S SMOKING MX 500 SUTER MMX ISS COOL TWO STROKE ST AC CLASSIC TW WO STROKES
195BHP, 127KG, ENDLESS E FUN...
Y T H G U A N NATURE
THE ULTIMATE TEST
last the Building machines to
TT
USED B-KING GUIDE
Go large! Wanna used Suzuki?
AUGUST 2016 ISSUE 317
0 and Yamaha’s new MT-1 Speed Triumph’s redesigned ra Triple R head out fo zuki spanking with the Su aki Z1000 as GSX-S1000 and Kaw
ADDICTION
arms race… Two mates declare an
BRUCE ANSTEY
the roads Piloting a GP bike on
ISSUE 317 AUGUST 2016
IT’S THE NEWS
Upfront..............................................8 Ducati unveils new metal at Misano’s WDW
GEARED UP
Products.......................................... 18
Video camera round up, plus loads of new kit
GET IT FIRST
Subscribe ...................................... 124 Take up this great offer and you’ll be in pole position for the next month’s mag!
THE KNOWLEDGE
Used Buyer’s Guide......................... 81 The Suzuki B-King was supposed to blitz everything before it. So did it?
44
MASTERCLASS
Riding ..............................................92 More top tips from the Cali Superbike School
CORE TEST
YAMAHA MT-10 TAKES ON SOME FRUITY RIVALS LEFTFIELD
Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT ................... 16 Suzuki’s under-rated mud plugger rated!
LAUNCH
Legal ................................................97
Why you should never let randoms do repairs
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
Chatter ............................................98 Lots of crazy chat and mad crashes
Travel and Tracks.......................... 100
LAUNCH
OUR LIFE ON BIKES
Two strokes are back – and better than ever! The Suter 500 MMX makes its debut on track
Something rather special enters the garage!
Suter MMX 500 ...............................28
TEST
Yamaha RD500 vs Yamaha TZR250 36 Having ridden the latest 500 ring-a-dinger, we managed to get a go on two classics...
CORE TEST
PREPARATION H: WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD HILLIER’S TT BIKES...
Gearing up? What for? More speed, of course
Yamaha Tracer 700 .........................23 Fancy a little adventure? Here it is!
71
Technical .........................................94
Naughty By Nature .........................44
Yamaha’s MT-10 vs Triumph Speed Triple R vs Suzuki GSX-S1000 vs Kawasaki Z1000.
Where to go fast – and when to go fast!
Staff bikes..................................... 102
Kawasaki ZX-10R KTM Super Duke R Yamaha MT-10
MV F3 800 Ducati Monster R Suzuki GSX-S1000
RACE SECTION
Pit Pass.......................................... 110 It’s Miller time in MotoGP – beers all round!
Bruce Anstey................................. 114 Bruce talks tackling the TT on an RC213V-S
COLUMNISTS
Al Fagan ........................................ 120 Al survives to tell his TT tale
Dangerous Brod ............................ 122 Brod tries to come back from injury...
See page 124 for the best deals
IBE CR
SUBS
Gaz Johnson.................................. 126 Not the greatest of TT weeks for our Gaz
Chaz Davies .................................. 129 Too much lying down for Chaz this month...
Steve Parrish................................. 130 More Parrish talk for the FB parishioners...
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WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR MATE OUT TRUMPS YOU ON THE MODDING FRONT...
