HYBRID HUSTLER
DUKING IT OUT KTM SUPER DUKE 990 BUYER’S GUIDE
WE TAKE A LOOK AT T SOME OF WSTOPPERS THE SAUCIEST SHOW HEADING OUR WAY Y
JA N ISS UAR UE Y 2 411 02 4
KAWASAKI’S NEXT-GEN NINJA 7
2024’S NEW METAL
BMW R 1300 GS
S T H G I E W Y HEAV TIC... IS L L A B D N A D L O BIG, B
DUCATI MULTISTRADA V4 RS
THE MUGEN STORY... AND WHY COMBUSTION IS THE FUTURE
54
ISSUE 411 JANUARY 2024
THE KNOWLEDGE
Used Bike Guide ......................... 54 Remember the original Super Duke? We do. We loved it – and that’s why it’s back in the mag. If you fancy one, check out our buyer’s guide.
TESTS
BMW R 1300 GS .......................... 18 The GS has been BMW’s biggest-selling model for an eternity, and now it’s smarter, faster, easier to wheelie, and loads better at knee-down… as we learned on its launch.
Ducati Multistrada V4 RS ........... 30 What do you get when you bolt a Panigale motor, lots of carbon and a load of trick bits to a Multi? Ducati wanted to find out too. Here’s what it made earlier.
30
Kawasaki Ninja ............................. 7 If you’re on a mission to save the planet, or even a few quid on your fuel bill, take a look at Kawasaki’s new hybrid hustler.
COLUMNISTS
Tom Neave .................................. 94 After many years with Honda, Tom’s making a switch for 2024.
Christian Iddon ........................... 96 He’s had one hell of a season, as he’ll tell you first-hand.
Steve Parrish .............................. 98 More madness and wisdom from the man they call Parrish.
FEATURES
The Mugen story......................... 60 Think Mugen, think electric bikes. Well, there’s much more to the iconic tuning brand than that, as we learned.
MV’s back… ................................ 70 It’s been a while, but the Italian marque has finally got something fresh for our faces. If you like adventure bikes, you’ll love this.
Fight the flab .............................. 92 Brad’s back with more fat-fighting wisdom to keep you sharp during mince pie season.
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New year, new metal
A
re you good at keeping secrets? I’m not, which is why the last few weeks have been something of a mission. At this time of year, they always are, based on the secrets we get let in on from the manufacturers ahead of new model launches. I’m not a gossip, so I’ve never squealed on something that’s headed to the market, but I’ve found myself biting my tongue on way too many occasions… in the pub with my mates, almost desperate to join in with their predictions of what’s coming next. Actually, it’s quite funny to hear people thinking out loud, reasoning why they reckon different brands are likely to release certain models. Sometimes, people are so close to the truth that I throw in a few curveballs to put them off the scent. At other times, you’re sitting there wondering whether that last pint tipped them over the edge. It’s a fun
game that only draws to a close when the cards are finally on the table and all is revealed. This year’s EICMA show saw the unveiling of one or two bikes that really caught people by surprise, perhaps the chief one being Honda’s CBR600RR, which has come and gone like a yo-yo in recent times. Personally, I love the fact it is back, alongside Kawasaki’s announcement that it too is bringing an updated ZX-6R to the table in 2024. Is this the resurgence of the supersport 600 sector? Is Yamaha going to get in line and bring back the R6? Swiftly followed by Triumph and its Daytona? Who knows... but what I can confirm is that two such models are better than none, and I hope, for the manufacturers’ sakes, that their efforts are rewarded. Another particular bike that caught my attention was KTM’s 990 Duke. Of course, this one’s a parallel twin, versus the V-twin of old, but it’s still great to hear that model name
once more. I’m sure it’ll power many good times when we get our hands on it. As well as the bikes I’ve mentioned, there’s a whole load of other corkers on the horizon. It’s great to see Suzuki back in the game with a couple of solid, sporty options, and Ducati’s single-cylinder motard is another nice surprise. All in all, it’s fair to say that 2024 is looking half decent, perhaps even better than we expected it to be – with the added potential of more models being sporadically released. I hope so, at least, because the obvious omission from all that’s come to market so far is a raft of litre sportsbikes. How many more years do we have to wait for a new R1, ZX-10R or GSX-R1000? We can but wish. On that note, let me wish you and yours a very merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year. Enjoy the mag,
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PLA NE T FAST BIKES – NE W ME TAL WORDS: SIR ALAN OF DO
WDS
2024
THE WAIT IS OVER...
