MoreBikes September issue **FREE** by Mortons Media Group Ltd

WINNINGFORMULA WINNINGFORMULA

IsYamaha’s XSR900GP the bike ofthe year?

REWIRE YOURRIDE

Toptipstountangle your bike’selectrics

EXMOOR EXPLORER

Hitting thetrailsonthe Honda Africa Twin

MIDDLEOFTHEROAD

DLE OF THE ROAD

INSIDE THISMONTH

COASTAL CARVING

ExploreCornwall’sbestriding

TOOLEDUP

Ourtopkittomakelookingafter

I’vebeenonabitofanadventureschool missionoflate. Itook atripdowntomultipletimeMX WorldChampionDaveThorpe’s placeinSomersettothrowanAfrica Twin around –andthenshortlyafterwards,headed overtheborderinto WalestotheJones’ family farmwherethe Yamaha Ténéré Experienceis based.AndI’mdue toshootdowntoDucati’s Desert XthingatSweetLambinthe coming weeks,too. It’s remindedmejusthowmuchIloveriding ‘off-road.’It’salwaysbeenmybag;sincecutting myteethinmyparents’gardenwhenIwasa nipper,beforeprogressingto alittle YamahaXT 125when Iwas alearner,andthensnapping up abargainearly90sKawasakiKLR250 once I’dpassedmyfulltest(whilealsooccasionally

nabbingthekeystomyDad’sHonda XR650L). Thatsaid, Idon’tget totaketothetrailsas oftenas Imightlike,sowhen Idogetthechance togofor ablastinthedirt,ittakesme abitof timeto recalibrateandgetinthegroove.And that’spartofthebeautyofbooking aspotatone ofthenumerousschools/experiencesthatare dottedup,down,andacrossthecountry.You’re lookedafterbysomeseriouslycapableriders whocanassessyourskillsandoffersome top tuitiontomakesureyou’regoingaboutthingsin therightway.

Backwhen Iwas aspotty-faced‘yoof’withonly alittleridingexperience undermybelt,Ibooked myselfintothenowclosedMotoScotland experienceupinAberfeldy.Ifounditinvaluable; withmainmanCliveimpartinghiswisdomwhile

BECOMEA MEMBER

YoucanhaveMoreBikesdelivered straighttoyourdoor –andgetyour handsonthelatestandgreatest reviews, roadtestsandproduct reviews fromsomeofthebestinthegame. We’renotaskingmuch,justcoverthe costofdelivery,andit’syours. Wanttoknow more?Scan theQRcode (orvisitwww. morebikes.co.uk andlookoutfor thesubscriptions sectiononthe drop-down menu).Easy.

takingme through aseriesofexercisestogive meconfidencetoblastaroundsome tricky terrainononeofhisAJPtrailies. Icameawaya better,morecapablerider –andnotjustinthe dirt,buton the Tarmac,too. Iunderstoodthe importanceofliftingmyvisionand not fixingon what was directlyinfrontofme,and Ilearned how to handle thingsif thebikestartedmoving aroundbeneathme.Invaluableskillson theUK’s increasingly ropy roads,right? Haveyoudoneanyexperiencedays?Where didyougo?Whatdidyoulearn?Howdidit translatetoyour roadriding? We’d lovetohearfromyou.Untilthen though… Ridesafe,

GUERRILLA GOODNESS

RoyalEnﬁeld’saddedanotherrideto itsrange;andit’spoweredbythesame motorasthenewHimalayan450

RoyalEnfield’sbeenon awinningstreakoflate. Its recent output ofstripped-back,simpleand stylish retrorideshavegonedown very well indeed,winningfavourwithridersyoungand old,farandwide.

ThepreviousgenerationHimalayanwasthe bikethat reallykickstartedits‘revival’,andover thepastfewyearshas flownoutofdealerships acrosstheglobe.Itmightnothavebeenthe ‘best’bikeintheworld,butitsshortcomings

weremorethanmadeupforwithbagsofcharm,a pluckycan-doattitude,anditsseriouslyaffordableprice. Thatmeanttherewassomeprettybigshoesto fillwhen emissions regulations finallymadethe‘old’onedefunct. Thankfully,theIndian firmseems to havepulleda blinder. TheHimalayan450is abit of adeparturefrom thepreviousversion,butthefactoryhaslistenedtowhat punterswantandmadeitmore capablethaniteverwas –including givingit aloadmoretop-endpowertomake covering roadmiles acomparativebreeze.Andtherefore, it only makessensethatit’dtake thatnewandimproved Sherpapowerplantandstuffitina more road-focused chassis.IntroducingtheGuerrilla450.

Pricedat aseriouslycompetitive£4850,itsharesplenty withtheHimmy,thoughthereare somekeychangesto helpitstandapart. The40-ishbhp452ccsinglecylinder ‘Sherpa’engineismechanicallyunchanged(though the rearsprockethas acouplelessteeth),anditalsouses

thesametubularframe.However,the steering head angle’sbeentweakedandthe subframe’sslightlyshorter, too.There’redifferent17-inchcastwheels,too,which comeshodinsomeknobblyCEATrubber.Suspension’s lookedafterby asetofshorter-travel Showa 43mmfront forksand amonoshockatthe rearwhichofferspreload adjustment,whilethebrakesaresimplesinglediscfellas withsomeABStokeepthingsincheck.There’resome nicebitsoftech,including asmartphonecompatibleTFT dashand acoupleofridermodes.

Itsoundslikeit’llbeeasytogetonwith,too.Its780mm seatheight,184kgwetweight(that’swith 90%ofits fuel)andclaimed 83mpg return fromits 11-litrefuel tanksuggestthatit’dmake acrackinglittlecommuter –butgiven howpeople have been usingthediminutive Himalayan 411overthepastfewyears,wewouldn’tbe surprisedtoseetheGuerrilla450crossingcontinents. That’swhatRoyalEnfieldsdo,afterall.

TheAfrica Twin’saniconwith someseriousoff-roadpedigree. BasedaroundHonda’sParis DakarwinningNXR-750, the original AT has apropercult followingamongadventurous ridersintheknow.The ‘new’version’sbuiltonthat successfulformulaand‘historic’ prestige,andsinceits release backin2016,it’sestablished itselfasoneofHonda’s bestsellingbigbikes.

Withverygood reason.It’sa crackingbitofkitthat’s proved itselfcapableofcarrying ridersacrosscontinentson the Tarmacortrails.And

that’s exactlywhatHonda’s own AdventureRoadseventproves. Goingsince2017,itallows ‘normal’riderstotakeAfrica Twinstosomecoolplaces and experiencesomeamazingriding. Soundsgood,right? Theonly problemisthatthey’vejust wrappedupthisyear’sone,with 30riderstakingthelatestversion ofHonda’s flagshipadventure bikeon a10-dayexpedition acrossMorocco. Whilethemegatripacross northern Africa has beenand gone, you canstillget atasteof whatitwasallabout –because Honda’s justconfirmedit’s

releasing apairofsuper-limitededition‘AdventureRoads Edition’ Africa Twins.

AvailableinManual or DCTtrim andkittedoutwiththeelectronic suspensionsystem,theyfeature asharp,classicHondatricolourpaintjob,and abunch of adventure-spec goodiesincluding crashbars,engineprotection, extrafoglights,andanaluminium radiator guard,too. There’sonlygoing tobe75of thethingsavailable,andeachwill comewithits ownindividuallynumberedplaquetoproveit. Themanualwillsetyouback £15,699andtheDCTwillcomein

LIMITEDEDITION

Honda’sjustlaunched apair oftricked-outAfrica Twins

at£16,899.That’sabout agrand morethanthe‘standard’model, whichisactuallyprettydecent valuewhenyouconsiderallthe extrasyougetincluded.Chances areyou’ll havetomovepretty swiftlyifyouwanttogetyour mitts on one.

Honda’salsoannouncedthat nextyear’sAdventure Roads serieswillseeriders heading offfromRomeacrosseight countriesto finish inIstanbul. Soundsincredible.Ifyouwant to registeryourinterest,head overtothewebsite.

ANOTHER OPTION

ChinesefirmKove’saddeditsfirst‘bigbike’ to itsadventure-focusedrange –anditlooks like awinner

Kove’saprettycool company.While it’snot exactly abig nameinUK, theChinesefactoryhas madewavessincebeing foundedjust afewshorts yearsagoin 2017. It’sprobablybestknown foritsDakarexploitsand the450Rallybasedonits competitionmachine–but it’squicklydevelopeda decentrangeofridesofall shapesandsizes,andhas evenbaggedsomepodiums inthe World Supersport300 championship.Impressive, right?Andnowit’supping theanteandhasthebigname firmsinitssights withthenew 800XPro adventurer. There’sanabsolute abundanceofchoiceif you’reafter amiddleweight adventurebikethat’llcutthe mustardinthedirt. Pretty mucheverymanufacturer hasitsownversion,but it’sYamaha’sTénéré700 (initsvariousguises)that’s becomethefavouritesince itseventual release afew yearsback. At thetimeof itslaunch,it represented

remarkablevaluefor money –undercutting thecompetitionwithits stripped-back,off-roadfocusedperformance. Sincethen,though, prices havecontinuedto creepup –whichiswhy Kove’s800XProwithits £8499pricetaglookslike such atastyproposition. FirstshownatEICMAin November,it’spoweredby a95.2bhp799ccparallel twinmotor,tipsthescales at arespectable 185kg, and comeskittedoutwithsome decent-specadjustableKYB forks,radialbrakecalipers and Pirellirubber.Proper. Initial reports havebeen superpositive,andtheonly questionmarkis howeasily it’llbetogetyourbikeback to adealerifsomething doesgowrong.Thatsaid, theUKarmofthebusiness hasbigplans,andison withsettingup a‘centrally located’KovehubinOxford. Ifyouwanttoknow moreaboutKoveand have aproper nosyatthe new800X,visit:www. kovemotouk.com

ANEWGENERATION

Ducati’sjust whippedthecoversoffitsnewrange of PanigaleV4s

ThePanigale’s been abig successforthe Bologna-based firmoverthe past decade or so,winningoverspeed-lovingladsand lasses who appreciate its race-winningheritage, sharp Italian styling, seriously sophisticated electronics,and top-levelperformance.

Firstreleasedin2011, Ducati’s Panigale has changedanawfullot overtheinterveningyears –includingasurprisingswitch from V-twin to V4 powerplantafew yearsago -butthe seventhgeneration version takesthings evenfurther. Thebignewsisthat the much-lovedsinglesidedswingarmhas been dropped in placeof ashell-castaluminiumdouble-sidednumber (with some largecutouts). Ducati claimsithelps to reduce lateralstiffness by amammoth37per cent and workstoimprove bothtractionand riderfeelwhen you’regetting back on itasyou exit acorner.Sounds good to us. That’s just the start. There’splenty moregoing on,includingsharper,narrowerfront stylingand neatly tuckedawaymirrors.Thefront end’sbeen raised slightly,while theback’sbeendropped–and thetail’sbeenmade abitlonger,too.There’s

anewaerodynamicfrontmudguardwhichhas benefitted from the research beingdoingon Ducati’s MotoEprototype racer.

Theengine’s been tweaked, too. Abig part of that will have been to helpitmeetimpeding Euro5+emissions regulations,but somehow Ducati’s alsomadethe1103cc Desmosedici StradaleV4engine1kglighterintheprocess. The 216bhpofpeakpower’s nowachievedslightly further upthe revrange (at13,500rpm),andthe onlycompromiseisthat peak torque’s slightly down to 89.2lb-ft(andachievedhigher up the revs at 11,250rpm)comparedtotheprevious model. It’ll be no slouch –but if you want even more, thenthere’salsotheoptionofaddingthe lighter-weight,aftermarket,track-only,Akrapovic exhaust system to takethe powerfigure up toa heady224.9bhp.

There’reforgedaluminiumrims,PirelliDiablo Supercorsa SP V4 tyres, andthe V4 gets some fullyadjustable Showaspringsup frontanda Sachsmonoshock at the rear.TheV4S gets some top-notch electronicallyassistedÖhlins NPX-30 forks and aTTX 36shock.Stopping for bothis

looked after by apair ofBrembo’s newfourpistonHypurecalipers(whichare 30glighter thanits much-lovedStylemas),grabbing330mm semi-floatingdiscs.There’sa single245mmdisc at the rear with atwo-pistoncaliper.

Andthenthere’salsothe RaceeCBSkeeping an eyeonthings.It’saninterestingaddition; developed in partnership with Boschwhich worksto‘encourage’ atouch of rear braketohelp the bikecornerevenbetterthanbefore.

There’s aloadmoreelectronic goodies,too,all navigatedusing thenew6.9-inchfullcolour TFT dash.Anew six-axisIMU will be busy managing the ridermodes,tractioncontrol,wheelie control, slide control,and launchcontrol –and there’sanall-importantup/down quickshifter, too.

We’rebarelyscratchingthe surfaceofallthe changestothe latest generation£24,395 Panigale V4 and£29,995 PanigaleV4S,but basedon figures alone,we’re confidentit’sgoing to go very wellindeed.We’ll be bringingyou ourthoughts as soonas we’vehad achance to go for ablast. Here’s hopingwewon’t have to wait toolong.

THEBIKE SHEDMOTO SHOW

We satdownfor anatteraboutbuildingbikes andthe customscenewiththebrains andbrawnbehindthisyear’s suite of posterbikes.

WHAT CHANGESHAVE YOUMADE?

BenNorton “Verylittleoftheoriginalbike remains! Ihad avisionofcreating amodern lookingBMWoff-roadracemotorbike,while stillpayinghomagetotherichhistory thatBMW havewiththeirDakarbikesfromthe80s. My aim wastotakeasimilardesign approachthatBMW tookontheirG450Xandapplysomeinnovation tothelayoutofthebike. Idecidedtokeep the Xdesignationas anodtothat approach!The specsheetonthisbikeishuge, withthemajority ofthepartsbeingcustomdesignedandCNC machined.Ittook18monthsofevenings.”

MattCoulter “When Istartedthisbuild, Ihadthe ideaofbuildingtheultimateoil-cooled Suzuki. Ihave abitof ahoardofgoodiesandsavedall ofthebestpartsforthisbike.Everycomponent hasbeenmodiﬁed, remade, or redesigned!I’ve owneditforaboutsixyears,buttheactualbuild processtookaboutsixmonths.”

JimAlonze “Iliketoclassmybikeas acustom-built one-offmachineasit’snot reallycustomisedor modiﬁed.Thewholethingismadebymefrom scratch,fromthe monsterdonorbike IboughtI onlyusedtheengine, rearshock,and rearbrake calliper.Ifabricatedtheframe,forks,swingarm, fueltank,madethecarbonbodywork,titanium exhaust.Thereistoomuchtolist really.”

WORDS:BobPickett /PHOTOS:BikeShed

weldedtoexittheoppositeside of thebikewith abetterangle.”

WHATMAKESTHEBIKESHEDMOTOSHOW SPECIAL?

Ben Norton “I haveneverbeentoanyothershows socan’treallycompare. Iget alotof joyfrom beingabletoshowotherswhat Iget uptoin myfreetime.Theshowoffers the opportunity forthousandstogetupcloseandpersonalto thebikes,withoutbarriersandin agreat setting. Worthnotingthat Ibuildbikesforfunandstress relieffrommyF1dayjob.”

KyleNeedham “Theframehasbeen all cut, chopped,butatthesametimetrying to keep theshapeasoriginalaspossible. The wholerear endofthebikeisnewandhasbeenwidened; bothsideshavebeen ﬂaredandwelded. Anew toptubehasbeenaddedforextrastrengthto handlethebigger(212cc)engine.Theforksare fromtheoriginalbikebuthavebeencutstraight downthemiddle,widenedwithnewexternal frontshockbracketsadded. Thehubs are1994 c90ones,lacedtosupermotorims.Theswing armandexhaustareaftermarketpartscutand

MattCoulter “BikeShedtome is reallyimportant. Theyarea great groupofpeoplewhoare extremelypassionateaboutmotorcycles.They’ve givenmeandmany othersthe opportunitytobe creativeandhavean outletforit. For me mentally thisis reallyimportant.”

JimAlonze “Idon’treallygotoanyother shows, whichkindof showsthatthe TobaccoDockshow istheplaceto seethebestcustomsfromtheUK andEurope.”

KyleNeedham “Thevenueissuper-cool,andthe showjust ﬂowswithsomeofthe best builds out there!It’stheplaceforeveryone.ifyou buildmotorcycles,ridethem,orjustenjoy admiringthemit’sdeﬁnitelytheplacetogo forsurewithlike-mindedpeople. Grab abeer, havesomebanter,and keep themindin agood place. Iwill returneveryyearwith orwithouta buildforsure!”

buildingthesamebikes.

Your ﬁrstbuildislikelytobe asteeplearning curve,andalsolikelytoturn outnotasgreatas youhoped.Therealfunstartswhenyoustartthe secondbuild withfreshexperienceofwhatyou didwrongonthe ﬁrst,andclarityofwhereyou aregoingwiththe next.

Myapproachto abuildis simplethough.I typicallystartwith something simplesuchas thecarburettors. Itreatthe ﬁrst partalmost asitsownprojectandignorethe restofthe bike.Essentiallythis sets thetoneforthe build andgivesyou something ﬁnished ontheshelf tokeepyoumotivatedwhile you embarkon thenextofthemini projectswithinthe bike build.Beforeyou know it, you haveacomplete custom bike.”

ANYADVICEFOR

BUILDING YOUR OWN CUSTOMRIDE?

Ben Norton “Myadviceforyourﬁrstcustom bike istostartwith apopularmodelthathasplenty ofonlinesupportfrombothanonline parts perspectiveaswellas acommunity of others

MattCoulter “If Iweretotry andgiveadvicetoany buddingbikebuildersoutthere itwouldbejustto startsomething,itdoesn’tmatterwhat, how, orif youdon’tthinkyou’regoodenough,juststart!

Alsodon’tbeshytoaskfor helpandadvice. There’slots Ican’t dopersonallybut Ihavea greatgroupoffriends/collaboratorsaround me andwhenweputourheadstogether,weusually comeupwithsomethinggreat!”

JimAlonze “Ifyou’rewantingtostartbuildingand customisingbikes,I’dsayjustgoforitandget stuckin.Don’ttry toplantoomuch,justgowith the ﬂow, andutilisewhatevertoolsand materials areavailabletoyou.Ialwaystrytouse the K.I.S.S.principle:Keep,It,Simple, Stupid…!”