BUY
GEAR
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PL ANET F
–
REV IEW S
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO…US Not content with a big cake and a birthday card with a badge, Ducati has made something rather special to celebrate being 90 years young…
W
orld Ducati Week normally heralds a new bike or two that has been plucked from Borgo Panigale’s Area 51 and secretly transported to the Adriatic, and this year’s event at Misano was no different. Out on display for all to see was a new limited edition 1299 Panigale S Anniversario – a machine of such beauty that it easily lives up to the job as Ducati’s 90th birthday gift to itself. The 500 made will sport a fancy new paint job, a new triple clamp and steering head inserts (that along with hold a nice little plaque also shift the front wheel forward by 5mm), a lithium battery, a titanium Akrapovic exhaust, new carbon fibre bits and something called Ducati Traction (and Wheelie) Control EVO – that lot loses 2.5kg over standard. The new additions to the electronics suite offer less intervention, an update in software essentially, thus abiding to the limit of traction better. It incorporates a slide control system for the first time, with slip parameters extended to hero levels, all ably controlled by the bike’s IMU. It works by controlling spark advance and ignition, but the finesse comes through the ability to control butterfly valves through the ride-by-wire system. This is Ducati addressing areas of the bike where Yamaha has been gnawing away at sales. That it is being done
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Could this be the final big Panigale? A replacement is imminent...
LIVING IN A BOX
Casey Stoner thraps Ducati’s birthday present around Misano – some present!
mid-cycle of the Panigale is a surprise – but a nice one at that – it also avoids Euro4 regs. The paint job is a doffed cap to the bikes in WSB and MotoGP, while the forged gold Marchesini wheels look sumptuous. It’ll cost £23,995, which is a three grand price rise on the S model, which considering that this will be a collector’s wet dream (plus the price of the bits) isn’t a bad investment to make.
Also present was a surprise box that Ducati likes to tease us with. Only those present got to see it, like with the Scrambler’s first sighting two years ago. We understand that the bike will reinvent the Supersport range, using the Hypermotard’s 937cc liquid cooled motor. This would be a smart move for Ducati, one that we’ve long campaigned for. Getting younger riders in early on a cheaper, simpler bike can only lead to extended brand loyalty, and it’s a segment of the market that is crying out to be exploited – honest, capable, sexy sportsbikes that can deal with the everyday, as well as making a ride special.
WORDS: ROOTSY
PIC: JONN Y GAW LER
IN AS SSOCIATIO ON WITH
Y
ou know that a road’s good when you bump into the Top Gear telly lot, Evo magazine and some other lesser motorcycling publications on a rather special thoroughfare – the A4069 on the western end of the Brecon Beacons, the bit known as the Black Mountains. The world’s foremost motoring media operations (and said shite ones) come here not for the Welsh rarebit, but because it’s an utterly brilliant road, with all sorts of different corners and cambers for you to perform your capers on. If you attack it from the south you get an idea of the majesty of the area, with big views and wide corners easing you into the route as you climb higher and higher. After topping out at nearly 500 metres, you’ll head downhill but don’t think the ride is all over by the time the trees enclose the road because there are many more miles of fun yet to be had – Llangadog should be where you turn round and do it all again. If you’re going to stop, do so briefly because you’ll want to keep all the heat you’ve generated in your tyres... If you start out from here things feel tighter and more enclosed as you head from the trees into stonewall lined corners. Most of the traffic on the route is there for the scenery – or the thrill – but that doesn’t really account for much. What you do have to be wary of are sheep, who make poor speed bumps if one ever crosses your path. A couple of tight hairpins are thrown into the mix, and we do mean tight, the drops are perilous and the police are fully aware of what they have on their hands – with reports of devious ways of hiding speed traps – so be on your guard whenever you go there. Try to avoid popular times, because the quieter this route is, the better it gets.
