Motorcycle Monthly November 2016

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November 2016

Triumph’s Bobber B 1940s style Bonnie is go!

MCM is FREE in dealers, clubs and biker cafés

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Yamaha’s R6 It’s a mega mini-R1 superbike!

4 5 NEW BIKES

BMW’s W’ G310GS

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A2 Adventure caught on test

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The biggest montth EVER

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It’s been an amazing four weeeks with a MASSIVE load of 2017 metal appearing

We’ve got ALL the bikes from Inte ermot PLUS spy shots of BMW’s G310GS min ni-Adventure bike AND some hot SECRETS fo or next year!

IT ALL STARTS ON PAGE 3

MT-10SP

NEWS 3

BMW goes uber-retro with its R nineT Racer (and Pure)

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BMW’s worst kept secret finally broke cover at Intermot in Germany last week where the assembled masses were shown this, the R nineT Racer.

So, what we saw in the 2013 Concept 90 was a precursor – or pretty close to it – of this new R nineT Racer, with the large, 17-litre steel petrol tank, one colour scheme and an ever-so-slightly sporty geometry.

The bike gets cast five-spoke alloy wheels that carry a 120/70 ZR17 on the front and a 180/55 ZR17 on the rear. BMW says that spoked wheels are an aftermarket, official option should you want further enhance your retro credentials.

The front forks are conventional

43mm units that can’t be adjusted, while the monoshock can be tweaked for both preload and rebound.

The Racer makes 110bhp @ 7750rpm from the air-/oil-cooled boxer lump, and kicks out 85.5lbft of torque @ 6000rpm.

The dash is made up of two dials with each incorporating a digital screen for a variety of information.

ABS is standard on the Racer, but if you want anything like traction control then you’ll have to pay for it as an aftermarket, factory option.

And from the Racer stable comes the more humble R nineT Pure The Pure is pretty much an R nineT Racer stripped back to its basics.

BMW says the bike has been created so that customers can add whatever they want from the extensive aftermarket catalogue and give the bike a personal touch.

What the Pure does get is a basic conventional nonadjustable front fork, a basic monoshock rear, not much in the way of electronics and a 17-litre steel tank.

Go watch this video!

The 2017 BMW R nineT Racer and R nineT Pure get... ● A boxer engine with a

● Two-into-one exhaust system made of stainless steel (polished in the Racer, brushed in the Pure). ● High-end details such as fork bridges and footrests in forged, clear anodised aluminium. ● R nineT Pure in Catalano Grey, non-metallic. ● R nineT Racer with halffairing, hump seat and set-back footrests. ● R nineT Racer in Lightwhite non-metallic combined with multi-coloured decor with the frame in Aluminium Silver.

capacity of 1170cc and an output of 81kW / 110bhp which meets Euro 4 regulations. ● Modular frame with scope for customising. ● Five-spoke light alloy cast wheels, 3.5 x 17in at front and 5.5 x 17in at rear (optional wirespoked wheels). ● 320mm twin-disc brake at the front. ● ABS as standard. ● ASC (Automatic Stability Control) as an ex-works option.

New BMW K1600GT appears in Germany As a bike that’s been a long time coming, the big revisions for the K1600GT might leave a few potential owners feeling underwhelmed about what’s actually changed.

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The engine makes the same power but is Euro 4 compliant. The 319kg bike now gets Dynamic ESA semiactive suspension as a standard fitting which will make it much more able to meet most types of riding that the big Beemer might encounter.

A reverse assist system is available on the bike, but only as an optional aftermarket add on. It also gets up/ down shift assist, but it is a bolt-on option under the ex-works scheme.

Up front, the dash is the same but the dials themselves are new and the

Editor Tony Carter Editorial design Fran Lovely Publisher Steve Rose Picture desk Paul Fincham, Jonathan Schofield Production editor Jack Harrison Divisional advertising manager Martin Freeman 01507 529538 Advertising Lee Buxton 01507 529453 Marketing manager Charlotte Park Publishing director Dan Savage Commercial director Nigel Hole Associate director Malcolm Wheeler Advertising deadline for December issue Thursday, October 27, 2016

For 2017, the bike comes in three metallic colours: red, blue or black.

India’s first electric bike launched

Check this out – it’s India’s first allelectric motorcycle and it’s just been launched at the Tech Sparks event in Bengaluru, or Bangalore.

Called the Tork T6X, the bike is forecasted by the company to sell up to 10,000 units a year for the first three years. The new machines will be made at the firm’s plant in Chakan, which has been specially built for the run of bikes and is almost complete.

Tork Motorcycles says that the T6X will be able to cruise at 100kmh (62mph) for 100km (62 miles) on a full charge.

The bike kicks out 27Nm of torque and weighs in at a svelte 130kgs.

The 2017 BMW K1600GT gets... ● Six-cylinder in-line engine

including new catalytic converters and adapted data status according to Euro 4 requirements, with an unchanged output of 118kW / 160bhp @ 7750rpm and a maximum torque of 175Nm @ 6500rpm. ● Dynamic ESA electronic suspension with automatic damping adaptation as standard. ● Reverse assist as an optional equipment item for the ex-works scheme. ● Shift Assistant Pro for

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fairing has come in for a lot of work to deflect less favourable weather and wind off its new fairing wings.

