TRA SUA TRAN CHAU THAI LAN

Every Wednesday June 17, 2015. £2.20

YEARS

1955-2015

TT SPECIAL SIZZLING SENIOR

PLUS 23 wins – and faster than a speeding (Bingley) bullet

+ Hutchy hat-trick + Dunlop disaster + Martin 132mph but still no win

D E T R SO

E IC V D A & S E IK B D E S U F O S E N EW: 17 PAG

e ik b r u o y ff o rs a e y e k ta ll t’ Nine jobs tha

GSX-R750 OBSESSION

MUST-BUY MONGREL BIKES

TOP 10 SPORTY BOOTS

BMW Scrambler revealed O RCV road bike: Official details O New R3 v Ninja 300 v RC390

www.motorcyclenews.com

NEW

BIKES KEEP COMING P4

P6

P8

P22

TT DRAMA

HUTCHY IS A BANK RUBBER! Ian Hutchinson admitted to being a ‘bit embarrassed’ after this major moment at Bedstead during the Superstock TT. Not shocked, or shaken or feeling lucky to be alive. No, embarrassed!

His Kawasaki ZX-10 was starting to run out of fuel, causing him to run out wide and glance the bank. “I’ve never

45 years in the making Oh we do love a V4 at MCN. So do Honda and they’ve spent the last 45 years making some absolute corkers. We embrace and celebrate the bikes that have broken records, broken bones and broken budgets.

even clipped a kerb before,” said the softly-spoken Bingley man. He went on to win the race by 17 seconds from Michael Dunlop. A win later in the week on Keith Flint’s Team Traction Control Yamaha R6 rounded out an incredible comeback week and a hattrick of TT victories.

300 sports shootout TIM KEETON

We’ve waited a long time for the road-going version of Honda’s awesome RCV MotoGP bike, but it looks like a decade of despair has finally come to an end. Well it has if you’ve got £140k! Honda reveals full official details of the bike for the first time on pages 4-5. And, yes we know it’s June and halfway through the year, but new (2016) bikes are already breaking cover. BMW’s hot Scrambler and a new Yamaha MT-07 are getting us all excited.

KTM and Kawasaki have had a bit of a wake-up call with the arrival of the arousing Yamaha’s R3. All are light, sporty and under £4k. They all comply to A2 licence laws but offer proper thrills to anyone willing to work a bit for their reward. We put the three machines head-to-head on the road and on the track.

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BIGGER AND BETTER!

17 PAGES OF USED BIKES & ADVICE Following the introduction of MCN Garage a year ago we’ve listened to feedback and requests for more practical advice and inspirational tales about owning motorcycles. The result is this improved section with completely new elements. We’ve also revamped some of the old favourites (like long-termers) and tried to make them even more useful and insightful.

NEW

NEW

Ian Hutchinson after taking three TT wins

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK

SORTED! Freshen up your ride

Birth of the first GSX-R750 SRAD

9 ways to bust the rust and sort the sag P36

We speak to one of the midwives P38

NEW

PACEMAKER PRESS INTL

‘It’s special beating Michael Dunlop.

He’s been the man around here and I knew it would be hard. But the graft finally paid off’ P68

Ride this route without smiling

Our bikes - your bikes

Plus: Bikes you ignore... but shouldn’t P40-41

Owning, fixing, improving & comparing P42

NEW

P52

SUZUKI GSX750F £2450

SELLER SAYS: 2005, 13,000 miles.

Full service history, just serviced & full MoT. Heated grips and a Scottoiler.

MCN SAYS: Unloved and underrated, but the ‘teapot’ is actually something of a special brew. It is a reliable sports tourer with a smooth engine. Get over the looks and it’s a great bike.

14,432 bikes for sale

Feast your eyes on new stuff

Any Question Answered

Best sporty boots, from £100 to £900 P46

Expert advice on travel, tech, legal issues P50

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04

THIS WEEK

RC213V-S LAUNCH

T

New £140,000 RC213V-S road bike could lead to cheaper V4 superbike TITANIUM GLORY

H

onda have unveiled a production version of the super-exclusive RC213V-S MotoGP replica, and bosses have admitted that there’s a possibility of cheaper 1000cc V4 models to follow in its wake.

Chief Operating Officer Tetsuo Suzuki said the firm will monitor demand for the road bike before making any further decisions, but added: “It makes sense for us to keep this first batch of bikes limited to small numbers, but after that we will have to see how many orders we will get.

“If we get many, many orders for the RC213V-S then perhaps we can look at a cheaper version that could sit between the CBR1000RR Fireblade and the RC213V-S.” Honda revealed the full spec of the new RC213V-S (S stands for ‘Street’) at the official launch on the day before qualifying and practice at the Catalunya MotoGP round near Barcelona, Spain.

Both reigning world champion Marc Marquez and Repsol Honda team-mate Dani Pedrosa were on hand to unveil the bike, and Honda had flown in top brass from Japan, as well as those responsible for the development of the bike.

The bike boasts a disappointing 159bhp in fully road-legal trim, but each of the 200 or so built will be available with an HRC kit that converts it to track spec, and boosts power to a dramatically more impressive 215bhp. The kit comprises ram-air ducts, an exhaust, new ECU, different spark plugs, quickshifter, race gearshift, datalogger, race brake pads, remote span adjustment for the front brake lever, and some sundry parts to make it track ready – such as a bellypan with incorporated catch tank.

Is it really an RC213V?

IAN JUBB & HONDA

The 999cc V4 keeps as close to the racing machines as possible. Honda set out

The standard titanium exhaust is as close to the look of the MotoGP bike as possible but still manages to be road legal for noise and emissions. The quality of the construction is sublime but most impressive is the waythe silencersandthe catalytic converterhasbeenhiddenaway.

‘Just like mine…’

Marquez on the RC213V-S

212BHP POTENTIAL

at the very beginning of this project to make a bike as close to the racing bike as legislation would allow.

“The new RC213V-S is not merely the result of a feedback of technologies created by Honda through its competition in races into a commercially available model, but rather represents a wholly new endeavour to make it possible for a machine developed for competition in MotoGP races to run on public roads,” say Honda. “The RC213V-S has inherited the specifications of the RC213V to thoroughly ensure mass concentration and reduced friction, as well as all key aspects in manufacturing that set the RC213V apart as a MotoGP machine from ordinary mass production models.

“In addition, the RC213V-S is equipped with control technologies used on the RC213V. The RC213V consists only of the necessary parts for winning races. To achieve the specifications that make the RC213V-S eligible to run on public roads, the minimal amount of necessary changes and additions has been made compared to the RC213V.” The idea for the RC213V-S came from the HRC test team which was developing the RCV1000R customer racing

Stripped of bodywork the LED front light assembly is clearly visible

bike that could be leased to MotoGP privateers. They said the bike was so easy to ride they suggested to bosses it could be made into a road bike.

But the project was beset by delays thought to have been caused by internal wrangling over the viability of the bike, costs and the availability of research and design resources. It was 2012 when Honda first made the official announcement of the intention to build a MotoGP replica for the road but it was another two years before a real bike appeared at the Milan show.

Even at that point Honda bosses told MCN the decision to build the bike was still ‘not 100%’.

Bikes will be hand built in a new assembly area at the Kumamoto factory in Japan by the most skilled of the workers in the factory. They will be building them at a rate of around one per day; this might initially be even slower such is the complexity of the construction.

The price was announced as €188,000 in Germany, which is likely to equate to around £140,000 for the UK market – while orders can be placed online from midnight July 13, 2015 on the dedicated www.rc213v-s.com website.

In road trim the 90° V4 produces 159bhp but delivers a claimed 215bhp at a peak rev limit of 12,000rpm with the HRC kit. Crankcases are aluminium rather than the racer’s magnesium. Pistons are modified to increase service intervals and there are conventional valve springs, slipper clutch and gearbox to replace the pneumatic valves,seamless shift gearbox andpistonsthatare developedforracing.

JUST LIKE MARC’S The swingarmisanother part that hasmaintainedas much of the designandengineering of the MotoGPbike and is the same aluminium design. Theswingarmis 55mm longerthanthatof a CBR1000RR Fireblade in order to controlwheelies.

Full colour digital dash changes layout and information in each mode

Chassis is identical to the race machine and hand welded

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NEW BIKES

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T SECOND V4

SLEEK LED LIGHTING

The production bike has LED lights that keep to the lines of the MotoGP bike front air intake and all of the other lights are LEDs too.

ELECTRONICS The RC213V-S isa precursor for the nextstepinHonda electronic developmentforroad bikes with adjustable ridingmodes, ride-bywire,traction control, selectable enginebraking,quick shifter and adashboardthat changes on command.Expect much of this tofilterdownto road bikes in the coming years.

STYLING The overall styling of the bike isidenticaltothat of the show ‘concept’bike shown in Milan last year. Indicators are narrower and longerthanthose seen on the conceptbike lastyear. It is expectedtocome inaFreddie Spencerinspiredpaintjob (see below) or this gorgeous carbon finish.

Mirrors meet homologation rules but look a bit unusual

Engine layout is the same V4 as race version but cases are cast aluminium

SPORT

June 17 2015

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES HONDA DID PLAN 1000CC V5 Honda have – for the first time – admitted that a V5 1000cc replacement for the CBR1000RR Fireblade was under development but was canned before getting the go-ahead for production a decade ago.

The admission by Honda’s Chief Operating Officer Tetsuo Suzuki was made when he said the concept of the V5 was very different from that of the RC213V-S because it was aimed at mass production rather than strictly limited numbers.

MCN ran numerous stories at the time about plans for a V5 replacement for the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, but these were strenuously denied by Honda. Almost a decade later the confirmation comes with the explanation that the bike was under development but was dropped because Honda couldn’t manage the weight effectively enough to make it viable.

Mr Suzuki was asked what made the V4 RC213V-S different to the V5 project that was dropped in the mid2000s. He said: “It’s not that there has been a big change at Honda but the V5 was a very different bike. It was not a GP replica; it was for mass production and it looked very different to the GP bike.

This time the RC213V-S is a closer copy.”

This is the fully-road legal exhaust. Race kit replaces this for 215bhp

05

www.motorcyclenews.com

06

THIS WEEK

Commute with a smile This week is Ride To Work Week, so if you’re one of the unlucky ones who doesn’t normally get to ride for the daily commute, this is your prime excuse to dig out your bike and arrive at your place of work with a smile on your face.

The annual event started as a oneday only gig, but has grown to last a whole week, and is an international initiative to prove the benefits for everyone on our roads. Motorcyclists are happier when they commute by bike, saving time and money for most commutes that would normally involve a car or train journey, and cumulatively reducing congestion for other road users, too.

The MCN team obviously rides to work every day, but we understand that it’s not always practical – depending on your job, location, or school-run duties – but this is the week to make whatever exceptions you can to get on your bike and show your car/train/bus commuting colleagues what they’re missing.

Head to ridetoworkweek.co.uk to find events and incentives in your area to make riding to work even more enjoyable – from vouchers to discounts, to free bacon butties.

NEW MT-07 ‘FASTER SON’ REVEALED First hint of retro future for Yamaha’s parallel-twin MCN interviews custom builder Shinya Kimura in Biarritz

By Steve Hunt

M There’s always that one person in the office who takes things too far...

CN’s bike of 2014 is preparing to enter the world of ‘retro’ cool with the unveiling of a new, ‘Café Racer’ Yard Built custom, and it’s the work of renowned bike-builder and artist, Shinya Kimura.

Previous Yard Built collaborations have influenced several upcoming versions of Yamaha production bikes - with both Deus and Wrenchmonkees builds inspiring the new XJR1300 Racer model, and Marcus Walz’s recent XV950 Café Racer proving the blueprint for the

new ‘racer’ variation of the popular cruiser, due to hit dealers in the coming weeks. And MCN believes that this new ‘Faster Son’ custom build will lead the way for a similarly inspired MT-07 offering.

While little has been altered mechanically from its parallel-twin donor, it’s the stance and bodywork that are the focus of the major changes. This is also the first bike outside of the ‘Sports Heritage’ range to be given official ‘Yard Built’ status.

Shun Miyazawa, European Product Manager at Yamaha spoke to MCN

on the evening of the bike’s unveiling at the Wheels & Waves festival in Biarritz. He said: “With all of the other manufacturers reviving – or adapting – their air-cooled engines for this custom market, we wanted to ask questions of ourselves and see if we could do something different; could Yamaha come at this from the opposite direction?

“I was talking to Kimura about this question and he offered to take this engine, take some of Yamaha’s design and then add his own thing. So this project began with the objective of providing an answer to this.”

‘It’ll lead the way for a similarly inspired MT-07 offering’ When asked about the possibility of production for something similar, Miyazawa was quick to respond, “This design is about providing validation of our ideas, rather than asking Kimura-

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June 17 2015

07

NEXT WEEK JOEY DUNLOP SPECIAL Custom builder Kimura fathered the Faster Son

Hand-beaten bodywork has a touch of Steam Punk

Unseen pics and untold tales — 15 years after his death

NEW ARIEL ACE TESTED Awesome British bike bettered for 2016

NUTTY NAKEDS AT WAR Show-stopping Faster Son custom will inspire a production bike San to design our bike. This sector is all about taking key elements of the ‘scene’ and blending this into our designs. He acted as our mentor and helped us to confirm our hypothesis; is it possible to have the fun-riding characteristics of our modern bikes with a retro-cool, styling point of view? With ‘Faster Son’ we have this answer.”

Kimura also remained guarded about the production possibilities, “I was given a choice by Yamaha of what engine to work with and as I like lightweight motorcycles the MT-07 was very good for me. Yamaha didn’t give

Retro concepts don’t get much cooler than this

me any restrictions at all with regards to the build, but I had certain design constraints that I gave myself. I don’t have a press so I have to hammer all of my metalwork by hand, but in my work I have the opportunities to talk to many motor companies and they always say just do what you want, so this time I wanted to really challenge myself and produce something that was completely street legal.

“I am proud of the whole build, there isn’t one piece that I’d choose as a standout part. My bikes are all about harmony and the design as a whole.

Everything has to flow as a complete design and the ‘Faster Son’ does that for me. Perhaps, if the law allowed, I would have liked to do more with the muffler, to make it even louder!

“Of course, I would be honoured if Yamaha took elements of this and moved them into a production motorcycle, but I’m not sure exactly what they will do to make that happen. If they maintained the harmony of my bike then I’d be really proud.”

MCN expects that Yamaha will unveil the production version at the EICMA show in Milan, this November.

Aprilia Tuono and BMW S1000R go at it — pass me the aspirin!

ALL-NEW MCN GARAGE 20 PAGES OF INSPIRATION & ADVICE How to make your bike handle better + bikes worth investing in + meet the man who eats, sleeps and dreams about R1s

PLUS Sn

etterton BSB & Mis ano WSB

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08

THIS WEEK

SCRAMBLER MAKES DEBU

MCN’s artist impression of the BMW Scrambler back in April

Plenty in the tank

BMW reveals concept bike, but the real thing is expected soon

Thisisthe actualtankthatwillget usedonthe Scrambler,checkout the heatshieldingtape underneath.

MCN sourceshaverevealedaplain white colour option will be available.

Simple springs A smaller-diameter conventional fork replaces the S1000Rderived inverted fork fitted to the RnineT,again aimed atreducingthe showroom price of the new Scrambler.

The real thing

Super subframe

Fine lines

It’s believed that these are the actual five-spoke milled aluminium wheels the Scrambler will be available with, although it’s expected that a range of optional wheels will be available as accessories.

Anotherbig clueastotheproduction natureofthis bikecan beseen in theformof thenewrearsubframe which isdifferenttothatof theRnineTand matches the minimal styling of the new seat unit.

Thesetwin-stackedsilencersare titanium and manufactured by Akrapovic but mirrortheexactlinestheproduction spec Scrambler will take.

By Andy Downes

I

gnore the surfboard hanging off the side, the eccentric paint job and concept bike tag, because this is the shape of the forthcoming BMW R nineT Scrambler expected to be launched at the Milan show this Autumn. This bike – dubbed Concept Path 22 – was launched last weekend at the Wheels & Waves custom bike show in Biarritz, France.

MCN revealed BMW’s plans to release a Scrambler version of the big-selling R nineT two months ago, and this Concept Path 22 is clearly far more than just another concept bike; it appears to use real production parts that will be seen on the finished bike.

The fuel tank is a cheaper pressed steel version that will be used on the Scrambler instead of the expensively handmade aluminium tank used on the R nineT roadster, the fork is a lower-specification than the S1000RR superbike-derived set-up used on the nineT, while the fork fitted here boasts

Öhlins internals that are unlikely to feature on the production Scrambler.

Hanging off the fork legs are the midspec Brembo calipers we expect to make it to production, gripping discs fitted to mag-style wheels that also match the style seen on leaked BMW sketches of the production bike. Even the front light appears to be the finished unit. BMW have been clever with the way they have managed to reduce the cost of the high-end parts used on the R nineT to make the Scrambler model more affordable.

Head of BMW Motorrad Design Edgar Heinrich said: “A scrambler is the perfect match for Wheels & Waves.

It’s the epitome of a motorcycle beyond established standards and conventions. Performance specifications are not so much of interest - style and originality all the more so. Scramblers express passion and are as varied as their owners. The Concept Path 22 is our own interpretation based on the R nineT. The latter is the perfect basis for a scrambler conversion.”

Ola Stenegard, Head of BMW Motorrad Design, says: “The idea of a BMW scrambler is not new to us. Now seemed to be the right time to present our interpretation of this legendary vehicle concept.” At the heart of the Concept Path 22 there is a powerful two-cylinder boxer engine with cardan drive - as is typical of BMW. The single-sided swing arm makes the five-spoke rear wheel visible, again a familiar BMW feature.

BMW motorcycle boss Stephan Schaller confirmed a Scrambler was on the cards at the recent launch of the Concept 101 bagger. He told MCN: “We want to create families around all our engines and chassis. We want three to five models around each version. I think the Scrambler is a very good idea and perhaps you will see something later this year. In fact I think you can expect this to happen this year for sure. But it will only be shown and not for sale until next year. I think there are some other models we can do. Perhaps a café racer and maybe one more too.”

Upgraded dash hints at the possibilities

RSD cylinder head covers add real bling

Concept’s paint and trimming is a bit Austin Powers but the bike beneath looks ace

www.motorcyclenews.com

#fortheride

REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE

Based on: Tiger Explorer @ 5,000 miles per annum

On the Road Price

36 Monthly Repayments

Deposit/Part Exchange

Total Amount of Credit

Agreement Duration

Purchase Fee†

Final Repayment

Total Amount Payable

Interest Rate (Fixed)

Representative APR

£11,599.00

£129.00

£2,727.00

£8,872.00

37 Months

£10.00

£6,480.00

£13,851.00

9.44%

9.9% APR

GET 3 YEARS (OR 18,000 MILES)

FREE SERVICING

†

Included within Final Repayment.

+ £940 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ACCESSORIES* Tiger Explorer £11,599 OTR

Tiger Explorer XC £12,599 OTR

When financing using...

ACCESSORY PACK INCLUDES:

Two Box Pannier Set, Heated Grips & Switch, Heated Rider Seat.

Applies to bikes registered between 22.05.15 30.06.15.

Participating dealers only.

Terms and conditions apply, see website for full details.

There’s a road out there. Way out there.

Places where you’ll appreciate having a little extra.

Times when you’ll appreciate having it all.

For more information or to book your test ride, visit triumphmotorcycles.co.uk Finance is subject to status and is only available to UK residents aged 18 and over. TriStar Personal Contract Purchase is only available through Triumph Motorcycle Finance which is a trading style of Black Horse Ltd, St William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff CF10 5BH. Finance figures correct as of 01.05.15 and are subject to change. Bikes must be registered by 30.06.15. Finance offer ends 30.06.15. *Accessory Terms and Conditions: Fitting charges may apply. Offer subject to the purchase of a new full price motorcycle. Offer subject to stock availability and applies to motorcycles registered between 01.05.15 and 30.06.15.

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10

THIS WEEK

1

THIS WEEK’S HOT BIKES

Seven of the best creations seen at the Wheels and Waves custom festival last weekend in Biarritz 1. Ducati Scrambler ‘Magione’

by Fred ‘Krugger’ Bertrand The Ducati Scrambler is slowly beginning to show its promise as a donor bike after a few, inauspicious early builds. Krugger cleaned up the lines with subtle changes to the tank, then dropped the front-end slightly and added a new rear that cleverly inverts the stock Scrambler’s LED rear light.

2

3

2. 1983 Suzuki GSXE 750 by Kikishop French builders Kikishop rode their GSXE 750 along to the festival. Only the motor and tank survive from the original bike. The front-end, shock and swingarm are from a GSX-R1000 K6.

3. Harley-Davidson Street 750 ‘SHDB 04’ by HD Prague Czech builder Ondrej Odehnal admits to being inspired by the recent Lotus C-01 and the Shaw’s Bell & Ross HD – and it shows. With its hand-beaten metalwork and perfect proportions it’s no surprise that it won Harley’s ‘Battle of the Kings’ competition.

4 5

4. Ducati Scrambler ‘Hero 01’

by Holographic Hammer Sylvain Berneron designed and built this street-race ready Ducati Scrambler along with his brother, Florent. It boasts a Showa fork, Beringer 4D brakes and stunning 17in Rotobox carbon race wheels; it’s a bike that means business.

5. Kawasaki Z1 ‘La Bestia’ by Valtoron The four-cylinder, turbo-charged 900cc Z1 won MCN’s ‘Machine of The Year’ four years running between 1973 and ’76. Here Spanish builders Valtoron take it as their base for their stunning, sand-cast aluminium bodywork.

6. BMW R nineT ‘Highway Fighter’ by Cherry’s Company Continuing its tour of Europe, this BMW-commissioned nineT by Japanese builders Cherry’s Company features hand-fabricated 70s-inspired aluminium fairings, solid RevTech rims, BMW S1000RR fork and PSR steering damper.

7. Mystery Benelli 900 Sei We couldn’t find the owner of this beautifully simplistic Benelli 900 Sei, but had to include it. The strippeddown café racer runs on laced rims, with four-piston calipers, has a cute Imola-style fairing, open clutch cover, and stunning six-into-six system.

6

7

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We’re Supercharging the ‘World of Kawasaki’ festival and taking it to Rockingham Speedway on Sunday 28th of June

* Track Sessions * Demo Rides * MX & Utility Demos * Maxxis Drift Cars * Lee Bowers Stunts * Minimotos * Sykes and Rea “TT Specials” * Rider Interviews * Live music * Plus H2 Owners Parade Lap * Exclusive KRC VIP Hospitality * Family fun * Kawasaki By Night - Camping, Music & Hog Roast BOOK OR REGISTER NOW

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THIS WEEK

12

FIRST TEST

NMAX has all the makings of a perfect urban scooter – it’s light, handles well, and having ABS boosts rider confidence

YAMAHA NMAX 125 YAMAHA

‘All the right ingredients for no-fuss urban commuting’

By Peter Henshaw

V

MCN CONTRIBUTOR

ariable valve timing, anti-lock brakes, fuel injection and a four-valve head sounds like the spec of a well-equipped sports tourer, but Yamaha’s new NMAX scooter has all of this... and it’s only a 125. The company hopes that its loaded scooter will grab sales from Honda’s best-selling PCX, which topped the UK scooter sales charts for the first four months of this year.

Central to the NMAX’s appeal is an all-new four-stroke engine with VVA (Variable Valve Actuation). Unlike more sophisticated systems like Ducati’s DVT, which offers infinitelyvariable valve timing, the NMAX has

two different cam lobes – one tailored for low engine speeds, one for high – a solenoid switching between the two at 6000rpm. In theory, this should give the NMAX good low speed torque and high speed power. In practice, it makes slightly more power than the PCX and marginally less torque. Either way, it’s pretty pokey for a 125.

Yamaha say they’ve done a lot of work to make the motor as efficient as possible, cutting down on internal frictional losses by 18% with a roller bearing rocker arm, plus attention paid to piston rings, cylinder bore and crankshaft oil seals. The cooling system bypasses the thermostat from cold – this isn’t exactly a new idea, but it does cut down on fuel-hungry warm up time. All this adds up to a claimed fuel consumption of 107mpg, which

sounds good but falls well short of the Honda’s 133.9mpg on the same standard test cycle.

Given how laden it is with high-tech gizmos, the NMAX doesn’t look that special. There is a family resemblance to the TMAX and X-MAX sports scooters, but it’s not strong. That’s partly because, despite the goodies, the NMAX is aimed firmly at first-time buyers – Yamaha reckon that up to half of them will be novices with the rest stepping up from a 50cc scoot.

Step onto the NMAX and that novice friendliness is confirmed by a low 765mm seat, which allows the short-legged to get both feet flat on the ground. But it’s still a biggish scooter by 125 standards, with plenty of room for two, and space for the rider to stretch out, feet forward. The riding position

is upright and in-town sensible.