FRIENDLY FIRE
T
SSY WORDS: ' VA LEN T INO' MO R E L W A G L L PICS: T OO TA
Friendly
FIRE chine, When it comes to modding your ma there’s nothing like a bit of friendly competition to up the spec lists…
he day current best mates Kev Jone s and Gordon Holmes were introduce d isn't one either will forget, their mee t quite literally coming about by accid ent. While Kev quaffed on a pint in an Aylesbury pub's beer garden in the warmth of a 1986 summer, he clocked a passing GPZ 900R. Watching it disappear behind the boozer's hedgerow, he heard clues it wouldn't reappear quite as composed. As antic ipated, along with the sickening sound of metal and plastic abrading against Tarmac, cam e the sight of the downed Kwacker slidi ng back into view. Being the decent chap he is, Kev put his liquid refreshment on hold and rushed to the rescue of GPZ rider Gordon. And so it was that the pair had their first conversation. Their paths crossed again a few times in the following months at some of Aylesbury's biking hangouts. But any chance of furthering the friendship was then put on hold for a year while Kev recovere d from a very serious off. By the time they did catch up with each other again, both were 750-mounted . Kev had gone down the GSX-R route with Gordon choosing the ZXR option. With Jone sy being the 'meddler' he's always been, the Suzuki had a few extra bits bolted to it. Back then his mods weren't anywhere near as radical as they are now. Adding stuff like brake
Brothers from another mother pictured with their respective pride and joy...
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TT BEHIND THE SCENES
All the hard work has been done in prepping the bike, now it’s James Hillier’s turn to put a shift in!
PREPARATION
H I
(ILLIER)
It takes over six months of bike preparation for James Hillier to reach this point – staring down the barrel of six laps of the TT... WORDS: ROOTSY PICS: DOUBLE RED, ROOTSY
t takes balls the size of space hoppers to ride at the TT – we know that because Fagan is still having to use a wheelbarrow to transport his engorged conkers about… But racers aren’t the only ones who have a ballsy job to do on the Isle of Man. Behind every rider is a team of people, ranging from team owners and professional GP level mechanics and data analysts to enthusiastic cooks and demon bike cleaners who all work tirelessly to facilitate their particular rider’s ambitions. Putting a bike together for the TT is a tough task, maintaining it throughout practice week harder still, but tuning it to its peak of ability where it will allow a rider to
lap at over 133mph is a job whose pressure is both enormous and relentless. Generating that speed is one thing, getting a bike to stay safely in one piece around this famously bike breaking circuit is quite another. Innocuous mistakes that would have no meaning on the road can all of a sudden have massive implications in this unforgiving environment. The decision to race lies with the team owners, so we caught up with a couple of Kawasaki squads to understand the reasoning behind the racing, before speaking to the men with all the pressure in the world – the mechanics that bolt together these guided missiles for the superstars to race.
Pete Extance is the boss of Quattro Plant Kawasaki, run out of his Bournemouth Kawasaki workshop, and explained to us the logistics of living on a rock in the middle of the Irish Sea for two and a half weeks supporting James Hillier’s unrelenting efforts. “The TT is a massive operation for us. We’ve been feeding around 16 people every evening. That’s six or seven technicians and then the rest are partners or family. So it’s a big concern. Lots of little things soon add up. For example, we booked six vehicles, including our two artics, onto the ferry at a cost of £6,000 – that’s just to cross the water. We’ve got a fulltime chef, like in AUGUST 2016 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 71
WORDS: JON URRY
PICS: FB ARCHIVE
Used Bike Guide SUZUKI GSX1300 B-KING
FUGLY, BUT FAST Visually challenged, but packing one hell of a punch, Suzuki’s B-King was a step too far for many riders…
A