KyleNeedham “Foranyonewho’sstartingto buildbikesorifyou’vebeenbuildingfor awhile andlookingtogetoutthere,Iwould highly recommendBike ShedShow.I’mstillnewtoall thisand have met someawesomepeoplealong thewaywhopointedmeintherightdirectionand becamegreat matessoit’sa winnerallround.”

OURTOP THISMONTH PRODUCTS FIVE

RUROCEOXHELMET

£399.99 /www.ruroc.com

ThisisRuroc’sall-new,top-of-the-rangefull-face helmet –theEOX.Oohandwe’re likingtheaggressive look.Asyou’d expect,thehelmet isECE22.06 and DOTCertifiedand has alightweightQUAD-MATRIX carboncompositeshellwhichissculptedforoptimal aerodynamicperformance.Itfeatures atoollessvisor mechanism,anadjustableairflowsystemwithsixhighflowvents,and a‘RightFit’formulaforpersonalised comfort.Thefieldofviewthroughthehelmet’s aperture is awide215degrees. Youalsohavetheoptional add-onofthebrand’snewly-designedandoptimised Shockwavesystemaswellasanall-newShockwave Meshsystem,developedinassociationwithleading wirelesscommunicationexperts,CardoSystems, where(withsoundengineeredbytheaudioexperts atHarmanKardon)riderscanconnectwith up to 15 friendswitha connectivityrangeofuptoonemile,all from afullyintegratedsystemmaintainingtheallimportantECE22.06rating,too.

Whatweloveisthewiderangeofcoloursandgraphicoptions,whichinclude thelikes of strikingsinglecolours,throughtographicsinspiredbytheStar Wars universe; agraphic inspiredbySpitfiresflowninthePacific theatreduringthewar;andeven Mictlan,theAztec God ofDeath! Wow…Alltheusualsizesarecovered,andpricesstartat£399.99.

£569 /www.rst-moto.com

Agreat-lookingsuitfromRSTinaspecial ladies’cut,the TractechEvo 5boastsa full cowhideouterconstructionwithstretchpanels, comfortneckand cuff materials,racehump andperforated sections.For 2024, thesuitnow hasCELevel 2armourin knees, hips,elbows andshoulders,andalsocomeswith aLevel2 backprotectoralreadyinplace.Thatgets ita CEAAAcertificationrating –nice. Availablein threecolours:ablack basewithwhite,greenor fuchsiahighlights.

SIDINUCLEUSGTX/SUEDE WP

£169.99 /www.sidiselect.co.uk

Thesecool, casualridingboots aresuitedtothecity or the greatoutdoors.TheNucleusis availableintwovariants.TheGTX isconstructedfrom atechnical Ripstopfabricandfeatures aGoreTexmembraneforwaterproofing andbreathability.Thenthere’sthe SuedeWPversion featuringan internalwaterproofmembranefor ridersthatwant amorestylish finish. BothmodelsfeatureCEcertification; D30ankleprotection; reinforced heel,toeand gear-shiftlocations. Available in thenormalsizesanda widerangeofcolourways,the GTX ispricedat£199.99andtheSuede WPat£169.99.

Here’sthelatestproducttokeepyourvisorclearofrain –andit’sfullofcool tech. This is basically awindscreenwiperyoucanattachtoyourhelmetin asecond. Comingwith athree-yearwarranty,ituses asmallbrushlessmotoralongwitha replaceable‘wiperblade’tokeepyourvisorclearofrain. Youswitchitoffandon witharemotecontrol thatcanbe fitted onyourbike’shandlebars.It’saroundhalf the weight of aGoProcamera,theblurbsays.It’spricey,butitisanalternative tothe concoctionsyou canputonyourvisorto helpclearyourvision.Currently they’reon specialoffer.

SHOEIJ-CRUISE 3HELMET

£549.99 /www.shoeiassured.co.uk

Shoei’snewJ-Cruise 3isanadvanced open-facehelmetdesignedforboth urbanandlong-distanceriders. J-Cruise 3offers a70percent improvementin ventilationoverits predecessor, ensuringmaximum comforteveninhotconditions. FeaturingShoei’sintegratedComlink system,theJ-Cruise 3allowsridersto enjoythebenefitsofacommunication systemwithoutcompromisingthe helmet’ssleekaesthetics.J-Cruise 3featuresthreedistinctive upper airintakesdesignedtoenhancethe helmet’saerodynamicprofile. The J-Cruise 3willbeavailablefrom August2024.

Q&A

Ourspecialistmotoringsolicitor AndrewPrendergastguides readersthrough their legaltrialsandtroubles

QAcoupleofmonths agoIhad gone away with somefriendsfor aweekend ridingin Wales.Ihaveknown theseboysforever,and naturallythemickeytakingstartedpretty much straight away as Iwas riding aHarley andtheywereonBMWswithaxesandfire extinguishers,etc., attached.You canimagine the banter back andforth.Anyway,thefirst daywaslovely as we wandered through the valleys andhillsenjoyingthecountryside. As we were therefortheriding, and notthe drinking,wewereupatdawnonday twoand were underwaybyabout8am.Unfortunately, by 9am Iwasinthebackofanambulance as Ihadhitanescapedcow calledLucinda (she’s stillalivebythe way).Asforhow, we were just ridingalonga straight road.Theboys were ahead withme at the rearwhen Lucinda ranoutthrough ahedge straight infront of me.Ihadno chanceandhitthe sideofher. Thankfully, Iwasonlydoingabout20-25mph and Lucindaliterallygotupandjustranoff. However, my Harley and Iwerenot so lucky. Thebikeisawrite-offand Ihavetwo broken wrists.Ithoughtthis would be acut-and-dry case withthefarmer beingliableforletting hiscowescape. However, thefarmer’s insurer says he’s donenothing wrong, i.e.he had nobroken gates/fences,etc.,andthecow escapingwas just a‘freak’ occurrenceas Lucindamanaged to jump over asix-foot stone

wall(unbelievably). What do youreckon? Iam thinkingI will just issueCourt proceedings.

AAnimal casesare oftenfar from straightforward and very factdependent. If we takeitasgospelfornowthatthefarmer’s gates/fences,etc., were allinorder,i.e.hehas notbeennegligent, then youmay (and Istress ‘may’) be able to bringaclaim under Section2 oftheAnimals Act1971. In very simple terms (anditis averycomplicatedareaoflaw),ifa cowescapesand causes anaccident, the keeper canbeheldliableifthecowhadpreviously shown atendencytoescapeorcause harm and the keeper wasaware ofthis tendency. Section 2oftheAnimals Act1971provides aframework fordeterminingwhenthe ownerofananimal is responsiblefor harm caused by theiranimal, focusing ontheanimal’s characteristicsand the owner’s knowledge ofthesecharacteristics. Ifthefarmer/hisinsurerdonotadmitliability, you willlikelyneedtoundertakesomein-depth investigations to getallthe facts,i.e.what breed ofcowis Lucindaanddid somethinghappen to make her hurdlethe wall,etc.,andthen get expertevidence aboutthis,what happened,and whether it was‘foreseeable risk’, etc. However, ifthisbreedofcow isnotknown forits hurdling skillsand hasnever re-enacted ‘The Great Escape’before, insofarasthefarmeris aware, yourclaim maywellfail at Court. The rationale

for that is eventhough youhavebeeninjured, broadlyspeaking, the lawsaysitwould be wrongtomakethe farmer payforthat when that breedofcow isnotknown for gettingover six-foot walls,andhis particularcowhas never doneit before. In other words, this maybe an unfortunate‘accident’ initstruestsense. However, beforejumpingtothatconclusion, you need much moreinformation beforedeciding whether youissue Courtproceedings,etc.You maywell yethaveasuccessful claim.

QThereisa ‘buninthe oven’ andwhilstitpains me,thetime hascome to sell my beloved Fazer600 calledFranco.MeandFranco have been togetherlongerthanmeand my hubby andarguably Ihavehad more fun ridingFranco! Haha.However,needsmust, and we need to buythe‘bun’ anew buggy, etc.,andtheycost abloomin’fortune.I’min abikergroupon Facebookand putupamessage asking foradvice aboutsellingFranco(Iknow, Iknow. It wasa mistake!)and Ihave67comments(andcounting) ofwhat Ishouldandshouldnotdo.So, my questionis,should Ilet aprospectivebuyer take Franco outfor aride?I have hadvarious answers, some sayingno, some sayingyes,but onlyifthe moneyisinmyhand, etc. What should Ido?

AFirstthingsfirst,andthisisn’tlegal, be carefulgivingyourpersonaladdressout and

The MB legalcolumn iscompiled bymanagingpartnerAndrew‘Chef’ Prendergastandhisbike-ridingbarristers andsolicitorsatWhiteDaltonMotorcycle Solicitors. Theﬁrmdealswithpersonalinjuryclaims anditssistercompany, MotorDefence Solicitors,dealswithallthemotoring offences.WhiteDaltonlawyers havea vastknowledgeofbikelaw,and theyhave fullbikelicences,too.Theydon’tactfor insurancecompaniesortheprosecution. White DaltonisBritain’s premierspecialist motorcyclelawpractice,andifits professionalsdon’t knowtheanswer

meetinganyone on your own. There aresome proper scumbags outtherewho turnup and robpeople.However,ifdomanageto‘weed out’ agenuine buyerand arehappy to meet them,personallyIwould getthem to leavethe cashforFrancoin my hand. Ihaveheard too many storiesofpeople ridingoffonsomeone else’sbikewithoutpaying. The otherimportant thing to deal withisinsurance.Longstory short, if youlet abuyer outonyourbikewithout checking theyare insured to rideFranco,and theycrash,etc., you could be onthehookin two ways forthemnot having insurance.Firstly,the Policecoulddo youfor permittingsomeone to ride your motorbikewithoutinsurance. Thisis aserious offence with significant legal consequences.Thepunishmentforthis offence isusuallysix to eightpointsand afine.Secondly, if theuninsured buyercrashesFrancoand hurts someone,yourmotorbikeinsurer mayhaveto payout to theinjured person. Thereafter, your insurercouldcomeafter youforthemoney theypaidout.Ihad acaseacoupleof years agowherethis happened, andtheinsurer was chasingmyClient(thebikeowner)for£130,000 aftera potentialbuyer,onmyClient’sbike, lost controlon abendand severely injured two innocentpedestrians.Tostate theblindingly obvious,you don’tneed that headache, especiallyasthe‘bun’ will be heresoonneeding abuggy!

toyourquestion,there probablyisn’t one. Don’t relyonthe advicefromyour insurance-appointedsolicitor,get proper independentadvice.

For roadtrafﬁc offences,calltheMotor Defencesolicitorson0800 2800912. Fornon-offencecases,call WhiteDaltonmotorcyclesolicitorson 08007836191.

Ifyouneedadviceona biking-relatedlegal questionorquery,emailmail@whitedalton. co.uk.ThebestQ&Awillbepublishedin MB,inconﬁdence,ofcourse.

It’stimetogetoutyourpens andpencilsandputyourgrey mattertothetest

THE WIN! QUIZ MOREBIKES

oreBikes. apubquizwith encilinthe other ateswhen ight,there’s boutknowingtheanswertoan vesus anice fuzzyfeelinginside.Andifwedon’tknow, hancewemightlearn hywe’vedecidedto on sponsored (who’llbe uestionsaboutall

manneroftwo-wheeledstuff,pushingyour memoriestothelimitandaskingyouto digdeeptotryand rememberallkindsof strangestufffromrightacrossthebiking spectrum.It’sachanceforyoutoshowoff your infinitewisdomandbeinwith ashot ofbaggingsomecool prizes. Allyou’vegottodoisjotdownthe answersontheentryformbelowandsend itinusingthedetailsprovided. We’llthen pickthewinnerfromanupturnedhelmet crammedwithcorrectanswers,andthat personwillbesent abrand-newbitofkit that’llhelpthemstaysafeoutonthe road.

sprovidingthespringsfor st Fireblade?

French helmetmaker’screateda uilt-inbrakelight?

asubstantialchunkof ChinesemanufacturerCFMoto?

XSR900GPsharesitsmotor withwhichbike?

anyMXworldchampionships doesDaveThorpehavetohisname?

6 10 7

8 9

There’ssomething brilliantabout bikegear that’s comfortableand coolenoughto wearbothonand offthe bike.This StealthHoodie from Weiseisthe perfectexample. Properstylishbut stillofferingplentyof AA-ratedprotection, it’sessentially abig, thick, heavy-duty cotton fleece(with aremovablehood) thatcomeskitted outwithCEarmour andanabrasionresistantlining. Lovely. Ifyouwanttoknowmore,visit: www.weiseclothing.com

HowmuchpowerdoesDucati’s ScramblerNightshiftkickout?

Loncinhas along historymaking enginesforwhich Europeanfactory?

What’sthenameofRoyal Enﬁeld’snew Himalayan-derivedroadster?

WhichpairofadventurerstookH-D’s LiveWireacrosstheAmericas?

WhenwasBMW’slegendaryR1200 GS ﬁrst released?

CORNWALL

Thecoastalcountydowninthesouthwest cornerofthisfairisleis aspecialplaceto ride;fromgentlysweeping Tarmacwithspectacularseaviewstolush,hedge-lined single-tracklanes,it’swellworthmakingthepilgrimageandhavinganexplore

Land’sEnd

Sticktothesmallercoastal roadsandyou’llnotgofar wronginCornwall.Thatsaid,ifyou’redown here,you needtomakethetriptoLand’sEnd. Ourfavouriteway togetthereisalongtheB3306from St Ives –aspecial stretchof roadwhichofferssomecrackingviews ofthe Atlanticofftoyourrightasyoupassthrough thelovelyvillagesofZennor,PendeenandSt. Just. There’rebagsofcoolstuff toseeonthewayifyou’ve gotthetime,andif not,SennenCoveisworth anosy for abrew, bagofchips,oreven apostridebeer.

Lizard Peninsula

Youmightaswellkeepthegoodtimesgoing. Swing arightasyouleave Land’sEnd andfollowthe B3315upto Penzance.Ifyou’vegotthetimeand fancy alegstretch,youcan nip downtothefamous MinackTheatreonyourwaythrough. And thenfrom Penzance,jumpontheA394beforejoiningthe A3082 justoutsideHelstonandheadingdownto LizardPoint (themostsoutherlypointofEngland’smainland). You couldspendalldaydown here,nippingoffthe ‘main’ roadandsearchingout littlecovesfor arefreshingdip. OneofourfavouritespotsisKynanceCove(partly becausethere’sparkinganda littlecaff.

Bodinnick Ferry

We love aferrycrossing,whichispartlywhywe’ve includedthisstretchof roadinourbestbitsof Cornwall.Therunstartsbackinthebustlingtownof St.Austell,butyouwanttoheadforthequaintvillage ofFoweyandnip up toBodinnick.That’swhere you’ll becrossingthewater,albeitverybriefly.You’ll likely spendmoretimewaitingthanactuallyontheboat,but it’sstillanadventure.Onceacrossyouwanttoskirt thecoast,passingthrough Polperro,Looeand Seaton, beforejoiningtheB3247briefly asitpassesthrough Portwrinkle.Fromthereyouneedtokeeplookingfora right-handturnjustafterthe Tregantlecar parkto head alongtheMilitaryRoadtowardsRame.It’stheperfect chancefor apotter –butyoucanjustkeepgoingand followthe roadasitloopsback roundtowardsMount Edgecumbe(whichisthe homeoftheseriously-cool Armchair AdventureFestival).

WHAT’S YOURS?

There’snothingquitelike abitof localknowledgewhenitcomesto findingthebestroadsanarea has tooffer.Ifyou’vegot atopblast onyourdoorstep(andyoudon’t mindsharing),we’dlovetohear fromyou.

Voge525DSX

SimonMeyer /Onemonth/817 miles

TheVoge525DSXwilllikelyhave manyofyouscratchingyourheads.If you’venothadyoureartotheground, youmaywellhavemissed thefirm’s Europeandebutbackin2020,which was asurprisinglywell received471cc paralleltwin,verysimilartoHonda’s CB500X.

Itshouldcomeasnosurprise that thebikewassorted,asVogeisa subsidiaryofthemassiveChinese company,Loncin.Itknowsa few thingsaboutmotorcycles,building somewherenorth of threemillionbikes ayearandasmanyengines,including quite afewforBMW.

Vogehas reallythoughtaboutthe needsandwantsofanadventure bikeowner.Thereare crash bars; fullluggage;Metzeler Tourancetyres asstandard;Nissinbrakecalipers; andfullyadjustableKYBfrontforks. The‘proper’partscanonlyaddto thebike’svalueand,ofcourse,the confidenceinanyonethinkingof buyingone.There’sevenacentre standandhandguards,too.That’s not somethingyoucansayofeveryother adventurebikeonthemarket.

It’snotsurprisingthatthebike feelsquitelight –thisis,ofcourse, just a500afterall,and Ihad been ridingaroundforthe previousweek on amonstrousHarley.Theseat’s comfortable,andtheergonomics makeyoufeelpartofthe bikeas yousnuglysqueeze behindthe fuel

tank.The7-inchcolourLCDdashis great,withlots of info.Morethanyou mightneed,tobehonest.Alongwith thenormalspeed, odometer,revbar andfuelgauge,thereisalso atyre monitoringsystem, gear indicator, and airtemperaturereadout.There isalso asidestandwarningindicator(which workswell–oops).

IstillneedtoexploreitsBluetooth functionality.Thiswill givebasic satellitenavigation,whichwillcertainly comeinhandyforsomeoftheridesI haveplanned.Italsohasanonboard dashcam,capable of 1080HDcapture whichI’myettotakeadvantageof.

Sofar,mostofmymileshavebeen backwardsandforwardstothe office –when Iamnot on daddutyforthe schoolrun –butfirstimpressionsare good.The gear changeseemssmooth, asdoestheclutch.AndthoseNissin dual298mmfloatingdiscsupfrontand the240mm rearbrake giveyouplenty ofconfidence.ABSisalsoswitchable tothreepositions.

Theoversizedbodywork– which isoftrueadventurebikeproportions overthe494ccpowerplant–offersgoodweatherprotection, supplementedbythefact thatthe windshieldisadjustable, withtwin springsallowingyoutochange positionupordown.

It’sbeen averypositivestart,andI’m lookingforwardtogettingevenbetter acquaintedoverthecoming months.

DucatiScramblerNightshift

Ross Mowbray/Onemonth/501miles

Ducati’sScrambler has been abarnstorming successfortheBologna-basedfirm sinceits releasein 2015. Intheinterveningyears,it’s carvedoutanenviable reputationas abrilliant back-roadblasterandtown-trafficbusterthat harksbacktosimplertimes.It’sbeennipped, tucked,tweakedandimprovedsinceitslaunch –andthelatestgenerationisaround 80percent new,featuringaswanky new electronicspackage tobringitbang up todate.

