IRELAND’S ONLY DEDICATED MONTHLY MOTORCYCLING MAGAZINE
€4.99/£3.99 Issue 129 Nov’14
Fresh Metal KTM RC 125
Feature
New: Triumph Tiger XC C
Second Hand Yamaha R6 Indian Chieftain
6 Page Intermot Special
Classic Ariel Leader
Interview
Racing
Adelaide Masters Classic Racing Moto GP
David Brivio
Regulars New Gear Toner Talks MAG Ireland Pablo’s Café
BMWShootout
A gaggle of the hottest BMW race bikes kes tested, but it’s Michael Dunlop’s TT winning machine tha that at rules on the day!
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THE NEW BMW R nineT. UNSTOPPABLE ROADSTER.
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Tested and approved by Valentino
If you’re not on Bridgestone, what are you on? Whether you’re heading for the track, the city or some distant horizon, there’s no better tyre to get you there than Bridgestone. Just like Valentino Rossi, our official product tester, we work hard to stay ahead of the pack. We do this by taking learnings from MotoGP to develop patented compound technology, responsive handling and incredible stability that others simply can’t match. Two tyres to choose from, but there’s only one Bridgestone.
Bridgestone Ireland
For your nearest Bridgestone Authorised Dealer, visit our website.
BBG 129 News.indd 1 30169 Bridgestone_DUAL S20_EVO_T30_A4_Portrait_AD_v2.indd 1
www.bridgestone.eu
16/10/2014 17:56 22/05/2014 18:11
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IRELAND’S ONLY DEDICATED MONTHLY MOTORCYCLING MAGAZINE
€4.99/£3.99 Issue 129 Nov’14
New: Triumph Tiger XC
Fresh Metal KTM RC 125
Second Hand Yamaha R6 Indian Chieftain
Feature
6 Page Intermot Special
Classic
Racing
Adelaide Masters Classic Racing Moto GP
Ariel Leader
Interview David Brivio
Regulars New Gear Toner Talks MAG Ireland Pablo’s Café
Shootout BMW
A gaggle of the hottest BMW race bikes tested, but it’s Michael Dunlop’s TT winning machine that rules on the day!
Tel: Email: Website: Publisher Editorial Director Associate Editor Photographer Finance Director Creative Director Design & Production Jr. Graphic Designer Sales Manager Marketing Director Office Manager
39
BIKE BUYERS GUIDE Unit 22, Kilcarbery Business Park, New Nangor Road, Grange Castle, Dublin 22 01 4577 018 info@bikebuyersguide.ie www.bikebuyersguide.ie Media Vault Ltd. Justin Delaney Paul Browne Cormac Ryan Meenan Liam Daly Keith Wealleans ClearDesigns.ie Colin Brennan James Harlow Morgan Keane Brian Neville
Established 2004
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Racing Worldwide Coverage Reviews What’s Hot And What’s Not News Direct From Our News Desk
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No part of Bike Buyers Guide, including photographs may be reproduced in any publication without prior written consent of the publisher. The publisher will institute proceedings in respect of any infringement of copyright. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher. No liability is accepted for errors or omissions within an advertisement or any omission of an advertisement, nor any failure in the distribution of any edition of the magazine. Bike Buyers Guide retains the copyright on all photographs that appear in the magazine. These photographs may be used as library photographs in the future by Bike Buyers Guide. By taking an advert in this magazine you are agreeing to its potential use elsewhere. Bike Buyers Guide is the property of and is published by Media Vault Ltd. Bike Buyers Guide keeps personal data regarding its subscribers and advertisers for the purpose of direct marketing within the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1988 and may disclose that personal data to third parties involved in the provision of financial and other services so as to facilitate such direct marketing. All of the foregoing is subject to the provisions of the 1988 Act and in particular section 2(7) thereof which confers on a person in respect of whom the personal data is held the right to request in writing that the use of the personal data should cease to be used for the purpose of direct marketing. Such requests in writing should be addressed to Bike Buyers Guide, Unit 22, Kilcarbery Business Park, New Nangor Road, Grange Castle, Dublin 22. All new prices contained in Bike Buyers Guide are recommended retail prices (ex. works and associated charges) and are correct at time of going to press.
{Issue 129 November ’14} P6
NEWS
P46 PABLO’S CAFÉ
P10
LONG-TERM TESTS
P46 ME AND MY BIKE
P12
RACING
Editor’s Letter
Moto GP, A Look Back At Recent Events From The Classic Scene, As Well As The Latest From The Mondello Masters.
P18
S1000RR
Always A Special Bike, We Ride Six Of BMWs Prized Race Bikes.
P24 MAG IRELAND
Declan McGuire, MAG Ireland Chairman Explains How Your Primitive Brain Is Out To Get You.
P26 FRESH METAL.
We Take The Bigger, Better And Taller Tiger 800 Out For A Bit Of Adventuring.
P30 CLASSICS
They Just Don’t Make Them Like This Any More, The Ariel Leader.
P34 NEW GEAR
This Months Must Haves.
P36 TONER TALKS
The Early Rider Catches The Plane To Chicago.
P40 SECOND HAND
Yamahas R6. Sometimes You Just Need To Ride Very, Very Quickly.
Group Riding Explored.
Karl Gygax Talks To Alan Lynch
P48
GEAR GUIDE
Warm, Dry Toes. Is There Anything Nicer? This Month We Take A Look At Some Of The Best ‘Off Season’ Boots On The Market.
P50 NEW METAL
KTM Give Hope To The Newcomer With One Of The Coolest 125’s In Years.
P52 LETTERS
Ask Our Experts, Get It Off Your Chest Or Just Tell Us How It Is.
P54 DC RACING
Kevin Keyes Seems To Be Just ‘Rubbing It In’ At This Stage!
P60 FRESH METAL
We Dedicate A Full Six Pages To The Years First Big Bike Show From Intermot.
P71
CLASSIFIEDS
Find The One That You’ve Been Searching For!
P72 INTERVIEW
David Brivio Talks About Suzukis’ Re Entry To The Premier Class.
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SPECIAL OFFER
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{News}
{NewsAlert}
All the latest motorcycle news from across the country
WWW.BIKEBUYERSGUIDE.IE
EDITOR’S LETTER
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busy four-week period passes and the end of the racing season draws closer. The final round of the Adelaide Masters took place in Mondello a couple of weekends ago and the racing was close to say the least. With most titles gone the gloves were off and competitors were racing hard for bragging rights. Conditions changed dramatically towards the end of the day but it was a great days racing and a credit to all involved for making it such a spectacular season overall. Read Aidan Lynams detailed review in this issue. The Intermot Show in Cologne opened its doors this month to unveil some spectacular new machines. BMW launched a new S1000RR with a staggering 199hp along with the seductive R1200R and RS. Over with Ducati the four new versions of the Scrambler took centre stage whilst both Honda and Kawasaki commanded attention with Honda’s new Crossrunner and Kawasaki’s stunning H2R. KTM’s new Super Adventure looked trick also with a host of new features. Read about these bikes and more in our Intermot Show report.
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otorcycling is back and it’s back in a big way. At the industrys first big show of the year all the manufacturers have launched new product. There’s far too many brand new motorcycles to list here so we’ve just taken a selection of the most interesting… And there’s more... See a full listing of all the new bikes as they are priced by Irish distributors on www. bikebuyersguide.ie . Along with a huge listing of used bikes and all the news you could read!
BMW S1000RR A
lighter frame and revised chassis geometry are only half the story. For 2015 the German giant has upped peak power on the litre class-leading bike for the last five years to 199BHP. Fully wet it now weighs only 204kg, which gives it very close to ‘a pony per kilo’. HP4 DDC is now a factory option and there are even more riding modes to choose from.
KTM SUPER ADVENTURE
T
he engine from this years Super Duke has been taken and put into next years Super Adventure. That’s a 1290cc v twin in a tall tourer that has the same seating position as a GS. The good news is that they’ve detuned it all the way down to a mere 160bhp. There were several other add ons in the electrics department including something called ‘electronic hill control’, but they had us at 160 bhp. In a tall tourer.
Until next issue.
Justin Delaney Editor justin@bikebuyersguide.ie
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M15
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For exhibitor info: ruth@sdlexpo.com 16/10/2014 16/10/2014 17:14 11:17
DUCATI SCRAMBLER
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KAWASAKI H2R
fter a teaser campaign that’s seems to have gone on forever the Ducati Scrambler has finally been seen at Intermot. A 796 monster engine is at the heart of the new bike and the suspension is by Kayaba. ABS is standard and the lights are LED units while the clocks are represented by a digital instrument panel. This is a thoroughly modern reworking of an old classic with the only components that might have come from the original bike being the teardrop tank with its aluminum panels.
MOTORCYCLE LIVE
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e’ll be going to see all these bikes and more at the UKs biggest show which takes place at the end of November from the 28th. In conjunction with our travel partners, Celtic Horizon Tours, we’ll be travelling by luxury coach and ferry. That means no limits on ‘carry on’ luggage and a more relaxed travelling experience. While we’re in Bermingham we’ll take in a full day at the show as well as an afternoon at the Cheshire Oaks Shopping Outlet and an evening at the, now famous, Frankfurt Christmas Market.
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ow. A supercharged one litre in line four producing a little less than 300 brake horsepower. The carbon fibre bodywork, trellis frame and in house designed supercharger all point to a whole new universe of Japanese superbikes. The recession is over and the Japanese manufacturers are back.
Prices from as little as €199 per person. To book your place call 016292000.
TRIUMPH STREET TRIPLE RX
O
ne of the best middle weights on the market has got even better. As well as looking even cooler thanks to the new paint work the subframe has been taken from this years Daytona and the must have accessories including the belly pan and front cowl as well as quickshifter.
THE TRICITY LANDS
YAMAHA XJR1300
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ith the same chassis and engine as last year the newest XJR looks fantastic thanks to a complete makeover. A shorter subframe, new matt black exhaust system and a wider set of bars as well as a smaller headlamp and instrument cluster all take years off the biggest bike in its class.
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he latest solution to terrible city traffic, Yamahas eagerly awaited Tricity, has arrived in dealerships. The ground breaking commuter is well priced at only €4,650 and there will be a local test in next months edition of the magazine. In the meantime call Megabikes on 014784200 to organise your own viewing.
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Long Term Tests JUSTIN DELANEY
MORGAN KEANE
PAUL BROWNE
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
MARKETING DIRECTOR
BMW K1300R ADVENTURE
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
KTM 390 DUKE
DUCATI MULTISTRADA
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Testing Times
his month the weather has started to turn. Already the Buff neckwarmer has been pressed into service and in another few days the leathers will be retired for the next few months to be replaced by the warmer and waterproof fabrics.
y R1200RT is finally finished with a complete new rear shock fitted and ready for some more miles. The problem is, I write this piece from Spain and as of yet I haven’t been home to collect it. Before the cold winter sets in I skived off for a few days break but I’m already itching to get back to the RT. This month I spent time swapping between a few different machines. Paul had a couple of test bikes at the office and Morgan’s KTM 390 Duke is stationed here also so we are never without wheels. In other news I decided to freshen my YZF450 up with a new look over the last few weeks. I changed the plastics, got the Excel wheels re-done, had her fully serviced and few new trick parts added to give it that factory look. She might be for sale at the end of the year so anyone interested just touch base with us by email or phone. Aside from that I have no other long-term bike test news. I mentioned last month a Sherco test was imminent and still is but the weather let us down on a recent shoot and it has been postponed to a later issue. I will endeavor to keep you posted. BMW K1200R 1,198cc 173bhp €16,760 inc taxes www.bmw-motorrad.ie
I
t’s been an incredibly busy month in the office and I’ve been spending way too much time on four wheels instead of two. I have, however, managed to get some time on the bike. We’ve taken advantage of the last of the good weather to shoot several bikes including the 390 and riding around the Kildare countryside as the leaves start to fall has been a real treat. The real big eye opener for me was the ploughing championships and the usability of a bike in heavy traffic situations. The event was colossal with over 100,000 people attending everyday the roads leading to the event were strangled with traffic. While my colleagues were taking two to three hours to get from the motorway exit to the site of the Ploughing championship I was doing it in a careful 40 minutes. I can’t believe that the lads in the office have been keeping motorcycling a secret from me for so long! KTM 390 380cc 43bhp www.m50retail.com
T
The ‘Multi has been busy taking part in MAG and FEMAs’ commuting challenge, leading the way on a host of photo shoots and at least one charity ride out with a difference. The evenings are getting darker and the commute longer and the ‘Multi is still proving to be utterly marvelous at its craft. The seating position on the bike lends the rider so much forward vision and allows one to make some ‘unhurried progress’ when required. The bike is very much two in one and while it sits like a tall tourer I never fail to be impressed by the fact that it moves like a sports bike. Very often I ride several bikes each month and this one has been no different, with a host of bikes to be reviewed and photographed, at the time of writing this we have already started to look at machines for next month. All of them are good, some of them are brilliant, but none of them manage to combine the power and comfort of the Multistrada. Never the less the end of the year approaches and the Multi will be going back. Expect some sulking. Ducati Multistrada 1,198cc | 150bhp €17,995 inc taxes www.ducati .ie 014642211
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From the Dark Side of Japan, Yamaha launches the MT-09. This naked-motard is powered by a crossplane philosophy inspired 3-cylinder engine boasting a power output of 115hp and a class-leading 87.5Nm of torque. Features include a clever D-MODE engine-mapping system and a combined dry weight of just 171 kg. MT-09. Discover your Dark Side. To find your nearest Yamaha dealer please go to www.yamaha-motor.ie or call us on 01 285 9177 or email info@danfay.ie BBG 129 News.indd 11
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{Racing Feature}
Moto GP News THE SPANISH WUNDERKIND WRAPS IT UP
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The 2014 MotoGP World Championship for “Marc Márquez means that he has won four World Championships in the last five years.”
n Sunday the 12th of October 2014, Marc Márquez sealed his second Premier class MotoGP World Championship in as many years in Honda’s backyard, Motegi, Japan. Mathematically this was the first time that he had the opportunity to win the 2014 MotoGP World Championship. At the time of print Márquez has won eleven races in 2014, equaling Rossi’s record from 2002 and 2005, and sealed the Championship with three races remaining. Márquez finished second in the Japanese MotoGP behind Jorge Lorenzo and ahead of Valentino Rossi. Both Rossi and Lorenzo were quick to congratulate Márquez. “I think that Marc deserves the championship; he won a lot of races and in a lot of conditions. He doesn’t make mistakes and he improved his level so congratulations to Marc,” said Rossi. Lorenzo echoed his teammate saying, “Marc is the champion, he has been the best all season and he deserves it.” Márquez is now the youngest rider in the history of the sport to win back-to-back Premier Class World Championships taking the record from none other than Mike Hailwood. Not only is he the youngest rider to do this, but he is the first Spanish rider to do so, too. He took another record from Hailwood in 2014 by becoming the youngest rider to win ten successive Premier Class wins in a season at the age of 21 years and 174 days. The 2014 MotoGP World Championship for Marc Márquez means that he has won four World Championships in the last five years. After the race in Motegi Márquez said “Just two years in MotoGP with two titles is incredible. Maybe for the people it looks easy because I’m always smiling, but there is a lot of pressure. Misano and Aragon we made some mistakes so it was important to focus here for Honda. I’m really happy with my team and family and fans, they’re all pushing me. It’s like a dream right now.”
The battle for second in the World Championship is now a three-way fight between Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo. Motegi also saw the first Ducati pole position since Casey Stoner did so at Valencia in 2010. Dovizioso is the first rider other then Stoner to do so since Loris Capirossi in 2006! Ducati have announced that their 2015 bike will not be available for their new factory riders, Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, until the first Sepang test in February next year. The bike is being designed by ex Aprilia guru, GiGi Dall’Igna. We are currently at the “fly-away” stage of the year, which consists of Motegi in Japan, Phillip Island in Australia and Sepang in Malaysia. MotoGP returns to Europe for the final race of the year in Valencia, Spain on the 9th of November. There will be a three-day MotoGP only test after the final race of the year. It has been officially announced, although we have known for a few weeks, that Scott Redding will move back to his old team, Marc VDS, as they move up to the MotoGP class with a Factory Spec Honda for Redding to contest 2015 on. Continuing the official, although well known announcements, Suzuki have finally confirmed that Moto2 Rookie of the Year Maverick Viñales and current Forward NGM MotoGP rider, Aleix Espargaro, will ride for their factory team next year. With Márquez now crowned the 2014 World Champion, the pressure is now off the 21 year old Spaniard for the final races of the year. There was a rumour floating around the paddock that Márquez would contest both the Moto2 and MotoGP races in Valencia. When asked about it, Márquez simply replied, “you never know, but it is unlikely!” Take what you will from that but 2014 has been almost perfect for the rider from Cervera, Spain.
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{Words & Images: Cormac Ryan Meenan}
Cormac Ryan Meenan is a twenty two year old Irish photographer from Greystones. Cormac is covers the MotoGP World Championship freelance. He works closely with Moto3 rider Brad Binder & MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow as well as covering the MotoGP class for Bike Buyers Guide. He is an avid motorcycle rider and is passionate about the world of MotoGP. He is hoping to show off this spectacular sport in an engaging & artistic fashion.
Twitter - @CormacGP Facebook www.facebook.com/cormacryanmeenanphotography Instagram - CormacGP Store http://cormacryanmeenanphotography.bigcartel.com
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{Racing Feature}
Classic Roundup Mark McClosky Takes A Look Back Over A Very Busy Month
power through the village in a “They howling haze of hot air, poisoned with spent race fuel and shredded rubber. ”
T
he ninth and final round of the 2014 road racing season, the Killinane Road Races were staged in idyllic September sunshine. Newly crowned 350cc champion Barry Davidson was awaiting the imminent arrival of a new baby girl and therefore was noticeably absent from the event. Instead, all eyes were on Michael Dunlop, winner of three TTs this year and arguably the best road racer in the sport today. He’d surprised many with entries in both classic races. First up was the senior race which provided additional excitement as reigning champion
Robert McCrum, who’d retired without completing practice, had to start at the back of the second group, a full ten seconds after the first wave. When the flag went up, 1,000cc Norton mounted Richard Ford led the field with Dunlop, Ed Manly and Gary Jamison hot on his heels. Then on lap three, Dunlop retired. At the same time Robert McCrum was steadily picking his way through from the back and, at the chequered flag, took the 1,000cc win by six seconds from Ford. The 500cc win went to Ed Manly. Already crowned 500cc champion, Gary Jamison was second with Mark Connolly less than
a tenth of a second behind in third. The junior was a one horse race with Michael Dunlop taking the win by an astonishing 35 seconds. Further back, Jonathan Doran rode hard to snatch second from Herbie Ronan with Sean Leonard in third. In the 250cc it was, for the ninth time this year, Philip Shaw, thus winning every 250cc classic race on the 2014 roads. Richard Ford and Alan Bud Jackson completed the all Suzuki podium.
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Classic Roundup {Words: Mark McCloskey Images: John Burke, Big Joe, Mark McCloskey}
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{Racing Feature}
Masters Series Championship Done and Dusted Cody Nally seals the Adelaide Masters Series title at the final round of the championship in Mondello Park.