t the 2001 Tokyo Motorcycle Show, Suzuki pulled the covers off something very special. The mass of metal underneath, called the B-King, was, they stressed, only a concept bike – but what a concept. Using a supercharged Hayabusa engine, the B-King looked amazing and was designed to ‘Be the King’ of the road – see what they did there? Sleek, angular and mean, this concept bike then embarked on a worldwide tour of bike shows while Suzuki frantically ‘gauged customer interest’ in this radical and gutsy machine. The interest was hard to miss as everywhere the B-King went it was greeted with a hugely enthusiastic response. ‘Build it!’ the public demanded – so Suzuki did. Eventually... After an irritatingly long and drawn out teaser campaign, the final production version of the PRICE GUIDE: £4,800 - £6,800 Cheapest private: £5,691 9,768 miles, 2008 model in good condition Our choice private: £5,691 1,538 miles, showroom condition and with minimal miles. Cheapest dealer: £4,890 32,222 miles, service history, tidy bike Our choice dealer: £5,499 28,443 miles, one owner, fitted with MTC cans and stubby levers. Ex-demo:
n/a
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USED BIKE GUIDE
NUTTY NAKED ITALIANS
No, we’re not talking about those ‘special places’ on an Adriatic beach, rather considering what’s out there when it comes to fruity fairingless fare…
WORDS: ROOTSY
PICS: FB ARCHIVE
H
oning your search for a naked sportsbike to one country is pretty easy – so long as Italy is the country of choice for your machine’s manufacture. Starting with the Ducati Monster and ending with the latest version of the Aprilia Tuono, there have been humongous hits throughout all the intervening years, making this land a one-stop-shop for all things loco. Things really started to take off in this arena when a naked race class was introduced in Italy. That’s when manufacturers ripped the fairings off their bikes to create superbikes sans plastic. The original Tuono kicked things off in crazy fashion and this started an arms race with Ducati where the power and spec of naked bikes went through the roof – and not forgetting that Benelli, Bimota and MV Agusta were also at it for large chunks of time – with the likes of Moto Morini making fleeting appearances and Moto Guzzi on the cusp of craziness. And the great news is that all this was done in a period where reliability
and build quality were on the up. True, the odd manufacturer has form when it comes to inherent problems, but if you stick with the big boys you’ll find terrific performance in outrageous packages to suit almost any budget. All you need to do now is sift through the small ads to find a naked machine of your dreams.
WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE? If anything Italian doesn’t float your Costa Concordia then your best option is to look back to home shores and plump for a Triumph Speed Triple. Because they’ve been around since, er, forever, there are a million options to choose from at a whole host of different price points. The inline triple motor is creamier than the Ambrosia factory’s output, the looks are iconic, and it’s just about capable of holding its own anywhere short of a club race. Our choice would be to go for the 2005 model when Triumph upped the capacity to 1,050cc. The stubby looks introduced on that bike rock, and it really is laugh a minute if you take it by the scruff of the neck. The downside, other than its weight, is that bike is still commanding strong money, with decent examples with 10,000 miles still up at around the £4k mark. You’ll get a more dynamic and fresher Aprilia for that money, but if you’re happy with the bullish looks and rampant roar then this could be just the ticket.
Are you up for it?
SEARCH FOR: Naked Italian
What: Moto Morini Corsaro 1200 Price: £3,750 They say: 2009 model, owned from new, 118bhp motor, only colours in the UK, 17k miles. We say: What a riot of a bike, properly good fun and a super strong motor. This bike shows some corrosion and needs a bit of TLC. Would probably wait for another to come up.
What: 2006 Aprilia Tuono Price: £3,400 They say: Only done 700 miles in last two years, clean apart from one mark on tank, 5,000 miles and three service stamps. We say: Bite his (or her) hand off at that money so long as its clean. Seriously capable machine that won’t be for all, but at this price will make a cracking buy.
What: 2009 Ducati Streetfighter S Price: £5,995 They Say: 5,400 miles, belt service just done, Öhlins forks just serviced too, Rizoma rearsets, Cat D insurance claim. We say: It looked too good to be true, but that’s decent money for a Streetfighter S and worth considering if you’re planning on keeping it. Check the repairs.
What: MV Agusta Brutale 750 Price: £4,750 They Say: 2006 model, 9,000 miles, loads of carbon fibre, titanium de-cat, powder-coated wheels, full service and MOT. We say: Stunning bike, and this looks like a cracking example. There are a few about so you can play hardball with the money – or plump for a bigger capacity one.