I
t’s the most wonderful time of the year! No, not Christmas (though you’ll be glad we put that earworm in your head now, eh?), but the hot metal smorgasbord that is the EICMA Milan show. 2024 bikes have been popping out all over the place for a couple of months now, but it’s that saucy bike-trade jamboree in northern Italy that really brings
, NE WS & REV IEW S
the big fun. It looks set to be a good year for fast bikes, too: Honda’s updated its Fireblade and brought back the CBR600RR, while the CBR500 and CBR650s get tweaked as well. Suzuki’s GSX-8R, a new KTM Duke 990, and the retro Yamaha XSR900 GP all look great, while that Ducati 916 30th anniversary edition Panigale V4 SP2 is going straight onto our list for Santa…
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HONDA CBR1000 RR R SP FIREBLADE Is it really four years since we first saw the current beast-mode Fireblade? It surely is (that Covid shizzle really messed with our perceptions of time). Anyway, Honda’s given the mighty CBR1000RR R a healthy update for 2024, with the aim of cementing its place up at the top of the litre bike class. There’s no more peak power (boooh), so we’ll have to remain content with just the 214.5bhp. But the firm’s had the HRC gnomes in to do a number on the motor and give better drive throughout the rev range, all the better to catapult it out of the bends. Internally, there’s more compression, up to 13.6:1 from 13.4:1, lighter valves, new three-stage elliptical valve springs, and the head’s had a new porting job. Down below, the crank is skinnier by about a pound (450g), while new conrods and cap bolts save another 20g each. Lashings of DLC and beryllium copper on the big and small-end bearings, plus DLC-coated cam profiles all help cut friction and wear, and there’s a new starter drive through the clutch, allowing a more compact crank. It’s a fairly hefty set of mods, and you have to assume that they’ll make a big difference to the Blade – despite the lack of a simple on-paper peak performance uplift.
Away from the engine hardware, a new dual-motor ride-by-wire throttle body setup promises improved response at the twistgrip and better engine brake control – it allows the ECU to split cylinders 1/2 and 3/4, so it can gradually feed in one cylinder pair slightly earlier to fine-tune the torque output or brake effect. The chassis looks the same but there’s been a lot of tweaks under the hood. The frame has a new ‘rigidity balance’ and the rear shock now mounts on the back of the motor, with the claimed benefits of better stability, more steering accuracy and enhanced grip feeling. There’s a new riding position with higher pegs and lower footpegs for the arthritics among us. And Showa has provided a new three-level electronic steering damper that’s linked to the IMU that powers the rest of the riding aids – neat. Suspension remains the same Öhlins semi-active electronic Smart EC kit as on the previous SP – but Honda’s got the EC3.0 version before anyone else, featuring new spool valve structure internally and tweaked settings for all the modes. Add in new bodywork with tweaked winglets, keyless operation, better electronics, and that’s your lot. Tasty.
Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.
HONDA CB1000 HORNET
HONDA CBR600RR The best presents are the ones you don’t expect... and we really didn’t expect this one. We’ve been writing about the death of the 600 sportsbikes for years, but Honda’s made us look daft by bringing the CBR600RR back from the dead (in the UK and Europe – it’s long been available in other markets). The problem before was the Euro 5 emissions rules, so the new motor has been redesigned to meet those, while incorporating 2020s-tech like ride-by-wire throttle and riding aids. The top end is refreshed with new cams, valves, valve springs, ports, 44mm throttle bodies, valve timing, revamped cooling jacket in the head and more. It keeps the same basic layout, and makes a decent
119bhp at a heady 14,250rpm. For the first time, the CBR6 gets proper electronic riding aids, including IMU-assisted traction and braking, power modes and wheelie control. All good – but some are probably a bit moot; a modern cornering ABS system is more welcome. The chassis is fairly unremarkable: a twin-spar aluminium frame with conventional swingarm, 41mm Showa USD big piston forks and Showa shock. Probably the coolest touch in 2024 is the now-saucy underseat exhaust that’s been there since 2003 – watch ‘em all bring that one back… The winglets, redesigned fairing and HRC paintwork are the icing on the cake, and we’re gagging for a go.
