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SportSbike britain REACTION ‘When people see the GPZ they are surprised because she looks almost new, not a bike that is 24 years old.’ julIEN bOEREz
4
nInJA SPeCIAL
bIkEs wE lIkE ThIs mONTh Words kar lee PICs james lisle, kar lee
haPPy 25th annIversary of the nInja
1985 kAwAsAkI GPz1100zR julIEN bOEREz
whAT A fusion of GPZ900R A2 chassis and 130bhp GPZ1000RX motor (with 900R head) wrapped up in a sprinkling of Godier-Genoud parts and other upgrades. While it’s called an 1100ZR, the actual capacity of this incarnation is 997cc, slightly down from the previous Godier-Genoud 1010cc motor fitted. It took six months to rebuild to the condition it’s in now and although it’s obsessively tidy, the owner’s not afraid to abuse it on track as well as road. Rare for specials, this bike is the finished product and had us drooling. whY? Because Julien caught sight of the bike at the ‘Coupes Moto Légende’ bike meet three years ago – it was parked up next to where his tent was. While people around him were admiring GSX-Rs and the like, he only had eyes for the Kawasaki. After the event he hung around long enough to meet the owner, became his buddy and promptly bought the bike off him. hOw? Godier-Genoud were a French-Swiss endurance race duo consisting of George Godier and Alain Genoud. Spectacularly successful on the endurance circuit in the 70s, they developed their own bikes with mad bodywork and tuning kit, mostly for Kawasakis. The1987 RX motor in this example has had cylinder head work done by the French endurance kings, the Devil exhaust is a special GG edition and the bodywork came from them too. Marvic three-spoke magnesium wheels, Tomaselli clip-ons, Tarozzi rearsets and fork brace, four-piston Brembo calipers, Dynojetted RX carbs, an Öhlins shock and Hagon fork springs help make the bike go as well as it looks. ‘I have a 900R and 1000RX too. I prefer the chassis of the 900R but the RX engine is more powerful, so the best cross is the 900 frame with the RX engine,’ concludes Julien. What’s it like to ride? ‘It’s better handling, lighter and so more effective,’ he explains. ‘The engine and the chassis are enough for me at the moment. I prefer to put my money into trackdays.’
79%
21%
french
endurance kudos
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1984 KawasaKi GPZ900R haMish FoRwaRD
This original A1 Ninja 900 has notched up a respectable 77,000 miles. Bought as a crashdamaged bike for just £450, it’s been upgraded with a plethora of parts salvaged from other big Kawasakis and now wears Dymags to carry the latest rubber. There’s Racetech fork springs, ZZ-R1100 brake and master cylinders, Wilbers rear shock, Pretech six-pot calipers, a Micron fork brace and a Corbin-style seat. Under the fairing is a 1000cc RX motor with gas-flowed head, K&N filters, fruity Vance and Hines 4-2 system and RX carbs with a Stage 3 Dynojet kit. ‘The bargains were the secondhand Dymags – they came with near-new tyres as well as brake discs and cost just £500 for the pair. I sold the discs for £100 so the wheels were even more of a bargain,’ says Hamish.
78%
22%
80s muscle
ageing gracefully
KawasaKi PaRTs Bin ZZ-R1100 right-hand switchgear, alternator, brake and clutch cylinders. GPZ1000RX 170mph speedo, temperature gauge, engine and carbs. GPZ900A8 mirrors and A3 left-hand switchgear. The Kwak stockroom has been well and truly raided.
1999 KawasaKi ZX-9R C2 MaRK MaRRison
wE aRE ThE MoDs Lower geared for better acceleration; Harris rearsets; Discacciati radial master cylinder; Translogic quickshifter, BSR braided lines, K&N filter, Braking wave discs… the list goes on.
Kawasaki’s updated ZX-9R was a great bike, overcome by a victim of bad timing, launched in the same year as the R1. Mark Marrison has owned his 63,000-miler from new and has benefited from upgrading over the years to keep it competitive. From a full Akra titanium system to K-Tech reworked forks to the £250 bargain Hyperpro MotoGP spec rear shock, everything fitted has been a problem-solving exercise. ‘All the mods I’ve made have been functional, I’m not into all things shiny,’ confesses Mark. ‘It’d be nice to own something new, but this owes me nothing. I know it inside and out – it’s been crashed and rebuilt so many times – and it’ll give most new litre bikes a run for their money.’ You still wouldn’t turn down the keys to a chrome green ZX-10R though, would you?
