BUYERS’ GUIDE
HONDA CBR600RR (2007-2012)
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS SUPERSPORT SENSATION
THE FUTURE ON TRIAL PLUGGING AND PLAYING ON NEXT GEN TRIALS BIKES
JU N ISS E 20 UE 22 392
PIRELLI DIABLO ROSSO CORSA IV
BEST BREED RIDDEN AND RATED RUBBER
SUPER RARE, SUPER TRICK, SUPERSPORTS…
DUCATI 74 9R KAWASAKI ZX6-RR
RAPID ROAD RACER
LEE JOHNSTON: PLUS
“I KNOW HOW MUCH RISK I’M TAKING TO BE WHERE I AM”
UK’S BEST TRACKS AND WHY TRACK SPEC YAMAHA R6 SUPERSPORT: THE GLORY DAYS RACE RIOT
ISSUE 392 JUN E 2022
THE KNOWLEDGE
54
Used Bike Guide.............................. 62 Honda’s CBR600RR should well and truly belong on your supersport shopping list. Here’s why…
Track Craft ...................................... 84 When it comes to riding on track, there are plenty of questions to answer. Luckily for us, Dean Ellison is on hand.
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
Best of Breed .................................. 18 Remember when 600s were much-loved (and rightfully so)? Well, Ducati’s 749R and Kawasaki’s ZX6-RR were among the very best of the models that came to light in the Noughties.
Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa IV .......... 44 We popped over to Mugello to get our heads around Pirelli’s awesome new sporty rubber.
The Future on Trial .......................... 54 Leccy bikes are becoming more numerous – and they make perfect sense in the trials world.
COLUMNISTS
Christian Iddon ............................... 94 Iddon’s season’s finally underway.
Dom Herbertson ............................. 96 Dom’s on the run-up to TT time.
Tom Neave ...................................... 97
78 FEATURES
World Supersport:The Glory Days . 38 Josh Brookes might be best-known for his time at BSB, but back in the day he finished third in the World Championship. He got all nostalgic with us over a brew.
Lee Johnston ................................ 68
As superbike debuts go, Tom’s got a lot to be chuffed with.
Wee Lee isn’t just a dab hand in the British Supersport series… he’s something of a legend on the roads, too. Here’s his story…
Steve’s been out and about in his usual manner.
Aaron Silvester takes the time to tell us all about his Stock 600 R6.
Steve Parrish................................... 98
BUY
GEAR
FASTBIKESMAG.COM
18
Track Spec....................................... 78
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WELCOME
The joys of six!
I
t’s mad to think that 600s are no more – or rather, that manufacturers are no longer making box-fresh offerings for everyday road use. Growing up in the early Noughties, 600s were still big business and plentiful in number, both on the road and the track. They had real significance, offered credible performance, and were nothing short of pin-ups for lads like me, blasting around on our 125s. Some of my all-time favourite rides have been on 600s, more often than not prompting the kind of smile you’d find on a Cheshire cat. Don’t get me wrong, litre bikes are awesome and nowadays they’re our bread and butter, but the connection you get from their slightly smaller siblings as you wring the living daylights out of their motors, striving to extract their true potential without the safety nets of tech and dull-down power modes, is next-level. Yep, there’s a lot to like about sixes, but I guess everything has its place in time and for reasons that my brain struggles to
compute, their popularity and presence has dwindled over the last decade. But that’s not to say the dream is dead. The great news is that these bikes were built in such numbers that the market’s still flooded with yesteryear’s brilliance – and that can often be sought at decent used prices. That is, of course, if you go for the more mainstream options. Because this sector also got its fair share of spice as brands did their bit to out-perform and out-gun each other on track. Two such gems form the backbone to this month’s cover test, in the shape of Ducati’s 749R and Kawasaki’s ZX6-RR. Unfortunately for me, Timmy and Johnny copped the golden tickets to put them through their paces, and hearing what they had to say has reassured me that my adoration for 600s isn’t just based on nostalgia. Keeping with the theme, we got Josh Brookes to tell us about his time in the World Supersport scene, and for a dose of contemporary context, we got the
low-down from Aaron Silvester on his 2015 track-spec Yamaha R6, before rounding things off nicely with an all-you-need-to-know buyers’ guide review of Honda’s 2007 CBR600RR. You could say we’ve got full six-hundred with this issue, but there’s loads more great content to get your teeth into, as you’ll soon see. On that note, I’d better leave you to it. Enjoy the mag and, as ever, thanks for your support. Join us on Facebook:
