2018 YAMAHA R11M ZX-9R: BARGAIN IN BULLET ULLET TECH IT TO THE E MAX
RIDDEN
APRIL 2018 ISSUE 338
LIVING WITH A £2K KWACKER R
TESTED
WIN
BIKE TRAN SPORT TO TOULO WORTH £ USE 600* *TS & C S APPLY
TRIUMPH’S
!
SE
PREVIEW ON AS
TOGP IS GO MO
SPEED TRIPLE RS
SX X
APPEA AL
HOW TO:
CLEAN YOUR LEATHERS CHALLENGE YOUR LIMITS RUN YOUR BIKE IN BUY A USED ZX-10R
MASTER BRANDS INDY
KAWAS SAKI’S S SUPERCHARGED SENSATION
APRIL 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 3
ISSUE 338 APRIL 2018
GET IT FIRST!
Subscribe .........................................8 You get the mag first, at a bargain price, straight through your letterbox. You know it makes sense.
GEARED UP!
Products.......................................... 14 All the latest, coolest and trickest products.
IT’S THE NEWS!
Upfront............................................ 10 All the juiciest goss.
THE KNOWLEDGE
Used Buyer’s Guide......................... 70 The mega popular 2012 Kawasaki ZX-10R.
MASTERCLASS Riding .............................................. 76 Exploring what it takes to find your limits.
Legal ................................................ 79 Helmets aren’t optional.
Track Attack....................................90 How to master the best of British circuits. This month; Brands Hatch Indy.
Know Your.......................................94 Quickshifters! And how they make you faster.
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Chatter ............................................80 It’s only fair we give the best readers in the world a couple of pages of their own!
18 LAUNCHES COVER STORY Triumph Speed Triple RS .............. 18 New naked weapon – ridden and rated.
COVER STORY Yamaha YZF-R1M .......................... 26 Flagship superbike’s tech tested.
COVER STORY Kawasaki H2 SX ............................ 38 Our first taste of the supercharged tourer.
TESTS COVER STORY Used ZX-9R.................................... 62 Reader’s Ride: Living with a bargain bullet.
FEATURES
R1 Timeline.................................... 32 We celebrate the R1’s 20th birthday with a look back through time.
Ten minutes with… Gino Rea....... 44 Getting to know the new guy in BSB.
You & Yours.....................................82
How to run your bike in ............... 46
Addiction.........................................56
Clean your leathers like a pro!..... 52
All of your adventures!
The truths, the myths, the reasons.
If you love two-strokes, they don’t come much cooler…
Are you doing enough to keep your kit pristine?
COVER STORY
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
Project Gixer ..................................84
MotoGP Preview ......................... 104
It’s stripping season!
What to expect from the 2018 season.
Staff Bikes.......................................96 Finally, some dry(ish) weather! •Yamaha R6 •KTM EXC 250 •Suzuki GSX-R1000R
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RACE SECTION
Pit Pass.......................................... 100 All the best goss from the paddock!
COLUMNISTS
Neave twins ...................................111 Spending time in Italy... and the infirmary.
Gary Johnson ................................ 112 Gaz blurs the lines between stunt rider and PR god.
Chaz Davies .................................. 113 Steve Parrish................................. 114 Parrish on McGuinness, Norton and MotoGP.
SU
A look back through Chaz’s racing career.
CRIBE S B See page 8 for details
WELCOME
Blurred lines
A
touring bike with launch control! Is it just me or is that the oxymoron of the century? I’m not complaining, far from it, but Kawasaki’s exciting and slightly confusing H2 SX, which we test this issue, really does hammer home the state of the industry. Times are changing, and the days of tourers being built wholeheartedly for going the distance and sportsbikes being the polar opposite have run their course. Those once clear lines of definition are being blurred, which is an exciting proposition. It costs a spine-tingling amount of money to develop state of the art technology, so Kawasaki’s investment in the hyper-sports H2 and H2R was never going to be exclusive. Let’s not pretend this is the first time we’ve seen it happen either; just look at Yamaha’s do-it-all MT family. As the saying goes, there’s more than one way to skin a cat, and I reckon Yamaha’s found just about every imaginable way of repurposing its CP3 motor and MT-09 running gear. Who can blame them? A bit of exclusivity is nice every now and again, but it comes at a price. The Panigale V4 is the prime example of that, necessitating the best part of £20k just for the bog-basic offering. Syndication makes sense, and it’s often interesting to see how creative manufacturers can get with their core assets. I’m writing this on the launch of Triumph’s new Speed Triple RS, which is one bike that’s not donated its best bits to other models. But it’d be a shame if it doesn’t. Having just taken on-board how brilliantly this latest gen Trumpet’s engine and frame mate together, I hope we do get to see a faired example of this package hitting the showrooms. Never say never, but Triumph’s still to indulge us with a 1050 Daytona. Another bike that blurs the lines for speed, comfort and everyday usability is the ZX-9R. Remember them? We asked our friend and contributor Neil to tell us why he loves his £2k Kwacker so much, and it’s an interesting perspective, one that sees your dollar stretch a long way, considering the many itches he says it scratches. He reckons it’s the Swiss Army knife of motorcycling, so if you’re in the market for such an affordable all-rounder you should have a good read of what he’s got to say. Who knows, it could be just the tool you’re looking for to spice up the new season. Enjoy the mag!