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arshall Neill had been in dominant form in the Adelaide series having been unbeaten in his previous seven starts in the Superbike class, including two Grand Final wins, and the Portadown rider showed no signs of breaking his lucky streak when he took yet another win in Saturday’s opening race ahead of Cody Nally and Brian McCormack. Nally went into the encounter 26 points clear of McCormack and 57 ahead of Neill but it was McCormack who made all the early running from pole position as the VTL/TAG Racing rider led the early laps before a gear selector malfunction allowed his rivals to reel in and pass him. Neill went on to take the win by three tenths of a second from Nally with McCormack three seconds further back. Karl McGahon won the Superbike Cup race ahead of Eddie Healy and Alan Kenny. Nally went to bed on Saturday night knowing a strong points finish in Sunday’s opening Superbike race would earn him the Adelaide title to add to the Irish Superbike title he won earlier in the season but he was made to work for it as McCormack stormed into an early lead, a lead he held for the first four laps. Unfortunately for McCormack, Neill was still hungry and stole past the big Tramore man on lap five before young Jamie Patterson further relegated him to third on the same lap whilst Nally kept a watching brief in fourth. On the following lap Nally made sure of the title by taking
third place which he held to the flag. Neill just held off Patterson who was riding a Suzuki 750 against the bigger Superbikes, McCormack took fourth. McGahon took his second Cup win ahead of Healy with Declan Hoey sealing the Cup Championship by finishing third. The third and final Superbike race was red flagged on the sixth lap when Neill crashed heavily in the penultimate corner. The Portadown rider had been leading from Nally and McCormack but it began to rain and as he ran onto the kerb his Kawasaki ZX10 highsided him, dragging him up the track as he got caught up on the machine. As we go to print Neill has been brought to hospital for X Rays on his arm/shoulder but he is expected to make a full recovery. The result was declared from the end of the previous lap with Neill being excluded; as such Nally took the win ahead of McCormack and Peter Moloney. McGahon completed his Cup hat trick of victories beating Thomas O’Grady and Ray Casey. The big money Grand Finals are normally hard fought affairs but with Neill gone to hospital, the track soaked and the temperatures plummeting, most riders chose to sit it out, including the recently crowned Nally. McCormack took a relatively untroubled win after both Patterson and Damien Byrne had crashed out whilst battling with him. McCormack’s VTL/TAG Racing team mate, Ray Casey took second ahead of Philip McNally
with only six bikes finishing. Carl Phillips took a 46 point lead into Saturday’s opening Supersport race but the Lisburn youngster didn’t leave anything to chance, taking the win by three seconds ahead of Jamie Patterson, Jason Lynn and nearest championship rival Robert English. The result was enough to secure the Adelaide title to add to his Irish one. Younger Patterson sibling, Ross took the ‘Cup’ win ahead of already crowned champion Kevin Keyes and Paul Gaffney. In race two Jamie Patterson took an early lead but Phillips out braked him in turn one (Ford Corner) on lap four to storm to the front. Phillips retained the lead until the last lap when Patterson just got past him to take the chequered flag by 0.01 of a second. Richard Glasgow took third by 0.005 after a great tussle with English. Ross Patterson again took the Cup win ahead of Keyes with Eoghan Delaney third. Jason Lynn finally made the most of his pole position starting place to take the win in race three. Phillips had led every lap but in the final corner Lynn stuffed his Suzuki underneath Phillips’ Yamaha, forcing Phillips wide and he almost highsided which allowed Lynn the merest of breathing spaces and he took the win by two tenths of a second with Jamie Patterson third. Both Ross Patterson and Kevin Keyes crashed out of the Cup race which left the way clear for Paul Gaffney to take the win
went into the encounter 26 “Nally points clear of McCormack and 57 ahead of Neill ”
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Masters Series Championship Done And Dusted {Words Aidan Lynam Images Eddie Applebe}
ahead of Delaney and Gary O’Brien. Supertwin Champion, Drew Jamison took the first of his two race wins on Saturday beating Philip McNally by 13 seconds with Thomas Whitmore in third. In the concurrently run Production Twin race James Chawke won by over 11 seconds from Michael Rea and Cathal Phelan. Jamison was made to work much harder for his second win in race two; just holding off McNally by 0.8 of a second, Whitmore again took third. Chawke, Rea and Phelan again filled the Production class podium spots. With the track wet, both Jamison and McNally opted to sit out the final Supertwin race which Whitmore won by 8 seconds ahead of Wayne Sheehan and Ben Mullane. Chawke also did not start so Rea took the Production class win by 24 seconds ahead of Phelan with John Bowen third. Pole sitter Mervyn Griffin took two wins from three starts in the Pre Injection class but he had to wait until the first of Sunday’s races to open his account after Kevin English took the win on Saturday by over 10 seconds ahead of Griffin and Stephen Doyle. In the concurrently run 250GP race Ronan Shanahan was the only finisher. Griffin took the win in race two on Sunday morning beating English by eight seconds with Austen Wilson just two tenths of a second behind in third. Shanahan took the win in the 250GP class ahead of Thomas Lawlor. Griffin’s winning margin in race three was six
seconds over Doyle with Wilson once again third, English finished fifth which was enough for the Cork rider to secure the Pre-Injection title. Shanahan had led the opening lap of the 250GP race but suffered a painful looking high side, leaving the way clear for Lawlor to take the win. Wicklow’s Alvin Griffin took a hat-trick of wins in the Lightweight Supersport races beating Andrew Whearty in races one and two with Graham Whitmore taking second in race three. Gavin Quinn took third in race one whilst in races two and three, Whitmore and Ian Whearty took the final podium spots. The pairing of Dylan Lynch and Stephen Mullins took a trio of victories in the Sidecar races over the weekend. In race one they had a relatively easy victory, beating Scobie Killough/Brian Butler by 15 seconds with father and son team Pat/Paul Gaffney in third. Mick Donovan had 2014 Production Twin Champion, Dave Butler as passenger and the pairing took close second place finishes in races two and three. The Gaffney’s took third in race two whilst Terry O’Reilly/ Aidan Browne took third in race three. Barry Gill sewed up the Classic Superbike title with a pair of wins on his Honda RC30 with both races taking place on Saturday. Series organiser, Mike Meskell took second in race one ahead of Mick McEvoy whilst McEvoy took second in race two ahead of Ian Whearty. Paul Swords helped himself to a hat trick of wins in the Superbike/Supersport ‘B’ races with his smallest winning margin being seven seconds. In race one the Ducati 749 rider beat Krzysztof Kapiczak and Niall
Gillick whilst in race two he beat Noah Holmes and Mike Meskell. Kapiczak once again took second in race three with Anthony Derrane taking third. Thus the curtain fell on another superb season of racing in the Adelaide Insurance Services backed series. Initial fears of poor coverage after the series lost its highlights package on national TV proved unfounded to say the very least. With all races now shown live online on Mondello.tv a whole new audience has been afforded the opportunity to watch home-grown racing from the comfort of their homes, showing them how good the local scene can be and enticing them to actually attend the circuits in person. A fact reflected in the much larger crowds coming through the gates on race day (this weekend saw the series clash with live broadcasts of WSBK & BSB yet the gate numbers were up again)! It’s great to see parents’ bringing their kids to watch the stars of tomorrow on home soil as this is how these prospective stars were introduced to the sport by their parents. It was also great to see the coming of age of riders like Nally, Phillips, Keyes, Lynn etc. as these youngsters will hopefully all use the series as a stepping stone to the British and World Superbike Championships just as Jack Kennedy, Glenn Irwin and Alastair Seeley have done before them. Although the death of the Celtic Tiger had a huge impact on Irish racing, I genuinely haven’t felt as enthusiastic about the future of the sport in a long time, let’s hope these kids get the backing they so badly need.
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{FreshMetal}
Mountain
MONSter WE FLY TO JEREZ TO RIDE SIX OF BMW’S PRIZED RACE BIKE POSSESSIONS BUT ONE MACHINE REALLY STANDS OUT!
an estimated 180kg the “At TT bike is 15kg heavier than its BSB equivalent. ” 18 {BikeBuyersGuide} BBG 129.indd 18
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Michael Dunlop’s TT winning Hawk BMW S1000RR {Words Roland Brown Images Graeme Brown and Matteo Cavadini}
T
here’s not much time to think as I’m being hurled onto the back straight at Jerez with my head behind the usefully tall bubble of Michael Dunlop’s TT-winning S1000RR. I’m concentrating on treading gears to the pitch of the howling Akrapovic, looking for my markers on the left of the track, and shifting my weight rearwards in readiness to sit up and brake for the fast-approaching hairpin. For a moment I’m imagining what it must have been like for Michael Dunlop to ride this factory-tuned weapon to those two TT wins back in June. A thought immediately followed by the realisation that actually, however wild and scary-fast this S1000RR feels, riding it on Jerez’s wide open spaces is nothing like aiming it between the walls and hedges of the TT circuit. This bike is the sixth and last race-tuned S1000RR that I’ve ridden in quick succession on this hectic BMW test day. It’s the most powerful of the bunch as well as the most successful and famous, but whether it’s been the quickest round the Spanish track is another matter. It’s also the heaviest of the six; built to do a uniquely demanding job in a place where strength and reliability are as vital as outright speed. Riding bikes from Superstocker to TT winner in such quick succession has highlighted differences in power, handling,
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{FreshMetal} riding position and set-up. But it has also demonstrated how similar they are in many respects. And as I aim the blue-and-white BMW slowly into the pit lane at the end of my session, I’m in no doubt that its most important component is waiting, probably a bit impatiently, back in the garage. The younger of the racing Dunlop brothers seemed to have taken a big gamble last November when he quit Honda after winning four TTs a few months earlier, and with no ride lined up for 2014. The man himself obviously didn’t think so. And his four more TT victories this year, three on BMWs, confirmed that the Ulsterman had taken over from John McGuinness as the man to beat on the Island. That’s not to overlook the contribution of a bike that performed brilliantly for a fortnight in scoring those Superbike and Senior race victories that book-ended Dunlop’s wins in the Superstock and Supersport events. Any doubts about whether the unproven S1000RR could overturn Honda’s dominance on the Island were decisively answered. BMW’s support (under the program the factory set up after quitting World Superbikes at the end of last season) was a vital part of Dunlop’s success, but in many ways the most remarkable thing about this S1000RR is not how special it is, but how ordinary. The TT bike was built in the English Midlands at the Leicestershire base of Stuart Hicken and his son Steve’s Hawk Racing, whose British Superbike team’s top rider Ryuichi Kiyonari is challenging for this year’s championship. Hawk based their first TT bike on a standard S1000RR whose frame is retained, even down to keeping the standard steel rear subframe rather than the lighter aluminium item the team runs in BSB. The frame was modified to reduce steering lock; the standard swing-arm gained quick-change blocks from Harris Performance, who supplied the Öhlins suspension: classy but readily available FGR300 forks and TTX36 shock. Other typical racer parts include the Hawk’s own yokes, a Bitubo steering damper, 17-inch Dymag wheels (aluminium rather than magnesium), and Brembo lithium-alloy four-pot Monobloc front calipers biting the same firm’s iron discs. The fuel tank has increased 24-litre capacity — almost all of which is required for two laps of the 60.73km Mountain circuit by a BMW that slurps gas at about 19 l/100km. The engine can also be ordered from BMW Motorrad Motorsport by any race team, but it is special, having been hand built to the factory’s final World Superbike spec by female technician Maike Hohenlohe (who also flew to the TT at short notice to rebuild it after it had to be stripped for inspection after the Superbike win). It includes race cams, lightweight pistons, titanium rods and a balanced crank. Electronics including the ECU are BMW racekit parts, rather than the MoTeC that Hawk use for BSB. That gives multiple fuel maps and traction control, though they stuck to one map on the Island. Instrument panel is standard S1000RR apart from a bit of black duct tape over the speedo. Exhaust is a full titanium Akrapovic. The result of all that is a maximum of 222bhp at 14,300rpm, a hefty 27bhp
up on Hawk’s Superstock S1000RR, which makes 195bhp on the same dyno. In many ways the parts that keep it together are equally important. For maximum strength all engine bolts are steel, rather than titanium as in the BSB bike, and like everything else they’re assembled using copious amounts of thread-lock and lockwire. The radiator is a race item from MB Motor Sport, with wire mesh protector against stones. After Michael grounded the engine at the bottom of scary-fast Barregarrow, the sump was reinforced with chemical metal. Weight isn’t a major issue at the TT so the BMW’s fairing is fibreglass rather than carbon-fibre as in BSB. At an estimated 180kg the TT bike is 15kg heavier than its BSB equivalent. It probably seems a bit unwieldy when it’s braking for Quarter Bridge with the tank brimmed, but it felt mighty light and racy as I fired it up with a press of the button and headed out onto the near-empty Jerez circuit. I’d thought this most powerful of race-tuned S1000RRs might be a bit of a handful, all top-end power and aggressive delivery, but it was as easy to ride as it was fast — and it sure was fast. Perhaps the power came in with slightly more of a surge as the 16-valve motor kicked harder in five-figure territory — I didn’t have time to notice exactly where — but it stormed towards its 15,000rpm limit through the gears as I frantically trod down on the lever to keep it pulling. Exiting the last, slow left-hander it was particularly brilliant, picking up the front wheel and holding it slightly off the ground under power as I clicked through the gears, presumably helped by BMW’s retained anti-wheelie system. The electronics and sweet fuelling helped make it easy to ride, which was useful, not least because the front brake lever was set too high and close to the bar for me. The bike’s tall gearing required a minor readjustment after the short-circuit bikes. For the superfast road circuits it’s set to reach its limiter at over 320km/h, higher than the other bikes, so needed a lower gear in some turns. Fortunately it pulled hard enough through the midrange that it didn’t hesitate much when I exited a couple of bends a cog too high. Handling was predictably stable; after all, you don’t win the Senior TT and lap at almost 212km/h, as Dunlop did in the process, without having a bike that behaves on bumpy Manx roads, never mind smooth Jerez. It also braked phenomenally hard but didn’t steer quite as sweetly as some of the other RRs, requiring more muscle to get it to change direction. Its regular rider is stocky but shorter and lighter than me, and it clearly works for him. Chassis set-up was a key element of this bike’s story because like the Hawk team’s BSB bikes it originally used Bitubo suspension and Pirelli tyres. Following a Brands Hatch test Michael requested a change to the Öhlins units he was more familiar with. Despite winning two races at the North West 200 he still wasn’t happy with the now Metzelershod bike during TT practice, so requested a lastminute change to Dunlop rubber on the eve of the Superbike race.
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Michael Dunlop’s TT winning Hawk BMW S1000RR
Riding bikes from “ Superstocker to TT winner
in such quick succession has highlighted differences in power, handling, riding position and set-up
”
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{FreshMetal} “Changing at that late stage was a massive gamble, but fortunately it paid off,” says Steve Hicken. “The movement that Michael had been feeling went, which probably showed it wasn’t the suspension, it was just the type of tyre. There was nothing wrong with the Metzelers; we were on for some fast laps with them. But Michael needed something he knew and was confident with for the Superbike race, because it’s so much in the rider’s head. If it had been a short-circuit race we’d have been reluctant to change, but because so much is on the line at the TT you have to go with what the rider is happy with.” The late tyre change required suspension changes that left the team struggling in the final
practice session on the evening before the first race. After going in the wrong direction with the set-up they were forced to make another change, with no opportunity to test it. “It was an interesting night, so for Michael to go out on the first lap of the Superbike race and break the lap record from a standing start was incredible.” That first win confirmed the speed of both Dunlop and the S1000RR, and brought BMW a first TT victory for 75 years. Six days later, having bagged the Superstock (on his own RR) and Supersport races (on a CBR600RR) in the meantime, Dunlop was back to win his fourth of the week, his first Senior and his 11th TT overall. As well as a phenomenal riding performance
it was a spectacular effort by the Hawk team at their first TT attempt. And there’s potential to go even quicker. “If you put Michael’s best sectors together they work out at 132.8mph [213.7km/h], six seconds faster than Bruce Anstey’s lap record,” Steve says. “There’s no doubt he can go faster on this bike.” But if you thought that made Michael Dunlop a certainty to be back on an S1000RR next year, hold on. “I haven’t signed anything or made up my mind yet,” he insists. “I’m looking forward to going home, having a break and doing some work over the winter. If the right offer comes along I’ll race next year. If it doesn’t, I won’t.” Over to you, BMW…
Steve Hicken
Hawk Racing Manager “The first contact with Michael came through us. Stuart [Hicken, Steve’s dad and Hawk boss] has always been into road racing and he worked with Michael’s dad, Robert, so there was a connection there. We spoke to Michael, then BMW had to pitch it to him regarding what support they could provide. At the moment he’s the world’s best road racer so it was a big deal to get him on board. “He’s a character. There are a lot of rumours and stories about Michael but I can’t say anything but good about him. When he’s at the racing he does his job. It’s easier to work with someone who is straight talking, who gets on with the job. He knows what he likes. Every rider has his own style so you have to work to that. “We knew the bike was good. We knew that when you’ve got a base that can be so competitive in BSB you have a fast bike; it was just a case of what can we do on the roads bike to make it easier? The BSB bike is down to the weight limit of 165kg but we weren’t sure that would be good on the roads; it makes it a bit flighty. The TT bike started as a completely standard bike, straight out of the crate, and it weighs 180kg — there’s no titanium on it at all.”