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20 BOSSY MAN
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TRACK RIDING GURU
YOUNG MAN
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TT WINNER
SUPERSTOCK WINNER
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...and combine king
OLD MAN
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Christian Iddon
Dean Ellison
Gary Johnson
Jack Fairman
ROAD RACING LEGEND Peter Hickman ...and BSB winner
RACING PUNDIT
Steve Parrish
Carl Stevens
Tom Neave
Jamie Morris
LEGAL LORE
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NE W S & RE VIE W S PL ANET FAST BIKES – NE W ME TA L,
HONDA HAWK 11
WORDS> SIR ALAN OF DOWDS To Osaka, Japan, where Honda has launched a new Africa twin-powered sporty machine. Dubbed the Hawk 11, the new bike is a simple, no-nonsense sportsbike aimed at road use, with semi-retro styling, a neat half-fairing, and a low price (around £8500 in Japan). The 1082cc engine puts out a modest 101bhp with 77ft lb of torque, and is bolted into a cradle-type steel tube frame, with USD front forks and rear monoshock, plus dual radial four-piston front brake calipers up front. There’s
a natty round LED headlight, wacky underslung fairing mirrors, and a horrendously chunky exhaust system, complete with an extra catalyst hanging below the engine. If they’d managed to make the Hawk 11 as light as it looks, then we’d be pretty interested. But with a claimed weight of 214kg and that 101bhp output, it seems like it will be a bit steady, sadly. Like all Hondas, it will no doubt be very pleasant to ride, comfy, good on fuel and all that
stuff. But as a tasty backroad blaster, it looks like it may fall a bit short. There’s no word on whether the Hawk 11 will come to the UK as yet, but it’s released in Japan this September. The last Honda Hawk was the American version of the Japanese market Bros NT650 V-twin roadster that made around 60bhp. Honda also rebranded the late 1990s VTR1000 Firestorm as the Super Hawk in the US.
KTM 790 Duke is back Welcome back to the original Scalpel: KTM’s 790 Duke is on sale again, alongside the 890 version that replaced it. Why, you ask? Well, it seems like the firm wants to offer a better A2 licence option than the KTM390; the 112bhp 890 is too powerful to be offered as even a restricted 47bhp A2 bike (you can’t cut the power by more than 50% from the base bike). So, rather than bring out a weird low-powered 890 version, the Austrian firm has blown the dust off the old 790 tooling and brought it back, now making the required 95bhp. It boasts more tech than before, including a colour dash, but should be every bit as fun as it was.
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Rumours online also suggest that the 890 might be growing in capacity soon, so there will be a Duke for every need – from 125, 390, 790 and 990, up to the mighty 1290.
Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www. fastbikesmag.com) – for live updates on news as it happens
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
ROYAL ENFIELD SCRAM 411
Ducati MotoE update
Ducati has released more images and a video of its 2023 MotoE racebike testing around Vallelunga race track near Rome. Alex de Angelis, who rode in the 2019 MotoE championship, has officially joined the Ducati development team for the bike – which should give the firm a decent racer’s viewpoint on the problems of making an electric race bike work well. There’s little in the way of new info on the bike, though Ducati does show a wheeled charging unit boosting the MotoE machine’s battery in the pits – a sight we’ll be getting very used to in the future. Check the video on Ducati’s social media pages.
First it has a stunt rider, and now it’s released a rather slick adventure/scrambler crossover thing – Royal Enfield isn’t hanging about. Okay, we’re still waiting on a 200bhp supernaked retro, but baby steps and that…The Scram 411 is based round the Himalayan mini-ADV machine, which is desperately low on power but cheap and rides well thanks to all the former (and current) BSB riders and engineers who work at the Harris Performance/Royal Enfield chassis development department. You get the 24bhp 410cc motor, steel tube frame and basic running gear off the Himalayan, with a 19” front rim, shorter travel suspension and a slick makeover. Price TBC, it will be in the shops later this summer.