70%
30%
well-proportioned sleeper
crash, build, repeat
2005 KawasaKi ZX-10R isao YoshioKa
What we have here is the realisation of one guy’s all-or-nothing vision – a 250bhp turbocharged monster wearing twin rim-mounted discs on its Marchesini wheels. The bike is used for all kinds of riding too. ‘Mostly street riding around town – I’d take it to the hospital, shopping and also to trackdays. Obviously the bike has too much power for Japanese roads but I love the sound of the turbo,’ explains Isao. ‘My intention was to build something more in tune with the style of bikes in the US and UK which kids would think is cool.” Whether you like the bling of the green chrome finish or not, you’ve got to admire the dedication of £20,000 worth of modifications, the threemonth build time (though he’s still fine-tuning the boost), and Isao’s desire to fit nitrous. Is too much ever enough? Apparently not – his turbocharged CBR1000RR Fireblade project is well under way.
91%
9%
loopy
commuter tool
iMaGinE Imagine taking the craziest, feistiest Kawasaki litre bike in recent years and adding another 90bhp to it. Then imagine covering it in green chrome.
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ObsessiOn XLVIII
Who is... Matt Purdy?
A 51-year-old ex-copper who packed it all in to run his aftermarket parts business (www.adrenalinmoto.co.uk). His gorgeous Buell XB racer featured in PB back in March 2007.
Adrenalin Moto commission Brit company Evotech to make crash bungs, tail tidy and rad protectors.
Look at the size of that Free Spirits bottom yoke...
‘I
decided I’d had enough of going fast, so I bought a Harley Sportster,’ says Matt Purdy. Many of you reading that statement will consider his thinking on a par with ‘I got a bit tired of the morning rushhour, so I moved to Ice Station Zebra.’ But Matt has been going fast for a long time – as a police motorcyclist (legalised habitual speeder, in my experience), police traffic cop in one of the TWOC hot spots of the north-east and police helicopter crew member. It just turned out he wasn’t ready to go quite as slow as a Harley.
‘I liked the Sportster, but it wasn’t fast enough and it didn’t stop,’ says Matt. So he bought a Buell and started a new chapter in his life. ‘I couldn’t buy any aftermarket parts for the Buell, so, with £100, I started Adrenalin Moto in the cupboard under the stairs.’ That was 11 years ago. Now the Buell-focused aftermarket parts, mail order business Adrenalin Moto (with European and Japanese bike-focused sister company Twin Shack) employs Matt, his wife Debbie, daughter Sabrina and Aarron, the post lad. And they’re just about to move into new premises.
‘When I sold the Sportster to buy the Buell I said if they ever built a Sportster with a Buell engine it would be the bike for me,’ Matt explains. For years Buell used Sportster-based engines, but had them factory modified to make over 80bhp, compared to the 50-odd horses of a 1200cc Harley. ‘The XR1200 is as close as Harley have ever got to the Buell-engined Sportster,’ Matt reckons. It’s not right, though is it? I mean, have you seen a standard one? It’s supposedly inspired by one of my favourite bikes of all time, the XR750 flat track racer. That’s like unveiling Susan Boyle and saying ‘Well, she was inspired by Marilyn Monroe.’ Terblanche and Ducati proved it’s possible to reheat the past with some level of success. Nobody in Milwaukee was watching. Matt bought an XR1200 for £7500 and set to work. He combined hobby, lifestyle and business to build a bike he loves. We like it too.
SuSPenSIOn and BrakeS
‘Someone told me the original Showa twin shocks Harley fit cost the factory $18 a pair. That’s $10 too much,’ says Matt with perfect comic timing. Before the XR1200 reached showrooms there were marketing
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years web surfing
40
kgs saved
5
The version of Power Commander fitted
INGrEdIENTS
2
Top shock mount adapters are neat.
90
lb.ft of torque
4500
pounds sterling worth of bolt-ons
Aluminium axle sliders and bobbins.
Adjustable rearsets are also from Free Spirits.
