Bike May 09

may ’09 n 1000 miles on the ’09 superbikes n new ktm sm t and rC8 r n 40 years of the superbike n 30 years of the raCe repliCa n elefant rally n 20 years of kneedown

>>New KTM SM T: Sportsbike thrills, all-day comfort >>

B r i t a i n ’ s

B e s t - s e l l i n g

B i k e

m a g . . . B y

m i l e s

years of the superbike 40years of the race replica 30lc to Rc8 R years of 20kneedown Bike special

Riding the bikes that changed our world

Fantastic plastic performance

Whaddya mean you haven’t done it yet?

years of the 10 200mph motorbike

200.2mph, actually

Mad Max meets stalingrad

surviving the elefant rally

café culture

the ex-despatcher building café racers for rock stars

the ’09 superbikes YZF-r1 Fireblade gsx-r1000 Zx-10r

miles

one shock winner Bike’s definitive verdict on road and track

may 2009 £3.99 i us$9.95

18 years after the TDM850, we get a bike giving all the Yamaha promised: supermoto handling, all-rounder stability, comfort, and a punching twin-cylinder engine

18 Bike

first ride

KtM

Renowned for uncompromising, focused creations, KTM’s new 990 SM T adds welcome usability to their big-balled supermoto

BY MIKE ARMITAGE PHOTOGRAPHY BY GARY FREEMAN, HERWIG PEUKER

As comfortable as BMW’s r1200Gs. Better handling and with a plusher ride than a ducati Multistrada. More fun and noticeably better built than Triumph’s Tiger.

Wind-cheating hand guards, integrated luggage. And, of course, the punchy flurry of controlled lunacy we expect from a KTM. The new 990 SM T might have the practicality to square up to more serious rivals, but it’s still a veneer of sensibility on a fantastically amusing device.

From firm roots and an enviable reputation in the off-road world, the Austrian company has developed into a world force, building everything from 125cc two-stroke mud-pluggers to bare-bones nakeds and 1195cc, 160bhp, £15,000 superbikes.

Supermotos are at the heart of the firm – their bonkers 450 SMR racer won the 2008 world championship, and the road range contains three models based around the lusty 690 single (in racy SMC, friendly SM and pepped-up SMR specs) plus the imposing 990 SM. The latter might be 200kg of tall road bike and some distance from the crisp, delicate, race 450, but it’s a giddying device.

Like the 950 that preceded it (and won our group test against the Ducati Hypermotard and BMW Megamoto), the 990 SM is a heady mix of instant torque, snappy gearing, immediate response and handling on the swift side of rapid. It’s an utter hoot and exactly how you’d expect such a bike of basic purpose to feel, but the high, thin perch, naff-all weather protection and narrow focus limit its usability and appeal.

KTM admit supermotos are ‘specialised, uncomfortable and not for everyday riding’.

Hence the addition of the SM T. It isn’t intended as a touring bike – the T stands for travel, and KTM say the bike allows the riding experience of the standard SM to be enjoyed for longer periods over greater distances. So it has a sculpted seat 20mm closer to the ground containing a gel pad.

Suspension at both ends has less travel and uses revised internals for improved ride quality. There’s a fairing with fixed screen and hand guards to keep off the worst of the weather, plus a natty rack and the quick-fix mounts for optional luggage.

It’s the glorious 999cc, 75˚ V-twin that dominates our first ride on the flicking, undulating,

The handling’s still lively too, with all the agility, accuracy and athleticism of the SM. The new suspension actually gives even sharper geometry (0.5° steeper rake, 1mm less trail, 5mm shorter wheelbase) and there’s huge leverage and control from the wide bars. The difference with the SM T is the extra compliancy and willingness to absorb bumps displayed by the reworked suspenders – on back roads of particularly interesting surface, I can see the wheels on the bike in front rapidly flapping up and down as they track the road, but feel little of the imperfections myself. It’s a better ride than the base bike.