Honda’s CB750 Hornet dropped last year and has been a big hit straight off thanks to sensible pricing and great performance from the new parallel twin engine and simple naked roadster chassis. So, a new 1000 beastie makes perfect sense for 2024. Like the last big Hornet, the CB900F of 20 years ago, it uses an old Fireblade engine, this time the 2017 lump, with the relevant numbers tweaked and finagled. This
148bhp powerplant finds itself housed in a new steel twin-spar frame, with decent road suspension and brakes, and a smart set of minimalist bodywork. Equipment levels are on par for 2023: 5in colour LCD dash with a basic traction control and ABS package, Bluetooth phone link and LED lighting. No word on weight, price or availability as yet, but if it’s priced like the 750, it should be another solid success for the big H.
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DUCATI HYPERMOTARD 698 It’s mad to think how long Ducati went with only V-twin engines in its line-up. Through the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s (and most of the 1970s and 2010s), the Japanese firms experimented with every bloody engine layout under the sun. Even BMW, those Bavarian stick-in-the-muds, switched away from Boxer twins. But decade after decade, the ‘goods out’ bloke in Borgo Panigale only saw V-twins passing through (the very odd exception like the Supermono race bike and Desmosedici RR excluded). The Panigale V-four ended the V-twin hegemony a while back, of course, and now Ducati has a single-cylinder engine roadbike to add to its modern range. The new 698 Superquadro Mono engine is basically half a Panigale 1299 V-twin superbike engine, stuck on its own crankcase, and given a dual-shaft balancer system. That’s a pretty good recipe for nonsense,
12 JANUARY 2024
of course: with the same 116mm bore as the 1299 and a teeny 62.4mm stroke, it’s got the chops for serious performance. Indeed, it’s the most powerful singlecylinder production bike engine ever: it makes 77.5bhp@9750rpm stock, but if you fit the Termignoni race pipe (and why the eff wouldn’t you?), you get another seven bee aitch pees, up to 84.5 ponies. Saucy. The first home for this mental single-lunger is near-perfect: the Hypermotard platform that’s always felt a little bit compromised thanks to (yes) a V-twin engine all these years. A proper supermoto needs a big single, like the KTM 690, and Ducati’s now got the very thing to suit. The new Hypermotard 698 is pretty straight: steel trellis frame, premium long travel suspension from Marzocchi and Sachs, plus a giant 330mm single brake disc and Brembo M4.32 caliper. It looks superb and is light
enough at 151kg dry to keep it on par with the 147kg/74bhp KTM it’s clearly aimed at. High-end electronics are all present and correct, with special attention paid to the cornering ABS, which has a nutter slide-by-brake function for fans of ‘backing it in’ (you know who you are…). We said ‘first home’ earlier, and we’re intrigued to see where this new engine appears next. Supermotos are niche machines, in truth, and it’s vanishingly unlikely that the firm has gone to all this effort for one product line. We’d be ASTOUNDED if there wasn’t a lightweight adventure touring Multistrada 698 in the wings, as well as a miniStreetfighter single. Maybe even a super-light Supermono sportsbike for the 2020s? Imagine. Back to reality. The new Hypermotard is as much of a bargain as any other Ducati these days: £10,995. It’s in shops now.
Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.
DUCATI V4 SP2 916 ANNIVERSARY EDITION
It’s mad to think (you’ve done this one – Ed) that the 916 came out 30 years ago. But like it or not, 1993 is a long time ago, and you’ll never be as thin, handsome, hairy or energetic as you were back then. Cheer yourself up by checking out this piece of pure moto-porn, though: a Panigale V4 SP2 homage to Carl Fogarty, Massimos Tamburini and Bordi, red paint, dodgy WSBK capacity limits, and everything else that makes the 916 the utter legend that it is. Under the sweet, sweet graphics is the epic V4 SP2, complete with carbon wheels and bodywork, STM dry clutch, alloy tank and billet chassis trinkets. Priced to sell (to millionaires) at £37,195.