‘ORIGINAL SHOWA FORKS COST THE FACTORY $18 A PAIR. THAT’S $10 TOO mUCH’ videos posted on the internet showing an XR carving impressively around an unnamed American race circuit. Then Harley racing legend Scott Parker was wheeled out at the launch. ‘I don’t believe a racer had any part in the development of this bike,’ Matt says, adding, ‘Unless they suggested, and worked on bikes with better suspension before the bean counters put a stop to it.’ So Matt, stock suspension’s not too good, then? He fitted Italian Bitubos, fully-adjustable twin shocks with his own design of top mount adjusters to raise the rear 50mm and quicken the steering. The front forks were left standard, but they’re held by huge Café Race
yokes made by Free Spirits of Italy, a company Adrenalin Moto work closely with. There are plenty of fork upgrades and Matt considered fitting the Traxxion Dynamics cartridges he used in the GSX-R-forked Buell racer (Britain’s Best Buell, PB March 07), but at £1200 a pair they are beyond the budget (for now). Matt says next year’s, more expensive XR1200X is going to have Showa BPFs and remote reservoir Showa shocks as standard. Front calipers are standard but discs are Galfer. The carriers are just too custom for my liking, but it’s not my bike. The rear caliper was swapped for a twin-piston Brembo.
Bodywork
Matt doesn’t just import parts, he also commissions his own to sell to the world. And the world is lapping up his XR1200 parts. The carbon fibre tank cover, sidepanels, front mudguard and single seat unit are all British-made Adrenalin Moto wet-lay carbon exclusives. As are the extra-wide airbox intakes, belly pan and belt covers. ‘It was booked in to a have a Gulf paintjob, but I bottled out at the last minute,’ says Matt. I’m glad he did. The carbon works perfectly. 099
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your bike made faster
Do Wavy Discs Work?
Are crinkle-cut stoppers more than just a fashion accessory? We find out. Words pb team Pics rory game
Every now and then a new technology bursts onto the biking scene and so successfully confronts the status quo that manufacturers are compelled to adapt. Forcing this technological evolution forward more often than not, is racing. Disc brakes, traction control, radial and multi-compound tyres are just a few examples. And while these are all accepted go-faster goodies developed from racing, wavy brake discs have never been an invention that has had much credibility. They look great, but biting a few chunks out of a disc can’t really make it stop better, can it? It’s just marketing spiel, right?
The trophies cabinet would suggest not. In production-based series where cast-iron discs aren’t allowed, wavy discs are popular – in fact, the same Braking Wave SK units used in this test are used by the Ten Kate Honda World Supersport team, and they’re not exactly rubbish, are they? So it was with an open, if slightly cynical mind that wavy discs went before the court of Performance Bikes, with judgement reserved until the jury of thorough testing had delivered its verdict. As far as we know, no-one’s ever sat down and proved whether they work or not. Until now.
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Your bike made faster
??????????
Using wavy discs will increase your overall stopping power – just ask Kev
Four pads per disc make R1 pad swap expensive
‘WAVY DISCS
mAke THe R1 STOP QUICkeR AND THeRe’S NO PROBLem WITH FADe eITHeR’
The discs and pads were fitted by PB’s Red Bull quaffing, slightly fidgety mechanic Mark White
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pb100 feature tagline
t h e
b i k e s
t o
r i d e
b e f o r e
y o u
d i e
This is no Bimota Tesi. Although Vyrus boss Rodorigo is a former Bimota employee, that’s where the similarity ends. The Vyrus is what the Tesi can only dream of being. And for that we’re very grateful.
‘THE VYRUS HAS GOT ALL THE STOMP OF A BIG DUKE WITH AN INCREDIBLE FEELING OF CONTROL’ 094
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ultra special
THE BIKE THAT SHOULD BE WINNING BSB words bertie simmonds pics www.doublered.co.uk
D
iminutive Scot Stuart Easton and his Hydrex Honda team may be the highest placed Honda outfit in the MCE British Superbike series, but don’t for one moment think the HM Plant Honda is a Blade blunted.