Of course the pay off for the plushness is a smidge less

‘The light, compact motor’s instantaneous reaction, thrust and free-revving nature make it a jewel of modern internal combustion’ deserted roads snaking north from Portimao in Portugal, however. Unchanged from the base SM, it’s a jewel of modern internal combustion; the 108bhp and 68 lb.ft we measured on this engine in last year’s SM might be a sniff below the claimed output and not all that much from a litre, but the light, compact motor’s instantaneous reaction, thrust and free-revving nature more than compensate. Short gearing makes it both flexible and foolish, politely accepting tall gears and roll-on, roll-off teasing on unknown sweeps yet readily sending the sharp end skyward in second gear with just a twist of the wrist. Brilliant.

Fuelling is precise, though KTM’s typically light, slack-free twistgrip can require a little acclimatisation. I’ve no issues and love the direct link from twistgrip to tyre, but it won’t be everyone’s brew.

composure ridden hard on faster routes (or fast on harder routes). It’s no carrier bag full of custard, but the stupendous Brembo radial brakes create plenty of fork dive if all the potential is used, and throwing the T about in the manner inspired by the chassis there’s the smallest hint of disobedient movement. Neither is a problem, but switching to the ‘sports’ suspension settings conveniently listed under the seat (30 seconds of tweaking the damping adjusters) tautens the job up nicely. Then you feel more bumps on poor surfaces…

Wind protection from the new fairing is spot-on, give or take. There’s no neck-wrenching blast or turbulence, but equally there isn’t the isolated separation of a tourer-style barn door. Triumph’s Tiger keeps more weather off, but a stretch of motorway shows the T’s Bike 19

20 Bike

This is getting finicky, but I have to as there are few things to whinge about with the SM T. Maybe a Tiger or R1200GS are more relaxed over distance, and get a few more miles from a full tank (the T’s fuel light pings on after 100 miles rollicking down back roads). But neither of these alternatives encourages, inspires or activates a smile like the KTM. They don’t tread with such a light footprint, don’t exhibit such deliciously eager response; can’t give the supermoto thrill of the SM T. The top-heavy triple and lumbering boxer don’t get near the vivacious twin’s effortless ease and perfect balance during low speed manoeuvring and feet-up U-turns, either.

It’s a pity you pay extra for the panniers. Exchange rates that add a grand to the base 990 SM also mean the T recently arrived in dealers at £9595 – £100 more than the Adventure, almost £1600 more than a Tiger. But, for me, it’s almost twice the bike.

s p e c

plastic stub to be adequate up to 90mph. This is a supermoto, a bike that’s supposed to excite and inspire, so the compromise between protection and bugsin-teeth seems about right.

First thing this morning the riding position felt completely natural, and it’s only at the end of a full day’s riding that I realise I’ve not noticed anything else about it. And not noticed it in a good way: no aches, discomfort or ergonomic quibbles mean there can’t be much wrong.

Unlike the choice of standard tyres. Early on a sunny morning, on cool roads, the Continental Sport Attack move around and blunt the edges of the handling until a good eight or ten miles of spirited use has added enough warmth. And even after a frantic 50-mile ride in 20˚ midday heat, they never feel sucked to the tarmac. Admittedly the average Portuguese blacktop isn’t the finest, but they never give complete confidence.

K T M 9 9 0 s M T

FIRST RIdE

Price Top speed Power Torque Engine Bore x stroke Compression Fuel system Transmission Frame tubular Front suspension Adjustment Rear suspension Adjustment Front brake Rear brake Tyres Wet weight Wheelbase Rake/trail Seat height Fuel tank Insurance Colours

£9595 140mph (est) 115bhp @ 9000rpm (claimed) 71.6lb.ft @ 7000rpm (claimed) 999cc, 8v, 75° V-twin 101mm x 62.4mm ratio 11.5:1 fuel injection 6-speed, chain steel trellis 48mm upside-down WP forks preload, compression and rebound WP monoshock preload, compression and rebound 2 x 305mm discs, 4-piston radial calipers 240mm disc, 2-piston caliper front; rear 120/70 ZR17; 180/55 ZR17 196kg (claimed, minus fuel) 1505mm 24.4°/109mm 855mm 19 litres NU13 black/orange, black/silver