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WORDS: KEITH CODE
PICS: CSS
MASTERCLASS
THE CALIFORNIA SUPERBIKE SCHOOL Founded by the legendary Keith Code in 1980, the California Superbike School offers a step-by-step method of technique oriented rider training in the art of cornering motorcycles. Over the past 30 years hundreds of thousands of students have improved their riding skills and cornering capabilities at CSS and their team of professional coaches are dedicated to your improvement.
EMBRACING RISK
Many motorcyclists are inherently attracted to risk. Don’t deny it now!
N
inety-nine percent of the riders I speak with – most of whom happen to be predominantly male, with an average age of 43 – pledge allegiance to safety as their primary goal for rider training. The same 99 percent will also grin sheepishly and raise their hands when asked if they'd like to be faster riders, too. So how can we reconcile these two seemingly antipathetic ideas? Let’s give it a go!
Agado-do-do, push pineapple...
Insurance company actuarial tables, most of which probably list motorcyclists in the ‘risktaker’ category, can provide intriguing clues to solving this conundrum. Reading a lengthy research paper on that topic, I came across an interesting idea; most western societies consider taking risks to be an immoral act. They largely disapprove of risk takers. This probably stems from herd mentality where – rightly – one member becoming incapacitated can impede the entire group's thrust toward survival in this world. In America, and I’m suspecting it’s the same for you guys in the UK, attitudes towards riding motorcycles among non-riders run the gamut from vague to passionate disapproval. This disapproval is sometimes rooted in nothing more than some strange amalgamation of gut-level consideration – it just looks wrong to them. Often, the simple threat of danger generates images of dread and fear. Some might see themselves at risk only because another is willing to expose himself to risk, and
therefore they themselves could someday yield to that same urge. Still, others see motorcycling as a potentially dangerous trend that might catch on – passion can be frightening to the faint of heart. Jealousy – or its close cousin, fear of missing out – can also fall into this emotional category. Some lament missing out on the freedom and joy of riding a motorcycle. Poor old them! Riders approach risk differently. Few of us can ignore the fascination of a close-up photo of a bike leant over in a corner. Even frozen in time, these images generate visceral, titillating sensations and speculation of what it would be like to be the rider in that picture. There is an erotic (from the Greek eros, meaning ‘desire’) quality to it. I'd wager that many male riders would be equally as much (or more) fascinated by a photo of a MotoGP rider in a full-lean, full-lock power slide as any Playboy centrefold. Riders are attracted by risk. Increased confidence is another concept that motorcycle riders salute. In the trackday/
CONTACT CSS TO BOOK: TEL 08700 671061 EMAIL INFO@SUPERBIKESCHOOL.CO.UK WEB WWW.SUPERBIKESCHOOL.CO.UK 92 AUGUST 2016 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
YOUR LIFE ON BIKES
GREAT LAUNCH ROAD: CV-720, CASTELL DE CASTELLS TO BENILLBA, BENIDORM If you were to pluck out one road which suits the Yamaha MT-09 down to the ground then it would have to be this one, the CV-720 that runs in the hills above Benidorm. So forget about your all day gutbusters and three bottles of Becks for €5 and get yourself on a bike rather than the beach. Super smooth roads with only the occasional aberration lay in store, with this road offering a great flow along the 20-miles of awesomeness it possesses. There’s hardly any traffic, the scenery is all pretty good and there will be spots where you’ll just want to turn round and sample it all over again. It’s one of a number of great routes in the area – the CV-770 and CV-70 also great to turn it into a circular route. Available all year round to abuse, and with lots of cheap accommodation off season, if you have to hibernate anywhere this winter, make it this area here.
The road often gets closed to hold billiard competitions on it...
POSTCARD FROM: SPA
Great roads – and double fried chips!