There’salwaysbeenbagsofchoice,too, allowingpuntersto snagaScramblerthatbest suitsthem.Backin 2015 therewas awhopping seventochoosefrom,includingthe diddyA2 licencefriendlySixty2.The rangeis alittleless extensive nowadays,withthe803ccIcon,Full ThrottleandNightshiftaccompaniedbythe bigger,badder 1079cc1100 SportPro.

Allthreeofthe‘smaller’Scramblersarebuilt aroundthe sameengineand chassiscombination, whichconsistsofan 803ccair-cooledL-Twin,a revisedtubularsteeltrellis frame,Kayaba springs andBrembobrakes,soitall feltveryfamiliar. Thereare somekeydifferencesbetweenthe bikes. Awayfromthesharp paintjob,themost obviousdifference forthe Nightshiftisthesetof slightlyheavierspokedwheels(shodwith aset of Pirelli’spseudooff-roadMT 60 tyres).Italsogets some‘variable section’handlebars, smallerLED indicators,bar-endmirrors,andabrownleather seat.Nothinggroundbreaking– butenoughto helpitstandapartas adifferent propositionthan theothersintherange.

Thegoodstuffcontinues whenyougetmoving. TheNightshift’s803cctwinmotor’snever going tosettheworldalight,butitscharacterful performanceisjust asgoodastheother similar-

sizedscramblerbikesonthemarket. There’sa nicewhack of progressivepowerwhichmakes crackingopenthethrottle asatisfyingand surprisinglyrisk-freeendeavour.It’seasy.The six-speedgearboxis reasonablyslick,andthe updatedclutchisplentylight.

Ithandleswell,too.Despitethe relativelysoft Kayabasuspension,whichconsists of 41mm forksupfrontand asingleshockatthe rear, theNightshiftholdsitselfadmirably.Niceand preciseintheturns,you’llbesurprisedatjust howmuchfunitisthrowingthisthingfrom side tosidethroughthetightest of twisties.Thelack of adjustment(there’sonly preloadatthe rear)isabit of ashame,butit’s wellenoughsetupthatmost riderswouldn’tfeelanyneedtomaketweaks. The PirelliMT60rubberperformsbetterthanyou’d expect,withbothwetanddry gripconsistentand confidenceinspiring.

TheBrembobrakeshelpittohaulitselftoa haltprettyswiftly.There’s plentyofbite –and morethanenoughlight-fingeredfeel –though afirmhandwillseethefrontsuspensiondiving underpressure. Thatsaid,withBoschCornering ABSfittedtoboththefrontand rear,eventhe mostham-fisted of riderswouldhave ahardtime gettingthingsreally outofshape.

Ithinkit’sagreatbitofkit.Whilemost riders willprobablyuseitforaquickmidweekblastto abikenightor asunnySundayruntothecoast, it’sasurprisinglyversatilemachine.Itstanksize andtheamount of milesit’lldopergallonmight limititseffectivenessas atruebig-miletourer, butifyou’rehappytakingyourtimeandavoiding themotorways(wherethewindblastwoulddrive youmad), Ireckonyoucouldhave agreat time exploring off-the-beaten-track.

RETRORELISH RETRORELISH

Rollingthedice downtheretro route,Yamaha’s hitthejackpot withitslatestold-schoolthemed offering

WORDS: / PHOTOS: ANTProductionsi

YAMAHA XSR 900 GP

Thecoreof theXSRis Yamaha’s polishedandprovenCP3triplemotor thatboasts atidy119bhpandclaims93Nm of torquetobackthings up.Theengineis adirectcrossoverpartwiththenewMT-09,andsois themulti-directionalshifterandblippersystemandtheassistclutch.

Anothersharedgemisthebike’s electronicsuite,meaningthe XSR900nowgains asix-axisIMUandconsequentlycomes packed withchangeabletraction,wheelie,andslidecontrol,aswellas alterable enginebrakemanagementandcruisecontrol forgood measure.Thereare alsothreepre-selectedridermodes on tap(sport, street,andrain),plustwocustommapsthataremanaged on the bike’s fancy5-inchTFTdashviasomebox-freshswitchgears.

There aresomenewaluminiumclip-onsthat givethisbike aracier look,whilemovingtherider’s wrists93mmforwardand114mm lower when comparedto thehandlebarsontheaforementionedXSR900.

Thepegsalsobring asportierstanceandmore ground clearanceto theparty,havingbeenraisedby26mmandmoved rearwardbythe samedistance.Asyoucanimagine, thesechangesmean the rider’s massmovestowards thefrontofthebike,enhancing agreaterfront endweight bias…nobadthingona sportsbike.Andtoensurethat gainiscapitalised,there’renew KYBpogosfrontand rear,withadded lengthtothefullyadjustableforks,whilethe rearshock’sspringisa littlesofterthantheone fittedonthelastXSR.

Thedie-castDeltaboxframehasalsohad abit of aseeingto,with revisedenginemounts,analtered5mmhigherheadstock,anda thicker rear subframe.Unlike theMT, theGPgains a55mmlonger swingarm,whichcranksthewheelbaseto awhopping1500mmand contributestowardsits200kgkerbweight(sevenkilosupontheMT). Itwaspartlynecessarytoaccommodatethe remodelled14-litrefuel tank. Aparticularlynicetouchisthebike’scompact,dualprojector headlightsthatsitwithintheboldnumberboardsonthefrontcowl andlookeverybitathomeontheGP.

Whilethe realhooktothisbikeisits refreshingly different guise,the engineisundoubtedlyitsnumberonepartypieceasfarashardware goes.Withsomuchtorque on tapthroughitscrossplanetriplemotor, gettingthefrontwheelstaringattheskywasprettydamneasy, despitetheaddedwheelbase.Butifwheeliesaren’tyourthing,worry

not,becauseashandyasthisthingwaswith ASBO-inducingantics,it wasjustascapableinthe handlingdepartment,too.

Tackling amixtureofroadsatdifferentspeedsandwith asmattering ofrush-hourtraffic,theXSRtookeverythinginits stride,proving impressivelyagileand easily steerablewhennegotiatingbumper-tobumper filtering.It’simpossibleto sayhowitcomparedtotheMT,asI didn’thaveonetohand at thatvery moment,butitnever feltwayward orawkwardtoplaceitwherever Iwantedittobe,proving areal trooper atsuckingupthemanyimperfectionsin roadsurfaces,whichincluded ahalf-milestretchofcobblesthatshookthebikeand meforallwewere worth.Outoftownandonthefasterstuff,theXSR reallycameintoits own.Asyou’dexpectfrom abikewithsuch abigwheelbase,itproved impressivelystableonlongcorners,and Ican’tfaulttheabsorptionof theKYBsuspension.I’mnormallythe first tostarttwiddlingwithsetups andsuchlike,butdespitehavingthatoptiononthefullyadjustableunits ateitherend, Ineverfelttheneed.

Ilikedthe ridingposition,too. Youmightthink thatwithbuzzwordssuch asclip-onsand rearsetsin the mix, the XSRwouldbeakinto atorture device,butthatsimplywasn’tthecase.Mywristsneverfeltanypressure andmykneeswerejust as chilled, withmyonlydispleasurecomingfrom theseat,whichwasonthe firmer sideforme.

Somethingless great isthefeelofthefrontbrakes.It’snot asif Yamahahasskimped on themastercylinder,asthere’safancy, adjustablespanBremboinplace,butthepurchaseontapwhenyou squeezetheleverjustdoesn’t translatetothediscsbelow.Ifeellikea broken record forraisingthispointonmost Yamahas,butitgenuinely feltlikethisletthesidedown alittle,andwhileI’msureit’snothing todowiththe own-brandcalipers, Ireckon amoreaggressivesetof padswouldabsolutelytransformthestoppingpowerofthisthing. Thatsaid,atleastthenon-switchable ABSwasn’t kickingineverytwo seconds,whichisn’ttobesniffedatthesedays.Infact,theentiretyof thetech on themachineprovedfantasticon roadandtrack.

The£12,506GP offersplentyofappealinthelooksdepartment,but forthesakeofsexiness, Yamahadidnotcompromisetheintegrityof themachine.Underthatfancyfrockis ahardcorehustlerthatcanpull thepinwheneveryouaskitto –andthat’swhyit’sright up mystreet.

Thisisjust theticketforthe ladsatFastBikes.While hemightspendmostofhis timehooningaroundon thelatestrides,mainman BruceWilsonhasprobably riddeneveryimportant sportbikefromthelast30 years –andhas aproper penchantforhis retrorides. There’splentyofthatkind ofstuffjammedintoits pageseachmonth,too.If that floatsyour boat, the bestthingtodoisscanthe codeandsnagyourselfa copy.

A CUT above

Fouryears on fromtherevolutionary release of theRCV-inspiredFireblade, Honda’s givenitsflagshipsportsbikeamasterpiece of amakeover

HONDAFIREBLADE RR-R SP

Whilethereis undoubtedlysomuchtolove aboutthe revolutionaryBladesofthe lastfew years,I’d belyingif Isay thateitherofthe 2020-plusmachineshavebeen apolished product,withoddniggles dampeningthe brillianceofthisflagshipheadbanger.

ThegoodnewsisthatHondahas recognisedthis,goingtotownwiththe2024 machineinmorewaysthanyou’dmaybe imagine.Sureenough,theBladesports anewtank, reworkedbodywork,andhas unmissablydifferentwingsthatare smaller, mountedfurtherforward,andstillmaintain thesameamountofdownforcewhile encouraging amorepositiveattitudeforthe frontwheel.

Scratchthesurface alittlefurtherandyou’d beforgivenforthinkingtheframeis amirror imageofwhat’scomebefore,butthat’ssimply notthecase;it’sbeenhonedtowithinaninch ofitslife,losing awholekilo in masswhile beingfine-tunedfor biggainsintorsional (-15%)andlateral(-17%)rigidity.Lessweight isnever abadthing,and achunkofthe savingshavecomefrom removinginternal bracingandexpandingwhatisdubbedthe thin-wallzone,butthe realgainoverthefirst iterationchassisistheaddedflex.Theold framewas simply toostiff,unforgiving,anda hang-upforcornerexitswheregripwasoften compromised,madealltheharsherbythe Blade’son/offpowerdelivery.

To ensure allthathardworkontheframe wascapitalisedon,HondaturnedtoÖhlins, oncemoretodevelopanddelivernextgenerationelectronically-governed pogos. CalledtheS-EC3.0,theyfeaturenewSpool Valveinternals, refinedsettings anda fancy preloadguide screen…moreonthatlater.It’s allstillgovernedthroughtheproven five-inch TFTdashthatfeaturesninelevelsoftraction

control; fivepowermodes;severaluser modes(includingtwothatarecustomisable); threelevelsofenginebraking;threelevels ofwheeliecontrol;threesettingsforthe quickshifter;and just forthose occasions whenyou’refeeling alittle fruitywhen leaving thesupermarketcarpark,youeven get tractioncontrol.

All ofthis wasbeinghammeredhome duringthemodel’spresentation inPortugal, frazzlingmybrainintheprocess–butnot tothepoint of missingout on aparticular soundbitethatsmacked ahugesmile on my face.Let’snotbeataroundthebush:theABS onthelasttwoversionsofBladehasbeen horrendousfortrackusage,but anewrace additionof acalibrationoption meansyou canfullydisengagethe rearandallbutdo thesametothefront,minimisinganyrisk of intervention.

Withmyenthusiasmpiquing,themoment finallycameto get myheadaroundthe smorgasbord of changesmadetothemotor. While theoutputisstill asaucy214bhp,the wayinwhichit reachesthatimpressive figure haschangedsignificantly,withpeakpower andtorquebeingachievedboth500rpm lowerthanbefore.That’snot afeatyouoften hear,withadded revstypicallybeingthe gatewaytomorepoweruptop.So,how have theymanagedit?

Themotor’smakeoverissoplentifulthatit’s trickytoknowwheretostart,butneedless tosay,whilethebore andstrokehas remainedthesame,prettymucheverything elsehashad agood seeingto.Butthe real questionwas,justhowwouldthattranslate?

ArmedwithPirelliSC3slicks,wehadtwo 20-minutesessionstoourname,plus araft oftechniciansfromHondaandÖhlinstohelp usgetthebestfromourbikes.

Portimao’snotshyofplacestowindthe tapopen,andwhendoing so infullpower mode,theHondablew me awaywithits urgency.I genuinelywasn’texpecting theHondatopunchoutofcornershalf asferociouslyasitdid.Godonlyknows howthey’vegotthisthingthroughEuro emissionslegislation,butI’mjustpleased thattheyhave,becausein aworld so softit makescottonwoolseemharsh,thisthingis nothingshortof atonic.

Thefrontendonthebikeshas alwaysbeen thehighpointforme,and Iwaspleased to find thatthere’snochangethere.Thetruth is,withonlytwo sessionsontrack,getting stuckinwiththe fancy forksandshockwas justnevergoingtohappen,buttheymade mefeelcomfyrightaway.Withthebikeset inA1,themosttrack-inclinedautomatic setting, Iwasgettinggood feel throughthe suspensionandcouldtellwhatitwasdoing atallpoints.

Therewassomuchtolikeaboutthenew Fireblade,includingtheaddedgainsofthe Brembo Stylema Rcalipersthatdoanace jobofhaulingthebikeup.Evenintothe hardestbrakingpointontrack,attheendof thestartstraight, Ineveroncegotthe ABS showingits uglyface,whichwasnothing shortof reassuringanda revelationwhen comparedtothesporadicwaysoftheold system.Theleverfeelwasgreat,too,andthe span remainedconsistentaftereachofthe sessionsontrack,whichisanotherbonus. Afterjusttwosessions,itwas amassive teasetobewalkingawayfromthisbeast knowingthat Ihadonlyjustscratchedthe surface, butasthewhettingofappetitesgo, thisthing hadmademeravenousformore. Trustmewhen Isaythatthisbikeisepic–becausethat’stheonlywaytodescribeit.

WORDS: Bruce Wilson/ PHOTOS: Honda

Thisisjust atiny teaseof thefull,extensive review whichgraced the pages oftheMayissueofFast Bikes.It’sa corkerof awrite-upwhichgoes intoserioustechnical detail aboutwhatexactly isgoingonbeneath thatfairingtomake the latestBladebetter than ever –andthere’seven asitdownwithHonda’s newest recruit Tommy Bridewell.Whatareyou waitingfor?Bagyourself acopynow.

A LONG WAY A LONG WAY

Bigger engine,morepower,lessweight anda newlookforthe2024BMWF900GS

WORDS: Adam‘Chad’Child/ PHOTOS: BMW

There’sbeena resurgencein middleweightadventure bikemarket;andMSL’s beenthere foritright thewaythrough.If you’reinterestedin the£11,995 F900GS, youneedtopickupa copyoftheSeptember issueofthemagazine, asthere’splentymore wherethiscamefrom.

It’sweirdtothinkthenewmiddleweight F900GSproducesmorepowerthanthe legendary1200GSwhenitwas launched backin2007.Proof,ifitwereneeded, thatmiddleweightadventurebikeshave come alongway.For2024,the F900GS promisestodeliverbothon andoff-road -so weheadedtosouthernSpaintotry twodifferentmodels:first,thestandardGS fittedwiththeEnduroPackagePro; and thesecond,amoreroad-focusedmodel, whichalsostartedlife as astandard bike, nowfittedwiththeDynamicPackage.

BMWhasmadesubstantial improvementsinperformance over theoutgoing850model,whichwas beginningtofeeldatedcomparedto recentcompetitorsenteringthishighly competitivemarket. With aquoted 105bhp,thenew900GSsurpassesthe AfricaTwininpowerandmatchesthe TriumphTiger900andKTM890.

Nevertheless,it’snot justaboutpeak powernumbers,asBMWhasfocused ondevelopingtorque outputandthrottle delivery.There’s nowa widerspread of torquethroughouttherpmrange,with addedpunchinessinthemidrange.Peak torqueisn’tamassivestep overthe old 850(just0.7lb-fthigher)butit’swider. Evenathigherspeeds,theGSdelivers smoothandtorqueyperformancewithout needingconstant gear changes. There’s enough powertoliftthefrontwheelin lowergearstoo,whichisusefulfor offroadriding -withabundant reservepower forpositiveovertakes,especiallywhen ridingwith apassenger or fullyloaded.

Jumpingtothedirt,thecombinationof dirt-oriented MetzelerKaroo 4tyresand softpowerperformwellonthevaried terrainweencounteredinSouthernSpain. Initialthrottle responsecanbe abit sharp,

especiallyinEnduroPro mode,butonce thethrottleisopen,thepowerdeliveryis smoothandconsistent. Throughout along off-roadride, Iwelcomedtheprecisefuel delivery,allowingcontrolledpowerslides whenexitingslowcorners, great immature amusement.

Bothon-roadand off-road rideraidsare excellentandeasilyaccessibleonthe move,withtractioncontrol adjustablewith asinglebuttonpush onoroff.Overall, theBMWGSoffers ablend of power, versatility,anduser-friendlyelectronicaids thatmakeitstand outinitsclass.

We testedboththestandardmodeland theEnduroPackagePro modelequipped withupgradedShowasuspension.This is abig changeforBMW;thedesign teamhavebeenbusyin reducingweight by awhopping14kgandintroducing high-qualityShowafrontsuspensionwith 26mmmore travelthanbefore.

Notwithstandingtheincreasedtravel, thenew F900GSmaintainscontrolled handlingthroughoutitssuspension stroke.It’soptimizedforroadcomfortbut canhandle avariety of terrainwithease. Evenover rocksand gravel-covered roads withdeeppotholes,theGSprovideda smoothride,feelingmore composedand stableasspeed increased.

Backonthetarmac,thelessoff-road derivedGSexceededexpectations,offering abundantgripandfeedbackdespiteitstall suspensionand road-orientedBridgestone A41tires.Itsagilityis remarkableforan adventurebikewith a21-inchfrontwheel, makingitenjoyable to ride when roadsget twistyandfun –againsomethingwhich couldnever reallybesaidoftheoldbike. Off-road,theimprovementscontinue, withthekitted-outGShandlingsmall jumps,sand,and graveleffortlessly.

Thefront-endfeelisexcellent,providing confidenceinvariedconditionswithout washingoutorpushingwide.Whilethe standardsetupmightbeslightlysoft forextremeoff-roadenthusiasts,the majorityofGSownersandMSL readers willappreciateits user-friendly nature and supportiverideraids.It’slikeridingwitha BMWinstructoronyourshoulder.