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WELSH ROAD RACE CANCELLED! A change in legislation has been blamed for the cancellation of the 2018 Welsh Road Race. The organisers of the event, which had been due to take place on August 3-5 over a 5.25 mile public road course, had previously obtained the necessary permissions but said a change in the Welsh Road Traffic Act meant these were no longer sufficient. In order for the ACU Road Race Committee to sanction the event the organisers had be able to meet a set of requirements and there simply isn’t sufficent time left for that to happen. Derek Smith, managing director of the Welsh Road Race, said: “We are working closely with the ACU, Crown Properties and Powys County Council to organise the Welsh Road Race, and under the new changes in legislation, the new deadlines that have been imposed, will make it very difficult to carry out a safe and successful event.”
SUZUKI UNVEIL MOTOGP REPLICA GSX-R1000 It wasn’t just the MotoGP GSX-RR colour scheme Suzuki unveiled back at the Sepang tests last month, as they treated us mere mortals to a racing replica paint job for the 2018 GSX-R1000 models. With an eye-catchingly bold colour scheme available on both models in the GSX-R1000 family, you’ll be able to feel just like Iannone and Rins as the road bike inherits the same VVT technology as the MotoGP prototype to ensure it produces strong low-down torque and midrange, without sacrificing top-end power, along with many other elements
10 APRIL 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
including a finger-follower valve train and stacked intake funnels. MotoGP technology and knowhow also extends to a full suite of electronics found on the GSX-R1000R, which comprises of a 10-stage, lean angle-sensitive traction control system and launch control, plus cornering ABS and a bi-directional quickshifter and auto-blipper. The MotoGP rep GSX-R1000R will set you back £16,099, while the base model GSX-R1000 is priced at £13,599. If we had the cash burning a hole in our pockets, we know which one we’d go for.
UPFRONT
KTM AND HUSQVARNA RECALL OVER FRONT BRAKE RISK KTM have issued a worldwide recall on certain models, following a find of potential weakness in the Brembo master cylinder piston, which could in turn crack under heavy braking, causing brake failure. If you have any of these 2015 KTM models: 690 Duke R, 1290 Super Duke R, 1290 Super Duke R Special Edition, the 2016 Super Duke GT, or a post 2016 Husqvarna FS 450 Supermoto then you’re going to need to contact an authorised dealer as soon as possible.
WHAT’S ON IN MARCH? March 3-4 – Carole Nash Scottish Motorcycle Show (Scotland) March 10 – Parkitt Performance Suspension Seminar March 17 – Run What Ya Brung (Santa Pod Raceway) March 18-19 – Auto 66 Club Racing (Cadwell Park) March 24 – Nifty Fifty Endurance Moped Championship (Winchester) March 24-25 – Manchester Bike Show (Manchester) March 31 – An Evening with Carl Fogarty (Yorkshire) March 31-April 2 – British Superbike Championship Round One (Donington Park)
LEARN TO RIDE DONINGTON PARK WITH LEON HASLAM
SUZUKI GIXER RECALL ISSUED Suzuki has confirmed a recall on the GSX-R1000 and GSX-R1000R models, following an ECU issue which could be apparent in just over 600 registered machines that are registered in the UK. The fault occurs when riders click into second gear from first without the gearbox engaging correctly, as a neutral position will exist and with continued opening of the throttle will cause very high rpm. If the rider then shifts into second gear without disengaging the clutch under the very high rpm, an excessive load can be applied to the powertrain which can cause the chain to stretch and, in the worst case, the drive chain can come off or break which... would not be good. If you own one, Suzuki are advising that you contact your local dealer asap, so they can book you in and carry out the necessary replacement work free of charge during March.
Now under the ownership of Motorsport Vision, Donington Park has teamed up with local star Leon Haslam for a series of special MSV Trackdays at the Derbyshire circuit. Leon will be hosting nine events at Donington Park throughout the season, offering a British Superbike rider’s insight and tips on the challenging circuit, which will give you guys the opportunity to have up to seven 15-20 minute sessions in small groups. “I’m joining forces with MSVT for some track days at Donington Park this year – a little bit of tuition, a few briefings to try to make you guys a little bit faster and a bit safer so I look forward to seeing you soon,” Leon said while testing in Jerez in Spain for the forthcoming season. The first event is scheduled for Saturday, March 3, priced at just £129, with dates throughout the year. For more information head to www.msvtrackdays.com
KTM INTRODUCE THE RC390R With the introduction and success of the Supersport 300 classes globally, KTM have joined in and released the homologation special RC390R – a 500 unit run of the uprated RC390 which can be specced with an optional dedicated Supersport 300 kit so it’s ready to race. Developed by Jeremy McWilliams over the last couple of years in the CIV Supersport 300 Championship, the biggest change on the RC390R comes in the shape of fully adjustable WP Suspension front and rear, which is tailor-made for the new model providing huge levels of adjustment. With less focus on general comfort, the RC390R has a new top yoke and handlebar kit for a racier and adjustable riding position, alongside CNC milled, adjustable and foldable brake levers. It also comes equipped with a shorter intake trumpet for increased efficiency at pace, which helps to create a wider power band than
the standard model alongside a new graphics kit for good measure. The RC390R’s optional Supersport 300 Ready to Race Kit will set you back an additional 11,000 euros, giving you everything you need to compete at the highest level including a full titanium Akrapovic SSP300 EVO02 system with race ECU, STM slipper clutch, quickshifter, wiring harness, spare wheels, a huge selection of gearing options, increased cooling system and a full bodywork kit made from lightweight and strong materials, among many other detailed parts. The base model will set you back 8,500 euros and is available to order through official KTM dealers now! APRIL 2018 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 11