The K1600GT can also be equipped with the BMW ConnectedDrive Intelligent Emergency Call system which notifies the emergency services if it detects that you’ve had an accident. This is also a factory option on the bike.

Head over to our FREE website – morebikes.co.uk – to watch this littlebit-epic dash cam video showing what happens across a junction in Salford.

It’s funny for what some would call the ‘wrong’ reasons, but all the same there’s no denying there’s some real two-wheeled joy going on here.

Just get to the site and search for ‘scooter junction’.

shifting up and down without clutch as an ex-works option. ● Instruments with newly designed dials. Speedometer with K1600GT inscription. ● Intelligent Emergency Call as an ex-works option for rapid assistance in the event of an accident. ● Optimised wind and weather protection due to enlarged slipstream deflectors and newly designed side trim parts. ● Three new colour variants: Mars Red metallic, Blackstorm metallic and Lupine Blue metallic / Blackstorm metallic.

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Helmet maker AGV has shown its next generation helmet – the Pista GP. The sofar-just-aconcept helmet is the first to feature a hydration channel; basically a route for a tube to be run from the specially made Dainese leather suit with a camel pack mounted into the back hump. From there the drink tube travels through the helmet and sits in the chin bar with a one-way valve fitted.

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AGV’s next-gen Pista GP lid revealed

Independently proven pick up: 67,717 copies

4 NEWS

Honda's new Fireblade revealed (two versions are on the way!)

Honda has unveiled its 2017 Fireblade with TWO versions of the bike launched for next year – the SP version and a track-spec SP2 option that can use parts derived from the RC213V MotoGP programme.

The SP2 special gets carbon bodywork, gold Marchesini wheels that cut inertia by 18% at the front and 9% at the rear.

The special can also fit specific race part kits from Honda’s RC213V MotoGP programme that includes larger-diameter intake valves, bigger exhaust valves and pistons with an exclusive crown design.

This is the Fireblade SP1.

This is the Fireblade SP2.

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Star Wars inspired helmets released From an aesthetic point of view there’s a new TFT full colour dash, the titanium tank is a new shape and the bike gets new wheels and a new titanium exhaust.

The new Blade’s seat height is 831mm, and with the model’s frame shedding half a kilo in weight and the subframe trimming off 800 grams – combined with a full two kilos off the 998cc engine weight alone – the new bike is a full 14 kilos lighter than the current incarnation.

Power is up by 11bhp to measure 189bhp at the crank, thanks mostly to a combination of new pistons, revised cam timing, new crank and revised valve lift. The redline has now gone up to 13,000rpm.

The 2017 Blade gets the ride-by-wire package which includes a five-axis measuring IMU brain working hand in hand with the nine-level Honda Selectable Torque System – a combined set-up which incorporates the traction control with an antiwheelie system.

Oh yes! We’re up for this one. HJC has added to its recent run of film-linked helmets (the company did Marvel lids a while back) with these two.

Clearly in some sort of tie-up with the upcoming release of Rogue One (the newest Star Wars film) there are two options, Kylo Ren and Boba Fett.

No prices as yet, but we figure around the £450 mark.

ABS and anti-rear lift is standard on the new bike and it gets a quickshifter as standard along with a downshift and slipper clutch which combine to let you crash through the gears.

Suspension-wise, the Blade is getting semi-active Öhlins units.

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PLUS... two versions of the new CB1100 The new Honda CB1100 is getting two versions for 2017 – the CB1100EX (pictured below) and CB1100RS (pictured right).

Both get an Assist and Slipper clutch and smaller silencers.

The RS is a sharper bike than the EX, with better handling.

It runs with 43mm Showa dual-valve two-piece forks and remote reservoir shocks, while its 17-inch cast aluminium wheels hold radial Tokico fourpiston brakes.

There’s a revised inlet and exhaust system on the 1140cc air-cooled in-line four motor, and the newly designed petrol tank has been shaped so that the rider sits slightly more prone on the bike.

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The EX also gets the new tank but this version comes with 18-inch wheels and Showa suspension front and rear.

Colour-wise the RS comes red or black and the EX is going to appear in white or yellow.

Here are the 2017 updates for the S1000RR, S1000R and S1000XR

The 2017 BMW S1000RR gets... ● Adaptation to Euro 4. ● ABS Pro as a new part of the

To be honest, the biggest difference in the S1000 family centres around the S1000R, with the XR also getting a power hike. The big bruiser and its upright cousin both get 5bhp more than the current model. The S1000R also gets a lighter frame and there’s a more narrow cowling and bodywork on the bike, too.

The XR can carry more weight now and there are various options and colours that have been added to the mix. With the S1000RR the differences between this year’s bike and next year’s are minimal, and won’t make much difference if you’re already interested. Obviously, becoming compliant with Euro 4 is at the top of the list, but other than that there’s not much more to shout about.

Here are the details on each model in the S1000 family for next year:

aftermarket Riding Modes Pro.

● DTC as standard. ● The new RR now as standard

The 2017 BMW S1000XR gets...

