NAUGHTY, AND NAKED… THE SEVEN SEXIEST SUPERNAKEDS ON THE MARKET GO TOE-TO-TOE TO LIFT OUR COVETED NSBOTY CROWN SPORTSBIKE OF THE YEAR DUCATI STREETFIGHTER V4 SP TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE 1200RS BMW S 1000 R M-SPORT YAMAHA MT-10 KAWASAKI Z H2 APRILIA TUONO V4 FACTORY BMW S 1000 R M-SPORT KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R OCTOBER2022 ISSUE396 ZXKAWASA-7R ALL YOU NEED T L HAIL THE PRIVATEER WE CHECK IN WITH ONE OF BSB’S ST PROMISING PRIVATEERS TO FIND OUT WHAT LIFE’S REALLY LIKE FOR A -BIKE -PAGE 7SUPERNAKEDSPECIAL!41 USED BUY
ISSUE 396 OCTOBER 2022 16 BUY GEAR FASTBIKESMAG.COM To pre -order your next issue of Fast Bikes, head to coclassicmagazines..uk/pre-orderTHE KNOWLEDGE Used Bike Guide ..............................64 It’s one of the most iconic Kawasakis ever built. Of course, we’re talking about the ZX-7R. Here’s all you need to know before buying one. YOUR LIFE ON BIKES You and Yours ................................88 All of your adventures. Chatter ...........................................90 A page dedicated to the best readers in the world… TESTS Naked Sportsbike of the Year ........16 If you like your bikes big, naked, and naughty, you’ll need to check out this year’s NSBOTY test. We hooked up with the seven finest options on the market and got to grips with them on the road. COLUMNISTS Christian Iddon ..............................94 Iddon’s been busy a busy boy on track – and off it. Tom Neave ......................................96 Tom’s had highs and lows these past few rounds, but his sights are set high for his home round. Steve Parrish...................................98 Steve’s been out and about in his usual manner. todayorderonscanAlternatively,theQRcodethispageandyournextcopyWewillsenditdirectlytoyou! 64 70 FEATURES All hail the privateer .......................70 If you’re wondering what it takes to be a privateer in the world’s toughest domestic series, BSB’s Josh Owens is on hand to give you an idea. Track Spec.......................................80 It might not be the latest, but there’s lots of reasons you should show some love for Kawasaki’s ZX-6R.
SUBSCRIBE! This month has largely been spent embracing nakedness Don’t worry, there’s not been a nudist beach in sight, but there have been plenty of supernakeds, of course, having just clocked hundreds of miles over numerous days and endless hours behind the bars of our seven contenders battling it out for our Naked Sportsbike of the Year title It’s been an awesome time, and a great reminder of how different and varied the sectorChancesis are if you and your mates sat down and drew a picture of the same object, they’d all look different… and that’s representative of the supernaked sector. The concept is the same: big power, big presence, big fun – but how Join us on Facebook: Facebook.com/ FastBikesMagazine View Fast Bikes video content: youtube.com/ fastbikesmag Download Fast Bikes: Mortons. co.uk/FB Join us on Twitter: @FastBikesMag WELCOME Naked ambition BOSSYMAN ‘Dangerous’ Bruce Wilson bwilson@mortons.co.uk BS B SU PER ST AR Christian Iddon ...and Britain’s best builder RA CI NG PU ND IT Steve Parrish ...and pro at pranks MONE Y MAN Charlie ‘The Sheriff’ Oakman coakman@fastbikes.co.uk TR AC K RIDI NG GU RU Dean Ellison ...and super nice bloke YO UN G MAN Carl Stevens TT WI NNER Gary Johnson ...and karaoke king SU PER ST OC K WI NN ER Tom Neave ...and combine king OL MAND John McAvoy gramps@fastbikes.co.uk MO TO SAGEGP Jack Fairman ...and wine connoisseur SU PER BI KE SN AP PER Jamie Morris ...and eBay addict RO AD R AC IN G LE GE ND Peter Hickman ...and BSB winner LE GA L LO RE Gavin Grewal ...and hardcore off-roader See page 8 for the best deals, or visit subscription/FB/fast-bikesclassicmagazines.co.uk/ 6 OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM FA MANST Tim Neave tneave@mortons.co.uk manufacturers go about chasing those goals is mind-blowingly different. Some people place more focus on peak performance, while others are hooked on handling, the tech the bike packs, and the quirkiness of its configuration. It’s unchartered territory, which is why this year we cast our net broad and wide, the only criteria being a minimum of 160bhp Even that figure alone is mad, considering a decade or so ago that this type of power was considered decent on a full-blown sportsbike. And don’t even get me started on the features that come stock on some of these bikes, with a greater range of technology than you’ll find on many a superbike Of course, this is nothing new, with a number of supernakeds having benefitted from such luxuries for a long time now... but never have the models been so refined or potent. If I were a betting man, I’d say the freedom and success of this side of motorcycling is set to fuel even crazier, more exciting and desirable motorcycles for a long time yet to come. At least, I hope that’s the case It’s been hard to accept we’ve had a drought of new sportsbikes in 2022, but the supernaked scene has at least had some fresh metal and I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw a flood of models in 2023. These bikes have so much about them, as I hope you’ll grasp when you come across the first part of this shoot-out. To give them as thorough a test as possible, we split the analysis into two, the major focus first being the on-the-road riding experience these models offer Next issue we’ll be covering how they perform on track, against the clock, judging them on lap times, 0-60mph speeds, and how quickly we can haul them up
In essence, all bases are covered, so if you’re looking for a naughty naked to take home but don’t know where to invest your money, you’ve come to the right place Enjoy the mag.