Fire up the liquid-cooled motor and there’s little clue of VVA in the innocuous exhaust note, but the NMAX gets away from the lights smoothly and quickly enough – it’s certainly got

‘Fire up the motor, and there’s little clue of VVA in the exhaust note, but the NMAX gets away from the lights quickly’

the pace to stay out of trouble in the chaotic rush hour traffic of Lisbon, where Yamaha launched the bike. In fact, it has all the right ingredients for no-fuss urban commuting, with decent acceleration, upright riding position, a good lock and a waistline slim enough to slip through gaps. In short, it’s nippy, flickable and convenient.

When the speed limits open up, power builds smoothly up to 55mph – there’s no power step, which you might expect from a two-stage VVC (remember the original Honda VTEC?) and it all feels very conventional. Yamaha claim a top speed of 62mph but there’s probably a bit more to come on top of that.

Lisbon is famous for its tarts (as in pastries), hilly terrain and tiled architecture. It also boasts some of the most knobbly, cobbled streets in southern

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13

The NMAX has a beefy look for a small bike and is clean and classy

FIRST RIDE

TRIUMPHROCKETX

TECH SPEC YAMAHA NMAX 125 Price Engine Power Torque Weight Fuel capacity MPG Seat height Available

‘A cruiser that will nail most sportsbikes’

£2671 Liquid-cooled OHC single, 125cc 12bhp @ 7500rpm 8.6ftlb @ 7250rpm 127kg 6.6 litres 108 765mm June 30

NEED TO KNOW

By Jon Urry MCNCONTRIBUTOR

UK buyers will get their choice of all four colours: Red, White, Titanium or Black

Performance One of the faster 125s, but VVA doesn’t make it a rocketship

Looks Clean cut, in a modern scooter sort of way

Value It’s £100 cheaper than the Honda PCX, which doesn’t have ABS but does have idle-stop

Europe, and some huge potholes. The NMAX’s forks and twin rear shocks crashed and banged over all of this, but so would most other scooters. It doesn’t have preload adjustment on the rear shocks, which many scooters do. The ABS, on the other hand, works well, kicking in on dry tarmac front or rear if the levers are grabbed hard enough – it will be a real boon for year-round commuters coping with wet and greasy UK roads.

All the features you’d expect are there: enough underseat space for a full-face lid, decent mirrors and an informative digital dash, which includes an economy meter plus, for the real fuel efficiency fanatics, instant/ average mpg readouts. According to this, we managed 108mpg dashing around Lisbon.

IAN JUBB

The Rocket’s in a class of its own, but the limited-edition paint isn’t special enough

Dash displays plenty of information, especially on fuel consumption

WhatisVariableValve Actuation?

Valve timing is a compromise, because the precise points at which inlet and exhaust valves open, and how long they stay open before closing, will only suit a particular engine speed and load.

Variable valve timing breaks out of this by changing the timing according to the rpm and load.

Sophisticated electronic systems such as Ducati’s DVT make it infinitely variable, in theory always suiting the engine’s need perfectly.

The NMAX’s VVC isn’t that clever, switching between two cam profiles at 6000rpm, but it all helps its performance.

Silver boomerang panel gives family resemblance to X-Max and TMax

VERDICT A great 125cc urban scooter from Yamaha, roomy and well thoughtout. While its performance isn’t exactly outstanding, it’s quick enough, and the standard ABS will be enough to convince many buyers.

WE LIKE ■ ABS as standard ■ Easy to ride and live with

WE DON’T LIKE

■ Thirstier than a Honda PCX

The Rocket III is the sledgehammer that Triumph built to crack the American market. Unleashed in 2004, everything about this machine was designed to appeal to US buyers’ values of excess, and not only does the Rocket remain the largest capacity production motorcycle, it still cuts an incredibly imposing and impressive form. Eleven years after its launch, Triumph are celebrating the Rocket’s anniversary with a specialedition model – the Rocket X. For an extra £1400 over the stock Rocket III, owners of the X version get a bike that is limited to just 500 models worldwide and boasts an array of extras aimed at making the bike visually moodier. The exhaust gets a lick of high temperature, matt black paint and the bars, mirrors and levers are also blacked out.

But it is the paintwork that Triumph are especially proud of. They say it has been developed by paint specialists 8 Ball, and takes four days to achieve the finish. But aside from the very cool ‘grind’ effect stripes, the look is not much different to any other black paint.

Despite weighing 367kg, the Rocket III isn’t that ungainly at low speed. I’ve ridden plenty of smaller cruisers that are far harder to manoeuvre at walking pace. Backing the Triumph out of a parking space is a fairly fraught affair, but it doesn’t feel anything like as top heavy as a full-dress Victory – a fact I’d put down to the triple engine.

Located low in the frame, it not only gives the bike a low centre of gravity, it also kicks like a pissed off mule. Laugh at this bike at you peril because, given a straight-line drag race, the Rocket III will nail most sportsbikes.

Bang the throttle open and you can see why Triumph restrict the Rocket’s acceleration in its first few gears. The

triple may not rev that high, but it makes a mountainous 163ftlb of tarmac-rippling torque. Thank goodness it also has ABS, because stopping it takes some effort. Thankfully, cornering requires considerably less.

Americans don’t really do corners and that fact is reflected in the Rocket’s handling. It has next to no ground clearance and its long and low wheelbase makes for a ponderous rate of turn.

It’s stable in the bends and surprisingly easy to aim towards and apex, but could never be described as agile.

TECH SPEC TRIUMPH ROCKET X Price: Engine: Power: Torque: Weight: Tank capacity: Seat height: Chassis: Contact:

£14,999 Liquid-cooled dohc triple 2294cc 148bhp @ 5750rpm 163.1ftlb @ 2750rpm 367kg (wet) 24 litres 750mm steel tubular triumphmotorcycles.co.uk

VERDICT A ground-breaking bike with amazing street presence, but mainstream cruiser riders should aim towards the Thunderbird.

WE LIKE ■ Sheer presence ■ Stomping engine

WE DON’T LIKE

■ Exhaust paint will scratch easily

www.motorcyclenews.com

14

June 17 2015

EYEWITNESS The moments that made biking history Formula 1 TT race, Isle of Man, June 3, 1978

1955-2015

Hailwood’s TT comeback

11 years retired and crippled by injury, Mike the Bike didn’t have a chance... did he?

THE EYEWITNESSES Pauline Hailwood Mike’s widow, heard the race on the phone Ted Macauley Friend, and organiser of the TT comeback Steve Wynne His shop supplied Hailwood’s Ducati Mick Grant TT rival, showed Mike around in practice Phil Read TT rival, couldn’t live with Mike in the race

In 1978, after an 11-year retirement from racing, Mike Hailwood decided to make a comeback in the Formula 1 TT. Despite being widely regarded as the greatest bike racer of all time, no one truly believed he could win after such a long lay off. After all, he was 38 years old and partially crippled from a Formula 1 car crash. But Mike was out to prove everyone wrong. This is the story of the greatest comeback in sporting history.

Pauline Hailwood: ‘We were living in New Zealand at the time and he was just bored. I think in many ways the TT was just a challenge to himself to see if he could still do it.’

Ted Macauley: ‘When Mike phoned me and said he fancied doing the TT I thought he was pissed! We originally had an understanding that he would just ride round and enjoy himself – but of course he was lying.’

GET GUY’S BOOK

Steve Wynne: ‘Mike didn’t say anything to me before he set off for the race because he was too busy leaning on the pit wall talking to a good-looking blonde! He had the knack of making all the other riders nervous because he wasn’t.’

Mick Grant: ‘He’d been struggling in practice and asked me to show him round the course. I thought ‘F**king hell! That’s like God asking me to explain the Bible!’ I was good from the start to Ramsey but absolutely awful going up the Mountain, so the only place I didn’t want Mike to follow me was up the Mountain. I followed him to Ramsey Hairpin and, sure enough, he waved me past. I made an even bigger balls of going up the Mountain than I usually do. Afterwards Mike said “Thank you Mick, but how the f**k you get round like you do I don’t know!”’

Ted Macauley: ‘When I drove him

up to the grandstand on the morning of the race he was silent all the way, he was so focused. Then when I looked into his eyes on the start line I could see nothing. It was like looking through a porthole on a very clear day. His eyes were absolutely vacant because he was focusing so hard.’

Phil Read: ‘Mike rode really well and it was a fantastic race. For three-and-ahalf laps we were together, swapping places. We pitted together, we came out together, and he was riding like he’d never been away. When he caught me up on the road I knew there was no way I could beat him unless his bike blew up or he fell off. But he didn’t.’

Ted Macauley: ‘The thrill in the grandstand when Mike came past for the first time – well, I go cold even now thinking about it. He didn’t glance at his pit, he was just head down, tucked in, and rocketing straight towards

No clever headline required, MCN’s report from June 7, 1978 simply said it all

Closing date July 8, 2015

ENJOY 6 MONTHS OF MCN FROM JUST £42 PLUS get Guy Martin Autobiography worth £20 CHOOSE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION SAonVyoE ur

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Bray Hill. It was remarkable.’

VOTE NOW

Pauline Hailwood: Mike didn’t want me to go over for the actual race so I stayed with my parents and the children in England. Instead, Ted Macauley gave me a running commentary by telephone. When it came to the last lap he was screaming: “He’s gonna do it!”

For your MCN Man of the Last 60 Years motorcyclenews. com/awards

Steve Wynne: ‘Just as Mike crossed the line the engine blew up. After the race I was in deep discussion with one of the stewards who had a noise meter to test the winning bike (I can tell you now it would not have passed).

He was saying, “It won’t start will it?”

Not knowing the engine had blown, I was saying “Of course it will.” It was only when he repeated “It WON’T start will it?” that it dawned on me he didn’t wish to be lynched for disqualifying Mike Hailwood from this historic win!’

Riding like he’d never been away, Hailwood’s performance put fans into fever pitch

A devastating mix of calm, focus and chest hair, it was the 70s after all...

June 17 2015

Ted Macauley: ‘I remember jumping up and down on the track and I was actually embarrassed at my own reaction. But I was overjoyed, first because my best pal was home safe, and secondly because he’d won after an 11-year retirement. As Mike and I walked up to the winner’s enclosure we both had tears streaming down our faces, and everybody was jostling to pat him on the back. I was very proud to have organised something which gave so much joy to so many people. It was an amazing sensation.’

The Ducati 900SS was tuned by Wynne and blew up just as it crossed the line

Image taken on closed road.

THE LAND OF JOY Inventive, youthful and free-spirited, the new Ducati Scrambler is much more than a bike, it’s a land of joy, freedom and self-expression

REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE: Based on Scrambler Icon - ’62 Yellow with a contracted annual mileage of 6,000.

Cash Price

£7,131.00

Deposit

£1,450.00

Total Amount of Credit

£5,681.00 £10.00

Purchase Fee§ Duration of Agreement

AVAILABLE WITH AFFORDABLE * MONTHLY REPAYMENTS *With a PCP product a significant proportion of the total amount payable is payable at the end of the contract by one large final repayment, so your regular monthly repayments are low. Finance is subject to status and is only available to UK residents aged 18 or over. TriOptions PCP is only available through Ducati Finance which is a trading style of Black Horse Ltd, St. William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff CF10 5BH. Figures are correct as of 11th March 2015. Finance offer ends 30th June 2015.

37 Months £95.00

36 Monthly Repayments Final Repayment

£3,448.00

Total Amount Payable

£8,318.00

Interest Rate (Fixed)

8.31%

Representative APR

8.7% APR

§

Included in Final Repayment.

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16

June 17 2015

0 0 3 A J IN N I K A S A W A K v 0 9 3 C YAMAHA YZF-R3 v KTM R

F O E L BATT

h ic h w t u B . d n ra g e v fi r e d n u st ey co th d n a k ic u q e ’r y e th t, h g li e ’r y The

ON THE ROAD STAFF WRITER

The Moto3 refugee It’s the KTM RC390 that immediately slaps a smile on our testers’ faces. As we stand in the MCN bike park, ogling the three half-pint middleweights, all eyes are fixed on orange. With its underslung exhaust, trick headlight, Moto3-style steel trellis frame and sharp angular lines, it looks just like a proper race bike. It’s wiry, athletic and looks like it’s about to head-butt the Kawasaki. I want one.

I swing a leg over the lofty 820mmhigh seat and grab the bars. The 390 forces my body into a racing crouch, the seat’s hard and the bars are low – I can already feel pressure on my wrists.

I fire the single-cylinder into life, grab first gear, and watch the gear shift-light flash madly as the redlining engine asks

for another ratio. I click into second and the furiously blinking shift-light goes into meltdown. I feed it third and fourth gears, the combination of short gearing and 44bhp injecting a shot of serious go. This bike is fun.

The B-road I’m riding tightens and the surface deteriorates too. The KTM’s ride starts to get choppy while its harshly damped forks make sure I feel every bump. It’s set up stiff like an old-school race bike and feels quite crude. When I grab a handful of brake I get plenty of stopping power, but little in the way of feedback or finesse.

The green machine The Kawasaki shares similar issues with the KTM. It isn’t harshly damped, but its fork and shock internals are still budget and lack the control of more expensive units. And while the brakes aren’t Continued over

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June 17 2015

S 0 0 3 TH E

17

ROAD AND TRACK

want? u o y ld u o w s e ik sb rt o sp 2 A f o of the new generation

The mission Yamaha’s new YZF-R3 has KTM’s RC390 and Kawasaki’s Ninja 300 in its sights. To find out if it has what it takes to be the king of the A2 sportsbikes, we take all three for a thrashing on road and track.

The bikes YamahaYZF-R3,£4799 The latest bike to join the A2 sportsbike fray. It has the look of Yamaha’s larger R-series bikes but has a friendly 321cc parallel-twin.

KTMRC390,£4998 Nutty single-cylinder bike that makes no excuses about its ‘ready to race’ ethos. But will its sporty nature ruin its road manners?

KawasakiNinja300,£4899 Convincing ZX-10R replica with a super-smooth parallel-twin motor.

It’s revvy and roomy, but is it too soft to be sporty?

The riders Andy Davidson

MCNStaffWriter Age 27 Height 5ft7in CV Learnt to rideon an FZR400.Soft spot for middleweights.

Tony Hoare

MCNConsumerEditor Age 41 Height 5ft 10in CV Ridingsince2001, raceda Yamaha TZR250 for sixyears.

Liam Marsden

TIM KEETON

MCNWeb Producer Age 25 Height 6ft1in CV All year rider.Not a hugefan ofout-andout sportsbikes.

www.motorcyclenews.com

18

June 17 2015

300cc SPORTSBIKES

woolly like the KTM’s, the twin-pots up front still need a good tug. It does, however, have a lower seat (785mm), is much more comfortable and has a more everyday, upright riding position, making it a welcome relief after the RC390.

Our Ninja test bike is in Kawasaki’s 30th Anniversary colour scheme (£5049) and has smart touches such as faired-in indicators. But the dash is lacking and unlike the KTM and Yam it doesn’t have a shift-light or gear indicator, which would come in handy as the parallel-twin’s power is located in the top end.

The Kwak makes the least power and torque (39bhp and 20ftlb) of the three bikes on test, so you have to rev it up to 10,000rpm before it truly wakes up. At 174kg it’s also the heaviest bike here and doesn’t flick or change direction as easily as the other two, feeling relatively slow steering when thrown into corners. But it likes to be thrashed. The exhaust screams, the motor comes alive and, like the KTM, the Ninja becomes great fun. You have to work at it, though.

The new kid on the block Enter the Yamaha R3. It’s not like the race-hungry KTM and it’s not like the benign Kawasaki, which has to be screamed to be a laugh. Instead, it takes the best from both machines and wraps them into one exquisite

package. The riding position is nearperfect, with low seat and comfy, semi-upright position. There’s even a comprehensive dash.

Get a move on and the super-creamy twin motor is incredibly smooth. Like the Kawasaki, the magic happens at high revs, but unlike the green machine there’s still plenty of midrange power to keep things moving right through the rev range. Its flexible engine and power delivery make the 321cc twin easier to live with than the KTM and Kawasaki. The super-light clutch, silky gear change, well set-up suspension and strong brakes all combine to make one seriously competent contender.

There’s more than enough poke to make the Yamaha a fun and engaging machine. The R3 is stable and composed and it’s easy to climb all over it as you rail round swooping corners like a Moto3 nutter.

The KTM may wipe the floor with the competition in the aesthetics and race-rep department, but on closer inspection the Indian-built machine lacks in build quality and finish compared to the swish Indonesia-built Yamaha.

The Thai-built Kawasaki also lacks, and doesn’t share the modern feeling of the Yam. KTM pushed the little single so far along the race bike spectrum that it’s not a practical, everyday machine, while the Yam is far more rideable and more than capable of keeping up with the RC390.

Kwak makes the least power, but looks just like a ZX-10R

Not too focused, not too placid - the new Yamaha R3 is the perfect pitch for A2 road riding

Kawasaki Ninja 300

ON THE TRACK

Track talk

MCN’s regular speed tester Bruce Dunn rode timed laps around Rockingham’s International circuit until he was happy he’d got to the limit of each bike’s ability on track.

Bruce races a Yamaha TZ250 GP

bike so he knows all about getting the best out of light bikes. But he also spends day after day riding and capturing data on the world’s fastest machines, and he was impressed by how much fun he could have with just 40bhp.

“These small bikes are very satisfying to ride,” he said after finishing his laps. “If you had a dozen of you, all on bikes like this, it would be more of a laugh than if you were all on superbikes. Everyone aspires to ride superbikes, but you

feel more of a passenger half the time. Riding bikes like these tells me something about my riding style: I have to adapt my style for superbikes, but with these you can maximise corner entry speed and I like that. I had a lot of fun.”

“What I like about the Ninja is that every aspect is predictable, which is a really good thing for riding on track.

You know that after a certain lean angle you will be scraping, predictably, because there’s not a lot of clearance.

Braking is good, you can grab as much as you like and lean on the ABS in a straight line. Handling-wise, it’s predictable and smooth. The suspension is budget, but it works quite well at this track; Rockingham can be choppy, but the Ninja’s suspension irons it out quite a bit. There’s a chicane at the end of the lap and I was going very confidently from left to right – though a lot of that will be down to the Pirelli control tyres; I wouldn’t have that confidence in the stock tyres. There’s not a lot of power, but the delivery is turbine smooth throughout the rev range, and there’s the satisfaction that comes from being able to cane an engine through every gear and challenge yourself to get the best out of the momentum you’ve got.

I enjoyed this bike”.

Continued over

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‘The R3 is composed and it’s easy to climb all over it as you rail round swooping corners like a Moto3 nutter ’

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Low-slung exhaust and orange trellis frame means the RC turns heads

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June 17 2015

19

Up close RC390

KTM’s clocks look a little on the cheap side, but they boast impressive functionality

Footpegs touch down easily on track

Get a Kwak and start hunting the apex

There’s WP suspension but it’s crude

YZF-R3

The MCN boys love loitering in lay-bys Classy Yamaha dash has it all, and you simply can’t beat an analogue tacho, can you?

These frugal funsters simply sip juice

rd

3 FASTEST 1’49.79

Massive hero blobs limit on-track lean

Twin-pot caliper is simple but effective

NINJA

The Ninja is left behind in the dash department, there’s no shift light or gear indicator

Footpegs are positioned for comfort

The green bike’s ABS impressed on track

www.motorcyclenews.com

20

June 17 2015

Yamaha YZF-R3

“This bike is in a similar vein to the Kawasaki, but it has a bit more punch from the engine. It has a nicer dash with a gear indicator and shift-light, which is always useful to have. The shock feels softer than the Kawasaki’s and, after a few laps on track, it feels as though it’s faded completely. The back-end was wallowing and moving up and down as if it had lost all the damping, which makes it completely useless for track riding.

“If I left braking as late as I did on the Kawasaki, the R3 would judder and jump quite a bit because the ABS was kicking in and extending my braking distance. It had similar ground clearance issues to the Kawasaki, and maybe more. The steering is nice and neutral, but that shock fading means the bike has sunk and the ground clearance has reduced even more. The Kawasaki and Yamaha are both good fun to ride as you can really concentrate on picking the perfect line, but the Yamaha is that little bit faster and better”.

nd

2 FASTEST 1’47.19 VERDIC ANDY DAVIDSO STAFF WRITER

‘It’s exciting, easy to ride and more forgiving than its competitors’

st

1 FASTEST 1’43.28 KTM RC390

“It’s a lot faster around the track than the other two, and that’s down to its larger engine, but it’s hampered by the short gearing. For example, I take Rockingham’s hairpin in third gear on the KTM, while on the other two bikes I was in second. But the punchy engine really suits this track, you’re leant over for a lot of the time so you need power and torque to continue driving the bike, and the KTM has much more shove than the other two. While the engine works well on track, the suspension feels very basic, almost crude. The brakes don’t feel overly powerful and the ABS kicks in far too early.

“The KTM’s let down by a lack of build quality, and I can imagine this bike being a bit of a pain on the road.

If I had to go on a trip I’d rather go on one of the other bikes as this engine would get on my nerves after a while.

If I took this on a trackday I’d be confident of running in the medium group and mixing it with most of the other riders, especially on braking and in the turns. It’s a faster bike out of the box, but it’s not necessarily better to ride.”

The 2012 Kawasaki Ninja is a good laugh if you keep the revs up, but its competitors surpass it with a more modern feel. The KTM lacks in build quality and its harsher, track-focused ride is fun but tiresome as an everyday machine.

The Yamaha takes the win as it’s the most competitively priced, has the best build quality and is a credible, very well thought-out machine.

It’s exciting, easy to ride, more forgiving than its competitors and is a proper big bike in its own right.

Yamaha are onto a winner with the new R3.

Yamaha R3 beats the rest with build quality, credibility and road-ready fun

TECH SPEC

1

st

YAMAHA YZF-R3

Price £4799 Engine 321cc, 8v parallel-twin Power 41.4bhp @ 10,750rpm Torque 21.83ftlb @ 9000rpm

2

Kerb weight 169kg Tank size 14 litres Seat height 780mm Tested mpg:56.03

nd

KTM RC390

Price £4998 Engine 373cc, 4v, single-cylinder Power 44bhp @ 9500rpm Torque 26ftlb @ 7250rpm

3

Kerb weight 160kg (est) Tank size 10 litres Seat height 820mm Tested mpg 62.54

nd

KAWASAKI NINJA 300

Price: £4899 Engine:296cc, 8v, parallel-twin Power 39bhp @ 11,000rpm Torque 20ftlb @ 10,000rpm

Kerb weight 174kg Tank size 17 litres Seat height 785mm Tested mpg 56.49

www.motorcyclenews.com

BMW Motorrad UK

The S 1000 XR and R 1200 RS

WHY COMPROMISE WHEN PERFECTION AWAITS. MAKE LIFE A RIDE. ‘The new S 1000 XR is probably one of the best BMWs ever.’

‘The R 1200 RS brings a new level of handling and technical sophistication to its class.’

To book a test ride* contact your local BMW Motorrad Centre or visit www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk to explore the entire BMW Motorrad range. * Test ride is subject to applicant status and availability.

The Ultimate Riding Machine

www.motorcyclenews.com

22

June 17 2015

The new RC213V-S road-legal MotoGP bike (bottom left) owes a debt of gratitude to the NR750 (above) and NR500s that paved the V4 way before it

10

FROM NR TO RCV

STEPS TO TH H ULTIMATE

Honda’s stunning new RC213V-S has its roots way back in the 1970s, when

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BUYING & SELLING

1979 NR500

Honda’s first V4 began life at a set of traffic lights near their Asaka R&D centre. Engineer Shoichiro Irimajiri was on his way home from another gruelling day spent dreaming up ways of beating the two-strokes when he had his Eureka moment.

Gazing at an oval (ish) traffic-light housing he realised similar-shaped pistons might allow him to increase

HE HONDA V4

the company raced its first V4, the oval-piston NR500

SPORT

June 17 2015

23

valve area and give a combustion area similar to two normal pistons.

The result was the madly exotic oval-piston New Racer. Honda thought they might achieve the impossible and beat the two-strokes if the NR could rev twice as high. At 22,000rpm it failed but Honda learned a hell of a lot along the way, about exotic materials, special oils, slipper clutches and so on. They also worked hard: an NR500 engine with its 32 valves and eight con rods took 60 hours to build!

By Mat Oxley

H

MCN CONTRIBUTOR

onda have been in love with V4s since the 1970s, though recently their sportsbike range has sadly lacked the wondrously easy speed and evocative exhaust note of a V4.

Honda have long believed the V4 to be the ultimate engine layout for a motorcycle, and they may be correct. Done right, a good V4 mixes four-cylinder power with V-twin midrange and torque. That combination of devastating speed and effortless power has made Honda’s four-stroke V4s dominate all kinds of racing, from the Isle of Man TT, the Bol d’Or 24 hours and Daytona 200 to World Superbike and MotoGP.

www.motorcyclenews.com

24

June 17 2015

2

ULTIMATE HONDAS

1982 VF750S

Despite the NR’s failure, Honda had faith in the V4.