The 2017 BMW S1000R gets... ● Adaptation to Euro 4. ● Output increased to 121kW /

● Adaptation to Euro 4. ● Output increased to 121 kW /

165hp @ 11,000rpm (previously: 118kW / 160bhp). ● Vibration-free handlebars. ● Increase in maximum permissible weight from 434kg to 444kg,

increasing payload by 10kg. ● Colour concepts: Racing Red non-metallic and Lightwhite nonmetallic / Granite Grey metallic matt / Racing Red non-metallic. ● New colour variant: Ocean Blue metallic matt.

165bhp @ 11,000rpm (previously: 118kW/ 160bhp). ● 2kg weight reduction to 205kg ● Payload increased by 2kg. ● HP titanium rear silencer as standard. ● Vibration-free handlebars. ● New frame structure with lighter main frame rear section. ● ABS Pro available in ‘Riding Modes Pro’. ● HP Shift Assistant Pro for quick shifting up and down without clutch as an ex-works option. ● Light HP forged wheels (2.4kg

lighter compared to the standard version) as a new optional equipment item on ex-works. ● Design Option wheels with red rim lines as a new ex-works option. ● Multi-function dash with improved readability, including outdoor temperature display. ● Significantly reduced fairing. ● New colour variants: Racing Red non-metallic / Blackstorm metallic, Catalano Grey nonmetallic and BMW Motorsport (Lupine Blue metallic / Lightwhite non-metallic / Racing Red nonmetallic).

as a single-seat model with passenger seat cover. The optional passenger package is available free-of-charge as an alternative. ● Colour concepts: Racing Red non-metallic / Lightwhite nonmetallic and BMW Motorsport (Lupine Blue metallic / Lightwhite non-metallic / Racing Red nonmetallic), though in a new design. ● New colour variant: Granite Grey metallic / Blackstorm metallic. ● Design Option Wheels with red rim lines now included as standard as part of the colour concepts Racing Red nonmetallic/Lightwhite non-metallic and BMW Motorsport.

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6 NEWS

The MT-10SP moves the goaalposts Yamaha launches an MT-10 that uses key bits taken from the R1-M super special race bike.

The big naked is getting the track bike’s Öhlins Electronic Racing Suspension (ERS), Thin Film Transistor (TFT) instrumentation and its own silver and blue colour which apes the R1-M. The MT-10 SP’s electronic suspension is controlled by a Suspension Control Unit (SCU), which analyses data taken from a series of sensors which monitor riding conditions.

The SCU calculates the optimal compression and rebound damping settings for the conditions and the system’s stepping motors instantly make adjustments to achieve the optimal suspension set-up.

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Here’s the 2017 R1-M

MT-07 new colours

Not much different in the 200kg, 180kg dry, 200bhp R1-M superbike for 2017, other than the colour. Yamaha’s reopened the application process to buy one though, the form went live on October 11 and is open for a month.

Yamaha’s ever-popular MT-07 is getting THREE new colours which will run alongside the continuing Night Fluo scheme.

The new colours are Tech Black, Yamaha Blue and Comp petition White.

NEXT YEAR’S MT-09 GETS A MAKEOVER

Yamaha has seriously updated its MT-09 with the bike getting a complete makeover for 2017. The model has new twin-eye LED headlights, new looks and an Assist and Slip clutch with advanced electronics.

The new compact tail end design and upwardly slanted subframe (shortened by 30mm) makes the bike look more ‘hunched’, the shorter upswept tail cowl also features new side grills.

New side fins are fitted to the radiator and the bike now has larger tank-mounted air scoops. It also gets a Quick Shift System (QSS) which is the same as on the R1 superbike. The new MT-09 is also stacked with new forks which are inverted 41mm units that now feature a new compression and rebound daamping.

Super Ténéré gets new colours, too

Yamaha’s XT1200Z/ZE Super Ténéré 2017 bikes are also getting Yamaha Blue and Tech Black colours.

The MT-125 goes allblue and all-black

For 2017 the Yamaha MT-125 is staying virtually the same but does come in for two new colours along with the Night Fluo that was so popular for this year. The tiny MT gets new Tech Black and Yamaha Blue colour options.

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NEWS 9

The all-new GSX-R1000 appears with THAT giant exhaust!

Here are the details on the TWO versions of the 2017 GSX-R1000 There will be two versions of the Suzuki superbike on sale next year: the GSX-R1000 and GSXR1000R. The R gets the gas front forks and some other concessions for going fast on track, but the fork change makes it easy to spot. At the launch, however, the chat was about the sheer size of the huge silencer bolted onto the bike as standard equipment. It’s massive.

The bike also gets a number of firsts for a production Suzuki that includes: launch control system, quick shift system and Showa big piston forks.

Both of the 2017 models also get an IMU package which has been developed in part by MotoGP factory man Maverick Vinales. The IMU brain works across three axes monitoring Pitch, Roll and Yaw. Bore and stroke is 76.0 x 55.1mm

compared to the previous 74.5 x 57.3mm, the compression ratio up to 13.2:1 (it was 12.9:1 before) and there is a major change in the way the titanium valves operate. The redline is at 14,500rpm.

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Key points

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1: Power is 202bhp @ 13,200rpm 2: Torque is 86.7lbft @ 10,800rpm 3: Weight is 200kg/202kg for the ABS variant, 203kg for the GSX-R1000R 4: Engine gets Intake VVT (Variable Valve Timing) 5: Ride-by-wire

This is the 2017 GSX-R1000 has host of new bits to make it competitive against its rivals – it also wins the ‘most massive silencer ever’ competition.

