazing British brains.

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Two bikes here, the Thunderbird LT which is the USA-styled easy cruiser with whitewall tyres and its pared-down sibling, the Commander. Big rides Stateside.

A KAWASAKI CUSTOM

If you want the custom cafe racer look but want to do it the easier way then take a look at this pick-and-plug-and-play way of doing just that to a W800 Kwakker.

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SUBSCRIBE TO MSL!

It’s less money for your favourite motorcycle magazine. You don’t have to go to a shop to grab one before they all sell out (common, these days!). Go on, you know you want to…

FIRST RIDE: TRIUMPH’S THUNDERBIRDS USA

CUSTOMISING TO THE TMAX

Take a big modern superscooter and give it to a custom-builder. The result is truly wonderful and will make your jaw drop.

TOURING 84

ONE-DAY TOUR: SUFFOLK PUNCH

140 miles on twisty roads and through mock-Tudor villages.

FIRST RIDE: YAMAHA SUPER TÉNÉRÉ ZE

The electronically adjustable suspension game has arrived on the Yamaha adventure bike. The Ed headed out to Italy to put it through its paces. He likes it. But there’s the odd niggle…

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LONG WEEKEND TOUR: THE SEARCH FOR THE RINGS

An MSL reader heads off in search of the Nürburgring, the Sachsenring and something else to do with rings...

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LIFE-CHANGER TOUR: AZERBAIJAN, NO LESS!

How about ditching the BMW, buying a 125cc trail bike and riding to Azerbaijan?

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OUT THERE

Get planning what you’re up to on two wheels.

KNOWLEDGE 106

MODERN RETRO: TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE R

There’s not too many motorcycles that absolutely define the class they (almost) started on their own, but the Triumph does.

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REFLECTIONS: DUCATI DESMO 250

Iconic. The 250 that forced its way into the minds of a generation and these days is in huge demand. mslmagazine.co.uk 5

First Rides

BMW RnineT

Classic BMW

Big miles on UK roads have served to highlight the sheer brilliance of this iconic modern-retro performer.

WORDS: Bruce Wilson PHOTOGRAPHY: Double Red / BMW

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H

anding the keys back hurt. oughts of simply forgetting to return the RnineT had crossed my mind, but I knew it would be a futile exercise.

In the six days and 545 miles leading up to this moment, I’d learned you can’t ride the Beemer anywhere without attracting attention. e audible symphony from the twin-stacked Akrapovic cans proved too much to ignore for most, turning heads from every direction. And then you were really knackered. ey’d see the bike and, dare you even consider stopping, you’d be swarmed by curious spectators before having chance to take off your lid.

NEW I’d got used to this come the third day and found myself dishing out stock answers in response to the many questions of the bewildered audience.

Most wanted to know how it handled.

Others wanted to understand the significance of the model, and then there were those who just wanted a good old stare.

You’d watched them trace the steps of the person before them, stepping their way carefully around the bike while taking in all the detail. e BMW logo behind the headlight lens never went unnoticed and you could also guarantee the traditional-styled VIN plate would be picked up too. But it was the tank that encouraged the most comment.

You’d watch them tap it and nod approvingly on realising that it was all aluminium, going on to note how

they’d strip the black paint back in favour of a bit more metal. It was a systematic process. And admiration for the bike was always consistent.

Regardless of where I rode and who I met, the RnineT was overwhelmed with praise and justifiably so. ree weeks prior to riding the bike on home soil, I’d been lucky enough to blast one around the southern coast of Spain on its world launch. It was a memorable, albeit brief experience, leaving many questions unanswered about the iconic 90th anniversary BMW. More miles were needed to fully appreciate the depth of the cafe racer, which by this point had already outsold its full 2014 UK quota on looks alone.

