DOUBLE THE FUN R1
TALL-ROUNDED HOOLIGAN
JU LY 2
02
0 IS SU E3 67
BUILDING A ROAD BIKE THAT CAN HACK IT ON TRACK
TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER 1200
LISH: RETRO RE
APRMILILILAE RSV
AST HOOL F OLD SC ITS BEST T A S E BIK
? E G R LA R O E L T T - LI
ROTHER BORE B IG I B S INST IT V2 AGA S I’ T A G DUC PITCHIN
TH HE SRA AD STOR RY
R750 GSX-R ICONIC YING ONE E H T U LT KI BUIL BOUT B Y SUZU TO KNOW A H W TESTED D N D D AND EARING IE R HOW A ALL YOU NEE T IT RG ❯❯ K SED …AND W YOU ❯❯ KNO M RC16 EXPO ❯❯ KT
PLUS
TESTS The Perfect Panigale ...................... 16
After riding both the 2020 Ducati V4S and V2 Panigales on their respective launches, Frodo has taken the two new Bologna bullets for a UK road test to find the perfect Panigale.
2010 Day Rider R1 .........................26 Paul from B&W Bikes shows us why he loves his ‘daytime MOT’ YZF-R1.
Triumph Scrambler 1200xe ...........34 Off-road or on-road, the Scrambler might not be your go-to bike, but Boothy’s found out just how much they can make you smile.
FEATURES
A Gixxer history lesson .................56 We celebrate the seven-fiddy by taking a trip down memory lane.
1998 Aprilia Mille ...........................46 We’ve delved into our archives to find out what we said about the Italian Stallion when it first hit the scene back in 98..
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34
ISSUE 367 JULY 2020
IT’S THE NEWS
Upfront............................................ 10 All the latest gossip from the world of motorcycling.
GEARED UP
Products.......................................... 11 All the latest, coolest and trickest products.
THE KNOWLEDGE
Used Buyer’s Guide.........................62
Everything you need to know when buying a 1996-1999 Suzuki GSX-R750.
Legal ................................................ 74
FBs Legal Clinic with Andrew Dalton.
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Addiction.........................................40 The centrefold model this month; Red Bull KTM’s MotoGP weapon.
You & Yours..................................... 70
All of your latest adventures!
16
Chatter ............................................ 72 It’s only fair we give the best readers in the world a page of their own!
WORKSHOP
Know Your.......................................90
Final Drive Gearing: When do you need to change your chain and sprockets, and what difference can altering the ratio make? We find out.
RACE SECTION
Pit Pass............................................ 76
All the latest from the BSB, WSBK and MotoGP paddocks.
COLUMNISTS
Christian Iddon ............................... 79
Iddon’s been gardening and cycling, cycling and gardening. Oh, and upsetting Ex-MotoGP champs.
Neave Twins....................................80 Tom’s been busy, but his Superstock Fireblade hasn’t turned a wheel since testing.
Gary Johnson .................................. 81 More jobs around the house. More YouTube yoga. No bike racing.
Steve Parrish...................................82 Stavros puts the world to rights.
See page 8 for the best deals
SU
H: RETRO RELIS
DOWN AND DIRTY
PIPIN’ HOT
AFTERMARKET EXHAUSTS AND WHY THEY’RE SO COOL
A HOND -66FS CBR
OOL FAST BEST OLD SCHO AT ITS BIKES
2020
ISS UE
366
MAKING A SPLASH ON THE NEW AFRICA TWIN
JUNE
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TI’S DUCATI
205BHP ALL-NEWHTER V4SS STREETFIG
No.366 June 2020
56
CRIB S E B FIGHT
FLIGHT
FEATURE
THE PERF WORDS:
FRODO
IMAGES:
JAMIE 'DO RRIS' MOR RIS
PANIGAL Are size and h orsepower rea lly a to conquering the roads? Som ll that crucial when it comes e would argue but we wanted that is the cas to know for su e, re... so we pitc pimped V4S ag hed Ducati's ainst its new li ttle brother, th e V2.
16 JULY 2020 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
FECT
ALE?
DUCATI V4 VS. V2
W
hen Ducati unveiled their all-new Panigale way back in 2011, it’s fair to say that every man and his dog got excited; not only did it look the absolute dog’s gonads, but it came with some serious spec to back it up – not to mention a seriously exhilarating personality thrown in for good measure. And the thing is, it’s always been an animal on track, but whether the Italians stuffed the minimal chassis with their V-twin or V4 powerplants it’s not always been the easiest, nor most pleasant machine to ride on the road. But then again, fast forward nigh on 10 years, and the Panigale has been through a raft of improvements, making it sexier, smarter and now for 2020, softer and easier to ride. In last year’s Ultimate Sports Bike test, the big Panigale really did suffer on the roads, but after spanking the new one on circuit at the launch earlier this year, it really did feel like a much calmer animal. But then again, it needs to be, as the updated V4 and V4S aren’t the only new kids on the block, with Ducati ditching their entry-level (per se) 959 in favour of the updated V2. See, although the little Pani can quite easily be seen as the middleweight, or the runt of the litter in Ducati’s sporting line-up, it’s actually anything but. Think about it this way, it packs more power than the original 999R, and very nearly the same amount of torque… and that was a world championship winning superbike just 15 years ago. It’s no slouch then, and for this year Ducati have really ramped it up a notch; it’s been given some seriously saucy cosmetic surgery, a chunk of extra beef in the engine and somehow, the V2 has even managed to nick the top-spec, and utterly spellbindingly good electronics package from the range-topping V4R. Couple that with a softer seat and suspension set up, and it sounds like a seriously sensual recipe for a decent road bike. So how would the two measure up together? As far as specs go, there’s a whopping 20Nm of difference where torque is concerned and a monumental 59 horsepower difference, which is massive when they weigh about the same-ish. But the biggest gulf? Well, there’s also an absolutely gigantic difference on price tag – think a few quid short of the £10k mark. So the question is, is the V4S really worth an extra 10 grand? Or is the more modest (yet still fairly pricey) V2 enough for the job? Well we wrapped up and racked up some serious road mileage in typically grim Blighty weather before self-isolation to find out…
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