HONDA 500 TWIN UPDATES It might not set your pants alight, but Honda’s 500 twin range has done cracking business over the past decade or so. You can have the same compact A2 licence-friendly engine in a choice of naked CB500, sporty CBR500R or light adventure CB500X chassis, with decent performance, superb economy and all the usual Honda benefits of utter reliability and solid build. For 2024, there is one stand-out change: the CB500X mini-ADV machine is rebadged as an NX500. ‘Why is that a stand-out Al?’ I hear you ask. Well, as any fool know, NX is an old 1980s model code for the
NX650 Dominator (and lesser-known NX250, which wasn’t imported to the UK), standing for New X(Cross)over. So, Honda’s digging into its reserves of heritage, while giving the solid CB500 X a restyle. And, lo, it looks much sharper now, with a full set of slick rally bodywork, and has a few neat chassis upgrades including lighter wheels. Very NX-y, you might say. In addition, the CB500 is restyled as the CB500 Hornet, again tapping into a heritage brand and extending the Hornet family nicely downward. The whole 500 range – CB500 Hornet, CBR500R and NX500 – share a tweaked engine with new fuel injection settings and a (doubtless superfluous) traction control set-up. Power stays the same at 47bhp for the A2 licence feels, and the bikes all get a dash upgrade: 5in colour LCD dash with Bluetooth, backlit switchgear and full LED lighting. Your pants will probably stay uncombusted – but expect the 2024 500s to remain gigantic sellers and very useful motorcycles all round.
HONDA 650 TWIN UPDATES Honda’s been banging on about its automatic DCT dual-clutch transmission for years now, and while it’s got its benefits in bigger bikes, it’s a bit too heavy, complex and pricey to suit smaller machines. So, for 2024, the big H has come up with a new E-clutch semi-automatic gearbox set-up and is trying it out on the venerable CB650R and CBR650R models. It’s basically a motorised clutch actuator, operated by a switch on the gear lever, so when you change gear, the ECU works the clutch automatically for you. You get a manual lever still, and
can over-ride it at any time, or turn it off altogether. There’s a small weight penalty of about 2kg, and the right-hand side of the engine has a big, messy lump of gubbins on it, but otherwise it looks like an interesting set-up. Having the manual clutch means you can take charge when you fancy, then engage auto mode when laziness kicks in. Expect to see it on more bikes soon, too. Away from the optional E-clutch system, both 650s get styling and tech upgrades, with the new 5in colour dash seen on other models and full LED lighting.
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PLANE T FAST BIKES – NEW METAL
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SUZUKI GSX-8R Back in the 1970s, journalists came up with the ‘Universal Japanese Motorcycle’ or ‘UJM’ moniker to describe the huge number of inline-four air-cooled DOHC eight-valve engines in steel tube frames and roadster chassis from the big four eastern brands. It’s tempting to see a bit of a return to that uniformity in recent years – though the recipe is now a parallel twin watercooled DOHC 8v engine in a fabricated steel frame, in various capacities and bike classes, from the Japanese firms. Suzuki joined Honda and Yamaha last year with the GSX-8S and 800 V-Strom to go with the MT-07/Ténéré and
14 JANUARY 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
CB750/Transalp. And now we’ve got another variant, the GSX-8R, a fully faired sporty update to go against the Yamaha R7 and Kawasaki Ninja 650. The -8R’s engine is basically as you were, no bad thing since the 776cc 82bhp GSX-8S lump is a corker. The frame and swingarm stay the same too, but you get sportier suspension from Showa rather than the Kayaba gear on the -8S. There’s no adjustment apart from preload on the rear but expect a firmer ride from the Separate Function Big Piston front forks. That will suit the
altered riding position, too – new bars and pegs put your weight more over the front, and the LEDlighting equipped full fairing also adds to the forward bias. Kerb weight is only 3kg more mind, so nothing too horrendous. We are keen to see how this latest addition to the ‘new-UJM’ goes for sure.
Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.