KTM

What do you get if you take a 2008 RC8, add 47cc, ten bhp, a nicer gearbox, sweeter fuelling, £2360 and less orange paint? Welcome to the 2009 KTM RC8 R WoRds siMon HaRgReaVes pHoTogRapHy gaRy FReeMan and alessio BaRBanTi

brake) to keep smooth. It feels like the R’s throttle response hasn’t improved at all. Then I try a bike fitted with a ‘street’ throttle, not the ‘race’ throttle fitted as standard – it’s an alternative, mechanical way of shaping power delivery. Instead of switchable power maps as per Suzuki GSX-R and Yam R1, the RC8 R comes with two throttle

‘The R’s chassis is still ahead of the game, braking, steering and holding a line with remote control, intuitive mid-corner suction’ In a flooded pitlane at Portugal’s Portimao circuit, the R’s black finish is much cooler and probably easier to keep clean than the RC8’s orange, and the R still has a brilliantly flexible riding position. Two-way adjustable pegs, subframe and bars are much roomier than Ducati’s cramped 1198, making track work less tiring and road riding relatively comfy.

The RC8’s 142bhp 75° V-twin is an honest, flexible motor with plenty of midrange. It matched Ducati’s 1098 on peak power but, with less top-end rush, didn’t feel as fast. The R’s extra 47cc (wider bores) plus new, high compresssion pistons and more aggressive cams (with slotted sprockets to let tuners play with timing) completely alter the bike’s character.

It’s now a beast, with bludgeoning acceleration at any throttle opening and a stunning top end in the last few mm of throttle travel. KTM claim 167bhp; feels like low-to-mid 150bhp at the wheel – enough to keep pesky R1s in sight.

The delivery is so explosive it makes controlling the R tricky in the wet. Other riders complain of a mid-rpm glitch which I don’t notice, but I certainly notice a sharp throttle pick-up which takes concentration (and rear

tubes: the race throttle uses a quick-action, circular pulley which delivers linear travel while the street throttle has a camshaped pulley which opens at a more gentle rate.

The difference is stark. With the race throttle the R is harder to ride smoothly, with the smallest movement threatening to have you on your ear. Fit the street throttle (a five-minute job, say KTM) and the R feels a different bike. The transition from shut to open becomes a thought rather than an action, and I can sense much more accurately how much grip is available. The transformation is staggering. The challenge becomes not merely staying upright in the rain, but how fast you can go. Which is the point.

As the track dries out, I ride with more intent and the difference between the two throttles is less obvious – but I still prefer the progressive one (the race throttle is fitted as standard, although KTM UK are reviewing this).

The RC8’s gearbox has taken stick – not positive enough, too many false neutrals. Of three bikes I’ve ridden, one had a terrible box, one was fine, and the other terrible until I adjusted the shift lever to get more leverage under it, after which it

was fine too. Which suggests the problem is ergonomic.

Similarly, some launch RC8 Rs are okay, some are not. On one, I get the lever position lowered.

No more missed gears.

Steel trellis frame and alloy swingarm are unchanged, but geometry is tweaked with more trail for greater steering stability.

Fully-adjustable WP forks and shock use softer springs than the RC8. Brembo Monobloc calipers, 10-spoke forged wheels and Pirelli Supercorsa tyres complete the spec.

The R’s chassis is still comfortably ahead of the game, braking, steering and holding a line with the same remote control and intuitive mid-corner suction as the old bike – only with added speed. Stability isn’t perfect – bumpy roads will have its head nodding – but by Christ it’s good everywhere else.

On track, KTM are competing in the 2009 German Superbike Championship, which runs relatively stock bikes. The expense of World Supers will only come when the factory are ready. But various race kit parts are available to anyone who wants to club race the RC8 R, from Akrapovic exhaust systems, to slipper clutches (not standard), to comprehensive Superstock or Superbike kits.