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Michael Dunlop’s TT winning Hawk BMW S1000RR delivery but it’s still seriously fast, making 200bhp. And despite having a big tank and chassis mods to speed pit stops it’s impressively light at not much over 170kg. Power: 200bhp @ 14,200rpm. Weight: 173kg
#69 Lucy Glöckner’s IDM Superstock HP4 This undoubtedly a supremely high-tech and seriously quick bike. Fast female Lucy Glöckner has won IDM Superstock races on it this season, complete with factory-assisted tweaks of the HP4’s ABS brakes and semi-active suspension. That suspension gave a very plush yet well controlled ride, and the HP4 was stunningly agile. But it was set up for little Lucy, with high pegs and a riding position that was far too cramped for my long legs. Great bike, but I couldn’t ride it properly. Power: 200bhp @ 14,200rpm. Weight: 173kg
BMW’s S1000RR Support Program The test day at Jerez involved six bikes and was set up to highlight the BMW Motorrad Motorsport race support program, whose aim is to help riders campaigning S1000RRs and HP4s in events ranging from national Superbike and Superstock championships to roads racing and World Endurance. BMW’s program incorporates supply of race engines and other parts plus technical support, direct from the factory and at race meetings, on anything from fuel mapping to chassis set-up. It also incorporates the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy, which awards points to privateer BMW riders competing in 15 international and national level championships worldwide. Trophies and a 100,000 euro prize fund will be distributed among the leading riders at the end of the season. All six of the bikes at Jerez were contenders in the Race Trophy, and highlighted the variety of S1000RR racing involvement. The others were:
#23 Ryuichi Kiyonari’s British Superbike championship Buildbase S1000RR The warning was short and to the point. “No TC”, written on the top yoke in magic marker, was a last-moment reminder that the Buildbase BMW has no traction control, as British Superbike championship regulations insist. Ryuichi Kiyonari might be chasing the BSB title aboard this 200bhp-plus rocketship, but in that respect its electronics are behind those of a standard S1000RR, never mind the other top-class racebikes I’d just ridden. Fortunately the Buildbase bike is as beautifully controllable as it is fast. And it sure is rapid, as Kiyo’s handful of recent BSB race wins confirm. The British championship’s rules also insist on standard valves and pistons being retained, as well as fitment of a spec ECU. That leaves Stuart Hicken, boss of the Buildbase-sponsored Hawk team, to port the heads and fit cams from German S1000RR tuning specialists Alpha. That helps lift maximum output to 208bhp from the near-standard Superstock motor’s 195bhp. Kiyonari’s precise riding style demands an instant connection between his brain and the rear wheel. That suited me, as I accelerated out of the Jerez bends on a bike whose immaculate fuelling made it easy to
ride reasonably fast the old-fashioned way, without even thinking about electronics. The chassis did its best to help too. With carbon bodywork, lightweight rear subframe and a host of titanium bolts and fasteners the bike is right on the BSB minimum weight limit of 165kg, so no wonder it seemed light and agile. Its Bitubo suspension felt superbly well controlled, despite the shock being a bit soft for my over-sized body. Stopping power from the four-pot Accossato calipers was suitably ferocious too. Kawasaki rider Shane “Shakey” Byrne’s last-gasp move to outbrake Kiyo and win the second race at Assen left the Japanese rider a dozen points behind with two rounds to go. But with two second places in Holland he’d closed the gap again, to set up a spectacular season’s end at Silverstone and the Brands Hatch finale. Kiyo, like Byrne, is going for a fourth BSB title but it’s a championship that BMW has never won. Then again, not long ago the S1000RR didn’t have much of a record at the TT. Power: 208bhp @ 14,200rpm. Weight: 165kg
#1 Markus Reiterberger’s IDM German Superbike championship S1000RR For me this felt like the fastest and easiest bike of the bunch, partly because regular pilot Reiterberger is relatively tall, so it’s roomy; and mainly just because it’s stunningly powerful and light. IDM Superbike regs allow BMW racekit cams and airbox mods that help increase peak power output to 206bhp; lightweight chassis parts reduce total weight to 170kg. Reiterberger has scored regular podiums on this bike, and also rides the Penz13 endurance machine, gaining BMW Motorrad Race Trophy points that have given him the lead in that series. Power: 206bhp @ 13,800rpm. Weight: 170kg
#13 Pens13.com World Endurance Championship S1000RR As a Superstock bike this S1000RR is theoretically slower than full-blown Superbikes — but not by very much at all. At this season’s Oschersleben round it qualified on pole, ahead of all the Superbikes, the first time that had happened. It’s set up to be ridden by two or three (in 24 hour races) riders so predictably it’s relatively roomy. It’s also has rider-friendly power
#52 Sylvain Barrier’s EVO class World Superbike S1000RR French ace Barrier has won two FIM Superstock titles but this year he’s competing in WSBK’s EVO category for the BMW Italy team that is closely linked with the factory. EVO regs insist on most engine components remaining stock, but allow a modified ECU, while more extensive chassis mods are allowed. So this bike’s 198bhp max is the lowest but it is also very light, at just 168kg, and bristling with titanium and carbon parts plus classy Öhlins suspension. Both Barrier and Leon Camier have won EVO class races this season, which is easy to understand when you ride it. Power: 198bhp @ 14,000rpm. Weight: 168kg
The Stats: Michael Dunlop’s TT winning Hawk BMW S1000RR
Engine type BMW factory race tuned S1000RR Capacity 999cc Bore x stroke (mm) 80 x 49.7 Compression ratio 14.5:1 Fuel system BMW Motorrad Motorsport Peak power 222hp @ 14,300rpm Rider Aids Adjustable traction control, multiple maps Suspension (F) Öhlins FGR300 telescopic (R) Öhlins TTX36 shock Brakes (F) Twin 320mm discs, four-piston Brembo lithium-alloy radial monobloc calipers (R) 220mm disc, Brembo caliper Tyres (F) 120/70-17 (R) 200/60-17 (Dunlop at TT; Pirelli Diablo Superbike for test) Wheelbase 1440m approx Weight 180kg approx Fuel capacity 24 litres
Call Carole Nash today for a competitive quote for this bike on 1800 818 789
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{Words Declan McGuire, Chairman, MAG}
MotorcycleAction Group
MOTOR CYCLE ACTION GROUP When Ancient Solutions Meet Modern Problems
A
“If it looks like a bear and it moves like a bear, it’s probably a bear, so best to run for it.”
s humans, we’re notoriously bad at judging risk. For much of our time as a species on this planet we depended on gut instinct to assess risk and react accordingly. Now gut instinct is a primitive thing and its assessments are made rapidly. If it looks like a bear, and it moves like a bear, it’s probably a bear, so best to run for it. No complex analysis necessary. Gut instinct has been so good at keeping us alive in such situations over millennia that it’s now hardwired into our species in a primitive part of the brain called the amygdala. Think of it as our inner caveman. Not too bright, but lightning fast reactions to danger. We feel it as a burst of adrenaline, the “fight or flight” response. It’s only in the last couple of centuries that we’ve figured out a way to travel faster than a horse can carry us, and only in the last hundred years or so that we’ve managed to do it on two wheels with an engine and a seat. We are truly privileged! For much of human history life was nasty, brutal and short. The chances of you growing old were vanishingly small and if that bear didn’t eat you, the sheer number of diseases that might kill you was beyond comprehension. Those of us alive today – at least in the developed world – are, without doubt, the safest humans ever to have lived. Advances in medicine have all but eradicated many of the common killer diseases of yore. We no longer fear Smallpox or Bubonic plague, Tuberculosis or Typhus because our medical technology is such that we can almost always treat that which we’ve not yet managed to eradicate. Even cancer, a disease predominantly associated with age and thus more common today than ever before, can in many cases be cured or managed and may in future be defeated by medical science. As the existential threats to our existence have receded, so others have come to take their place. It can hardly have escaped your notice that we live in an increasingly risk averse society. This is bad news for those of us who ride motorcycles, and here’s why. Motorcycling is considered by the public at large to be a high risk activity, and the appetite of the public at large to facilitate those who engage in high risk activities is diminishing rapidly. There is a process behind this called de-normalisation and it’s possibly best illustrated by the approach taken to smokers. Going back to the 1950’s the tobacco industry was able to portray smoking as being beneficial to your health by reducing stress etc. despite the mounting evidence of its detrimental effects. By the 1970’s governments worldwide were legislating against smoking, at first targeting advertising, then promotion, and later sponsorship before eventually turning on smokers themselves. By the turn of the 21st century smokers were depicted in overwhelmingly negative terms in the mainstream media. They were stigmatised and subjected to increasing restrictions for the greater good, most notably the ban on smoking in pubs and
workplaces. This then, is the process of de-normalisation. You portray the target – smokers, the obese, or whatever societal group you’re aiming at – in an overwhelmingly negative light and then use that together with the hard evidence of injury to justify whatever restrictions you’ve got in mind for the greater good. The European Road Safety Action Programme 2011–2020 sets aims to cut the number of deaths on Europe’s roads by half in ten years. It contains ambitious proposals aiming to make significant improvements to vehicles, infrastructure and road user behaviour. It’s not just about fatalities either. The EU plans to adopt a strategic target for the reduction of serious road traffic injuries in 2015. Riders are vulnerable road users and are stubbornly overrepresented among road user casualties, which makes us the most obvious target for those tasked with reducing deaths by half. According to the EU Commission, road fatalities in Ireland increased by 19% between 2012 and 2013, compared to an average EU decline of 8%. In the EU as a whole, motorcyclist fatalities fell by 13% between 2010 and 2012, so the overall trend is at least going the right direction. The problem, however, is that motorcyclists are still overrepresented. When you look at the figures from the perspective of casualties per thousand kilometres travelled, or casualties per head of population by road user type, it’s clear that proportionately far more motorcyclists are being killed or seriously injured than any other road user group. Our casualties are way, way out of line and they’re not coming down nearly fast enough to meet those EU targets. Moreover, as riders, we’re still responsible for our own demise in roughly half of all cases. Even taking account for the behaviour of other road users, we still have a long way to go. In fact we have to get much better than they do because even if, proportionately, we get down to the same number of accidents per kilometre travelled, we’ll still have higher casualty rates as a result of sitting on, rather than in, a vehicle. We need to wake up to the reality that almost every “anti-bike” proposal ever put forward from 100bhp limits to leg protectors to restrictive licensing is rooted in a desire to cut motorcyclist casualties. Subconsciously we use gut instinct to make snap decisions about risk and gut instinct is woefully ill- suited to today’s fast moving world where risk analysis requires we use our modern brain, not our primitive one. If you’ve ever panicked and grabbed a big handful of front brake only to end up sliding down the road you can thank your inner caveman for your predicament. He did what he’s been doing since humanity hunted woolly mammoths. He spotted a risk and tried to protect you by going in the opposite direction as fast as possible. In our modern risk averse society, your inner caveman can still serve you well. Just don’t let him ride your bike.
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Dublin Triumph FP 128.pdf
1
18/09/2014
11:01
RED COW RETAIL CENTRE ROBINHOOD ROAD BALLYMOUNT, DUBLIN 22 01 4642211 info@ducati.ie www.ducati.ie
DUBLIN
We hope you enjoyed your summer riding as much as we did! Presenting our end of season Triumph motorcycle deals. With these great savings, now’s the time to buy!
2014 Tiger 800XC Was €12,799
NOW €10,950
2014 (unreg’d) Tiger 800XC + Extras Was €13,825 NOW €12,450
2014 (unreg’d) Explorer XC 1215cc + extras Was €19,373 NOW €17,700
2014 Rocket III Roadster Was €20,099
2014 America LT + extras Was €12,610
2014 (unreg’d) Street III R + extras Was €13,135 NOW €10,750
NOW €10,450
NOW €15,450
Test rides & finance available subject to terms & conditions. Contact us now for trade-in pricing. BBG 129.indd 25
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{FreshMetal}
XC is the tough guy of the two, the “The one that will take the rider to places usually unridden. ”
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Triumph Tiger 800 XC
Tiger
{Words Paul Browne Images Morgan Keane}
Extra
THE TIGER 800XC, MORE THAN THE SUM OF IT’S PARTS?
A
lice asks, “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat. “I don’t much care where –” said Alice. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat. If Alice adventured on a motorcycle then surely the cat would have been a Tiger? Triumphs Tiger 800 XC takes the more conventional Tiger with its cast wheels and relatively low seat and gives it the split model treatment, creates an adventure version of the middleweight great British bike. The ‘X’, or ‘ex’ is pronounced as cross and the ‘C’ bit stands for country. It is, therefore, a Cross Country motorbike. That moniker and its skinny oversized front wheel combined with the matt green paint on the bike on test promise a rewarding trade of motorways for country lanes and badly sequenced traffic lights for forest trails where no one will interrupt the more meaningful ‘commute’. Where as the original, standard, model seems to be a smaller safer option the XC has the afore mentioned bigger front wheel, both front and
rear have spokes, the XC has different and higher handlebars, as well as longer suspension travel. Indeed it’s the tough guy of the two, the one that will take oversized panniers that were made in a shed and has enough space on the front forks to attach a luggage roll. The one that will take a navigator mount on either side of the handlebars and the one that will wear a brown coloured sheepskin on the riders’ saddle without complaint. While both machines were developed at the same time it is easy to presume that the XC was the one that evolved from the standard bike. As with most of the Triumph range careful evolution seems to be the name of the game. The 799cc triple engine may be new for this bike and its’ sibling but it is actually an evolution from the 675 block used in the remarkably wonderful Street Triple and the Daytona 675. Fire the bike up and, even through the euro compliant end can and exhaust, and the reward is a growl that’s simply fantastic. Once on board, this motorcycle has an honesty about it that is shared throughout the Triumph range, its easy to ride, responsive and feels like
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{FreshMetal} something that the people who designed it and built it did so that they could enjoy the best bike that could be made. The gearbox is effortless and clutchless upshifts are silky smooth. Going down the way it is obvious that there’s no slipper or traction control. Even under breaking the back end feedback is positive for the lack of any and all electrics. Up the front the screen is small enough to be unobtrusive, yet tall enough to keep most of the buffeting away. The switchgear is simple, good quality stuff and the clocks are easy to read. The rev counter is analogue and the digital screen displays all the pertinent information with a clear and remarkably accurate fuel gauge, a gear indicator and as well as a nice big numerical speedo. The rider and pillion seats are stepped units, and the riders saddle is height adjustable in the simplest of ways, just unlock the seats with the ignition key, lift off the pillion seat first and then the riders seat. There is a support bar, which mounts the cushion to the frame of the bike. Each bar has a choice of two fitting points, relocate both to the higher setting refit the seats and it renders both seats the same height and gives the rider that vital couple of inches over the standard height. In a
lot of ways this small feature completes the XC experience in a very powerful way. Once underway a few things become noticeable. The bigger engine produces a heap of power at the lower to middle end of the rev range. This makes the bike extraordinarily easy to ride. The throttle response is something that the developers in Triumph should be very proud of. It is, quite simply, impeccable. The clutch is also light enough to use and the gearbox slick enough to sustain easy clutchless upshifts. The afore mentioned seat is deep enough to sit on for a day and the temptation to ride a little further than necessary becomes somewhat of a constant. Triumph have, of course, anticipated this and there are a host of extras available. A full set of luggage is where it starts with a pair of panniers and a top box. You can then go the whole adventure route with engine bars; a sump guard and fog light kit as well as a centre stand. The existing hand protectors can be supplemented with a set of heated grips. For lighter, sportier, use there is an Arrow end can, a set of short adjustable clutch and brake levers as well as a fabric tail pack kit. This is, of course, a very busy market segment and the choice
is huge. In a market that was once defined by the Africa Twin from Honda and the F650GS from BMW things have moved on significantly. Suzuki’s’ V Strom 650 has become the budget standard for the class, a slot closely competed for by Kawasaki’s more than excellent Versys 650. Honda have the new and bigger engined Crossrunner which exploits the old VFR engine in a wonderful way while Yamahas 660 Ténéré does the off road thing so very well. Then of course there is the F 800 GS from BMW, widely regarded as the bestseller and new class leader. With a starting price of €11,999 it comes out slightly more expensive than the Beemer. The pricing does, however, swing back and forth once we start adding extras. Heated grips, for example, are more expensive on the Triumph but the pannier fasteners come as standard whereas they are €300 on the BM. The sticker prices are, therefore, not nearly as relevant as the fully specced ones and that list should always be personal. As for my preference, I have to confess to being addicted to the engine characteristics of the Triumph. The noise and the early power delivery will do it for me every time.
Tiger 800 XC takes the more conventional Tiger with its cast “Triumphs wheels and relatively low seat and gives it the split model treatment ”
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Triumph Tiger 800 XC
The Stats: Triumph Tiger 800 XC Engine type Liquidcooled, 12 valve, DOHC, inline 3cylinder Displacement 799cc Bore x stroke 74 x 61.9mm Carburetion Multipoint sequential elec tronic fuel injection Maximum power 95bhp @ 9,300rpm Maximum torque 79Nm @ 7,850rpm Clutch Wet, MultiPlate Transmission 6-speed, O Ring chain final drive Front suspension Showa 45mm upside down forks, 220mm travel Rear suspension Showa monoshock with remote oil reservoir, hydraulically adjustable preload, rebound damping adjustment, 215mm rear wheel travel Front brake Twin 308mm floating discs, Nissin 2piston sliding calipers, Switchable ABS Rear brake Single 255mm disc, Nissin single piston sliding caliper, Switchable ABS Front wheel 36spoke 21 x 2.5in, aluminium rim Rear wheel 32spoke 17 x 4.25in, aluminium rim Front tyre 90/9021 Rear tyre 150/70 R17 Rake/trail 23o10â&#x20AC;&#x2122;/91.1mm Wheelbase 1,568mm Seat height 845- 865mm Fuel capacity 19 litres Wet weight 215kg
Call Carole Nash today for a competitive quote for this bike on 1800 818 789
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{Classic Bikes}
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WITH THE ARIEL MAKE ABOUT TO MAKE A COMEBACK ROLAND BROWN RIDES A PRISTINE 56 YEAR OLD EXAMPLE.
The Leader
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utting effortlessly and rather stylishly through the traffic, the bike with which Ariel tried to change the face of motorcycling seems practical and fun — but hardly revolutionary. I’m impressed by its handling and reasonably lively two-stroke engine; less so by the feeble brakes. When the road opens out and the speed rises, I’m glad of the protection provided by the tall screen, and barely conscious of the engine that’s hidden away down below. When you ride an Ariel Leader these days, it’s hard to imagine what all the fuss was about on its launch more than half a century ago. Fairings, full bodywork, hard luggage and features like clocks and indicators seem completely normal — but that was far from true when the Leader was launched in 1958. Back then, the bike was a truly radical machine about which Ariel’s slogan “Tomorrow’s Design Today” rang true. The Leader was technically innovative, futuristic even, and back in the Fifties it was also rather strange and confusing. Its weather protection and styling owed much to scooters, while its 250cc parallel twin engine and its chassis gave the performance and handling of a motorcycle. As the era of Mods and Rockers was beginning, the Leader held a unique position, having one wheel in each camp in much the same way that Honda’s Integra twin does today. The Leader, along with the stripped-down and slightly more conventional Arrow model that followed two years later, was a bold attempt by Ariel — a famous old marque, by this time part of the giant BSA group — to provide a practical, easily maintained machine for the ordinary motorcyclist. The firm from Selly Oak, near Birmingham, was best known for its four-strokes, from singles to the famous Square Four, so the Leader’s twostroke engine merely added to the sense of surprise generated by its styling and features. Val Page, Ariel’s chief designer, had begun work on the new machine in 1955. His 250cc parallel twin two-stroke engine design owed much to that of the German Adler, whose 54 x 54mm dimensions and angled-forward cylinder layout it shared. (Although Ariel did not admit the connection, the bikes could use each others’ pistons — and it’s probably no coincidence that Leader is almost an anagram of Adler.) Peak output was a claimed 16hp at 6400rpm. If the engine was quite unusual, especially for Ariel, then the chassis was far more so. The frame was a pressed steel backbone from which the engine was suspended at three points. Front forks were of a trailing link design, with their lower end workings hidden behind steel pressings. Further pressed steel sections gave the Leader its distinctive appearance. The dummy fuel tank, complete with rubber knee grips, could store an open-face helmet; petrol lived in the main frame section, with the filler cap under the seat. The fairing was made from similar pressed steel and, with its leg-shields and near-vertical screen, gave a generous amount of weather protection. There was also a cowl for the headlamp, a pressing to cover the handlebar wiring, and a hinged tail section holding the number plate and rear light. This bike, a very nicely restored 1962-model Leader, also had a good selection from Ariel’s optional accessories list, including a clock, the metal panniers, and
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Ariel Leader (1962) {Words Roland Brown Images Phil Masters}
“Tomorrow’s Design Today”
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The Leader
{Classic Bikes}
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turn signals that are operated by a small lever on the left handlebar. With so much sheet metal in its construction, I’d expected the Leader to feel heavy and pretty cumbersome. But in fact it weighed a reasonable 141kg, and my first thought after jumping aboard was of how light and manoeuvrable it felt. Its flat handlebars gave an upright riding position behind that tall screen, with feet on conventional motorcycle footrests. The old bike certainly looked good, too. Finish was not one of the Leader’s strong points when new, but this bike’s recently applied paintwork was good and thick. Starting was notoriously unreliable, but the engine was at least easy to turn over. Petrol on, pull out the choke lever, and a few light kicks had the motor firing up with a typical, though slightly muffled, two-stroke ring-ding and a puff of oily smoke from twin silencers suspended at their rear by angled brackets. This 1962-model bike benefited from the previous year’s engine update, a new cylinder head with centrally placed spark plugs, which boosted power slightly to 17.5hp at 7000rpm. Even so, performance was adequate rather than exciting as I let out the light clutch and pulled away, taking care with a four-speed gearbox that shifted cleanly, but required a very long movement of my right boot to find the next ratio. The Leader accelerated pretty briskly to 80km/h and cruised happily between that speed and about 95km/h, with a little in hand before its top speed of about 110km/h. For a parallel twin the 180-degree crankshaft motor was fairly smooth, although some vibration came through the seat and pegs at higher revs. There was no tachometer in the dashboard, just an ammeter and the clock on either side of the centrally placed, black-faced Smith’s speedometer. If the Leader’s engine performance was unexceptional even by late-Fifties standards, the bike’s handling earned it many favourable comments. Although the suspension was fairly basic, and the forks didn’t have much travel so clonked over bigger bumps, the bike generally felt pleasantly agile, and was as happy being flicked through bends and dodging traffic as sitting at a steady 90km/h on the open road. Back in the late Fifties, the Leader’s 16-inch Dunlop whitewall tyres were regarded as too hard for aggressive cornering, especially in the wet. This bike wore Avon Speedmasters, which are hardly noted for their exceptional grip but gave no problem on dry roads. The Ariel’s sporty feel was let down by its lack of ground clearance, as the centrestand touched down in right-hand bends at moderate angles. Of rather more concern, and commented on even when the bike was new, was the Leader’s mediocre braking. Squeezing the handlebar lever as hard as I could brought little response from the 152mm single-leading-shoe front drum, and the similar rear unit wasn’t much better. With so much more traffic on the roads these days, that’s a flaw that a modern-day Leader rider has to bear in mind at all times. Back in the Fifties the lack of stopping power didn’t put off many people, and although the Leader was not welcomed by every motorcyclist it was generally well received. It was voted Motor Cycle News “Machine of the Year” in 1959, its first full year, and initially sold well. The unfaired Arrow, introduced in 1960, and the racier Super Sports Arrow (known as the Golden Arrow) of a year later were also quite popular, and were used with some success in club road-racing. But it is also true that the two-strokes had some annoying faults that Ariel never completely got round to sorting out. The engines were smoky and could be hard to start, especially when cold. Electrics were unreliable, and the gearbox caused problems. Although the engine and gearbox could be overhauled without removal from the frame, both the faired and
unfaired twins were difficult to work on. Ariel’s failure to develop the two-strokes in the early Sixties resulted in sales rapidly dropping away. In the Leader’s case, this was partly because the bike was in competition with both the new Mini car and also Honda’s sophisticated 250cc Dream twin. (The bike did however remain popular with police forces.) The two-strokes’ long-term failure proved disastrous for the company, because Ariel had completely abandoned four-stroke manufacture
16/10/2014 18:03
Ariel Leader (1962)
The Stats: Ariel Leader (1962) Engine type Aircooled two-stroke parallel twin Displacement 249cc Bore x stroke 54 x 54mm Compression ratio 10:1 Carburation 7/8in Amal Monobloc Claimed power 17.5hp @ 6750rpm (original model 16hp @ 6400rpm) Transmission 4-speed Electrics 6V battery, coil ignition Frame Pressed steel spine Front suspension Trailing link forks, no adjust ment Rear suspension Twin shock absorbers, no adjustment Front brake 6in (152mm) sls drum Rear brake 6in (152mm) sls drum Front tyre 3.25 x 16in (Avon Speedmaster Mk2) Rear tyre 3.25 x 16in (Avon Speedmaster Mk2) Wheelbase Not available Seat height 787mm Fuel capacity 14 litres Weight 141kg (without panniers)
in 1960, so had nothing else on which to fall back. In 1963 Ariel production was moved across Birmingham from the firm’s traditional base at Selly Oak to the BSA factory at Small Heath. It was a clear sign that the end was approaching for Ariel. BSA’s boss was the autocratic Edward Turner, legendary designer of bikes including the Ariel Square Four and Triumph Speed Twin. Turner disliked anything that rivalled his own machines, and had already scrapped several experimental Ariel projects.