Thebrakesnowfeature BMW’s MotorradABSPro,offeringcornering ABS.Thesystemfelt non-intrusiveon typical roadsandprovided necessary assistanceontrickiersurfaceswithout beingdistracting.InEnduro mode, ABS remainsactive,offeringvaluable assistanceforlessexperiencedridersand canbeadjustedinEnduro Promodefor moreexperiencedridersseekingminimal ABSinterventionoff-road.

Regardlessoftheslightlyincreasedseat heightandsuspensiontravel,thenew 900GSdoesn’t feelawkwardorbulky. Theseatiscomparatively narrowand positionsyouwithinthebikeratherthan ontopofit.With asignificant reduction inweight,especiallyatthetopdue tothenewplasticfueltank(sorry,no magnetictankbaganymore)it’sfarfrom intimidating.I’monly ashortriderat5ft 7ins,and hadnoissues,and Iwouldn’t recommendthelowerseatoption unless you’re5ft6insorlackingconfidence.

The F900GSislikethesuperhero sequelwedidn’t knowweneeded, leapingmilesaheadofthe F850GSand makingitlooklike asidekick. Sure,the specssuggestjustanextra10bhpand a14kgweightloss,butitfeelslikeit’s beenhittingthegymanddrinkingprotein shakes.Onthe road,it’smorefunthan before,andoff-road,it’sassurefootedas amountaingoatinhikingboots.

BMWF 900 GS

LIGHTITUP

SHARK’sinnovative Skwali3helpsyoutobeseen.Here’s how.

SharkHelmetshasbuiltup asolid reputationover its30-oddyearsinthe game.TheFrenchfirmstartedout small, andoverthe years hasestablisheditselfasoneof the biggestnamesinthegame,continuallypushingtheboundaries,nipping,tucking,developing,andinnovating tocreateanextensive range of lids that riderswanttowear. OneofitslatestinventionsistheSkwali3, aseriouslyclever bit of kitwhich blends aproperly protectiveECE 22.06helmet with somefuturistic patentedtechnology to helpmakeyoumorevisibleout on the openroad.

THETECH

TheintegratedactiveLEDbrake lightatthe rearand whiteLEDs upfrontareanatty solutiontothe age-oldproblembikersface… Notbeingseen.It’scleverlydone, too,withnowiresorBluetooth, instead relyingon abuilt-intriaxial accelerometertoactivatethe brakelightwhenever youslow down. To helpmakeitclearwhat you’reupto,thebrakeswillflash threetimespersecondunder steadybrakingandfivetimesper secondunderhardbraking.

MODES

Youcanchoosehowyouwant itwork,too,with threedifferent modestochoosefrom. Youcan havethewhiteLEDsonatthe

frontandthe redLEDsonthe backconstantlyon,withthe smartbrakelightsflashingwhen youapplytheanchors. Youcan alsosetitupsothewhiteLEDs onthefrontand redLEDson the rearflash,withthesmart brakelightsflashingwhenyou’re braking.Oryoucanopttohave thewhiteLEDsonthefrontand redLEDsonthebackturnedoff, withonlythesmartbrake lights flashingwhenyouhitthebrakes.

CHARGING

It’snot aparticularlyhungrybeast, soifyou’reusedtostickingyour commsunitonchargethenyou’ll havenotroublewiththeSkwali3. WhacktheUSB-Ccableintothe mainsandyou’llonlyneedtowait

forthree hourstohave12hours’ batterylifeaheadofyou.That’s plentyforeventhelongest dayin thesaddle.There’salso a‘Sleep’ modewhichkicksinautomatically aftera coupleofminutesofno movementandhelpstopreserve thebattery.Afterthat,it’llturn itselfcompletelyoffafter24 hours,too.

CONSTRUCTION

It’smadefrom aLexan-injected Polycarbonateshell–andmost importantly, itexceedsthelatest ECE22.06 requirementsfornew helmets. Thatmeansit’swell uptothejob of keepingyour nogginsafe,shouldtheworst happen,andyouenduptrading blowswiththe Tarmac.

VISION

It’skittedoutwithanotherof SHARK’spatentedinnovations. Asuper-quickandeasy no-tool visor removalsystemallowsyou towhipouttheClass 1antiscratchvisor(withPinlock70) in aflash.Thereare alsosome Pinlocktensionadjustmentpins; apropervisorlockingsystem; andanintegratedanti-scratch andanti-fogsunvisor.

COMFORT

SHARKis renownedfor creatingcomfortablehelmets, buttotakethingseven further andmakesureyoursfitsjust right,it’sbeenhardatworkon a3Dheadscanningcampaign. The resultis‘BESTFIT’by

SHARK,whichit reckonsoffers ‘auniquesecondskin feel’ thankstoitstextileinner and multi-densityEPSpadding. Soundsgoodtous.There’s alsospaceintherefor some 40mmspeakers,and as with allSHARKlids,it’ssuitable forglasseswearers,too,with spaceforyourspectaclearms injusttherightspot.

FANCYONE?

Startingat£259.99forthebase model,there’sawhopping13 colourschemestochoosefrom. There’splentyofsizingchoice, too,withavailabilityfromXS rightthroughtoXXL.Ifyouwant toknowevenmore,visit:www. shark-helmets.com FIVEMINUTESWITH…

Whydidyoudecidetoadda

“TheoriginalSkwalwas

visibilitywiththeinclusionof

integratedLEDsinthehelmet. Nevercontentwiththestatus quo,wedecidedtotakeactive ridersafetyonestepfurther withthe‘intelligentvisibility’ of theSkwali3.”

Howlongdidittaketo develop?

“Westartedfromscratchfor thisproject.Based on security andhigh-endfunctionalities weleft roomforinnovations throughoutthe30monthsof development.”

Howdoesit work?

“Sameason asmartphone,the sensorembeddedinthe helmet

detectseverydeceleration. So,whentheriderisbraking, thesoftwareunderstandsthe motorbike’sbehaviourandthe rearbrakelight flashestowarn andincreasethevisibility.”

WORKSHOPESSENTIALS

Whilemanyofusdream of akitted-outworkshopwithafullyladen tool chest, hydraulicscissorliftand suite of weldingequipment,youdon’thavetospend afortuneto be ableto workonyourprideand joy.We’ve handpicked afewbitsof key gear that’llmake basicbikemaintenanceadoddle, withoutbreaking thebank.

Iwanttokitoutmyshed.Whatdo Ineed?

What you need to think aboutiswhat areyou thinking of workingon?Iftheonlythingyou’regoingtodoischeck and inflate tyresand maybeclean,lubeandadjustthe chain, you don’t reallyneed a£19,000,1115-pieceTengtoolkitandstorage, plus ahydrauliclift!

Fairenough.Butwhataretheessentials?

No matterwhat,evendoingverylittle, theseare worthit. You neverknowwhen you’ll findsomething hascomeloose. -TorqueWrench-the best oneslet youset maximumpressure -Socket/Spanner set

-Screwdriver set

-Hex keys

-Pressuregauge and good-qualitypump(minimum two

cylinder -yourleg willthankus forthis)

-Worklight

-Gloves

-Fluids (chain cleanerandlube,penetratingfluidasa minimum)

-Hand cleaner

They’vegotmostofthis stuff inthelocalpound shop…

Iwouldn’tinflict cheaptools on yourprideandjoy.Getthe best-qualitytools you canafford; If you’vegotthemoney for Teng/Snap-Onthen go forit,ifnot,lookatprofessional ranges. Qualitytoolsaremade of better grademetaltomuchhigher tolerances.Cheap metal flexesand bends,plustheydon’t fit as well so they’refarmorelikelytomanglethe bolt/nut or simply break

the tool (I’veseenithappen, spannerhead snap andshootacross the garage!Thankfully,noone gothit). Same goes for screwdrivers. Cheaponesdon’tfitwell,andthetipsdistort so you endup destroyingthe screwhead,especiallyifthe screwsarecheap,too.

Anythingelse?

Themostuseful spanner/socketyou will ownisthe10mm.No matterhow many 10mm spannersyou own, youWILLlose them.Getmorethanone.Asidefromanythingit’shandy when tighteningtohaveone to hold,one to tighten.

If youhavethe space(and budget) to be organised,it’swell worthgettingarackwherethe toolscan be stored,clearly marked withtheir ownspace.That way, whenthey’rebeing putawayyou caneasilysee if youhavemislaidone(lookingat you,10mm spanner).

ABBASUPERBIKESTAND

BertieSimmonds/ £100 /www.abbastands.co.uk

After10yearsoffaithfulservice,my ABBASuperbikeStandhasbeen retired. Well,sortof…it’sgoneto anotherhome.

It’sfairtosaythatthishas been the standofchoice,despitehavingsome standalonepaddockstandsanda hydraulicbikelift.It’sbeenable to‘hold up’ arange ofbikesfromanAprilia RSV1000Mille(1998); Tuono(2006); 1996SuzukiGSX-R750SRAD;Honda CBR900RRFireBlade(1997); 1995 YamahaYZF750R; andanarrayofmodern motorcycles,too.

What Iloveisthestand’s simplicity.Youjointhetwo halvesofthestand,andthey slotintotheswingarmpivot point.Foraround£15-£20you simplypurchaseanadaptor kitforthebikeyouown, meaningthatyoudon’thave tobuybrand-newstands. You canevenbuy a‘dealerkit’ shouldyouwish,with avast array of adaptorstosuitmost bikesfromthelast30orso years.Ifyoudon’town abike, thebrokendowntwohalves areeasilystored,andyoucan add a‘FrontLiftArm’tothe basicstandwhichliftsthe frontwheeloff thefloor. Theonlynigglewiththe

STOP &GOMINIAIR COMPRESSOR

ABBASuperbikeStandisthatyoudo haveto get theadjustmentright,soit’s tightbefore youhoistthebikeontothe stand.Thesettingofthewidthofthetwo halvesofthestandoftenhastobepretty spoton,otherwisewhenyouextendthe handletoliftthebikeup,itcanwobble andsway.Thatsaid,I’veneverdroppeda bikewithityet:highlyrecommended.I’ve recently replaceditwithanABBASkyLift.

OXFORDTOOL KITPRO

NicholasEllis /£39.99/www.oxfordproducts.com

MUC-OFFPRESSURE WASHERMOTORCYCLEBUNDLE

DomHumby /£130 /www.muc-off.com

Keepingyourbikesclean hasalwaysbeen atenderissueinthemotorcycleworld; somebother,andsomedon’t.Either way,it’salways givenwaytotheage-old question:Can Ipressurewashmybike? Waybackwhen,thiswas abigno-no –simplybecausethe outputpressure ofwaterwasenoughtodamagemore delicateparts of yourprideandjoylike theradiatorfins orcertainelectrical elementsthataren’ttuckedawaybehind fairings,eventheairintakeandfilterin someinstances. Thankfully,Muc-Offhave ananswerintheform of theirdedicated pressurewashersystemcompletewith severallancesforspecific useslike ‘cycle’and‘motorcycle’,andthey’veeven included asnowfoamlance. Thekitcomeswitheverythingyouneed (exceptfor ahosepipe).Oncesetupby lockingthehose andguntothe main machineit’seasytousewith apushand twistsystemtointerlockthedifferent lancetsforthedesireduse.Thesnowfoam lancehasitsownbottleaspartofthekit andanadjustableoutputoffoamthatcan betweakedtoyourliking.Afteryou’ve fiddledwithallthelittlebitsandbobsthat havearrivedyoucangettocleaning. Iamsurprisedathowwellitliftsdirt awayfrompanels –particularlygivenit’s classifiedas a‘lowpressure’machine–evenaroundthetough-to-get-toareas likethe rearsuspension andcrevices surroundingthe engineandframe.

OPTIMATE 1DUO

RossMowbray /£52.90 /www.optimate.co.uk

Thekitarrivesinitsowneasy-to-carry roll-topbag,with acoupleofbottlesof Muc-Offmotorcyclecleanerforgood measureaswelltohelpkeepyourride cleanandshiny.

IthoroughlyenjoyusingtheMuc-Off pressurewashersystemandkeepingit atthe readytokeepmyverygoldHonda clean. Icandefinitelysayit’saworthwhile investment.

S100CHAINLUBE

JohnAnthony/£19.99 /www.keycollection.co.uk

RossMowbray /£46.80 /www.partseurope.eu

Whilethere’snothingwrongwithan old-fashionedfootpump,it’s fareasier toplugin acompressorandletitdo the hard graftofblowing up yourtyres.

Technically, thisis aportablejobbie; poweredusing a12Vlighteradaptor plugorbyclippingthe includedalligator clipsdirecttoyourbattery.Thatmeansin additiontobeing ausefuladditiontoyour workshop,thecompactbitofkitiseasy enoughtotuckinyourpanniers,too.

It’ssuper-simpletouseandincludes allthestuffyou’dneedtofire someair intoyourbike’styres(tuckedneatlyintoa ruggedlittlecarryingcase).Italsofeatures abuilt-inLEDlightand0-50psigauge.

There’snotmuchmore tosay.It doesthe jobwell –anddoesn’tcosttheearth.What morecouldyouaskfor?

Thisisanothercompactbitofkit that’s moreofa lightweighttravelsolution ratherthan afull-onworkshoptool set. Butit’saffordableandwellenough equippedtohandlemostbasicbike maintenancejobs,soifyou’re ona budgetandcan’taffordtosplash afew hundredquidon acomprehensivebikerfriendlytoolkit,thenit’swellwortha look.Andit’llhappilysitinyourrucksack forany roadside repairs,too.

It’sa 27-piecetoolkit,whichincludesa 10-piecescrewdriverset;5-piecehexkey set;fivesockets(rangingfrom8-14mm); aminiratchet; a20mmadjustablemini spanner;anextensionbar;miniwire cutters;minineedlenosepliers; andthe all-importantcapableties.

Whilenotexactlypremium,it’s proveditself agood,hardwearing,and surprisinglycapablebitofkit, containing (nearly)everything Ineedtostrip down myearly90sKawasakiKLR250,dosome basicjobs,andthengetitback onthe roadinbettershapethanbefore.

Agood-qualitybatterychargeris anessentialbitofkitinanybiker’s workshop,particularlyifyourride’sgoing tobelaidupforanyextendedperiodof time. Thisone’sfromthegoodfolksat Optimate.Sittingatthemoreaffordable end of the renownedfirms’range,it’s aqualitypiece of kitthat’scapable ofactuallymaintainingyourbattery; drainingitandchargingitusingabuilt-in microprocessor,toensureitstaysinthe bestpossiblehealthforwhenyou’re readytogo outfor ablast. It’llworkwith aloadofdifferentbattery types,too.12Vlead-acidnumbers,STD (fillercap)ones,AGMand GEL types and12.8V/13.2Vlithiumbatteries,too. I’veusediton avarietyofbikes,but nowadaysit’sbeensecondedtolookafter myDad’s2001 TriumphSpeed Triple995i –usingtheincludedconnectorswhich allowyoutoplug andunplugwithout havingtoaccessthebatteryeachtime yougooutfor aride.It’sbeendoinga grandoldjob,andhe’snothadoneissue withhisagingbattery sinceputtingitto work. Wellworththecash.

I’manall-year,all-weatherrider.Idon’t have acar,soifI’mgoinganywhere,I’m goingonthebike.Thatmeansthatmy ridestake abitof abeating,particularly throughthecoldermonthswhenmud, crud,salt,andgrimeareimpossibleto avoid.Theproblemis,I’m notverygood at rememberingtocleanthem.I’lldoit. Butnotnearlyas regularlyas Ishould. I’mnot atotalcretinthough.Andto helpkeepthingsrunningjustright,I domakesuretolookaftermychain. WheneverI’mgivingmycurrentride aproperbath, Imakesuretodouse thechaininsomeofS100’sbrilliant ChainLube.It’ssuperhardwearing, offeringbagsofprotectionandseriously impressive resistancetorain. Iknow somepeoplearen’tfansofthewhite coatingonthechain,but Ireckon it’sgreat, becauseit helpsme workout whereI’ve actually sprayedit–andallows metoassess whetherI needtotop itupafter another monthof general neglect.It’s all Iusenow, whichisjust aboutthe bestpraiseI canoffer.

SWEET SPOT

The‘big’bikesmightgetthe headlines,butthere’s arich poolofsub-1000ccroad-focusedtourerswith asporty bentthatdon’tcosttheearth

Yamaha Tracer 7

GTandCFMoto700

Sporttourers areback. Theywerebig businessright throughthe90s,butthe adventofmile-munchingadventure bikes sawthenfallfrom favouramong the widerbike-buyingpublic.But thetides have been turning(and the definition’s been changing)in the last coupleof years, andnowthere’s agrowing rangeofoptionsifyou like yourrides sporty butstillcomfortable. Theycomeinall sortsofdifferent shapes,sizes,and flavours. Suzuki’s GSX-S1000GToffers that ‘old-school’ sporttourerergonomics; BMW’s M1000XRprovidespropersportbike levelsof performancein along-legged package; Honda’sNT1100brings somethingdifferenttothe table, beingsensible,sortedand supremely practical butwith sedate looksthat don’t work forsome. Butthat’sonly three.There’re plentymorewherethey camefrom –includinga wholehost of

MT

middleweightsthat canbesnapped up for afractionoftheprice.

That’swherethesetwo comein: Yamaha’s Tracer 7GTandCFMoto 700MT. The Tracer’s abig namein this sector,but it’s oftenthebigger 9thatgetsallthelove –whilethe CF’sacomparativelyunknown quantity,newin2023 butwithsome shared components fromits rangeof rideswhichhavemorethanproved themselves overthe past fewyears. Closelymatched in termsof performance,but with awhopping £4000differenceinprice(thoughit’s worthnotingthatthe Yamaha does come withluggageincluded), we thoughtwe’dswipe them forafew days and seehow theycompare on a500-mile jauntthroughthenorth of England, startinginthe Peak Districtand finishing at the topofthe YorkshireDales.

POWEREDBY

CFMOTO 700MT

Abrand-new,big-mile-capableride forsub£6000.What’snottolike?