This is still the official effort for the Big H, and if it weren’t for a potent combination of bad luck, poor visa admin, the odd brake issue, injuries, suspension and the best form of Easton’s life, fortunes could so easily be reversed for HM Plant and rider Josh Brookes. As it is, the HM Plant Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade is one of the machines on the grid which has chronically under-performed this season. But it showed its potential as a title-winner last year with Leon Haslam taking runner-up spot in the series with five wins and a lateseason surge against the dominant Ducati of Shane Byrne. In truth, HM Plant Honda were always going to be up against it this year, thanks to a smaller staff, one-bike-per rider and a smaller budget. But what’s really changed? Chris Pike is Glen Richard’s crew-chief and he explains: ‘The biggest change for us has been the fact that for 09 we now have a full, WSB-spec motor. Last year the BSB rules were that you had a motor that was at a supersport level of tune, but the rule change has made a big difference to the bike. At the start of the year, this meant we had less torque in the mid-range, but at high rpm we had considerably more power – we were around 10-12bhp up with the 09 bike, so our maximum output is now around 210bhp.’ Pike explains that for Josh Brookes, the team has 046
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Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
EXHAUST SYSTEM Akrapovic is officially a Honda development partner and their relationship with the Louth-based HM Plant outfit goes back to 2000 when the Slovenian firm began supplying exhausts for the factory SP-1 and later the SP-2 machines. In fact, the 2002 vintage SP-2 Akra system actually holds the record for the most changes to one model’s pipework in a single season, as engine specs of Colin Edwards’ VTR were continually developed to claw back the title from Troy Bayliss and Ducati. This sort of relationship carries on today. Depending on where the pendulum of development is, HM Plant Honda get special stuff to test, and if it works then it will trickle downhill to production and then Hydrex Honda can acquire the bits. Then they will be developed for street use and so on. Currently both teams use identical systems.
EnginE 999cc, 210bhp WEigHt 162kg RidER Josh Brookes tEam HM Plant Honda 2009 sEason to datE No wins. Glen Richards and Steve Plater took a podium each at the first Brands round. Since then Josh Brookes has had four thirds and one second place before the ill-fated Mallory round.
experimented with power and torque curves to help him. ‘Since going with the new motor we’ve been trying to give the bike more torque like the older BSB motor, but we’ve found that too much and it’s a waste of time – the bike wants to spin the rear more, so you then have to reduce power in that area anyway. Eventually, Josh chose the full WSB-style motor.’ Chassis changes also came along. ‘We now have fullfactory Showa forks, compared to 2008’s kit hybrid fork. We’ve found the new kit gives us a little more control with settings while it also gives the rider a plusher feel and ride over the bumps. Allied to this is a move from 45mm stanchions with the kit forks to 47mm, as the slider tubes on the new forks are bigger. This gives us more strength at the front-end too,’ explains Pike. With the 2008 and 2009 bikes ostensibly looking identical and more power, surely this would be a recipe for immediate success, but – according to Pike – extra oomph brings its own problems. ‘This new state of tune makes the bike handle differently,’ he says. ‘The fact the bike has a lighter crank affects how the bike turns – that’s mass effect. And with the fact that the lighter crank equals a motor that’s more willing to spin – and more quickly means you also need to change the ECU settings – we had to do quite a bit of work in that area to find solutions.’ Pike adds: ‘With the title gone, we’ve also been spending time testing various items, including swingarm pivot adjusters. We’re getting there with the bike for sure, but circumstances have worked against us.’
HOW TO MAKE YOUr BLADE LIKE JOSH’S 23/9/09 12:50:36
FRONT BRAKES There’s a lot of talk about the 2009 HM Plant Honda Fireblade’s front brakes. The team are tight-lipped about any alleged problems with the race Brembos and associated lines and banjo bolts, but Brookes is adamant that he had no brakes in the Guintoli crash. He says he grabbed the lever with two fingers, but that it came back to the remaining fingers on the bar and felt like he had no pressure. As a result he released the lever twice to try and increase the pressure. Team boss Havier Beltran examined the brakes after the crash and found fluid was escaping past the banjo bolt and that a third of a turn tightened it so that no fluid could escape. Was fluid escaping before the crash? It’s doubtful if we will ever know, but the interesting thing is that Glen Richards’ crash at Knockhill’s hairpin which took out Ian Lowry looked spookily similar to the Brookes/Guintoli interface at Donington Park.