And all at a price. The stock RC8 R is £15,000, which puts it in Ducati 1198S territory – which is to say out of the reach of most of us. The base RC8 will still sell for £12,595.

KTM say although the UK is the RC8’s biggest market, they’re bringing in fewer bikes than 2008 – recession and all that. Thus we’ll get 175 RC8 Rs in 2009, and 100 stock RC8s. If you can, sign up now.

s p e c k t m r c 8 r

Twelve months after KTM’s first big-bore sportsbike comes the R version. As well as a higher spec, KTM say it fixes the issues customers had with the RC8.

Sloppy gearbox? Fixed. Snatchy fuelling? Sorted. More power, vicar? Done. And the RC8’s immaculate handling, sound ergonomics and delightful hardware detailing remain.

Price Power (claimed) Torque (claimed) Engine Bore x stroke Compression ratio Fuel system Transmission Frame Front suspension –adjustment Rear suspension –adjustment Front brake Rear brake Tyres front/rear Dry weight Wheelbase Rake/trail Seat height Fuel tank Insurance Colours Available from

£14,995 167bhp @ 10,250rpm 91lb.ft @ 8000rpm 1195cc, 8v, dohc, 75° V-twin 105.0 x 69.0mm 13.5:1 52mm fuel injection six-speed, chain chrome moly tube trellis 43mm usd telescopic forks preload, compression and rebound monoshock preload, two-speed compression, rebound and ride height 320mm discs/4-piston radial calipers 220mm disc/2-piston caliper 120/70 ZR17; 190/55 ZR17 182kg 1425mm 23.3°/97mm 805/825mm 16.5 litres 17 black/white KTM, 01280 709500, www.ktm.co.uk

first ride

the rC8’s peerless handling and roomy riding position remain, but with muchos added power Below: Monobloc Brembos, fab detailing, bewildering multi-function instruments and thumb-able laptimer

your best A motorcycle is more than just an engine, wheels and a seat. A motorcycle is freedom – to be who you want to be, go where you want and see things few other people can. Your bike is a gateway to a whole world of sights, sounds and stories you’d never experience from anywhere but the saddle. This summer is the time to see more than ever before.

Consider this our grand crusade – let Bike inspire you to get out there and do it all words khal harris photography bike archive

030 Bike

Every great undertaking starts small. As winter bleeds away, there’s no better time to get intimate with a map. The Big Plan is to get you involved with Bike like never before. We want this summer to be absolutely filled with activities, events, trips, stories and new experiences – and we want you to share them.

So we are going to help you plan a year of riding like no other, we’re going to let you share it

great

the

escape

summer on a bike www.bikegreatescape.com

with everyone else – and we’re getting involved too.

Calling on their combined years and miles of experience, the Bike staff and contributors have come up with a list of nearly 200 essential events, places to visit and activities to get your started. Some are obvious, others off-the-wall.

Many are easy; others will be the trial of a lifetime. But this is just the beginning. We want you to

add your own things to the list.

Think of something to do and come back with great stories.

But remember to take photos...

We’re going to encourage your adventures in two ways.

First, we’ll publish the best stories, pictures and ideas in the mag. At the end of the year, the person who’s had the most incredible year will get to tell their story. We’ve set up a brand new web forum, so you can

upload and share stories of your travels, get together with and offer advice to other likeminded riders. We’ll be keeping up to date with the best stories and photos – and publishing the cream of the crop in print.

This isn’t a competition to see who can spend the most. We won’t reward flash hotels and flying bikes to exotic shores over ingenuity and genuine adventure. Flying to Morocco

and renting a bike is fantastic, sticking a tent on the back of your bike and riding over is even better. To show how serious we are about this, we’ll be joining in, too. As the 2009 test fleet is introduced this year, every staffer will be scored and ranked along with everyone else taking part. Who knows, you might even see us out on the road?

Here’s your starting point for 2009. Go fetch your map…

Bike 31

On Any Sunday

Motorbike Expo,Verona Bigger by kilometres than your average UK bike show, with jaw-dropping spectacles well beyond the usual showroom fare words gary inman PhotograPhy by ben Part

January’s MotorBike Expo in Verona, Italy, was equal parts inspirational eye-opener and cultural slap in the face.

