TheFestival Zonewilldebut, featuring spectacularstunts,entertainmentontheBlack HorseStage,and afreshpresenterlineup.Enjoy the festival atmospherewithgourmetstreet food,livemusic,andnoweatherworries.
TheExpertLab,hostedbyTVpersonalityGrace Webb,willofersessionsonthelatest techand innovations,joined by expertguests.TheMachine Shop teamwillprovidehands-onengineering demoswithQ&Aopportunities.
Ridingopportunitiesare available forall agesand skilllevels,withgear providedbyArai, AGV, andRST,sononeed to bringyourown.
Withmorestages, entertainment,and fun, MCL24isset to be amustattend event.
And tha another seas s come and gone How’s yours been? you up to? Was there anything you wished you’d done before the early in and the roads turned to first to admit that I didn’t do half what I hoped, but it’s been a cracking year of riding to date, and with the flow fresh metal heading our way, I’m to clock plenty more miles on before 2024 gets chalked off It’s true for most of us, the onset of autumn the following winter months the end of our riding season, which is a shame, no doubt. But one thing I’ve been an advocate of is looking to ways to keep on two wheels While track in the UK now come to abrupt halt, there’s always the scope of a event, such as the ones our friends Limits host plentifully during this bleak time of the year If you’ve never one, you really are missing out –they’re awesome, and far more stress-free than you’d imagine
Try something ew
Tr new
on, Pete Boasts’ Champions
Another for me is off-road. I love a bit of enduro action, be it on greenlanes or proper courses.
Flat-Track school is another must-do gig that’s a proper fun day out and a popular haunt of top-level BSB riders Our Timmy is there – if you get the chance to put a pass on him, I’ll send you a tenner in the post.
Then there’s beach racing, motocross, trials and pit-biking to consider I’m at all four of these disciplines, but I’ve given them all a go over the years because they keep me on two wheels and help speed through the doldrums of this wet, cold and pretty rubbish time of year
Basically, if you’re not ready to sit out the next six months in the of a half decent day, there’s a raft of a antics
Living in Lincolnshire, we are pretty spoilt for both options Or, course, you look to someone Mick or Smith, both offer bike hire at proper venues for you to stuck in.
And just like and gone.How’ be n? What did you get up to? wished you’dd nights kicked mud? I’m the lf of what acking year eflow of fr aiming to launches befor It’strue that autumn and signals the end ashame,n always been ways to keepo riding in the UK has now come to an rupt halt, ther European event riends at No this bleak time done one,you ey’re awesome than you’dimagine Another go-to it of enduro eenlanes or Living in Lincolnshir etty spoilt tions.Or, of course,you could always someone like Extance or Ady who bothoffe proper venues you to get stuck Moving Flat-T that’ haunt often instructing there–ifyou get the
frolics Bike as
to get stuck into That’s what I’ll be and hopefully so will you… and if you do, make sure to drop us a line with what you’ve been up to. In the meantime, hopefully the thrills of this issue’s Ultimate Sports Bike special helps fill your time – and put a smile on your face
Enjoy!
Thepersonalities,legendar bikesandthe racetrack heroeswhomatteredthen andstillmatter now
Classic,twinshockor Evo,it’s theplace foryouto dive into thedirtysideofbiking.
Real-worldtestsofthe latest bikesandkit,placestogo and featuresnottomiss.
Yourguide tobuying, running andowninga classic. Broad minded with apractical twist.
UK’s premiernostalgia magazine, coveringevery aspect of lifefromthe1930s totoday.
Britain’s best magazinefor thosewholove to grow their ownfruit andveg.
TheUK’sbestrailtitle since 1897 –modern,steamand everythinginbetween.
IT’SBEGINNING TO LOOK ALOT LIKEEICMA…
ItsaysDecemberonthefrontofthisissue, whichis(weknow)madnessonparwith EasterEggsappearingintheshopsnextweek. Butwhileit’sonlyearlyOctoberhere as we go topress,there’saveryfestivefeeling inthe air. NotbabyJesus’sbirthday(thoughwe’ve alreadybeenstockinguponmincepies and
panettoneinpreparation),but theannual paganfestivalofMOARMOTORBIKES,ready for theEICMA bike showinMilan. Yes, theworld mightbegoingto hellintheproverbial handbasket,andweareallessentially doomed,butwhilethebig corporations keep churningout sweet,sweetnewmachinery,
reduceheatgenerationandcutbothemissions andfuel consumption.Now,itcanalso do that trickwhenmoving,albeitonly on low-load cruising.Theresultis a6%drop in bothfuel consumptionand emissions –not earthshattering,butworth having,weguess.