I’ve just come back from a trip of a lifetime – and it was only a few hours from Calais! We pitched up the night before and stayed at a cheap B&B before being greeted by a beautiful morning for a short run to the track. The circuit itself is amazing – everything I thought it would be – ballsy, fast corners mixed with plenty of more technical stuff. I never managed to get Eau Rouge right… After getting rid of the aches the next morning, we had another day in the area because I’d read all about the roads in the Eifel region. It as like being back at the circuit, but with no coloured kerbs or gravel traps! Tony, email
Tell us about your travels. Send in a story and some pictures (to fastbikes@futurenet.com) and you could win an ace Kriega R35 backpack – worth £145! QUADLOC™ HARNESS EASY ON/OFF - ZIP IN/OUT SYSTEM TARGETED WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION PATENTED ALLOY ADJUSTERS 2 FRONT HARNESS ZIP POCKETS EXPANDING MESH POCKET WITHSHOCK CORD 6 POINT COMPRESSION SCOTCHLITE™ REFLECTIVE PANELS INTERNAL MAGAZINE SLEEVE 35 LITRE (2100cu in) CAPACITY
WORTH £145! 100 AUGUST 2016 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM
Attack the track at Spa
KS, RACERS AND TE AMS OC DD PA CE RA ’S LD OR W E TH TO ULTIM AT E AC CESS
P IC S: MICHELIN, YA M A H A
SATELLITES…But what of the relevance of the SLEEPING after Brexit saw
The weekend satellite win? A few wet races have another huge shock in MotoGP. seen some riders get close, but in Elias Almost 10 years after Toni dry conditions no-one is able to pipped Valentino Rossi to the touch the factory bikes – hence why ly ctive (effe ril Esto in post proverbial they are in such demand by riders y Nick to donating that year’s title old and new. Riders want a d Hayden after the points were totte succession of UPS deliveries from d score r Mille Jack cia), Valen up post their respective factories to arrive ing pilot after ry a satellite bike victo outside their pitboxes every his way safely through Assen’s Thursday to up performance levels ce. surfa sodden and to address issues. If you’re a like be I'd me, “If I went past satellite rider then you’re going to crash 'oh that dickhead's going to be waiting a long time for anything there in two minutes',” was Miller’s to drip down. You are riding an win, his of nt ssme post race asse obsolete machine and in uez having passed Marc Marq manufacturers only ever look rted resta the of s stage early the forward, never backwards. that ute attrib race. You could Michael Bartholemy, Miller’s team in ne anyo dickhead title to almost ipal offered an honest princ that race, bar Marquez. At one ssment of the win, “Those kind asse z, ande Hern y Yonn her stage or anot of conditions always give an Danilo Petrucci, Andrea Iannone, independent team a chance but you Andrea Dovizioso, Bradley Smith, it have to take the opportunity when Dani Pedrosa and even Valentino ,” implying that there’s itself nts prese ng leavi , floor Rossi were on the no chance to be at the pointy end Marquez laughing at the without rain. With Tech3 owner championship lead he’d just Herve Poncheral currently lamenting Jorge with inherited – especially not being able to attract a future day Lorenzo looking like a track star like Alex Rins to his fleet of rookie in the wet. At one stage es satellite Yamahas and others boss even it race the of in the first part about that state ing plain com ly quiet could looked like Scott Redding of the rider market, it could be have won, later revealing that his another 10 years before a satellite being not to n dow pace was more bike repeats Miller’s feat. able to see… Mmmm, a cheeky bouquet, tonnes of flavour and more than a hint of sock...
BRUCE ANSTEY
WORDS: DANGEROUS BRUCE WILSON P I C S : I O M T T. C O M , P A C E M A K E R , VA LV O L I N E
We thought bringing the RC213V-S to the TT was a publicity stunt. Clive Padgett and Bruce Anstey thought otherwise...
Still bruised from his TT ventures, and desperately eyeing up the cake stand on the far side of the rider’s enclosure at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed, Bruce Anstey put aside his sugar cravings for a while to give us an exclusive insight on life behind the bars of what was arguably the most exotic race bike to have seen action at the TT since Honda’s early ‘90s V4-powered assault on the Island. Here’s what he had to say…
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