No matterhow you feel aboutbuying Chinese, you can’tdenythatwith each passingyearthe gaphas been closing(just alittle)onthebikes built by thefavoured Europeanand Japanesefirms. They’re no longerthe cheap, cheerful,andquickly corrodingcopiesthey once were. CFMOTO’s the perfectexampleof

this.It’sbeenknockingout sportbikes, nakedbikesand tourerspowered bya copyofKawasaki’svenerableER6motor for agoodfew years. Thebikes might nothavesetthe worldalight, butthey proved solid, reliableand well-built enough totemptplenty of ridersto make amoveawayfromthebiggerand

moreestablishedbrands.But nowthe growingbrand hasdecidedit’stime to upthe stakes,withanewcropofsmall andmid-capacitymachinesthat take aserious stepforward;they’rebetter looking, better builtandmorerefined. Oneofthe latest bikes to jointhe party isthefirm’s 700MT. Sittingjustbelow

thetrioofrecentlyreleased 800s,it lookslikeaserious propositionif you’re inthe market for along-legged tourer that won’tbreakthe bank.It’sgota bigchallenge onits handsthough.The middleweighttourermarketisa busy place.Mostoftheestablishedbig-name firms have gottheir owntake, though

the MT ispretty closelymatched in terms of performance. I’mnotentirelysureit’salooker–particularly when stoodside-by-side withthe Yamaha,butit’s notugly. Let’s callitpractical andleave it at that.It’s all subjectiveattheendofthe day,and moreimportantly,the buildlookstobe pretty decent–onpar withits similarlypricedEuropeanorJapanesecompetitors (namelySuzuki’sV-Strom650and Kawasaki’s Versys 650).There’slikelyto be afewquestions abouthow it’llholdup overtime,but Iknowa chap who’s been runninga650MTfor afew yearsandit’s lookingremarkablywell. Like anything, it’s all goingtobedowntohow wellthe owner keepson topofthings. There’re afew choicebitsand bobs fittedasstandard.Pirelli rubber(which we swappedoutforsome CSTs), J.Juan brakes(whoareaspin-offofBrembo), andthe suspension even gets abitof adjustability. Compressiondampingup frontandpreloadandrebound at therear. It’s notgroundbreaking,but it’s anice

touch. Asisthe5-inchTFT dashwhich offerssmartphoneconnectivityand apair ofUSB ports. Andthat’s aboutit. The MT’s astripped-backand simple machine, devoidofanyfussy and over-complicated technology.Ilikethat.

It’s pretty comfortable,too,withawellpaddedseatand relativelyroomy upright ridingposition. Maybetherewasn’tquite as much legroomasI’d likefor my 6ft 1inframe –butit’sasmall pay-offfor the easy-to-access820mm seat height whichhelps make the bike suitablefor lotsof riderswhomightstruggle with loftierbikes.And Ididn’t sufferany great discomfort, despiteacoupleoffairly intenselongdaysinthe saddle –including aparticularly miserablemotorwaystint in torrential rain. It doesfeellike abit of alumptomovearound. It might‘only’ weigh218kg, butitfeelslike alotofthat isup topand overthefront. Youdoget used to itthough –and it’s asmall payoffforthe18-litrefueltank.There’sa decentamountofprotection offered by its generouslyproportionedscreen, too,

andtheenginefeelssmooth at motorway speedswithlittlevibration. While we’reonthe subject, that engine is a693ccliquid-cooleddual-overheadcamparallel twinmotor that’s essentiallya reworked and refined versionofCFMOTO’s triedand tested 650ccenginefromthe 650MTandNK.Itmight not be newor cutting-edge, butthatdoesn’t matter,it’ll kick outarespectableenough66bhpat 9000rpmand44lb-ftoftorque at 7250rpm. It’s not arocketship,but itissmoothand slickwithplenty of punchtowhip past fastmovingtraﬃc.Itisveryeasytoride,evenin torrential rainon super-slipperyTarmac.

Stoppingislookedafter by apair of J.Juan two-pistoncaliperswhichgrab300mm discs at thefront, and aJ.Juansingle-piston calipergrabbinga 240mmdiscatthe rear. There’s ABS, too, whichneveronce reared its uglyhead, evenwhen pushingmyluckon some sodden roads.Theywork wellenough, offeringenoughbiteand reasonablefeel, butthey’renotexactlyrevelatory.

The suspension’sall right, too. On the softerendofthe spectrum,particularly

comparedtothe Yamaha,the43mmforks (with rebound dampingadjustment)and simple,but cool-looking, offset monoshock (withpreloadand rebound damping) did arespectable jobofkeeping things comfortableonthe rough roadsofthe Peaksand Dales,whileprovidingjust enough poisetoallowustopress onwhen we were met with someinvitingtwisties. In some ways it handlesthe rough stuff betterthantheTracer,with itsextraweight helpingtoprovidecornering confidence andstability.It’snotquitesoeasytochuck aroundthough…

Oneofthe best things aboutthe700MT, however, istheprice.Itwas onthe market for£6299, butit’srecentlybeendropped to aseriously tempting£5699. Whatever wayyou look at it,that’sa lotofbikefor yourmoney–andthereare fewbrandnewbikesthat canofferasmuchbangfor yourbuckasthe MT.TheSuzukiV-Strom 650probably comes closest, butat£8399 there’sstill agulf betweenthem.Andthink ofallthetrips you could payfor withthat two-and-a-halfgrand.

ANDY’SOPINION

Afterspendingthelargestpartofthe first daygettingtoknowthe Yamaha,the firsttime Iswungmyleg overtheCFMoto Ihavetoadmit Iwasn’tfeelingthelove.The weightfelt significantlyhigher,makingthe wholebikefeelsomuchheavier,and Iwas longingtoget backtothe Tracer.But Istayedput,andtobehonest, Iwaspleased Idid. To be fair,this machinestoppedandcorneredaboutonpar withthe Tracer –anditactuallyfelt abit morestableinthehigherspeedcornersduetoitcarrying abitmoreofits weight over thefront.Thisbecamemoreapparent withtheheavyrain we encounteredondaytwo,as Ihadmoreconfidence withthefrontend. Iwouldhavepreferred abitmoreinthewayof styling,butasthisbikedoescomewith asignificantlylowerpricetagthanthealready lowoneofthe Tracer,it’salotofbikeforthemoney.

YAMAHA TRACER700GT

Reﬁned,well-roundedand rewardingto ridehard,the Tracer’shardtofault

Yamaha’s Tracer rangehas been abig success forthe Japanesefirm.Builtfromthe bones ofthe ever-popular MT naked, boththe9 and 7havesold well enough to become an importantpartoftheline-up –and hasfound favour withplenty of riderswho reckon itoffersanear-perfectbalanceof sporty performanceandall-day comfort.

I’ve not spentasmuchtimeonthemasI probably should have,though Iwasonthe launchoftheTracer 7backin2020. Ihada glorioustime,carvingupsomeofthefinest

roads Tenerife hadtoofferandquicklyfalling fortheplucky ‘little’tourerthat punches well aboveits weight.Iwas lookingforward to gettingmyhands onone again;andthistime it’d be the GT withitscomfier seat,bigger touringscreenandcolour-matched panniers. It’s been nipped,tucked, and tweakedabit over the past few years, following inthefootsteps ofits sportier sibling. The bigchangesarethe slightlylargerbrakediscsand revised fork settings,butthere’salsoanew5-inchcolour TFTdashwhichoffersBluetoothsmartphone

connectivityvia the Yamaha MyRide app. Iwas curioustosee ifit wasasgoodasI remembered, butfirstI’d have to prisethe keys outofAndy’shands.Hewas properly lovingit. Andthat’s quitethecompliment. Andy’snever ridden asport-tourerbefore, insteadspendingmostofhis ridinglife hooningaround onproperdedicated sportbikes,includingplenty ofon-track action.Ifhe wasgettingakickout ofthe Tracer 7GT, then Iwascertain Iwould. It might‘only’bea 700, butthesmallestof

theTracerscan go.The689ccCP2motoris genuinelyfantastic;smoothandprogressive butalwayslively, rightthroughthe revrange. There’s plenty of punchtosweep past traﬃc with ease;enoughgrunttoacceleratehard outofcorners; andit’ll potter throughtraﬃc in town withouttrouble.Itkicks out72bhp at 8750rpmand49lb-ftof torque at 6500rpm –andnotoncedid Ineedmore. Changing throughthe boxwas adoddle,too,being reassuringly slick, even when slammingmy waydownandbrakingintosharpcorners. It

feelsfarnimblerthantheCFMoto;quickto turnand easy to throw around. It’s farmorefun to rideas aresult, whichmeant Ioccasionally gotabit carriedawayand rode harderand harder.Ifoundittakes quiteabitof restraint not to ridelikeahooliganonthisthing.

IreckononeoftheTracer’s best attributes isitsrelativesimplicity (same goesforthe CFactually).Thereare no ridermodes to flickbetween(thoughyou canchangethe screen setupfor some reason),and there’s notractioncontrol,cruisecontrol,wheelie control,electronic suspension,or clever corneringABS either.You getconventional

ABSandthat’s your lot.It’sallthe betterforit, in my opinion –justyou andthebikedoing yourthing.

Thebrakesperformwell. Much sharper thantheCFMoto, theypulledmeupwith notrouble andnointerferencefromthe ABS –andthere’senoughfeel to lightly brake whenthe pace picks up to tighten your turns andkeepthingsstable. The suspension’sgood, too. In the wider world, it’s afairlybasicsetup –but againstthe MT, itfeels much morerefined. Therewas no seriouspitch anddiveunsettlingthebike under hard brakingandacceleration,and

onlyoverthe roughestterrain did Ifeelthe road rumblingbeneathme. While we’reonthe subject, Ididn’tfindit quiteascomfortableastheCFMoto. Withits 835mm seat,the ridingposition’sspacious enoughand worked reasonably wellfor my 6ft1in frame,but onlyforshorterstints. It’s atouch sportierthantheCFMotoand thosehigher pegsmeantmylegsfelt alittle cramped;after acoupleofhoursonthe road, Iwas readyfor astretch.It’sa small thing, and itmightworkfor you. The comfortseat’sgreat though –asisthebigscreenthatoffersbags ofprotection (evenifitdoesrattle abitwhen

you pickupthe paceonthemotorway). Iwas properly impressedwith theTracer 7GT. It’s actuallybetterthanIremember–whichisquitesomethingbecause Ireally likeditinthefirst place.It’sremarkablywell puttogether,and everynut,boltand weld are immaculate. It’s versatile,too.It’ll sitonthe motorwayall-day long;it’llbimblearound town;andit’ll seriously hustlewhen youwant it to.Thebad bits? It’s genuinelyveryhardto find any. Maybetheprice? It’s just shyof10 grand,whichisanawfullotmorethanthe 700MT, butthen again, you cansee and feel thedifference everysingle pennymakes.

ANDY’SOPINION

Iwaskeentobagthefirststintofthetestonthe Tracer,mostlybecauseitlookedthe best.Firstimpressionswerenotdisappointing. Ifoundit easyto climbaboardwith thepannierswelloutoftheway.The Tracerisonthesmaller sideofthe spectrum for abikeofthiskind,andit carrieditsweightlowdownwhichI foundbeneficialin thebends.With averylight clutch makingitincredibly easy to setoff each timewe stopped, Ireckonthiswouldbe agreatoptionforsomeonegettingintotouringbikes. Thepanniersdeserve some praiseforkeeping outthetorrentialrainandgettingmykit homedry. Niggles?Thescreendidhaveabitof ashakeat motorwayspeeds,andthe lackofcruisecontrolandheadedgripswouldbeanissueif Iweretobuyone.

32 HEAD-TO-HEAD

It’s easy to getcarried away chasingmore powerandbigccs,but ourtwo-day,500-mile blastup, down andacross thenorthproved that you don’tneed a‘big’ biketohavea ball. Ridersdoseemtobecatchingonto that –afterall,themiddleweight adventure bikesector’sbuoyant –but strangelyenough, similarly-powered sporttourers don’t seem to begettingthe sameamountoflove. Yet. Theyshouldthough.The truthisthatmost ofus won’t ever getclose to exploitingthefull

THETYRES

We fitted asetofCSTRideMigra rubberinplaceofthestandard Pirellis. Youmight bedubiousabout fitting asetofless-knowntyresto yourride,butwethoughtthey fitted inwellwiththebudget-friendly natureofthistest.They’redescribed as a‘high-speedsporttouringtyre’ thatarefocusedonofferingtop stabilityforlongjourneysinboth thewetanddry.Andthat’s exactly whattheydid.Asalways,ittooka littlebitoftimetogetinthegroove and reallyfeelconfidentintheturns –butbytheendofthetwo-daytrip Iwasseriouslyimpressedwithhow welltheyperformed,particularly whenyoucangetyourhandsona setforaround£170.That’s seriously goodvalue.

potentialofa1000cc,150bhprideonthe road. Youcouldarguethat the pure size ofthethings makesthem suitablefor two-uptravel –but ifyou’reonlyevergoing to be ridingsolo, it’s hard to seeany real advantage.This pairof 700s hadmorethanenoughpresence to cruise comfortablyonthemotorway,andenough oomphtoputbroadsmilesonourfaceswhen we couldopenthemupand geta lickon. Whichone’s for you? It depends.Howmuch cash have yougot to spend? Howeasyisit

to gettoadealer? What sort of ridingdoyou actuallywanttodo? With such avastpricedifference,it’s not reallyfair to draw directcomparisons betweenthe twoofthem.Butultimately, theyboth happilyswallowedupexactly the samemiles,atexactlythe same pace, inexactlythe samegraduallyworsening conditions.IreckontheCFMoto700MT shouldhold its headhighforholdingits own so well. It mightnot be as refined, rewarding

to ride,ordesirable to ownasthe Yamaha, butthere’snodoubtit’s averycompetent tourerthat’d be anexcellentchoicefor many amile-munchingrider.Itdidn’t have an easy jobonits handseither because theTracer 7GT’sprobablythe benchmark inthis category.It’sabrilliantbikethat managestobundlealloftheplayfulness and poiseofits sleekerMT-07 siblinginto alonger-legged,comfort-focusedpackage. I’mabig, bigfan.

Wanttoseeusandthe bikesinaction?We’ve gotyoucoveredwith avideoofourtripthat’s liveontheMoreBikes YouTube channeland Facebook now. Have asearchonyour favouritesearchengineandyou’ll findus–oralternatively,scan theQRcodeandtapon thevideo.

SAY NO TO QUEUES

EASYDOES IT

Slowridingis askillallitsown.It’sone of thosethingsthatlooks reallyeasy butcatchesmanyridersoutasit’snot somethingpeople oftenpractice. We spoketoEnhancedRiderScheme(ERS)trainerIanBurchellfrom Phoenix Motorcycle Trainingto ﬁndouthowtohoneour slow-speed riding technique, andwhat to watchout forintheprocess

Itmightnotbethesexiestthingyou candoon amotorcycle,butbeing abletorideconfidentlyatslow speedscomesinveryhandywhen ridinginslow-movingtraffic, filtering, ornegotiatingjunctions.

Beinggoodatslowridingisnot somethingmostpeopleare naturally goodat.Evenadvancedridersoften strugglewithslow-speedriding.Not manywanttoadmitit, butit’saskill thatmanylack.Andthat’s whyit’sso importanttopracticeslowriding.

Onethingtorememberwhenyou practiceslowriding:Don’t be ahero. Youdon’tneedto tryand balance thebikelike atrials rider, without puttingyourfootdown. Alittledab ofyourfoottothegroundtokeep thingssmoothisabsolutely fine.This isnot atest, andafooton the floor isbetterthan abikeonthe floor.But with abitofpractice,youwon’teven needthatdab.

Justbecauseyouareridingslowly, it’snotwithoutdanger, andyou shouldalwayslookaroundyou fortraffic andhazards. Watching thetrafficahead,behindandat yoursides is vital,asslow-moving vehiclesaroundcansuddenly accelerate andchangeposition withoutwarning.Scanyour surroundingssoyou knowwhat hazardsyouneedtodealwith.

Payingattentiontothe roadsurface isimportant,too.Adversecamber or abroken,uneven, or slippery roadsurfacecanbe aproblem whenyouare travellingveryslowly. Imperfectionsthatyouwouldjust glide overathigherspeedsmay seemmore problematicwhenriding slowly,andifyouneedtostopand putyourfoot down,youwantto knowthatyoucandothatsafely.

Just likewhenridingathigher speeds,it’simportanttolookwhere youwantto go, andnotconcentrate onthe obstaclesyouwanttoavoid. Thismayseemlessimportantat slowspeeds,butitstillmakes abig difference.

Thetechnique of slow-speedriding isallaboutthecoordinateduse of controls:thethrottle,clutchand rear brake. Theyareyourfriendswhen slowriding.Sometimesyoucan getawaywithridingslowjust on tick-overwithoutworryingaboutthe controls,butthesloweryouwantto go,themoreimportantitbecomes tohavegood controlof everything. Whileyouhavethethrottlegently on, slippingtheclutchandapplyinga lightandconsistent rearbrakemakes thebikemorestableandeasierto handleatslowspeeds.Remember thatyouneedtoupthe revsslightly asyoupulltheclutchinandapply

PARTFIVE: Howtomaster slowcontrol

the rearbrake –you willfeelwhen youhitthesweetspotasthebike movesforwardsteadilyandfeels stable. Therevsmaysound abit high,butyouneedthatsoyoudon’t stall,andthespinningpartsinthe engineaddtothe gyroscopicforces helpingyoutostayupright.There’s noneedtotouchthefront brake,it’s abitsharpforslow-speedcontrol, andyouhavethebrakescovered withthe rearone.Ifyourbikeis fitted with linkedbrakes,beawarethat usingthe rearbrakemayalsoapply thefrontbrake. Thisisnot aproblem, but itmakesthebikehandle abit differently,andyouneedtoknowto expectthat.

Goingslowin astraightlineis onething,butifyouhavetomake atightturn,suchas aU-turn,or negotiatesmallspaces,you’llneed tobemoreconscious of stopping thebikefalling over. Movingyour bodyslightlymayhelp alittle,but thisdependsonyourweight,and theweightandshapeofthebike.As ageneralrule,movingslightlytothe outsideoftheturningarccanhelp balancethebike.

Gettingslowridingrightwilltake sometime,butifyoupersistwith it,youwillsoon gainskillsand confidence.Beforeyou knowit,itwill becomesecondnature.

the rear brake – you will feel when

How to get better quick?

Unfortunately,thereare noshortcutstobecoming anadvancedrider;itwilltaketimeandpractice. However,youcanmaketheprocessmuch quickerandeasierbysigninguptodoatraining dayliketheone-dayEnhancedRider Scheme (ERS)with aqualifiedandDVSAapprovedtrainer.

Where toget the skills?

PhoenixMotorcycle TrainingistheUK’slargest motorcycletrainingorganisation,withERS coursesavailableatseverallocations. To findyour nearestlocation,visitphoenixmotorcycletraining. co.ukorcall 0330 2234000.