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“We have achieved very nearly one million competitive kilometres on the current-spec 765cc Moto2 engine and that gives us enormous confidence as we take this next step to give the riders something they all want – more revs and more power.”
The Hinckley massive has given the control engine an extra 5PS and raised the rev limit by 400rpm thanks to a series of internal engine upgrades. The top end gets a full overhaul, with a new cylinder head design that increases compression, and includes longer valves which have more lift, together with extra cam lift and revised valve springs. Meanwhile, the bottom end is toughened up to cope with the extra grunt and higher redline: new pistons and con rods, and a revised crankshaft design. Now, the increases obviously won’t have too much impact on the Moto2 series itself; 150bhp in a 150kg chassis rather than 145bhp isn’t a massive difference. The extra revs at the top end might make life a little easier, though. What gets our juices flowing is the idea that this might bring similar mods to the road-going 765 Street Triple range. The R, S, and RS variants have had largely the same performance levels since they were launched back in 2018, with only a Euro5 emissions upgrade in 2020. An extra 5bhp on top of the respective 113, 118, and 125bhp outputs on the three models would be a strong reply to increased competition in the naked middleweight sector.Hinckley is relentlessly tight-lipped on this sort of thing, but the Intermot show in Cologne and EICMA in Milan are not far away at all. Watch this space, and online, for more as we get it.
One man who will know exactly what’s coming is Steve Sargent, Triumph’s chief product officer Here’s what he said about the new Moto2 lump: “We’re incredibly proud of the way that our 765cc triple engine has redefined the Moto2 category, making it faster, more competitive, and better-sounding. To have achieved so many lap records and a top speed equivalent to more than 100km/h per cylinder is something we are very satisfied with since Triumph started powering the class from the 2019 season.
DAYT ONA DISPLAY…
Triumph’s head of customer experience, Simon Thrussell, said: “We are proud to be working together for the first time with the British Motor Museum to showcase the iconic Daytona story from the very start. From the the very first Daytona motorcycle that took Buddy Elmore to victory in the 1966 Daytona 200, all the way through to the first-ever Official Moto2 Dorna Sports licenced motorcycle and the Daytona Moto2 765 Limited Edition, this historic exhibit has a collection of stunning motorcycles for visitors to see and enjoy.”
PL ANET FAST BIKES – NE W METAL, NEWS & REVIE WS TRIUMPH UNVEILS MOT O2 UPGRADES AND NEW DAY TONA MUSEUM SHOW 10 OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
Triumph has helped put together a new exhibition at the British Motor Museum, focussing on its Daytona machinery down the years Bikes on show range from the original 1966 machine that won the Daytona 200 race under Buddy Elmore to the latest limited edition Moto2 765 Daytona replica, as well as Daytona models from old and new Triumph. The exhibition runs till the end of October at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
It’s the calm before the storm in terms of new bikes for 2023 – but there are some hints out there on what we might be seeing at Cologne and Milan. And this might be a tasty one from Triumph, in the form of some engine upgrades for the 765 Street Triple motor that powers the Moto2 series machines
Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.
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Above: It was Honda’s first win at Suzuka since 2014, aided by BSB rider Takahashi.