The VF750S (the Americans called it the Sabre) was revolutionary: it was the first watercooled, 16-valve 90-degree V4. The VF featured cylinders cast into the upper crankcases, a hydraulic clutch and a cylinder head that owed details to the NR. Despite water-cooling the VF weighed 30kg less than the air-cooled CB900 it replaced.

The VF was praised for its smoothness and friendly power, but shaft drive and mid-Atlantic styling didn’t go down well with riders expecting something sporty. Also, early models were beset by engine problems which brought Honda close to axing its entire V4 programme.

4

Early VF engines suffered problems

1983 VF750F

It didn’t take Honda long to improve on the VF750S. The VF750F (Interceptor in the US) was their first V4 sportsbike and scored the V4’s first major successes.

When Freddie Spencer got a VF at Daytona in 1983 he took just five laps to beat his lap record on a 1024cc inline four. Spencer says the bike represented the biggest development jump he experienced in a superbike career that spanned the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Spencer loved the F because it felt much more like a race bike than a road bike. He also liked its narrowness, which increased cornering clearance. The inline four had long ago run out of ground clearance, so Honda removed the alternator from the crankshaft and mounted a belt-driven snowmobile ignition box behind the cylinders.

The Honda VF750F inherited its slipper clutch (a road-bike first) and Pro Link rear suspension from the NR, while the rest of the chassis owed much to lessons learned from the Water Whale (see story, right).

3

1982 RS1000RW

Although the VF750S was a cruiser with no sporting aspirations, Honda were itching to show what a V4 could do on the racetrack.

The RS1000RW was packed with NR tech, like its slipper clutch. The engine proved Honda’s belief in the V4, making 150bhp and excellent torque. In fact, it made too much power for 1980s tyre tech – Freddie Spencer led the 1982 Daytona 200 until his rear tyre blew apart. The RS was also heavy; its size and its water-cooling – at a time when other four-strokes were air-cooled – earned it the nickname the Water Whale.

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1985 RVF750

June 17 2015

25

V4 people

The RVF750 was the bike that fully forged Honda’s V4 legend. For more than half a decade it was the most successful four-stroke on the planet.

In 1985, when Spencer won the firstever Daytona 200 superbike race on the VF, the RVF won the F1 TT, the Bol d’Or and the Suzuka Eight Hours.

If the RVF’s engine was similar to the RS860’s, the chassis was all new. The twin-spar aluminium frame was based on Honda’s NSR500 and NSR250 GP bikes.

Takeo Fukui

Chief engineer on the NR500, he later became president of the Honda Motor Company in the late 80s.

Shoichiro Irimajiri

The NR500 engine designer who also created Honda’s fabled 250 six-cylinder GP bike and CBX1000 roadster

7

1986 VFR750F

The VF750F dominated the US scene in 1984 and 1985 but Suzuki’s GSX-R750 had arrived, so Honda had to get busy. The VFR750 turned up in 1986 and swept past all that had gone before, adding to the V4 legend. The VFR was also the bike that turned the masses onto Honda’s V4. On road and track it was a superb all-rounder: fast, agile and easy to live with.

Once again, lessons learned in HRC’s V4 racing programme featured heavily. From the RVF the VFR inherited gear-driven cams

5

SPORT

1983 RS860

Superbike racing was already huge in the US but it had yet to cross the Atlantic. So while Spencer and Fred Merkel dominated with the Interceptor, Honda built something different for Europe.

The RS860 – an over-bored VF750 motor in an F1 race chassis – and it marked the start of Honda’s V4 domination that continued into the 90s.

The 135bhp/170mph RS was fast and bullet proof, partly due to the V4’s shorter, stiffer crankshaft which also required fewer bearings for reduced internal friction, always a Honda obsession.

Haslam demonstrated VFR’s ability which reduced friction by 30 per cent.

The twin-beam frame, also inspired by the RVF, allowed Fred Merkel to ride so hard that he bent the front forks, so Honda equipped the bike with a GP front end.

Wayne Gardner

Won the 1991 and 1992 Suzuka Eight Hours on the RVF750, with Mick Doohan and Daryl Beattie.

Joey Dunlop

Made the Isle of Man a Honda V4 island, scoring no fewer than 11 TT V4 victories between 1983 and 2000.

Alex Vieira

Unsung Frenchman who scored an endurance world title hat-trick on the bullet-proof RVF.

Marc Marquez

The Spaniard came, saw and conquered on the RC213V, breaking just about every record along the way.

Introducing the new OXFORD

all-weather luggage range, from just ÂŁ49.99

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W

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June 17 2015

8

ULTIMATE HONDAS

9

1988 RC30

1994 RC45

The RC45 was the RC30’s successor but did little to further the V4 legend. Honda started all over again; so much so that the RC45 project leader never even spoke to the RC30 boss!

Everything was new. Bore and stroke were changed for the first time since the VF750S, from 70 x 48.6mm to 72 x 46mm, for more revs. The chassis was all-new, and the bike was heavier than the RC30.

If the RC30 won WSB first time out, the RC45 took four years, by which time HRC were spending more on it than the NSR500. The 45’s strong point was endurance – it won five Suzuka Eight Hours.

The RC30 was Honda’s greatest V4 for the common man; well, the common man who had £8499 to blow. The RC was a World Superbike homologation special which took sportsbike development forward by at least five years.

The engine was much changed – its 360-degree firing order created that wonderful droning exhaust note, which evokes memories of the TT and the Bol. It had titanium rods, which weighed 50g less than the VFR’s and cost eight times as much.

The twin-beam chassis shared the same geometry as the RFV, allowing riders to ride impossibly tight cornering lines, just like Mick Doohan and Wayne Gardner on the RVF. The RC won the first two WSB titles and dominated the Isle of Man for years, winning its last TT in 1993, five years after its launch.

10 2015 RC213V

BRAKING

THE MOULD

And here it is, the bike that’s the blueprint for Honda’s latest racer-on-the-road, just as the RVF750 was the blueprint for the RC30. The RC213V was Honda’s first V4 four-stroke MotoGP bike, arriving 30 years after the VF750 turned. Of course, it’s entirely different from its ancestor but at its heart it’s still a 16-valve, 90-degree V4. It does make a bit more power, however, up from 80 to 250bhp.

The RC213V has dominated MotoGP 2013/2014, its stubby chassis and fully seamless gearbox getting it into the turns faster than the competition.

RENTHAL ROAD LEVER ALLOWS THE BLADE TO DISLOCATE DURING A CRASH THEN EASILY POP BACK INTO PLACE

RRP £90.72 each

As used by Josh Brookes Milwauekee Yamaha

www.bandcexpress.co.uk

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June 17 2015

L T G 0 0 16 K W M B v E S T R O P S S R 0 0 12 R W M B v T R O P S R R 0 0 BMW S10

U O Y E S C HOO d n a S R 0 0 12 R , R R 0 0 10 S e th in s ike BMW has three class-leading b

The mission BMW say the R1200RS is the ideal do-it-all. MCN decided to put this claim to the test by pitting the RS against the Bavarian firm’s leading sportsbike, the S1000RR, as well as its ultimate tourer, the K1600GTL.

The bikes BMW S1000RR Sport £14,760 At the sharpest end of litre bike development with an even more advanced electronics package than before and a claimed 198bhp.

BMW R1200RS Sport SE £12,915 125bhp water-cooled boxer engine finds its way into a sports tourer with cutting-edge electronics.

BMW K1600GTL £17,800 Germany’s ultra tourer boasts a thumping inline six-cylinder engine as well as all of the creature comforts you would expect.

The riders Jon Urry Road tester Age 38 Height 6ft 2in CV Experienced road tester and fan of rapid mile munching James Doherty

Road tester Age 34 Height 5ft 8in CV Former R6 Cup racer and regular MCN tester Simon Lee

Road tester Age 40 Height 6ft CV Photographer who uses bikes for work and fun

#MCNwednesday

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June 17 2015

29

N O P A E W R U

‘M GUEST TESTER

iddle of the road’ is a phrase that’s become a polite but pointed euphemism for the word ‘boring’. But when a bike is described as such, it invariably means it is simply very good at doing everything well, as opposed to more focused bikes’ ability to do some things brilliantly, while glossing over other holes in their skill sets.

Sportsbikes are designed to thrill, while tourers should cosset both the rider and pillion as the miles slip past.

But what if you don’t want extremes?

Is it too much to ask for the best of both worlds? Compromise is a dirty word in bike design, but BMW’s R1200RS was shaped to be a Jack-of-all-trades, and a bike for all seasons – handy concessions for our UK needs.

A hint of rain in the air is never a great start to a day of big miles, but when you have the fob (it’s a keyless ignition) to a K1600GTL, it’s no hardship. Some riders view über-tourers like the GTL with disdain, but when it comes to doing their specific job they are hard to fault. The GTL’s job is to get me along some dull dual carriageways while the other riders on this test suf-

fer the sportier bikes. A screen to hide behind and a comfortable riding position and I’ll be a happy man, and the GTL fits the brief.

With a wet weight of 348kg it’s no surprise that the GTL is a handful at low speed – once this beast starts to tip, there is no way you are going to save it. Two-up and fully-loaded, it’s a real handful under 5mph but once you get the GTL going, the weight drops off.

The inline-six is incredibly strong, and its electronics ensure your comfort is a priority. Crank up the heated seat and grips, turn up the radio, set the cruise control and you can just relax into the deeply padded seat and

watch the miles drift past. It’s touring bliss, nearly.

The sublime motor will pull sixth gear effortlessly from as low as 1500rpm, which is a good thing as the gearbox is pretty horrible. The changes between cogs feel rough, and in complete contrast to the RS and RR’s two-way quickshifter slickness.

Looking through the GTL’s large screen at Jimmy on the S1000RR ahead I was waiting for the moment he first did the ‘sportsbike stretch’, attempting to shake feeling back into aching wrists and knees. It came just after an hour on the road, when me and the GTL were just Continued over

PAUL BRYANT

? g in th ry e v e f o it b a t a st e b e K1600GTL. But which is th

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June 17 2015

BMW GROUP TEST

Up close R1200RS

More info than Wikipedia and all of it useful and clearly displayed on the RS’s dash

Two-into-one silencer with deep chrome

Scroll between electronics on the bar

K1600GTL

All the info you need and a sat nav so you won’t get lost. The GTL is a bike that has it all

Smartest can here and it has two of them

It looks complex but you get the hang of it

S1000RR

Shift light proves the sporting intent but the electronics make it so easy to control

No lack of attitude from the S1000RR

Always remember to read the manual…

getting into our stride. According to Jimmy the S1000RR wasn’t that bad when it came to comfort and keeping up a dual carriageway pace, but we are talking relative to other sportsbikes here, not the RS or GTL. When BMW first put heated grips on the S1000RR it was almost treated as a joke. This year the firm has gone one stage further and added cruise control as an optional extra. While this may sound ludicrous, the reality is that it works, and by the time we reached Cromer, Jimmy was a convert.

“The electronics make a huge difference to the RR in damp conditions.

The heated grips are a godsend and you can set the cruise control to hold the throttle steady and take the pressure off your wrists,” he said. “The traction control and smooth fuelling make the power completely manageable. The riding position is pretty extreme, but the electronics help take the edge off the discomfort as you are riding relaxed rather than tense. It’s no tourer, but it’s not uncomfortable.”

It may not have the attitude of the S1000RR, but under its half-fairing the all-new R1200RS is almost as advanced. The bike we tested came not only with the semi-active DDA suspension, but also the gyroscopicsensitive DTC traction control, two features that transform the ride.

“I can’t believe how hard you can power out of roundabouts, even in the damp,” enthused Simon. “It’s comfortable and the electronics are great – but the screen does nothing on its lowest setting and isn’t fantastic on its highest. That said, it’s a lovely bike that feels a lot like a GS in its practicality, just with far better looks and without that ‘GS club’ stigma.”

‘I can’t believe how hard you can power out of roundabouts, even in the damp’ To me, that’s one of the RS’s key selling points. This is an incredibly practical bike that’s almost as comfortable as the GTL – with none of the bulk – for the mile-munching part of our ride, but boasts looks nearly as sporty as the S1000RR and a similar level of technology. Having ridden one at its Spanish launch on hot and sinuous road, I know it’s something of a back-road weapon, too.

When you sit on the RS it feels very upright. The bars aren’t clip-ons, they are clip-overs, set well above the top yoke in a relaxed stance while the pegs are nice and low. It’s sporty, but not aggressively so, unlike the RR. Riding the RS swiftly on unfamiliar roads is a lovely experience. Unlike the RR it doesn’t flick into corners, but rolls with intent, creating a steady and assured, yet rapid, feel to its handling. The boxer engine has enough torque to ensure gear changes are kept to a minimum, the traction control is excellent and at a legal pace it is more than quick enough to keep the RR in its sights without ever feeling on the edge.

It’s not until you swap straight from something as relaxed as the GTL to the

‘Riding the RS swiftly on unfamiliar roads is lovely. Unlike the RR it doesn’t flick into corners, but rolls with intent’

As practical and comfy as a GS but without the Ewan and Charley overtones

Only the finest health foods for us RR that you realise just how cramped sportsbikes are. Over the years I’ve learnt to fold my six-foot two frame onto sportsbikes, but for the first mile of riding the RR I felt like I was going to fall onto the front wheel. It’s a compromised position, but one that works perfectly when you want to push on.

I know the headline figures for the RR revolve around its astonishing power and lack of weight, but what BMW should really be highlighting is how the electronics make this stagger-

ing performance so manageable. Turn all the assists on and you can open the throttle hard without the fear of being catapulted into the middle of next week while the semi-active suspension does an incredible job of smoothing out the surface. Sportsbike reviews used to be filled with comments such as ‘on a smooth road’, but the RR’s DDA makes every road smooth. However, it still has a sharp edge, and it’s this that keeps you from pushing too hard, and is why the RS can keep the RR in its sights.

Ride the RR hard on the road and there is an air of intimidation. Accelerate with aggression in the first three gears and very quickly you are doing well into three figures. On a track this is fine, on the road it’s all-consuming.

The pent-up aggression within the motor makes the RR feel like a bike that is wishing for a better rider, where on the RS you feel the boss as you nail it through the gears. However, this leads to one of the main issues I have with the RS. Focus lends character to a bike, and the RR’s nasty edge makes riding it a thrilling and involving experience – something the RS can’t match. While almost impossible to criticise its skills, the RS does leave me a little cold.

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June 17 2015

31

VERDI JON URRY

GUEST TESTER

‘The RS is the clear winner’ The RR has the power but the RS can hold its own

While you can tour on an S1000RR, it is a pretty miserable experience compared to doing it on a dedicated tourer. And while going fast on K1600GTL is briefly amusing, it’s nowhere near as thrilling or capable as a sportsbike. Sherlock would find little to be shocked by on either count. Conversely, the R1200RS does touring and scratching with equal ability, but its lack of focus on one specific area does leave it feeling a little bland.

It’s a harsh label to tag it with for being so talented, but if your riding is more than one-dimensional, it’s th l i

Big miles, big bike and a real handful at low speeds

Get moving and the six-cylinder GTL is a torque-laden mile-munching delight

Only one thing in this picture handles like a barge (and it’s not the bikes)

For versatility, the RS is hard to beat

THE DETAIL

2015 BMW R1200RS SPORT SE, £12,915 Engine 1170cc (101mm x 73mm), l/c, dohc, 8v flat twin. Six gears. Fuel injection.

Claimedpower125bhp@7750rpm Claimed torque 92ftlb@6500rpm Chassis Aluminium twin spar Front suspension: 45mm inverted Sachs forks, semi-active damping Rear suspension: Monoshock, semi-active damping Wet weight 236kg Front brake 2 x 320mm discs with four-piston radial calipers. ABS

Rear brake 276mm disc with twopiston caliper. ABS Fuel capacity 18 litres Seat height 820mm (optional 760/840mm) Electronic rider aids Traction control, engine modes, quick shifter, autoblipper, ABS, cruise control, integrated GPS, semiactive suspension.

PCP deal Deposit £2451.66 / 36 x £159 / Guaranteed final value £7439.31

2015 BMW K1600GTL, £17,800 Engine 1649cc (72mm x 67.5mm), l/c, dohc, 24v. Six gears. Fuel injection.

Claimedpower158.2bhp@7750rpm Claimed torque 129.1ftlb @ 5250rpm Chassis Cast aluminium bridge Front suspension: Duolever, electronically-adjustable damping.

Rear suspension: Monoshock, electronically-adjustable damping and spring preload.

Wet weight 348kg

Front brake 2 x 320mm disc with four-piston caliper. ABS Rear brake 320mm disc with twopiston caliper. ABS Fuel capacity 26.5 litres Seat height 750mm (optional 780, 810, 830mm) Electronic rider aids Traction control, engine modes, ABS, cruise control, integrated GPS, electronic suspension.

PCP deal Deposit £3518.11 / 36 x £239 / GFV £9294.32

2015 BMW S1000RR SPORT, £14,760 Engine 999cc (80mm x 49.7mm), l/c, dohc, 16v inline four. Six gears.

Fuel injection.

Claimed power 198bhp @ 13,500rpm Claimed torque 83.4ftlb @ 10,500rpm Chassis Aluminium twin spar, double sided swingarm Front suspension: 46mm inverted Sachs forks, semi-active damping.

Rear suspension: Monoshock, semi-active damping.

Wet weight 204kg

Front brake 2 x 320mm discs with four-piston radial calipers. ABS Rear brake 220mm disc with onpiston caliper. ABS Fuel capacity 17.5 litres Seat height 815mm Electronic rider aids Variable traction control, engine modes, quick shifter, autoblipper, ABS, cruise control, semi-active suspension, launch control.

PCP Deal Deposit £3490.12 / 36 x £179.95 / GFV £7482.46

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32

COMMENT

Your letters

but isn’t, you are within your rights to take it back and complain.

Email mcn.letters@motorcyclenews.com Write MCN Letters, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA

LETTER OF THE WEEK

WSB looks a bit samey

Display teams don’t come much more fun than the Imps – and now their future has been secured

Long live the Imps!

GOLD & GOOSE

Inspirational kids on stunning form on their shiny new bikes

Just spent a great day at the Portimao World Superbikes, while on holiday in Lagos. Great to see my fellow Ulsterman Johnny Rea doing so well (aka kicking ass.) He was so far ahead in the second race he crossed the line sitting up with his arms folded! But with JR and Sykesy dicing for the lead in the first race it was impossible to tell them apart as the race numbers are too small to be

Spot the difference… Rea and Syke

s

seen either on the big screens or as they hurtle past. Any chance of a nice big number decal on the fairing sides?

Something needs to be done!

Mike "Dino" MacLennan, N Ireland

Treasured Island is unreachable The Isle of Man has always been on my ‘mus-go’ list but life and work got in the way for many years.

But for the last five or six years I keep coming up against the same problems: ferries booked solid a year in advance and accommodation booked up for two years. I can’t camp for health reasons so B&B or self-catering is all I can do, but talking to people who’ve been they seem to have the inside track and rebook while there. How about giving someone else a chance?

Paul, Yorkshire Ed: Have you tried the Classic TT?

IAN JUBB

@

Suffolk by the brilliant Imps show in Den Cartwright was amazed

I saw your article in MCN (MCN, May 13) about the Imps Display Team, and thought what a wonderful job the people who run the team are doing for these young people, and what a shame if they have to close. Then to learn that they had secured more sponsorship was fantastic. I recently had the good fortune to watch this team in action with their new fleet of bikes at a show in Suffolk, and WOW! What a great performance! To see children as young as six doing stunts was something else. When I was six I'd only just learned to ride a push bike!

Den Cartwright, Brandon, Suffolk Ed: They are indeed a brilliant team and a great cause. Find out if the Imps are coming your way by visiting www.impsonline.com

Hutchy’s an inspiration to us all I was lucky enough to be at the TT in 2010 when Hutchy scored five race wins; the atmosphere was electric, the island was buzzing. Then to see his accident at Silverstone was gut-wrenching. Of course other riders, like Conor Cummins, have had massive accidents where us mere mortals would’ve just given up due to the mammoth rehab task ahead. They all are modern-day gladiators. Mindset is critical to success in all walks of life, focusing on the goal, forgoing what most of us enjoy in life, so they can win a TT is something that as a nation we should embrace and somehow try to emulate in whatever we do. Hutchy is, and always will be, the example I use when someone says “that’s not possible, no way, too much hard work”.

Mark BW McDermott, email

@

it’s a joke on so many products. I’m fed up of buying clothing that make bold claims for waterproofing abilities when it would be more accurate to say ‘showerproof’. A case in point, my new trousers have been fine in light rain or wee showers but the first time out in proper rain and within 15 minutes the dreaded wet crotch feel was there.

Come on manufacturers, try being honest with your labels.

John, email Ed: If something claims to be waterproof

READER POLL You’ve got a day free for a blast on your bike, how far is a good rideout? e home anaged

I love my chops

MCN STAR LETTER If you’re looking to insure a bike, visit MCNcompare.com and you can quickly compare prices from 43 top motorcycle insurance brands. The writer of the best letter each week published in the Letters pages will receive a free retrodesign MCN T-shirt courtesy of the MCNcompare.com website.

Back in the day there were some of us who took hacksaws to their bikes in the search for a bit of individuality (MCN Letters, June 3). There were those who looked down on us and they called us ‘knobheads’. We called them ‘w*****s’. Now I have no problem with those who want to be ordinary, but I always thought that being a biker was about being tolerant of others.

Shaun Henderson, email

Curse of the damp crotch

@

Just had to comment on the word ‘waterproof’ on bike clothing –

There’s no need to be nasty Why has it suddenly become trendy for some sections of the biking public to essentially bully riders? First Guy Martin was hounded and attacked for telling what I consider to be the truth about the NW200 (for the record, I believe the organisers should apologise to him and to Tyco BMW for the way they treated them over the whole affair), then there were Vernon Newman’s comments about Johnny Rea in your letters page (June 3). Throw in the near-constant negativity directed towards various MotoGP riders, most notably Rossi, on social media and you have what’s becoming a real problem.

Shelley Blair, email

Folding chair mystery

@

8.8

30 mil fine with

What a coincidence, my letter to you (MCN Letters, June 3) and then a feature on motorcycle camping.

But ’ang on, Alison. Where did that chair come from? How did that fit on the bike? The only chair I’ve found suitably compact is the expensive Helinox one at £75. Glad I bought it though, can’t sit on the ground for long.

Colin Gray, email Alison replies: ‘Good spot, I nicked it for the pictures!’

#MCNwednesday

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YOUR PICTURES Every week, MCN prints the best pictures sent in by readers or website users. You can post your pictures onto our Facebook page or email them to mcn.letters@ motorcyclenews.com We want the full array of weird and wonderful images that reflect your biking life. As you can see here, we are happy to celebrate the lighter things from the world of biking.

BUYING & SELLING

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June 17 2015

33

17.06.2015

ANDY CALTON EDITOR

He’s not a missile, he’s faster than that

My Thunderace in Andalucia, 1600 miles from home. 3200 miles in seven days. Jim & Mandy Franklin

On our BMW R1200RTs in County Donegal, Ireland. Tony & Alan

Phil Johnson by the Danube in Serbia on his Triumph Trophy

John McGuinness is not normal.

Most 43-year-olds have longsince stopped racing... very few are still winning, especially on one of the world’s most challenging and dangerous circuits against men more than half their age. Most have stopped playing football and taken up snooker.

Most are fighting a bit of a bulging midriff and tuning into Absolute 80s, Absolute 90s when they’re feeling a bit lively.

John McGuinness is not yet doing any of those things – well, except for fighting to keep his belly (a little) in check.

Two years ago he cut a forlorn figure as Michael Dunlop ripped through the record books, but Big John got his head down in the Senior that year and did the business. After an injury ravaged 2014, this year was billed (not least by MCN) as Guy Martin v Michael Dunlop with McGuinness snapping at their heels.

The scene was set.

Enter stage far, far left an incredibly brave Ian Hutchinson.

He had not read the script and stole the EDITORIAL

EditorAndyCalton,01733-468006 andy.calton@motorcyclenews.com DeputyEditor RichardNewland,01733-468447 richard.newland@motorcyclenews.com ManagingEditor(DigitalandEvents) PedBaker,01733-468033ped.baker@motorcyclenews.com

BIKES

SeniorRoadTester MichaelNeeves,01733-468010 SeniorRoadTester AdamChild,01733-468427 OfficeManagerAlisonSilcox,01733-468025

NEWS

SeniorReporterAndyDownes,01733-468011 StaffWriterAndyDavidson,01733-468026

FEATURES

Chilling out on the bike with some ice lollies. Andy Knitter

Near Stenungsund Sweden, en route to Norway. Dave Mould

HeadofContentTimThompson,01733-468095

CONSUMER

ConsumerEditorTonyHoare01733-468580 SeniorReporterChrisDabbs,01733-468002, chris.dabbs@motorcyclenews.com

SPORT

Editor MichaelGuy,01733-468883 MotoGPReporterSteveEnglish,01733-468005

PRODUCTION

SeniorProductionEditor SimonBrown ProductionEditor EmmaFranklin

ART

SeniorArtEditor NickLemon SeniorDesigner SimonRelph Designer LeeLaughton Photographer IanJubb

MOTORCYCLENEWS.COM SeniorWebProducer SteveHunt WebProducer LiamMarsden Junior Web Producer Simon Patterson

Me and my mum Wendy after a summer ride. Stephen Dance

Bit damp on our trip around Scotland. Lee & Ashley Barwell

show. Well, most of the show.