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And here’s the miniGSX-R. It’s a trick 125!

Here’s the first pics of the all-new GSX-R125 from Suzuki. It’s a water-cooled, four-valve, single-cylinder dohc-powered bike in an all-new chassis. ABS is standard and the bike gets both the keyless ignition and Suzuki’s Easy Start system. Very cool.

Yamaha bringing the SCR950 to Europe for 2017 It’s not a new bike strictly speaking – we’ve seen this motorcycle before in the USA – but it’s going to be part of the 2017 line-up from Yamaha. Essentially, it’s an XV950 with different handlebars, new rims, spoked wheels and a flat seat. It’s very ‘trend’ but the belt drive is either going to win or lose some potential buyers.

Five new models make up the KTM Adventure range for 2017 The 1090 range will get versions under the Adventure and Adventure R tags.

The 1290 is getting a Super Adventure S, Super Adventure R and Super Adventure T. As you’d expect if you’re familiar with the KTMs, the smaller bike will use the 1050cc motor but power is 1290S

1090R

upped to 125bhp. It is Euro 4 compliant and gets full ride-by-wire with associated electronics and tips the scales at 205kg.

The 1290s all get the same motor derived from the Super Duke’s 1301cc engine which kicks out 108Nm @ 2500rpm.

1290T

1290R

KTM’s road-going S models get a 19-inch front and 17-inch rear, and there’s a new TFT screen that will host a massive amount of information for the bikes, too.

The 1290 Super Adventure R is a comparatively svelte 216kg and gets a proper 21-inch front and 18-inch rear to underline it’s serious off-roading potential.

1090T

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This is the 2017 Ducati SuperSport and SuperSport S

Ducati says it’s not a sport tourer. Okay, but it is. And with that brilliant 937cc motor powering the new SuperSport, it’s the sport tourer we’ve been waiting for.

The bike is powered by the firm’s 937cc Testastretta motor and kicks out 113bhp and 96.7Nm of torque @ 6500rpm (80% of the total torque is available at a low 3000rpm).

Compression is at 12.6:1.

The SuperSport weighs in at 210kg and enjoys a high spec with Öhlins suspension at both ends on the S version (48mm forks) and Ducati’s Quick Shift up/down system as standard (the gear change tweak will be an aftermarket option on the standard SuperSport model).

The bike gets full ride-by-wire with the Ducati Safety Pack, full Bosch 9MP ABS braking and Ducati’s traction control brains as standard.

There are three riding modes: Sport (115bhp, quick shifter on, lesser traction control on Setting 3), Touring (115bhp, softer throttle action, traction control on Setting 4 and quick shifter on) and Urban (75bhp, progressive throttle action, traction control on Setting 6 and quick shifter off).

The SuperSport has an 810mm seat height which can be reduced by 20mm with a factory seat unit and a full-colour TFT display dash which runs with the Ducati Multimedia System (DMS).

The standard SuperSport will come in red/grey or red/black, while the S version will be available in red/matt black or white.

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Ducati SuperSport: main equipment ● 937cm³ Testastretta 11° ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ●

Prices are £10,995 for the standard-spec model, the S version is £12,295 and if you want that in white paint then you’ll have to fork out another £200.

£10

engine with 113hp and ● 96.7Nm at 6500rpm.

Euro 4 compliant.

2-1-2 exhaust system with ● lower pre-silencer and lateral silencer with stacked pipes. ● Trellis frame with loadbearing engine. ● Height-adjustable twoposition Plexiglas screen with 50mm of travel. ● Three-spoke wheels with Y-shaped spokes. ● Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres, 120/70 ZR17 front and 180/55 ZR17 rear.

41mm, fully adjustable for Marzocchi forks Sachs shock with adjustable spring preload and

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rebound damping Brembo front braking system with two 320mm discs and M4.32 calipers.

Brembo PR18/19 front radial brake pump.

Three riding modes: Sport, Touring and Urban.

Ducati Safety Pack (ABS Bosch and Ducati Traction Control).

Ready for Ducati Quick Shift (up/down).

Headlight with LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL). ● Full-LCD instrumentation. ● Under-seat waterproof USB port. ● Ready to incorporate Ducati Multimedia System (DMS).

NEW

2017 ★

NEWS 11

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Ducati SuperSport S – Main equipment ● 937cm³ Testastretta 11° engine with 113hp and

● Brembo front braking system with two 320mm

● Euro 4 compliant. ● 2-1-2 exhaust system with lower pre-silencer

● Brembo PR18/19 front radial brake pump. ● Three Riding Modes: Sport, Touring and Urban. ● Ducati Safety Pack (ABS Bosch and Ducati

96.7Nm at 6500rpm.

and lateral silencer with stacked pipes.

● Trellis frame with load-bearing engine. ● Height-adjustable two-position Plexiglas screen

with 50mm of travel.

● Three-spoke wheels with Y-shaped spokes. ● Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres, 120/70 ZR17 front

and 180/55 ZR17 rear. ● Fully adjustable 48 mm Öhlins TiN-treated fork (specific S version). ● Fully adjustable Öhlins shock absorber (specific S version).

discs and M4.32 calipers.

Traction Control).