Fancyhoningyouradventureridingskillsinthestunningsurrounds of ExmoorNationalPark?TheHondaAdventure Centre’sgotyoucovered

Foundedbythree-time World MotocrossChampionDave Thorpe,the HondaAdventure Centre’searned an enviable reputationforitsone-andtwodaytoursandcoursesthattake insomeofthebest adventurefriendlytrails andfinest roadsin thesouthwest.Withanexpansive ﬂeetofHondasonhand,including bothmanual andDCTAfrica Twinsand Transalps,anarray ofCRF300Ls,and ahandfulof CL500s,there’ssomethingfor everyoneto enjoy.

We headeddowntospendthe daythrowingaround aCRF1100L Africa Twinwiththemainman himself,whoshowedushow thingsaredoneandofferedsome wordsofwisdomandinvaluable ridingadviceinhisownchilledoutstyle.

Adventurebikingis bigbusiness. EversinceEwanMcGregorand CharleyBoormancrossedthe globeontheir pairofBMWGSs, long-legged,off-roadcapable monstershavesatrightnearthe topofthesalescharts. Spendtimeononeandit’seasy toseewhy:they’recomfortable, capable,and remarkablyversatile. Inthehandsoftherightrider, they’recapableoftraversing someseriouslytrickyterrain –but the realityisthatmostadventure bikesdon’tgetsomuchasa sniffofthedirtin their day-to-day lives.Thatshouldcomeasno greatsurprise…thethoughtof takingyourlong-legged,200kg, £15,000-plusadventurebikeout onthetrailsandriskingdropping itis adauntingprospect. Thankfully,up,downandacross theUK(andbeyond),there’s araftofschools, centresand experiencesthat’llhelptoequip youwithallthenecessaryskills tonegotiatetrailson thebiggest, baddestadventurebikesonthe market. Ahostof firms have their ownsetup –but ifyou’vegota

penchantforHondas,there’sonly oneplaceforyoutogo…The HondaAdventureCentre.

It’sbeengoingsince2015, followingthesuccessoftheDave ThorpeHondaOff-RoadCentre whichwasfoundedin2013. Yep. DaveThorpe.Thethree-time World MXChampion(who’sactuallythe lastBritishbloketohavewonthe crown).He’saproperlycoolguy; remarkablydownto earth despite hislegendarystatusintheoff-road world.ButDave’sjustoneman–andthere’sabigteambehindthe successofthecentre.Chancesare youwon’tberidingwiththeman himself,but restassuredyou’ll begettingsometoptuitionfrom oneofthenumerousexperienced ridersandcoaches.There’sa bunchofdifferentbikestochoose from,too.TheHondaAfrica Twin mightbethemostobvious choice, butthere’reTransalps,CRF300Ls andCL500stobelt abouton.

I’m abigfanof theAfrica Twin, soformybriefblastabout with Mr.Thorpe,therewas onlyone bikethatwasgoingtocutit.I’ve riddenit alot;putting thefirst of thenewgenerationmachines throughitspacesalongside the‘old’CRF250L,takingone uptoScotlandalongsidea DucatiMultistrada1260Enduro; spending aseriouslyspecial coupleofdaysridingboth the AdventureSportandstandard modelonthe roadsandtrails ofSardinia;andmost recently, puttingthe revised,smallerwheelAdventureSportsvariant tothetestout on thelaunch inPortugal.Otherbikesmight gettheheadlines,but Honda’s ﬂagshipadventurebikeworksfor me. Idomuchprefer amanual model,though. WhileI’vedone abitof trailridingonanAfrica Twin, you’renot expectedtobean experiencedadventurerider.The centre catersforall. TheOneDay

EXMOOR EXPLORER

Touris afairlybeginner-friendly experience,whiletheslightly more hardcore TwoDay Tourwill seeyousplitoffaccordingtoyour abilitytomakesureeveryonegets themost outoftheday/s.Level Oneisforriderswho’venever donethiskind of thingbefore; Level Twoisfor roadriderswith somepriorADVexperience;and thenthere’sLevel Threewhich is amoreadvancedcoursefor punterswho’vealreadyproved themselvesanddonetheLevel Two.Makesense?

Mydaywasmore of ataster session;justmyselfandthe esteemedMr.Thorpe outfora blast on thelocallanestoshoot somevideoandhave abitof fun. We endedupstickingfairlyclose tothecentreratherthancovering bigmilesacrossExmoor,but Istill had abrillianttime.Anditproved howmuch great ridingthereisin thisneck of thewoods –because ifwecouldmanageto getstuck intosuchvariedterrainjusta stone’sthrowfromthefully-kitted HondaAdventureCentreHQ,then Icanonlybegintoimagineallthe greatstuffyou’dencounterifyou werecoveringproper distances acrosstheNationalPark.

Ihad abrilliantday.Dave impartedsomegentlewordsof wisdom,cementingthebasics andhelpingtohonemyadventure bikeridingskills.Itwasthe perfecttastersessiontowhetmy appetiteandmakemewantto book inforthefullTwoDayTour asquicklyaspossible.

Nomatterwhetheryou’rea completenoviceandyou’dlike tolearnhowtoride abig bike properlyinthedirt,oryou’vedone yourfairshareandwanttobe shownaroundsomespectacular roadsandtrails,theHonda AdventureCentreiswellworth thetrip.Have aganderand get bookedin, Iguaranteeyouwon’t bedisappointed.

WORDS: RossMowbray/ PHOTOS: Gary Chapman

THEOPTIONS

ONE DAYEXMOORTOUR

£299withbike,kitandlunch

A130-mileblastacrosstheExmoor NationalParktothecoast. You’llbe spendingmostofthedayonthe road, fromfast,sweepingtwistiestotight, nadgerytree-linedlanes –buttherewillbe afewmildgreenlanesthrowninforgood measure.

TWO DAYEXMOORTOUR

£499withbike,kitandlunch

Thisone’sabitmoreintensive. Aimedatboth noviceandexperienced adventureriders,you’llbesplitoffinto anappropriategroupbasedonyour skilllevelandthenwillbeofferedsome toptuitiontobringonyourridingwhile exploringExmoor’sfinest trailsand Tarmac.

DAVETHORPEHONDAOFF-ROAD CENTRE

Ifyoufancygettingstuckintosome evenmoreaggressiveoff-roadaction onsomethingalittlelighterweightand more‘aggressive’,youcaneitheroptfor anEnduroDay(on aHondaCRF250RX, CRF300LorCRF125F) or aMotocross Day(on aCRF250RX).

Formoreinformation,visit: www.davethorpehonda.com

THEBIKES

Thereisplentyofchoicewhentocomes tobikestoride,dependingonyourskill level,size,orpersonalpreference.The HondaCRF1100Africa Twin’sthebike thatmostwanttoride(availableinboth ManualandDCTtrim),butthere’salsoa healthymixofsupremelycapableXL750 Transalps,easy-goingCRF300Ls,and retro-styledCL500s.Andthey’reallkitted outwithDunlop’sbrilliantTrail MaxRaid rubber.They’retheperfecttyreforthis kindofjob –surprisinglydeftonthe road butwithenoughmeatontheirbonesto makelightworkofchallengingoff-road sections.

Plentyofpuntersactuallyalreadyown oneofthembutwantthechanceto throwsomeoneelse’sbikearoundonthe lanesinsteadoftheirownand,inturn,a goodchunk ofvisitorsarethinkingabout snapping up oneoftheabove,andwant thechancetotakeonefor apropertest ridebeforesplashingthecash.Whatever thescoreis,you’respoiltforchoiceifoffroadfocusedHondasareyourbag. And you’llbegiventhechoicewhenyougo throughtheonlinebookingform.Easy.

RIGHTON TRACK

The finefolksatBeeline havejustlauncheda newversionofitscompactsatnavdevice

We’rebigfansofBeeline.TheLondon-basedtechnologyfirmwonusover with itsoriginal super-simple and seriously cleverMoto satnav,which strippedawayallthefaff andprovidedclear, concisedirectionsviaitsstylish retro-clock-likeunitandaccompanying smartphoneapp. Itfoundfavourwithplentyofotherbikers,too;easytofit,easyto use, andeasyto read,therewasn’talotto fault.However,notcontentto rest onitslaurels, Beeline’sbeen hardat workdevelopinganevenmoresophisticatedversionofitsflagshipmodel-takingallthestuffit’slearnttocreatethenew,aptlytitled Moto II.

DESIGN

Itmightlookpretty much thesamefromafar,butthe screenarea’sactuallydouble thesize,anditgets alittlebit ofcolour,too,tohelpmakeit eveneasiertoseewhere you’re going.It’salsotweakedthe buttons,makingthemsimplerto operatewithglovedhands.It’s reassuringly sturdy, too,withits IP67ratinggivingconfidencethat it’lltake aproperbeatingfrom theworstridingconditionsyou’re everlikelytocomeacross.

DIRECTIONS

Oneofthebiggestchangesis thatthere’smorechoiceforhow youwantyourmaps displayed. Youcanstilloptforthesimple compass-stylearrowsetup, whichsimplypointsyouinthe generaldirectionyouneed to be headingandallowsfor arelaxed

approachtogettingtoyour destination.Butthere’snow the optiontodisplaythe road,your nextturn,andthespeedlimit, too.Itmightsoundlikethat’s alottopackontoitsdiddy screen,butit’s welllaid outand remainscleanandclutterfree.

MAPPING

Beelinehasspent alotoftime workingonthemapand route sideofthings.Asbefore,it’sall takencareofusingthepartnering Beelinesmartphoneapp.It’s veryeasytoplan aridenomatter whereyouareintheworld. Type inyourdestination, addsome waypoints(andshufflethem roundasyouseefit). You’vethen gotthechoiceoftwodifferent typesofroute:FunorFast, dependingonhowquicklyyou wanttogetwhereyou’regoing orifyouwanttohave alonger,

betterblast.Ifyou’veuseda satnavdevicefrom TomTomor Garmin,you’llbeusedtothiskind ofthing,butit’saworthyaddition. Effort’salsobeenmadetomake iteasytoimporta GPXfilefrom anotherplatformorprovider.Oh, andtheappwillalso recorda bunchofdataaboutyourride, includingthe routetravelled (whichyoucanthensaveifyou wanttorideitagain),andsome distance,speed,andtimestats.

MOUNTING

Justlikebefore,it’schild’splayto getit fittedtoyourbike.Itcomes with auniversalelasticstrap mountasstandard,whichisa surprisinglyclever andversatile solutionwhichmakesit easy enoughtowhipthedeviceon andoffyourbikewhenneeded. Thereare acoupleofadditional optionsthough,ifyou’re after

somethingmorepermanent. TheMotoIIBarClampMount is asimple,sleekmetalnumber which fixestoyourbike’sbars. It’llsetyoubackanother£29.99. Andthenthere’stheMoto II PoweredMountInsertwhich’ll setyouback£49.99butwill allowyoutokeep yourBeeline toppedupwithjuiceconstantly viayourbike’sbattery.

CHARGE

TheMotoII hasahealthybattery lifethat’llkeepthegoodtimes goingforlongerthanmostfolks’ averageridingday.We’retalking 14hoursbetweenchargesin Auto,andcloserto ninehours ifyoupushthebrightnessto full. That’sprettygood.Beeline also reckonit’llhappilysiton standbyfor acoupleofmonths ifyou’re not usingit.Formore ridersthere’sgoingtobe no

needtowireitintoyourbike–justplugtheincludedcapable intoitsUSB-Cporteverycouple ofdaysandyou’llberight.

WANTONE?

Youcan’tquitegetyourhandson theMotoIIjustyet.It’scurrently availableforpreorderandis expectedtobe firedouttothe first batchofcustomersinlateAugust, soifyou’rekeen,atleastyou won’thavetowaittoolong.The Blackone’spricedat£179.99, whilethe pairofmetalonescome inat£199.99.It’salsoworth notingthatthestandardMotois stillavailable –andBeelinehas promisedtokeepupdatingwell intothefuture.Goodtohear.

Ifyouwanttosnagyourselfone ofthe first,oryouwanttoknow evenmoreaboutthebrilliantlittle device,visit:www.beeline.co

Electrics putthefearinto many oldbikeenthusiastswho would be otherwise happyfixing complex partslikeengines.Unnamed wiresgointounnamedblack boxes. But, as Mike from Abel Motorworks showsus,there’sno need to feel likethataboutthe wiring systemof yourbike.

British singlesand twins have almost no wiring –justa lightingcircuitand thechargingsystem. Laterbikes mayhave analternatorand regulator/rectifier,orevenelectronic ignition asanafter-fit,butitis still just afew wires, andit’s often easy to spotorfindproblems.

The laterthebikeyou’relooking at,themore complexthe wiring loom will be.Numerousunnamedblack boxeshide undertheseatorshelterinsidetheframe,and sensorsand other gubbinsall have theirplacein aloom, making this collectionof wiresathickbundle just waitingfortrouble.

Imported or reimported bikesalsocan be anissue. Some may need wiring alteringtoaddortake away differentswitches or indicatorsfromtheoriginalmarket, andmanybikesfromhotter climates will have wiring thathasbeentoasted intheheat, making itbrittleand very unreliable.

Basics

Thebikes we commonlydealwithare6-voltor12-volt DC (directcurrent)systems.Exceptalternators, whichcreateAC (alternatingcurrent),whichisconverted to DC by arectifier.The three mostcommon wordsusedtodescribeelectricityare volts, amps,and watts. Very loosely, to getanimage in yourhead, imagineitas arunningtrack:voltageishow fastthe poweris; ampsarehow bigthe poweris; andwattsiswhathappensif you runintoawall –acombinationof both! So,highvoltage andlow amps,say 12 voltsand.5amps,you’retalland skinny, so not goingtosmashthe wall –there’snopower.Butif you’re6 volts and18amps, you’re shortandfat, so you’llsmash throughthe wall –you have power!Other people think of it as waterflowing.

Differentlycoloured wiresare purely thereto make yourlife easier –soget awiringdiagram for yourbike, yourmodel,and your yearof manufacture. Oh,and,ofcourse, different makesuse differentcoloursfordifferent purposes!

Some wiresare thickerthanothers. Wirestend to comein0.5mm,1mmor2.5mmthickness, butare moreoften referredtointhecontinuousflowofampsitcan safelycarry without gettinghot,commonly11,16or25amps. So,forexample,thin,11-ampwirewould be used forsensors, LEDindicatorsordashboards,whileanH4 halogenheadlight bulbneeds16or25-ampwires to deal withthe50 wattsneeded to powerit, and chargingsystems wouldbe best alwayswith25 amp.

Warning:Things cangowrong if youmakeamistake with wiring. Youdoneedtoget afairidea ofwhat you’redoinghere beforeyou starttinkeringorget aknowledgeable friend –you’ll pick it up quicklythen. Butshould youwireabikefor asingle headlight, butthendecidetouse twinheadlights,you may overheat the wiring, andthat could causefire –noone wants that. Ifindoubt,over-spec your wire thickness; allit willdois add asmallamountofweight. Or geta professional to dothe job..

Yougottrouble

Checkyourbattery is okay,yourswitches areworking,and anyfusesareintact.Check with abasic multimeterthat you have powerwhereyou need –followthe path powershouldbe taking. Themoreyou narrow the problemarea,the easieritis to findthe culprit.

Battery terminalsare often guilty,and the more electronically-controlledyourbikeis(i.e., modern),themore sensitiveitwill be to voltage.Clean upthoseterminals.Now checkearths.Differentmanufacturerswireindifferent ways. Mike tellsusthat Hondahas allthe earthwirescome together in aplastic sheathand so asmall problemofcorrosioncould affect many parts. Ducati hasthem allmeetatthe battery terminal. Somebikesnowhavepartslike speedosor crank sensorsthat aresosensitive theycannotbegroundtoearth; theyhavetoearth throughthe ECU, thebike’sbrain.But cleaningupterminals and strippingwirebackuntil you find anarea thathasn’t gonegreenand replacingisneeded sometimes.Ifyourearth isn’t good,thecircuit cannotwork properly.

Likewise,wires getold, theygetbrittle,and theybreak,so lookfor anywiresthathave beenmovedrecently, newparts fitted,or wiring routed adifferentway.Ifindoubt,get your multimeterand setittomeasure resistancealongthe suspect runofwire. Anopencircuit –a broken wire –willreadzero ohms(measurement of resistance). Plugs andconnectorsarea constant sourceofproblems butsquirtingthem withWD40or similar isn’ttheanswer– it doesn’thelponceits washedaway or evaporates.Physicallycleaningthepinsand sockets is the onlyway.

Theinternetisoftennotthe answer. Just becauseone manin Arizonasays, ‘All regulator/rectifierswillbreak’doesn’tmean it’s true.Follow the pathofthe currentmethodically, checkthe connectors, lookforbroken wires, andcheck resistance.

Trouble alwayslooming

You’refed up withconstantgremlins.Thereisasolution: you could make yourown,brand-newloom.Afterall, we replace mostpartsafter acertaintime,why not wiring?Let’s takemy trusty 1978 BMWR100,as it is closetothe basiclayout, buthas electric start, switchgearand amodern(forthetime) dash. “Seventy percentofmakingyourown loom is planning,”says Mike.So, hefirst makesalistofwhat thebikehas.Ignition, charging, lighting, add-ons,sensors, and so on.Then, amap is madeof wherethe partsare. Now,thisisthetimewhen you could make changes. Forexample,doyou want to change from twin, largeignitioncoils to amodern,small twin-outletcoil, savingspaceand weight?Perhaps youare fittingelectronic ignition,or LEDlights; maybethe batterycould be in abetter place,oryou areupgrading the chargingsystem. Make those decisionsnow, so youknowwhereeverythingwill be located.

With yourmap,you cannow layout aroughplan, including whereany connectorswill be (theyneed to be in anon-stress area,preferably not bent);allthe joins inone sectionfor longevity;ironingoutproblems;looking at the routing;and seeingifyou aredoubling upanywhere.

Mike uses rock-climbing wire, ageniusidea, which hethen sheaths to help gettheshapeanddistanceof wires. Afterthat,itisacaseofadjustment: wheretoholdtheloom

Backto Basics

Motorcycleelectrics: Wiringlooms

OurpalsatClassicBikeGuideare adab hand at bringingold bikes backtolife –butthey’ve beenknowntocomeunstuckwhen met with amassofwires. To findsome sense inthechaos, they’ve joinedforceswithAbelMotorworksto demystifywiringlooms. Here’swhatyouneedtoknow.

safelytothe frame,andfutureproofingsothatifa part hastobe removed,it canwith little work.

Once happywiththe plan, Mike mimicshis rope loom, checking withthe wiring diagramandthebikeitself.Building aloomonthe benchismucheasierthanonthebike, allowing for betterconnections,makingsurethecorrectthicknesswireis used,easiercrimping, andlesserror.