Yamaha power steering
The Longest Day Challenge… we’re doing it! June 21 will see the tenth running of what started as a group of mates from a motorbike forum having a bit of a day out to raise some money for charity but has since grown into The Longest Day Challenge. The idea was and still is to ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in 24 hours without using motorways and on bikes that cost just £600. This year there’s more than 40 riders taking part, including Fast Bikes’ very own commander in chief, Bruce, all aiming to add to the total raised so far of over £250,000 for Cancer Research UK. Riders set off from Land’s End as the sun rises at 4am on the longest day of the year and plan to reach John O’Groats by sunrise the following day. Sounds easy, but it’s no coincidence that the number-one selling item in the gift shop at the John O’Groats visitor centre on June 22 is
haemorrhoid cream and not the usual tartan flat cap/ginger mullet combination. The event has grown in popularity since its inception, but the two-part challenge is just as hard as it ever was; there are no shortcuts. Riders stick to a predetermined route that takes in five ‘pit stops’, a ferry and a midnight run over Glen Coe. It’s a very long day, and while there’s on-the-road support with a fleet of broom wagons to keep riders going when there are the inevitable mechanical issues, they’re on their own. The sheer amount of money that’s been raised (£75,000 last year alone) reflects just how hard the ride is, and the spirit in which it is taken. Check it out on Facebook by searching ‘The Longest Day Challenge’ or visit www. longestdaychallenge.com for details of this year’s riders and how to show your support by donating to one of them.
Another thing we didn’t think we needed – electric power steering on a bike. Actually, this Yamaha set-up is dual-purpose kit: it works as a sort of semi-active electric steering damper as well as providing steering assistance. A cunning torque sensor tells an ECU what the steering stem is doing, and a geared motor then works with or against the movement depending on what the ECU decides. Yamaha’s testing it in Japanese motocross racing at the moment – there’s no word on whether to expect this as a feature on road bikes any time soon.
Torrens Trophy/ John Denning – May, 30 1940 to April 2, 2022
Highs and lows for the Denning family and the Crescent Yamaha race team. First, the team owner Paul Denning was awarded the 2022 RAC Torrens Trophy for the amazing 2021 results, winning the WSBK rider, team and manufacturer titles. The triple-crown win was a first for a British team, earning Denning the RAC Club’s top motorcycle sport award at the first in-person awards since 2019. Attending the Torrens event was Paul’s father, John Denning, who later passed away on April 2, aged 81, after a short illness. John had worked at the Crescent firm established by his father for 65 years, helping Paul to set up the firm’s racing activities in the 1990s, and was a vital part of Crescent right up to the end of his life.
JUNE 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 11
L, NEWS & REVIE WS PLAN ET FAST BIKES – NEW META
ANOTHER NEW HONDA: A BIT OF A DOG… HONDA DAX 1 25 Another new Honda with loads of heritage is this, the 2022 Dax ST125. The original Dax ST50 was a 50cc mini-bike, launched in 1969 and named after the German dachshund sausage dog. The pressed steel frame and small wheels gave the ST50 a long, low look, making the dachshund name an obvious choice. The 2022 Dax is based on the basic tech
foundations of the Monkey and Grom, with the same air-cooled single-cylinder 125 motor, putting out 9bhp, with 12” wheels and a new pressed frame design. The fuel tank is inside the frame as with the original, and it weighs just 107kg wet. There’s ABS, an automatic clutch and a four-speed heel/toe change gearbox. It comes in red or grey and will be in dealers this summer, price TBC.
20 22 HARLEY-DAVIDSON NIGHTSTER We could sort-of see the point of the old HarleyDavidson Sportster; as a stripped-down American custom roadster, it had a certain appeal. But its air-cooled Evolution motor has been on the way out for a long time now, and a water-cooled replacement was inevitable. And here it is – the Nightster. It uses an all-new motor: a 975cc version of the 1250 Revolution Max V-twin fitted to the wacky-looking Pan America adventure bike launched in 2021. The Nightster lump is dubbed the 975 Revolution Max 975T (why so many names, Mr Harley?), and has both a shorter stroke and smaller bore than the 1250 Pan America (97x66mm from 105x72.3mm) while keeping the same 60° V-twin layout, balancer shafts, hydraulic tappets, variable valve timing, ride by wire EFI, DOHC and four-valve heads. The chassis is fairly standard H-D fare – steel
12 JUNE 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
tube frame with an alloy subframe, steel twin-shock swingarm, 41mm Showa forks, and a four-piston front brake caliper. There’s a basic electronics package of traction and ABS, three riding modes, and engine brake control, plus LED headlights and an LCD display panel. The end result is 90bhp and a 218kg wet weight – not great, not terrible. Of course, we’d prefer the 150bhp 1250 motor in there, but maybe that will come later on… in the meantime, the 2022 Harley-Davidson Nightster costs from £13k (not terrible for a Harley), and is in shops now.