DAVE HAS NO REGRETS
You’ve probably seen American Supercros indoor stadium motocross racing on the telly a few times over the years Now UK fans are getting the chance to see it live for the first time, as the new World Supercross series kick off at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff o October 8. The series came about after previous organisers in the USA handed back the championship rights to the FIM in 2020 in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic Australian firm Global SX has since picked up the rights, and with backing from a sovereign wealth fund based in Abu Dhabi it’s setting up a new global Supercross championship. There are two rounds in the inaugural 2022 season, Cardiff and Melbourne, with the chance of a third round in Southeast Asia. Organisers have pledged to have a full 10-20 race series in HONDA WINS SUZUK A 8 HOURS
Another one to add to the list of ‘things which haven’t happened since 2019’ is the legendary Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race. And the 2022 Japanese round was a cracker, with the big four home firms pushing hard to win the 43rd race. Honda took the win, with its Team HRC Fireblade pipping the Kawasaki Racing Team ZX-10R and Yoshimura SERT GSX-R1000 factory machines to the top spot on the podium. The first Yamaha was the factory YART team in seventh. There was plenty of UK interest in the top places, with Honda BSB rider Takumi Takahashi filling one of the three spots in the winning HRC team, while the KRT team was an all-UK affair, with Jonathan Rea, Alex Lowes and Leon Haslam riding Rea had a nasty crash at turn 12 though, which put paid to the Team Green assault, while Team HRC put in a flawless performance to give Honda its first win at the 8 Hour since 2014. Takahashi was, of course, a happy man: “I’ve always been unhappy with the 2019 Suzuka 8 Hours, so I’m glad we won. I’m relieved that I managed to play my part, as Nagashima developed the bike and I had to bring out its potential, otherwise I would hold him back. The HRC team gave us solid support including pit work I am grateful to everyone involved.”
DUCATI KEEPS IT ON THE LIMITER
Two bits of impressive news from Ducati this month: the Bologna firm has announced even more record sales for the first half of 2022, and a massive milestone in its racing efforts. The firm reported record revenue for the first half of 2022 at 542 million euros, the highest figure ever recorded, and sold nearly 34,000 bikes, with the mighty Multistrada V4 top of the sales pile Impressive stuff – and matched on track, where Alvaro Bautista scored the 1000th podium placing for a Ducati in World Superbike racing. That’s more than any other firm; maybe not a surprise considering how Ducati has dominated the series since its launch in 1988, first with the 851, then the 888, 916, 999 and the Panigale V-twins and V-4R. 2023 though, assuming the pandemic continues to improve. There are some top riders signed up already, including Eli Tomac and Ken Roczen, with local interest from UK riders Dean Wilson and Max Anstie. Tickets are available online at www.livenation.com
‘Legend’ is a small word for as big a character as Dave Thorpe – but it’s a fitting term for Britain’s most successful MX racer. The three-time FIM 500cc Motocross world champion has just released his autobiography, No Regrets. Written with help from Jack Burnicle, it covers his incredible career from the early days racing through to world title success and later life running Honda UK’s off-road schools Get it on yer Christmas list now: www.davethorpe.co.uk
HISUWORLDPERCROSSTSTHEUK
It was a scorcher of a day for many reasons.
It was literally the hottest day of the year at Donington Park on July 19... 39˚c is a lovely temperature for a hot bath, but not so good for putting on a polystyrene hat and leather suit before thrapping a 200bhp motorbike round one of the best race tracks in the world. But that’s exactly what we all did at our fantastic Fast Bikes trackday Organised in conjunction with the lovely folks at Michelin, with help from No Limits trackdays, and the appearance of some special guest stars, the day was a massive success, with loads of time on
Below: Roll up, roll up.
TRACKDAY 2022 12 OCTOBER 2022 PL ANET FAST BIKES – NE W METAL, NEWS & REVIE WS
Johnny did a lot of this... Want to know how fast Rutter went on his XR69? There’s a feature to follow. This guy should come and work with us. circuit, tyre-blistering grip (once we’d adjusted to the terrifying tarmac temperatures), and only some very minor cases of heatstroke. There were heaps of top prizes presented to some very lucky winners, with free Michelin kit and surprise bonus gifts handed out. The legend that is Michael Rutter was there, preparing for his assault on the Classic TT this year on the gorgeous Bathams Racing XR69 racebike. Our man John McAvoy was working on a few saucy features for upcoming issues, including teaming up with online influencer Girl On A Bike/Vanessa Ruck. And Bruce almost had a seizure... he did so many (very hot) hot laps, including a special secret test on some very posh Michelin race rubber (don’t tell anyone).