Thepriceforallthisloveliness? Well,a base-levelV4startsat£17,695,theV4S comes in at£21,495,andthetop-end Pikes Peakmachine is ahefty£27,795.Best hopeSantahasyouon hisgoodlistthisyear!
Keepaneye onouronlinechannels –Facebook,Twitter,andthe Fast Bikes website(www.fastbikesmag.com) –fornewsasit happens.
SCRAMBLERS OF MERCY
OneforthegothicDucatistioutthere –abraceof newScrambler800 modelstoitsline-upfor2025.The newIconBlackandFullThrottlemodelscatertoa perhapsnichesector: gothswholikerorty,classy, novice-friendly V-twinroadsters,withbothnew modelsavailableinblackonly.TheFullThrottledoes addsomeclassybronzehighlightstothe finish,as well as aneat Termignoniendcan,sumpguard,and an up/downquickshifter.Therearenoothermodsto thebasicScramblerengineorchassispackage,soyou getthe73bhp803cctwo-valveDesmodue V-twin motorin a176kgwetset-up,whichworksreallywell ontheroad,as wellaslookingprettysweet.Noprices as wewenttopress,butbothbikeswillbeavailable beforeChristmas.
KTMRELEASESNEW AUTO GEARBOX
TECH
DETAILS
KTMhasfinallyunveileditsautomatictransmissionfor 2025andit’spleasinglydifferentfromthethreeother set-upswe’veseenthisyearalreadyfromHonda,BMW and Yamaha.KTM’sAMTtakes adifferentroutefrom thosesystems,optingtouse amechanical centrifugalclutch ratherthana computer-controlledelectronicclutch actuatorunit.Thatsimpleset-uptakes careofpullingawayandstopping,while a‘normal’quickshifterset-uptakescare of cuttingdrivewhenchanginggear.
We’veriddenMVAgustaswiththecentrifugal clutchset-upbeforeandthey’veworkedwellenough, andweassumetheelectronic gearshiftwill do the businessaswell.Aseverwithsystems likethis,theproofwill be inthepudding –we’llwithholdjudgementuntil we’ve had aproperrun on thenewset-up. Expecttoseeitonthenew1390Super Adventure first, then onotherbikesinthe KTM range.
use,comeswithout roadgear or numberplates, andcan’t be registeredatall.
Amassiveshame,sinceit’sthebest-looking R1yet.The firm’sgivenit aset of carbon fibre aerowings,upratedBremboStylema brake calipersandmastercylinder,revisedKYBforks and alightmagnesiumrearwheel(wegiveit about afortnight beforesomeonehot-gluesall this kitontoa2024road bike).
Weirdly,itlookslikeitkeepsaroad-going exhaustwithcatalyst,aswellastheABSset-up, sidestandandignitionlock. Why? Well, theR1 willstayas aroad bikeonsaleinthe US and othermarketswherethey don’t needtogeta Euro5+homologation. ClickontheYamaha
andbiggerintaketrumpets,all of whichgivesanextra 7Nm,with peaktorquecomingin750rpm sooner –112Nm @5500rpm.Peak powerstaysasyouwere,at 100bhp@7500rpm.
Theoptionalsemi-active suspensioncomesfromJapanese firmShowa,dubbedShowa ElectronicallyEquippedRide Adjustment(Showa-EERA).Specially developedforthe NT1100,EERA claimstoautomatically provide optimumdampingrelativetostroke speed,adjusting dampingbased on bikespeed(fromthe ECU), bike stanceandattitude (fromthe IMU),
and fork behaviour (from the stroke sensor) – and it all happens in 15 milliseconds. There are three pre-defined suspension modes –urban, tour and rain, plus a customisable user set-up that’s fully tweakable. No word on price or availability as we went to press; expect full details at the NEC bike show in November.
Keepaneye onouronline channels –Facebook,Twitter,andthe Fast Bikes website(www.fastbikesmag.com) –fornewsasit happens.
torque.The Versysalsogetsanextra14bhppeak power – whichitarguably needed,havingjust120bhp in 1000form.TheNinjastickswith140-oddbhppeak output,withtheextramidrangedrive.
BothnewKawasaki1100swill be intheshopsfor Christmas,withtheNinjacosting£12,249forthe standardmodel or £13,999fortheSE.Thestandard Versyscosts£11,899andthe SE(whichcomeswith Showasemi-activesuspension) is£15,649.