In mid-1965 Ariel abandoned production of the Leader, followed shortly afterwards by the Arrow. The official reason was that gearbox supplier Burman could no longer supply parts, but in reality BSA had little time for Ariel, whose great two-stoke gamble had failed. Although BSA would use the Ariel name again — on the 50cc Pixie and three-wheeled Ariel-3, both of which were disasters — one of the greatest British marques was effectively dead... at least until its recent, spectacular revival with the Ace.
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NEW Gear Scion 2L Toasty Waterproof Jacket
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lpinestars’ new RideOut collection is ideal for riding in the city or escaping to the mountain trails and the Scion 2 Layer Jacket is the perfect example of fusing form and function. Featuring a two layer, dual-bonded main construction for excellent waterproofing and breathability, plus CE certified protection and plenty of personalisation options the Scion 2 Layer is as versatile as it is practical. From Lee Honda and Megabikes from €179.00.
Ventura Luggage
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ew Zealand luggage specialists Ventura have announced fitting kits for Honda’s new CB650F and updated VFR800F, as well as the Ducati Hyperstrada 820. Their pack rack system has traditionally appealed to riders of sports bikes, because it combines the lightness of soft luggage with the stability of hard luggage, without increasing the width of the bike or affecting handling. Prices vary depending on which bike you ride, call Robbie on 014784200 for more information.
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ew from Weise, these ‘Runway’ gloves combine the latest materials to ensure your digits stay warm and dry throughout the winter. The outer shell of the Runway is made from Nyspan, a four-way stretch fabric that allows freedom of movement, while the palm and fingers are leather, which is twin-layered over impact points. Beneath the outer shell is a McTEX waterproof, windproof and breathable lining, plus a thinsulate 200 gram lining to the back of hand for maximum insulation. Cleverly, the palm is insulated with a 60 gram thinsulate lining, giving the wearer better feel for the motorcycle’s controls. The inner linings are held in place with the McFIT system, which attaches them without stitching, helping them stay firmly in place without uncomfortable seams, twisting or pulling free. The glove has an inner storm cuff and a pull cord to outer cuff to protect against water running down the sleeve and into the glove. See the team at Lee Honda in Cork for more details. For prices and availability contact Rosso Ducati on 014642211.
Ducati Corse T It’s never too early to start them off on the long and rewarding road that is motorcycling. There are several pieces for babies and toddlers in Rosso Ducati on the Red Cow in Dublin. Prices start at a tenner, get there quick before an other of the childs uncles do.
Gold Gloves K
nox armour has teamed up with a New York fashion designer, Marlon Gobel to showcase their Handroid gloves. Presented during New York Fashion Week the show featured Gold and Silver versions of the TT riders favourite gloves. Rumours that these are to be added to the range have been denied. Readers from Stillorgan, Foxrock and surrounding neighbourhoods are asked to stay strong.
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NEW Gear Bridgestone T30
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ridgestones T30 is now the reference point for motorcycle touring tyres. Available from official Bridgestone dealers and tyre specialists nationwide. Interestingly enough there is enough grip and performance on offer to warrant the Ron Haslam school using them on their Hondas at the Donnington Park based track and riding school.
New Triple Bubble Screens
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kidmarx now offer a triple bubble screen. Originally developed in 2008 for use on race bikes at the Isle of Man TT, where riders need a taller screen for enhanced wind protection over a longer distance, until now triple bubbles have only been available for racing. Based on the company’s proven double bubble design, the triple bubble inserts an extra tier, that not only increases the height of the screen but also brings it further back. This is an ideal set up for road going sports bike riders who prefer a more upright riding position, particularly those using bar risers, as the triple bubble significantly increases the air pocket behind the screen, reducing the need to ‘tuck in’ for wind protection at high speed. www. megabikes.ie
R&G Dress The New KTM RC 125 Range
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&G has worked fast to produce a large range of protection and styling bolt-on products for the new KTM RC 125. With the much-anticipated bike only arriving at dealers earlier this month, the world leader in motorcycle crash protection knows that riders will want to start protecting and customising this highly capable 125 immediately. The company offers its core range of damage protection products, including the Aero Crash Protectors, Engine Case Covers and Fork Protectors along with items like its Tail Tidy that drastically sharpens the appearance of the bike’s rear.
Knox Cold Killers
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his award winning windproof clothing has been completely redesigned for 2015, with a luxurious fabric on the inside, a restyled exterior and new minimalist branding. Soft and plush Velboa, a low pile fur-like material, gives the interior a luxurious feel, while the stretchy exterior combines soft shell and herringbone weave fabrics for a contemporary look. A high performance membrane is sandwiched between the fabrics to provide a complete barrier against the wind and cold, combined with excellent breathability. Within the collection are two styles of windproof neck tubes, a balaclava, inner gloves and cosy socks, plus two different types of jackets and sport pants, created for men and women. Designed to be worn in everyday life by people with an active lifestyle, or motorcyclists the range can be found in Megabikes.
www.bikebuyersguide.ie
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e now have a fantastic range of used bikes offered for sale on our new and rather splendid website, www. bikebuyersguide.ie. There is also a news feed and buying guide. Best of all, its free to advertise all and any motorcycles from now until the end of the year.
To see the full range and for more information visit www.megabikes.ie
LANCE 3L Waterproof Jacket
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he Lance 3 Layer Jacket is part of Alpinestars’ innovative RideOut collection, which fuses functional outdoor garment capabilities with motorcycle performance technology. Class-leading riding protection incorporated into an outdoors-action jacket with bags of weatherproofing and comfort features, makes the Lance 3 Layer perfect for those wanting to escape the city on their bike. We want one because it has a hood. Megabikes or Lee Honda from €299.00.
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November 2014 Saturday
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TonerTalks
{Words Tony Toner}
PONY UP
P “Let the Joe Show begin”
eaceful and serene as it was, the alarm music was still an intrusion into my all too short night’s sleep. One might assume that after decades of practice, my packing skills would have allowed me form a better relationship with my bed on the eve of a journey, but no, that 23kg limit and protective motorcycle gear are an unhealthy mix – four hours was all I was getting. What could easily be the 5am ice-bucket challenge removed all remnants of sleep from my eyes and other regions, the shower in no great hurry to dispense its darts in a more tactile manner, my chances of escaping what might easily look like a machete attack on my subsequent liaison with a Mach3, much improved. Polo shirt, track suit bottoms and comfy runners would get me through the impending seven and a half hour flight, my ninja movement and dressing in the dark a total success, as Lady Tina never missed a beat, her gentle but definite (!) snoring akin to walking into the kitchen and hearing the diesel clatter emanating from your fridge. Passing the bathroom, the noise from the electric shower told me Chris was up, a quick squint into his room on the flyby telling me that everything was in its place and he was most definitely ready. Flicking on the kettle, the loud yawn and addendum yelp told me that Kodie, our one year old Kerry Blue, was up and no doubt wondering what the feck was going on. After some additional stretches, Kodie dispensed her usual frantic welcome to the day, half-biting, always licking and leg-nuzzling – her idea of time difference and absence on a completely different orbit than us homo-sapiens. Dave arrived bang on schedule, my room-mate for the next two weeks and fellow road adventurer for many years, Shay, doing all he could to deny that it was normal for him to be up at this hour - his relationship with early mornings frostier than anything Kellogg’s could ever put in a box. Having been asked many times on the difficulties of long motorcycle tours, my stock answer has always been, “the hardest thing we have to do is get your foot onto that plane!” There is little joy in airports anymore, the three hour aperitifs of cueing for a cue, has dissipated that many years ago. Falling into line and walking in staccato steps for two kilometres, when your exit door is 10 linear metres away is still a monumental pain. Security at ground level is and must be thorough, the alternative of a plus 30-thousand feet flaw not one I want to experience, so I walk the walk. Once through and its time to sit down and grab some breakfast, everyone now definitely wide awake, Shay actually communicating with those around him in more than a monotone, two-syllable, touch me and you’re dead scenario.
One of the great joys of touring motorcycling has to be in the sharing of routes, stories and if possible, road time with friends. Showing someone a new route or bringing them on one they know, but not in the way they do is always satisfying - watching as they absorb the journey and get what you get. I’ve known Nessa for many years, her late husband a great friend and someone I was genuinely in awe off, his smooth natural road skill always as bafflingly simple to watch, as it was inspiring. Their plans to motorcycle together across the worlds great roads never came to fruition, as the indiscriminate illness of cancer took Eamon far too soon. Nessa joined me on her first Route 66 tour in 2008, her inner strength so much greater than that required for her first physical introduction to a Harley, albeit she was rattling at the thought. Within the first road session, Nessa had settled into the Harley Soft-tail and over the next few years added two more trips on 66, all on Harley’s, to her international and domestic resume. Never in all our travels have we shared the road, a factor that was now going to be addressed. As we pushed time back at 35,000 feet, we got the chance to reminisce and catch up, the 5,000 kilometres of Pony Express a new chapter for both of us as friends and most certainly as motorcyclists. On this trip my ViceCaptain will be my good friend, Goose, whose sense of direction is only surpassed by one of Obama’s drones and who eclectic knowledge base ranges from cloud formations, to topography, to his beloved trees, to a local history at every stop – let the Joe Show begin!! My pillion on this trip would be Stephen, a guy with a sense of adventure that didn’t include, as yet, the desire to actually ride a motorcycle - methinks this trans-continental safari will most definitely change that. Pillions can often be the forgotten sector of motorcycling, the rider taking all the plaudits on machine and lifestyle choice, whilst too many pillions sit in the dirty air, all the while wearing inferior gear than their pilot. Stephen’s role would be one of Tour Photographer, his protective clothing spot on for the journey’s ahead. Stephen is joined on his first jaunt across the American continent by Paul, a much travelled man, but relatively new to motorcycling, his education about to get a serious injection of pace. Leo and Mary, having completed Route 66 previously would now add another trans-America chapter to their road history – Mary already designated the Purser for the trip. Paddy, a Goldwinger at home, would now astride a different motorcycle, amalgamating his sampling of road and motorcycle for a whole new experience. And we haven’t even landed yet!! Pony Up!!
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QUALITY APPROVED USED BMW BIKES AT KEARYS MOTORRAD CORK
Kearys Motorrad
BMW APPROVED USED BIKES WARRANTY ONLY AVAILABLE AT OFFICIAL BMW DEALERS
The Ultimate Riding Machine
2012 BMW S1000 RR Heated Grips, Riding modes, ESA, Immobiliser, Metallic paintwork, Onboard computer, Warranty, ABS. 1 year approved used BMW warranty.
2008 BMW R1200 RT Adjustable windscreen, ESA, Cruise control, Warranty, Tax, Top Box, Panniers, Metallic paintwork, Immobiliser, Heated Seats, Heated Grips, ABS .This bike comes fully serviced and a 1 year BMW warranty. In as new condition.
2005 BMW K1200 S Beautiful K1200 S in rare blue and white colours, comes with REMUS exhaust and 1 year BMW warranty. Dry miles, ABS, ESA, Onboard computer, Heated Grips, Panniers.
2012 BMW F800 ST F800 ST in really good condition comes with panniers, heated grips, LED indicators, ABS and a 1 years BMW warranty
2011 BMW R1200 GS Adventure A rare 30 year anniversary model GS Adventure, very clean and comes with full luggage, spot lights, 1 year BMW warranty. Fully loaded.
2007 BMW K1200 R Sport Warranty, Onboard computer, Immobiliser, Heated Grips, Crash Protectors, Alarm, Adjustable suspension, ABS,This bike comes fully serviced and has a 1 year approved BMW used warranty.
2012 BMW R1200 RT Cruise Control, Adjustable Windscreen, Tax, Warranty, Panniers, Onboard Computer, Metallic paintwork, Immobiliser, Heated Seats, Heated Grips, ESA, ASC, Alarm, ABS.This bike comes fully serviced and has a 1 year approved BMW used warranty.
2013 BMW F700 GS Onboard computer, LED indicators, Immobiliser, Metallic paintwork, Import, Good Condition, Heated Grips, ASC, ESA, Alarm and ABS. 1 year approved used BMW warranty.
COME AND VIEW OUR APPROVED USED BIKES. HISTORY KNOWN. FUTURE GUARANTEED... 12 MONTH BMW APPROVED USED BIKE WARRANTY SERVICING UP TO DATE INDEPENDENT VEHICLE HISTORY AND MILEAGE CHECK FINANCE AVAILABLE ON ALL USED BMW BIKES We’re proud to say that Kearys is the home of BMW Motorrad in Ireland and we are just as passionate about our bikes as you are. We are very excited about 2014 and with four new models arriving its going to be quite busy. If you are seeking a new or a used motorcycle then rest assured we have a bike to suit you. If you have never taken the opportunity to ride a BMW then now is your chance and with BMW Select Finance it couldn’t be easier
Kearys Motorrad
Eastgate Business Park, Little Island, Cork BBG 129.indd 39
021 500 3600 www.kearysmotorrad.ie 16/10/2014 17:22
{SecondHand}
I
n a sportsbike universe seemingly obsessed with pushing away the, up till now, physically impossible to breach 200bhp limit it can be easy to forget the more usable 600cc class. With fewer cc’s and less power it would be easy to assume that these machines are some how less than or not as useable as the litre class. Tell that to anyone who rides an R6 though, and he or she’ll smile knowingly at your naivety. 133bhp in a machine that weighs in at 166 kilos dry and revs out to 17,500 rpm makes, not for second best but, for a giant slayer. This is a bike that has been designed for one thing and one thing only. Going fast. And that’s what it does very, very well. There are no luggage racks, heated grips or ABS systems. This bike doesn’t even pretend to have what is necessary to tour. It’s all about fast laps, cool leathers and black visors. When we initially picked the bike on test up from the dealer we were surprised to see that a bike that looked so fresh was actually registered in 2011 and even more so to find that the model was launched in 2008. It really has aged well for a bike in a market segment that seems to change rapidly. Once on board the single mindedness of this machine becomes even more evident. At low revs around the city it’s a challenging ride and although far from impossible I’d be much happier in the city on the big Japanese companys Tenere or similar.
Easy Now! YAMAHAS R6 STILL DELIGHTS
This is a bike that has “been designed for one thing and one thing only.
”
Once out on the back roads, however, and it’s a different story. Wind open the fly by wire throttle and the bike surges towards the next corner, which comes up a little hastily. Closing off and gently squeezing the front results in the weight of the bike being tipped forward and the oh so gentle shimmy as the Bridgestone’s earn their keep. This is an involving ride even at legal(ish) speeds. Once on the track it starts to really shine. The trick with riding these things fast is, apparently, to keep the revs high and the gear changes late. When I follow these simple instructions the R6 becomes rideable in ways that the litre class never will be. Over the crest and down to the corner formally known as Parabolica and I’m running in deep holding the revs and quick turning a la California Super Bike School and I’m rewarded with a razor sharp handled turn where I’ve carried more speed than I’d ever dare on bigger bike. Back in the paddock the bikes BT 023s are suitably blistered and the once ‘little’ bike looks mean and dedicated to its mission. While perhaps not the best thing in the world to filter through the traffic on the Rock Road on a rainy Tuesday in February the R6 is rightly regarded as a legend on the track. If you’re in the market for a track day bike or like your Sunday mornings fast then this could well be the machine for you. The bike on test came from Megabikes in Dublin; contact Ciaran on 014784200 for more details.