The closest British equivalent to the MotorBike Expo is the MCN ExCeL Show. Both are held in January, but the Verona show is six times the size of the London show. Yes, the Expo houses de rigeur stands from the likes of Yamaha, Ducati and Triumph, plus the smaller Italian players. But it’s also a showcase of Italy’s huge aftermarket parts business and specials-building artisans.

There are dirt bike stands and a large buzzing Yamaha owners’ club zoo, with each sub-species – V-Max, Tenere, XJR – having its own hutch. The final, colourful piece of the jigsaw is the custom bike and kustom culture scene that takes up twice the room of the ExCel Show by itself.

The MotorBike Expo unifies motorcycling when, so often, it is dissected into ever tinier, more specialised niches. Here tribes, interests and influences cross-germinate so handsome mongrels and half-breeds develop.

I’m not an habitual Brit knocker, but when it comes to events there are very few the British do better than our Euro cousins.

There are a handful (see box on p46), but doesn’t our rich heritage deserve more?

For a decade, this show was in Padova (Padua) but for some bizarre reason a rival show was set up at Padova the very same weekend and, by all accounts, still made a good fist of it. But there was only one winner. Everything about the Verona show is upbeat. Well, except the stand-off between the two biggest groups of Hell’s Angels and Outlaws I’ve ever seen.

At most UK shows you’re paying to see bikes that will be in a local dealers next week. There are some specials and classics, but not on this scale. Here, the whole show seemed geared up to bring bikes and characters out of the woodwork and under one roof. And hundreds of dealers followed them.

42 Bike

The Crossover King marcus walz is the german behind hardcore Choppers, a company that makes the €100,000 fat-tyred monstrosities/works of art (depending on your outlook) bought by the likes of Kimi räikkönen and david Coulthard. ‘whenever i build a bike like this for myself someone wants to buy it,’ says marcus. it’s easy to see why. overall they’re subtly modified but virtually every line has been cleaned. the ascari, based on a Paul smart 1000, is my favourite. ‘it has PVm wheels, brembo monoblocs, Öhlins suspension, walzwerk pipe, V-rod headlight…’ €33,000 in case you were wondering.

The guzzi god in most countries, admitting you like moto guzzis has a stigma on a par with a dinner party blurt about your predilection for dressing in a nappy. but i’m loud and proud. stumbling on guzzi royalty had me squirting a tiny dribble into my Pampers. Filippo barbacane, from Pescara, has built some the world’s most beautiful and whacked-out guzzis. his latest project, diamante, is a griso with a heavily-modified gilera CX singlesided front end, millepercento liquid-cooled heads, a new tank under the seat, and 1420cc. that kooky, all-to-cock engine produces 140 italian stallions. barbacane explains. ‘when we italians are little we see Ferrari, Lamborghini, bimota, guzzi. we’re taught that motorcycles have heart.’

The iConoClasTs ducati desmosedicis don’t come in blue. ‘mr bursi has completely modified this ducati,’ says anna. the new owner of bursi evolution is an urbane italian named walter Panella. he takes up the story. ‘the forks and brakes are now much better. it has a new exhaust and eCU, new seat and carbon body panels. we couldn’t put a price on this bike.’ ‘it was built by mr bursi,’ anna explains, before adding. ‘he has no wife or kids.’

Clockwise from top: Dino Romano and his dirt track style Hinckley Bonneville; The Bursi Desmosedici; Walter Panella of iconoclasts, Bursi Evolution; Guzzi God Filippo Barbacane; Crossover king Marcus Walz plays it cool.

Opposite: Mr Martini’s Matty Triumph; Barbacane’s Diamante Guzzi Griso; The Bursi Desmosedici

‘We couldn’t put a price on this bike.