While Hutchy’s tale is one of incredible bravery and a resolute refusal to ever give up, it’s McGuinness who had the last word. McGuinness, the Morecambe Missile to give him his full fighting name, is muchloved by fans and his Honda team alike and he reflects that emotional connection. He gives as much as he gets.

As ‘there’s only one John McGuinness’ echoed down Glencrutchery Road and drowned out the popping champagne corks seconds after the climax of the Senior TT, McGuinness was already plotting future crusades: “I feel like I can still do it (beat Joey Dunlop’s record 26 TT wins).”

After breaking the outright lap record, with an incredible 132.701mph average he is justified in keeping that dream alive. Although you feel that if he did ever get that close, simply equalling the record might be enough. To rank next to his ultimate hero in the record books and to walk away from an event to which he has contributed so much and which has also given him so much, would be the ultimate mark of respect.

ADVERTISING

GroupCommercialDirector GarethAshman,01733-468118 HeadofOnlineAdvertising RobFairburn,01733-468691 KeyAccountsShaunCollin,01733-468229 ClassifiedEventsExecKayleighLynch,01733-468692 ClassifiedProductsExec DannyChapman,01733-366312 AdproductionKerryBeasley,01733-468876 MarketingManagerSarahNorman

PUBLISHING

MD,Motorcycling RobAherne GroupManagingDirectorRobMunro-Hall

BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA

GroupFinanceandStrategyDirectorSarahVickery ChiefExecutive PaulKeenan BauerConsumerMediaLimitedisacompanyregisteredin EnglandandWaleswithcompanynumber01176085,registered address1LincolnCourt,LincolnRoad. Peterborough,PE12RF. Subscriptionshotline01858438884 MCNispublishedweeklybyBauerConsumerMediaLtd.Nopartofthe magazinemaybereproducedinanyforminwholeorinpart,withoutprior permissionofthepublisher.Allmaterialpublishedremainsthecopyrightof BauerConsumerMediaLtd. Wereservetherighttoeditletters,copyorimages submittedtothemagazinewithoutfurtherconsent.Thesubmissionof materialtoBauerMediawhetherunsolicitedorrequested,istakenas permissiontopublishinthemagazine,includinganylicensededitions throughouttheworld.Anyfeespaidinthe UKincluderemunerationforany useinanyotherlicensededitions.

Wecannotacceptresponsibilityforunsolicitedmanuscripts,imagesor materialslostordamagedinthepost.Whileeveryreasonablecareistakento ensureaccuracy,thepublisherisnotresponsibleforerrorsoromissionsnordo weacceptanyliabilityforlossordamage,resultingfromuseinthepaper.

BauerConsumerMediaLimitedisamemberoftheIndependentPress StandardsOrganisation(www.ipso.co.uk)andtriestorespondtoandresolve concernsquickly.OurEditorialComplaintsPolicy(includingdetailsofhowto contactusabouteditorialcomplaintsandIPSO’scontactdetails)canbefound atwww.bauermediacomplaints.co.uk.Ouremailaddressforeditorial complaintscoveredbytheEditorial Complaints Policy is complaints@ bauermedia.co.uk.

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36

1

Get that bike show feel

Imagine you’re at a bike show, twisting controls and squeezing levers on new models. Now try yours. Not nice, is it? Take an hour to remove and clean the pivot points on your brake/clutch levers, add a little bit of lubricant and replace. Now lube your clutch and throttle cables (plus the choke cable on carbed bikes) and take excess slack out of your cables. When adjusting the clutch, most of the slack should be removed with the adjuster nearest the engine – the dial on the clutch lever should only be used to fine tune the final bit.

Do this: Set levers at the perfect height while you’re at it.

Don’t do this: Use chain lube for the cables. It’s too thick.

SORTED ways you can shave years off your bike

9

Restoring that newbike feel isjusta few shortdoses of well-targeted TLC away.Windbackthe yearsthisweekend

2

Tickle your touch points

The crisp, tactile feel fades from handlebar grips as the miles and years pile on. Cheap aftermarket grips make things even worse. Invest in a new set of originals or quality aftermarket replacements for less than £30. Look at your foot controls too – worn rubbers look and feel awful. Replacements are cheap too. Footrest rubbers themselves wear out, and even the footpeg pivot points can wear, leaving them drooping slightly, making your bike feel baggy. Check the gear linkage too – replace if your rose joints or pivot have excessive play.

Do this: Use hairspray to slide new grips on.

Don’t do this: Use any kind of lubricant. They’ll slip for ever more.

3

Give your chain the VIP treatment

Thoroughly degrease and clean every last link on your chain, plus the sprockets. Rotate the rear wheel slowly, and watch the lower chain run. If it rises and falls, your chain has tight spots. If you’re lucky, the deep clean and re-lubricating will free off lightly-binding side plates. But a knackered chain definitely needs replacing. It’s surprising the difference a chain struggling to run smoothly over sprockets makes to throttle response and vibration.

Do this: Oil from the inside of chain.

Don’t do this: Clean or lube with the bike in gear. Ask the man with nine fingers why not.

4

Deep-service your brakes

Even if you don’t think they’re mushy or binding, remove and check the pads, then gently ease the pistons out with lever pressure so you can clean them with an old toothbrush and brake cleaner.

Lubricate with a squirt of silicone polish, then press them home. It’ll save money because they’ll last longer, and maintained brake pistons move and return better, improving feel. Bleed at the start of each riding season – brake fluid goes off from the moment you open the sealed bottle. Heat from use just makes it worse.

Do this: Pump your brakes a few times after, and check they don’t bind.

Don’t do this: Try and get away without bleeding if you pop a piston out.

#MCNwednesday

THIS WEEK

5

Change the fork oil

Changing your fork oil can make a dramatic difference. It’s another fluid that deteriorates so gradually your bike could be a pogoing horror before you realise. It’s not just excessive dive – ride quality, steering and stability all go to pot too. In an ideal world you’ll pull the forks apart to remove all the old oil and debris, and measure spring free length too. If that’s a bit out of your league, suspension specialists won’t charge a fortune if you remove the forks and take them to them.

Do this: Invest in goodfitting tools to avoid mauling suspension caps.

Don’t do this: Try and fully remove fork tops with the front end weighted.

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NEXT K E E W 12 ways to

6

7

Replace the head bearings

What’s the one thing you wish owners would do?

Dave Ball, Suzuki Master Technician at Fowlers in Bristol: “Look after their electrics!

As a mechanic I enjoy getting electrical problems fixed, but most of them are needless.

And as electrics are important to so many systems on bikes these days it makes sense to stay on top of them. Corrosion is the number one cause of problems with a bike’s electrics and you can prevent it by taking apart connectors, spraying in some electrolyte grease and putting them back together. I’m not talking about taking the bike to bits – the connectors you can’t see are likely to be faired away enough not to be too exposed to the elements. Usually it’s the ones you can see that are in most need of protection – like the regulator/rectifier, which is often stuffed away at the front of the frame right behind the front mudguard.

“If you’ve got a new bike the first thing I would do is make sure all the connectors are well-protected – by coating them with something like Wurth HHS 2000. If you’ve got a second-hand bike you should clean the connectors using contact cleaner which, with the help of a bit of wetand-dry, breaks down the corrosion until the connectors are a brassy colour again.

Corroded electrics can cause your bike to lose performance, without you noticing. All the sensors on the bike allow a certain degradation in performance before showing a warning light. You won’t know if you’re bike’s at its best unless your electrics are in good nick.”

Got carbs? Then you’ve got carb wear. Some carbs are particularly prone – Mikuni CVs are known to reach a point of no repair. But more often, you can restore much of the original function. Fuel eats jets away, and the contact of the needle in the needle jet wears it oval. Take them out, noting the numbers on them. It’s also worth replacing as many seals and o-rings as you can. Fuel degrades the rubber, and they compress under load.

You lose the tight seal, and the fuel/air mix is affected. Set the float heights, pilot screw, then balance them.

Do this: Experiment with setting pilot screws further out.

Don’t do this: Use ill-fitting tools or forcibly remove brass jets/screws.

Original head bearings will often still be serviceable, but even regreasing and adjustment never gives the feel of a new set. Buy original, or premium Japanese replacements, and grease them properly. Set the bearing preload correctly, and check a few weeks later after they’ve settled in. Good prep from the start will see them last far better.

Do this: Buy bearing tools to make the job easier.

Don’t do this: Hammer at bearings with a cold chisel or other inappropriate implements.

37

PLANET MECHANIC

be your own crew chief

Care for carbs

June 17 2015

8

Retire your rubber

The effects of a squared off rear are wellknown, but less recognised is the effect of ‘stepping’ between tread, where one edge wears more than the other. Grip, steering and feel diminish, but you may not notice the gradual drop. Maintaining correct pressures helps. The grip from tyres more than four years old will often be compromised even if they look perfect.

Do this: Be obsessed with tyre pressure.

Don’t do this: Buy mismatched or part-worn tyres.

Rarely is a good tyre removed.

9

Retrain its brain

Fuel injection can give perfect fuelling for all scenarios. But manufacturers have to tune fuel maps to suit noise and emission rules first. That often compromises performance, throttle action and fuel efficiency. However many bikes can be improved via a plug-in fuelling module, or can have their ECU remapped.

Do this: Tell the dyno operator how you ride to get a set-up to suit what you really need.

Don’t do this: Try it yourself. The means are available, but it’s easy to really screw it up.

Corrosion builds on connectors

38

N EW SE R I E S

THE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

SUZUKI GSX-R750 SRAD

‘I made it perfect for British riders’

When Suzuki test rider Roger Simmons left home to sign off the radical new ’96 GSX-R750 it was supposed to take 10 days. Ten weeks later he returned – with the perfect sportsbike

By Guy Procter MCN CONTRIBUTOR

ugust 1995: in Japan, Suzuki had just finished work on its replacement for the iconic but past-its-best doublecradle GSX-R750. It had sent four prototypes of the beam-frame, wasptailed new bike to Germany, seeking the feedback of the top test riders from each of the four biggest European markets. But it was really a rubber-stamp job – perhaps a chance to change the OE tyres, or tweak mirrors and footrest positions, but Hammamatsu was waiting for the signal to start production.

One small problem.

“I’ve never experienced weave like it. It was horrifying. The bike just went completely bonkers at very high speed,” remembers Roger Simmons – chief UK tester of Suzukis from Bandit to Busa.

“It would start at about 260kph [161mph]. We couldn’t get sustained

A

high speeds like that on the track so we did it on autobahns and autoroutes. It was a weavy-tankslapping type thing.

It was awful. Most people would never experience it, but we just couldn’t let the bikes go out like that. We tried different steering dampers, different shocks, different fork springs, different tyres, the combinations were endless.”

And it had all started so well.

“The size of it was the first thing that had struck me, and the weight. 506-

odd pounds on the old bike down to 395 f***ing pounds! And the more you looked, everything about it was different. It was nimble, powerful, it braked better. It would pass the FireBlade on the straight easily. It was unbelievable.

Revolutionary.” Up to 10mph off its top speed anyway.

So dogged were Roger and his fellow testers that even with costs mounting, the factory sat idle and “bosses going bonkers”, they insisted the testing

KEY DESIGN FEATURE

The SRAD’s bulbous tail and dayglo acronym mark it out, but its frame is the key to the bike. Derived from the firm’s RGV500 GP racer it shared the same wheelbase and steering geometry. Not only was it dramatically stiffer and lighter than its predecessor’s upand-over jobbie, but it offered riders a direct link to GP racing experience.

must go on – “I didn’t care who I upset.

I never compromised,” he says.

The ultra high-speed, public roads testing continued across Europe, running from the weather as summer turned to autumn. “We had Kayaba suspension guys there, tyre people there – about 15 people working on the testing all day – and then they would replicate each day’s tests in Japan overnight. It was a 24-hour effort.”

In southern Italy in October the solution was found – a combination of suspension and tyre spec tweaks. The process hadn’t been without attrition.

“One week they sent a Japanese guy over – the lap record-holder at their Ryuyu test track – everyone was in awe of him, so on the ride back to base we gave it some and we got back a good five minutes earlier than him. When he got back he said “This is not road this is motocross track!” and by the next morning he was on his way back to Japan. An Italian tester who lobbed

it stood up and brushed himself down and proclaimed ‘That’s it. I go and I never come back’ and he left the bike in the gravel and walked off. I never saw him again.”

The programme finished with 80% of the testing having been carried out on road and 20% on track. And the bike ended up being “just what people wanted,” says Roger. “They were obsessed with lightness and it was lighter than most 600s. It made big power, very reliably. It looked the business. We sold more than half the first year’s allocation before anyone had ever sat on one!”

It remains one of Roger’s proudest achievements and favourite bikes. “To me it’s like a Katana – it may be years old but it can still hold its head up. It still looks good in the company of any sportsbikes. It’s a modern classic. And a 170mph motorbike! You’d have to be a very, very sharp rider to make a modern superbike go A to B any faster.”

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39

WHAT TO PAY

‘My Mates went touring on it’

‘You have to rev it a bit, of course’

What goes wrong?

“The riding position suited most people – it was lower than before – and it was an easy bike to ride, not aggressive, you could proper pin it,” says Roger. “You could wind on the power confidently.

“Light, not intimidating, yet it was producing more power than the FireBlade. I had mates who went touring on the bloody thing!”

Early SRADs were carb-fed (injection didn’t appear until 1998), which can cause carb-icing on cold, damp days. ”You have to rev it a bit, of course,” acknowledges Roger, which dovetails neatly with its track-focus, but can be an issue if you’d rather dawdle than thrash. Early cylinder head/piston clearance problems were sorted fast.

Most of the problems that occur are caused by poor maintenance and careless owners. There was a perception that the engines suffered from poor lubrication to the top end and a number of firms produced a twin feed conversion to the top end, but they’re not necessary. Corrosion on the calipers and shock is a common issue.

1996 GSX-R750 T The original, on its way to modern classic status just like the ’92 Blade.

Private good: £1600 Average: £1300 Tatty: £1000 Dealer: £1500

1997 GSX-R750 V Sales were so good there was no reason to change it, bar tiny bodywork tweaks.

Private good: £1650 Average: £1350 Tatty: £1000 Dealer: £1600

EXPERT E0YTE GSX-R75

ed: 1996 Year introduc Power: 118bhp Weight: 179kg 5 Price new: £899

1998 GSX-R750 W

Bang on for Britain

‘Everything before was wooden’

Keep it sharp

“It was our job to put the European finishing touches to it – something they DIDN’T do with the TL1000S (they insisted it wasn’t necessary, it was perfect – but it was an absolute disaster)” says Roger, who went through dozens of suspension iterations to ensure the set-up was bombproof.

“This was the first GSX-R with six pot brakes – proper kit. Everything before was wooden,” says Roger. But Suzuki wanted to err on the conservative side. “They feared people would crash with really aggressive pads in them – in fact this happened with one tester.”

Refresh tired old suspension and suddenly you’ll discover a machine of dazzling handling quality.

The forks are quite soft and heavier and faster riders will benefit from an extra 30cc of fork oil to firm them up a tad. The six-piston Tokico brakes are sensational, but will need braided hoses now.

The first injection model raised power a useful 15bhp to 134bhp at the crank.

Private good: £1800 Average: £1400 Tatty: £1050 Dealer: £1700

KEY MOMENTS

1999 GSX-R750 X

HOORAY! Chris Walker rode the wheels off his SRAD to chase Hodgson’s bigger 996 Ducati to the title wire. “My confidence was skyhigh on that bike.

I could do anything on it,” he remembers.

BOO! Biking’s Gazza World Cup moment came thanks to the same SRAD, when Walker’s bike brought the most dramatic BSB season in memory to an end by blowing up at the final round.

PHWOAR! Scott Russell smoked his rivals to a Daytona 200 victory in 1996. The SRAD’s acres of plastic have always made it a great canvas. Is there anything better than the Lucky Strike scheme?

No changes for its final year bar graphics and a bigger 190-section rear tyre.

Private good: £2200 Average: £1600 Tatty: £1200 Dealer: £1750

51 GSX-R 750S FOR SALE

www.motorcyclenews.com

GARAGE

40

GREAT RIDES

3 hours Route: North Wales run Distance: 66 miles Time: 2 or

DOWNLOAD THE ROUTE

Attack of the killer Bs!

motoryclenews.com/greatrides

Taking in some of the best B-roads in north Wales, this is a great way into Snowdonia TURN-BY-TURN

EAST TO WEST FROM MOLD A494 Ruthin STRAIGHT ON AT ROUNDABOUT B5105 Cerrigydrudion RIGHT B4501 Denbigh LEFT A525 St Asaph LEFT B5381 Conwy LEFT B5106 – Betws-y-Coed

CU T OU T A N D KE E P

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route towards Betws-y-Coed, from where a world of options are open to you. The A4086 or A498 will take you deep into Snowdonia while the A470 drops through Wales and towards the coast. The whole of Wales is your oyster, get out there and explore it…

orth Wales is a popular weekend ride, and this run from Mold to Betws-y-Coed incorporates some of the best roads.

It’s also a superb base to explore the delights of Snowdonia.

Mold is easily accessed by the M56 and so is an ideal starting point. From here you head towards the Clocaenog forest on the A494 before switching to the smaller B5105 which cuts through the trees. Turning right and passing the Brenig and Alweb reservoirs on the B4501 towards Denbigh is one of the highlights of the route and despite the narrowness of the road, is relatively traffic free. Most tourists stick to the A-roads, but a thrilling set of alternative Bs produces a thrilling

Get out and enjoy Wales’ lesser known roads

TOMTOM RIDER

i

SWALLOW FALLS – Local landmark appears on many things from postcards to TV shows. GREAT ORME – Limestone headland that reminded sailors of giant sea serpents.

RIDE YOUR WAY

PONDEROSA CAFÉ – Popular biker meet on the Horseshoe pass near Llangollen. COLWYN BAY – Fish and chips on the sea front recommended

RIDER

Winding Roads Find the most exciting winding roads and avoid the boring straights.

400

Hilly Roads Stay at sea level or climb the highest peaks.

PREMIUM PACK

Round-trip Planning Discover new routes by simply tapping the area you want to explore.

Car Mounting Kit

Anti-theft Solution

Travel Carry Case

Now with Hands-free Calling

Tel: 01425 620580 Email: info@tranam.co.uk Web: www.tranam.co.uk For more detailed product information please email info@tranam.co.uk

Map data ©Google 2015

TANK PAD SIZE MAP

The new TomTom RIDER has been completely redesigned for life on the road and, with MCN, we’re going to help you discover, explore and enjoy new routes each week. Download each from motorcyclenews.com/ greatrides onto an SD card and your TomTom Rider will show you the way.

GARAGE

SHOULD YOU LEARN TO LOGRVEEL?

KTMDuke125 What it is really? Built by Bajaj not far from Mumbai It may be the first Austrian bike built on the Subcontinent, but that’s to take nothing from the bike that’s re-punked the 125 market singlehanded.

It might be built like a pair of Converse trainers, next to rivals’ loafers or running spikes, but it’s just as likely to be the one you’d choose to look good and feel great.

What you’ll pay today: £2100-£3500 But should you?

Yes.

A MON

Some bikes have reason to be coy about their parentage – but now they’re all grown up, does that make them more or less desirable?

June 17 2015

TT DVDs

on Amazon... and their least helpful reviews

Road (2014) £5

‘Terrible. DVD is in European PAL format and will not play on any DVD machine in North America?!? So now I have a new drink coaster.’

‘The special effects were average. If you were a nonmotorbike supporter you would find it quite boring.’

BMWFunduro (1993-99)

Part Benelli, part Aprilia, part R6, built in China. Confusing, eh?

TOP 5 best-selling

TT Closer to the Edge (2012) £4.75

The hottest thing to come from India this side of a vindaloo

BenelliBN600 (2014-present) What it is really?

QianJiang Group’s Keeway RK600 With an engine based on the 2004 Yamaha R6, frame from an Aprilia Shiver 750, Benelli badge, Chinese construction and an identical twin sold in Asia which bears the name of a company (Keeway) headquartered in Hungary, behold! The king of the mongrels. Not without fun or looks, but it’s an oddball alright, and a painful reminder of the curdled promise of one of Europe’s oldest brands.

What you’ll pay today: £4599-£5299 But should you? Let’s be honest, probably not

41

What it is really? Aprilia-built and co-designed A younger BMW was more promiscuous – and in 1993 it felt like trying chain-drive. Into an Italian hayloft it hopped with spritely young Aprilia, and ninemonths later, triplets: the F650 Funduro, Strada and Aprilia Pegaso.

Light, dependable and lumpy, they continue to do well and be much loved.

What you’ll pay today: £600-£900 But should you?

Yes.

Silly name but now available at bargain prices

No Limit (1950) £9.50

‘Good clean fun for all the family. Shame they don’t make them like this anymore, no swears at all.’

TT Official Review (2014) £16.55

‘Watched in hospital after being knocked off my bike during the TT. Lost my TT viewing, this is better!’

YamahaRD350R (1992-1996)

CagivaRaptor1000 (1999-2006)

CagivaAlazzurra 650 (1985-1987)

KawasakiKLV1000 (2004-05)

What it is really? A zombie from the Amazon!

If you’ve seen The Returned you’ll know the plot. Yamaha’s stroker died a tragic death in 1991, only to return six months later, except... different. This time your definitive Japanese fizz-bomb was slower, wore less cool clothes and had been born in the wrong continent... in Brazil.

What you’ll pay today: £1500-£4000 But should you? No. Collectors only

What it is really: A TL-engined Monster More fruit from the great Suzuki TL1000 engine glut of the early 2000s, the Raptor is what the designer of the Ducati Monster would have built had costs at the cashstrapped firm not limited him to the parts bin. Describing it as ‘Permanently out of control… fun’, it nearly had a Speed Triple engine, and is a hoot to ride to this day.

What you’ll pay today: £1000-£2400 But should you? Watch for iffy electrics

What it is really? A rebadged Pantah Here’s a good way play the ‘My Ducati’s rarer than yours’ card on the cheap: buy the bike new owner Cagiva built out of leftover unsold Pantah TLs. It’s a fine 650cc all-rounder with that hard-to-place 80s look, that classic exhaust note and (if you can track one down) a fraction of the price of the Ducati donor.

What you’ll pay today: £2100-£3500 But should you? Yes. If you can find one

What it is really? A Suzuki V-Strom Rebadging Suzuki’s V-Strom wasn’t one of Kawasaki’s proudest moments, but by adding an adjustable screen, better clocks, black frame and bright orange paintjob it came up with a canny improvement on the TL1000-engined donor – and a more interesting used buy than the similarly-priced ‘Strom.

What you’ll pay today: £2200-£3300 But should you? Yes

The History of the TT (2013) £14.14

‘Bought as a gift so cannot really write a review.’

www.motorcyclenews.com

GARAGE

42

OUR BIKES

‘Searching for the perfect ride’

2M217 ILE S UPDATE

2

Key first mods turn stunning stocker into personalised weapon of choice. If only the face wasn’t so ugly (the RR’s) BMW S1000RR SPORT, £14,760

THE BIKE

Weight 204kg Seat height 815mm Servicing to date: £140 (1st service, at 313 miles) Mods to date: £2599.10

THE RIDER

Richard Newland, Senior Editor richard.newland@motorcyclenews.com Height 5ft 11in Weight 117kg His riding Sportsbike addict with a love of road and track riding, all year round

t’s been a while since I’ve spent every day with an inline four, and I’ve been surprised by some of the revelations now a few thousand miles have passed between us.

The strangest feeling it evokes – considering how technologically advanced it is – is an overwhelming sense of retro sportsbike heaven.

There’s something about the exhaust note’s howling bass tones, and pops and bangs on the overrun that transports me right back into the ’90s.

It isn’t a million miles – tonally – from my 1986 Suzuki GSX-R750. I like that.

The only downside of the pleasingly fruity exhaust is that it does telegraph my arrival by several minutes.

The most pleasing surprise is that the RR isn’t soulless, as I’d feared it might be. I can’t pretend I’ve fallen in love with its wonky face, but to be fair it probably hasn’t fallen in love with mine, either. But the view from the hot seat is perfect, and the sense of specialness it dredges from the pit of my stomach every time I open the throttle has cemented it in my affections.