Below: It was great to see so many people out on track.
Rutter and Bruce were busy testing Michelins.
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The best bit of all is that we are already plotting to do it again, bigger and better, next year. Watch this space – and give us a shout if you have any ideas on stuff we should incorporate.
We like these: Oxford’s good quality, well-priced paddock stands, but with the added twist of handy castors, letting you move easily your bike around inside the pit box or garage. They’re made of oval steel tubing, so will last for years if looked after, and are stiffer than plain round tube designs. The castoring wheels are lockable for stability once positioned, each stand weighs 5.8kg and can hold up to 250kg, and they come in front and rear versions Rear stand comes with bobbin forks; L-cups available at extra cost.
Neat-looking suede-finish urban riding gloves from French firm Furygan, with plenty of mesh venting but lots of protection. There’s goat leather in vulnerable palm areas, with cooler textile panels, metacarpal armour and knuckle protection, plus touchscreencompatible fingertips Short cuffs will fit well with most jackets, and they come in black/red or sand/red in sizes S-3XL. www.fur ygan.com -200 www.oxprod.com
FURY GAN DUST GLOVES LS2 VECTOR II HELMET DAINESE ENERGYCA VENTED JACKET 14 OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
(fibreglass) £TBC (carbon) www.ls2helmets.com RRP: £119.99
At the time of writing, Britain is a hot, sweaty mess and the idea of putting leathers on for a ride is making us weep. The answer is, of course, a proper vented riding jacket like this Dainese Energyca. It’s a sporty-looking number, with Cordura outer shell and CE armour in the elbows and shoulders, plus pockets for back and chest protectors. There’s also aluminium slider plates on the shoulders to reduce ‘grabbing’ injuries when sliding along the deck. The massive vented sections give loads of air flow for summer riding – but it also has a removable inner windproof liner so you can use it on cooler days or carry with you to zip in if the mercury drops Buy it now, before it gets cold and you forget the misery of 35 degrees, and you’ll be all set for the 2023 heatwaves too. Comes in black or black/red in sizes 34-54.
£69.99
ALL THE L AT EST, COOLEST & TRICK EST PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS OXFORD ZERO G DOLLY PADDOCK STANDS
£180
£3 Chinese lid brand LS2 is pushing hard to match the competition – and this new ECE22.06-approved sporttouring lid aims to give top-end performance at a solid price. The firm uses six outer shell sizes, allowing for perfect proportions for the inner shock-absorbing liner, especially in the smaller and larger sizes. There’s a new quick-release visor system with metal ratchet gearing and positive lock, and a supplied Pinlock anti-mist insert. You also get a flip-down internal sun visor, metal micrometric fastening buckle, extensive venting and a removable washable liner It’s light too, at about 1450g for the fibreglass version, and just 1350g for the forthcoming full carbon version.
Of course, a Yoshimura race pipe for a Yamaha R7 meant a very different thing about 20 years ago, but this 2022 R7 exhaust is still a very lovely thing from the top Japanese brand. The R77 system has stainless headers and link pipe, feeding a full carbon or polished stainless steel Race Series shorty silencer. There’s a removable baffle to help cut the noise a tad when needed, and there are some juicy performance figures. The pipe saves 3.5kg in mass, and adds 6.2% peak power – that’s about 4.5bhp extra. £967 carbon; £875 stainless ww w.performanceparts-ltd.com
£189.99 ww w.alpinestars.com from £90.43 www.gbracing.eu
We should all know the benefits of lithium batteries by now: much lighter (up to 75% less weight) and smaller than lead acid, stronger cranking power, and potentially longer life if properly looked after. They’re coming down in price all the time, as well. These Skyrich units are imported into the UK by massive parts firm Bike-It, so there’s decent back-up compared with random internet buys, and they come in a wide range of fitments for almost every road and off-road machine Prices start at £65, and a battery for a 2022 Honda Fireblade is about £150. From £65 w ww.bikeittrade.com Sadly, 2022 has been a season to forget for injury-hit Marc Marquez and the Repsol Honda MotoGP team But his chums at Alpinestars have released a sweet new collection of kit to celebrate his stupendous career anyway
ALPINESTARS RIDING SHOES
PRODUCTS
More new engine protectors from top British manufacturer GB Racing. These are for the latest Triumph Speed Triple range, covering both RS and RR variants. There are three injection moulded covers – for clutch, alternator and pulser cover – made from the firm’s super-tough glass-reinforced engineering nylon material. They’re ideal extra protection for the engine in case of a spill; even fairly minor drops can smash crankcase covers, causing miserable damage. Available separately, or as a three-cover kit. Alternator cover: £98.69; clutch cover: £95.78; pulser cover: £90.43; full set: £270.66
There are special edition backpacks, jackets, hoodies – and these smart Austin boots. They’re a short urban riding boot with a technical microfibre upper construction, laces/Velcro closure, and a solid set of protective armour elements. The toebox, heel and ankle areas are all reinforced with TPU and TPR impact absorption, and there’s a stiffening shank in the sole Available in black and red, in Euro sizes 38-48 (UK 5.5-13).