It was built by Mr Bursi,’ Anna explains, before adding. ‘He has no wife or kids’

Bike 43

italy has gone crazy for the kustom lifestyle. the furry fella is Luca of Chops 76; below, with petrol tank, is Alessio of Los Scorpione. he and his brother built a chop, including welding and grinding, on their stand over the three days of the show; also pictured, the Walz hypermotard tosa 1100r and Mr Martini Super Cooper 900.

getting there

We rode to Verona (see Bike, April 09), but if you book a flight before Christmas this year, it’ll cost you buttons. it’s hard to recommend riding there. Verona is 750 miles from Calais. in January. if you’re in a hurry, France is a bore, Switzerland is fun (you don’t hear that phrase very often) and italy is tedious. it’s also far more expensive riding than flying. Verona is near Venice and there are a bunch of budget airports. hotels can be had for €40 a night. two days at the show isn’t too long. >For more details see, www.motorbikeexpo.it Mr MArtini No one builds Hinckley specials like Nicola (stop sniggering) Martini. His love of the British brand is so heart-warming it makes me want to buy an old Adventure, a hacksaw and a Union Jack T-shirt.

Prior to the Verona show, he’d given a whistle and a pack of his custom creations came running to heel, already polished and ready for display. Martini runs a Triumph dealership in Verona but adds spice, and interest, by creating one-offs. He’s so sure it brings business to his shop he keeps building them. Not really occurred in Britain, has it? Then, listen to this for a radical idea – he rides them. ‘I rode to Ace Café and the Brighton Rockers Reunion three years ago,’ says Martini with a smile, patting the mixed media streetfighter he took. ‘I love England. It is beautiful.’

VERoNA SHow

BRILLIANT BRITISH BIKE EVENTS KING KERoSIN One corner of the six halls the show inhabits belongs to the King Kerosin collective. KK is a clothing brand trading heavily on the flavour du jour kustom kulture vibe. The stand, as you’d expect, has a huge market stall of black T-shirts covered in skulls, skeletons and sailor tattoo artwork, dark denim and chain wallets. But the stand also had a rockabilly band and a customised hot tub (permanently full of half-cut, tattooed hangers-out). And there was also Eve Champagne – a burlesque dancer with a modesty bypass. She’s pictured above. That photo was taken at 10.45am. It’s what the NEC is missing…

There was also a rockabilly band and Eve champagne – a burlesque dancer with a modesty bypass. It’s what the NEc is missing THE oPTIMIST ‘Doom,’ says Japan. ‘Gloom,’ says America. ‘We are quite ’appy about the situation,’ says Gianluca Lanaro, Moto Morini’s sales director. Excuse me? ‘We are small.

We are scheduled to make 1500 bikes in 2009 and we have already sold them all. Moto Morini build motorcycles with passion for people with passion.

These people will always find the money to buy a bike.’ And looking at the studiously rugged types making goo-goo eyes at Morini’s tricked up, black-on-black Scrambler you can believe him. I was expecting a story about a company ready to board up its windows and left elated that they’re in a confident mood.

46 Bike

We have lots of good ones, but the ones we truly trump the world at are...

THE ISLE of MAN TT Incomparable festival on a beautiful island that actually likes motorcycles and lets riders take ridiculous liberties. Don’t listen to the jaded journos spout. Some would rather be at home watching a DVD and feeding the cat its medicine. Go to the TT or live a life of regret.

GooDwooD Both the festival of Speed and Revival. The former has a hillclimb (that no bikes take seriously) and incredible bikes and cars to stare at. The other has a classic bike race, taken very seriously, at a toff’s fancy dress. The setting, the attention to detail, the history, all so British.

Very heavy on the corporate sponsors but someone has to pay for it.

REAL RoAD RAcES The antipodeans have a good go, but they can’t hold a candle to the nerve-jangling, heart-inmouth, eyes-on-stalks spectacle of Irish road racing (Northern Ireland is GB and Eire is included for this argument). Photographs give a taste, but few things compare to the sight of a pack of six BSB battling for the same piece of country lane.

years of the

superbike

62 Bike

café

california It took a Londoner to reintroduce the cafe racer into Californian consciousness. And now he’s building them for punk rock royalty

words gary inman PhotograPhy fly

Steve ‘Carpy’ Carpenter is proof that Barry Sheene had the right idea.