The less welcome surprise is the amount of vibration delivered to the bars and footrests. After having two L-twins, a boxer twin, and a triple over the last five years, I was expecting my return to inline fours to be silky smooth.

If you’re always making throttle inputs

I

and climbing all over it like someone’s greased the seat then all is well. But sit at a constant speed for half-an-hour, and the vibes become intrusive. Catch it at the wrong rpm for too long, and you’ll have an impressive case of whitefinger to show your mates.

Make it your own Regardless of how good a bike is in standard trim, there are always things you want to change. Two obvious mods forced themselves to the top of the list before I’d even spent 50 miles on board.

The most important was changing the stock footrests for adjustable rearsets.

The other was to move the windblast up over the broadest part of my chest.

BMW’s accessory catalogue seemed like the logical start point – there’s a lot to be said for factory-fit precision and warranty-friendly modifications.

Before I did anything though, I fitted a set of BMW’s paddock stand bobbins (£21.10), and retired my ancient and unstable Micron stand in favour of the official BMW item (£158). The bobbins are, well, bobbins – no complaints there. The stand is a rock-solid work of smooth-rolling art. A sound investment if you’ve ever seen the damage a paddock stand collapse can cause.

Changing the screen was the warmup act, and took just five minutes, which is a rare mercy in this age of

FITTING NEW REARSETS

1

BMW’s stunning accessory rearsets are produced by Gilles, purveyors of exceptionally nice kit. They’re a work of art.

2

pointlessly overcomplicated fairings.

The six screen bolts and two little damping grommets swapped over with ease, and it took only the merest of wiggles to position. The windblast has left my chest, and now flows just over shoulder height. Get tucked in though, and it delivers wind-free serenity.

The rearsets, tooled by Gilles for BMW, are the nicest I’ve seen from any catalogue (£534, bmw-motorrad. co.uk). The CNC work is stunning, and the fit and tolerances between the clever eccentric sliding pegs and rearset bodies, and action from the levers, is superb. Gearchanges through the slightly spongy Gearshift Pro feel crisper and more positive, and I can now get my feet where I want them (one of the joys of suffering with cake retention is that stock pegs feel unilaterally too far forward). They’re an absolute doddle to fit, too – see below.

The mods aren’t dramatic, but they’ve made the RR feel more tailored to my needs, more comfortable, while also enabling me to ride with more confidence and aggression thanks to improved body positioning. It’s gone from feeling like a great bike, to feeling like my great bike.

RUNNING VERDICT

+

The RR now feels more like it's been tailored to my needs. We’re bonding well.

-

I’m struggling to see the benefit of all the rider modes.

Slick mode is all I ever use.

O Read previous updates at

motorcyclenews.com/richS1000RR

Time taken: 35 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Tools: Torx keys, threadlock, 10mm spanner, torque wrench

Photograph the standard items extensively so that you’re sure what went where, and what relative position the pegs were in.

3

Carefully remove and replace one side at a time – and transpose all parts that are reused on the Gilles rearsets.

4

Fit the new rearsets, using correct torque settings and a dab of threadlock on the main bolts. Experiment with peg positions.

#MCNwednesday

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43

RUNNING COSTS

‘It dredges a special feeling from the pit of my stomach every time I open the throttle’

41

MPG Tested Power 196.26bhp Tested Torque 85.05ftlb

Servicing £140 Minor

This is the cost of the first service, which was carried out at 313 miles.

Insurance MCNcompare.com quotes for a 2015 BMW S1000RR worth £14,760 – each rider has three years’ NCB.

£586.44

£357.84

35-year-old in Hull (£500 excess)

45-year-old in London (£600 excess)

Best PCP deal

£179.95 PER MONTH

BMW S1000RR Sport, £14,760 36 months @ £179.95 £3490.12 deposit Final Value: £7482.46 bmw-motorrad.co.uk

WIDESCREEN PLAY

5

Go for a short ride to check your settings (take tools with you). Once satisfied, double check that everything’s tight and secure.

1

Remove the six screen bolts, tease the screen out from the fairing, and ease out the captive nuts and damping grommets.

Time taken: 5 mins Difficulty: Novice Tools: Torx keys

2

Carefully fit the rubber nuts and grommets to the new screen. If it’s cold, pop the nuts in warm water to soften them up first.

3

Slide the new screen into place without knocking the captive nuts out. Insert all the screen bolts half way, then tighten them all.

www.motorcyclenews.com

44

GARAGE THE QUESTION

Scrambled up DNA

V

Full Throttle meets the ancestors DUCATI SCRAMBLER FULL THROTTLE £7855

THE BIKE

Weight 186kg Seat height 790mm MPG 49 Servicing to date 600 miles, £158

V-Strom versus Multistrada on Andy’s 200-mile commute

IAN JUBB

THE STATS DUCATI MULTISTRADA 1200 S £15,731 To work distance: 198.9 miles Time: 3hr 15min Average speed: 60.8mph MPG: 48.84 Cost: £14.92

SUZUKI V-STROM 650 XT £7599

To work distance: 198.9 miles Time: 3hr 07min Average speed: 65mph MPG: 51.77 Cost: £14.26

SIMON HIPPERSON

man as it growls and howls its way onto the A1 for an hour-and-a-half of testosterone-fuelled riding. Forget a comfortable 85mph cruising speed, the Italian Stallion hits triple figures and doesn’t even break a sweat.

Riding along, thinking I’m doing the speed limit, only to glance at the speedo and see more numbers than an A-level maths equation was terrifying. As soon as I got home, I sat in the corner rocking, convinced I’d receive an envelope with more points than my mum’s Nectar card.

After a more… conservative ride back to the office, I was glad to get back on the Strom for the next commute, if only to calm myself down. But what surprised me most was that my run from Peterborough to Slough on the V-Strom was actually seven minutes quicker than my ride on the Multistrada. And on the round trip the V-Strom was an impressive eight minutes quicker, with a 4.92mph faster average speed, and cost 66p less in fuel than the Multi.

I’m putting it down to maintaining a consistent, smooth speed on the Strom and it being an incredible filtering machine. So the Ducati is rip-roaring fun – but my solid Strom gets me home quicker and for less money. Perfect.

Simon Brown Senior Production Editor simon.brown@motorcyclenews.com Height 5ft 9in Weight 70kg Type of rider 20 years experience, loves twins and singles

ow good do these two bikes look parked nose-to-nose?

Flipping gorgeous. I couldn’t help but smile when confronted with a pair of Ducati Scramblers – especially two that are separated by 45 years.

My Scrambler was on the Ducati Owners Club stand for MCN’s recent Festival of Motorcycling, alongside this handsome 1970 SCR 450 Scrambler owned by Graham Stoppani.

It’s immediately clear how Ducati has taken cues from the original.

For my part, I love the way my Full Throttle’s paintjob is the reverse of Graham’s bike. Check out the mudguard – his is yellow with a black stripe and mine is the precise opposite.

Both sport similarly fetching lines and the detailing on the engine covers of the 2015 bike is an echo of the design of the air filter on Graham’s original (I may be reading too much into that one, blame the strong espresso on the owners’ club stand).

There are plenty of differences

H

IS MORE BHP ALWAYS BEST?

As commutes go, my twice-weekly run from Slough to Peterborough is pretty boring; sat upright on motorways, longing for the respite of seven roundabouts, three sharp turns and one long right-hand swooper.

But thanks to my V-Strom it is an easy ride. I’m always met by a red ants’ nest of flickering brake lights as I join the M4 in the morning. But the little 650 V-twin twists, wriggles and glides through it all.

And once we’ve joined the free-flowing A1, the Strom relaxes and eases into a smooth hum for the rest of the journey.

I have never sat on the Strom wishing for more – but last week I pulled up at MCN and laid my eyes upon a gorgeous Italian. The Multistrada was sat waiting, 160bhp and 100ftlb of torque dripping from its Desmo V-twin. It looked delicious; I had to ride it home.

Swinging a leg over the bigger, badder V-twin is like stepping into a realm of luxury. Variable valve timing, brimming with electronics, semi-active suspension and more sex appeal than Nigella Lawson whispering Fifty Shades of Grey in your ear. But it comes at a price; you can buy two V-Stroms for the price of one Multi – with £533 change.

The 1198cc motor thumps like a mad

THE RIDER

between the two, of course. My bike is a twin, while Graham’s is a single, and I have modern essentials such as disc brakes, ABS and monoshock rear suspension. But the fun-loving spirit of the older bike definitely lives on.

I’d have loved to have ridden the two back-to-back, but sadly the old bike isn’t a runner right now.

So what does Graham, who rode his bike in the 2008 Moto Giro d’Italia rally, think of the new pretender? It’s a thumbsup, although he does have some reservations. “You can see in places that it’s been built to a price,” he says. “The finish on the fasteners doesn’t look as good as other Ducatis – but you can easily upgrade them. I’d prefer wire wheels too.”

Of course, being built to a price isn’t necessarily a bad thing because it means you can have more fun for less cash – especially if you go with a PCPtype purchase, which will have you on the road for around £95 a month.

YOUR BIKES

Triumph Trophy SE love my ______________________ I _____

Year: 2014 H ad since: 2014 Miles done: 7275 Total mileage: 7275 Prolific bike buyer Rob Barron is a serial adventure bike rider and was close to getting a KTM 1290 Super Adventure when he plumped for this beautiful Trophy SE – his first fulldress tourer. “I love all the gadgets and the engine,” he says. For a man who’s owned over 100 bikes, and who once sold a Fazer 1000 on Monday he’d bought the previous Friday, the Trophy has done outstandingly well to last a year in his company. The highlight of his 7000 miles so far has been an epic trip to Scotland over a weekend, which took him through the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District en route. It’s just the sort of punishment the Trophy was designed to take, and the big bike hasn’t missed a beat on that trip or any other: “Nothing’s gone wrong and I wouldn’t change a

Ready for round-the-world action thing about it.” Michelin Pilot Road 4 GTs transformed the handling but squared off in 3500 miles. He has no plans to sell, but predicts his next purchase will take him back into the adventure fold: “The Trophy could take me round the world no problem, a Super Adventure could do the same... off-road.”

#MCNwednesday

THIS WEEK

‘I love the way my FT’s paintjob is the reverse of Graham’s original Scrambler’

NEW BIKES

FEATURES

GARAGE

BUYING & SELLING

SPORT

1M447 ILE S

June 17 2015

45

We love May, but his name on the V5 doesn’t double the value

UPDATE

2

T H E BU Y E R Neil Murray makes a living buying & selling pre-loved metal – and he’s on your side

When to pay more for provenance I’ve got to admit I blinked at the prices achieved by the Top Gear crew’s bikes at auction recently.

James May’s Fizzie made £7475, or about double what it would have made had it been owned by you or I. Richard Hammond’s Gold Wing made £6900. Same applies. And Hammond’s new-build Commando fetched £15,180, or about a grand less than a brand new one.

Provenance is important.

That’s why Lawrence of Arabia’s Brough Superior is worth seven figures. Anyone who thinks that Hammond’s name on the V5 is worth a £3000 premium is deluded, though.

Buying at a specialist auction is only for the expert. It’s not what the description says, but what it omits that counts. Two years ago, I was bidding at Bonhams’ Stafford auction. I was interested in a Honda NR750 (estimate £50,000), and the catalogue description

KAWASAKI 1400GTR £13,699

KTM RC390 £4998

NAME: ADAM CHILD JOB: SENIOR ROAD TESTER

NAME: LIAM MARSDEN JOB: WEB PRODUCER

NAME: EMMA FRANKLIN JOB: PRODUCTION EDITOR

While I wait for the GSX-S1000 to arrive, I’m running its sister superbike.

The big Suzuki set the slowest lap time in our recent track test, but out here in the real world I’m impressed. The only rider aid is ABS, but I’m enjoying the old-school feel. I used the bike for open-roads rides during the Isle of Man TT, to help me prepare for my races. It was great practice to fly over the mountain, front wheel hovering in the air, and to experience the rear tyre fighting for grip out of Windy Corner.

After 1200 miles on the standard Bridgestone BT-021 tyres I’ve replaced them with more up-to-date Metzeler Roadtec Z8s. First impressions have been positive – the new tyres felt good straight out of the car park and where the standard Bridgestones often felt a bit vague during cornering, the Metzelers feel much more stable. At present the tyre pressures are 43psi front and rear, which feels a little hard – familiar bumps feel harsh so I’ll knock them down a couple of psi.

Sometimes small isn’t beautiful.

Although the KTM’s slim, lightweight chassis appeals to me, its tiny fuel tank is starting to annoy. KTM claim it holds 10 litres, but I’ve run the bike dry and only managed to squeeze in 9.5. And, although the RC returns an average of 63mpg, there’s still only 115 miles before I’m on fumes. Not too bad when scooting across town, but highly annoying when going further afield – finding fuel is always a concern and it really takes the joy out of a day’s riding.

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3

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4 6 9

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Next week And on the above note, is the new H2 a good used buy?

ALSO CATCHING MY EYE THIS WEEK

SUZUKI GSX-R1000 £10,559

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rang alarm bells. There wasn’t enough of it. So I hung back, and after the auction, voiced my misgivings to a Bonhams’ valuer.

“Ah, yes,” he said. “The NR750.

Well, it had been down the road at some point, and we think it had been used on the track.” Thank you, God. At the time, I thought prices for Vincents were weak, and bid on a Series C Rapide, setting myself a limit of £28,000. It went up to £28k, going once, going twice, and the hammer was about to fall, and somebody stepped in, and it went for £32,000. I still think that was a bargain. I also bid on the restored Kawasaki 750H2C, with a limit of £6500. It sold for £6800, but who knows? The winning bidder might have been prepared to go to £10,000.

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1

Aprilia RSV1000R £3500

Honda CB1000R £4495

Seller says: 5600 miles, same owner since 2007. Neil says: High spec model, should be the facelifted one too, long ownership, incredibly low miles, should be solid as a rock. Much better choice than an equivalent age Ducati 999 if you want a reliable intro into Italian exotica.

Seller says: 5264 miles, one lady owner, never been ridden hard.

Neil says: 2007 Fireblade engine, 2008 Fireblade forks, 130bhp with the Honda comfort and sophistication that a Speed Triple lacks. New, these are ten grand on the road, which makes this one less than half price. Bargain.

www.motorcyclenews.com

46

GARAGE

KIT SHOWCASE

camp 10 of the best pairs of sporty boots for summer riding TCX R-S2 Evo, £299.99 TCX’s sturdy and reassuring boots have manmade outers with a breathable lining and a series of vents to keep feet cool, plus moulded heels, shins and ankles for extra protection. There are reinforced gearchange pads and the alloy toesliders are replaceable. With a pump-air system and elasticated insert as well as a zip and Velcro closure, the fit can be highly personalised.

Colours: White/black, black/chrome, red/black Sizes: 5-13.5 Contact: www.nevis.uk.com

Gearchange pad A slice of durable rubber on the upper left foot helps cushion the rider from contact with the gear lever and helps the boot last longer. Purely in the interests of symmetry, most right boots have one too.

WHO WAS FIRST?

Alpinestars, Sidi or Daytona?

Sidi’s first foray into motorcycling came in the early 70s, by which time Alpinestars had five years of experience in bike boots. But the German company now known as Frey Daytona takes the honour by three years, having made their first pair of Frey boots in 1962.

Sidi Roarr £199.95 These new-for-2015 CE-approved boots look robotic with ankle braces for extra protection plus moulded shins and heels.

There is a ventilation system for warmer weather, operated by the flick of a switch on the outer edge of the foot. They fasten by a combination of Velcro and zips and there’s an additional adjuster to ensure a close and secure fit.

Colours: Black, black/grey, black/ white Sizes: 5-13 Contact: www. sidiselect.co.uk

Toesliders When racers of the ’70s started leaning over so far they were wearing through boot after boot, firms added hard-wearing slabs. Replace before you wear through any exposed mounting screw heads.

Forma Ice Pro Flow £239.99

Dainese Axial Pro In £349.99

If hot and sticky feet are giving you drama, look to these CE-approved boots from Forma. They’re leather, which is more breathable than synthetic materials, and have perforations, ventilation and a breathable liner. The removable stainless steel toesliders are also vented. They have plastic shin and heel protectors plus ankle supports.

Colours: Black, white Sizes: 5-12.5 Contact: www. factoryagencies.co.uk

Dainese’s boots are designed to be worn under their leathers and are CE approved with Kevlar and carbon ankle protection plus a gearchange pad. The stainless steel toesliders are replaceable and there’s a separate inner boot with Velcro fastenings, while the main boot secures with a zip.

Colours: Black, red/black, white/black, black/fluro Sizes: 7.5-13 Contact: www. dainese.com

#MCNwednesday

THIS WEEK

Ratchets Ratchet closures come from the motocross world and use clasps to help fasten the boot. They are usually in addition to Velcro and/or zips and allow the rider to adjust the fit to suit their feet.

NEW BIKES

FEATURES

GARAGE

BUYING & SELLING

Alpinestars SMX Plus £259.99

Daytona Security Evo 3 £859.99

AStars is possibly the first name in motorcycle boots and these secure with ratchets and a zip for peace of mind. The SMX Plus have a man-made outer and are CE approved. They have moulded support for the ankles and heels plus removable heel and toesliders.

Colours: Black, black/white, red/white, black/white/fluro Sizes: 4.5-12 Contact: www. alpinestars.com

How much? For the money you get a hard-shell Kevlar and plastic inner with shock absorbing protection for calves and heels, plus reinforced toe sections. The outer is kangaroo leather and secures with Velcro and a zip. There are three colour options or for 30% extra (£260) you can design your own.

Colours: Black, black/ blue, black/red Sizes: 6-13 Contact: www. tranam.co.uk

Inner boots It’s usually reserved for top-end boots, but an inner boot provides bracing and strength and then a more flexible outer boot does the rest of the work. Daytona allow you to replace damaged outers.

CE approval CE is the shortform for the safety testing on a wide range of products. CE boots have been tested for their ability to withstand abrasion, cutting and crushing forces. Look for ‘EN13634:2010’.

SPORT

June 17 2015

47

3 UNDER

£30 TAP Motorcycle Theory Test Android app £1.49

Falco 309 Eso Pro 2 £249.99

Stylmartin Stealth £279.99

These Italian boots have uppers made from Lorica and are CE-approved to the higher level 2. They have a removable inner protection boot and articulated ankle joints for flexibility as well as moulded ankle, heel and toe protection. There is a buckle closure in addition to the more traditional zip and Velcro.

Colours: Black, white, black/white Sizes: 5-12 Contact: www. tri-motive.com

A breathable mesh liner and air intakes at the heels help cold air get in and hot air escape from these CE-approved boots, which have uppers made from Lorica. There’s moulded heel and shin protection and a gearchange, as well as toesliders made from lightweight titanium. They fasten with a zip and ratchets that help get the fit exactly right.

Colours: Black, white Sizes: 4-13 Contact: www. dpc-distribution.com

If you’re planning on taking your UK theory test then you’ll be aware of how tough and/or bonkers some of the questions can be. This app for your Android-based phone contains every official revision question from the DVSA. (The answer to the question in the screenshot, by the way, is soapy water.) http://bit.ly/theoryapp

WIPE

Ankle bracing Keeping an ankle braced helps avoid injuries in a crash, but you still want it to flex for you to be able to walk, ride and change gear. Braces allow the right kind of flex while stopping lateral flex.

Official MotoGP doormat £9.99 It turns out there isn’t anything that Dorna can’t make money from by putting the MotoGP logo on it. But for under a tenner, we can’t think of a better way to clean your work boots off before entering your hallowed garage! http://bit.ly/GPdoormat

Prexport Evo 9100 £139.99

RST Tractech Evo CE £119.99

Italian boots constructed from man-made materials with shin, heel, ankle and calf reinforcements. They have perforated sections that mean you shouldn’t suffer from sweaty feet in warmer weather and the toesliders are removable too. The Prexports secure with a combination of Velcro and zip closures.

Colours: Black, black/white Sizes: 4-12 Contact: www. thekeycollection.co.uk

The cheapest boots here are made from leather with perforated sections and stretch panels for added comfort. They are CE-approved for protection, with reinforcements at the shin, ankle and heel and there’s also a gearchange pad.

The removable toesliders are made from aluminium.

Colours: Black, white, blue, red, green, flo red, flo green Sizes: 6-13 Contact: www.rstmoto.com

PLAY

Turbospoke £17.99 Remember when you were a kid and used to stick a playing card between your pushbike spokes to make it sound like a superbike? Well… THIS is THAT, but for the 21st century! It even comes with different shaped cards so you can ‘tune’ your exhaust for the perfect note! www.turbospoke.com

www.motorcyclenews.com

GARAGE

48

TESTED

‘Proper sturdy and easy to use’

750

M ILES

Pockets galore Handy side pockets for essentials and the map pocket is a bonus

AlpinestarsTech Aero tankbag£119.99 Tester: Alison Silcox Time tested: Two months/750 miles What’s good? This is a really sturdy bag and so far the zips and straps are proving reliable and showing no signs of wear. I’ve been caught out in a couple of showers and found the bag doesn’t leak (it does have a waterproof cover for extra peace of mind if the rain is really heavy but I’ve not yet needed to deploy it).

The bag has a variety of pockets, including a clear map pocket that is a really decent size and can hold either a GPS or for those who are more traditional, like me, a good old paper map. There are also a couple of handy and easily accessible external zipped pockets that I use for stowing my keys, phone and purse.

What’s not? Whilst the strap and magnet combination makes it fit securely to the bike, looping the straps round the frame is fiddly. It also means that when I want to take the bag off the bike I’m either left with dangling straps or have to go through the palaver of fully removing the straps.

Contact: www.alpinestars.com

+

Sturdy construction, decent capacity, keeps the rain out and there are useful compartments

-

Straps that loop around the frame are annoying when you take the bag off. It’s also pricey.

Straps and magnets The straps are fiddly to fit but do mean the bag stays securely in place

Richa Designer

Price £79.99 Similar in shape and capacity, but with magnets and a headstock strap. Easier to mount, almost as roomy, also resists showers – and is £40 cheaper. www.nevis.uk.com

Quality ★★★★★ Value★★★★★

TOP FIVE SPORTY TEXTILES UNDER £200 1

Dainese Laguna Seca D-Dry, £199.99

Armoured textile jacket in a wide range of colours. Has a removable breathable waterproof membrane on the inside and a waterresistant treatment on the outer. Also has a removable thermal liner.

2

Rev’it Shield, £189.99

For sportier riders who want a closer fit than a touring jacket but still want waterproofing.

It’s a breathable threeseason jacket with a removable thermal liner. Has zip-open vents and a zip to join to trousers.

3

Ixon Shiroki HP £179.99

Has seven pockets to carry all of your essentials, along with CE-approved shoulder and elbow armour and a removable thermal liner. Waterproofing duties are carried out by a Drymesh membrane.

4

Alpinestars Gunner £169.99

Waterproof and breathable. There are vents on the front and rear of the jacket, CEapproved shoulder and elbow armour and a neoprene-edged collar for comfort, two external pockets and one internal.

5

Spada Burnout £129.95

Comes with a full complement of CE-approved armour, including a back protector insert, and has a waterproof and breathable membrane as well as a removable thermal lining.

#MCNwednesday

THIS WEEK

NEW BIKES

FEATURES

6

BUYING & SELLING

GARAGE

SPORT

June 17 2015

49

1500

MONTHS

M ILES

3

YEARS

Hedcam Ten80 onboard camera £167.99

Tester: Michael Neeves Time used: Six months What’s good? It’s an extremely light (39 grams), compact (just 80mm long), durable easy-to-use waterproof ‘bullet’ camera, which I’ve used to shoot a number of onboard videos while racing this season. The 1080p HD camera comes with lots of different mountings, so it can go anywhere on a bike, or helmet, but I use my tried-and-tested lump of ‘black tack’ to fix it securely in seconds. A built-in laser helps me line up the camera. Files write to a MicroSD card.

What’s not? Compared with some of the market leaders the clips from the Hedcam aren’t as clear or vibrant, and for highspeed onboard videos there’s excessive wind noise.

Contact: www.hedcam.com Quality ★★★★★ Value ★★★★★

Tucano Urbano Four Seasons jacket £160

CTEK XS 0.8 battery charger £38.99

Tester: Andy Downes Time tested: Two months/1500 miles What’s good? This jacket is aimed at city riders, but I have been using it a lot over the past couple of months for my 60-mile daily commute. It’s comfortable, stylish and waterproof. It’s also warm, has D3O armour in the shoulders and elbows and adjustable waist straps to reduce flapping at speed. There are pop-out bright orange strips on the wrists and neck for extra visibility and those can be tucked away when not riding. Pockets are plentiful and do up tightly. The jacket has been waterproof through heavy downpours.

What’s not? The material is not heavy-duty Cordura and seems lightweight, so it’s a bit of a compromise.