ELECTRONIC Honda kit ECU: ‘It’s pretty effective, although it doesn’t give you as much scope for change as some items may, but we use it and it works well,’ says Pike. ‘You can’t really use this on the road bike as standard as it affects the Honda HISS immobiliser system (as none of those circuits are active), so you have to buy the kit loom. But on a track bike this ECU, along with the loom, would help make a big difference.’
STEP 1 Akrapovic slip-on can (£634). When
launched, Honda warned against using aftermarket exhausts on the 08 Fireblade – but the Akrapovic system has been used on many Blades and it works well. It removes the restrictive catalytic converter but still remains noise legal thanks to the removable baffle. BENEFIT: The Akra offers increased bhp, torque and less weight.
STEP 2 Honda kit ECU and wiring loom. If your
Blade is destined for the track then the ECU (£250) and the kit loom (£250) are the way to go. BENEFIT: According to Pike the ECU mated together with the loom are effectively ‘…like a posh Power Commander, as you can adjust fuelling. You will need a speed sensor for the front wheel, but it has traction control and anti-spin modes, which feed from the gearbox. It’s also simply laid-out so you can set them up.’
CLUTCH/STEERING DAMPER Some parts you just can’t get hold of. Pike says that the factory clutch that the CBR1000RRs use isn’t available and you can’t buy it, while the steering damper is also a kit item which HRC supply. If you can actually get them from Honda Racing then it would cost in the region of £1500.
SUSPENSION HM Plant Honda use factory Showa forks and kit shocks and have their own factory Showa engineer on hand at every race. Ken Summerton from K-Tech, who supply many of the other top teams in BSB says: ‘We can supply the same shock as used by the HM Plant team, but each of the shocks they use are individually tailored to each rider. Being factory forks, you will not be able to source kit identical to that used by HM Plant Honda, but you could buy our own KTR3 superbike forks for around £5000. Other options include an open cartridge superbike fork aimed at the Irish road racers or club racers, (£3000), or the DDS Cartridge kit which goes in standard legs for £1260 plus VAT.’
JOSH BROOKES There’s no doubting this guy is fast: he’s hit the podium more times than his more experienced team-mate Glen Richards, but the visa fiasco before the season even began (see Josh’s interview over the page), as well as the incidents at Donington and Mallory Park must have had some effect on him. Or have they? Chat to the 26-year-old and he exhibits the impervious nature and self-belief of many Antipodean racers, so he could bounce back stronger and better than before. As Brookes says: ‘I know I’ve got what it takes to win here in BSB. No question.’
STEP 3 K-Tech forks. Most of the kit that’s
been used by HM Plant can be bought from K-Tech. The Showa kit shock will cost around £1000, while fork options are £500 to £5000. BENEFIT: Much better feedback on track.
STEP 4 Full HM Plant paint job by SprayBay.
SprayBay offer a roll-in, roll-out service for £780. www.spraybayracepaint.co.uk. Setting it off perfectly would be aftermarket carbon mudguard and hugger from Honda. According to Pike, these are exactly the same ones that HM Plant use, albeit with sponsors logos on. BENEFIT: Unique look.
VERDICT: Being one of the biggest teams in
the paddock is no guarantee of success as HM Plant Honda has found out. But as standard the Fireblade is a sublime road bike and a few chassis and motor mods will pay dividends.
TURN OVER FOR JOSH BROOKES INTERVIEW
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race story
WORDS MAT OXLEY PICS PB ARCHIVE, GOLD & GOOSE
WhateVeR haPPened to the eViL eMPiRe? King Kenny Roberts and his legacy ruled GP racing on and off for two decades, so where are the king and his cohorts now? King Kenny Roberts was a champion of road racing and one of the most influential racers of all time. the rock-hard Californian encouraged a generation of american heroes into gP racing and transformed the sport, ushering in new riding styles, technology and professionalism. during the 1990s Roberts’ own gP team was so big, dwarfing even honda’s operation, that people started calling it the evil empire. Roberts hired Wayne Rainey, eddie Lawson, John Kocinski, doug Chandler, Randy Mamola and Kenny Roberts Junior. they towered over gP racing, turning it into something of an american sport. it’s not like that any more – Roberts’ outfit finally quit MotogP at the end of 07. Whatever happened to the empire? King Kenny RobeRts 500 gP champion three times in a row (1978, 1979, 1980) Since quitting MotoGP, Roberts has concentrated on his main interests: fine wine and golf. He recently reached the final cut in the Pro-Am Pebble Beach National, a legendary pro-celebrity event started by Bing Crosby. Team Roberts could be back in MotoGP next year if a sponsorship deal with MGM Grand hotels comes off. The plan is to run Ducatis from Las Vegas where fans will be able to visit the workshops and watch bikes being prepared from special spectator balconies.