Shoei launches RYD lid

(specific S version content).

This is the Shoei RYD. It’s the latest addition to the Japanese helmet maker’s range and it was launched at the Intermot show.

Details on it are scarce at the minute, but what we do know is that the RYD is probably going to sit at about midrange and it’s coming in five colours: tangerine, black, white, matt black and grey.

The shell has a five-layer AIM construction for light weight and high strength, and it also comes with EQRS (the emergency quick release system) should your helmet need to be removed after a fall.

There are also four separate shell sizes to get you the best fitting and Shoei says that the helmet has an advanced ventilation system.

● Ducati Quick Shift up/down

● Headlight with LED Daytime Running Lights

(DRL).

● Full-LCD instrumentation. ● Under-seat waterproof USB port. ● Colour-coordinated rear seat cover (specific S

version content).

● Ready for Ducati Multimedia System (DMS).

And the rest of the range (so far) for 2017

Here's the 2017 Ducati Multistrada 1200S (left), the 2017 Monster 821 (right) with the new Euro 4 motor and the 1299 Panigale (far left) that is coming with the factory’s DTC EVO and DWC EVO features.

The bikes get minor tweaks for 2017, largely

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concerned with making them compliant with Euro 4.

The Multistrada 1200 gets a new air intake and the updated grey and white colours, the Monster 821 also gets the new grey scheme.

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12 NEWS

This is the Vision GSX-R750 It looks terrific!

Do these new engine plans point toward something very 1980s heading our way? Quite possibly.

Check out this awesome illustration from our Japanese friends at the brilliant Young Machine magazine.

Called the Vision GSX-R, the bike is a computer-generated image of where Suzuki’s plans to keep the 750cc version of the bike alive may lay. But, it’s not a wild flight of fancy.

This illustration has been put together based on ACTUAL factory drawings surrounding a new engine registered in Japan.

Suzuki has made no secret of keeping the 750 in the range for the future. As an icon of the brand, the GSX-R750 has become well established since its launch in 1985.

As a model that kick-started the modern sector of sales success for the Japanese factory, the GSX-R750 has virtually guaranteed its place forever in the Suzuki line-up.

But while the sporty models in the GSX-R line – like the 1000cc and 600cc options – have from time to time been competitive on track and sold well in dealers, the 750 has always occupied a no-man’s-land between the capacities. Fans of the three-quarter machine have faithfully stuck by the bike, but there’s no denying that a 750cc sportster has a limited appeal.

So, to keep the legacy of the GSX-R750 going – and to hark back to the glory days when the original GSX-R three-quarter litre bike was a goalpost-moving king – we could see something along the lines of the Suzuki Vision GSX-R.

When a wheelie goes so, so wrong...

Check out this sequence from the US launch of the BMW RnineT Scrambler of a wheelie going ever-so-much off the straight and narrow with some serious consquences of the metal/breakage variety. .

The pictures are from the American publication Iron & Air. The rider (who was okay after the crash) is the title’s technical editor Jason Paul Michaels.

Double bugger. Looks like the iPhone is going to need a new screen, too.

Okay, easy wheelie

So far, the only nod towards the bike has been a set of Japanese-office-only patents (pictured bottom right)that centre around a new version of the firm’s old oil-cooled motorcycle.

The puzzle is as to WHY Suzuki has patented this engine at all, given the troubles a 1985-inspired oil-cooled engine will have in passing strict Euro 4 and the coming-soon Euro 5 legislation. But patent it Suzuki has, and for the moment the firm is keeping the drawings very close to its chest.

The patents that have been filed for the engine do have similarities to the small-capacity Feel-Free-Go! town bike that was shown as a concept at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show (pictured above) and on the patent also is a design for an Indian-market motorcycle that is as a finished bike, complete with a Saree guard cover on the sides of the rear wheel.

So, what we know so far is: Suzuki

Oops...

Oops...

HAS patented a NEW oil-cooled motor; Suzuki IS continuing with the GSX-R750; Suzuki WANTS to make a large (750-ish) capacity bike for markets like India based around the motor; Suzuki HAS already shown the tech in concept form to the public.

With the Suzuki GSX-R750 struggling to maintain its natural position in the range, and the increase in modern-retro bikes which are now seeing a growth in sales again, it makes perfect sense for Suzuki to honour its pledge to the bike in this way.

Triumph’s 2017 models from Intermot

Not good!

It’s still okay.

That’ll polish out.

At the Intermot show, Triumph turned out the bew T100 Bonneville range in the four colours that the range will be sold in: grey, red and silver, blue and silver and a glossy black

The T100 Bonneville is actually...

Seen worse!

For 2017, Triumph has taken its Street Twin and tweaked it into a small Bonneville. This is the T100.

Here’s the Triumph Street Cup – a revised Street Twin with some bolt-on parts that’s on the firm’s 2017 model list. Here’s what it gets: two-tone paint, bar-end mirrors, clip-on style bars, fly screen and a Bullet seat with cover. Looks pretty good.

Price to come.

It’s still the 900cc motor that powers the Street Twin, but these versions of the bike – dressed in full-on Bonneville clothes – are clearly aiming squarely at the modern-retro market with some gusto. The suspension and riding position have come in for some work to make the overall bike more easy-going.