HUSQVARNAVITPILEN801
We saw most of this earlier in the summer; the new Husqvarna 801 roadster has already been released in Svartpilen (black arrow) scrambler form and for 2025 we get the other option, the Vitpilen (white arrow). As with the smaller models in the Husqvarna road bike range, both bikes share the basic engine and frame from a KTM Duke – this time, the 790 parallel twin. The Vitpilen 801 has the same 105bhp LC8c engine in a steel tube trellis frame, with WP Apex adjustable suspension, J.Juan brakes, Michelin Road 6 rubber and the firm’s usual electronic riding aids –cornering ABS and traction and Bluetooth phone link. The up/down quickshifter is an extra-cost option though, which is a bit cheap, we reckon. It is the style that we come here for, though, and the Vitpilen has much classier, quality feel than the slightly garish orange Duke Details like the slash-cut silencer, angular bodywork, neat belly pan and the bi-LED projector headlamp are all pretty sweet, and the overall café racer design is really appealing – especially if you’re on the hunt for something a bit different. It’ll be in the shops in early 2025, price to be confirmed.
Thisissimplistic stuff,ofcourse.The 890ccCP3triplemotorinsidethenewR9isa fabulouspowerplant,withstrong,torquey deliver andcomplianc iththeEuro5 rule hatkilledtheoldR6). On the capableunit, withallthe modernbellsand whistle hatcomewith ride-by-wirethrottleand 24electronics. It’s beentweaked
fromthe versionintheMT-09,withdifferent fuelinjection settingsand alteredfnaldrive ratios– butthefundamentalsofthe890cc inline-threeDOHC12vunit remainthesame, with aboreandstrokeof78x62mm and 11.5:1compression ratio.
Thechassisisall-newthough,starting withthatDeltaboxframe,whichhasbeen speciallydesignedforthesportyR9,and weighsjust9.7kg,thankstoclevergravitycast productiontechniques. Hangingoff eitherendisnewfullyadjustable KYB suspension,with43mmUSDforksand anew monoshockdesign.Theforksfeature separatedamping circuitsineachleg –right and beyond our in some middleweight sportster some classy lightweight bespoke aluminium frame, bodywork with winglets. But with peak weight of 195kg, the bare performance fgures were already attracting criticism on
fabulous powerplant, with strong, torquey delivery (and compliance with the Euro5 rules that killed the old R6). On the road, it’s a very capable unit, with all the modern bells and whistles that come with ride-by-wire throttle and 2024 electronics. been tweaked
R9 TECH HIGHLIGHTS
rebound and left for – and both forks and
developed alongside the new 2025 R1 suspension
for reboundandleftfor compression bothforksa shock were developedalongside thenew202 package.
dropping the silver/ gold/blue spot four-piston calipers that have graced all its performance bikes in recent decades in favour of fancy Brembo Stylema radial mount calipers. These are paired up with a Brembo master cylinder, 320mm discs and braided steel hoses to provide ample stopping power, you’d imagine Bridgestone is supplying the – sweet RS11 hoops that will do great work on track and road, in classic supersport 120/70 front and rear sizes.
which claim to reduce front wheel lift 6-7 per cent at speed, and the overall aerodynamics of the full fairing is claimed to be better than on the old R6, despite having a bigger engine and radiator. Last but not least, the R9 is packed with up-to-date electronics, with leansensitive traction, ABS (switchable on the rear), anti-wheelie, slide control, engine brake control and power modes. There’s also the latest generation up/ down quickshifter, cruise control and Bluetooth connectivity, all accessed via a full colour LCD dashboard. There’s also an optional Y-Trac set-up aimed at track users, which adds full datalogging of all bike functions including lean angle and traction intervention, throttle position, gear, speed and engine revs, as well as a virtual pit board, that lets your pals in pitlane message ‘Gas it
Itseemsthattomany, thegoldeneraof superbikeswas indeedthat 10ish-yearperiod whenmanufacturersseeminglyhadfree reign toprettymuchdowhatevertheywanted withmodelupdatesandwhen racingbudgets were apparentlyvirtuallylimitless.Crowdsat theBritishSuperbikeraceswerehuge,even by today’sexcellentnumbers, andwhen WorldSuperbikes cametotheUKandCarl Fogartymania wasatits peak,BrandsHatch would raminmorethan 100,000people tracksideon racedayalone.
These were headytimesthatsomeofuson FastBikes (well,me) were luckyenoughto notonlyhave livedthrough,butalsotohave actuallybeenpartof.Iwas oneofthose 100,000peopleatBrandsHatch;I’d spend my weekendsvisitingallthelocalbike dealersin my areajustto see anSRADup close –ora916 while Imadedowith my scruffytwo-stroke. And Iwasn’talone…this kindofbehaviour was completelynormal.