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Yamaha R6 {Words Dessie Melon Images Morgan Keane}
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{SecondHand}
T
hey say you should never meet your heroes, icons you have held in a place of reverence for years, the possibility of sharing their company more remote than those elusive six numbers on a Saturday night. Having sampled most touring motorcycles on the market, there remains only a small few I have yet to lasso into my grasp, my hope forever eternal. With Celtic Horizon Tours, we already had the Pony Express Tour recce’d and mapped, the adding of a liaison with the latest Indian Chieftain, all 1,800cc’s of its 49°v-twin vibe, was far too tempting to resist. After all, a true-blue Dub called Charles Franklin designed the original Scout and Indian Chief back in the 1920’s, so it seemed only right that this ‘21st century Paddy’ was going to give it a hockey!! Indian suffered several financial meltdowns since 1901, 1953, then again in 2003 and 2011, until its takeover by Polaris Industries Inc., based in Spirit Lake, Iowa, (who also own Victory Motorcycles), a company with a $3 billion per year turnover, its future surely now more stable than its past. From picking up the Chieftain at Eagle Rider, Chicago, I had the expanse of North America routed into my Garmin 660, its location suctioned to the inside of the electric screen and powered via the socket just below – excellent!! Getting the opportunity to then test ride this touring motorcycle over 5,000kms, that included me carrying a pillion, would unquestionably separate the romance from the reality. My first thought on seeing the Chieftain parked amid other motorcycles, including Harleys and Goldwings, was of how physically imposing it is. Long, with thick, wide, 37” handlebars, this is one big, substantial motorcycle, weighing in at 385kg wet. I liked it from the off. Being on the long side myself, the low saddle, (26”, 660mm), was a concern until I assumed the position and found immediately that someone has a tape measure back in Iowa. With a wheelbase of 1668mm against the Harley Davidson’s Electra Glides 1,625mm and the Goldwings 1,689mm, the Indian’s design intent is unashamedly on long distance touring. Immediately the Chieftain looks and feels quality, the fit and finish oozing class. Cruiser/Touring v-twins should not be confused with multi-cylinder machines, their particular ideology and function to deliver a drive experience that takes the ‘antic’ out of frantic. With design cues that go back from its inception in 1901, the full front mudguard with its Indian Chief icon, the engine design and quite simply the name font and emblem, all got me at ‘Hello’. I just hoped living with the Chieftain over the next 5,000 kilometres was going to live up to the expectation. My Chieftain was resplendent in black,
the gold insignia on the 21-litre tank sides and ‘Indian’ font denoting its identity every eye-tour. Standard toys included everything from Bluetooth, iPhone USB dock, Electric Screen, Fly by Wire Throttle, Keyless access, Tyre Pressure Monitoring, Gear Position Indicator, Central Locking, two power sockets, ABS, Radio and various other trinkets. One press of the power button and a prod of the starter resulted in the big v-twin firing into life, the immediate feeling one of smoothness and a hint of bad intention. The exhaust note is civilised and with first gear selected, the Chieftain pulls away on the flat without throttle, the 1800cc engine immediately informing about its 156Nm of torque’s influence on your progress forwards. The one factor that was apparent and constant with the Chieftain was that of ‘room’ - allowing me and my 34 inch legs to enjoy one of the most comfortable riding positions I have ever sampled. Coming with footboards and a conventional gear selector, my heel went searching for the shifter on many occasions, its ‘Harley’ convenience absent from my upward desire. That said, the gear change was positive and smooth, downshifts on the blip particularly satisfying, the raised exhaust note barking addictively on every selection. Out of Chicago and onto Historic Route 66 for Day 1, the Indian felt right on all roads, suburbs, Interstate and the magical original Mother Road. Even though it was hauling two guys of substance, it was more than able to boogie when asked, all the while the suspension, preset 46mm front and rear air-suspension was excellent. Running on 16” wheels, 130 front and 180 rear Dunlop tyres, the handling of the Chieftain was always sure, never shaking its head or wandering off my intended line. Over the next nine States, a not insignificant mountain range called the Rockies, averaging 500 kilometres daily and temperatures in the 90’s, it was never fazed, its provision of comfort for pillion and I never causing a question. All the way, I was joined by Shay on an Indian Vintage, his opinion mirroring my own in that out of the mists of its historic past, these latest Indian tourers tick all the boxes. The original founders, George Hendee and Oscar Hedstrom, will surely be smiling as the Chieftain, Vintage and just released Scout, place the name Indian firmly back on the Touring menu. Should you be heading Stateside, a quick phone call to Dave Buckley at Celtic Horizon Tours to reserve the Indian Chieftain/Vintage for your next tour, should be seriously considered. We should all be excited on meeting a hero of motorcycling – a bit like a chocoholic finding out your Dad is Willy Wonka!! To ride America on an Indian, or a host of other bikes, contact Celtic Horizon Tours on 01 629 2000.
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Indian Chieftain
Summer
{Words Tony Toner Images Press}
Indian
TONY TONER RIDES A CHIEFTAIN ACROSS THE ICONIC PONY EXPRESS ROUTE
The Chieftain looks and “feels quality, the fit and
”
finish oozing class
{BikaeBuyersGuide} 43 BBG 129.indd 43
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Ducati FP.pdf
1
18/09/2014
11:05
C
ROSSO
RED COW RETAIL CENTRE ROBINHOOD ROAD BALLYMOUNT, DUBLIN 22 01 4642211 info@ducati.ie www.ducati.ie
Modern Ducati motorcycles boast 24000km major service intervals along with superb reliability. And at Rosso Ducati, we‘ve even got them at great prices
2014 1199 Panigale + extras 2013 1199 Panigale S + extras 2013 848 Evo Was €25,450 NOW €20,495 Was €28,645 NOW €21,750 Was €15465
NOW €12,450
2014 (unreg’d) Monster 1200 S 2013 Streetfighter 1100 S + extras 2012 Diavel Red Was €18,650 NOW €16,450 Was €23,350 NOW €14,800 Was €20,995
NOW €13,495
2014 Multistrada 1200 2013 Multistrada 1200 GT + extras 2011 Multistrada 1200 + extras Was €18,450 NOW €15,950 Was €24,595 NOW €18,450 Was €20,200 NOW €11,450 Test rides & finance available subject to terms & conditions. Contact us now for trade-in pricing. BBG 129.indd 44
16/10/2014 17:23
“
Column Column
Pablo’s Cafe Pablo’sCafe SHINY SIDE UP PLEASE!
{Words Paul Browne}
{Words Paul Browne}
Who’s crashing their bikes and why?
A H
NO MAN IS AN ISLAND t the time of writing the inbox on my desk top is full of stories and questions about an appalling weekend for motorcyclists. Last weekend alone four of us died. At this point in the year there
Cavalcades of
“ weather is “The motorcycles are
perfect. We haven’t hugely impressive, seen a drop for some to of riderain in, forforseveral weeks others to watch.” now and the evenings seem to be endless.”
Yet as soon as the good weather starts we see the same thing every year. Morons appear on Gixxers wearing t-shirts
lid throughand traffic, most of itthirty cars. grand No oneUltras is talking to youridden or aving recently been exposed to the US based cargo pants, are being by blokes have been 14 motorcycling deaths on Irish roads. engaging with you in any meaningful way. It’s just you, your Motorcycle Safety Foundations guide to riding in jeans and t shirts with piss pot WWII style helmets and The weather is perfect. We haven’t seen a drop of rain forcraft and the road ahead with all its rewards and challenges. in a group I’m thinking about never, ever riding similarly attired pillions! Then of course there’s my favorite, several weekswith nowany and the than evenings seem motorto be endless. The As someone who commutes daily and gets to benefit from anywhere more one other the commuter on the Deauville withtothe time I’ve grown feelarmoured greedy jacket, cyclist again. are practical, road raceever season is inThe fullsuggestions flight and there is at least one this 20 to 30 minutes of quiet highI resent vis vest,those tracksuit pants andon noit.gloves. around it and who encroach Here atSure the its warm out, for the most part,run andorconsist stating the obvious, charity rally ofofsome sort inblindingly every county in the country magazine how we receive a hostyou of invitations to people ride outwho withride bikes while such as filling the tank with petrol before riding out, wearing else would dress? As for every weekend if not more. For those of us on two wheels it people each month,trainers, most ofI’d them events to raise awareness a helmet and so on. The best bits of this ‘guide’ come when wearing politely suggest that you takeorup hand doesn’t get much than this.systems to control funding for causes that are more than deserving. Some of these appointing the group leadersbetter and designing We don’t need you here. havewell,gliding. the group. Or is it all as good as it seems? The Gardai and the RSAwork others don’t. Here this magazine contributors I need to the be hyper aware ofride thehundreds of The firstcome thingout that youashould do, apparently, is organise with joint statement halfway throughathe yearRiding in a groupinwhere thousands kilometres every year. We ride these off road. We ride various different rideroftypes that percolate up through meeting. Aappealing meeting. to Really. thissafely meeting be a us toAtride afterthere a riseshould in motorcyclist has stopped being myUS, idea ofride funin some timeand we ride discussion incorporating topics such as who will lead the group, social gatherings on the street. We ride in the we Europe deaths this year. And this time they haven’t held back with ago. There are the wavers, the riders in front who suddenly roll who will sweep the group. Immediately after this meeting on track. In spite of this we all monitor what we call our ‘road details. off without warning as they lift their right hand off the bar to has takenthe place the newly minted leaders of the group should fitness’ and do a skills assessment each year. They’ve published wholeand host of nasty salute their audience, causing a flurry of braking behind them assess their fellow riders riding a ability riding style.facts Theyand figures Ownership of abest bikenot is not enough to back keep of you safe on one. as following riders do their to run into the each should then base rest of the including the pace that maythe put some of ride, our presumptions aboutand who amongst other. route, on their findings. Rider skills depreciate over time. Riding in a different discius is most vulnerable and how accidents with other vehicles Then there the high wearers. somewhere There is a riding formation that includes something called plineare where newvis stuff can beSomeone learned such as riding off road occur. has told them that a day glo vest will make them safer riders. a ‘riding cushion’ and someone in the group should have been or doing a track day can teach you something that may well There four common of accident. vehicle Since all they need to do is make sure the silly ‘cagers’ can see nominated to carryare a toolkit, another types member a first aidAnother kit. your life. Better still do a half or full day of training with a turning into the motorcyclists path froma acellular minor road orthem, theysave don’t need to do anything else that might conAt least one person should have something called trainer that you know or one thathelmets, comes well recommended. tribute happy life. Ten-year-old casual telephone.through Then there are thecomes hand signals. a junction in at fourth. Third place is taken by to a full and clothing and Of poorly attired pillions are the name of the game After we’ve dealt with the ‘Only a fool forgets the two course you know how to ride a bike and of course it’s the motorcyclist losing control in a corner and crossing into second rule’ type statements we get to move on to the hand as well as initially an attitude of absolute certainty that they at the irritating to have ‘Captain High Vis’are natter on about the path of an oncoming vehicle where they come out on the top of their game. When the group stops rolling expect to find signals chart. The chart, there really is a chart, has a pencil life savers and the two second rule. But if you can park your endhis of abike head collision. colliding an explaining someone else’s errors to them. image of awrong rider and as on viewed fromSecond behind.isThe bike iswiththem egohave for long to listen maybe, just maybe, you’ll be oncoming vehicle while in the light middle an overtake. The first Best of all to beenough the marshals. Road bike riders with no modern and fitted with a taillight, brake andofindicators. reminded of something that you used to do, or not do, as the Never the less there are no fewer than fourteen different obvious qualifications other than boundless enthusiasm for is crashing, while overtaking, into the side of a vehicle that is telling people where and how to ride, take part to keep the hand signals, some of which incorporate a bit of leg movement case may be. That something may well save you if things go a turning right. rest of us riding as a coherent group. Tell tale signs include to signal to following riders. The lead rider should extend their wrong. On the face of it these don’t seem like the types of riding withbit strobe lights and even sirens fitted to civilian bikes. left arm straight down with the palm facing back to instruct this over regulated, Eurocratic, austere world that we thatThere’s experienced riders involved in. But weOver do. the last In following accidents riders to stop. another oneget to instructing few years as things have changed in this country findrole ourselves livingain, motorcycling is one of the last great the marshals has become little more difficult as other riders to rideMore in single file,stats which is the salute the rider indicate sitting that of the that have beenofpublished freedoms that many of us have. Each one of us that dies on road users no longer take too kindly to motorcyclists with on their bike with their left hand aloft and index finger pointing the vast majority of fatal motorcycle accidents occur on bikes no authority holding junctions as he,and its always a bloke,agets at the sky. It begs for a speech doodle with ‘Hey everyone, look the roads costs a fortune leaves behind world of over 600 cc. So they’re not all young and they definitely aren’t at the funny cloud’ written in it. shouted atheartache by someone in a ten year old Renault Clio who and a very real human cost. None of just this is all novices. perhaps all fatalities are wants to get to Lidl. My favorite one hasUnsurprisingly to be the one where thealmost lead rider nessesary. There arestop lotsby ofclosing femaletheir motorcyclists around, so the Cavalcades of motorcycles are hugely impressive, for some indicates amale. refreshment fist and putting gearSeveral all the years time’ ago andevents if you haven’t done so to ride in, forWear others‘all tothe watch. like their thumb up todon’t their reflect mouth.the This is on a bike with brake figures demographics. yet take an assessed ride with Bikesafe or an approved motorlights and indicators. a Xmas toy run would have attracted hundreds of riders and Stuff goes wrong. Car drivers and blokes in white vans impact on theIf city that itwith rode an through. These bike Having ridden some motorcycles at some events where there made a huge cycle instructor. someone ego the size of a motorcydon’t look before they pull out of side roads. The driver who’s runs seem to be getting smaller while events like Revup4DSI, has been cause to ride in a group type scenario I’ve seen some cle journalists can do this then so can you. We can all blame stuck in use. traffic an earful from their for direct which participants from point to point, seem to gaining of this carry on in I’veand yetgetting to see anyone signaling thatpassenger they crap car drivers but with very few exceptions they tend to choosing the wrong route to an important appointment and need to take a leak using the MSF prescribed hand signal, at numbers. A coincidence? I think not. come out of things well the brunt of the motorcycle is my quite version of while sittingwe in atake quiet this stagedecide I’d be less than surprised if I did. to perform ill thought out u turns in the most ridicu-Riding my room alone where I get to visit with myself and enjoy some As someone who discovered motorcycling from a pillion pain and damage when it goes wrong. lous of places. We can sit back and bitch about ‘cagers’ or road well earned solitude. be do along on this seasons outs. perspective I’ve always found a very deep peace in the middle What weI’llcan is make a really bigride effort to I’ll make sure surfaces or we can do something about it. It is interesting that donate and ride to the best of my ability. Just don’t expect me of all the leather, chrome and noise. There is of course that that it doesn’t go wrong and both avoid other people’s half theoffered fatal accidents incapacity perfect weather to be happy about it. wonderfulover anonymity by ridingoccur a large motor- conditionsallonblack a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and that the 40 to 50 accidents and reduce our own. cycle wearing bike gear, with a black visor on a black
age group are well represented in the casualty list. So we’re old enough and mature enough to own and ride big powerful bikes but so far this year we account for 15% of
BBG 129.indd 45
road deaths. For a group that accounts for 2% of road users those figures are nothing short of appalling.
Enough is enough. Until next month, ride safe.
{BikeBuyersGuide} 45
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{Feature} An Offer He Couldn’t Refuse
W
e’re all creatures of habit and with a motorcycle it’s no different, people get attached to certain makes and types. The Sunday spin can invariably end up in the same spot and on the same roads. This was the predicament for lifelong biker Alan Lynch, co-founder of the Country Roadz Riderz Group www.crrgdublin.ie , whose modus operandi is to travel to various destinations throughout Ireland, while avoiding motorways and dual carriage ways where possible. Alan, a northside Dubliner, was introduced to bikes in a time honoured way by borrowing his brothers Yamaha AS1 while still fourteen years old. Training was of the self-thought variety as compared to today’s process, survival was a measure of success on the rules of the road. Since those early days Alan has had a variety of bikes with some unusual ones. The Honda CX 500 Turbo bought second hand from the long defunct Jack Nolan’s was one of his favourites “It was a fabulous bike and I travelled as far as Rome on it. It always got great attention when it was parked up”. As happens to a lot of motorcyclist’s, family life put bikes on the back burner for a fourteen year period for Alan. Traffic jams and frustration brought a return to two wheels with a Honda CBR 400. A number of different bikes followed but his dream was to have the ultimate sports model, in his opinion, the Honda Fireblade. This dream eventually came true when Steve of NDM offered him a fantastic deal on a new last year model. “I adored the silver Fireblade and I had over forty modifications on it including lots of carbon fibre parts “. Many kilometres were put up and the bike was destined to be a keeper but as we all know new models are coming out and the lure of a BMW S1000RR was too much. As Alan sees it, he was made “an offer he couldn’t refuse “. This weapon he found easy to ride while the power, handling and technology are awesome. Over the years Alan’s requirements changed with the need to carry a pillion in comfort and the setting up of the CRRG which was more touring orientated. He now has a VFR 1200 Honda along with a BMW R1200GS Adventure which he uses on a daily basis. Long miles are no problem on these machines although, he reckons, the Honda could do with a larger fuel tank. The group is open to anybody and some participants have joined while riding out on their own. There are no rules and regulations bar common sense and road manners when out touring as a group. Alan organises the destinations and stop off points for food where the biggest decision of the trip is whether to have the mini or large Irish breakfast! The journalist in him, along with a sense of humour, comes to the fore with his trip reports and photographs which are put up on the dedicated web site. The one thing everyone has in common is a love of motorcycles and discovering new places in our green country. There is a mixture of bikes and rider capability
with ages starting from twenty five upwards. There are also other benefits as in the special discounts from Adelaide Insurance which most have availed of and good prices for motorcycle apparel from certain shops in the trade.
Alan is very happy with his bikes, however, he was mentioning how the BMW GT 1600 is very comfortable looking for touring! If you would like to go on one of the trips you can contact him at alan@crrgcrrgdublin.com.
{Words: Karl Gygax}
Me And My Bike
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BBG 129.indd 47
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Boots Kit Guide “When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.” So says Winnie The Pooh and he doesn’t even ride a motorbike. This month we take a look at some of the best winter proof kit on the market.
Sidi F
rom the north of Italy comes the most stylish of boots. Sidis Adventure boot has a non slip sole, a removable arch support, a full Goretex liner as well as a host of protective features such as a shin plate, ankle protection and full leather construction.
Available from Rosso Ducati on 014642211.
BMW Gravel Boots
G
ood enough to work well on lighter offroad excursions and comfortable enough to wear on the daily commute or a longer tour. Fully lined with a Goretex membrane, prices start at €293. See www.bmw-motorrad.ie for a dealer listing.
Harley Davidson
H
D make the Hustin, a waterproof Boot only available in black. These boots feature a full grain leather upper. There is also a full-length cushion sock lining, oil-resisting rubber outsole and a Goodyear welt construction.
€198.00 from www.harley.ie
KTM Web GTX Boots
F
eaturing a 100% waterproof membrane from, you guessed it, Goretex these Alpinestars manufactured boots are developed for the Austrian manufacturer of all things Orange. For prices and availability call M50 Retail on 014381991.
Prexport Touring Boots
T
hese Prexport Touring boots which are available from Andys Bike & Bits in Kildare or from Grange Motorcycles in Longford meet all the criteria. They’re designed for riders looking for supportive, comfortable and hard wearing footwear without the restriction of full-on motocross boots. These are both waterproof and breathable, thanks to the use of a Prexportex membrane. The tough yet supple full-grain leather outer is secured with adjustable buckles that allow for the use of thick socks during colder days and ensure a snug and secure fit. A reinforced inner sole helps keep feet supported when standing on the pegs and the outer sole has a deep tread for a sure-footed feel both on the bike and on foot. Brilliantly made and wonderfully old school.
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Ducati Strada 13 T
hese boots are claimed to combine comfort, toughness, and safety. The Ducati logos are thermoformed on the shin and foot and printed in red on the heel reflector. Protection is optimised with external shielding of the ankle bone area and over the shinbone. The outsole has differential grip zones to optimise comfort and stability on the footrest. This model is made in full grain leather, combined with a GORE-TEX® membrane to keep out the worst weather conditions. Toecap and heel reinforcements complete the boot, together with an anatomic, removable insole and the Comfort Fit System to ensure maximum comfort in every situation. This boot is CE certified. Talk to Lisa at Rosso Ducati on 014642211.
Boots
Kit Guide
Triumph Adventure Boot
T
he Triumph Adventure Boots are enduro-style boots that offer both offroad and on-road functionality. The full-leather construction combined with plastic moldings ensure higher abrasion protection without sacrificing comfort. Call Dublin Triumph on 014642211.
Alpinestars SMX 6 Gore Tex
U
nlike some offerings, the SMX 6 from Italian clothing manufacturer Alpinestars, incorporates all the safety features associated with a race boot into something that’s good enough to deal with the worst an Irish winter can throw at it. Each component is CE certified and the waterproof lining is full Goretex. They even have toe sliders! From Megabikes in Dublin on 01478 4200.
RST Paragon Army Waterproof Boot Surplus Boots
T
he new Paragon boot is, according to RST, the ultimate touring boot in their range. With a PU coated leather outer and SINAQUA waterproof breathable membrane the riders feet will stay warm and dry when the rain starts. For security these boots feature moulded PU protection and a one piece heel cup. Available from Brendan Doyle Motorcycles and RST dealers nationwide.