KTM 990 DUKE The original KTM 990 Super Duke was arguably the bike that first made the nutter supernaked class. Back in 2005, a 120bhp 999cc V-twin with oodles of grunt in a skinny hardcore dirt-derived chassis was a revelation. Nowadays, of course, it’s much less amazing – the current Super Duke is a 1300cc 180bhp behemoth. But there’s still a lot of space for an upper-middleweight naked roadster, and this new 990 Duke looks like a real contender. It uses a bigger 947cc version of the 8v DOHC parallel twin 889cc LC8c engine from the 890 Duke, with 123bhp and 103Nm of torque: a few bhp more than the 890R but a dollop more torque. There are new pistons, tougher conrods and uprated crank, in the dual-balance shaft semi-dry sump powerplant, with KTM’s usual ride-by-wire fuelling. There are few surprises in the chassis: it’s got a steel tube trellis frame and aluminium
swingarm, much like that 2005 Super Duke 990, but the swingarm is a new closedlattice cast part, and there’s high-end fully adjustable WP Apex USD forks and rear monoshock. KTM-branded brakes look after the stopping, and you get premium sporty OE rubber as well: Bridgestone’s excellent S22 tyres front and rear. It all weighs in at a very decent 179kg ready to ride. No big shocks (!) in the electronics, either: there’s a new 5in full colour LCD dash where you can control the usual cornering traction, ABS, and power modes. There are new graphics and a revised menu structure, as well as a lean angle display to egg you on at your favourite roundabout on the ride to work. Add in a USB-C charging socket and there you have the revamped, sharper-styled Duke 990 for 2024. It will cost £12,999, and it’ll be in the shops in February.
SUZUKI GSX-S1000 GX
Of course, the majority of ‘adventure tourers’ have as many ‘adventures’ as your old Auntie Betty (and she died in 1998). Truth is, most adventure bikes are simply sport-tourers with slightly taller suspension and faux off-road styling. Until last year, Suzuki had stuck to the sport-touting guns, with its GSX-S1000 GT cornering the market. But it’s finally cracked
and converted that GSX-Rpowered sporty tourer into an adventure crossover, with, yes, taller suspension and some slick off-road styling – the GSX-S1000 GX The new GX is a bit of a flagship machine, though: the firm’s laden it with hot kit, including proper IMU-based riding aids, big 6.5in colour dash and an electric semi-active suspension from Showa – a first from Suzuki. It keeps the 152bhp tune on the GSX-R1000 K5-based engine and weighs in at 232kg wet – not bad at all. Priced to sell (to normal folk) at £14,500. JANUARY 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 15
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BMW M1000 XR We’d seen the prototype of this piece of madness a few months back, but BMW has now released full details on the new M1000 XR supersports/ adventure mash-up machine. The headline figure is the power output: a cool 201bhp from a tweaked version of the full-on ShiftCam S1000 RR motor, which is 31bhp more than the standard S1000 XR gets. It redlines at a frantic 14,600rpm (350rpm more than where the new CBR600RR makes peak power ffs), has variable intake trumpets, titanium valves and DLC-coated cam followers, and gets lowered gearing for even wilder thrust at the rear tyre. That engine lives in a sort-of Frankenstein’s monster of a chassis:
it all looks like superbike kit, with electronic semi-active suspension and race brakes, carbon or forged wheels, aluminium frame, but it’s all on stilts, with longer 148mm travel on the forks and rear shock. The electronics focus more on track antics like slide-by-brake than off-road settings, and from what the firm says, it really does expect you to be riding this beastie seriously on track. Bring it on, we say, and we’ll see you at Brands GP next summer. The new M1000 XR will be in the shops in April, priced at a ‘cheap compared to the £37k Multistrada RS’ £22,580
BMW S1000 XR BMW’s standard XR superbike looks a bit sheepish next to the mental M version – but gets another 5bhp for 2024, now up to 170bhp. That’s probably already more than most folk need in their sporty adventure touring machine. But then we said that about the 120bhp CBR900RR FireBlade 25 years ago, so, y’know, bring on them dancing horses, eh? The wild Cherman stallions come with
a heap of fresh standard kit: keyless ignition, cornering ligh hts, updated quickshifter, and the options lisst will still let you spe end the equiva alent of a one-bed fla at in Blackpo ool on fripperies like carbon wh heels and M-sport packages.. Base model starts at £16,790, £ and it’s on sale in April.
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Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.