Clearly,motorcycleshaveadvanced tremendouslysincethen,andthankstothe miraclethatistheinternetand YouTube, obsessing overthemandthe racesthey competeinismucheasier,somaybethe impact amodern-daysuperbikemakes ona generationisn’tquite as profoundasitwas then,whichprobably explainswhy some bikes fromthateracanconjurefeelings strongenoughto stillrefertothem as icons.
So,ifthe 916,SRAD,ZX-7R,YZF750and SP-1arethepickofthebunchfromthatera, theiconsoftheiconswouldhave tobethose whichdominatedonhomesoil:specifcally, the NeilHodgson GSEDucati,Chris Walker
We teamedup with ourfriendsat Renaissance Racing,whoareacutely aware of thesoftspotmanyofusholdforthese bikes and thateraofracing.Theyhave assembled afeetof them foroldfolklikeme totaketripsdownmemorylaneand youngsterslikeBruceandTimtoglimpsethe pastandseewhatallthefussisabout.The bikes are, infact, well-preparedstandard road bikesandnot the actual racebikes they mimic,whichis agood thing–andnotonly because the sheercostofgettingall fve factory bikes togetherandrunningthem would be impossible to justify.Instead,using somebeautifullyprepared roadbikes witha sprinkling atrick bits wearingtribute bodyworkmeansthatwhat youhavehere areroadbikes decked outin theirmosticonic racecoloursfor atruly uniquegrouptest, whichitselfprobablyhasn’tbeendonefor 20 years–certainlynoton track.
WO RD S: BI GM AC PI CS :J AM IE MO RR IS
SPECIALTHANKS…
As withallofourbigtests,wecan’t make themhappenwithoutthesupport we get fromsomeofthebestinthebusiness.So,a few brands you’llsee alotmore of overthe nextfewpagesare Michelin,R&G,andShark helmets.Whenpushing tothe limitsontrack,
we’dbedaftnottoenlistthehelpof some top-spec,track-friendlyrubber,whichMichelin deliveredintheformofitsnewPowerGP2 (which we’vereviewedafew pagesonin thisissue). As ever,R&G wastheretokeep thebikesguarded as well as shiny, thanksto
anabundanceofproductsfromits awesome Gleamproductrange.AndSharksteppedin withitsnewAeron GP helmet,whichis atopnotchperformancelidif ever we’ve seen one. Needless tosay, ahugethanksgoestoallthose whogotonboardandmadethistest areality.
Thelate1990sandearly 2000s wasa period whenmanufacturerswere makingthe switch tofuelinjection,anditusuallycamewhen therewas anew model.The Firebladegotiton the929andtheR1when it wasreplaced in 2002.KawasakinevergavetheZX-7Rfuel injectionandneitherdid YamahawiththeYZF, preferringtojust discontinue themaltogether. Literallyallthatchangedbetweenthe’97 SRADandthe’98 version wastheadditionof fuelinjection,which mightnotsoundlike much,butwhen youconsiderthattheSRAD was gonejust acoupleof yearslater,and thustheall-new2000GSX-R750wouldhave been welldownthe roadintermsofbeing
WO RD S: BI GM AC
developed, IwonderwhySuzuki didn’tjust save itselfthehassleofadaptingtheSRADto takefuelinjectionandjustbuildthenew one coming withit.Idon’tknow theanswer,and I’ve neverbeenabletofndanyonewho does, butformethemostplausible explanationisthatit was neededforracing.
Likealltheother750s,thelate1990s wasa diffculttimeon racetracksthankstothe dominanceofDucati,butthe SRAD was still there, orthereabouts,grabbingtheodd WSB podiuminthehandsofJames Withamin’97 and’98,butthenin’99and 2000,itpickedup 12podiumsand fvewins, whichmayor may nothave somethingtodowiththearrivaloffuel injection,buttherewas aclearimprovementin resultsafterit was addedtothebike.
BeforetheSRAD,the1995GSX-R750hasa bloodline that goes allthe wayback to the original1985bike, just as thefnalGSX-R750 in 2022cantraceitsDNAbacktotheSRAD. Despitetherebeingliterallydozensof versionsand variations, there areonlyreally twotypesofGSX-R750:thosebefore the SRADand thoseafter. TheSRADmarkedthe pointwhenSuzukileftthe1980sbehind–eventhoughit wasthe1990sbythen.