Wayne Rainey back-to-back 500 gP champion (1990, 1991, 1992) Rainey’s glittering career ended in 1993 when he crashed at Misano and broke his back. He coped with the injury in typical style, returning to the paddock a year later to run a team. But the stresses of inter-continental travel damaged his health, so he returned to California where he raced karts, using a machine adapted by Eddie Lawson. Rainey has just built a new Spanish-hacienda single-story home at Laguna, helps with son Rex’s high-school baseball career, does community work and still dabbles in karts.
eddie LaWson Four-times 500 gP champion (1984, 1986, 1988 and 1989) Steady Eddie was next in line after King Kenny. He won three 500 world titles with Yamaha, one with Honda and retired at the end of 1992. Lawson enjoyed some success in Indy Light and CART car racing despite lack of any serious backing. Has kept a very low profile ever since, turning up at the occasional Laguna GP. Now lives the easy life in Lake Havasu on the Arizona/California border, spending his time racing karts, riding dirt bikes, mucking about on boats and watching MotoGP on TV.
doug ChandLeR six MotogP podiums – three 2nd and three 3rd positions Chandler was one of the post-Roberts generation who never quite made it. Roberts brought the former dirt track star and 1990 US Superbike champ
to Europe in 1991 to ride for his Yamaha B team. The Californian went on to race factory 500s for Suzuki and Cagiva, but never quite won a GP. After GPs he went home and won another two US Superbike titles. He now runs the Doug Chandler Performance Motorcycle School and mentors his son Jett, an up-and-coming name in US Supersport racing.
Randy MaMoLa Four-times 500 gP runner-up (1980, 1981, 1984, 1987) Mamola rode his final GP season in 1992 with Roberts’ B team. Is now one of the busiest men in GPs, wearing so many hats that it’s funny watching him dash through the paddock from one job to the next. No longer works for Eurosport but manages Bradley Smith and John Hopkins, rides Marlboro Ducati’s celeb-scaring two-seater GP bike and does charity work with Riders for Health, amongst other things.
John KoCinsKi Most successful MotogP year: 1994, third place aboard a Cagiva Neat-freak JK won the 1990 250 title for Roberts and the 1997 WSB crown for Honda but never won a MotoGP title. He’s now a big shot Beverly Hills estate agent, flogging homes to the Hollywood glitterati. Like, how weird is that? His mansion featured in property porn mag Architectural Digest. ‘You see what we mean by quality?’ said JK. ‘My garage is finished the same way as my living room. The door hinges on the electrical room outside are the same as the door hinges throughout the house.’ He still rides dirt track for fun.
Kenny RobeRts JunioR First ever rider to emulate his father and win the 500cc title Most people didn’t expect much of King Kenny’s first born when he came to GPs in the mid 1990s with Rainey’s 250 team, run alongside the Roberts outfit. But in 1999 Kenny Junior switched to Suzuki, started winning races and won the 500 title in 2000. Stuck around in GPs with Suzuki and then his dad’s team until the end of 07. His wife Ro recently gave birth to their first child, daughter Ashley. KRJR now lives a quiet life in California, building houseboats and goin’ fishin’.