ES T PERF ORMA NC E PRODUC TS ALL THE LATEST, CO OL ES T & TRICK
WDS WORDS> SIR ALAN OF DO
MWR VS-420 ZX-10R VELOCITY STACKS Whether you call them velocity stacks, bellmouths or intake trumpets, the funny-shaped bits on the front of your carbs or throttle bodies are often ignored when it comes to tuning. Of course, saucy megabucks titanium exhausts are much more fun to look at and generally give better returns – but there’s no reason to ignore the intake side of the motor. Enter these MWR intakes for the 2021-22 Kawasaki ZX-10R and ZX-10RR. Developed on the KRT WSBK and
Japanese SBK racebikes, these shorty intakes claim to give more peak power on the R and add a dollop of mid-range to the RR. Made from engineering nylon/ polyamide PA12, they’re a simple fit and will work well on a track or road bike with the firm’s other intake upgrades and air filter. Also available for earlier models. £334 .99 WWW.SPEEDYCOM.CO.UK
GBRAC ING 2021ON YAMAHA MT-09 ENGINE COVER KIT ZARD RS660 EXHAUST Zard is one of the less-well-known pipe makers, but we’ve tried their products in the past and been pretty impressed. The firm is based in Italy, so is well-placed for this sort of thing – a full titanium race system for the Aprilia RS660, no less. It saves 2.1kg over stock, and has a carbon fibre end cap and a removable baffle for the silly quiet race tracks we have these days. Sound output is just 93dB@5,250rpm, so you should be able to get onto most events, and it looks properly sharp. No fuelling changes needed, but it would be a shame to spend that cash on such a sweet system and not have a nice wee dyno set-up we reckon… £1081
WWW.PERFORMANCEPARTS-LTD.COM
Here we are in 2022 and sadly, motorbikes are still falling over with only the slightest of provocations, so the best thing you can do is add some saucy-yet-sensible protection – like these GBRacing engine covers for the latest Yamaha MT-09 range. Updates in 2021 gave the tasty triple a capacity boost to 890cc, and GBRacing got straight to work on some new covers for the engine casings. This kit includes protectors for the alternator, clutch, water pump and ignition pulser cases, using the firm’s race-developed materials and production techniques. They’re a breeze to fit and will help prevent serious engine damage from most crashes – there’s nothing worse than seeing oil or coolant oozing out of your freshly-dropped bike (trust us on this…) The covers fit the whole of the secondgeneration MT range, including the MT, SP, Tracer and XSR. £268.38 FOR FULL SET OF ALTERNATOR, WATERPUMP, PULSER AND CLUTCH COVERS (ALSO AVAILABLE SEPARATELY) WWW.GBRACING.EU
14 JUNE 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
PRODUCTS
SHARK SPARTAN RS HELMET It might look like just another upper to mid-priced full face lid from a premium brand but according to French helmet maker Shark, this new Spartan RS is a next-generation design. That’s because it’s the first lid to be designed with the latest ECE 22.06 regulations in mind from the start, meaning it’s been optimised to provide even more protection to exceed the stiffer regs. It uses a new aerodynamic-shaped composite shell in two sizes and multi-density EPS shock-absorbing lining, plus a revised four-point visor attachment set-up to keep the visor in place during high-energy impacts. The visor itself is a class-one optical design with variable thickness and comes with a Pinlock anti-mist insert. There’s an internal sun visor, extensive venting and suede padding, plus a double-D ring strap – and it’s got a real high-quality feel for the price. Available in five fairly sensible plain colours, and in sizes XS-XXL, it’s in shops now. £2 99.99
WWW.SHARK-HELMETS.COM/EN_GB/
WEISE GATOR JEANS
TCX RT-RACE PRO AIR BOOTS Italian boot firm TCX was taken over by Dainese recently, but it’s still working hard on its own designs. For 2022, the top-end RT-Race Pro Air boots have had a bit of an overhaul, with new colours and graphics: black/reflex, black/blue/red and black/grey/red. Under the new looks, they use the firm’s Double Flex Control system with updated PU reinforcement in shin, ankle, heel, and toe that claims to give more protection than before. The rest of the boot is similarly high-end – magnesium heel sliders, Michelin Burnout sole material, lace/zip/Velcro/buckle closure, full venting and soft-touch mesh breathable inner lining. Available in UK sizes 5-13. £3 19.99