YOSHIMUR A R77 WORKS EDITION R7 RACE EXHAUST GB R SPEED
TRIPLE ENGINE PROTECTORS SK YRICH LITHIUM-ION BAT TERY OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 15
ACING
MM93 COLLECTION AUSTIN
SPORTSBIKE OF THE YEAR
2022 WO RD S: J OH NN Y M AC PI CS : C HI PP Y W OOD
You could be forgiven for thinking ‘Here we go again, another group test of the same bikes we had last year’ – and you wouldn’t be too far from the truth. While it is a fact that four of the bikes in this test are the same as last year’s, we feel there has been suf cient enough upgrades to three of them to warrant a revisit to the group, especially as two were placed rst and second last year, and the third wasn’t even included in the test by virtue of not really having enough repower and/or tech to make the cut. That there has been suf cient changes and upgrades to nearly half of the bikes in the supernaked class since last year speaks volumes for just how important the manufacturers continue to consider the class, as well as how diverse the class is. It is this diversity which, among other things, is part of what makes the supernaked class so exciting. Where sportsbikes have all largely converged on roughly the same power, weight, and price, they are all broadly variations of the same theme. Not so in the supernaked class, or if you want to be
KTM 1290 Super Duke R Evo Kawasaki Z H2 SE Performance Ducati Streetfighter V4 SP
SPONSORED BY especially pedantic, the whole of the naked class. That the term ‘supernaked’ exists at all says a lot about the sheer amount of choice of bikes without fairings that exists. It’s easy to forget that with the drop-off in demand for sportsbikes, we are actually living in exciting times as the naked class expands in all directions, with fully-loaded bikes at one end of the spectrum, packing MotoGP derived technology, 200bhp and near-£30,000 price tags, to bikes with more modest levels of tech, power, and price tags, all more than capable of going outrageously fast while simultaneously planting a massive smile on your face. There’s inline fours, V-fours, V-Twins, triples, crossplane crankshafts, 1000cc, 1100cc, 1200cc and 1300cc engine capacities, and even a supercharger in the mix, while Italy, Japan, Great Britain, and Austria all get a look-in. Free of the restraints imposed by the race rule book that superbikes have to stick to, the freedom for interpretation of what a Supernaked bike should be is plain to see Should it be massively powerful? Should it be stripped back and basic? Should it be expensive? Or should it be good value? There is no right answer because there aren’t any races to win. It still doesn’t stop us making obvious comparisons though, which brings us neatly to the test. We are going to split it into two parts: road and track. This, the rst part, is me and Bruce spending a week with the bikes, covering hundreds of miles on all our favourite and most familiar roads, so we can focus on the bikes and the bikes alone. We are going to rate them on engine, tech, brakes, handling, fun, and because one of the big reasons people are buying naked bikes these days is for comfort, we’ve added that to the list. Next month we will take them to the track and tape a datalogger to them all, spend time getting to each bike’s best electronic and mechanical set-up in a bid to rinse the best lap time out of it. By the end of the test, we will have identi ed which bike we think is the best on the road and which is fastest on the track for an overall winner. Then we’ll leave it to you to decide if the price tag of each is worth it, because we just want to identify which bike is the best regardless of price... the best one isn’t always the most expensive, and what might seem like a lot of money to one person might be loose change to another The nal thing is that we’re going to run all bikes on the same control tyre. Our friends at Dunlop have stepped in to spec the bikes out on GP Racer D212 rubber, which is well-suited to blurring the lines between fast road and track riding… and is exactly what we need. So, without further ado… BMW S 1000 R Aprilia Tuono V4 Factory Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS Yamaha OCTOBERMT-102022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 17
The BMW formula is unchanged for 2022, which means the S1000 R gets the S1000 RR frame, swingarm and engine minus the shift cam parts to clip power to 165bhp. You then have to go through the BMW extras list to add most of the things you see on the test bike we have, so stuff like the semi-active suspension, snazzy paint job, extra rider modes, forged wheels and so on and so on... all of which adds more than £5000 to the price of the base bike, but which also does load the BMW up with all the tech and hardware to – on paper, at least – make it a viable option for anyone looking for a pukka supernaked bike.