A week before the bike was officially unveiled in dealerships, MSL got the chance to borrow one and rack up

First Rides Specification W800 SCRAMBLER Engine: 773cc, air-cooled, vertical twin Max power: 46bhp @ 6500rpm Max torque: 44.25lb-ft @ 2500rpm Transmission: Five-speed Final drive: Chain Chassis: Double-cradle, hightensile steel Suspension: Front 39mm telescopic forks, rear twin shocks, spring preload 5-way Wheels: (F) 100/90x19(R) 140/80x18 Brakes: (F) 300mm disc, twin piston caliper (R) 160mm drum

FUEL TANK

This fuel tank is the original W800 item, although the knee pads have been removed and it’s been sprayed to better suit the theme. Other colour options are available. Expect around 100 miles before the fuel light starts to glow, it’s no thirstier than the standard bike though.

HANDLEBARS

The trail bars are wider than standard, they look the part and aid handling because of improved leverage.

Fuel tank: 14 litres Seat height: 790mm Weight: 217kg Wheelbase: 1465mm Price: Scrambler £8499 OTR, cafe racer £7999 OTR (standard W800 £6899) Contact: www.earnshaws.net

The clocks are the same as the standard W800’s.

Handmade high-level exhausts look and sound great.

The standard tank has been de-badged and sprayed.

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stunning exhausts are also built in Yorkshire and they make the Kawasaki sound like a genuine vintage twin. Personally, I love a bike to make a bit of noise, but there’s a chance you’ll be falling out with your neighbours if you’re out early in the morning. e pipes pop and crackle on the overrun as you drop off the throttle, encouraging attention.

Luckily you also get the stock pipes thrown in with the bike ready for MoT time. Whether you like the noise or not they certainly help to add a bit of character. Earnshaws don’t claim a power increase, but it certainly felt much livelier than the last standard W800 I rode.

A scrambler just wouldn’t be a scrambler without a set of knobblies.

e chunky Continentals fitted to this machine were actually very good on the road and I’m sure they’d cope well on light off-road, too, although the exposed oil filter protruding through the frame down tubes might not survive its first rock encounter; it’s probably best to keep the bike on the road. Having clocked up a good number of miles in some fantastic early-season sunshine, it was sod’s law that our photo shoot was spoilt by torrential rain. On a more positive note, it offered a great chance to try the rubber in the wet stuff, where they proved to have plenty of grip, working well with the bike’s standard, and so, suspension to give good feedback. e standard motor hasn’t been enhanced in any way, but it produces a

ABOVE: The Scrambler-spec W800 will set you back £8499.

NEW SEAT

This is a bike for solo blasts out into the countryside (hence no pillion pegs) so you only need a solo saddle.

It suits the bike perfectly.

EXHAUST

Built from stainless steel, they’re straight through, and sound as good as they look. Hand built by a chap in Bradford.

decent amount of oomph as it is. Peak torque is at just 2500rpm, meaning it isn’t a revvy motorcycle at all. Once you’ve got your head around this, you learn to relax a bit more with the throttle and focus on selecting the best gear to drive you through bends and on to the straights. More power isn’t really necessary. Any increase there would require the tweaking of other mechanical components, such as the brakes and suspension, to meet the motor’s bettered performance. e core focus of this bike’s modifications are for aesthetic gain, and they do a great job of delivering on that front. e scrambler looks great and it’s a fun and simple bike to ride too, especially around the twisties, providing decent and predictable

MUDGUARDS

The original chrome mudguards have been replaced with slightly shorter alloy mudguards and the indicators moved to tidy the rear end up.

handling at all times. Prolonged motorway speeds can be a bit tiring, as with all naked bikes, but I doubt many customers will buy one if they’re planning to do regular long stints on that kind of road. is is a bike designed for hooning around, rather than touring Europe.

It puts the fun back into what has gradually become an over sanitised pastime. e riding position is very comfortable; upright but natural and the wide chrome-plated bars give a great feeling of control. But what this bike really is, is different. And that’s why everyone stares at it and wonders, justifiably. Earnshaws staff have craed something fantastic here and it’s unsurprising that they have been overwhelmed by fans, including me.

The maker’s take – Jerry Lodge – Earnshaws Jerry Lodge is one of the brothers behind Earnshaws Motorcycles.

The family-run shop holds a Kawasaki franchise, and also stocks Lexmoto and has recently started importing the Honley range. We asked Jerry to tell us where the scrambler idea came from and how it’s going so far?