Don’t wait for your ship to come in, swim out and meet it. Carpy’s been swimming for nine years.

A former London bike courier, he says he ‘got sick of the cold and wet, after 25 years of it,’ so sold up and moved to Australia.

‘I loved Aus but it was too bloody hot.’ So he moved to California in 2000 and things started happening. ‘I rented the house I’m still in from day one. A bunch of hot rodders used to live here and there was no furniture, except a seat from a ’50 Ford. When the owner of it moved out, he needed the seat so he could move the car and I was left with nothing to sit on.’

Having a few quid to see him through, Carpy tried his hand at different jobs. ‘I started Bike 63

>

Okay, we know.

There will be an old fella in the corner who’ll argue that BSA’s Gold Star or some such proper bike was the first true race replica, but here at Bike our Cresta (‘it’s frothy man’) rotted brains only go back to the early ’70s and in our world the race replica starts with Yamaha’s iconic LC and finishes with whatever is floating our boats this Tuesday. The following pages are a simple reminder of how far we’ve come and how we got here. In that time racing has changed enormously and road-based replicas have moved on too.

That 140bhp, stickytyred, hi-tech 2008 GSX-R750 you just walked past in the bike park would have probably been quick enough to win a WSB championship 20 years ago.

Though maybe with someone other than me riding it.

78 Bike

1979 Yamaha RD250LC 35bhp, 141kg, 103mph + ride on L-plates - someone told Maggie

Yamaha said it was a TZ on the road and charged almost twice as much as a discounted Suzuki X7. Most of us thrashed, crashed and learned about bike theft on ours and have spent the last five years trying to buy it back.

1980 Yamaha RD350LC

1981 Honda CB1100R

1984 Yamaha RD500lc

1985 Suzuki RG500

44bhp, 145kg, 115mph + faster than a superbike...

- ...but not for long

88bhp, 173kg, 148mph + the only V4 two-stroke - Not as crazy as we’d hoped for

120bhp, 235kg, 143mph + built to win, no expense spared - Japan’s least reliable superbike

95bhp, 156kg, 150mph + closer than you’d think - 14mpg, 16in wheels, scraped like a cruiser

years of the

superbike

200 > hhhaaayyyaaabbbuuusssaaa mph

by the late 1990s there were few superbike milestones left to topple. the double ton was one we had to have

words kevin raymond PhotograPhy chiPPy wood

Got an email from the editor yesterday, ‘Do you remember doing 200mph on the first Hayabusa?’

Stupid question. Even when I’m dribbling soup down my shirt in the old folks’ home I bet that’s one of the precious memories that’ll be on constant loop in what’s left of my mind.

1999. In those pre-GPS/datalogging days, all our performance testing was done on Bruntingthorpe’s two-mile long, 60-metre wide straight, designed to launch wartime bombers and 1950s Lightning jets into the blue, now used as a test track. I spent a lot a lot of time there in the 1990s. We used custom-built timing lights placed on pre-painted marks on the right-hand side of the runway, doing quarter-miles first: break a beam to start the clock, break another to start the terminal speed trap, break a third to stop both clocks. For the top speed runs we usually howled through the

102 Bike

whole lot, but on that day there was a very, very strong cross tailwind from the left, and in the quest to squeeze the absolute max from the Suzuki and its rivals I was waiting until the last moment to let the wind blow me across the runway, and hoping I didn’t misjudge it and wipe out the lights as I screamed past.

It was a strategy that worked fine with the Blackbird (186.5mph, faster than expected, maybe thanks to new fuel injection and engine mods), made no difference to the R1 (178mph but hitting the rev limiter long before the lights) and utterly, completely terrifying on the ZZ-R1100 (186.1mph and needing a huge dose of counter-steer to keep it from veering off into the ploughed field a few yards to the right – they were always horrible in sidewinds).