M
ilitary spec clothing , particularly surplus stuff has a long history of being worn by motorcyclists. These boots are robust, easy to waterproof and , once broken in, incredibly comfortable. They don’t, however, offer any of the protective features that we would expect from a modern bike boot. See Army Bargains on Little Mary Street in Dublin 1 for these.
{BikeBuyersGuide} 49 BBG 129.indd 49
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{FreshMetal}
E
voking memories for those of us with a few seasons under our belts and creating opportunities for those of us recently taken to two wheels KTM have brought the RC range to the market. The RC 125 and RC 390 take their lead from the smaller end of the Duke range and represent the ‘affordable production version’ of the Moto 3 bike. Both machines have a completely new frame which has a chassis geometry orientated towards racing and a full fairing that completes the look. The short exhaust helps to centralise the mass of the bike under the rider, ABS comes as standard, the trellis frame is a thing of beauty and the four stroke, single cylinder dual over head cam, motor produces a healthy 12Nm of torque and 15 BHP. Gone are the ‘kickers’ of old and in is an electric starter. The bike is, of course, liquid cooled. The suspension is by race winners WP and the whole thing weighs in at as little as 135 kilograms dry.
KTMS RC SERIES LANDS IN DEALER SHOWROOMS
{Words Maeve Peoples Images KTM Press}
Winner Picking a
Combined with the state of the art ABS system and the new training regulations this is a class of motorcycle that has become so much safer in the last few years and offers a real entry point to those of us who like our sports bikes. The road going version is available from M50 Retail in Dublin, with prices starting at €5,850 and it’s a machine that lends itself to racing whether it be on the roads or short circuits.
machines offer a real “These entry point to those of us who like our sports bikes ”
M
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125 DUKE KTM is setting a new milestone in the mobilisation of young riders: The KTM 125 Duke is the world's first 125 cc motorbike to offer ABS – thus making the first steps into motorised mobility even safer than ever. And obviously none of the familiar dynamism is lost along the way. On the contrary: The pedigree motorbike technology can now be enjoyed with even greater relaxation – dynamic cornering guaranteed. The refined four-stroke single cylinder with fuel injection and six-speed transmission provides decent propulsion. And the low fuel consumption ensures a reasonable level of economy. Simply a genuine KTM – and setting new standards for 125s
ALL THIS FROM ONLY €5,850, CALL 014381999 NOW
www.M50RETAIL.com
OPEN MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9 to 6 & SATURDAY 10 to 2.30
M50RETAIL, M50 Business Park, Ballymount, Dublin 12 T: 01 4381900 BBG 129.indd 51
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Letters Our panel of experts are eagerly awaiting your motorcycle related questions. If you have a query regarding motorcycles or motorcycling please send it to Bike Buyers Guide, Unit 22, Kilcarbery Business Park, Grange Castle, Dublin 22. Alternatively you can email your questions to info@bikebuyersguide.ie. Please write ‘Letters page’ in the subject line. Dear Ed A few of weeks ago I was riding home in a bus lane when a car ahead of me veered toward me but then saw me, pulled back and struck a car on it’s right. This all happened very quickly and I continued home but was later contacted by the Gardaí as someone seems to have given my reg number to them. All a bit strange I know, what was worse I gotten told off for ‘leaving the scene’ of an accident. Leslie, Dublin
Paul is a solicitor specialising in transport law With a special interest in motorcycles
Dear Leslie,
Cheers, Jordan Hobbs.
Here’s the legal bit. Taken at the lowest point you were a material witness to a road traffic accident. The Road Traffic Acts state that there are various requirements for somebody to comply with in the event of an accident occurring where someone is injured or property damaged. Section 106 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 is the main legislation Whilst you can argue your vehicle wasn’t involved therefore there was no requirement for you to stop it is better to err on the side of caution. In brief there was a requirement for you to stop your vehicle and stay at the scene for a reasonable amount of time. Information is then to be given to the Gardaí, where demanded. It is never advisable to leave the scene of an accident unless you really have assessed the situation and feel in all the circumstances that it would not be necessary as there was no injury or damage done. By staying at the scene you can not only avoid later hassle but also ensure you answer any allegations that might be mad about you or your driving. By leaving the scene you leave yourself open to a prosecution for leaving the scene of an accident and that places you in a defensive position in any subsequent investigation. Sometimes the Good Samaritan needs to ‘hang about for a while! Safe Biking! Paul Tracey
Hi Guys, I’m an aspiring motorbiker at the age of 19. I have been researching for a few days and find all of the jargon a bit confusing. I was wondering if you would please be able to tell me a few cheap ordinary bikes, which don’t hike the insurance costs, I would be forever grateful!
Hi Jordan, Probably the best all rounder for a beginner is a Suzuki GN125. It’s priced at only €2,295. That’s brand new and includes all the taxes, delivery charges etc. It makes for a bike that is great value, ultra reliable, enjoys sitting in a low insurance group and it’s very easy to ride. Other bikes worth considering are Hondas CB125 and the excellent KTM Duke 125. Both are, however, more expensive than the Suzuki.
Arai are now offering what they call a ‘Pro Shade System’ which is a half tinted visor that sits down over the clear one when in use and above it like a short peak. Once again glasses aren’t an issue.
luggage. Ken Firhouse Hi Ken,
We’ve got some good news for you! We’ve booked a luxury coach to take bike fans over to the Bermingham Dear Editor, show. As well as the bike show we’ll be I look forward to the trip to the NEC and visiting the Frankfurt Market, a famous Bermingham Christmas institute and the bike show each year. While I buy most of my kit here in Ireland I do enjoy staying for two nights in the Thistle Hotel. As we’ll be travelling on the picking up a bargain. Or so I thought ferry there will be no limits to how until it was time to fly home at the much ‘bounty’ that you can carry back. end of the day. The airline I flew with made me unpack the helmet that I had Prices start at €199 and you can book your place by calling the office on bought or pay to have it to be carried 016292000. as checked in luggage! Do you know if there is a postal or courier service based in or near the NEC as I don’t want to be David Buckley, subjected to these rules around carry on Celtic Horizon Tours paul@bikebuyersguide.ie
Ciaran Hayes www.megabikes.ie Hi Everyone At BBG, The sun seems to be a little lower in the sky these days as Autumn rolls in. When I’m on the bike I’m finding it very hard to see when commuting into the city in the mornings. I wear a clear visor and don’t want to use a tinted one as I sometimes come home after dark. Other than wearing sunglasses, I wear corrective lenses, is there anything that you would suggest? Rory, Celbridge Dear Rory, Several brands of helmet including AGV and Schubert feature a second, internal, visor which will close down over a pair of glasses and inside the main clear visor.
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{Feature}
Rebel County Snappers Set To Win Cork Photographers Set For Success In Carole Nash Photo Competition
A
del Coleman, a Cork based masters student and amateur photographer is heading for a podium finish in this years Carole Nash photography competition which could see one of his pictures make motorcycle history. The insurance giants annual competition has four catagories, ‘Action’, ‘Scenic’, ‘Static’ and ‘Bike Art’. The idea is to fuse two of peoples passions, photography and motorcycling. There will be twelve winners and the prize is to feature in the Carole Nash calander as well as one thousand English pounds and a Nikon D7100. He said: “I’m over the moon that my photo has been shortlisted and that it could make it into Carole Nash’s 2015 calendar. Hopefully my entry can gather enough votes to be one of the twelve winners, so I’m encouraging everyone who knows me or has a keen interest in motorcycling and photography to support me!” Also in the running is Eddie Appelbe, a mechanical fitter living in Clonakilty. He has had his three photos shortlisted in the ‘Action’ category. Rebecca Donohue, Head of Marketing at Carole Nash, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed with the quality of the entries. There are some really fantastic biking photographers out there! Myself and all at Carole Nash wish Adel and Eddie the very best of luck!”
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Keyes Keeps Cleaning Up
{Words Paul Browne Images Eddie Applebee}
Faster And Faster
“The DC racing team are
all very happy with their first season of highly competitive 600cc four stroke racing”
D
C racing championships are stacking up. Since the team’s rider, Kevin Keyes comprehensively won the Adelaide masters supersport cup champion, he has also been crowned the Loughshinny motorcycle clubs short circuits champion, As well as the Irish southern centre supersport cup champion. He has finished second overall in the southern centre supersport pro championship, which he challenged right to the last race of the season. At the time of going to print DC racing has only one meeting left for the 2014 season which will see them contend the sunflower trophy races at the Bishopscourt race circuit in Northern Ireland on the 24th and 25th of October which is also the final two rounds of the Irish championship where Kevin is currently holding second place in the standings. All the DC racing team are all very happy with their first season of highly competitive 600cc four stroke racing, and Denis Clancy, team manager of DC racing, is already in talks to secure Kevin with an even more modern and competitive machine for the challenge that is planned for the 2015 season. See next months magazine for our final report on the season as well as all of our results.
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BBG Reader Takes To The Track
{Words Paul Browne Images Mondello}
The Eureka Effect
“The instructors were fantastic, the briefing was lighthearted, yet comprehensive.”
W
icklow man, Ronan Kinsella recently upgraded his bike to a Gixxer 750. Now being the proud owner of one of the best track bikes ever made it was time for him to break his duck and take it to an open day at Mondello Park. Luckily for Ronan not only does he have a loving and understanding wife who supports this kind of stuff, she even organised the day for him as a birthday present! “While I was a little nervous in anticipation of riding on the track the preparation instructions were reassuring. I was delighted to see that I needed only to have a two piece suit as I’ve recently invested in a new one from RST”. Ronan is a ‘real’ motorcyclist and as such rode his bike to the circuit where, after signing in, the briefing took place. “The instructors were fantastic, the talk. was lighthearted, yet comprehensive. There really weren’t any questions left unanswered”. Once out on the track he was delighted to see the same instructors were available to ‘collect’ their charges and lead them around the track, showing them the braking points and teaching them the best lines around the Kildare circuit. “After each session the lads were in the pit garage where they were only too happy to offer advice and help, explaining where I was doing well and how I could do better”.
Once back out on the road the mighty Gixxer was an easier bike to ride thanks to coming to grips with its power, braking and grip. “Riding it on the road is now really easy, track days are excellent and I’ll def-
initely be back”. See www.mondello.ie for details of the 2015 calendar.
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{Feature}
Last One Into The Office Buys The Coffee Dublin Hosts FEMA Mobility Test
T
he Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations, or FEMA for short, states in their mission statement that their purpose is to ‘Promote, protect and preserve motorcycling’. Their mission is to ‘Promote riders interests and defend riders rights throughout Europe and globally’. The association is made up of a number of different motorcycle groups including Motorcycle Action Group, or MAG, here in Ireland. The organi-
sation lobbies on behalf of motorcyclists on issues from access to public roads to type approval rules for new motorcycles. This year as part of their efforts hey ran mobility tests in no fewer than 14 European cities. The idea was to demonstrate that powered two wheelers such as motorcycles and scooters save time and money by comparing commuting times to car, bus, bicycle and train.
The event ran last month from Lexlip in Kildare to the MAG office in Merrion Square. The results, while not surprising with the bike being more efficient, where shocking in demonstrating how big a difference there was between the car and the motorcycle. The biggest difference posted in any European city was in Dublin where the motorbike got into the city a full 48 minutes before the car! Again unsurprisingly the bicycle came in second
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Last One Into The Office Buys The Coffee {Words Paul Browne Images Cormac Ryan Meenan}
minutes after the motorcycle and both the bus and train passengers arrived a few minutes before the car. Interestingly both the public transport users had commenced a day’s work on both the bus and train as they both offer free internet access to their passengers for free. The bicycle was expertly piloted by Geoff Liffey of Cycling Ireland. He was able to tell us that cycling has increased in Dublin by a staggering 82% since 2006! Motorcycling on the other hand is down by almost 40% in the same period. In summary MAG chairman Declan Maguire says, “We have demonstrated that PTW’s are more efficient, cleaner and cheaper to run than a travel pass or a car, its time for the legislators to take a serious look at opening bus lanes, offering dedicated parking and removing VAT on PPE to encourage more riders to step out of the private car and get back on their motorcycles and scooters”.
“The results where shocking in demonstrating how big a difference there was between the car and the motorcycle.”
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Intermot 2014
Exciting times this year as many new bikes break cover at the Intermot show in Cologne.
I
f anyone doubted that the motorcycle world was back to life after the hard years following the credit crunch, then Intermot surely provided proof. Many spectacular machines have been unveiled at Germany’s biennial bike exhibition over the years, but few have come even close to matching the impact of the stunning, 300bhp supercharged Ninja H2R with which Kawasaki caused jaws to drop in Cologne. There was plenty of other interesting new machinery too, notably not one but four versions of Ducati’s long awaited Scrambler, Yamaha’s wild three-wheeled concept bike the 01GEN, KTM’s awesome looking 1290 Super Adventure, revitalised Suzuki’s pair of GSX-S1000 fours, and relentless BMW’s trio of revamped R1200R, new R1200RS and updated S1000RR. Better still, with the similarly important EICMA show in Milan following Intermot by only a month, we’re set for another barrage of fresh metal, led by Kawasaki’s Ninja H2 production version of the supercharged four, plus 200bhp rivals in a revamped RSV4 from Aprilia, and Yamaha’s new-generation YZF-R1. At this rate 2015 will be the Year of the Super-sports bike, but it looks as though there will be exciting new models for every type of rider. Aprilia Caponord 1200 Rally Despite being a very good bike the Caponord 1200 hasn’t made much impact since its launch a year ago, but the new Rally version of the V-twin adventure bike should give it a boost. The Rally is basically a comprehensively accessorised and slightly more
off-road friendly Caponord. It incorporates wirespoked wheels, engine bars and a bash-plate for extra strength, as well as a larger adjustable screen, hand guards, extra LED lights and a pair of hard panniers. It comes in green and grey as well as yellow, and as the top Caponord model it incorporates three-way traction control plus the ingenious ADD semi-active suspension that is an option on the standard Caponord. BMW S1000RR BMW is on such a roll that the firm was always going to bring out something special for its home show and it didn’t disappoint in Cologne, unveiling three models that had been widely leaked but were no less impressive for that. To mark the first major revamp since the original S1000RR rewrote the super-sports class rules five years ago, BMW’s 16-valve rocket has its asymmetrical headlights reversed so the pointy dipped-beam lens is now on the right. That’s a minor change on a bike that is 6bhp more powerful (with 199bhp), 4kg lighter (at 204kg wet) and more sophisticated than its already very fast, light and sophisticated predecessor. Updates to the 999cc engine include a new cylinder head with new intake cams and lighter inlet valves. A bigger airbox, shorter intake trumpets and a redesigned exhaust also contribute to the increase, with the exhaust also saving 3kg of weight due to dispensing with the front silencer. Chassis changes include a new, lighter frame with revised stiffness and subtly different figures for rake
(one degree steeper at 23.5 degrees), trail (reduced by 1.5mm to 96.5mm), wheelbase (8mm longer, at 1425mm) and swing-arm pivot location, which is 3mm lower. Suspension spring and damping rates are revised, and the S1000RR now comes with a factory-fit option of Dynamic Damping Control semi-active suspension, as previously fitted to the HP4 flagship, which is discontinued. Electronics are comprehensively updated, with the RR now coming with three riding modes as standard (Rain, Sport and Race), and with the option of Pro mode, which adds Slick and a User mode that can be set by the rider. The DTC traction control is further refined, and can be adjusted on the move, as with the HP4, whose Gear Shift Assist Pro quick-shifter is also an option. The Pro mode also comes with launch control and the novelty of a pit-lane speed limiter. The S1000RR’s range of ability is highlighted by the fact that it gains the sports bike first of cruise control as an option, and its revamped digital display can now show actual and maximum lean angle, and current and maximum deceleration rates. There’s no news yet on prices but with the press riding launch imminent, the BMW is likely to be in showrooms very soon. R1200R The production R1200R isn’t as radical as the spectacular Concept Roadster that BMW unveiled in Italy earlier this year, but it’s still a seriously sporty looking naked boxer with much more attitude than its capable but slightly dull predecessor. More to the point, with BMW’s more potent, 125bhp liquid-cooled
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R1200RS BMW is emphasising the link between the R1200RS and its forebear the R100RS, whose aerodynamic full fairing was a revelation in 1976. This new boxer, which is basically the revamped R1200R with a twin-headlamp half-fairing, won’t match the old RS for innovation but with 125bhp and a wet weight of 236kg it should be a very lively as well as practical sports-tourer. Technical spec is in most respects almost identical to that of the R1200R. So there are two riding modes as standard, with options for two more. And the conventional telescopic forks and Paralever monoshock can be upgraded to Dynamic ESA semi-active suspension. Options including keyless ignition and Gear Shift Assistant Pro quick-shifter are also available.
The RS has a thicker seat than the R’s for both rider and pillion, so seat height is up to 820mm, with higher and lower options. The sharply styled half-fairing has a hint of S1000RR, and incorporates a screen that is two-way adjustable by hand. Almost four decades after that original R100RS highlighted the sports-touring potential of boxer power with reasonably light weight and good wind protection, the R1200RS looks like showing that the format still makes plenty of sense. Ducati Scrambler Unless you’ve been hiding on one of the smaller Polynesian islands you won’t have escaped the barrage of teasers and countless spy shots that preceded the Ducati Scrambler’s long awaited Intermot unveiling. What the Bologna factory had fiendishly kept secret was the fact that they’d developed not one but four versions of the Scrambler, each sharing the same 803cc aircooled V-twin engine from the Monster 796, and most chassis parts, but with enough differences that they almost seem like distinct models. The Scrambler closest to what most people expected is called the Icon, with yellow- or red-and-silver tank. There’s also the more off-road styled Urban Enduro, with matt green paint; the flat-track inspired Full Throttle with its black finish; and the retro themed Classic, which comes in orange. Each holds the two-valves-per-cylinder desmo engine in a traditional tubular steel frame, with Kayaba suspension giving a lengthy 150mm of travel at each end. A dry weight of 170kg should ensure decent performance although the motor is detuned to give a max of 75bhp at 8250rpm, from the Monster’s 87bhp. Shared parts include the rear shock, which acts directly on the curved aluminium swing-arm, sits diagonally on the left of the bike and is adjustable for preload only; and the brake set-up that gives a single, 330mm disc and Brembo radial caliper up front, with ABS as standard. All four models feature the innovative headlight,
which has a round LED ring around the main lens, and the similarly classy looking round, offset digital clock console. Other neat details include the stylish, retrolook fuel cap and a USB socket in the storage compartment under the seat. Despite the long suspension travel the seat is reasonably low at 790mm, and there’s a 20mm lower one available as an accessory.
{Words Roland Brown}
motor and a sharp new telescopic-forked chassis, it should also be a whole lot more exciting to ride. That liquid-cooled lump is as used in the R1200GS and RT, but breathes in through a new airbox and out through an upswept single silencer. The R-model comes with two riding modes (Road and Rain) and basic ASC traction control as standard, but can be upgraded with Riding mod Pro, which adds sportier Dynamic and rider-set User modes, plus the more sophisticated Dynamic Traction Control. Similarly the chassis comes standard with 45mm usd forks, Paralever rear end and 140mm of suspension travel front and rear, but can be upgraded with BMW’s Dynamic ESA semi-active set-up, complete with gold-finished forks. This gives Road or firmer Dynamic settings, adjustable by button on the bars. Braking is by 320mm front discs and ABS-equipped radial four-pot calipers as standard. Classy features include a new multifunction instrument panel with a choice of normal, sport or touring oriented displays; and the headlight’s optional H-shaped LED running lights. Other options include keyless ignition, Gear Shift Assistant Pro quick-shifter, Dynamic and Touring packages, plus high and low alternatives to the standard, 790mm high seat.