The bikes are A2 friendly with a restrictor kit added and get the firm’s ride-by-wire throttles, ABS, torque assist clutch and traction control that can be turned off. There’s even a USB socket as standard. The dash gets a gear indicator and a digital clock, too. Price to come.

...I’m so sorry...

NEWS 13

WIN WIN WIN! Your own FREE copy of Ride2 for Xbox One or PS4.

This month, MoreBikes is offering thee chance to win a copy of the brandnew game – Ride2 – on Xbox One or PS4! In it, you get to race a huge variety of bikes (including the BMW R nine T!) on different courses and in aalll kinds of weather conditions.

Entering the FREE competition couldn’t be easier. Just head over to our website: morebikes.co.uk and check out our competitions section under the ‘News’ heading.

Batpod sells in auction Batman’s Batpod, the super hero motorcycle that made its debut in The Dark Knight has been sold for a staggering £312,000!

The huge amount of cash was the winning bid for the iconic bike at a film and TV memorabilia auction at the BFI IMAX in London.

The bike, part designed and fully ridden in both The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises by French stuntman and former trials ace Jean-Pierre Goy, was sold in a ‘nonworking’ state but was otherwise complete with the GSR750 motor and full rolling chassis in place. It only needed a throttle assembly, fuel lines and battery fitting to be in full asfilmed working order again.

BOOM! Stuntman completes l t the th EEvell KKnievel Canyon jump!

It’s the ultimate fan tribute and now – for the first time ever – a so-called ‘Sky Cycle’ rocket has been fired across the Snake River Canyon in Idaho, the only time the stunt has ever been completed since it was invented

by Evel Knievel.

Professional stuntman Eddie Braun made the jump as a tribute the legendary Montanan who was his boyhood hero.

The rocket, called Evel Spirit launched off a steep ramp on

the edge of the canyon rim as hundreds of onlookers watched.

The rocket reached an estimated 400mph before its parachute deployed, allowing Braun and the ship to land safely in fields on the other side of the 1400-foot-wide canyon.

“I feel like the no-name third string quarterback of a junior varsity team that just won the Super Bowl. My team got me there. I ran it into the end zone.

We scored and won,” Braun said after the jump.

Scott Truax, the designer of the rocket and the son of the original rocket’s designer, Bob, told the Idaho Statesman that after Braun got the okay to launch he didn’t hesitate.

“He was gone in a cloud of steam and I couldn’t see anything until just before he pulled his chutes,” Traux said.

The rocket used for this attempt is identical to the model Knievel used for his failed canyon flight in 1974.

Back then, Knievel landed at the bottom of the canyon when his parachute prematurely deployed partway across the canyon, the legend walking

away with only minor injuries.

Before the jump, the 54-yearold Braun said he was optimistic he would make it across the canyon. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I thought it couldn’t be done,” he said.

“I like to say I’m not doing something that Evel Knievel couldn’t do,” he said before making the jump. “I’m simply finishing out his dream. How many people get to finish the dream of their hero?”

France set to make gloves compulsory France is rolling out a new law that will make gloves a must for those on motorcycles and scooters. From November 20 this year it will be compulsory to wear gloves if you’re a motorcyclist.

In fact, the law will apply to: “Any driver or passenger of a motorcycle, a motor tricycle, a motor quadricycle, or a moped.” Failing to do so puts you at risk of a €68 fine and a penalty point on your license.

Two Kawasaki’s revealed for the Milan show (well, that’s VERY early indeed…)

While all eyes might have been on what was going on at the Intermot motorcycle show, Kawasaki was pulling a sneaky one by showing two of its Milan bikes more than a month ahead of time.

The first model which will make it’s in-the-flesh debut in Italy is the Z900.

Kawasaki says that the bike’s motor is a 948cc inline-four cylinder lump that is based on the Z1000’s engine. It makes 125bhp.

The big naked also comes with a ‘light action’ clutch slip and assist system and a seat height of a very rider friendly 794mm.

The Z900 also gets a lightweight steel trellis frame and, impressively, a bike that looks this big and chunky manages to tip the scales at just 210kg – the 3.9kg aluminium

Colours:

The Z900 is going to come in grey/black, green/black, black/ black and ‘special edition’ blue/grey.

swingarm takes some of the credit for the svelteness. Up front are 41mm upside down forks which can be adjusted for step-less rebound and preload, the typically modern Kawasaki-looking horizontally mounted rear shock is rebound and preload adjustable. Nissin brakes get ABS as standard and uses dual opposed four-piston calipers.

BMW’s airbag textile

No moree ER-66n!

Now we have the new Z650 The second bike that Kawasaki is bringing out in Milan is the Z650.

The 649cc parallel-twin is going to replace the hugely popular ER6-n in the range.

Kawasaki says that the bike’s motor has come in for a lot of work to deliver a smoother power delivery as well as having better low-tomidrange torque and increased mpg (the factory claims 66mpg).

The bike comes with the Slip & Assist clutch system that’s also

fitted to the Z900, Bosch 9.1mm ABS is on the front wheel and the bike has a seat height of 790mm and weighs in at a very manageable 187kg.

Colours: The Z650 is going to come in white/black, green/black, grey/black and black.

BMW Motorrad is launching the BMW Motorrad Street Air by Alpinestars, an advanced air bag system built into a jacket similar to the tech used by MotoGP stars.