Contact: www.tucanourbano.com Quality ★★★★★ Value ★★★★★

Tester: Tony Hoare Time tested: Three years What’s good? When it comes to bringing batteries back up to tip-top condition, usually after a period of inactivity, I’ve turned to CTEK for years. The XS 0.8 is their latest 12V charger and it’s reliable, effective and easy to use.

It comes with a cable that can be attached to the battery terminals to make charging more convenient and it can be left connected to the battery without fear of causing damage.

What’s not? The system of lights isn’t intuitive and you’ll need the instructions (or a good memory) to see when the battery is fully charged. There are six lights and the battery is charged enough to start the bike when three are illuminated.

Contact: www.ctek.com Quality ★★★★★ Value ★★★★★

Waterproof GPS case DAVIDA WRS74

Waterproof GPS case & mount £20.99+P&P

PRESCRIPTION GOGGLES Davida Goggle + Reactolite prescription lenses

£135 + P&P

www.optique-goggles.co.uk For further details take a look at our website.

These goggles sit comfortably under your helmet and seal against the wind - There is no better goggle available.

SEARCH ‘OPTIQUE GOGGLES’ ON MOTORCYCLENEWS.COM FOR REVIEW

Like a BMW, only more.

Superbike and clip-on handlebar conversions for your BMW bike.

Hear your Satnav in your helmet with NEW ‘GPS audio’ With Blueto

Steve 07968435078

From

£37.99+P&P

01473 823351 S1000RR RNineT K12/13 F800 R1200S

www.motorcyclenews.com

The BEST place tobuy biking kit!

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Ask your local BMW dealer or call us 01485 542000 www.ac-schnitzer.co.uk

WIN your biking year on us!

We’ve got you covered * CALL TODAY FOR A QUOTE TO BE ENTERED!*

BIKE INSURANCE

YEAR’S WORTH OF FUEL

SHOW TICKETS

£1,000 OF BIKING GEAR

Carole Nash, a name you can trust

0800 144 4627

Opening hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 8pm, Sat 9am - 5pm, Sun 10am - 4pm. *Terms and conditions apply, visit carolenash.com/bike-giveaway-terms-and-conditions. On Modern, Classic and Six Wheel quotes. Carole Nash Insurance Consultants Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference no. 307243. Carole Nash is a trading style of Carole Nash Insurance Consultants Ltd, registered in England and Wales no. 2600841.

2013

2014

2015

MOTORBIKE INSURANCE

MOTORBIKE INSURANCE

MOTORBIKE INSURANCE

RON HASLAM TRACK DAY

www.motorcyclenews.com

50

GARAGE

ANY QUESTION

ANSWERED

If we don’t know the answer, we’ll find the person who does 899 uses bulbs in its indicators, not LEDs

Q

Replacement LED indicators freaked out my Panigale 899?

OWNING & RIDING

Is my DCT gearbox Q going to cost a fortune to fix?

I have a Honda VFR1200 with Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) and I’m having trouble getting it to select a gear. Is it going to be hard to fix?

Ian Wicks, Oxford Answered by: Scott Bullett, Doble Motorcycles Honda’s DCT-equipped bikes – the VFR1200 and NC700 – need the system re-initialising every now and then, especially after an oil and filter service. The good news is it’s a job you can do.

The engine needs to be run until it’s up to temperature before switching off.

Then hold the Drive button in while turning the ignition key to On. Once the engine

management light goes out, release the button and press the Drive and Neutral buttons in the following sequence; Drive, Drive, Neutral, Drive, Neutral. An ‘S’, a ‘D’ and a flashing underscore will come up on the dash.

Now start the engine and wait until the flashing underscore and check letters go off as it relearns the settings. This can take up to five minutes.

Turn the engine off and restart it, put it into Drive to check if ‘D’ comes up and you are good to go.

If the engine wasn’t warm enough, you’ll get an ‘L’ warning and have to repeat the procedure.

the best Q What’s soft luggage for me?

I want soft luggage that I can fit and remove easily that won’t melt on the high-level exhaust on my Triumph Street Triple.

Adam Korai, email Answered by: Chris Dabbs, MCN A tailbag will be best for you.

The most important feature of any soft luggage is that it is a stable fit and most tailbags come with a Velcro band that

My 2014 Ducati Panigale 899 has started playing up. At first the engine warning light would come on for a little while, then clear itself, or I would have to stop and restart the bike. Then it packed up completely until the AA man appeared and ran some checks and it started again. The only change I’ve made is to fit some aftermarket rear LED indicators eight months ago.

Tony Oliver, Dudley

you pass under the pillion seat area, with bungees to secure it to pillion pegs and subframe.

They’re available from four litres to 40 litres, so a bag that is expandable will give you the best of both worlds. External storage like side pockets and cargo nets are great, and we go for a fully waterproof bag.

Some incorporate storm hoods which are OK but a faff to fit and too easy to lose.

Answered by Tony Dawson, Ducati Wolverhampton I’ll bet the way those LEDs were wired in is the culprit. Because the LEDs draw less current than standard, I’ll guess that the ‘electrician’ you used cut through the wires and used the old bulbs as resistors to fox the ECU and Canbus electrics. But that doesn’t work and the bike’s brain will keep logging minor ‘unexplained‘ fault codes until it freaks out. Just reverting to standard won’t solve the problem as once error codes are logged you need to go back to a dealer to get the ECU reset.

Resetting the DCT is as easy as pressing a few buttons

£80

Bag Connection Slipstream, 13 litres

£70

Givi EA107 Easy Roll Bag, 35 litres

Fitting official parts solves the issue

£74.99

MCN CHOICE Kriega US-20 DryBag, 35 litres

£62

Oxford Lifetime X4 Tank N Tailer, 4 litres

#MCNwednesday

THIS WEEK

Q

What’s wrong with my 2009 R1’s gearbox?

I’ve just bought a 2009 Yamaha R1 and the gear selection isn’t brilliant, with second gear skipping at 8000rpm.

Owen Williams, email Answered by Stuart Gaines, Herne Bay Motorcycles: It sounds like you have got yourself a bike that’s spent more time with its front wheel in the air than is good for it. Those throughthe-gear wheelies necessitate brutal gearchanges, and if it’s up in the air that long it has probably been coming down with a bang, putting too much force through the forks. Fixing the gearbox means an engine strip and replacing any chipped or bent components.

NEW BIKES

FEATURES

GARAGE

BUYING & SELLING

Q

How do I tow my mate’s bike if he breaks down?

It’s easy to tow a bike from your machine if one of you breaks down on a trip – and you don’t have to use a bit of old rope.

You do it with a pair of tie-down straps, the ones with a metal clip at one end and nothing at the other (£6.99 a pair, http:// bit.ly/microstrap). Tie one strap to the rear of the towing bike and connect the empty end to the clip of the second strap. So

Answered by Adrian Clancy, Total Triumph, Taunton: This seems to occur when the ECU transitions from using the manifold pressure (MAP) sensor to the throttle position sensor (TPS) for its fuel control. It’s hard to cure completely, but it helps if the throttle bodies are clean and balanced, the ECU map is correct, the spark plugs and air filter are fresh, and the adaption process has been properly set by the dealer.

Careful set-up can cure fuelling glitch

51

you’re now left with the empty end of the second strap and your mate’s bike. You don’t tie the loose end to the second bike, as the rider being towed needs to be able to instantly disconnect from the lead bike and coast to a stop. So take the loose end of your strap (the bit without the buckle), loop it under the towed bike’s handlebars and then around one bar grip. The

towed rider holds the strap to the bar and if it gets a bit hairy during the tow he releases his grip and the strap unravels and disappears in an instant. When you’re being towed and the lead bike goes round a right-hander, ride further to the left and don’t follow the towing rider’s trail.

That will keep some tension in the strap and stop you from jolting.

Your legal questions

new Q Will licence laws

wreck my trip?

I understand that driving licences are changing and that they’re scrapping the paper counterpart section. I’ve seen reports that it could cause problems abroad and as I’ve got a riding trip around Spain planned in August I was wondering if there is anything to worry about.

John Price, Bedford The paper part of the licence is no longer required, it shouldn’t cause you any problems on your trip but there are a few things you can do just to be certain.

The paper counterpart to your licence was used to record the type of licence you held and any driving offences. These days the class of bike (and any other vehicle you can drive) is on the back of the photocard and the police have been able to access your convictions online from the roadside for some time.

If you are hiring a bike abroad, the area where you may need to be a bit careful is that it is anticipated

‘There’s no harm in keeping your old paper licence somewhere safe’

My Speed Triple has a stutter

My 2006 Triumph Speed Triple 1050 has developed a stutter at around 4000rpm, irrespective of what gear I’m in, although it does seem worse on a constant throttle. Any ideas?

Graeme Wilding, Surbiton

June 17 2015

TRAVEL & TOURING

You’ll need to strip the R1’s gearbox

Q

SPORT

Loop the strap under the bars so you can release it fast

PUB QUIZ Q

The Monster saved Ducati in ’93, but what about after the 999 disaster?

Answered by MCN: Ducati sales in the early 2000s were indeed faltering. Two very important models, the 916 replacement 999 followed by the Multistrada 1000 both bombed, largely because of styling issues. The retro Sport Classic series in 2006 didn’t do well either as Ducati appeared to be losing focus on its strengths and crucially, its brand values.

But 2006 was the year that Ducati Corse director Claudio Domenicali was appo Product Director, and there’s a key event in t company’s recent history, this is it.

Domenicali made it his mission to

understand why people were not buying Ducatis – he attended many press launches and the first question he’d ask after getting off a new model was not what testers liked about it, but what was wrong with it: right he could leave, wrong he needed to work on.

Domenicali understood the need for continuity, realising that a link to Ducati’s past underpinned the brand’s strength. That’s why the 999 replacement, the 1098, ed to 916 styling cues, it hy Domenicali kept a picture Porsche 911 on his office and it was why the all-new nster in 1998 was changed little visually from Galluzzi’s 990 original.

Q

What’s the most expensive road bike spare part ever?

Answered by MCN: Almost certainly anything for Honda’s ovalpistoned NR750 of which 300-ish were made in 1992. The tail-light alone cost £688 to replace, but the most expensive ‘part’ was a conrod and valve set – which came in at an astonishing £29,180. Breathtakingly astronomical as it is, that figure could well be topped once Honda’s road-going RCV goes on sale next month. Turn to pages 4-5 for the full story on Honda’s new MotoGP bike for the road.

there may be teething problems with foreign hire firms who have traditionally asked to see the paper licence, and they may not be aware of the changes.

The DVLA say the changes have been well advertised abroad, though it remains to be seen as to how well foreign hire companies keep an eye on DVLA press releases. The easiest thing to do is to call ahead to check exactly what information they want on the day of collection and then, just to be certain, take a copy of your paper counterpart licence with you. The DVLA suggest destroying the paper counterpart but until everyone is used to the changes it wouldn’t hurt to keep it somewhere safe.

Andrew Campbell Solicitor and author of the MCN Law column for the last five years

Andrew Campbell, Bikelawyer.

Visit www.bikelawyer.co.uk or email andrew@bikelawyer.co.uk or call 01446-794169 Motorcycle Accident Solicitors

www.motorcyclenews.com

52

BUYING&SELLING

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| 17 June 2015

| 53

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| 55

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| 57

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| 59

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| 63

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Many thought Michael Laverty would be a force to reckoned with as he returned to MCE British Superbikes after a season in MotoGP. But it hasn’t worked out like that so far.

He’s struggled to get his BMW S1000RR to work the way he wants it to and he’s been overshadowed by his team-mate Tommy Bridewell, who even had the audacity to snatch a win last time out at Oulton Park.

But the Northern Irishman is now convinced that the team have diagnosed the source of the issues with the bike. He says they have done a lot of work since the last round and is tar-

geting a podium place this weekend at Snetterton, where the series bursts back into life after its seven-week break.

His main problem has been around the complicated fly-by-wire throttle system, which has then created problems with getting to handle in the way he would like. But the Tyco team claim to have the issue sorted and are confident in their man’s ability to get back on the pace.

“We’ve been going round the houses, but finally we’ve put our finger on it and have a bike that responds exactly how I expect it to. That means that I can concentrate now on getting the very best out of the bike and out of myself – and I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season!

“It’s frustrating in some ways that it happened just before the break, because we had a long time before we could

New helmet antenna seems to be doing the trick for Michael Laverty and his BMW

#MCNwednesday

THIS WEEK

NEW BIKES

Snetterton, Norfolk Length 2.99 miles Corners 12 Lap record 1:47.882 (Josh Brookes, 2014) Absolute lap record 1:46.861 (Josh Brookes, 2015) 2014 race winners Shane Byrne (x2) 2014 pole positions Shane Byrne (x2) Montreal

Williams

Agostini

GARAGE

BUYING & SELLING

SPORT

Nelson

Brundle

Oggies Murrays

Bomb Hole

Fans visiting this weekend’s Snetterton round will be in for a treat not only on track but also in the air, with the 6 Regiment Army Air Corps thrilling the crowds with one of their Apache attack helicopters.

The machine will not only be on

Coram

Palmer

June 17 2015

65

Have a high old time at Snetterton

Bentley Straight Hamilton

FEATURES

Riches

display in the paddock during the weekend, but will also take to the air on Sunday for a display flight over the historic airfield circuit.

On top of that, the Army team will also be offering visitors the opportunity to take to the skies themselves and get a great view over the track. The Air Corp’s very own hot air balloon will be used for these special flights.

RECORD MAN BROOKES ON SONG WITH IMPROVED R1 Another man fired up for Snetterton is Josh Brookes, who, with the help of some much-anticipated new parts for the new Milwaukee Yamaha R1, smashed the lap record at the circuit during last month’s official test.

Waiting weeks on a new fuel tank to replace the standard road-going item and lower the bike’s centre of mass, Brookes says he couldn’t believe the difference the changes made to the overall performance of the bike.

“The plan with the new tank was to put it on with a half fuel load, so that the bike should have felt the same, and then put in a full load and see if it’s consistent. But the beauty of it has been that straight away the bike is better in every single way with the new tank!

“I went from the old tank with 10 litres in to the new tank with 10 litres in and went 0.7 a lap faster! Even without looking at what it’s like in the first five laps, it’s better in every way.”

Laverty might’ve missed the recent test, but it won’t take long to get up to speed on the Tyco BMW get going and show the true potential of the bike – but the second race at Oulton showed me that it’s actually a bit of a weapon. It’s nice to be feeling so positive now after a difficult start to the season.”

Laverty and his team turned the corner at Oulton. In between the two BSB races, they made some major discoveries and changes, and he finished fourth as a result.

“I rode the out lap from the pits at Oulton and thought ‘hmmm, something’s different here!’ I came onto the grid and was going to tell the boys we’d cracked it, but didn’t want to say anything until I’d pushed it. I knew on the first lap, though – as soon as I got into that battle and could do what they were doing for the first time this year. I fixed 15 problems all at once, and I was pulling huge wheelies on the slowing

‘I was pulling huge wheelies on the slow down lap because I was so happy!’

MICHAEL LAVERTY

down lap because I was so happy!

“Up until that moment, I was starting to think I was losing the plot! The team were reinventing the wheel between sessions, trying to fix all these chassis problems, and in the end it was all caused by an electronics fault!”

Laverty hasn’t had a chance to test the new settings further though – and now needs to explore a whole world of new chassis configurations that were previously discarded by the team. The

Tyco squad has been flat out at the TT, so much so that it meant Laverty missed the BSB test at Snetterton a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s a little frustrating not to have got to the Snetterton test, but from the team’s perspective the TT has to take priority at the minute. They’ve got big backing from BMW in order to perform at the TT and North West 200, and I haven’t given them any grief about it. But to be honest it probably only puts us down the time sheets for one or two sessions. If the weather’s good all weekend, it generally doesn’t affect the end result come race day.”

Even with a lack of testing, though, Laverty has a new confidence about him, with the former British Supersport champion upbeat about his prospects for the remainder of the year – despite admitting that it’s been a struggle so far.

“I’ll have a bike at Snetterton that’s capable of running at the front, and then it’s all up to me. I haven’t had all my ducks in a row so far, and it’s frustrating because people have been saying ‘oh, it’s good to see you enjoying being back in BSB’ – and I wasn’t!

That personal satisfaction was gone, because when you’re giving everything and not getting the best out of the bike it brings question marks!

“I’m very confident that I can stand on the podium for the first time this year. There are so many potential race winners but I think I can join that party now too. To say you’re going to win races when you haven’t been on the podium yet is a bit of a statement to make, but I can at the very least be in that fight. These things are sent to test us though, and it’ll just make it sweeter for the second part of the season.”

‘It’s a good sign.

I’m already on the podium as it is, so all I need is marginal gains’ JOSH BROOKES

However, with one-lap pace very different from race performance, it’ll be on track this weekend before the changes properly show their worth – but Brookes is remaining confident.

“It’s a good sign for the rest of the year, but the main thing is that we don’t even need big changes. I’m already on the podium as it is, so all I need is marginal gains – if I can find a couple of tenths in the first few laps of a race then I can be fighting for the wins.”

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METZELER & HUTCHY RULING THE ROAD.

METZELER and Ian Hutchinson take 3 IOM TT victories.

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June 15 2015

67

CHAD’S TT DIAR

ROTORS, WE’LL HAVE YOU IN HOSPITAL IN TWO MINUTES’

Arai did its job in protecting Chad’s bonce

Chad’s TT practice ended in a helicopter ride to Noble’s. But he and his British Motorcycling Academy team weren’t done yet

The BMMA team worked hard to rebuild Chad’s twin

By Adam Child

People often say that TT racers don’t push to the limit. Trust me that’s bullshit. Every rider, from the front to the back, lives on the limit of their ability. The problem is you can’t keep poking an angry dog in the eye and expect to get away with it, something I’ve learnt now.

As I started the mountain climb in final practice for the Lightweight race I was pushing way too hard. I made a mistake at the Gooseneck then Ryan Farquhar overtook me on the exit and, despite his superior skill, experience and bike, I was determined to stay with him, at least to the Mountain Mile. I dropped my right knee on the deck at Guthrie’s, brushed the wall with my right shoulder and tapped up a gear on the exit with 100% throttle. But as Ryan disappeared around the next left I was in a whole world of trouble: I was running wide, running out of road and heading into the mountain.

My Kawasaki-powered twin rode off the side of the road and into a cliff face.

For a brief second I thought I might get away with it, then I was launched into the air. I remember taking a big impact to my head and right thigh. I seemed

In pain, but ready to race

to be sliding down the road for ages.

When I came to rest I crawled to the side of the road and called the marshals for help. I was worried another rider would hit me or the bike – then the pain kicked in. The marshals told me an air medical team was on their way and the session had been red-flagged. At the time I thought they were overreacting, but they were looking at a rider with a smashed helmet and heavily battered leathers. The impact was so big it had ripped off the sole of my left RST boot.

Thankfully, one marshal called back to the paddock to give my fiancée Sarah

‘The impact was so big it had ripped off the sole of my left RST boot’ an update. She got the message I was alive, sat up and talking, worst case scenario a few broken bones.

Within no time at all I was on the spinal board and carried to the chopper. I remember the air medical guy saying, “Close your eyes as you go under the

rotors, we will have you in hospital in less than two minutes”. The staff at Noble’s hospital were outstanding and within an hour my entire lower half had been X-rayed. It turned out I’d been lucky, I’d got away with just heavy muscle and tissue damage.

Just a few hours after leaving casualty I was calculating how I could race again. My team of Motorcycle Academy students only had two days to rebuild the bike and I had lots of physio ahead.

In true TT style everyone chipped in: GB racing lent us some parts and we borrowed pegs from Simon Bleasdale of

SBT Engine Perfection. While my team of teenage students worked around the clock, stripping the bike to its frame, replacing the wheels and getting the suspension and swingarm checked, I spent the next two days in the Scott Physiotherapy tent with Isla and her magic team. Within 48 hours of crashing into a mountain I was declared fit by the Motorsport Medical Service, and after a few laps at Jurby airfield we were ready to race!

I’d like to tell you we had a fairytale ending, but we didn’t. I rode hard on the first lap, managing a 107.3mph from a standing start – and I’d taken Guthrie’s cleanly. We’d moved into the top 35 and the fuel stop was smooth and professional. By the second lap I was starting to hurt, but the more worrying issue was that the clocks had moved, clearly something was vibrating loose.

The clocks are held in place by two bolts and as I entered the 13th milestone the second bolt failed, leaving them hanging on by tie-wraps and bouncing around in the top faring. So with one hand in the air I rolled off the power and pulled over at Kirk Michael. Words can’t describe the gut-retching feeling of retiring from the TT on the last lap. But this year it wasn’t meant to be.

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ROADS | ISLE OF MAN | ROUND-UP

Lap records tumble in a week of perfect

conditions and

All that rehab was worth it for TT comeback king Hutchinson

‘Over the four years that I have been away Dunlop’s been the man here and I knew he was going to make my life hard’ IAN HUTCHINSON

Brothers Ben and Tom Birchall on their way to a clean sweep in the sidecar races

STEPHEN DAVISON AT THE ISLE OF MAN ROADS REPORTER

The opening Superbike race, won

by Bruce Anstey on the Valvoline Padgetts Honda, was followed by the first Sidecar and Supersport TTs on Monday. Brothers Ben and Tom Birchall and Ian Hutchinson were the race winners at the start of a week that would see the trio add to their TT tallies. This is how an epic week of racing – witnessed by more than 40,000 fans that travelled to the Island – panned out.

Superstock TT: Hutchy continues winning ways Held over until Tuesday, the Superstock race saw Ian Hutchinson continue his

incredible comeback from the serious leg injury he sustained in 2010 to take his 10th TT win on Paul Bird’s Kawasaki ZX-10R. Bird’s last TT win was in 2000 when Joey Dunlop won the Formula One race on an SP1 Honda.

Hutchy survived a last lap excursion into the undergrowth at Bedstead to take the chequered flag from Michael Dunlop on the MD Racing BMW. “I am a bit embarrassed about it really,” Hutchy said after his off road moment.

“In all the time that I have raced here I’ve never even clipped a kerb. The bike was cutting out from the Bungalow because I was so low on fuel and it cut out completely on me on the lefthander so I just went up the kerb on to the pavement and gave the banking a bit of a bang. It looks ridiculous but it wasn’t because I was trying too hard.”

Dunlop had set the early pace, lapping at almost 131mph from a standing start to lead Hutchinson into the pits at the end of lap two. The PBM squad elected to change the ZX-10R’s rear Metzeler, an incredible feat achieved in just 35s thanks to hours of practice by mechanic Steven Neate and clever adjustments to keep the brake caliper and spacers in place. The result was a pit stop four seconds faster than Dunlop’s, giving Hutchy extra grip and it proved to be the turning point of the race.

In spite of feeling the effects of his crash during Saturday’s Superbike race, Dunlop held on to secure second, his only podium finish of TT 2015.

“It’s just not easy holding onto these bikes when you are not 100% fit,” he said after his challenge faded to allow Hutchy to win by 17 seconds.

“It’s more special beating Michael

Dunlop,” Hutchy revealed after the race. “Over the four years that I have been away he’s been the man round here and I knew he was going to make my life hard when I finally did get back to being able to push. All the hard work I put in over the winter, when people were taking the piss out of me for going to the gym, has paid off.”

Dunlop’s compatriot Lee Johnston was in tears after taking his first ever TT rostrum finish. The ECC/Burdens BMW rider clocked the fastest Superstock speed trap time ever recorded at 191.2mph to help him close down on James Hillier’s Quattro Plant Muc Off Kawasaki and grab third by 0.3s.

“I saw I was only about four seconds behind at Ramsey and I decided to push like mad over the Mountain,” Johnston said.

Guy Martin was in contention for a

podium before he lost 35 seconds in the pits when an overheating battery prevented his Tyco BMW S1000RR from firing up after refuelling.

Although Dunlop’s year-old lap record wasn’t broken all of the first four home broke the old race record.

Zero TT: McGuinness takes TT win #22 John McGuinness led home a field of just seven starters and six finishers in the electric bike race on Wednesday.

The Morecambe man raised the lap record by almost 2mph to 119.279mph to win for the second year in succession on the Mugen Shinden. Team-mate Bruce Anstey was four seconds behind in second. Lee Johnston trailed in third over a minute later on the Victory machine. Guy Martin was fourth on the second Victory.

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TT GOSSIP MarTrain Yamaha’s Dean Harrison had a torrid 2015 TT, suffering numerous breakdowns as he struggled with mechanical failures and handling issues with the new R1. Harrison blew an engine in the opening Supersport race and retired from the second with a broken clutch. His best finish was a 13th place in the stocker race before he posted a 130mph lap on the R1 superbike in the Senior.

intense racing as TT 2015 comes to a close Hutchy smoked his rivals then gave the fans a good smoking after the Superstock TT

“Frustrating,” was how Honda’s Conor Cummins described his TT race week. The Ramsey man’s factory Fireblade broke down in the Superbike race before he took a seventh and eighth in the Supersport races on his Jackson Racing CBR600RR. Eighth place was the best he could manage in the Superstock race before the 29-year-old posted his fastest ever TT lap at 131.7mph in the Senior to take sixth.