Scrambler Icon The basic Scrambler model is the Icon, which comes in yellow or red with polished aluminium insert for the 13.5-litre steel tank. The 18in front, 17in rear wheel diameters are shared by all four models but spec varies, with the Icon getting ten-spoke cast wheels to mount its specially developed Pirelli MT60 tyres, which come in 11080 x 18in front and 180/55 x 17in rear sizes. Scrambler Urban Enduro This is the off-roader of Ducati’s Scrambler bunch, and comes with a headlamp grill, high-level front mudguard, fork protectors, a cross-strut for the wide, one-piece handlebar, and a small bash-plate below the 803cc V-twin engine. It has wire-spoked wheels to hold the same Pirelli MT60s used by the other models, and has a brown seat with ribbed stitching to match its matt-green tank paint. Scrambler Full Throttle The raciest of the Scrambler crew is the flat-track inspired Full Throttle, with its black-and-yellow finish and a twin-can Termignoni silencer in place of the stubby single muffler shared by the other three models. Wheels are cast as on the Icon, bars are slightly lower and tapered, and the upswept seat has yellow inserts. Scrambler Classic All four Scramblers have a retro look and the Classic takes this further with wire-spoked wheels, traditional orange paintwork, and a brown seat with lozenge type stitching. It also gets metal mudguards at both
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ends, and a Seventies-style black stripe on the tank. It has its own retro logo, too. Honda Crossrunner One “new” model, and that merely an updated Crossrunner featuring many of the changes introduced with this year’s VFR800F, represented a pretty feeble Intermot showing by the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer. The contrast between Honda’s effort and those of Kawasaki and Yamaha was striking. The revised Crossrunner’s 782cc, 90-degree V4 unit is taken straight from the VFR800F so gives improved low-rev and midrange performance, thanks to revised cams, injection and exhaust, plus a modified VTEC system. It also gets HSTC traction control, like the bigger Crosstourer. Maximum output is a VFRmatching 104bhp at 10,250rpm. Most other changes mimic those of the VFR, including the aluminium rear subframe, which saves some weight; and the front- instead of side-mounted radiators, which help reduce width. Suspension is longer at each end, and the front brake is upgraded with radial four-piston calipers. The Crossrunner also follows the VFR (it’s actually one itself, being officially the VFR800X) in getting a height-adjustable seat, LED lights, five-way adjustable heated grips and self-cancelling indicators. The changes should prove well worthwhile but let’s hope Honda is keeping its big 2015 news back for EICMA in a few weeks’ time… Kawasaki Ninja H2R The countless teaser videos had become tedious, but when Kawasaki finally pulled the wraps off the Ninja H2R the firm’s enthusiasm became understandable. The pre-launch hype had hinted at a 300bhp supercharged weapon, but not a visually and technically stunning machine whose level of detailing and finish puts it right up there with the MV Agusta 750 F4 as one of the most spectacular bikes to be unveiled in recent decades. This H2R has slick tyres and no lights, and is a track-only weapon that will be hand built in very
limited numbers for sale at a price that could be over €50,000. But even the production Ninja H2 that will be revealed at EICMA, and will apparently make “only” about 200bhp, looks like restoring Kawasaki’s reputation for unbeatable straight-line speed — as established by the original H2, the 750cc two-stroke triple better known as the Mach IV, in the early Seventies. Technical details are deliberately thin, but Kawasaki says the project’s aim was to deliver “the kind of acceleration no rider had experienced before”. Hence the supercharger to boost performance of an engine with familiar 16-valve, in-line four layout and capacity of 998cc. Another of Kawasaki’s aims with the H2 was to highlight the diverse technical abilities of the huge Kawasaki Heavy Industries group, whose Gas Turbine and Machinery Company, Aerospace Company and Corporate Technology Division all contributed to the development of a supercharger that is purpose built for the bike. (The small round “River Mark” on the fairing nose, a Kawasaki symbol that dates from the 1870s and is used to signify products of historical significance, reflects this unprecedented collaboration as well as the level of technology.) Engineers from the Aerospace Company also helped develop the carbon-fibre bodywork, whose two pairs of wings not only generate downforce but give the bike a unique and aggressive look. According to Kawasaki, “Each piece of the bodywork was aerodynamically sculpted to ensure stability at ultra-high speeds; the cowling design also maximises cooling performance and heat dissipation, aiding in achieving the engine’s roughly 300bhp output; and the Ram Air duct is ideally positioned to bring fresh air to the supercharger.” If using a supercharger was revolutionary, Kawasaki’s choice of chassis design was almost as surprising, based as it is on a tubular steel trellis frame and single-sided swing-arm that could almost be from a Ducati. The reason, it seems, relates to the desired level of rigidity. “The frame needed not only to be stiff, but also to be able to absorb external disturbances — which, when encountered while riding in the ultra-high
speed range, could easily unsettle a lesser chassis,” according to Kawasaki. “A new trellis frame developed using the latest analysis technology provided both the strength to harness the incredible power of the supercharged engine, and the balanced flex to ensure the stability and feedback for high-speed riding.” Although unprecedented acceleration is one of Kawasaki’s main aims with the H2R, it hasn’t been given an ultra-long wheelbase. No mention is made of electronics but the bike will presumably require an advanced anti-wheelie system to maximise its performance. What ever the final specification and riding experiences, the H2R has already succeeded in boosting Kawasaki’s image and generating publicity. As the firm says, more than any bike it has built before, the H2R is a showcase of craftsmanship and build quality, right down to the high-tech mirrored black chrome paint that was specially developed for it. That finish is just one of many outstanding features of a breathtaking bike the like of which has not been seen before. While small numbers of affluent enthusiasts and collectors rush to submit their deposits for the H2R, attention now turns to Milan and the launch of the Ninja H2. Versys 1000 Kawasaki’s revamp of the big Versys looks to have addressed criticism of the outgoing model — especially of its snub-nosed styling — in promising style. It certainly looks much sleeker, thanks to a new twin-headlamp fairing whose easily adjustable screen has its range of adjustment increased from 30mm to a much more useful sounding 75mm. The 1043cc four-pot motor is essentially unchanged, as is its maximum output of 118bhp, but it gets a new slipper clutch and should feel smoother thanks to extra top rubber mounts for the aluminium frame. The rear subframe is beefed up so that the revised panniers and top-box can be fitted simultaneously. Other chassis mods include revised spring and damping rates for suspension at both ends, plus 20mm more overlap on the fork tubes to increase
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rigidity and reduce vague steering feel. Wheels are now 17-inchers, sensibly as the model never had off-road pretentions. The front brake gets larger petal discs, new pad material and ABS as standard. A centre-stand is now standard fitment, with the exception of the Chinese market. But even the Chinese should be impressed because this update looks like giving the Versys a real boost. Versys 650 The smaller Versys gets updated in similar fashion to the big four, sharing its sleeker styling and also incorporating numerous other tweaks. Its adjustable screen gives a range of 60mm; the fuel tank is larger at 21 litres; and the 649cc parallel twin engine and exhaust are modified to give a slight performance increase, with a maximum of 68bhp at 8500rpm. Extra rubber mounts for the engine are designed to reduce vibration, and both handlebars and footrest mounting plate are also rubber mounted. Footrests are 15mm lower and 20mm further forward, to increase legroom. Suspension is revised, with stiffer springs, reduced damping, and a new remote preload adjuster for the shock. Braking is uprated with new twin-pot front calipers, a larger rear disc and new caliper, plus ABS that is standard fitment in some markets. KTM 1290 Super Adventure As if the 1190 Adventure wasn’t powerful and generally super enough, KTM has unveiled an even more potent and lavishly equipped dual-purpose flagship: the 1290 Super Adventure. Powered by a development of the 1301cc V-twin motor from the 1290 Super Duke, it combines 160bhp performance with a host of features including semi-active suspension.
The 180bhp Super Duke provided its cylinders, pistons and conrods but KTM developed new heads and crankshaft to give the Super Adventure more flywheel mass and smooth its low-rev delivery. That 160-horse max means the bigger lump makes 10bhp more than the 1190 Adventure, and its 140N.m of torque is an increase of 15N.m, developed 750rpm lower at 6750rpm. Electronics include multiple riding modes and Motorcycle Stability Control, which incorporates traction control and cornering ABS braking. The 1290 also gets cruise control and tyre pressure monitoring as standard, along with heated grips and seat, plus the option of a hill start function. Its most innovative feature is the pair of small “cornering headlights” built into the fairing. The chassis is based on a typical chrome-moly steel tubular frame with Adventure R style crash-bars, to which the Super Adventure adds KTM’s first semi-active suspension system. The WP set-up incorporates 48mm forks, as with the other Adventure models, and gives 200mm of travel at each end, slightly up on the standard 1190 Adventure’s 190mm but less than the Adventure R’s 220mm. That confirms the Super Adventure is intended mainly for long-distance road use, as does a fuel tank that grows from 23 to 30 litres in capacity. Ergonomic changes include the larger screen, which can be adjusted for height with one hand. Footrests are adjustable, as is the seat, between 860 and 875mm. At 229kg without fuel the 1290 is 17kg heavier than the standard 1190, and its price will also be on the large side — presumably higher than the Super Duke’s, given the level of features. But this looks like an awesomely capable and well equipped machine. KTM say the Super Adventure is built in the spirit of “enough is never enough”, and it’s hard to argue with
that. Freeride E-SM Following smoothly in the knobbly tyre-tracks of the recently launched Freeride E-XC is the E-SM, a supermoto styled roadster powered by the same 22bhp electric motor. Like the E-XC, it has a single gear, is claimed to be good for up to an hour of riding (though this will drop to around half an hour with hard use), should be good for 80mph and can be fully recharged in 80 minutes. The E-SM also follows the dual-purpose bike in being very light, at 108kg, and having WP suspension giving a generous 250 and 260mm at front and rear. But the SM’s 43mm forks and shock are tuned for road use, and the supermoto model differs in having wire-spoked 17-inch wheels that wear sticky Pirelli street rubber. Inevitably its price is high (over €10,000 in Europe) but running costs will be very low. Moto Guzzi V7 II Moto Guzzi has given its best selling V7 range enough of a tweak to justify calling the updated bikes V7 II, the Roman numeral signifying the second generation of the base-model Stone, two-tone Special and sportier Racer versions of the aircooled, 744cc V-twins. Most significant change is arguably that the shaft-drive motor gets a sixth gear, which should increase its long-legged cruising feel. The clutch is also revised for a smoother action, and the softly tuned, 48bhp motor gets a basic traction control system based on that of the California. The transverse V-twin lump is also angled forward by four degrees, and lowered by 10mm. The seat has also been lowered, to 790mm, and the footrests lowered by 25mm to give a roomier riding position. The Guzzis also get some new colour schemes.
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{Feature} Options for the V7 II Stone are satin-finish black, red, grey or yellow. Along with its traditional black and orange, the Special now comes in red or light blue with a silver stripe. The Racer remains black with its shiny chrome tank. As Guzzi’s press release says, “this is a bike that was born to be ridden strictly one-up, in black leathers, a skullcap helmet and leather stud palm gloves”. So don’t go letting it down with your nasty fluorescent textiles, okay? Suzuki GSX-S1000 & GSX-S1000F Suzuki unveiled the much-leaked naked GSX-S1000 and sports-touring GSX-S1000F variant at Intermot, but frustratingly still didn’t provide the key figures of horsepower or weight. So we still don’t know whether the GSX-S will be a rip-snorting 150bhp beast with a light, agile chassis, or relatively softly tuned, heavy and built down to a budget. (Who mentioned the GSR750?) First signs are definitely positive, though. Both models look good, with sharp and aggressive yet simple lines in red, blue or grey, and the 1000F manages to look sporty yet respectably versatile. Suzuki says the 999cc engine is based not on the current GSX-R1000 unit but on the long-stroke lump from the K5 model from 2005, widely regarded as the best GSX-R unit of all. It shouldn’t be too difficult for Suzuki’s engineers to give the GSX-S motor near 150bhp performance with very acceptable low-rev delivery. One thing they’ve definitely given it is three-way traction control, adjustable via a button on the left bar. Chassis layout is promising too, because according to Suzuki the new twin-spar aluminium frame is lighter than the modern GSX-R1000 equivalent, and the aluminium swing-arm is borrowed from the GSX-R. Suspension is by 43mm KYB forks, and a monoshock that is adjustable for preload and rebound damping. Brakes are Brembo Monobloc calipers biting 310mm front discs, with ABS an option. There’s some good detailing, too, notably the rider’s view of a slightly raised one-piece Renthal Fatbar and
a simple but neat looking digital instrument panel. Lighting incorporates LEDs for front position lights and the rear light; the four-into-one exhaust ends in a stubby silencer. If their performance lives up to the likely specification these two could be the best Suzukis for years, and they should be competitively priced too. V-Strom 650 The V-Strom 650 has been one of Suzuki’s best and most popular bikes for years, and if you’re thinking of a Big Trip it’s about to get slightly better still. The V-Strom 650XT keeps the existing model’s 645cc, 68bhp V-twin motor and aluminium twin-spar frame, and adds a restyled fairing that incorporates a beak, plus wire-spoked DID wheels that wear tubeless Bridgestones and are better suited to off-road riding than the standard model’s cast ones. This isn’t a comprehensively updated model like this year’s V-Strom 1000, and most of the components that give it the rugged round-the-world look, such as hand-guards, crash-bars, side lights and aluminium luggage, are accessories. But the stronger wheels, subtly reshaped screen and new seat should be useful, and there wasn’t much wrong with the V-Strom in the first place. Address No they haven’t moved, the Address 110 is a new lightweight scooter; or strictly speaking an updated version of the Address that has been around since 1987, and has sold 640,000 units since then. It’s powered by an 113cc, sohc engine that produces about 10bhp, and according to Suzuki is good for well over 100mpg. Like previous models in has generous under-seat storage; enough for a full-face helmet and more. According to Suzuki its two fairing pockets can each hold a large bottle of water; or presumably Ruddles County instead. GSX-R1000 There’s still no sign of a significant update, or even
updated electronics, for Suzuki’s ageing GSX-R1000. But the once mighty four does get a Bosch ABS system for 2015, along with a striking blue paint option borrowed from Suzuki’s GSX-RR MotoGP racebike (which will be ridden by Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Viñales next season). Unfortunately the roadster’s smaller tailpiece means that most of the giant “Suzuki” logo is missing, but it still looks good. Triumph Street Triple RX Triumph’s sporty Street Triple R gains a more aggressive edge with the launch of the Street Triple RX, which borrows the racy tailpiece from the supersports Daytona 675. It also comes with matt silver paint and includes a flyscreen and belly-pan, plus a quick-shifter as standard fitment. The 105bhp, three-cylinder engine and other chassis parts are shared with the Street Triple R, which means the RX gets multi-adjustable suspension and ABS-equipped radial four-pot Nissin calipers. Bonneville T214, Spirit & Newchurch With Triumph’s Bonneville currently going from strength to strength, the Hinckley firm is attempting to keep the momentum going with a trio of special editions. The Bonneville T214 Edition is actually a limited edition, of which 1000 will be built. The 214 in its name signifies the record-breaking 214.4mph speed set by Johnny Allen in 1956 on the Bonneville salt flats in Utah, from where Triumph’s original Bonneville of three years later got its name. The Bonneville T214’s blue-and-white paintwork echoes that of Allen’s famed “Texas Cee-gar”, and the Texas star on the front mudguard mimics the one on the nose of the twin Triumph-engined streamliner, built by renowned Fort Worth dealer and tuner Jack Wilson. Other modified details of the Hinckley tribute include black wheel rims, bars and shock springs, smaller front headlight and rear mudguard, and red seat stitching. The Bonneville Newchurch is inspired by the annual Tridays festival, held at the Austrian town of
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Intermot 2014
Neukirchen that has its name changed to Newchurch for the event. This bike gets paint in blue/white or red/white, and like the T214 its components including bars, headlamp, mudguards and shock springs. It also has black cast wheels with hand-painted highlights. The T100 Spirit Special Edition “celebrates the spirit of customisation” and also has the same blackedout parts, combined with a blue/white tank, plus a part-textured seat cover with white stitching. Yamaha 01GEN There was no doubt about the biggest surprise at Intermot. Yamaha had already revealed the revamped XJR1300 and spin-off XJR1300 Racer in videos revealed a few days earlier, and both were in full view on the show stand. With the new-generation YZF-R1 not due for unveiling until EICMA, the machine under a large sheet was a mystery. Jaws hit the floor when said sheet was removed to reveal a stunning three-wheeled device called the 01GEN, or alternatively the GEN01. Large, futuristic and apparently powered by the 530cc, 46bhp parallel twin motor from the huge-selling T-Max, it looked like a fusion of that scooter, the recently released Tricity three-wheeler and something from an alien planet. Yamaha’s press release revealed very little, describing the machine as an “on-and-off crossover vehicle”. This apparently referred both to its suitability for a variety of surfaces and also the “on and off nature of the rhythm generated by mood shifts” when shifting between demanding and relaxed riding. Whatever that means. There was vagueness surrounding the prototype’s future, with one Yamaha insider predicting that the T-Max engined machine was likely to follow the pattern set by the 125cc Tricity, in being available within a year of its unveiling; but the official line being that no decision has yet been made, either on powerplant or whether it will reach production at all.
Let’s hope Yamaha’s nerve holds: this thing looks like an absolute hoot to ride. XJR1300 Rarely can a few well chosen modifications have made such an impact as with Yamaha’s dramatically revitalised 1251cc aircooled four, whose image is sharpened from that of a big, soft retro roadster into a high-handlebarred hooligan machine that almost looks as though it could have come straight from the starting grid of the Daytona Superbike race in the early Eighties. The XJR basics are unchanged, with a 16-valve, five-speed, 97bhp motor held in a twin-cradle steel frame, supported by DLC-coated forks and piggy-back Öhlins shocks. But a cut-down rear subframe holds a racy one-and-a-half person seat, the tapered alloy one-piece bar is higher and further back, the exhaust is a black four-into-one with an upswept silencer, and the shapely tank holds a reduced 14.5 litres. Other neat touches include smaller headlight, redesigned instruments, and oval shaped aluminium sidepanels, each incorporating three round holes with mesh inserts. These are probably of no use whatsoever, but are stylish nevertheless. The revamped XJR’s performance might not quite live up to its newly aggressive looks but this bike certainly gives the venerable four a new lease of life. XJR1300 Racer Both this model and the revamped standard XJR are part of Yamaha’s Sports Heritage range, and the firm credits custom builders including Wrenchmonkees from Denmark and Japan’s Keino Sasaki (builder of a very classy blue custom displayed at Intermot) as inspiration for the updates. The Racer version of the 1251cc four is particularly inspired by “Eau Rouge”, a headlamp-faired XJR custom built by Deus Ex Machina’s Italian branch.
In fact, calling the Racer a separate model is stretching things a bit. It’s essentially a dealer- accessorised XJR that gains some extra aggression from a carbon-fibre headlamp fairing, front mudguard and pillion seat cover, plus a swap from raised, one-piece handlebar to lower clip-ons. The Racer looks cool, though, especially in the grey or black paint options. As you’d expect there is also a long list of accessories for both XJR models. As well as the bits included on the Racer, these include a leather tank band, LED indicators, black-finished Akrapovic slip-on silencers, and Rizoma billet aluminium footrests, injection cover and front sprocket cover. MT-07 Moto Cage You can’t blame Yamaha for capitalising on the MT-07 and MT-09’s success with a host of spin-off models, even if most of them are basically standard bikes with a few accessories bolted on. Latest in the line is the MT-07 Moto Cage, which comprises the familiar 689cc parallel twin complete with a bunch of stunt-related extras reminiscent of the XJ6-based Cage-Six concept bike the firm displayed a couple of years ago (though without the stunt pegs or barmounted rear brake lever). Most obvious additions are the bright red tubular steel engine bars, which might usefully save some damage in a spill. There’s also a tubular “under guard”, knuckle guards on the bars, and radiator guards, all in red. Other bits include a new pillion seat, adjustable front light mask and a new wheel colour combo of red front, black rear. No price yet but the Moto Cage will cost a bit more than the standard MT when it reaches showrooms towards the end of this year. One guy who won’t be buying one is three-time world stunt champion Rafal Pasierbek, aka Stunter13, who’s Yamaha’s official stunt rider and stars in the Moto Cage video.