Adopted from the current Alpinestars Tech-Air street air bag system – a set-up needing no motorbike-mounted sensors – the kit uses a sophisticated algorithm that detects imminent danger and inflates the full upper body air bag ahead of the first impact.

This jacket is the first safety product to be launched under an exclusive agreement between BMW Motorrad and Alpinestars, and is available now for both female and male customers in different colours.

14 NEWS

More from the Intermot show:

Aprilia’s 2017 RS 125 gets even more clever and ‘little RSV44’ foor next year

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The 2017 Aprilia RS 125 gets some cosmetic updates and colours for the range. It also gets a larger storage area (it can hold a sixinch smartphone) with a charging point and fitment for a quick shifter as standard on the bike.

The new RS 125 version is available in two colours: Silver Speed and Black Speed.

Looks-wise the bike has been updated and performance-wise the brakes now use a four-piston radial caliper on the front with Bosch single-channel ABS that grips a 300mm diameter steel disc. The rear mounts a single-piston caliper that grips a 220mm disc and has anti-rollover protection.

The new instrument cluster provides all the functions from the analogue rev counter to the multifunctionWal digital display with handlebar controls for the speedometer, trip master, battery voltage, time and stopwatch with memory for 20 laps, cooling circuit temperature indicator, fuel reserve indicator, OBD warning light and ABS fault warning light. The AMP ECU that connects the bike and smartphone is also available as an accessory.

The 125cc single-cylinder, four-stroke, four-valve electronic injection engine with liquid cooling is Euro 4 approved.

★

NEW for

2017 ★

Small KTMs get 2017 update

Here are three 2017 KTM smaller Dukes that are going to be launched at the EICMA motorcycle show in Milan in November.

We’ve also got the specs for the 390, 200, 125 which are under each of the full-on, side-on pics below. These bikes are sooooo tasty!

Specifications: RC390

Want a baby Tuono 125? Yeah?

Aprilia has just lifted the wraps off this little cracker...

For next year we’re getting two Tuonos – the 1100RR and the Factory versions Like its much-bigger-capacity sibling, the new baby Tuono is based around it’s more sporty brother. So you know the score with this one; goes like the RS4 125, a bit more upright in the riding position and bosses the tiny naked-bike-looking market.

The bike has a lot of the same details and spec (as you’d expect) as the RS4 including the 14-litre petrol tank, chassis and brakes.

The braking system mounts a four-piston radial caliper on the front wheel, assisted by Bosch ABS, that grips a 300mm diameter steel disc. On the rear, the new J.Juan caliper grips a 220mm disc.

£10

Aprilia has taken the wraps off two updated Tuonos that will be part of the Italian firm’s 2017 line-up: the Tuono V4 1100RR and the Tuono V4 1100 Factory. They also come with a joystick to let you toggle through the various digital menus. Yep, a joystick.

Still based around the RSV4

superbike, the big naked is staying at 175bhp but is now Euro 4 compliant and gets a raft of new electronics and has tweaked suspension and brakes, too.

The Tuono V4 1100 RR is the full-on ‘standard’ Tuono while the Tuono V4 1100 Factory is the more exclusive version equipped with bits taken from the Aprilia RSV4 RF superbike.

The RSV4RR and RF versions of its superbike for 2017 are – according to the factory – vastly improved over the current models to the tune of a whole second a lap faster due to new suspension, electronics, brakes and a downshifter.

It also gets the joystick-led menu navigation system as do the Tuonos.

The RSV4RR, RSV4RF, Tuono V4 1100RR and Tuono V4 1100 Factory APRC get...

The big capacity superbikes (faired and unfaired) have a raft of new bits and electronics for 2017 that includes a joystick on the bike.

Displacement: 373.2cc Maximum power: 43bhp @ 9000rpm Maximum torque: 35Nm @ 7000rpm No. of cylinders: 1 No. of gears: 6 Seat height: 820mm Ground clearance: 178.5mm Kerb/wet weight: 166kg Fuel tank capacity: 10L Top speed: 111mph

Specifications: KTM RC200 Displacement: 199.5cc Maximum power: 24.65bhp @ 10,000rpm Maximum torque: 19.2Nm @ 8000rpm No. of cylinders: 1 No. of gears: 6 Seat height: 820mm Ground clearance: 178.5mm Kerb/wet weight: 154kg Fuel tank capacity: 10L Top speed: 87mph

● New ATC: Aprilia Traction Control, adjustable on the fly,

●

● ●

●

(without having to release the throttle) to eight settings thanks to a joystick control, now has even more fi finetuned and higher performance operating logic.

New AWC: Aprilia Wheelie Control, adjustable to three levels, has new, much more precise operating strategies thanks to the repositioning of the inertial platform. Wheelie control can now be adjusted on the fly without closing the throttle, like the ATC, thanks to the new and more practical left side electric block.

New ALC: Aprilia Launch Control, for use on the track only, with three settings, uses even more effective new operating strategies.

New AQS: Aprilia Quick Shift, the electronic gearbox that allows shifting without closing the throttle and without using the clutch, now with the downshift function as well, to allow clutch-less downshifting.

Its open-throttle downshifting feature is exclusive.