“Our Jamie built a 650 version as a project, one for him and one for Jamie Whitham, who’d seen one on a website and thought they looked good. His bike was in the shop over winter and nine out of 10 customers who came into the shop asked us about it, so we thought there must be a market there.

“People were asking about it as if it was a new bike they’d not seen before and were surprised it was ‘just’ a W800.

Anyway we decided we’d buy some bikes from Kawasaki and build a few to sell, so we looked into a few options and came up with the scrambler and cafe racer.

“We’re building quite a few at the minute with different colour schemes, some different exhaust styles and seats. We’ve got a proper race-style seat for the cafe racer and the scrambler can come with either a solo or dual seat. The bikes still come with the original Kawasaki warranty, but customers will have to notify their insurance company that the bike has been modified.

“The interest has been very good in the bikes so far and I expect we’ll get some existing W800 customers asking us for the exhausts, or sending tanks to us to be done like ours. I reckon we’ll probably sell 20 of the specials this year, which is good in the current climate.”

Beautiful exhausts are just beginning to blue.

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YOUR QUESTIONS

Insurance: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

We asked MSL Facebook readers what questions they wanted to put to insurers Principal Insurance (0808 168 7150) and Carole Nash Insurance (0800 781 9318). Here’s what they asked us to ask – and the answers.

WORDS: Tony Carter PHOTOGRAPHY: Mortons Media Archive

CHRIS WATTS:

I would ask them to justify the charges they make for minor policy adjustments – an actual justification of the real cost to them per policy.

Principal Insurance said: “ere can be quite a lot of work involved behind the scenes when changing details on a policy. If the risk details change there is oen an increase in the premium from the insurer and the broker can then add an administration fee for facilitating this change.

“If for instance you are changing your bike to a different model, the broker has to quote for the new premium and if it is acceptable with the current insurer, the details have to be submitted to the insurer who in turn has to submit details to the Motor Insurance Database (MID). If the current insurer is not offering cover for the new bike, then an alternative insurer needs to be found and a new policy incepted and the old one cancelled.

“ere are many, many scenarios for midterm adjustments. And again, the administration fee should be fair and relative to the premium and the work involved.

Administration fees are used to cover many costs policyholders wouldn’t necessarily think of, for example card transaction fees, fees for electronically submitting data to the insurer, postage, printing, telephone calls and then the staff required to make the change. At Principal Insurance we continually monitor the market regarding average fees and are confident that our fees are not excessive and reflect the work carried out to process a midterm adjustment.”

ANDREW MCFARLANE:

Where do I stand if I am injured or my machine is damaged by an uninsured driver or the driver leaves the scene without stopping and no witnesses are available and no CCTV exists?

Top tips to bear in mind With anything a little different like a training course it’s always wise to call a broker and check what they can offer if anything at all. It’s worth speaking to the course provider as they may also know where you can get cover or be able to lend you a bike.

Things like advanced riding courses can reduce premiums as can adding increased security such as tracking devices and alarm immobilisers.

To give you the best chance at reducing your premium, try to be accurate with the number of miles you ride each year, the usage and the value of your bike as this can change each time you renew.

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Genuinely grateful Maynard Hershon

M

uch of the advice I trust about maintaining my bike comes from the ZRX Owners Forum.

Using the search feature, you can access the assembled wisdom of dozens or hundreds of ZRX owners in seconds. ese guys know whereof they post.

Some forum members bought first-year models in ’99 and are still riding them today. Some have 100,000 mileplus ZRXs. Many have owned several, stock and wildly modified. To ignore their advice seems foolish.

But... I just paid my independent mechanic to remove my ZRX’s Kawasaki automatic cam-chain tensioner and replace it with a simpler aermarket one that you adjust manually via a bolt and locking nut. My mechanic believes the original tensioners oen fail.

Forum posters, especially one guy whose suggestions I follow religiously, do not agree with my mechanic about the fragility of original equipment ZRX cam-chain tensioners. Most feel that they seldom fail. No, they soldier on, doing their necessary but unglamorous job long and faithfully.