And so to the Hayabusa. A couple of hours earlier it had pumped out 160bhp at the rear wheel on the dyno,

years of the

superbike

Bike 103

years of the

superbike

Through the lights and i knew it was as good as it was going to get – reading 215mph, kissing the redline

comprehensively stamping on the others by at least 20bhp and seriously out-torquing them as well. Now it was time to see if its much-vaunted aerodynamics could translate that into pure speed. A few runs showed mid to high one-nineties with the promise of more to come. One last try.

Round the back of the airfield, warming tyres and then carrying as much corner speed as possible through the long, fast, bumpy 180 degree right-hander onto the main straight, drifting all the way out to the left and getting as much speed up as possible as the bike climbed the ramp up to the slight crest halfway down the straight. With about half a mile to the lights, the cross/tailwind really kicked in as the trees thinned out on the left and then disappeared. At that point the speedo was reading 200mph, and there was still a gear to go... Click up. Now it was a downhill, wind-assisted slingshot to the lights – time to see if moving around the bike would smooth out the airflow.

One eye on the rev counter, and trying every speed-testing trick I knew, from arse-in-the-air jump-jockey silliness (as used on the Blackbird to good effect) to completely tucked-in 80cc GP racer style, with the latter winning by a couple of hundred precious rpm. The last hundred rpm came with a subtle raise of the shoulders a second or so before the speed trap – details matter at well over three miles a minute.

This is the sort of stuff few people ever have the time or the incentive to explore but I’d learnt at the feet of a master – the late, great John Robinson. I’d spent a decade honing those skills and

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A brief history of speed (and the things that made them happen)

104 Bike

I was, frankly, damn good at it.

Through the lights and I knew it was as good as it was going to get – reading 215mph on the speedo, kissing the redline, feeling effortless, stable, no drama – and if it hadn’t bust 200 on that run then it wasn’t worth trying again.

I didn’t know the rest of the guys were jumping up and down yelling at a readout of 200.2mph – I was hard, hard on the brakes, the Hayabusa’s suspension compressed over the rutted blocks of concrete, a serious test of braking control on the limit and all part of our normal Bruntingthorpe test process. Then a cooling lap before I caught up with the celebrations. Bloody hell – 200mph.

After the euphoria had died down and the photos came back from the developers (no digi cameras then...) someone noticed that the timing lights had been due a calibration check months earlier. That and the fact that none of the other mags cracked the double ton led some to doubt if we’d done it in the first place.

But... the calibration was a formality; that particular bike was best of breed (press bikes are always good, but sometimes they’re better than good, if you know what I mean); the tailwind was worth a hefty dollop of speed (witness the ZZ-R hitting the same elevated top speed as the Blackbird) and JR’s tutelage meant I could make the most of it (Bike’s road tester at the time – demon road rider and Manx and TT racer Martin Child – was a full 5mph slower). The clincher for me was that on that final run it was hitting the redline in top – I never got another one anywhere near that.

So, did the Hayabusa really do 200mph? Everyone else’s might not have, but that one did....

1969 Honda CB750 >124mph >Triumph’s Trident was almost as fast 1972 Kawasaki Z1 900 >134mph >DOHC and 167 extra cc. Wobble at 125 1978 Honda CBX1000 >135mph >1st 100bhp bike, unaerodynamic inline six 1984 Kawasaki GPZ900R >150mph >105bhp, 16 valves and water-cooling, full fairing 1989 Yamaha FZR1000R >161mph >130bhp, 20-valve engine, first bike over 160mph 1990 Kawasaki ZZ-R1100 >170mph >Slippery bodywork and ram-air induction system 1996 Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird >175mph >Engineers wore 300kph (187mph) T-shirts at launch 1999 Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa >200.2mph >20bhp more than the Bird but 25mph faster 2006 MV F4 312R >187mph >MV claim the unrestricted 312 will hit 312kph (195mph). We only manage 187 2007 Suzuki GSX-R750 >171mph >First 750 to top 170mph 2008 Yamaha YZF-R6 >172.3mph >First 600 to top 170mph

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