Thereare severaldifferenttypesofconnector,dependingon useorcost. Thereare alsomanydifferenttypesofsheathing, for looksorforhigh-wearing areas. Butitispossibletomakeyour own,brand-newloomfor yourbike.

Starterkit

Mike loveselectricsas much asmotorbikes.Hehasa drawing of aTesla coil(lookitup –the worldwas torn betweenEddisonand Tesla–fascinating)inthe workshop andusedtocommuteonanelectricbikehebuilthimself. -Morerecentlyhehascomeacrossthegrowingneed for peoplewho want to make anewloom fortheirbike, butwho don’t want the costofbuyingreelsof wire and hundredsof connectorstheymay notneed.So, he hasnow startedoffering astarterkit,whichisbecomingverypopular.Thebasic kit includes:54metresof wire in21differentcolours; 17connections;three fuses;loomtape;crimpterminals; heat shrink;and ageneric wiring diagram. He’s boughtother kitsand made sure his wire andcomponents arethe best quality fortheprice.But the real beauty is youcanthen addtothosebasics to tailorit to yourbike, by changing connectorsforhigher-qualityDeutsch ones,orhigher-rated cable,relays, fuseboxes... infact,anythingyou need to build yourbike’sperfect wiring loom.Prices startat£99,and Mike isonlytoo happytoadvise. Andifthat doesn’t soundlikefun, youcan have aloombuilt for you,too.

Joiningwires

Ideally,neversolder awirejoinin aloom. Solderis hard and canfractureeasily, creatingafailurepoint. Mike suggests crimpingwithacrimpingopenbarrelterminal, effectivelya singleconnectorin ablock connector.Hondausesthese. Thisis thenheat-shrinked,but care is takenwhen planning to have this in astraightrunoftheloom.

DIDYOUKNOW?

Pointsarewidelypreferredtoelectronicignition onolder bikesbecausetheycanrunwith alowervoltage,aslowas 7/8 volts,throughthechargingsystemfailingorlightshaving beenleft on, whereaselectronicignitionneedsatleast 11.5 volts(on a12-volt system).Butpointsarelessefficient,so usemorepower,whiletheelectronicsystemusesverylittle –truthis,youwouldprobablygetaboutthesamedistance homeonboth!

And6-voltsystemsuse alotmore ampsthan12-voltbikes, meaningthewireneedstobelarger.Convertingto 12 volts useslessampsandallowsbrighterlightbulbs.

WORDS: Matt Hull /PHOTOS: Achmad Wahyudi

SPECIALIST SPOTLIGHT

You’reouton arideorpullupat abikemeet, andseea bikewithanamazing,one-offpaintjob. Or you see ahelmet,maybe the samemodelasyours,butwith adesignyou’veneverseenbefore.Wheredotheseamazingdesigns comefrom?

Andhowdoyougetoneofyourown? SayhellotoImage DesignCustom

WORDS: BobPickett/ PHOTOS: ImageDesignCustomandBobPickett

TomFullerand SteveRokehad been workingtogetherfor acoupleof yearsatacustompaintshop, butin 2007theydecidedtobranchouton their ownand ImageDesignCustom wasborn.Things startedhappening quickly. Just over ayearfromstarting, SykesHarley-Davidson beganusing IDCtocreatepaintworkfor their custom builds.IDC alsoreached the attentionofcelebritycustomers. Artist SirGrayson Perrycommissionedthe first paintjob (offourtodate)fora bikedesignedforhimbyBattastinis.

IDChas wonanumberof awards, includingthe Harley-Davidson‘King of Kings’ competitionandthe World Championship at Sturgiswith its design on Sykes’ ‘StrikeTrueII.’ IDCcontinues to be commissioned by both custom buildersand celebrities.Amongstthe clientbase areHarley-Davidson Europe and Travis Pastrana’s NitroCircusTour.

SykesHarley-Davidson hadIDC create acustomdesignfor six-times BSBchampionShane Byrne,andIDC alsoproducedaMcLaren paintjobon behalfof WarrsforF1 champion Jenson Button. World-famousbikebuilders Roland Sandsalsoapproached IDCfor aspecial schemeon aBMW RnineTfor JayLeno’s Garage. IDChas along-standingrelationship withTriumph,who hadthecompany create paintjobsforGreenDay and the Harley (appropriately)Quinn movie BirdsofPrey.AraiUK came to IDCtocreateastunningSuperman designfor(then)actual Superman, HenryCavill. And it isn’tjustbikes andhelmets!IDCfamously painted prostheticlegsfor ParalympianJody Cundyandcomedian (and LastLeg host) Adam Hills!

Since startingout17 yearsago,the teamhastripledinsizeandcollectively hasover150 yearsofcustomdesign

and paintworkexperience.Five yearsago IDCmoved into larger, bespokepremisesin Camberley, Surrey,offering afull rangeofservices includingairbrushing; custom paint design;fabricationand restoration; finishing; graphicdesign;and special painteffects.

To seehow IDCoperate,Irodeover to the Camberleybasetosee theshiny

newadditionalworkshop andtalk through my designwith the team. Dedicated to helmet paintand design,the workshop is sitedinthe newpremises recentlytaken over by IDC. Sammythedesigner hasa station just insidethedoor,which allowsthe clienttosit down withhim andviewthedesignson screen and discuss anyamendments.

Next to thisis aseatingareawhere visitorscan grab acup ofcoffeewhilst theysit back and watch adesignbeing broughttolife.Theexpansiongivesthe teammorespace to work,allowsthe customer to seethedesignevolve, and watch ahelmet beingpainted,leaving themotorcycleandbicycle workshop plenty of spaceinthe original building whichcontinues withproduction.

BRINGINGMYDESIGN TOLIFE

CustomPaintedHelmet £1200 +VAT

Long-termreadersmay recall whennot ridingbikes Isupport Dagenham &Redbridge.A couple of seasons agotheyhad ashirtthat wasmostunusual. Startinginblue onone side,ithad athin redstripe that, as you movedacrossthe shirt, becamebroaderuntil by thetime you reachedtheother sideit wasred with anarrowblue stripe.

Ithoughtthis would be interesting to recreate on ahelmet.Tobreak

uptheblocksofcolour,perhapsa whitepinstripeinbetween? And, just in case stripesdidn’t work so well, wouldit bebetter to startfroma circleofcolouron each sideandthen create the aboveeffectin rings?

Thehelmet to be paintedwasthe SchuberthC5flip-fronttestedin the March2024issue(212). We told Schuberthwewould begettingit custom painted,andtheykindly suppliedoneinwhite gloss(which

is betterforthe team to work on), and,ofcourse,wewould have the Schuberthlogosaddedbackafter. BeforeheadingtoImage Design Custom’s base in Camberley, Isent imagesofthecoloursandtheoriginal shirt,plusimagesofthehelmet to be paintedand my thoughtsas above. Thisgavegraphicdesigner Sammy astrongbasefromwhichtocreate ahigh-resolutionmock-upusinga sophisticated designprogram.

Visitingwasinvaluable.Sammy’s designwas spoton, butdiscussing thedesignled to anideaI’d not considered:why not have onecolour (wedecidedonthe blue)ingloss withtheother(red)inmatt, to make thedesignpop? It looked good, so Iwasthenshown arange ofcolour tiles to select the ones closesttothe originalshirtcolours.

Withthe final designapproved,it wastime to leavemyhelmetinIDC’s

hands.Theprocessworks likethis:

■ Thehelmetis stripped down–linings,visors, etc.,removed

■ Surfacesarepolishedtoensure theyare readyforcolour.A base layeristhen applied

■ Withthe surfacesprepared,itis time to mask thehelmet to create theshapesfrom the designready for painting

■ Design masks inplace,it’stime forthe paintprocesstobegin–complexityofdesignaffectshow many layers of paintare needed

■ De-Maskand repeat.This isthe first viewof thefinal (orcloseto final) paintjob.Morecomplex designs mayneed remasking to buildthe finishedproduct in stages

■ Theremay be elementsofthe designthatcan’t be createdwitha spraygun. At thispoint, the team willairbrush the helmet to create the finer details that bringthe designtogether

■ Layers arebuiltupand paint matched to the artwork. The paint is sealedinwithaglossormatt finish...or acombinationof both

■ Thehelmetis then polished(toa mattorglossfinishdependingon yourrequirements), then is rebuilt to factory-fresh standard. It all sounds so simple,but theskill levels required arephenomenal. Havingstrippedand resprayeda tankin asinglecolour,Ican attest to howhardthatwas.Towatch the IDCteamcreateperfect paintjobsis awe-inspiring.

Oncecomplete, the customer can eithercollectitorit will be returned by courier.Asyou cansee fromthe photos,the resultisincredible.The gloss/mattcombination makesthe designpop,and the attention to detailandprecisionareamazing.

Paintwork£1000 +VAT–thisincludesstrip-down, preparation,paintand finish. Designfeewas£200 +VAT (usually£400 +VAT butwith thepaintworkbeingdone by IDCthiswas reducedby50 percent)

Total£1200 +VAT

To discusshavingyouridea foryourown,uniquedesign made real,contact: ImageDesignCustom Unit7d,BridgeRd, Camberley GU152QR 01276503866 /info@ imagedesigncustom.co.uk/ www.imagedesigncustom. co.uk/

BRIEFBLAST LIVEWIRE ONEonthe

WORDSANDPHOTOS: BOBPICKETT

If you hadasked whichmajor manufacturer would be first tolauncha high-specification electricmotorcycle, Idoubt Harley-Davidson would have topped many people’s list. Yetin 2014itdebutedaprototype,andin 2019itwentintofullproduction.In the same year,EwanMcGregorand CharleyBoorman rodefrom Ushuaiain ArgentinatoLosAngelesonprototype LiveWire motorcyclesfor ‘TheLong WayUp’.2021 sawLiveWirespunoffas aseparatecompany,and sincethenit’s been valuedatUSD 1.77billion.

GiveMeSomeSpec

Acastaluminiumtrellisframe houses Harley’s ‘Revelation’ watercooledmagneticmotor,putting out 100bhp/75kW powerand84lb-

ftof torque with atop speed of 115mph.The 15.4kW batteryhas an estimated rangeof146miles (City), 95(Combined)or70(Highway). Seat heightis30inches.Suspension comescourtesyofShowa SFF Big-Pistonfront forksupfront and ShowaBFRCmonoshock rear.The 562lb weight is stoppedbyBrembo dual 4-pistonmonoblocradialmount front,dualpistonrear.

What’sItLike To Ride?

We last rode aLiveWirein2021 so timetorefreshthememory.

The LiveWire hasgreat ergonomics. The bars lean yougentlyintothe bike, pegs neutral.Noweightonyour shouldersorwrists, relaxintothe bike, and ridein total comfort. Not quitesocomfortable,the seat. Narrow andfirm, it wassupportiveduringour brieftime together butI’m not sure

IfancyridingfromUshuaiatoLos Angelesonone!

AsIonlyhaditfor abrieftimeI leftitin Roadmode.Frankly,that’s enoughformostofyourridingneeds. Youcan roll gently in single figures, butwhen youopenupthereis seeminglyendlessamountsofdrive ontapasiteffortlesslysurgesforward.

The motor sits beneaththe battery, givingthe LiveWire averylow centre ofgravity. Acombinationofthisand theexcellentShowa suspension,and the bikefeels stableandplantedat alltimes,nothingseems to ruffleit (thoughripplesand bumpsdomake themselvesknown throughthe rear), the Michelin Scorcher tyresgluedtothe roadasitflows smoothlyfrombend to bend.TheBrembo monoblocbrakes arephenomenal. Huge amountsof stoppingpowerallied totonsoffeel, they’ll haulyou upincompletecontrol.

Thereare afewniggles,mostly comingfromHarleystylingcues. Themirrors coulddo with being biggerand I’llneverbeconvinced that separate indicatorsmakesense. Theinstrumentclusters arebusy(the flip side beingsomanyfunctions are available at the touchofa button).

And I’mnot afanof keyfobs;ifitisn’t attachedtothebike, it’s tooeasyto lose(Iknowsomeonewho rode off, stopped to fillup…and realisedthey’d leftthefobintheir garage!)

Buttheseare personal things. Moneyhas been spentinallthe rightplaces with top-class brakes and suspension,greatpowerplant, well-thought-outergonomics.It’sa greatbike.

HowMuchDoesItCost?

It’s not cheap–with the standard LiveWire that everyoneknowscoming in at £22,990.

TryOne?

CRUISER COOL

KawasakiEliminator

THESPECS

Ahigh-tensile steeltrellisframeholds a451cc180-degree parallel twin with maximumpowerof33.4kW @9000rpm andmaximum torque42.6Nm @6000rpm.Kerbweightis176kg, heldaloft by 41mm telescopicforks upfrontand twinshocksto the rear,on an 18”front and16” rear tyre.Stoppingproceedingsis asingle 310mmfront disc with twin-pistoncaliperand a240mmsingle reardiscwith twin-piston caliper.Seatheightis735mm.

THERIDE

The Eliminatorislightandlow,and alittle cumbersome to paddledue to that raked-out(30-degree)front. Ridingpositionis roadsternotcruiser;feetplacedneutrally;arms tucked in as the

WANTTOTRYONE?

We werelookedafterbythegoodfolks atBacon’sMotorcycles/EastLondon Kawasaki.Dropintotheshoporgive them ashoutandthey’llbehappytohelp youweighupwhich one’s bestfor you.

flattish bars come gently back to the rider.Itfeltlikethismightget cramped, buthalf amorning’srideand Ifeltfresh. Kawasaki likeusing non-cruiser enginesintheir smallercruisers (datingbacktotheEN450inthe80swhichwas half a4-cylinder Ninja900),theycarry onhere, usingaZ400plantwithlonger stroke to increase capacityandprovideextralow-down torque.Itstill revs to 11,000 so youcan pushthe enginemuchfurtherandharder whichitenjoys, butmidrange is aniceplace to live. Handlingwas asurprise. Withthat raked-outfrontI took my first corner expectingcruiser-style relaxedrolling… onlytofind ittippingnimblyintothe bend,takingaline abouttwiceas tightasIexpected/itshould have needed.It’salight,agilelittle bike, acceptingmid-benddirection changeshappily,though

THECOST

02082526020

www.baconsmotorcycles.co.uk www.eastlondonkawasaki.co.uk

that raked-outfrontdoesmeansteeringisn’tprecise. The basic suspensiondoes wellmostofthetime,although someofthe rougher stuff haditclattering.

The clutch is so lightyou barely knowit’sthere, combinedwith thelightand positivebox,gearchanges areeffortless.Brakes? TheypacksuﬃcientpunchforthelightweightEliminator,but thereissignificant forkdiveunderfirmbraking. It sipped fuel, hintingatlongspells inthe (comfortable) saddle.

In aworldofTFTdisplays, the round LCDclock feelsalmost retro, butit’sperfect.Alltheimportantinformation(speed,revs, fuel, gear selector)isthere.

The Eliminatorislight, low,comfortable,and effortless, surprisingwith its agility.

TheEliminatorcomes in twoversions: Thestandardat£5999(+OTR)andan SE variant£6399(+OTR)indarkgreywith headlightcowl,forkgaitersand aUSB chargingportontheright bar.The Shotgun

pricedependsoncolours/graphics.The baseSheetMetalgreyis£6699,the Plasma Blueversion Irode£6799,andthe Stencil Whitetwo-tonejob£6,899.itistoopolite (theShotgunis abrasher,rowdier beast) butI’lltakethatsurprisinglyagilehandling, lightclutch,andprecise box any day.

Bothnewfor2024,theKawasakiEliminator 500and theRoyalEnfieldShotgun650are thelatestadditions totheburgeoning A2 licence compliantcruisersceneintheUK,though it’s fairtosayboth aremoreroadster than cruiser(moreon that later)

Words: BobPickett/ Photography: KawasakiandRoyalEnfield

Royal EnfieldShotgun

THESPECS

A648cc parallel twinengineputtingout 34.6kW @7200rpm with 52.3Nm @5650rpmisheldin asteel tubularspineframe. Kerb weight is240kg. SupportingthisareShowa Separate Function BigPistonUSD frontforks and ShowaTwinrearshockssat on 18”front and17” rear tyres. Haulingittoastopisasingle320mm frontdiscwith twin-pistonfloatingcaliperand single300mm rear discwith twin-pistonfloating caliper.Seatheightisa loftier,but still manageable,795mm.

THERIDE

The Shotgun’senginecomesfromthe SuperMeteor650cruiser. The chassisisalsobased ontheSuper Meteor,raketightened (25 degrees)forsharper,sportier handling.

It’s…heavy.Andlikeall Enfields,tallerthanitlooks.Hauling itoff theside-stand tookeffort.Pegsneutral, very flatbars, the Shotgunleans youintothefront. It takes abitofgettingusedto, butthis rider geometry is what youneedto hustleitaround. On the road,theengineisall aboutusing low-down grunt. It’ll rollalong, twin peashooterexhaustssupplyingalow,rumbling

growl, butwhatitlikes to dois punchforward whenthelimit increasesand outofcorners. Take time to learnits sweetspots andit rewards.

Talkinghandling;demandinginputfromits rider to instigatethe first rollinto the bend,the Shotgunresponds best to beingbossed. Once turningit’sneutral, solid,andunshakable,Enfieldemployed ShowaSeparateFunction BigPistonUSD frontforksto give corneringabilitybeyondwhatissuggestedbythelook of thebike. Clutch isheavythough,the boxissolidandmostly accurate, though Ididfind second, changingtoneutralonceor twice. The frontbrakesgivereasonablefeeland will stopthe Shotgun, but the rearadds seriouspower(I’d been warned, gentlepressure is all youneed). It’s abitonthethirstyside,surprisingfor anengine inlowstate of tune.

Mixeddigital/analogueclocks(withTripper navigation)are lovely to use. The seat?Looks likeabrick,feels likeabrick…but it wascomfortablethewholetime.I’d swap it forthe bobber-style single seat (perhapsfreeingthepillion spaceforthesmall rack).

The Shotgundemandsits rider boss itaround; best on smooth, rollingroads buthandlingtighter bends betterthanitshould.

WHICH ONE’SFORME?

Twodifferentwaysof doingessentiallythesame job…PersonallyI’d pickuptheEliminator’skeys everytime.Perhapsriddeninisolation,I’drate theShotgunhigher,buthavingriddenandhighly ratedtheSuperMeteorcruiserthatspawnedthis roadstervariant,formeitjustdoesn’tdeliverto thesamedegreeasitssibling. Ifyoulikeyourbikestohave presenceand prefer musclingthemaround,thentheShotgunisforyou. But formethelight,nimbleEliminatorwas amore enjoyablerideinmoreareas.Ifithas afault, perhaps itistoopolite(theShotgunis abrasher,rowdier beast)butI’lltakethatsurprisinglyagile handling, lightclutch,andpreciseboxanyday.