I paid good money to replace a thing that probably worked fine. Why would I do such a thing? I did it as a vote of confidence in my mechanic, a gesture of trust.

For reasons I do not fully understand, I don’t believe that simply paying the bill each time he fixes my bike is payment enough. Nor is my continuing to do business with the shop and the man payment enough. I suppose I don’t think of money as adequate pay. I want to thank him by other, more personal, means for his kind attentions to my bike, as if he’d done the work as an unpaid favour.

I don’t have the same feelings about the people who repair my boots or sell me motor oil or groceries. Or about the guy who fixes Tamar’s and my car. I like that guy. I appreciate his efforts to keep our car healthy. But when I pay his bill, I feel I’ve done all I need to do.

Not so with my motorcycle mechanic. I want to be his friend. I want to nod agreement with him in conversation. If I disagree (perhaps about Cal Crutchlow and Ducati) I want to be sure of my position. I want to follow his suggestions about smart mods to my motorcycle. I want to give him beer at holiday time and show up now and again with doughnuts for the guys at the shop.

I feel, based not on my bike’s temperament or evident fragility but on my fears that something dire could happen, that my mechanic’s work has the same weight in my life as my doctor’s. I listen

Maynard acknowledges the input others make into keeping him on two wheels.

Especially those in the workshop.

Who is Hershon?

MSL’s Maynard is our man with a very unique view on motorcycling from both sides of the pond. Yes, he is American, yes, he does ride around on a second-hand Kawasaki that causes him grief... and yes, he does have his finger right on the pulse of life on two wheels

more carefully to their words and minor inflections than I do to those of others.

I want to think that my mechanic knows it is my bike he’s into up-to-his-elbows when he does what he does. I want to think he enjoys fixing my bike because it’s mine, not that of some less grateful soul, merely a name on a work order. I’m sure I’m not the only person who feels this way.

My friend Jim, a CBR1000 rider, loves Acura automobiles and has owned a succession of them. He tells me he has a fine, longstanding relationship with the guy who fills out the work orders at the Acura dealership that services his car. Jim sends a Christmas card, he calls or emails his thanks when his car thrives on their attentions, he comes by with doughnuts even when doughnuts are not called for. Years ago, Jim’s ex drove over some object in the road in his Acura, managing to rip the catalytic converter from the underside of the car.

At the Acura store, his friend told him that the labour part of the bill was only a couple hundred dollars. But the catalytic converter cost nearly $2000. e service writer hooked Jim up with a loan car.

When Jim returned to pick up his own car, the service writer told him that the Honda tech rep had owed him a favour. e service writer had accepted the favour in the form of a new catalytic converter – for Jim. e bill was $200.

Neither Jim nor I intend our expressed gratitude to earn us anything free. ere’s no manipulation going on.

We’re genuinely grateful. If special treatment comes our way, we’re thankful, perhaps even more thankful than we normally feel, but we’re not angling for freebies. We love our machines, our transportation machines, especially our motorcycles. We haven’t the facilities or the knowledge to take care of them the way we like. We depend on the abilities and consideration of the folks who maintain or repair them. We’re so concerned about the care of our bikes we can hardly imagine an impersonal, strictly business relationship with the caregivers. Maybe we want our mechanics to fret about the health of our bikes the way we do. We realise they aren’t going to worry as we do. Instead they’re going to fix our bikes so that there’s nothing for us to worry about. We’re relieved that they don’t make us feel silly for our concerns. ey’re simply great guys. mslmagazine.co.uk 71

Mid Ride

LORDS OF THE RINGS

Race fan Donald Campbell headed to Germany for the MotoGP and took in the Nürburgring while he was at it.

WORDS & PHOTOS: Donald Campbell

M

y son Donald (30), daughter’s partner Matt (also 30) and I (62) decided to ride across to the German Moto GP at Sachsenring via the Nürburgring. Living in Burghead, north-east Scotland, we had a long ride even to reach the ferry, but the bikes didn’t have a problem: 2004 Ducati Multistrada (mine), Kawasaki KLV 1000 (Donald’s) and 1999 Aprilia RSV Mille (Matt’s). We also took the opportunity to form our very own bike club just for this occasion, with Burghead Bulls Motorcycle Club T-shirts to match.