These no-nonsense aramid/denim riding jeans from Weise look pretty standard at first glance, but they actually conform to the highest CE protection standard – AAA, which isn’t always the case. They’re made from a tough denim outer with a highly abrasion-resistant aramid liner underneath and mesh comfort lining next to your skin. Cut high at the waist to avoid gaps where your jacket sits and with a semi boot-cut traditional fit, the Gator jeans come with CEapproved impact-absorbing armour in knees and hips, and are available in men’s sizes S-XXXXL (30” to 42” waist). £15 9.99 WWW.WEISECLOTHING.COM
WWW.TCXBOOTS.COM
ALPINESTARS FASTER 3 SHORT BOOTS Summer’s really here and it’s time to come out, but if you’re just heading dahn your local bikers’ caff or for a quick cruise to the seaside for an ice cream, you don’t want your super-trick race boots on, do you? A pair of lighter shortie boots make much more sense and if you choose well, you’ll get nearly as much protection, in a more comfy, cooler and easier package.
These Alpinestars Faster 3 boots tick most of the boxes: they’ve got a vented microfibre outer construction with mesh lining, plus rigid TPU plastic protectors around the ankle. A reinforced toe box and sole shank adds impact resistance and torsional protection, and there’s loads of comfort padding, too. £13 9.99
WWW.ALPINESTARS.COM
15
ED AND REV IEW ED THE VERY BES T KIT – US ED, ABUS
RS T TRACTECH EVO III BOOTS TESTED BY: Max Silvester MILES:500+ TIME: Three years PRICE: RRP £ 129.99 WEB: www.rst-moto.com
I don’t think I can start this review without mentioning a key factor when choosing new kit – the price. These boots retail at £129.99, but if you look around you can find them priced quite a bit less than that. Even at the full RRP, they’re something of a bargain, in my opinion. They come in a couple of different colours, including a stealthy full black design and neon green. The boots are fitted with some great heel, shin, and ankle protection; if you’ve ever been unlucky enough to come off your bike and get your leg trapped under the bike, you’ll definitely be glad of the protection. Durability is another big thing with these boots. During the three years I’ve owned mine, I have put these through absolutely everything and they’re still holding up to this day. Two of my favourite features about these boots are the toe sliders and the shift pad: the zinc alloy sliders do a great job to protect the boot from any unnecessary scuffs out on the road or track. After riding mini bikes for so long, and getting close to the ground, I’ve found myself scraping all the way through these sliders, though it doesn’t pose a
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problem as these are completely replaceable for as little as £13. The only downside is that due to vibrations, these sliders have a tendency to rattle loose, though it’s not a big job just to twist them tight again with an Allen key. The shift pad, placed above the toes on both boots, really does come in handy and adds comfy into the mix. The only time I have had this come off was on an incredibly old and battered pair of boots that I now use for riding flat track, only because I can slide the steel shoe on easier without the shift pad. The RST Tractech boots are always great to use straight out of the box, without needing loads of time to bed in like a lot of other brands do. In fact, I like these boots so much that I’ve just bought myself another pair and they fit pretty much as comfortably as my three-year-old boots right from the get-go, made all the more supple by the great amount of flex and manoeuvrability they offer, with two big flex panels in front of the ankle and behind the heel.
I think it’s fair to say that they can get a little uncomfortable after a long while walking, but you wouldn’t go hiking in these boots as much as you wouldn’t go riding in a pair of old trainers… at least, I hope you wouldn’t. If you’re looking for a pair of boots that are comfortable and stylish but are still flexible enough to blast round a track with, then these are a great choice.
FEATURE
BESTOF BREED WORDS: BIG MAC (AND TINY TIM) PICS: CHAPPO
Back when supersports mattered most, these were the finest of the lot.