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{Feature} {Words Paul Browne Images Morgan Keane/ NCCAUK}
A Long Way To Go We Join The Irish Leg Of A Very Special Trip
S
aturday morning comes around and at the appallingly early hour of seven am I leave the city heading for Slane in county Meath to meet up with a convoy of UK riders who are raising money to treat and create an awareness of childhood cancer. I’ve arranged to meet our man from the marketing department on the way and while he’s late to the meeting point he and his new KTM more than make up for the rest of the journey by keeping the pace interesting. Once off the M1 and into Meath properly we are rewarded with some of the best roads that we could ask for. We pass Francis Ledwiges cottage on the outskirts of Slane as the last of the mist lifts off the fields and there isn’t a sinner to be found on the roads as we sweep from one perfect corner to the next. All too soon we get to the meeting point where we meet a host of riders, mostly on Triumph motorcycles and after we introduce ourselves, make off with some of their breakfast and they get kitted up we take the long way back into Dublin. During several stop offs along the way we learned more about what these riders were endeavoring to do. NCCA stands for the Neuroblastoma Children’s Cancer Alliance and is a UK based charity. While they are mainly based over in England they have helped several sick kids here in Ireland. Therefore when it
came time to do a motorcycle related fundraiser they decided to add an Irish leg to the event. The charity works with similar organisations here and in the US to fund research into Neuroblastoma and has the ultimate goal of curing kids cancer through research as well as providing support services for affected families. They also work tire-
lessly to provide access to treatment to those who need it. The crew all reported enjoying the Irish leg of the trip, if you’d like to tag along next year or get more involved with next years run drop the guys a mail at info@ncca-uk.org.
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2014 Suzuki GSXR 600 €9,250 2008 Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom €6,195 2003 Suzuki GSXR 1000 K3 €3,650 2005 Suzuki Bandit 650 S €2,650 2006 Triumph Rocket €7,850 3000 km Blue ASV levers, R&G tail tidy, 22000 mls Black Top box,Cans,Heated 25000 mls Blue Rizla paint job, Akrapovic 28000 km Silver S Model, Hi level exhaust 10000 km Black Windscreen, saddle ero Gravity double bubble screen, R&G Grips, Crashbars,Very clean bike can, Crash bungs, Tail tidy, Tinted screen bags,Loads of Tor ue crash bungs, R&G fork protectors, R&G cotton reels, Top slab protector, Tank pad
2014 Yamaha R1 €14,500 2013 Yamaha XTZ 1200 Super Tenere€13,995 2012 Yamaha Diversion 6000 mls Blue Luggage, Crash bars, Heated 3000 mls Black Fully Faired, ABS 500 mls Blue Mint Bike,Good Savings on grips new
€6,995 2012 Yamaha XJ6 FA 1200 mls Black Fully Faired ABS Model,Crash bungs
€6,750 2009 Yamaha Fazer 600 S2 €4,950 5765 mls Blue Heated Grips,Top Box,Huggar,Crash Bungs,Rad Guard,Heated Grips,Fender Extender
2014 Honda VFR 800 Red 2013 New Model
€12,000 2013 Honda Crosstourer €12,500 2012 Honda CBR 250 €4,500 2009 Honda CB 1300S €6,750 2007 Honda Blackbird €6,500 1200 mls Black 1200cc DCT Model 4500 mls White Tank pad, Heated grips, 25000 mls White Scorpion Can, Rad Guard, 16000 mls Silver Crashbungs,Heated Tank cap protector Tinted Screen grips,Huggar,Tank cover,Alarm
1997 Honda Valkyrie 1500 €5,995 2011 Honda Deauville €7,750 2009 Honda Transalp €5,650 2013 Kawasaki Z1000 Special Edt €10,750 2008 Kawasaki ZX6R €4,995 31000 mls White Windshield,Loads of extra 7000 mls Silver Larger pannier lids, Heated 5000 mls Black Standard mint bike 1700 mls Black Delkevic Exhausts,Tail 5000 mls Orange R&G crash bungs, R&G chrome grips, Honda colour coded top box Tidy,Colour Coded Huggar,Colour Coded bar ends Front Mudguard.Stunning mint bike
2007 Kawasaki ZZR 1400 €6,750 2007 Ducati ST3s €5,750 2011 BMW S1000RR €11,750 2013 BMW K1600 GT €18,995 2013 BMW F800GT €10,500 34000 km Blue Corbin Seat, Luggage, Bar 4000 mls Grey Ohlins suspension,S Model, 11500 mls ellow Sport Model. 1900 km Silver ABS, Electric 3500 km Black Luggage, Touring Screen, Risers,Good clean bike Luggage ABS,Traction Control, uick Shi er,Akra Screen,ESA,Heated Seats,Heated Sports Exhaust, Can,Tail Tidy,Tinted Screen.Crash Mushrooms & More
BBG 129.indd 67
Grips,Cruise Control,Alarm,Full Comfort Pack,Sat Nav & much more
16/10/2014 17:24
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Triumph Sprint Executive Sports tourer, sublime triple cylinder engine with seamless torque that is refreshing to ride. Triumph owners club machine, very well cared for. Full luggage system, serviced and ready for some fun! All our machines are dyno tested, have the suspension setup and come with a shop warranty for peace of mind.
€POA
2008 CB1000R in Azure blue Just under sixteen thousand KMS but rising all the time, beautiful machice that has really benifitted from a suspension session in the workshop. Serviced upto date with new Bridgestone tyres and heated grips for the chilly mornings
Bikes bought for cash
BBG 129.indd 68
€6,250
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New Range in Stock • Servicing the Midlands and the West of Ireland
2009 Ducati 1198s
POA 2012 Kawasaki ZX10R
€11,500 2012 Suzuki GSXR 1000
€5,600 2009 Suzuki Bandit 650
€4,600 2008 Suzuki GSX650F
Only 13000Kms and a One owner machine with a Carbon Termignoni exhaust system that sounds as good as it looks. A beautiful bike with no end of detail that looks fantastic
2007 Suzuki Hayabusa
The fantastic X10R in a stylish Black. With fully functional traction control and not just a gimmick this is a serious machine that is also surprisingly easy to just potter around on. Up to date styling and very hard to find secondhand. Trade ins welcome.
€9,995 2007 Yamaha R1
€6,999 2007 Suzuki GSXR 1000 K7 €6,500 2009 Kawasaki ZX6R
€4,250
€3,999 2005 Honda CBR 600RR
The nicest of all Gsxrs in my opinion with switchable power modes and still a current model. Less than 5000 Miles on this One and its an excellent looking bike in original condition with just a double bubble screen for comfort.
Power bronze screen, undertray, chrome tank infills, polished footrest hangers, wheel rims and clock surround finish the bike off
Bandit 650 fuel injected and water cooled The versatile GSX650 in the stylish Blue/ model. The best and most refined Bandit White graphics. Only 18000 genuine Kiof all with ABS and plenty of weather lometres and in excellent condition. Very protection from the fairing and screen. In comfortable and a great all rounder. standard and original condition
2003 Kawasaki Drifter 800
2006 Suzuki Bandit 1200
Old school Indian styling on this fresh cruiser. In good order throughout and sounds well. Lots of leather and chrome and all in good condition
1999 Yamaha R1
€3,650 2005 Suzuki Bandit 600s
Tidy Bandit 1200s with a nice practical double bubble screen and sweet sounding colour coded exhaust system. Very comfortable and reliable and popular with all types of rider
€2,999 1988 Suzuki GSXR 750H Slabside €2,999
The timeless R1 in the pukka Blue colour. Savage sounding Scorpion exhaust system, professionally polished rims and wavy discs all round. A nice tidy bike
Yamaha R6 Pre Injection
I smile every time I see this. 80s retro chic. The bodywork and tank are in excellent condition and these bikes are going for a fortune in the UK at the moment. Be smart and buy now
1994 Yamaha FZR250
€1,850
Only 11000kms on this sporty little 250. In original condition with standard mirrors,indicators Etc. Would suit a youngster or lady rider and sounds great
1996 Honda Hornet 250
€1,695
Honda CR85
One of the coolest bikes we have ever had in the shop. The high spec Rally Raid with uprated brakes, engine bars.Only 9000 Miles, superb condition
€3,250 2002 Honda CBR 600F
In mint condition and barrels of fun. Only 15000 on the clock and a great tool for in town or quick blasts round the country lanes. Easy to ride and a tall seating position helps see over the hedges and tra c.
€1,995 1995 Yamaha FZR600
Ideal starter bike or commuter. In very good condition with new tyres and chain and sprockets. Looks very like its bigger brothers
€1,695 1998 Suzuki Bandit 600
One owner from new and in great condition with Pro Taper handlebars. Just need a new sticker kit to finish her off. Starts first kick.
2005 Honda FMX 650
€5,600
Bikes dont get much better looking than this. Cu ng edge styling and performance give this bike the edge. Surprisingly comfortable and in good order throughout.
€3,999 2004 Aprilia Caponord Rally Raid €3,999
Only 10,000 Miles on this nimble 600RR. Savage sounding Micron exhaust and tail tidy give the rear end that racy look. Double bubble screen
€3,250
Probably the cleanest bike in the shop. Only 15000 Miles and a folder of service history. Suits the new licencing laws and is a lovely well balanced bike neither too big nor too small.
2002 Suzuki SV650
€2,400
€1,995 1995 Suzuki RF900
€1,850
or for commuting or Sunday spins.The low Versatility and style from this beautiful seat height makes this bike very maneage- 125cc Four stroke scooter. Great value able and this is one of the more stylish cruisers on the market
€2,150 1997 Honda Hornet 250
Ideal starter bike or for those that want that big bike look but only want a small engine. Looks every bit as big as its big brother the Hornet 600 and a lot of the parts are interchangeable. This is a cracking example and runs very well.
Yamaha YZ125 Moto X
Only 4000 genuine Miles and in excellent condition. Good straight bodywork and this bike will give years of track day fun without any trouble. Never been raced or abused so why risk your road bike on the track when you can have a great day out on this bike for small money.
Stunning Gsxr1000K7 in original condition without a scratch. We have known the previous Two owners and we have serviced this bike over the years and it has just had new DID chain and sprockets fitted along with a new rear tyre
€2,750 2008 Suzuki Intruder VL125€2,650 2013 Lambretta 125N Scooter Absolutely like new and an ideal first bike €2,600
Only 7000 Miles on this tidy Cbr600. Oval Probably one of the cleanest and most Micron can and goodridge braided lines original Slabbys in Ireland. Completely un- are practical extras as is the Powerbronze molested and still retains the original rear tinted double bubble screen. mudguard and handlebar grips etc. Brings a smile to my face every time I see it.
€2,250 1987 Suzuki GSXR 750 Slabside €2,250
SES fairing brackets, KAIS suspension front and rear, low mileage motor, straight bodywork .cheap track day fun and a fast growing championship class, no need to risk your road bike on the track when you can have barrels of fun on track
Honda SP1 Vimto
The pictures say it all on this guaranteed investment SP1. Appreciating by the day and this one is in the iconic Joey Dunlop Vimto colour scheme. Blueflame twin pipes look and sound fantastic and these bikesw really are a joy to ride. Only 10000 on the clock
€3,400 2006 Honda CBR600RR Track €3,250
Beouwulf End can sounds nice on this faired Bandit 600. Double bubble screen helps for comfort and the fairing actually works in keeping the weather off the upper body.
2001 Honda CBR 600F
Thought to be the best R1 ever, even better than the Big Bang model with more top end power and stable handling. This is a tidy example well minded and in A1 condition.
I had one of these new in 1990 and loved it. The original Deltabox frame and still looks sporty today. Only 16000 Miles and the bodywork is in good order and its a nice tidy bike.
Nice thump out of the exhaust on these SV650s. In remarkably good condition and unmolested with original rear fender, mirrors and indicators with just a light smoked double bubble screen for comfort.Lib Pic Used
Micron carbon exhaust system looks and sounds well on this versatile 900cc bike. Suitable for touring, commuting or Sunday spins. A lot of bike for small money.
€1,650 1995 Honda Pantheon 125 €1,300
Ideal starter bike/ commuter. In very In pristine condition and really like a original condition with standard mirrors, brand new bike. Great fun to ride and indicators Etc and only 26000 Miles. Starts another good reason to keep the kids first tip and suits the new licensing laws. outside.
Great comfort and versatility from this stylish 125cc scooter with plenty of underseat storage. Cheap tax and insurance and cheap to run.
www.doylesmotorcycles.ie BBG 129.indd 70
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2009 BMW F800R
€5,375 Factory fitted abs,heated grips,on board computer,led ind,centre stand,h/guards,comfort seat,crash bars,rear hugger,spotlights,colour matched fly screen,seat cowl, Just serviced incl b/pads all round,running on michelin pilot 3 tyres,Full service history now showing 28200 Kms Call 0863149444
2004 Honda VTX 1800
2011 BMW R12000 GS Adventure€14,500
2000 Honda CBR 600F
2006 Harley Davidson Sportster XL 883
1998 Honda Rebel 125
Pristine showroom condition. Low mileage 7,600km. GPS Mount, L&R pannier fastenings & Aluminium boxes & top box. Heated Grips. Dynamic ESA & Much more.Dublin Area.Call 087-2856941
€5,500 Twin seat,rear footpegs and passenger backrest,17900 kms.Call 085 1096770
€6,500 BMW K75 RT €2,100 This bike is in mint condition having only done just over Little used, low mileage, low tax and insurance. 12,000 miles. It’s a two owner bike from new and comes €2100 or best offer. Located Howth Call 086 with a full luggage system from the rear carrier giving it great 8143007 touring capability. Also has heated grips, genuine Honda saddle bags and a genuine Honda screen. Please no private numbers and time wasters! Call 0872735114
€1,650 Valentino Rossi colours. Restricted so learner legal. 41600miles, carbon fibre effect mirrors and micro indicators, chain and sprockets good and tyres are 80%.Call 087-6345088
1993 Honda CB1000
€2,800 51000 Miles,Call for more details 086 1688028
€2,000 Honda VFR800 €5,000 Perfect condition. Green and black in colour. Import- Good cond,well maintained, 2400mls,086 ed from NI last year. Call 086-1561983 1 previous 0625005 owner, with exception of a few months it was garaged when not on the road for the duration of its life so very neat.
2009 Harley Davidson Elctra Glide Ultra Classic €16,000
2008 Harley Davidson Dyna Superglide €10,000 31,000km. Picture doesn’t show Stage 1 tuning, Screamin’ Eagle Exhaust and Long-Shots Pipes.Call 0871908091
Electric Screen, Honda heated grips,Autocom Pro AVI intercom system,Too many extras to list.Call 0872228119
Kawasaki ER500 €1,999 Restricted so great Learner Bike to 250cc. 32k Miles. Only used to commute to work. Easy to use.6 Gears. Heated Grips,Loads more.Garristown/Co Dublin/ Ashbourne/Meath area.Call 087-2418976
2005 Yamaha R1
2008 Harley Davidson Elctra Glide Standard €12,500
(FLHTC-U) 40,000 miles Perfect condition. Many extras include drivers back rest.Call 0863363230
Sell it FREE With Ireland's Only Dedicated Monthly Motorcycling Magazine & Website
BBG 129.indd 71
€4,300 5 vy model, 18K miles, clean bike, extras including tinted screen, carbon fibre bodywork, stainless steel crash bobbins, gold x ring chain & talon sprocket. New pads and Michelin PP 2ct tyres fitted last season.Call 086-8376572
Classifieds
2004 Suzuki SV1000s
€3,500 Pyramid lower fairings Pyramid seat cowl Apex Adjustable Clipons (Transformed riding position) ART Exhaust (sounds amazing) Givi Box and rack Givi pannier rack to much spec to list call 085 7231424
2008 Honda Shadow Black VT750€4,500 16900 miles Serviced last summer and only 600 miles put up on it since 2 new tyres Comes with rain gear, lock, gloves, helmet, boots, sat nav, back Genuine reason for selling
Kawasaki GTR 1400 €10,500 Metallic Grey, 25000kms (15,500 miles), taxed 07/14, Bike is always garaged and in mint condition, large top-box with back rest, side panniers, heated grips, electric screen to much to list.Call 0867759271
2005 Honda Pan European ST1300A€6,650 1997 Harley Davidson Heritage Springer €11,500 White & Red Striped, With full Harley Davidson accessories and saddle bags.36,000 Miles.Call 0852398634
Honda NTV650s €800 Very reliable, 65+ MPG, Large topbox, Oxford pan1200km only, 1584cc, Virtually as new, Riders essen- niers, Heated grips, Fender extender, Full stainless tials, Cruise control, Stereo system, Full gauges, ABS, exhaust, Well kept/serviced, Owned for last 8 years, Many unused accessories, Call 086 1049269 69,000 miles, Needs nothing, Ready to ride. NO TEXTS NO OFFERS.Call 087 7529603
Sell it FREE on www.bikebuyersguide.ie
16/10/2014 17:25
WE KNOW NOW THAT SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE MOTOGP CLASS FROM 2015 BUT HOW ARE PREPARATIONS GOING?
InterVIEW
David Brivio
The development of the GSX-RR was started in 2012 with the aim to achieve high performance in the MotoGP class, as well as to give technology feedback to production models such as the GSX-R range. It utilises a newly developed in-line four-cylinder engine that realises a strong, flexible engine character, fuel efficiency, and durability at a high level. The frame has a layout that keeps its width slim for both maneuverability and aerodynamic performances, and optimizes body strength and weight balance. The aim was to develop a highly competitive MotoGP machine that can bring out the straightforward maneuverability developed over the years with the GSX-R. The Japanese firm has employed Team Manager in Davide Brivio and two new riders: Aleix Espargaro and Maverick Vinales for the season ahead. David Brivio took some questions at the recent Cologne show talked about his involvement with the new project. How long have you been working with the Suzuki MotoGP team? Since the beginning, in April 2013 I joined Suzuki and carried on the preparation. Can you tell us if the new bike uses any parts from the old GSV-R MotoGP bike? No, the GSX-RR is completely new. It’s a total redesign from a blank sheet of paper.
on engine performance - not so much the top speed of the engine - but more the drivability of the engine and the power. And we have to enter and see where we are; how much work we have to do! How close are you just now? What is your expectation for 2015? We have to try to, I think, get close with Ducati, even though they have been struggling for many years. Then we can see the way to the top… When will see the new Suzuki’s in action? Prior to next years series Suzuki will make a wildcard appearance at this season’s final race, the Valencia GP. The new Suzuki models introduced at the Cologne show include the new GSX-R1000S, which will be available in the MotoGP machine colour scheme in some countries, the naked GSX-S1000 ABS, the faired-version GSX-S1000F ABS, the Address 110 scooter, the V-Strom 650XT ABS, the Bandit 1250S ABS and the fully-faired version of the Inazuma 250F. Models, specifications and colours may vary in different Suzuki markets worldwide. Please refer to your local Suzuki distributor website.
Why has Suzuki moved to an inline-four design? Well, to be also closer to our production bikes. One of the aims of participation in MotoGP is to develop technology to transfer to production bikes. So using the same engine layout there means stronger links to our production. That’s the target; the aim. What problems have you had so far? During development, what was the big headache for you? Now we are working a lot on the electronics, because the electronics are very sophisticated in MotoGP and we have been out for a few years, so we need to recover. And also we are working
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