Debut win for Lintin in the Lightweight

Ryan Farquhar suffered a disappointing TT comeback as he failed to finish the Superbike, Superstock, Supertwin or Senior races on his SGS/KMR Kawasakis.

Anstey airborne in the Superbike TT

Keith Amor crashed out of his TT comeback when he dropped his Rig Deluge Honda at Stella Maris in the first Supersport race.

Dave Molyneux’s runner- up spot in the second Sidecar TT retained his record of having finished on the podium at all of the last 20 TTs he has competed in.

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June 17 2015

69

TTRESULTS SUPERSTOCK: TUESDAY Pos Rider

Machine

Race time

1 2 3 4 5

Kawasaki BMW BMW Kawasaki BMW

01:10:05.298 01:10:22.437 01:10:30.677 01:10:30.947 01:10:50.444

Ian Hutchinson Michael Dunlop Lee Johnston James Hillier Peter Hickman

6 David Johnson. 7 Guy Martin. 8 John McGuinness. 9 Bruce Anstey. 10 Conor Cummins. 11 Michael Rutter. 12 Dan Kneen. 13 Dean Harrison. 14 Ivan Lintin. 15 Daniel Cooper. 16 Ross Mountford. 17 Martin Jessopp. 18 Alan Bonner. 19 Ryan Kneen. 20 Daniel Hegarty. 21 Michael Sweeney.

22 Jamie Coward. 23 Sam West. 24 Ian Pattinson. 25 Christopher Dixon. 26 John Ingram. 27 Derek McGee. 28 Paul Shoesmith. 29 Ben Wylie. 30 Allann Venter. 31 Nuno Caetano. 32 Kamil Holan. 33 Dominic Herbertson. 34 Tom McHale. 35 Mark Miller. 36 James Neesom. 37 Rafael Paschoalin. 38 Bill Callister. 39 Steve Heneghan. 40 Alan Connor. 41 Philip Crowe. 42 Mark Goodings. 43 David Madsen-Mygdal.

44 Matthew Rees. 45 Xavier Denis. 46 Paul Duckett.

TT ZERO: WEDNESDAY Pos Rider

Machine

Race time

1 2 3 4 5 6

Mugen Mugen Victory Victory Sarolea Notts Uni

18:58.743 19:02.785 20:16.881 20:38.987 21:15.256 30:56.695

John McGuinness Bruce Anstey Lee Johnston Guy Martin Robert Wilson Michael Sweeney

SUPERSPORT: WEDNESDAY Pos Rider

Machine

Race time

1 2 3 4 5

Yamaha Honda Triumph Kawasaki Yamaha

01:11:58.750 01:12:13.570 01:12:30.775 01:12:39.835 01:12:53.400

Ian Hutchison Bruce Anstey Guy Martin James Hillier Gary Johnson

6 Lee Johnston. 7 Conor Cummins. 8 John McGuinness. 9 Dan Kneen. 10 David Johnson. 11 Peter Hickman. 12 Ivan Lintin. 13 Cameron Donald. 14 Jamie Hamilton. 15 Daniel Cooper. 16 James Cowton. 17 Dan Stewart. 18 Michael Rutter. 19 Derek McGee. 20 Michal Dokoupil. 21 Robert Wilson.

22 Ian Pattinson. 23 Christopher Dixon. 24 James Ford. 25 Bjorn Gunnarsson. 26 Davy Morgan. 27 Jim Hodson. 28 Hudson Kannaugh. 29 Mark Parrett. 30 Colin Stephenson. 31 Sam West. 32 George Spence. 33 Paul Shoesmith. 34 Nuno Caetano. 35 James Shipley. 35 Allann Venter.

37 Adrian Harrison. 38 Timothee Monot. 39 Paul Baleta. 40 Xavier Denis. 41 Andrew Soar. 42 Matthew Rees. 43 Robbin Harms. 44 Chris Petty. 45 Richard McLoughin. 46 David Madsen-Mygdal.

SIDECAR: WEDNESDAY 1 Ben Birchall/Tom Birchall LCR 58:24.971. 2 Dave Molyneux/Ben Binns Suzuki 58:32.555. 3 John Holden/Dan Sayle LCR 58:44.836. 4 Conrad Harrison/Milke Ayl Shelbourne Honda 01:00:00.881. 5 Ian Bell/Carl Bell LCR 01:00:58.065. 6 Matt Dix/Shaun Parker Baker Yamaha 01:01:51.854.

7 Wayne Lockey/Mark Saye Ireson Honda 01:02:37.392. 8 Steve Ramsden/Matty Ra LCR 01:02:52.696. 9 Robert Handcock/Aki Aalt Baker 01:03:03.752. 10 Tony Baker/Fiona Baker Suzuki 01:03:14.313

Hutchy goes on a TT nature trail “I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I had a lot of fun out there,” McGuinness said. “I remember sitting on the bank with the missus in 1990 watching Hizzy doing the first 120mph on a RC30, so we are not a million miles away. Whether you like it or whether you don’t, whether you call it a TT or you don’t, they are calling it a TT and I will take it as a TT. It’s my 22nd win and 119mph on a 260kg bike with loads of lead and batteries on it is amazing.”

Second Supersport TT: Hutchy again as Guy sneaks a podium Bingley Bullet Ian Hutchinson completed a stunning TT 2015 hat-trick with victory in the second 600cc race on the Team Traction Control Yamaha R6. Jubilant team boss and Prodigy frontman, Keith Flint punched the air

PACEMAKER PRESS INTL

LIGHTWEIGHT: FRIDAY

Hero of the Zero. McGuinness lapped at 119mph on the Mugen Shinden electric bike with delight as Hutchy crossed the line.

“I am speechless, I’m just so proud,” the rock star said as he embraced Hutchy in the winner’s enclosure.

“It’s a massive thing for me. This means more than people could ever imagine.”

“It’s amazing to have a guy like Keith involved in racing and to be so genuinely passionate about it,” Hutchinson said after his 14.8-second victory over Bruce Anstey.

“I asked him at the Donington World Superbike round if he fancied doing the TT with a week to go and I think he was gobsmacked. Now he’s won two TTs!” Circulating with Hutchy, Guy Martin grabbed a tow on his Smith’s Triumph that helped him get the better of Hillier (Quattro Plant Muc Off Kawasaki) in their battle for third spot, 17 seconds behind Anstey. It was Martin’s 16th TT podium finish without a win.

20 years of podiums for Molyneux

Second sidecar TT: Birchall’s double delight

Lightweight TT: 120mph lap on a commuter bike

Ben and Tom Birchall made it a double on their Manx Gas LCR Honda outfit in the fastest sidecar TT of all-time.

The Mansfield brothers followed on from their success in Monday’s race by taking a start-to-finish win but local hero Dave Molyneux and passenger Ben Binns (DMR Suzuki) pushed them all the way. On the final lap the Manx veteran established a new lap record of 116.785mph, just two thousandths of a second faster than the Birchalls, as they surpassed Nick Crowe’s 2007 mark.

“Dave is the man to beat around here,” Ben Birchall explained. “I got sight of him on the third lap and that kept me going. I was getting a sniff of his brakes and could see the dust he was leaving behind. That stopped me from making mistakes.”

Ivan Lintin took his maiden TT win in Friday morning’s three-lap Lightweight race on the RC Express ER6 Kawasaki.

The Lincolnshire rider held off the challenge of James Hillier (Quattro Plant Muc Off Kawasaki) who raised the lap record for the class to over 120mph.

Lintin also broke the old record on the final lap as he beat the Ringwood rider by 3.8 seconds but Hillier was three thousandths of a second faster at 120.848mph. Michael Rutter was third on the ILR Paton.

Lintin said: “I can remember when I came to the Manx GP and I was doing 116mph on my 600. I thought ‘flipping heck how do you go any faster around here?’ and now we are doing that and a lot more on a commuter bike. It should have panniers and a top box on it!”

Pos Rider

Machine

Race time

1 2 3 4 5

Kawasaki Kawasaki Paton Kawasaki Kawasaki

57:06.070 57:09.945 57:43.318 58:05.032 58:15.457

Ivan Linton James Hillier Michael Rutter James Cowton Jamie Hamilton

6 Daniel Cooper. 7 Michael Russell. 8 Mark Miller. 9 Conor Behan. 10 Daniel Webb. 11 Derek McGee. 12 James Ford. 13 Tuukka Korhonen.

14 Bjorn Gunnarsson. 15 David Johnson. 16 Adrian Harrison. 17 Maria Costello. 18 Jamie Coward. 19 James Shipley. 20 Paul Shoesmith.

21 Xavier Denis. 22 Michal Dokoupil. 23 Ben Rea. 24 Chris Petty. 25 Paul Baleta. 26 David Madsen-Mygdal. 27 Anthony Redmond. 28 Dave Moffit. 29 Brian McCormack. 30 Wayne Axon. 31 Ian Pattinson. 32 Alan Bud Jackson. 33 Tim Sayers. 34 Jack Hunter. 35 Daniel Harrison. 36 Billy Cummins. 37 Paul Duckett.

SENIOR: FRIDAY Pos Rider

Machine

Race time

1 2 3 4 5

Honda Kawasaki Kawasaki BMW BMW

01:09:23.903 01:09:38.117 01:09:44.730 01:09:52.148 01:10:03.010

John McGuinness James Hillier Ian Hutchinson Guy Martin Michael Dunlop

6 Conor Cummins. 7 Peter Hickman. 8 Bruce Anstey. 9 David Johnson.

10 Michael Rutter. 11 Dean Harrison. 12 Gary Johnson. 13 Dan Kneen. 14 Martin Jessopp. 15 Alan Bonner. 16 Russ Mountford. 17 Daniel Cooper.

18 Daniel Hegarty. 19 Sam West. 20 James Cowton. 21 Ryan Keeton. 22 Jamie Coward. 23 Ian Pattinson. 24 Brian McCormack. 25 Mark Parrett.

26 Paul Shoesmith. 27 Kamil Holan. 28 Nuno Caetano. 29 Christopher Dixon. 30 Rafael Paschoalin. 31 Brandon Cretu. 32 Tom McHale. 33 Michael Russell. 34 Allan Venter. 35 Bill Callister. 36 George Spence.

37 David Hewson. 38 Andrew Soar. 39 Colin Stephenson. 40 Mark Goodings. 41 Alan Connor. 42 Xavier Denis. 43 Steve Heneghan. 44 David Madsen-Mygdal. 45 Anthony Redmond. 46 Philip Crowe. 47 Paul Duckett. 48 Matthew Rees. 49 Fabrice Miguet.

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ROADS | ISLE OF MAN

‘Things just gelled.

I moved out of my comfort zone and on to the next level’ JAMES HILLIER

BREAKTHROUGHS Hickman and Hillier make the step up to join the 131 and 132mph TT club STEPHEN DAVISON

PACEMAKER PRESS INTL.

AT THE ISLE OF MAN ROADS REPORTER

If 2015 was the year of the comeback for Ian Hutchinson and John McGuinness it was also the year of the breakthrough into the top level of TT racing for James Hillier and Peter Hickman.

“Yes, I guess it was,” Hillier agreed on the morning after the Senior TT. “Things just gelled for me and I

moved out of my comfort zone and on to the next level.”

The Quattro Plant Muc Off Kawasaki star enjoyed a stellar 2015 TT, finishing third in the opening Superbike TT and runner-up to Ivan Lintin in the Lightweight race after setting a new lap record for the twins class. He was on the podium again in Friday’s Senior, finishing second to John McGuinness and posting a 132mph lap on his ZX-10R. “One of the best things is that I did it by myself,” the 30-year-old said, referring to the criticism that his previous fastest TT laps have come when

he has run in the wheel tracks of John McGuinness. “I am proud of that,” he went on. “You have to do it on your own but there is still time to be made up. I am strong on the first sector and I led to Glen Helen in most races but I have to go quicker over the mountain. I will concentrate on that section next year.”

Hillier’s comment reflects his precise approach to TT racing. “I think you have to be methodical because it is such a long course and big event,” he said. “You have to work your way through it and if you do, the finished product will be so much better. Some

people go fast quickly but it is sketchy fast. You have to try to be safe.”

Earning his living as an electrician and selling bike gear through his website, www.yourmoto.bike, Hillier is confounding the experts by largely confining his racing to the TT. “I just do what I enjoy,” he says. “At home I do enduros and trials. Short circuits just don’t appeal. I think it proves that you don’t have to be out on a bike all the time like some people say.”

Peter Hickman is another rider who is turning the perceived wisdom surrounding TT racing on its head. The

Louth man became the fastest newcomer in Mountain course history with a lap of 129.104mph in 2014. In 2015 Hickman left the experts, who say you need years to learn the 37¾mile course, scratching their heads with a stunning 131.626mph lap in the Senior on his superstock-spec Briggs Equipment BMW S1000RR. “I came thinking that perhaps I could crack 130 this year but not 131,” Hickman smiled afterwards. “I did a 130.4mph from a standing start, then a 130.5 on lap two, but words can’t describe how it felt to do the 131 on a

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June 17 2015

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A TT TO FORGET FOR MARTIN AND TYCO

Hillier joined McGuinness and Hutchy on Senior TT podium

TT 2015 will be a meeting Guy Martin and his Tyco BMW team-mate, William Dunlop, will want to forget.

“I’m not doom and gloom but look at the facts, we’ve not had the best of race weeks,” Martin admitted after a tough week that once again saw him fail to realise his dream of winning a TT. The fast-talking truck fitter’s Superbike TT lasted less than four miles before his S1000RR ground to a halt with an electrical problem at Glenlough. William Dunlop managed a fifth place finish in the six-lapper, more than two minutes behind race winner, Bruce Anstey.

Things went from bad to worse for the Northern Ireland-based squad when the Ballymoney rider was ruled out of action for the rest of race week after he sustained broken ribs in a crash during a practice lap on Monday. Martin inherited the Victory electric bike that the injured Dunlop was to ride in the Zero TT, and finished fourth.

With so much expectation on the Tyco squad’s TT performance after the shift from Suzuki to BMW machinery during the winter, Martin’s seventh place finish in Wednesday afternoon’s Superstock event offered little comfort.

The 33-year-old had been putting in a strong performance before his S1000RR was slow to start following the fuel stop.

Guy’s pitlane gremlins had struck earlier when the Lincolnshire racer was docked 30 seconds for speeding during a pitstop on the Smith’s Triumph during the opening Supersport race.

Martin regrouped to take his 16th TT podium with a third-place finish in Supersport race two.

Hickman flew on the superstock BMW to set a 131.626mph lap

DELIVER superstock bike. I am really, really happy.”

It was the culmination of an impressive TT race week for the lanky BSB star as he posted performances that will put him firmly in the sights of the big teams for next season.

His eighth place finish in the opening Superbike race was eclipsed by his pace in the Superstock race, earning him an impressive fifth place overall. “I didn’t realise just how close I was to a podium finish in that race,” Hickman explained.

“I ended up 20 seconds behind third but I actually lost 16 seconds in the last sector because I was running out of petrol.”

NEW BIKES

Having only acquired a Trooper Beer liveried MV Agusta 675 for the Supersport races just as TT practice began, the 28-year-old steered the Valmoto-prepared machine to an 11th place finish with a 126mph fastest lap.

But Hickman saved his best to last, posting his first 131mph TT lap and finishing seventh in the Senior.

“It is only year two for me and I am still learning,” he said. “I have been back over to the Island three or four times during the winter to do laps in the car just to make sure I still remember where I am going and I will definitely be back again next year. The TT is part of me now.”

‘I should’ve cracked on more but to be honest that’s as hard as I could have gone’ GUY MARTIN

A personal best lap for Guy still wasn’t enough to take his maiden TT victory “I do think that the bike is better than that, better than third place,” he said afterwards.

“It does go like shit off a shovel. I think I should have just got my finger out of my backside and cracked on a bit more but to be honest that’s as hard as I could have gone.”

Martin told MCN he was enjoying the TT, walking his dog Nigel to help him relax between races.

Although Guy managed a lap of 132.398mph in Friday’s Senior, he never looked likely to challenge the leaders, eventually finishing almost 30 seconds behind winner John McGuinness.

INJURY-HITMICHAELDUNLOPSTRUGGLES With controversy raging around Michael Dunlop following his defection from Milwaukee Yamaha to Buildbase BMW during TT practice, the Ballymoney star struggled to make the impact he desperately wanted during race week.

The 26-year-old’s campaign was blighted by the injuries he picked up after being knocked off his Buildbase BMW in Sunday’s opening Superbike race. Backmarker Scott Wilson crashed at The Nook just as Dunlop caught him on the final lap. Wilson’s Honda skittled Dunlop, leaving the Irishman with an injured shoulder and leg.

Limping heavily throughout race week, last year’s four-time winner’s best performance came in the Superstock race where he finished second on his MD Racing BMW. “I just struggled all the way,” Dunlop said after the race.“The first couple of laps weren’t too bad and I just tried to push on. I said to myself come on, we will dig deep here. I knew I had to push in the first lap and I did, and then it just fell apart from there. The body has just had enough.”

When he pulled out of Wednesday’s Supersport race after a single lap, rumours circulated that the Ballymoney man had gone home, but he appeared on the line for Friday’s Senior race.

on the Buildbase BMW to become the second fastest rider ever around the Mountain course. The 26-year-old appeared at the prize-giving with his right arm in a sling as his collected his fifth place award.

It was scant consolation for the man who has won eight TT races in the last two years, especially after his decision to abandon the uncompetitive

‘We have exceeded whatever we were going to do when we came’ MICHAEL DUNLOP

Dunlop in a sling after Friday’s Senior In spite of his injuries, and riding the S1000RR superbike that he had only completed two laps of practice on, Dunlop posted a final lap of 132.515mph

Milwaukee Yamaha R1 in practice week.

“The team I came with wasn’t giving me the tools to do the job,” he said. “These boys (Steve Hicken’s Buildbase squad) came and we took two bikes out of the back of a van. We have exceeded whatever we were going to do when we came. It’s funny how one mistake at the start of the week can wreck your two weeks. I came here fighting fit. Not through my own fault I went down and we have just been struggling ever since.”

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SPORT

ROADS | ISLE OF MAN | SENIOR TT

SENIOR TT SENSATION -year-o

e es

STEPHEN DAVISON AT THE ISLE OF MAN ROADS REPORTER

Bungalow. Laying down the fastest ever standing start TT lap at 131.850mph, McGuinness led Hutchy by 1.2 seconds by the start of the second circuit.

The atmosphere amongst the throngs of fans around the 37 ¾-mile course was electric as it became obvious the Honda star was on a flier. A massive cheer greeted McGuinness as he pulled into Gasoline Alley to refuel at the end of lap two. Despite slowing for his pit stop, the Honda rider set an incredible new outright lap record of 132.701mph.

“I don’t know where that lap came from,” McGuinness said after the race.

“I was concentrating so hard because I knew that if you get caught with your pants down by just by 1/10th of a second you are done. The boys got me in and out of the pits fantastically and I just gave it everything I could. The reaction from the pits felt like it did when I broke the first 130mph lap. The

‘When I read that I was 16-to-1 to win the Senior I was really p****d off’ JOHN McGUINNESS

atmosphere on the grandstand and the reaction from everyone on the third lap was phenomenal. I was nearly crying.”

It was the turning point in the race.

Unknown to McGuinness, his main rival’s challenge was already faltering. Hutchinson had lost vital seconds when he outbraked himself at Signpost on his way to the pit stop and by Glen Helen on lap three McGuinness had a 12-second cushion.

From that point on the Morecambe man made hay while the sun shone on the Mountain course. A 23-second lead at Ballaugh on the final circuit dropped to 17 by the flag as James Hillier banged in a 132.414mph lap to overhaul the

struggling Hutchinson for second spot.

Behind the leaders Guy Martin showed that he still is one of the fastest TT racers by also breaking through the 132mph barrier on lap two to secure fourth spot on the Tyco BMW. Michael Dunlop joined the 132mph club with the second fastest Mountain course lap of all time at 132.515mph on the Buildbase BMW to finish fifth.

But the day belonged to a resurgent and triumphant McGuinness. He immediately paid tribute to his Honda crew and highlighted some key changes they had made to the bike between the Superbike and Senior races.

“We changed the rear tyre compound,” McGuinness explained. “We put the slightly harder rear tyre on which is the tyre Bruce won on in the first race. We thought there is nothing else we can do. The Honda might not be the fastest bike but it’s not the slowest and it’s a sweet-handling thing. I know how it reacts to everything.”

Undoubtedly the change that made the greatest difference was to the man rather than the machine. Aware that his critics had written him off after his desultory performances earlier in the week, the 43-year-old used the slights to fire himself up. “When I read that I was 16-to-1 with the bookies for the Senior I was really pissed off. I knew there was no reason why I couldn’t do it the way I had in 2013.”

McGuinness added the Senior victory to the win he had taken on the Mugen earlier in the week in the Zero electric bike TT, bringing him to within three victories of Joey Dunlop’s all-time tally.

“We are real close to Joey’s record now,” he reflected. “To match Joey’s 26 and hang my boots up would be a great thing to do. It’s still three wins and I’m getting older and these boys are coming stronger and stronger. I don’t want to retire, I just love racing my bikes too much. It won’t let go of me this TT track, it’s got hold of me. It’s like a drug and won’t let go. We’ll see!”

PACEMAKER PRESS INTL

TT legend, John McGuinness demonstrated why he is still the King of the Mountain by winning last Friday’s Senior race. The Honda racing star equalled Mike Hailwood’s record of seven Senior wins as he smashed the outright lap record to win his 23rd TT. “The real John McGuinness turned up today,” the 43-year-old smiled as he savoured his moment of glory with a pint and a pizza. “I gave everything today. There was 19 years of TT experience ploughed into those laps. If anyone could do more, then they could have it.”

On the day, no-one could do more.

McGuinness bounced back from the wrist injury that had destroyed his 2014 season to prove he is still the master of the toughest motorcycle race on the planet. The Morecambe Missile was a different man in the Senior race to the one that he admitted had “doubted himself” after finishing fourth in the opening Superbike race a week earlier.

“I was putting a lot of effort in but didn’t feel I was getting anywhere,” McGuinness said. “But I knew there was no reason why I couldn’t win.”

Intensely focussed on the start line, McGuinness immediately took the fight to his rivals. First down Bray Hill on the factory Fireblade, he was lying second with just three seconds covering the leader, Ian Hutchinson and third-placed Michael Dunlop when the red flags came out following Jamie Hamilton’s crash at Cronk y Voddy (see right).

In the restarted four-lapper, the Honda man’s charge was even more dominant. Once again the pace was nothing short of extreme. Less than a second split early leader James Hillier, McGuinness and Hutchinson before McGuinness moved to the front at the

e oo es o a e s unn ng en or w n an new ap reco

Honda Racing’s Fireblade isn’t the quickest but it’s sweet-handling

A slick, calm pitstop allowed McGuinness to maintain his race lead

A popular result for a popular rider. Fans greet the winner on his return

A

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ATS THE ODDS Hutchy’s dreams of a fourth win went up in a cloud of exhaust smoke

John McGuinness broke the outright lap record by over three seconds

132 THE NEW BENCHMARK

The 2015 Senior race saw lap times take a significant step forward. Since John McGuinness broke the 130mph barrier in 2007, speeds have inched up slowly in tenths or hundredths of a second.

Unfavourable conditions and the lack of development of new machinery have been blamed.

8.8 seconds divide a 131 from a 132mph lap and 2015 saw four riders – John McGuinness, Michael Dunlop, James Hillier and Guy Martin – join the first man to break the 132mph barrier, Bruce Anstey, at the new benchmark.

Other riders who set notable personal bests this year included BSB star Peter Hickman with 131.626mph on the Superstockspec Briggs Equipment BMW during the Senior.

David Johnson became the ninth quickest TT racer of all-time and the fastest ever Australian around the Mountain course with an impressive 131.595mph on the Smiths BMW.

HUTCHINSON CHANCES OF FOURTH WIN EXHAUSTED Ian Hutchinson was bitterly disappointed at not being able to add a superbike race win to his Superstock and double Supersport hat-trick in Friday’s Senior.

“I feel a bit flat not being able to finish the race, racing,” the 11 times winner said after having to nurse his PBM Kawasaki home with a broken exhaust header pipe.

‘It was a small rattle at first but the exhaust had blown the pipe off’ IAN HUTCHINSON

“I made a little mistake coming into Signpost. I was braking with the throttle still open and it was just pushing me forward and I had to do a U-turn.

I lost about 10 seconds there to John. I got the hammer down and was really enjoying riding until it sounded like the engine was starting to go. It was a small rattle at first but the exhaust had blown the front pipe off. Eventually it just went totally flat and took the power out of it.”