The approach by the people from Bavaria is similar to that of the Yamaha; less is more, except it rarely is – more is always more. Anyway, the upshot is that the BMW is playing the same game as the Yamaha, and
Total: 41/60 – nothing really wrong with it, just a bit bland in a class full of exciting bikes.
S1BMW000 R M-SPORT WO RD S: J OH NN Y M AC
BMW says it removed the ShiftCam technology from the S1000 RR engine for the R Sport because – and I’m paraphrasing here – there’s no place for 200bhp naked bikes on the road, and of course, strictly speaking, that’s right, but that’s a different debate for another day. However, it does seem odd that the tech is available, and the more desirable, sexy bikes in the class are all packing big power gures that BMW could easily achieve by leaving the ShiftCam stuff in the engine
18 OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
It’s packed full of shiny bits. SPONSORED BY OCTOBER 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 19 Front-120/70/17 Rear–190/55/17 199kg£17,575 165bhp
trying to make up for a very big power de cit by being different enough to still be desirable, so just like all bikes that we ever test here, guring out and understanding what a bike’s calling card is, what makes it what it is, what’s it’s ‘thing’ is the best bit of the job, even if for some bikes it’s less obvious.
Engine: 6/10 Without wanting to sound cruel or overly harsh, the BMW’s engine is the plainest on the test. It’s your bog-standard inline four, 1000cc, twin cam 16v layout with no variable valve timing, no funny ring order, no trick crankshaft, and no supercharger. It’s… well… very vanilla. It feels like it’s from another era. Don’t get me wrong – it’s fast, very fast, and it’ll pull away from a standstill in third gear, so it’s very exible, but it feels like something from at least a decade ago. Switch it on, go fast, switch it off, instantly forget. It’s just a bit too plain for me and feels like it belongs in something like a commuter bike rather than a supernaked, which really should have some re in its belly, awed or otherwise. On its own in isolation, there’s very little to criticise the S1000 R’s engine for; in a lot of ways it’s awless, but it’s the context that the engine is used in that makes it feel a bit wanting.
The brakes are rst-class on the BMW and I liked them a lot. They’ve got loads of bite, power, and feel from the pads, all at the sort of levels that talk to me in just the right way I’m a very big fan of the brake set-up, but there are a couple of small irritants that take the edge off just a bit. The initial dive of the forks is quite soft, which is a bit off-putting, and the gearshift lever feels very spongy and vague. It just isn’t a positive ‘click, click’ when you’re backshifting through the cogs There’s a really numb feeling at the lever that feels like the contact point on it between the sole of your boot, and the lever is made up of layers and layers of soft rubber. The biggest indicator that the cog has swapped is when the revs rise and fall as the ‘blip’ is initiated That said, a backshift never gets missed, so it’s only the feeling of vagueness that is a distraction during the braking process rather than any actual shortcoming in performance
The ABS works perfectly, as it does on all BMWs, and for all the world isn’t even there.
Brakes: 8/10
Tech: 7/10 With all the options boxes ticked and the various ‘packs’ added to get to the spec of bike we have on this test, you end up with the same tech found on the S1000 RR – which means all the toys available are at your ngertips and all are fully adjustable. You want for nothing when it comes to wanting to adjust part of the bike’s electronic parameters, including the suspension. It’s intuitive, easy to understand, and while not the absolute gold standard when it comes to rider interface, it’s not very far off. In terms of how it triggers and releases each of the functions, whether it be ABS, anti-wheelie or traction control, it’s okay as long as you’re in one of the racier riding modes. Then you get a decent amount of rope until it intervenes in an acceptably smooth way, before releasing in a similarly controlled fashion. The best way to summarise the BMW’s tech is that there’s no denying it’s all there and that it all works perfectly well, but it’s not really a stand-out feature of the bike compared to others in the test.
IT IS SUPER-RESPONSIVE AND DIVES INTO CORNERS WITH THE RATE OF A BIKE 20KG LIGHTER. It’s impossible not to see the RR’s lineage.