FROM THE ARCHIVE

RAINEYREIGNS

WiththeYZRﬁnallyin ﬁnefettle, Yamaha lookedtobeinwitha shotofreclaimingthe title

WORDS:SteveCooper

PHOTOS:MortonsMediaArchive

Ridercoach,trackside fettlerandGPguruKel Carruthershadgone but Yamaha wasstillindireneedof reclaimingtheprestigiousNumber Oneplate.Aswasalwaysthecase, ‘morepower’wasthoughttobe the answerandtheboffinsbackatIwata somehowmanaged towork in an additionalpairoftransferportsinto theYZR’scylinders.The resultwasan extra10orsohorses,bringingtheV4 reedvalvemotoruptosome165bhp onthedynoevenifthefactoryonly ‘officially’quoted155.

Some500ridershadperfectedthe artof‘squaringoff’ cornersaided by Dunloptyresthatfacilitatedcontrollable

rearwheelslides. Yamahafactory teamswereonMichelinswhichhad strongersidewalls aidingbackwheel gripandgenerallydeliveredbetter laptimebutwith acaveat- whenthe Frenchtyreshad reachedtheirlimits theyletgoalmostinstantaneously. Eddie Lawsonwasbackwith MarlboroTeamRobertshaving foundHonda’sNSR500 justtoo unpredictable.However,hisseason provedtobedirewithonly 118 pointsafterbrakingbothanklesin differentraces. WayneRaineywas goingto have toshine–which he did. GauloisesBlondes Yamaha/Mobil1 wouldfieldtwohomespunridersinthe guisesofChristian SarronandJeanPhilippeRuggia.Threeotherriders wereontheYZR500withvarying levelsofsemi-official factorysupport.

Thebikewas awinner prettymuch outofthecratewiththenew motorbut thatdidn’t stoptheR&Dguyslooking forsmallimprovementsthatmight gaintheextracrucialpointshereand there.Movingtheengineupwards andforwardsaided front-endfeeland fittingtheswingarmwitheccentric bearingsdeliveredtheabilitytosubtly changeride heightfromcircuitto circuit.TheYZRswereheavierthanthe RGsandNSRsothefactoryevenwent tothelengthsofproducingtitanium exhaustsforthefinalfewraces.

Atlast Yamahahadthebike sortedandotherthan retiringatthe penultimateHungarianGP,Rainey completedeveryrace.Withseven wins, five secondplacesandtwo thirdsitwas adonedealwith255 pointsagainstsecondplacerider

KevinSchwantzontheSuzuki. Unfortunately,noneoftheotherriders didwell -but Yamahahadwonits all-importantsixthManufacturer’s Championship. TheOW01motorhadprovedits worthand Yamahawould go into1991 sellingsatelliteteamssuchasHarris andROC Yamahaversionsofthe1990 enginetostimulatetheGP500class andeffectivelysharethejoy. The firm hadhighhopesforthefollowingyear!

TheVJMC;run by motorcyclists formotorcyclists For membershipenquiriesonly Tel: 01454501310

website: www.vjmc.com

Email: membership_vjmc@yahoo.co.uk

Address: PO Box1949, Yate,BristolBS370BX

Office hours: Office hoursMon-Thu10am-4pm 01454501310(pleaseleave amessage)

DUBLINTOCORKAND BACK,

thelongway

Riding avarietyofHonda’sDCT-equipped machinery, atrip fromDublin to Corkandthen Tipperaryseemedanappropriatejourney tosuitthemanufacturer’sacronym…

WORDS: DaveManning PHOTOS: Honda andDaveManning

Whiletheamazingcountry ofIreland deservesmorethanjusta couple of days if youare to trulysavour the flavourofthe Emerald Isle,this overnightershowsasanexample the type of terrainthat many miss, simply becausetheyeitherremain inthe capitalcityorheadstraight to the west to trythe Atlantic Coast. And that’s ashame,giventhequality and quantityofamazingTarmacavailable elsewhere.

StartingfromtheexclusiveCarton Househotelin Maynoothtothe west of Dublin,therewereafewmilesof fightingthroughtraffic to getaway fromthe built-upareasthatsurround the capital.If you’d sailedover, you’d be havingtodothisfrom Dublin Port or DunLoaghaireand, to be fair,if you’veevercommuted in abig city or town intheUKor hadtofightyour wayaround ParisorAntwerp,it’ll be an absolutebreezeincomparison. Ofcourse,the worstofthetraffic was circumnavigated by jumpingonto theM50,neatly heading southwards past the west sideof Dublin, before

peelingoffontotheR115, soon climbingupwards outofCounty DublinandintoCounty Wicklow to the west sideof thewonderfully namedGlassamucky Mountain. Thisisthe WicklowMilitaryRoad,as built by theBritishmilitarybetween 1803and1809 to aidineradicating the last oftheIrish resistance to British rule,andthe road risespast theEaglesCragviewpoint, and over open moorland, withmistclearing to showsomeepicviewsthroughthe WicklowMountains, andsmooth, open roads closingdowntobecome amorenadgery twisting andtight rollercoasterleadingtothe carparkat thetranquil Glenmacnasswaterfall.

We continuedfollowing the Military Road south to Laragh, stopping forcoffeeand cake at the Wicklow Heather restaurant, abreakthat lasted alittlelongerthankstotheprofusion of classicadvertisingposters inside, many for Guinness…

We leftheadingsouth,withthe road droppingintomoreofameandering, riverside route, throughthe Valeof

Claraand to Rathdrum,atwhich pointwejoinedtheR752 to continue south,through Avocaandonwards to Templerainey. Here we jumped ontheM1, bypassingArklowand gettingsome swiftmiles coveredto Enniscorthy,thentakingtheN30,a broad,faststretch that sawuslanding in NewRossintime forlunch. Fulloffishand chips,weleftNew Ross ontheR732, jumpingontheN25 to skirt around Wexford,andthenon to theR681 to drop south andon to thecoastatthe beautiful Kilmurrin Cove.Whileit wasclearly warm enoughfor bathing (several hardy souls were outswimming),wetook advantage oftheincredible weather to enjoy the superb roads edgedwith low-lyingwallscoveredinsea thrift, thebright pinkflowers infullbloom. TheR675 skirtsthecoastto Dungarvan,wherewetooktheN25 for ourfinalstretch ofthe day, over the RiverBlackwateratYoughal andon to ourovernightstopat Castlemartyr. TheN25is typicalof largerIrish roadsinthatitisnear

broadenough to be dual carriageway, buthas one lanein each direction. Thisgives room foranyslowertraffic to pull to theleftandallowyou to pass and,it must be said,it seems that Irishdriversare very considerate and awareoffastertraffic catching uponthemasthey’re pullingover beforeyou even have to startthinking aboutthe possibilityofneedingto slow down.

Fantastic weathercontinuedthe nextmorning, with anortherly course outofCastlemartyron to theR627. Thisis adelightfulcountryroad, threadingits wayout of County Cork past Tallowandon to theN72 to Lismore, then joiningtheR668for Clogheen,whichleads to the Vee Pass,sonamedthankstothesharp hairpin bendthat liesinitsmidst. Theviewsfromthe Veeare stunning, lookingnorthwardstowards ournext destinationof Cahir,andthisisa stretchofroaddefinitelyworthdoing morethanonce!

From Cahir we chosetheN74 to Tipperary,fortheoneandonlyreason

that we just hadtoget picsofthe ‘You’vecome alongway’signonthe outskirtsofthe town…

Then we headed back towards Dublin but, ratherthanuse thefast optionoftheM8 tollmotorway, we took theoriginal road (initially theR639)that parallelsthe newermotorway. The result was quiteadirectroute into Dublin, runningthrough some wonderful places –Abbeyleix,Carrolaxlane, Monasterevin,Prosperous –with onlythe last handfulofmilesinto the capitalcityitself beingalittle frustratingwith trafficdensity. Asanaddendum,this routewould be perfectlysuitableforthosewho onlyhavealongweekend inIreland, or to splititanduseitasanideaof wheretoheaddirectlyfromDublin, or an interestingway to return after visitingthe south or south-west ofEire. Butitisproof,ifany were needed,that you don’tneed to head directlyacrosstothe west coastto experience somefantastic roadsin stunningcountryside.

SHOW US SHOW US YOURS

We lovetoseewhatyou lotareriding –and we knowthe restofyoulikeit, too.It’sjustlikepottering around abikenightand checkingoutwhat’sbeen broughtoutfor ablast.Now we’vedecidedtobringthe bikenighttoyou,asking readers to sendusphotos oftheirprideandjoyforthe worldtosee.Here’resome ofourtoppicksfromthe lastmonth.

We betIan CLarkehassome funonhisleanandmean KawasakiZ750.

We’rebigfansofAndy Mann’sride: a94YamahaXTZ660inproper retro colours.Yesplease.

We’rebig,bigfansofthe Ducati Scrambler DesertSled. Here’sNeil Dilly’ssoakinguptheviewsinthe Lincolnshireuplands.

Left: JamesMcPakeknowsthe score.HisBMWR1250RSwith its bigboxerengine,all-daycomfort andimpeccablehandling isa seriousbitofkit.

Tyler-MartinEastley’sadded anothermachinetohis Kawasakicollection;thistime he’sgone forthemile-munching Versys650.He’sjustbeendown toLand’sEnd. Perfecttool for thejob, we reckon.

Left:Phwoar.JimHerbert’sTriumph Street Triple1200RSlikelygoesjust as wellasitlooks.

Inpartnershipwith Forceﬁeld BodyArmour

ClaireWarner’sgot abitof athing for‘old’bikes.Inadditiontoher sortedHondaVFR400R,she’s currentlytinkering away gettinga MotoGuzziV50Monzabackonthe road.Nice.

CLASSIFIEDS

ACCESSORIES TYRES

SUSPENSION

BIKERFRIENDLY WEBWATCH

ForSale

BMW RNine Tscrambler,3997 miles,fulldealerhistory,one owner,highmudguard,Arrow exhaustcan,alloy fulllength sumpguard,BMWsidebag, Barendmirrors,datatooltracker, datatag,tanksidepads,retro tankbadges,vgc,£7895Tel. 07799664175.Email.cmw. bmw@tiscali.co.uk

BMW 750(853cc )GS,with £3000worthofextras,fullally luggage,£9000Tel.07490 232257.Hertfordshire.Email. linjohn72@btinternet.com

BMW C400GT,2019,black glossmaxiscooter,8500miles, newMoTon sale,p/xconsider HondaForza125scooterinmint condition,garaged,vgc,£4199. Tel.07784499299.

BSA B33,1952,500cc,vgc, £4500ono.AlsoVelocetteLe Mk3,1959,sparesorrepair, £450ono Tel. 07593438795. EastSurrey.

BRIDGESTONE DTHurricane scrambler175cc,1968,original notanimport,£3500Tel.01903 755429.Sussex.

BSA GoldenFlash,1960,very original,650cctwin,V5C,offered servicedwithnewbattery,ready toride,fromprivatecollection, freedeliveryarranged,£5450 Tel.01723372219.Yorkshire.

BULTACO Sherpa T326cc trials bike,1974, originalpaint &aluminiummudguards,new Amalcarb,clutchplates,fork sliders,sealsandtrialstyres, £1900collectiononlyTel.07427 543079.Email:srloveridge@ gmail.comDerbyshire.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON 110Year AnniversarySportier Issue, 1200cc,13,000kilometresor 8000miles,allpaperwork, registeredinUK,MoTApril, neverbeenoutofgarageinthe rain,rarepaintcolour,£5900 Tel.07554513570.Email. terrycsmith1953@yahoo.co.uk

HERALD Classic2015,250cc, black,1981miles,MoTjustrun out, 2keys,fullservicehistory, frontforksslightcorrosion, £750.Tel.07779692495. Cornwall.

Classified

HARLEY-DAVIDSON Heritage Softail1450cc,2003,FLSTCi, rare,black100thanniversary model,stageonetuned,many extrasinccustomleathertopbox andbagliners,50,100miles,12 monthsMoT,HDservicehistory, £8300WestLothian.Tel.07464 747819.Email.donjharwood@ gmail.com

KAWASAKI EN500,1995,MoT June 2025,16,210miles,new startermotor,rebuiltfrontbrake caliper,carburettorsserviced, gearleverrosejointsreplaced, £1500Tel.07443956458. Email.alandhaze50@gmail.com

NORTON Navigator,1961,blue/ whitepaintwork,matching numbers,V5C,Roadholderforks, 8”f/brake,newrearAvon,mileage showing14,000,readyto ride, freedeliveryarranged,£3750Tel. 01723372219.Yorks.

TRIUMPH TigerCub,1958, 220cc,trialsbike,historicV5C, powder-coatedframe,alloy bashplate,sidestand,metal profileforks,Whittonalloybarrel, £3500collectiononlyTel.07427 543079.Derbyshire.Email. srloveridge@gmail.com

TRIUMPH Trophy900,1998, vgc,6500milesverylow mileage,fullservicehistory, boughtthreeyearsagowith816 milesontheclock,now6500, fuellines,forksealsandrear shock replaced, newMetzeler tyres,MoT,£2700Tel.07515 683908.Exeter.Email.robin. rawle@gmail.com

Wanted BSA B21934carburettor250cc orbody,inletandoutlet3/4” slideoncarbnotbolted,body slidethreadedtopandbottom1” oranycompatiblecarbTel.Terry 01202736432.Email.pauline. g51@live.co.uk

Miscellaneous

FIVE Whitworthringspanners, stampedwithVincentmadein England,idealforVincentowner, £35ono,canpostifrequired Tel.07929747650.

HONDA CB350KCafeRacer Tracker,1971, refurbished, UKreg,rebuiltengine, powder coatedframe,brandnewcarbs andexhaust,runslovely,mayp/x classic bike, £2650Tel. 07990 039624.Email.dave.burn@ talk21.com HONDA 400/4,yellow,1978, originalexceptfornewDavid Silverexhaustandsaddle,on Sorn,£3500Tel.01903755429. Sussex.

KAWASAKI ZX400-L3,1993, firedamagedbikeasseen in photo,anyreasonableofferfor completebike,notsellingparts, allornothing,buyerwillneed toarrangecollectionTel.07941 448177.Email. mickrbooty@ yahoo.co.uk

HONDA Benly,1963,CB92,multi showwinner,originaltwoletter numberplate,fabuloushistoric Honda,£9000orexchange for50/100ccroadorracing machine,cashadjustmenteither wayTel.01522703686.Lincs.

KAWASAKI VulcanS,2021, MoTFeb2025,4500miles, heated grips,screen,crash bars,topbox, daytimerunning lights, goodcondition,under warrantytillJanuary2025, Sorned,£5300onoTel.07770 891023.North Wales.

SYM Joymax,2022,300cc,blue maxiscooter,mintshowroom condition, genuine300 miles, garaged,like new, newscooter forcessale,nowinteruse, 90mpg,fsh,£2999.Tel.07784 499299.

ROYALENFIELD Crusader Sports,1962,immaculate,new partsincludetyres,Hagons, seat,speedo,goodchromework, photosavailable,lightweight 250cc,classic bike, freedelivery arranged,£2950Tel.01723 372219.

ROYALENFIELD 350Meteor, SuperNova,2022,22reg, screen,pillionbackrest,center/ sidestands,ABS,USB,fuel gauge,gearindicator,clock, tripper,heel/toe,enginebars,full servicehistory,oneowner,5900 miles,immaculate,£2595ono Tel.07913032864.Yorkshire Email.moorend4@hotmail.com

TRIUMPH Bonneville,1970, T120R,650cc,matchingframe andenginenumbers, runsvery well,nosmoke,rattlesoroil leaks,candopicturesbyphone, £6250.Tel.07887674467. Hampshire.

TRIUMPH T100,1969, original matchingnosmachine, registeredhistoricvehicle, Lincolngreen/silver,TLSbrake, nowrarelyused,hence£4750 onoTel.07582 678488. North Somerset.Email.phyllandpete@ btinternet.com

TRIUMPH Speed400,£4450 Tel. 07490232257.Hertfordshire. Email.linjohn72@btinternet.com

YAMAHA Strykercustom,2016, vgc, many extras,Cobra exhaust, allOEMpartscomewithbikes, £6500Tel.01268781113. Essex.

TRIUMPH Scrambler900,2010, 9800k,BladeTechexhaust highlevel,alsospotlightsand otherextras,goodcondition,full history,£4100 may p/xsmaller bikeandcashTel.07812 939036.Derbyshire.

YAMAHA XJR1300,2003, 13,510miles,full12,000service May2022,hardlyusedsince, longlistofworkcarriedoutinc newYuasabattery,tyresMich 3S,36Yintakerubbers,4* advanceplate,Hagonsprings, 22%heavierOhlinssprings, Scottoiler,vgc,sparekey, onSorn,£3500Tel.07921 714926.MeltonMowbray.Email. gnasher31@googlemail.com

PartsForSale

EXHAUST blackstraightendcap, £60.DEcatpipe, £20.Touring screen,£50.DNAfilter &plate, £50.Tecbikeadjustablelevers, £30.Hitchcockmetalchain guard,£45.Hitchcockframe finishers,£20allp&p,mostin originalpackagingTel.Bill07713 160796.

FOLDER fromSuzukiGBin Birminghamfrom1965contains pricelistfortheSuzukirangeas well,colourprintsandinvitation totestrideanyofthebikes, privileged card,Letter to aMr Parker in Manchester dated9th March1965,canpostatcostif required,this Ithinkshouldbein amuseum,£50onoTel.07929 747650.

LEATHER jacketIXSand leggings,size54x54,blackwith greenIXSmarkings,vgc,mens, £80Tel.07905777148.

PANNIERS: apair ofOxford SprintLifetime panniers, waterproofcoversinfront pockets,expandablebases,little used,goodcondition,buyerto collect,£40.Tel.07726462564. Lincs.Email.philhomeport2@ gmail.com

TOPBOX forsaleCraven Snowden20ltrinblackall brackets andbothkeysasnew classicretrolooks£99+p&p alsoDenialsoundbombhorn £18+p&p,phone +Cabergopen facehelmet,hardlyusedlike new,£40+p&pTel.Bill07713 160796.

TWO dealerphotoprintsfromMZ dealers of theTS250/150/125 size 520x 800” differentprints, idealformancave wall, canpost if required,opentooffersTel. 07929747650.