As istypicalofSuzuki,it waslateto the lightweight,sharpgeometry, bigpower party,butwhenit fnally decided tojoin in, it wentbig,moreorless justcopyingits legendaryRGV500GrandPrixbike’schassis geometryand concept andgivingit128bhp, whichwas massivefor a750.Itwas also
20kg lighterthanthe’95 GSX-R,and just likethatSuzuki wentfromhavingthebike nobody wantedbecause by 1995it was massively overweightandunderpowered comparedto, well, everything elseoutthere tohaving abikethat everyone wantedand wasthedefaultoption as analternativeto theFireblade.
It’ssafetosaythattheSRADwas never reallyimmortalisedonthe racetrack in the same waytheotherbikes onthistest were, buttherewas onewhichatleast hereinthe UKdidwintheheartsandmindsof race fans –theoneChris Walkercampaigned in the 2000BritishSuperbikechampionship.
In asportwhereeverythingissocorporate andsoimmaculate,thesight of Walker’s SRADclearlyfailingbeneath him, having givenitsall,andthenlater Walker’stearsof despair,are as much apartofthe reasonwhy thisbikehas tobethosecolours–aswellas, ofcourse,alltheepicbattlesand manyrace wins ittookthat year.
SPEC
ENGINE:
Type: 749cc,liquid-cooled,16v, inline-four
Bore xstroke: 72mm x46mm
Compression: 12:1
Fuelling: Electronicfuelinjection
Claimedpower: 128bhp @12,000rpm
Claimedtorque: 82Nm @10,000rpm
ELECTRONICS:
RBW/ridingmodes: No/none
Tractioncontrol: No
ABS: No
Quickshifter: No
Wheeliecontrol: No
Launchcontrol: No
CHASSIS:
Frame: Aluminiumtwinspar
FSuspension: 43mmShowaforks,fully adjustable
Rsuspension: Monoshock,fully adjustable
Frontbrakes: Six-pistoncalipers,2 x320mmdiscs
Rearbrake: Two-pistoncaliper,220mm disc
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 1395mm
Seatheight: 830mm
Dryweight: 178kg
Fuelcapacity: 18.5litres
SUZUKI GSX-R750 SRAD ON TRACK
I’llcutstraighttothechaseand saythat everything Iwanted theSRADtobeontrack,it was.Itdidnotdisappointone bit, which Iwasveryrelievedabout. Ican’t believe I’ve neverriddenanSRADontrack before, but Imusthave riddendozensonthe road overthe years, andifI’m honest,andat theriskofgettingberated by readers, Inever ‘got’whatthe fuss wasallabout. Iwas always leftfeelingunderwhelmed by the experienceofriding arecognisedgamechangingmotorbikeandjustputitdownto mebeinginthewrongheadspaceevery time Ihadthechance.Untilnow…
It’samazinghowafterallthose years, all ittooktogettheSRAD wasonelapof Cadwell Park,andnowIrealisewhereI was goingwrong.TheSRADis avery, very simplebike–and Imeanthatina
complimentaryway.Maybe abetter wayof puttingitis thatitisuncomplicated,inso much as allit wantsistobethrashed, that’s all.The wholepackageis there, justto be grabbedholdofand dragged round alap as fast as youdarewithoutanyquirksorsoft limits put on youbyit.
It’sthebikewhichtookthe leastamount oftimeto fgureout;thereisn’tanythingto fgureout,becauseitjustdoeswhat you wantandgoeswherever youlook. Youdon’t have toadapttoanypartofitsdynamic –it almostseemslikeitadaptsto you.The engineisfast,likereallyfast,anditspins up reallyquickly,feelingthoroughlymodern as itdoes. Idon’tknowwhatpowereachofthe bikes make, buttheSRADmustbethe most powerful;ifnot,it certainlyfeelslikeitis becauseofhowaggressivelyit revs–itjust wantstogo.
Thegearbox issmooth,andsmalldetails likehow shortandpositivethethrow isonthe gear lever, whichmakes swoppingcogsa reallysnappyprocess, addtothe modernfeel. Itstillneeds aspaced-outapproachto downshifting,butthankstothefexibilityand responsiveness of the engine,you neverneed togotofrstgearbecausethemotorcanpull secondgearofftheslowercorners. Beingable tonotuse frstgearmakes amassive differencetohowmuch youcan reallyattack thefnal part of thebrakingphase/turnintoa corner.Itmeansyou cantrailbrakewith much moreconfdence,knowingthat youdon’thave todropitintofrstgearandinviteunwanted hoppingorlockingfromthe rearwheel. It’sagreat exampleofhowthepositive effecton corner exitcanalsohave theadded sideeffectofsmoothingoutthecornerentry. Ofcourse,thesesortofspin-offbeneftsdon’t