INJURED RIDER UPDATE

Celebrating with wife Becky, son Ewan and daughter Maisie

Only three more to go for Joey’s record

Some had written him off but McPint knew he’d be back on top

Northern Ireland’s Jamie Hamilton, who crashed at Burnside on the second lap of the Senior TT, was airlifted to Nobles hospital and has since been transferred to Liverpool. The 24-yearold is described as being in a critical but stable condition.

Manx Grand Prix winner Roy Richardson also remains in hospital with serious leg injuries sustained in a practice crash at Ballagarey.

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LET’S FILL UP SILVERSTONE!

June 17 2015

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June 17 2015

77

DANNY KENT Switched-on Brit shows he can win in any situation with a brilliant last-lap performance STEVE ENGLISH ATCATALUNYA MOTOGP REPORTER

steve.english@motorcyclenews.com

Danny Kent stamped his authority on his Moto3 title challenge with a tactically brilliant win in Sunday’s Catalunya GP. Having dominated in America and Argentina, slugged out a win at Jerez and having shown great maturity in France and Mugello to finish fourth and third, the Brit got back to winning ways in Spain.

In a class filled with riders who seem to struggle to plan from one corner to the next, Kent sets his race plan 24 hours in advance and more often than not this year he’s been able to enact it. That maturity, confidence and guile has allowed him to stretch his championship lead to 51 points from Enea Bastianini.

Kent’s plan at Catalunya was to try and break away if he could, otherwise settle back and conserve tyres and push to get to the front on the last lap Unable

to break away, Kent found himself at the very back of the lead group starting the final lap. Lesser riders would have panicked – but not Kent.

Speaking to MCN, he said: “The last few races have been difficult because it could have been anyone’s race with the long straights, so you need to put yourself in the right position at the right time. Maybe my experience is helping me because I’ve always been putting myself in the right place. Normally I improve in the second half of the season and that’s where most of my favourite tracks are, so hopefully we can get even stronger.”

Kent has consistently been able to out-ride and out-think his rivals on track, making him a formidable proposition for the future.

“I think that it’s everything – my approach, my fitness and my mental strength. That’s why we’re so strong at the end of races and it lets me ride fast but still think about what’s happening.

That’s why we can fight in the race and still come out on top ”

‘Normally I improve in the second half, so hopefully we can get even stronger’ DANNY KENT

Kent put himself in the right place at the right time in Catalunya

RELIABLE LOWES UP TO THIRD IN TITLE CHASE Sam Lowes moved into third in the Moto2 championship standings after another solid result in Catalunya. The Englishman was fourth for the third consecutive race, and his consistency compared to last year’s erratic season has been a revelation.

Having been a serial crasher last year in Moto2, Lowes has been able to iron out his mistakes and ride to the limit in races without overstepping the mark.

“This was another really good weekend and we’ve made so much progress with the bike, especially in the heat. I think that we’re really strong right now and I can’t wait for Assen. I love that track and I’m really confident about my chances there.”

Having spent last week testing in Spain, Lowes will test again this week to evaluate a host of new parts including new front forks.

“In the test I’ll use the new front forks which Johann Zarco (Moto2 championship leader) has been using and they should be an improvement. Our bike is really good at the moment, but we need to make some steps with it because it’s a bit too sensitive to conditions. In the race I felt that I had the grip of the Kalex bikes for the first 13 laps but after that I started to lose time. We’re definitely making progress though.”

GOLD AND GOOSE

After a tough last couple of races, Kent finds his way back to the top step

Lowes put in another solid weekend in Spain

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78

SPORT

MOTOGP | ROUND 7 | CATALUNYA

SMITH STEPS UP WI TOP FIVE FINISH

GOLD AND GOOSE

In-form Brit heaps the pressure on teammate Espargaro in battle for 2016 contract

STEVE ENGLISH AT CATALUNYA MOTOGP REPORTER

steve.english@motorcyclenews.com

Bradley Smith stamped his authority at Tech3 securing an impressive fifth place at Catalunya last Sunday. While the performance itself failed to grab the headlines, its significance cannot be underestimated.

Rewind 12 months and Smith was fast gaining a reputation as a prolific crasher, but now he is delivering results week in, week out – even at difficult tracks such as Catalunya where many

of his rivals faltered (see p80-81).

As a result the British rider now holds a 21-point lead over Cal Crutchlow in the battle to be top satellite rider, but far more important than that, Sunday showed the advantage he now holds over his factory-contracted Tech3 team-mate, Pol Espargaro.

Having finished ahead of him in all but one race so far this season, it’s clear that Smith has taken on the role of the leading rider in Tech3, while Espargaro has struggled. The speed, consistency and maturity that the Spaniard showed last year is a thing of the past and he is now over-riding his M1 in a bid to make it work.

After crashing out during the race Espargaro said that he was at a bit of a loss to explain his lack of form.

“I have to adapt more to the bike than the bike to me,” said the Spaniard. “I have a black and white riding style and sometimes that’s a problem. I’m not adapting to the Yamaha. This year I’m not fast. But I don’t know what to think. I’m lost.”

Smith’s form has made life very difficult for Espargaro, and while the Spaniard has a factory Yamaha contract the summer will be pivotal in seeing which Tech3 rider is now in favour with Yamaha. Smith’s mature approach to the race was the polar opposite to the

‘We’re 21 points ahead of Cal in the championship so our satellite battle is a bit stronger’ BRADLEY SMITH

attacking Espargaro. Smith was cautious with his set-up to avoid the possibility of crashing and he was able to take advantage of a sensational start to pick his way through the pack and

eventually finish fifth. His decision to set the bike up to give as much feedback as possible clearly paid off.

“At the end of the day you’ve got to keep racking up points,” said Smith.

“There’s not a lot to write home about but in terms of the points that we have and our consistency, it’s been a very solid performance. We keep setting the bike up so that I’ll know what’s underneath me. We went ultra conservative with the front end and that hampered us a bit in terms of outright performance but it gave us a lot of feeling in the front and I’d know when it was about to tuck.

“If I had the chance to do the race

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CATALUNYA

BRIT WATCH SCOTT REDDING

QUALIFIED 9TH RACE - DNF

QUALIFIED 14TH RACE 7TH

‘The two Yamahas, Marc and me had the strongest pace over the race. I’m disappointed not to take advantage of that position’

‘The positive is I was able to hold onto the second group for much longer. We need to work on the second half of the race now’

EUGENE LAVERTY

JOHN MCPHEE

QUALIFIED 22ND RACE 12TH

QUALIFIED 11TH RACE DNF

‘We made a change in warmup and it helped give me more feeling. In the race I struggled with the rear pumping and lost time’

‘I was trying to gain as much ground as I could but I lost the rear and highsided. I was riding 100% and sometimes this happens’

14/06/15 ■ Length: 2.937 miles ■ Corners: 13– 5 left,8 right ■ Longest straight:

MOTOGP Jorge Lorenzo

0.651 miles

25 points Dominated to take his fourth win in a row

■ Race conditions:

Dry 28°air temp, 46°tracktemp

Valentino Rossi 20 points Needs to qualify better to challenge for the win

Dani Pedrosa 16 points Welcome result after major arm surgery

RACE TOP SPEEDS

FASTEST RACE LAP

1’42.219

IANNONE

213.57 MPH

Marquez

MOTOGP TOP SPEEDS 213.57mph

Iannone

213.50mph

Pedrosa

211.39mph

Rossi

211.33mph

Dovizioso

211.14mph

Smith

1

Lorenzo

2 5 3 7 3 4 7 7

Yamaha

2 Rossi Yamaha

GP qualifying

3 Pedrosa

Moto2 race

1’46.474 (Rins)

4 Iannone

Moto3 race

1’50.606 (Vazquez)

LAPS LED THIS SEASON

QRossi Q Lorenzo Q Dovizioso Q Marquez

40 9

4

Honda

Ducati

5 Smith Yamaha

6 Vinales Suzuki

7 Redding Honda

8 Bradl Yamaha

118

Redding

210.40mph

POSITIONS

Gains&losses(gridvfinish)

1’40.546 (AEspargaro)

Circuit lap record: Marquez 1’42.182

9 Petrucci

7 7

Ducati

10 Bautista Aprilia

CHAMPIONSHIP MOTOGP

CHAMPIONSHIP MOTO2

CHAMPIONSHIP MOTO3

Pos Rider

Nat

Points

Pos Rider

Nat

Points

Pos Rider

Nat

Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

ITA SPA ITA ITA SPA GBR GBR SPA SPA SPA

138 137 94 83 69 68 47 46 45 39

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

FRA SPA GBR SWI SPA GER ITA BEL SPA FIN

134 94 80 78 74 66 62 49 36 35

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

GBR ITA POR SPA ITA SPA RSA FRA ITA ITA

149 98 77 76 75 64 57 54 50 42

Ridersafter7rounds

CAL CRUTCHLOW

79

£ £ £ £

how we can improve. When he is riding well he’s still one of the best riders so we need to make sure that he finds that improvement now.”

Over the course of the weekend MCN learned that test rider Michael Laverty had been brought to Spain as a reserve rider for the team in case there was any potential of a split with Melandri.

Laverty has tested the bike extensively and played a key role in bringing on new parts that have helped improve the performance.

On Sunday Alvaro Bautista was able to show how much progress has been made, with the Spaniard finishing tenth.

1 2 3

June 17 2015

£ £ £ £ £

Marco Melandri’s future at Aprilia was cast into doubt over the weekend with the Italian squad reportedly coming close to splitting with him before Sunday’s race. Ultimately Melandri rode in Catalunya but his performance was the latest in a sad run of form for the former 250cc world champion.

Team boss Romano Albesiano told MCN it was tough seeing Melandri riding so poorly: “We know how good he can be. Even last year in WSB he was able to beat Laverty and Baz but now he looks like a normal rider. After Mugello we had a meeting because that race was very poor and we tried to see

again I probably wouldn’t be that conservative but we ened up with a good fifth position and we’re 21 points ahead of Cal in the championship so our satellite battle is a bit stronger. We’re one point behind Marc Marquez and he’s had all sorts of problems but at the end of the day in racing you have to finish the race.”

SPORT

CHAMPIONSHIP DASHBOARD

MELANDRI’S APRILIA FUTURE IN JEOPARDY

Clever set up and a mature ride saw Smith finish fifth

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THIS WEEK

Rossi Lorenzo Iannone Dovizioso Marquez Smith Crutchlow Vinales P Espargaro Pedrosa

Ridersafter7rounds

Zarco Rabat Lowes Luthi Rins Folger Morbidelli Simeon Salom Kallio

Ridersafter7rounds

Kent Bastianini Oliveira Vazquez Fenati Vinales Binder Quartararo Bagnaia Antonelli

MOTOGP

FINAL POSITIONS

MOTOGP

FINAL POSITIONS

MOTO2

FINAL POSITIONS

MOTO3

Pos Rider

Nat

Race time

Pos Rider

Nat

Race time

Pos Rider

Nat

Race time

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 DNF DNF DNF

SPA ITA SPA ITA GBR SPA GBR GER ITA SPA AUS IRL FRA FRA RSM SPA SPA USA ITA

42’53.208 +0.885 +19.455 +24.925 +27.782 +29.559 +36.424 +42.103 +49.350 +52.569 +53.666 +55.765 +55.832 +1’09.037 +1’25.263 +1lap 20laps 13laps 6laps

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

FRA SPA SPA GBR SPA SWI GER ITA SWI ITA SPA FIN ITA MAL SPA GER SPA SWI MAL

41’15.487 +0.426 +1.115 +3.914 +7.080 +7.383 +8.839 +10.352 +10.638 +10.730 +11.052 +16.338 +16.649 +19.584 +19.657 +19.966 +27.233 +30.281 +30.344

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

GBR ITA SPA ITA POR SPA SPA ITA RSA GER SPA ITA FIN FRA SPA FRA ITA FRA BEL

40’59.419 +0.035 +0.600 +0.687 +0.827 +0.913 +8.871 +8.917 +11.068 +14.968 +16.596 +17.340 +19.086 +19.320 +19.366 +22.257 +23.345 +26.414 +27.080

Lorenzo Rossi Pedrosa Iannone Smith Vinales Redding Bradl Petrucci Bautista Miller Laverty Baz DiMeglio DeAngelis Barbera AEspargaro Hayden Melandri

Zarco Rins Rabat Lowes Salom Luthi Folger Morbidelli Aegerter Baldassarri Marquez Kallio Corsi Syahrin Simon Schrotter Pons Krummenach Shah

Kent Bastianini Vazquez Antonelli Oliveria Navarro Vinales Fenati Binder Oettl Martin Locatelli Ajo Quartararo Herrera Danilo Tonucci Masbou Loi

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MOTOGP | ROUND 7 | CATALUNYA

2SNAP

80

‘I can finish the race 20 seconds behind but you know it is not my style’ MARC MARQUEZ

CATALAN CALAMITY

OVER-STEPPING TH All-or-nothing Spaniard leaves home race with no points as chances of retaining his STEVE ENGLISH ATCATALUNYA MOTOGPREPORTER

steve.english@motorcyclenews.com

Marc Marquez’s crash in Sunday’s Catalan Grand Prix has all but ruled him out of retaining the MotoGP crown.

The Spaniard’s third non-score of the season leaves the reigning champion now trailing Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo by almost 70 points, with his 100% commitment and all-or-nothing

style coming back to bite him in 2015.

Throughout the weekend Marquez said that he had no regrets about his approach to racing and that his mentality is completely correct for how he wants to race. That ‘win-it-or-bin-it’ approach has come under fire throughout this season, and when he lost control of his Repsol Honda under braking, narrowly missing rival Jorge Lorenzo in the early stages of last weekend’s race, it once again cost him dearly.

After he clashed with Rossi in Argentina, Marquez refused to admit

that it was a mistake to have pushed over the limit, while in Mugello he put his crash down to tyre wear and having to ride on the limit. But his crash on Sunday was simply an unforced error.

“When I’m riding alone in practice I can go wide or tight when I slide,” said Marquez. “When I was behind Lorenzo I braked at the same point but I had the slide and it was difficult to stop the bike. Then I saw Lorenzo in front and had to decide to go in or go wide.

I saw that to go in was too dangerous for us both, so I decided to go wide.”

It’s glory or gravel for Marquez in 2015

These mistakes have effectively cost him any chance of winning a third MotoGP title, and having fallen so far behind, Marquez said the title was now “difficult” for him to win. When asked to assess his tactics in races, Marquez stood his ground about his approach.

“Today I took the risk and people asked ‘why don’t I finish the race’.

Sure I can finish the race 20 seconds behind them but you know it is not my style. Yesterday I say that now I am at the point where I need to take risks if I want to win this championship.

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DUCATI’S DISAPPOINTING RACE

GOLD AND GOOSE

You’re only as good as your last race is an old racing adage and it’s currently very apt at Ducati. At Catalunya both Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone had their most difficult weekends of the season. Dovizioso crashed out of a safe podium finish with Iannone salvaging fourth in a race where some of his faster rivals crashed.

Last year Catalunya was a very difficult race for Ducati too, so last weekend’s reault was not totally unexpected.

However, with Yamaha having been so

‘I’m really happy with my performance. It was a difficult race’ ANDREA IANNONE

dominant it’s clear the Italian squad has lost ground since the development war got fully underway.

The performances of the GP15 is still very competitive and both riders felt that there were plenty of positives to take from Catalunya, but a solitary fourth place finish by Iannone wasn’t enough to keep them in title contention.

Dovizioso, who rarely crashes, was a victim of the difficult track conditions and carried too much corner speed and crashed out of the race on lap six.

For Iannone, coming away with solid points was a major positive on a weekend where he struggled throughout.

Marquez wrestled the RC213V out of the gravel, but retired to the pits

E MARC title begin to bite the dust Now it will be really difficult for the championship but the next target is to try to find the way, or find the level, to be as close as possible to both Yamaha riders.”

Despite the crash however, Marquez did have some positives to take from his home race.

“When I started the race I felt strong behind Jorge, but we still have this problem with corner entry - I’m happy because this weekend we did make a step forward - but the problem is still there.”

That problem is still a lack of feel under braking and an inability to match the corner speed of the Yamaha. Improving the bike under braking will be key to bridging the gap to the curently dominant M1s of Lorenzo and Rossi.

Marquez has always said that he’d rather crash out of a race giving it 100% rather than be beaten. During his first two seasons in MotoGP he’s been able to achieve unbelievable success taking that approach, but in 2015 that is no longer the case.

Crashing out of a safe Catalunya podium wiped the smile from Dovizioso’s face The Italian also made the surprising admission that last year’s bike felt better and had more grip than the much-hyped 2015 bike.

“I’m really happy today for my performance,” said Iannone. “It was a really difficult race and a really difficult weekend. Generally I’m happy for the result and it’s important for the championship. I think last year the bike had more grip than the GP15. For sure it had other problems with the turning, but at this track especially it had more grip. This weekend the bike was sliding and spinning too much and it was impossible to save the tyre.”

Iannone stayed upright to take fourth

CRASHFRENZYSPARKSSAFETY CONCERNSOVERSLIPPYTRACK The track surface came under fire after Sunday’s Catalan Grand Prix with the race becoming a war of attrition, with plenty of crashers and riders complaining of an acute lack of grip. While the safety commission has recommended that the track be resurfaced it will fall on Dorna to ensure that this happens in time for next year.

The slick track offered so little grip that despite the traditional searing temperatures of the Spanish summer, Bridgestone were forced to bring tyre compounds as soft as they dared to try and generate grip for the riders. This meant that the tyres were working at the extremes of their operating window in terms of performance, temperature and longevity.

“We’re having to use the softer compounds here in the hot temperatures because it’s how we can get grip,” Bradley Smith told MCN. “It’s getting to the point that it’s risky, and with the amount of crashes in the race it’s becoming a safety issue. That’s how hard it is to ride on that track at the moment and if there was rain it’d be so slick that everyone would have crashed.”

The track surface is old and nearing the end of its lifespan, but when it’s

WHAT CAUSED THE KEY CRASHES? Cal Crutchlow “At the end of the day it’s a racing incident. He (Aleix Espargaro) didn’t mean to knock me off, but he got a bad start and needed to make up time and positions to be the hero of his home GP, but he never finished the race anyway.”

Nicky Hayden “I made a small mistake and hit the bumps on the way into turn five and I lost the front.”

Cal couldn’t blame the track for his crash combined with the effects of hosting events such as Formula 1 it gives the added challenge of bumps and ripples on the surface. The track is used for almost 12 months of the year and it has become clear that work needs to be done.

Andrea Dovizioso “In turn four I was a little bit faster, and when I lost the rear with the traction control at the maximum it wasn’t enough to save me.”

Aleix Espargaro “All race I was battling with the front and I felt the bumps. I just lost the front.”

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SPORT

MOTOGP | ROUND 7 | CATALUNYA

TITLE FIGHT IS ON

OF SPAIN

Narrow escape for Lorenzo as Marquez almost takes him out, see p80

STEVE ENGLISH

AT CATALUNYA MOTOGP REPORTER

steve.english@motorcyclenews.com

Jorge Lorenzo joined an elite group of MotoGP riders on Sunday by scoring his fourth premier class victory in a row – a feat previously achieved only

by Valentino Rossi, Mick Doohan, Alex Criville and Marc Marquez and shows just how special Lorenzo’s form has been of late.

Since the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez, Lorenzo has led every lap, 103 in total, and stalked down Rossi in the title chase. Now there is just a single point separating the Yamaha team-mates. The momentum is with the Spaniard, but he knows that the coming two races will be crucial in deciding the ultimate destination of the 2015 MotoGP crown. Going into the summer break, which kicks in after the Assen and Sachsenring rounds, with race-winning momentum is going to be key with both Rossi and Lorenzo desperate to have their name at the top of the leaderboard.

It seems incredible now, but just four rounds ago Lorenzo was a rider under intense pressure to perform on his factory Yamaha R1 – even more so when you consider his appalling year in 2014. Lorenzo had a miserable race in Argentina and had looked to have lost all of his confidence. However, a

dominant win at Jerez put a spring in his step and his form since has been breathtaking. The contrast between the way Lorenzo and his team-mate, Valentino Rossi, have gone about their racing this year has been stark. Where Lorenzo wins by dominating the timesheets all weekend, Rossi is a notoriously slow starter – only finding the necessary pace come race day.

It’s not something that’s been lost on Lorenzo and after the race he com-

More champagne for Lorenzo but he knows the Assen round will be crucial

mented about Rossi’s greatest strength.

“Valentino almost always improves something on Sunday,” said Lorenzo.

“He’s a Sunday rider. He gets much more victories than pole positions.

Always in the race he’s very strong, very consistent. Luckily for me I’m also very constant and focused. Today I had to risk a lot to win.”

When the subject of the title fight was broached Lorenzo was keen to stress that he’s focusing on the races rather than the championship right now and that it’s far too early to rule out Marquez or Dovizioso from the fight at the moment.

“This is the seventh race and we have not yet reached the middle of the championship. We have seen Dovi and Marc have problems in the first part of the championship and the same could happen to us in the second half of the season,” said Lorenzo. “At the moment we are very constant. Vale and myself don’t crash so much, but there’s always a risk we could crash three times and lose a load of points.”

While it’s possible that the Yamaha riders could hit trouble at one of the upcoming races, their form has been sublime and Lorenzo is now looking like the man that was so dominant in 2010 and 2012 when he won his MotoGP titles. Whether it’s his victory celebrations on Sunday or the bravado he’s been showing in parc ferme, he’s been keen to make the point that he is a man to be feared.

GOLD AND GOOSE

Four wins in a row as Lorenzo closes in on Valentino

Rossi still has the cunning to win For most riders, suffering a fourth consecutive defeat to your team-mate could be enough to leave you feeling pretty anxious, yet Valentino Rossi left Spain with plenty of reasons to feel optimistic. Yes Lorenzo is on a great run of form but the most important thing for Rossi is that he still leads the championship.

It may be by the slender margin of one point but it still gives him enough reason to think that he

‘The rules mean you have a lot of bikes capable of one fast lap’ VALENTINO ROSSI

has some momentum on his side.

Lorenzo has been at his best and still hasn’t been able to overcome

the deficit. How has it been possible to keep the Spaniard at bay? Put simply, Rossi has consistently found a way in 2015 to get the job done on Sunday. He’s not shown anything particularly impressive during the early stages of any race weekend but by race day when it really counts he’s always ready to fight.

Lorenzo’s qualifying performance and front row start was the foundation of his win, while Rossi’s all-too-familiar third row start was

Rossi has the race speed but he needs to improve on his miserable qualifying

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‘Luckily for me I’m very constant and focused. I had to risk a lot to win’ JORGE LORENZO

Historic poll but Espargaro crashed out

SUZUKI TAKE FIRST POLE SINCE 2007

Aleix Espargaro gave Suzuki their first pole position since Chris Vermeulen at the Dutch TT eight years ago but his home race will be one he looks back on with disappointment after crashing out. Within the team, however, there was plenty of positives with Espargaro’s crew chief, Tom O’Kane, saying that overall this was a hugely important step for the team.

“I think that Aleix is being very hard on himself and he can’t see the positives of what he achieved this weekend. His pole lap was fantastic and unfortunately at the start we just didn’t have enough acceleration to stay in the leading group and he dropped back through the pack. He was trying to recover that lost time and he used his front tyre too hard and that’s what caused him to crash.

“I think that if he had been able to take it a bit easier and conserve that tyre he would have been very strong.

His pace was solid and he would have been in a safe top four place at the end of the race and maybe able to challenge Pedrosa for third.”

Suzuki brought an engine upgrade with them and while it allowed them to get closer to the other factories in terms of outright top speed it still left them lagging behind their rivals in acceleration and until they can solve that, startline problems will continue to beset their chances of a podium MotoGP finish.

With 2014 champ Marquez out of form Rossi is the only man who can fight Lorenzo

the reason for his defeat. Rossi is determined to address this weakness in his title challenge as it has been the difference between winning and finishing second or third in recent weeks.

“It’s a shame this time because I had the potential for a top five qualifying position. The other problem is that with the rules (allowing softer tyres for the non full factory bikes) you have a lot of bikes that are fast for one lap.

But at the same time Jorge has my bike and my tyres and he is able also to put fast qualifying laps

together. So we have to work like this, too.”

Rossi is no longer the dominant force he once was but he’s more skilled, and crucially smarter, than ever before. The manner in which the Italian consistently finds a way to solve problems during a race and keep his lap times consistent has been the reason for his renaissance. And with Honda struggling and Ducati dropping back a bit in the last two races, Rossi knows he is the only rider capable of going toe to toe with Lorenzo for the title.

Suzuki’s performance is improving fast

PACEMAKER PRESS INTL

PACEMAKER PRESS INTL

HUTCHY IT COULD’VE BEEN 4 p68 GUY I NEED TO CRACK ON p71

Rossi and Lorenzo celebrate with race boss Lin Jarvis and general manager Kouichi Tsuji

KENT SHOWS C L ASS B RIT THINK WAY TO WS HIS IN

Spaniard wins fourth race in a row but Vale still tops title table

EE

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