TRIUMPH TIGER 900 GT, GT PRO AND RALLY PRO Triumph’s 900 Tiger has often been the sportier connoisseurs’ choice, thanks to being a good bit lighter than the Hinckley firm’s shaft-drive Tiger 1200. And now for 2024, Triumph has given the upper-middleweight sporty ADV machine a hefty makeover to keep it in touch with its rivals. There are three versions: a GT, GT Pro and Rally Pro, each sharing the same basic layout but with more dirt-focused chassis on the Rally.
The three-cylinder T-plane crank engine makes a solid 13bhp more power, up from about 95bhp to 108bhp thanks to a thoroughly revised top end, more compression (up to 13:1), bigger ports and all-new inlet and exhaust architecture. Amazingly, it uses 9% less fuel at the same time, which is the sort of black magic we like to hear about. It has more power to go so it needs more power to stop, and that means new Brembo Stylema
brake calipers for 2024 – mad to see these flagship four-pot radial superbike calipers on so many ‘dirt’ bikes these days, but we’re not complaining. The suspension is by Marzocchi on the GT and GT Pro road bikes, with more adjustability on the Pro model. The Rally Pro gets a completely different off-road-focused Showa set-up, with 45mm USD forks that have 240mm travel front and 230mm travel on the rear monoshock. The wheels and tyres are different on the GT and Rally too, with the Rally having a 21in
front wheel and wire-spoked rims wearing Bridgestone Battlax Adventure rubber. The GT gets cast aluminium wheels with Metzeler Tourance Next tyres and a 19in front. There’s loads of electronics to make touring easier, and improve safety and performance: cruise control, cornering traction, ABS, heated grips and seat options, up/down shifter, giant colour dash, and much more. All three models will be in the shops just after Christmas, priced at £12,195 for the base GT, £13,895 for the GT Pro and £14,495 for the Rally Pro.
YAMAHA XSR900 GPP
KAWASAKI NINJA AND Z500 AND Z7 HYBRID Kawasaki was fairly quiet at Milan: it had already released its interesting new Ninja 7 hybrid model, and the ZX-4RR and ZX-6R models were also already out. We did get a new Z7 naked version of the new hybrid bike, which looks a little less chunky than the Ninja and uses exactly the same cunning petrol/battery powertrain we tested this month.
The other new models were a pair of uprated A2 bikes – the sporty Ninja 500 and naked Z500 roadster, which take over from the 400 models. There’s more grunt from the 451cc engine that puts out 45bhp, and a general upgrade of the equipment and electronics: LCD dash, TFT on the SE version, new Ninja bodywork and Bluetooth connection.
This is another new model that was heavily trailed all summer: the Yamaha XSR900 GP. It’s based on the XSR900 triple retro roadster, with a sweet full fairing and paint scheme that echoes the firm’s GP and supersport machinery from the 1980s. We see a bit of everything in there, from the TZR250 and FZ750, through the TRX850, and right on to the Marlboro Yamaha YZR500s raced by Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey. Indeed, the paint scheme echoes the Marlboro bikes so much we reckon Yamaha will have to give old man Phillip Morris a few carrier bags of €500 notes to keep the heavies at bay… Fag packet nostalgia (you’ve done this already – Ed) aside, the XSR9GP is a fairly high-end piece of kit. The basis is the current Deltabox-framed
MT-09 890cc platform with its steel main frame and aluminium swingarm, 119bhp and 200kg wet weight. There’s a lot of premium electronics, apparently borrowed from the R1, including an IMU-assisted ride-by-wire ECU in charge of cornering traction, ABS, wheelie control and even slide control, as well as cruise control and an up/down quickshifter. You also get a natty 5in TFT colour dash, with retro-styled analogue graphic tachometer – nice. No price or availability as yet – watch this space for more as we get it.
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ALL THE LATEST, CO OL ES T & TRICK
ES T PERF ORMA NC E PRODUC TS
ALPINESTARS MO ST EQ HOODED JACKET Crazy name – but a good-looking piece of kit. The MOto STreetwear EQuipment hoodie is a hybrid design, aimed at both on- and off-bike use. It has thumb loops to keep the sleeves in place, and a popper stud on the hood to stop it
flapping when riding. CE-approved Nucleon Flex armour in shoulder and elbows gives good impact protection, but you’ll want to add a Tech-Air airbag or back protector underneath too. Available in blue/black or red/black.