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THESE ARE PROPER PERFORMA N BIKES… Words MATT WILDEE, KAR LEE, JOHN MCAVOY Pics PAUL BRYANT
• • • • • • • • • •
Race developed motors Electronic fuel injection Mass-centralised exhaust systems Radial caliper with 300mm discs 40mm USD forks Race developed, mirror-polished alloy frames Cast alloy swingarms LCD dash with laptimer and shift lights Production racing tyres GP bike based fairings
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E
A NCE
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MV AGUSTA BRUTALE First 1078RR ride
street frighter MV Agusta’s 1078RR Brutale is a belligerent beauty that demands your full attention
woRdS ben wilkins picS PAUl bRYAnT
MV AGUSTA BRUTALE 1078RR
PRICE £13,999 ENGINE 1078cc liquid cooled inline four BORE X STROKE 79x55mm POwER 133bhp@10,400rpm TORqUE 79lb.ft@7900rpm FRONT SUSPENSION Marzocchi 50mm forks fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION Sachs monoshock fully adjustable RAKE/TRAIL 24.5°/101.5mm whEELBASE 1410mm wET wEIGhT 209.5kg FUEL CAPACITy 19 litres wEBSITE www.mvagusta.co.uk PB RATING ■■■■■■■■■■
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6000rpm and above is only needed for wheelies in third gear
Sticky Pirellis and high pegs let the Brutale get right over
P
ay attention Wilkins! Now, I’ve heard that a few times before. This time it’s the MV Agusta Brutale that’s screaming for my attention. The 1078cc motor fitted to the Brutale is a beast. I wouldn’t exactly call it refined but it’s incredible all the same; raw, throbbing and bursting with torque. It has the feel of a six-cylinder diesel and there’s a similar throb to it. Then there’s the diesel-like huge spread of torque that makes anything beyond 8000rpm a rarely experienced voyage of hedonism.
At 3000rpm there’s plenty of torque for everyday riding (although I’m not sure how many of these will get ridden every day, but I digress); at 6000rpm the engine pulls harder and doesn’t let up until the limiter kicks in just after 11,500rpm or so. Apart from this surge at 6000rpm the power delivery is as linear as you could wish for. Using full throttle in any gear up to third will result in a wheelie. The Brutale wheelies as frequently as the Ducati Streetfighter we rode in the main test this month. The difference is that the V-twin front wheel pops up at low revs and the Brutale inline four comes up at higher revs. The front wheel comes up sharpish too. Full throttle in third pops it up when the surge in power at 6000rpm chimes in. For some reason it sounds and feels like it’s revving higher than it actually is. I have to keep checking that it is indeed in sixth gear and I’ve not forgotten to change up since fourth. Talking of fourth, a handful of throttle and a bump in the road has it doing the whole wheelie thing again.
HANDLING
According to the specs, the wheelbase isn’t particularly short, but it feels like it is. The bike is more than ready to pivot around the rear axle at a sniff of throttle, and hard acceleration has the bars wagging disconcertingly. The steering angle seems tight, giving the bike a quick turn-in speed that takes getting used to. Exacerbating the quick-
turning steering are the soft forks. But once on its side it’ll lean forever. When hard on the brakes the forks compress and speed the steering up a bit more. Talking of brakes, the Brembo Monobloc calipers are mated with CRC-designed (Cagiva Research Centre) Nissin master cylinders. Quite why they felt the need to use another manufacturer’s master cylinder I don’t know, but they work well enough. The lever needs a good pull, but given enough pressure the Brutale stops at a decent rate. Braking is more progressive on this system than the supersensitive full Brembo system fitted to Ducati’s Streetfighter.
FUELLING
The main problem is the abrupt nature when going from off to on throttle, and vice versa. Getting a smooth ride takes a delicately controlled throttle hand. When you’re blatting along it isn’t an issue, but any time there’s traffic involved or low speeds, the on/off nature of the throttle quickly gets tiresome. Also, there’s a delay in the revs dropping down to tickover. The needle hovers around 2000rpm for a brief moment before settling. Odd.
STYLING
The Brutale is an enduring design. The saying goes that true class doesn’t go out of style, and that’s right. Although tweaked, the Brutale has been around for years and you can see the influence it has had on other bikes. The MV’s low-set headlight has been aped on Yamaha’s Fazers and some of the newer naked Ducatis. The badge on the sculpted tank is evocative of MV Agusta’s rich bike-racing heritage and I find myself being seduced by it.
NIGGLES
There certainly are. The pegs are set high as standard and within a couple of miles I needed to lower them. They’re higher than just about any other sportsbike on the market that you might care to mention. They’re adjustable via an eccentric adjuster on the back of the mounting 017
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23/9/09 16:55:32