BEST OF BREED
I
t’s hard to believe today that once upon a time, not very long ago, supersport bikes were the lifeblood of most manufacturers, who sold them literally by the boatload. Today they are extinct – which makes it hard for those under a certain age to grasp the idea that they were once the go-to bikes for anyone who had even the slightest passing interest in sportsbikes. Up until about the early to mid-Noughties when the bigger 1000cc sportsbikes were still lardy and bouncy and actually not really that powerful, the performance gap between a supersport bike for the road and a superbike for the road was tiny compared to now. To illustrate the point, a 1998 Yamaha R1 and a 1998 Yamaha R6 have the same power-to-weight ratio, but when 1000c bikes went north of 150bhp from about 2005 on, and successive tough emission standards clipped the 600’s power to not much more than 100bhp, the performance gap grew and the supersport bike’s fate was sealed until eventually it became extinct. As the mere thought that, once upon a time, supersport bikes were the weapon of choice and mattered commercially takes a lot to get your head round today, it’s even more of a mind bend to know that they mattered
so much that manufacturers went to the trouble of making super trick, low volume homologation specials for supersport racing. Toseland, Vermueulen, Xaus, Kiyonari, Brookes, Jones, Crutchlow, Sykes and O’Halloran – to name a few – all came through the World Supersport Championship and cut their teeth there long before you ever heard of them. It’s the arena where they and many others had their first taste of world championship racing in full view of the World Superbike paddock and all the factory teams. Keen to get noticed and make a mark, the racing was no holds barred, and the class earned itself the title of Axe Murderers by commentators and fans, which only added to its popularity and cult status. The combination of the huge popularity of the Supersport race class with fans and booming sales in the showrooms of 600cc bikes meant the manufacturers didn’t treat it as an irritating sideshow that was just something to put on the schedule to justify the ticket price. They bought into it and made their road bikes hardcore. They had people all over the world scouting for talent in domestic championships to ride them on the world stage. And
on very rare occasions they would even succumb to the rule book and make pukka homologation specials to try and give themselves a performance edge, just like they did with their superbikes. For some, winning in World Supersport meant almost as much as winning in World Superbike, specifically for Ducati and Kawasaki. Both factories went to the trouble of making a very small number of modified versions of their existing road-going supersport bikes. The Ducati 749R and Kawasaki ZX-6RR are possibly the least well-known homologation specials there are. Both are as scarce as hen’s teeth, and after months of chasing down leads and calling in favours, we finally got hold of two of the rarest road bikes we’ve ever had in the magazine. Let the riding and anoraking begin…
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BEST OF BREED
WORDS> BIG MAC
2005
KAWASAKI B
ZX-6RR
e honest, you’d walk right past the Kawasaki ZX-6RR we’ve used in this feature and not give it a second thought, even if you noticed it in the first place. However, you should know that if you do ever notice and walk past a ZX-6RR with a black frame, it is one of just FIVE in the UK currently on the road – which makes it a genuine unicorn. At a glance there is nothing at all special about the ZX-6RR; even at closer inspection there’s nothing to suggest anything special, apart from the extra ‘R’ on the side panel graphic which itself is understated and easy to miss. The black frame wouldn’t even register as anything other than just that – a black frame. The extra ‘R’ makes the Kawasaki a rare thing to begin with, but it is the combination of it and the black frame that makes this one particularly hard to come by. Time to get geeky… 20 JUNE 2022 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
In 2003 Kawasaki knocked all the soft edges off its ZX-6R and came out with the hardcore, no-nonsense B1-H version of its supersport contender. It was aggressive in every way, from its styling and geometry to its weight, stiff chassis, and stripped-back minimalistic design. It did, however, carry over the 636cc engine of the previous ZX-6R for good reason – why wouldn’t you? The 636cc motor was and still is an absolute peach that fills in some of the blanks that the 599cc engines of its rivals had at the time. This was a problem for racing, though, so a 599cc version of the B1H was made at the same time by getting a smaller bore AND stroke, which means smaller forged pistons and shorter con rods. It also got a balanced crankshaft, slipper clutch, adjustable swingarm pivot, and a steering damper mount on the frame. It was known as the K1H, of which just 50 were imported to the UK during 2003 and 2004.