YOSHIMURA V-STROM 800 EXHAUST Times change, and Yoshimura’s engineers now work on making sweet, lightweight performance pipes for adventure bikes as well as superbikes. This RS-12 ADV slip-on can saves 2.1kg over stock, and adds nearly 2% power and torque, while keeping the noise down. There’s a video on
RRP: £783
the Yoshimura site which lets you hear a deeper, more aggressive tone, but the main advantage is the weight loss. It also looks superb, with stainless main sleeve, carbon end cap and a neat carbon heat shield too. Well priced in the current market as well.
www.performanceparts-ltd.com
OXFORD JEANS
RRP: £305
www.alpinestars.com
ROADSKIN EASYRIDER GLOVES Plenty of riders will recognise these short gloves: according to the maker, they’re based on a tactical special forces glove design, as used by police riot squads and infantry worldwide.
Small British firm Roadskin has tweaked the paramilitary style glove to suit biking use, with a new Kevlar/leather/Maximite textile outer shell and hard knuckle protectors. The gloves have passed EN13594: Level 1 CE testing, so are properly approved for bike use.
RRP: £49.99
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www.roadskin.co.uk
We all love a pair of riding jeans: it lets you wear some protective kit down below without dragging out the Alpinestars airbag race leathers to pop out for some milk. Oxford’s AAA jeans are solid kit, in a range of cuts and colours, and the firm has
RRP: £169.99
just extended its size range even wider, with inside leg lengths of 30-36 inches and waist sizes 30-44 inches. They have a single-layer construction with polyamidereinforced denim, and CE hip and knee protectors included.
www.oxfordproducts.com
PRODUCTS
WEISE ION HEATED GLOVES Got heated grips? Well done, you’re halfway there for ultimate winter riding comfort. But for complete protection, on the coldest days, adding a pair of heated gloves can keep the backs of your hands toasty as well as the palm side. There are a few options out there, but these Weise chappies look like a decent choice. They are a full waterproof winter glove with textile and leather construction, Thinsulate layer and fleece lining, plus a one-button heating controller with three levels.
LS2 STREAM II HELMET LS2 has been making some good entry-level and mid-market lids for years now, and this new Stream II is, obviously, an update to the old Stream. It’s a total redesign, which adds ECE 22.06 thanks to a new Kinetic Polymer Alloy (KPA) shell and features drop-down internal
RRP: £199.99
sun visor, micrometric buckle fastening, extensive venting and a Pinlock-ready visor (though the Pinlock is an optional item). The plain model comes in at under £100 – good value for a big-brand 22.06 helmet.
RRP: £99.99 (plain) £119.99 (graphics)
www.ls2helmets.com
VANUCCI VXU-6 BASE LAYERS The mercury is plummeting as we write in October, and we’re already looking out our thermals. Treat yourself to some new base layers like this Vanucci top and pants combo, which feature seamless construction, insulation layers on shoulders and
RRP: £52.86
They use individual battery packs (supplied) in each glove which are recharged using USB connections, and Weise says they’ll last for several hours.
evaporation layers under the arms, fast-drying material and a slightly compressive fit. Expect the usual benefits: more comfort under leathers or thermal layers, and reduced fatigue thanks to the compressive stretch fit.
www.weiseclothing.com
R&G MIRROR WIDENERS A simple little upgrade here: these R&G mirror wideners space threaded handlebar mirror stalk mounting points further apart, separating your mirrors a bit more, and giving a better view of what’s behind you, while minimising blind spots. They’re available to fit loads of bikes, are easy to install, and are a decent price.
RRP: £24.99
www.rg-racing.com
OPTIMATE BATTERY MONITOR Cold weather kills batteries – and can tip over tired ones with little notice. You should have a trickle charger on your bike (unless it’s used very regularly), and this new Optimate monitor simply attaches to the battery, with a pass-through connection for your charger, so you don’t need any other connections. It’s simple enough: a little chip analyses the battery voltage level and gives a four-bar colour LED indicator of its health. So you should get a warning if there’s trouble ahead…
www.louis-moto.co.uk
RRP: £26.90
www.optimate1.com
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LAUNCH
BOXING SMART... WORDS: DANGEROUS
PICS: BMW
If you like ‘em big, bold, and packed full of poke, BMW’s latest R 1300 GS could be just the ride for you.
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