One long ride down to Newcastle and an overnight ferry journey later we landed in Ijmuiden and headed straight for the Nürburgring, arriving late aernoon the same day. Booked into our B&B, we set off for the circuit. e whole place was buzzing, with all sorts of wheels from bikes to supercars and even motorcaravans.

I was intending to do a lap, honest, but then another rider waiting his turn told me why there were queues – the track was closed for half an hour while they cleared up an accident, which helped me decide to watch from the start line. As for the boys, they bought their tickets, rode off on to the Ring and duly came back with eyes the size of dinner plates.

AMPUTATION AVOIDED

Our next stop was to be closer to Sachsenring, near the Czech Republic, which meant another long day on the bikes. So, we started early and rode all day via Koblenz,

He’s been there, done that. And now got the picture.

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The next day’s race wasn’t my biggest memory of the trip Erfurt and Chemnitz, with lots of three-figure speeds on the clocks. Now, Donald and I weren’t riding slowly but at one point, Matt on the Aprilia lead bike managed to stop at the services, have a pee and rejoin the autobahn, still in front of us. All right, we were doing 100mph plus, which says much about the potential speed of a Mille.

Matt did say aerwards that he had a weird noise coming from the drive chain, and more on this later.

At one point I eased off to give my head a break from the concentration required to maintain these speeds, pulled into the middle lane at 95mph and a family in a Mercedes motorhome overtook me. I’m sure it was one of the ones from the Nürburgring.

We were discovering that Germany is a big country, and even at these autobahn velocities, it was early evening by the time we reached the picture-postcard alpine resort of Oberwiesenthal. It was home to our prebooked self-catering flat and close to the Czech border, not to mention only an hour’s ride from Sachsenring. In fact, it turned out to be a brilliant place, with its own narrow-gauge steam railway. We did a bit of exploring and had a trip on the train. Now, I don’t know if you are aware or even interested, but most biting insects such as horseflies are attracted to large, warm, dark-coloured objects. So, sitting in an open carriage right behind a

ABOVE: MotoGP at Sachsenring wasn’t the highlight of the trip but it was still worth the journey.

BELOW: Bikes sported Burger King corporate colours. Anyone fancy a McDonalds?

TOURING

huge black steam locomotive isn’t the best way to avoid them. I was bitten on my le hand, and the swelling kicked in big time that evening. So much so that next day I decided to head for the A and E in Annaberg (the nearest big town) while the boys went off to catch prerace practice. e medics gave me a choice – they could either cut my wedding ring off, or wait until next day when they might have to do the same to my finger. I opted to lose the ring, and rode back to our digs with an ungloved le hand.

Aer all that excitement, next day’s race wasn’t my biggest memory of the trip, though worth seeing, and on the way back we popped over the border into the Czech Republic for much cheaper petrol and a superb meal in their version of an Alpine village. Boží Dar, it was called.

It had been a good trip, though next time we’d take a couple of ratchet straps for the ferry, and I wouldn’t make the mistake of wearing thermals in July again.

Also a sat nav is easier to read on the bike than having to stop to get a map out. We didn’t have any big mechanical issues, just a leaking front exhaust pipe on the Ducati and a blown bulb on the KLV, caused by the connector overheating. Donald fitted a new relay and wiring when we got home – apparently it’s a common fault on the KLV and the V-Strom it’s based on.

Actually, I say no big mechanical issues, but when we got home we found the source of that weird noise on Matt’s Aprilia. e chain had lost two of its rollers and could have snapped at any time. Makes you think.

Fresh-faced and ready to go, waiting for the Ijmuiden ferry.

RIDING THE RING – DONALD CAMPBELL JNR

e locals call Nürburgring the ‘Green Hell’ but never having ridden there or done so much as a track day before, I didn’t know what to expect. ere is a strange sensation as you approach the place, a sort of nervous fear and excitement that slowly creeps into you and before you know it, all you can think about is trying to

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