New APL: Aprilia Pit Limiter, the system that lets you select and limit the top speed allowed in pit lane at the track, or simply to make it easier to comply with posted speed limits on the road.

Specifications: KTM RC125

● New ACC: Aprilia Cruise Control. The new electronic

management allows an advanced cruise control system to be introduced, very convenient on longer trips because it lets you maintain the set speed without touching the throttle.

Displacement: 124.7cc Maximum power: 14.8bhp @ 9500rpm Maximum torque: 11.8Nm @ 8000rpm No. of cylinders: 1 No. of gears: 6 Seat height: 820mm Ground clearance: 178.5mm Fuel tank capacity: 10L Top speed: 77mph

16 NEWS

Kawasaki’s ALL-NEW 2017 Ninja 650 shows its colours

Less weight, better mpg and tweaked looks for next year.

Kawasaki has just unveiled its new 650 – and the factory is calling it the ‘all-new Ninja’ raising the question as to whether or not this is signalling the end of the ZX-6R supersport bike.

Aside from the questions raised by the news of the model, the new bike is – as you’d expect – Euro 4 compliant and makes 69bhp.

The factory says the bike has been tuned for: “Excellent low to midrange urge, while the entire package offers a riding environment that will appeal to those looking for their first midweight, those trading down from a larger machine and riders with skill levels from novice to experienced.”

A WHOLE YEAR OF BIKING FOR JUST

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Just 120 of these carbon H2 Kawasaki’s are going to be made in 2017… H2 and H2R get lean angle recorders, too!

It’s pretty, but with only 120 of these carbon H2s being built you’ll be lucky to see one in the flesh. Basically it’s carbon n bodywork on the big bike, while the current H2 2 and H2R get lean angle recorders as standa ard – so lean them over then show yer mates what you did!

Kawasaki also says that the Ninja 650 engine gives 6.8% better fuel economy and uses a new trellis type chassis not a million miles away from that used on the Ninja H2.

The bike also gets a gull wing-style aluminum swinging-arm. It is also a whopping 19kg lighter than the previous 650 model.

It comes equipped with an adjustable shift-up light, plus a rev counter needle that glows red when the next gear should be selected, a digital gear indicator and an ambient temperature read-out.

New style Nissin brake calipers get ABS equipped stopping power. The bike is also A2 compliant – with a 35kw power restrictor kit fitted.

Kawasaki’s ZX-10R gets an RR version Think of it as an old-style homologation racing sppecial on the road.

Kawasaki has revealed its 2017 ZX-10RR. A ZX-10R with knobs on, if you get our point. But there’s only going to be 500 of these bikes made – so if you want one, get buying and quick.

Basically, this is a WSB-spec (ish) upper-flight version of the superbike that gets a modified cylinder head equipped to take higher lift racing camshafts and new reinforced crankcases for increased durability.

The RR also gets tappets with DLC low-friction surface coating for reduced mechanical loss – essential on a race-tuned engine.

For the chassis tweaking, the ZX-10RR gets lightweight forged aluminium Marchesini w wheels to reduce unsprung weight while the combin nation of Brembo M50 monobloc calipers, laterally grooved Brembo disc rotors plus a Brembo radial pump master cylinder and steel braided hoses ups the braking performance.

The addition of down as well as up gear selection on the Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS) is a welcome feature as is the race kit accessory option of head pipe angle and rear pivot point adjustment. Matched to the Showa advanced balanced free front fork, the horizontal Back-link, BFRC lite gas-charged shock with piggyback reservoir offers a wide range of adjustability.

2017 Versys 1000 gets new colours and a dash change For next year the big sport tourer isn’t getting much in the way of mechanical changes it would seem – but what it does get is a new cosmetic touch with some tweaks to the fairing.

The bike comes in orange, green or black, and the dash now gets a gear indicator and various new bits of information in a revised read out that looks easier to follow than the old instrument screen.

★

NEforW

2017 ★

In terms of road riding, the ZX10RR comes equipped with an IMU brain giving six degrees of machine attitude measurement and an impressive number of advanced rider aids including sports traction control, electronic engine brake control, launch control, intelligent antilock brakes and Kawasaki’s KCMF cornering management function (cornering ABS).

NEWS 17

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Knox unveils womenspecific layering range

Here’s the 2017 ★ Kawasaki ZX1000SX X NEforW It’s one of the more popular sport tourers already, 2017 and it’s getting some serious up ★ Kawasaki’s Z1000SX has just been launched by the factory and gets some major upgrades for 2017.

The bike gets a wider top fairing and larger ‘double-bubble’ adjustable screen as well as LED headlamps that are claimed to be 1.4 times brighter than those on the current machine.

Ergonomically, both rider and passenger seats are more deeply padded with a new-style foam plus sculpting which more effectively anchors the passenger in position.

The bike also gets the clean mount pannier system and the remote rear-preload adjustment to make it practical over longer distances.

New for 2017 is the addition of an IMU monitoring six levels of machine attitude and delivering a raft of electronic rider aids including a cornering management function, intelligent antilock braking, selectable power modes and traction control.

The bike also gets an easy pull assist and slipper clutch.

On the dash is a digital gear position indicator and an adjustable gear shift light that illuminates both in the meter panel and via an illuminated rev counter needle.

The bike also has a 19-litre fuel tank and Eco riding indicator to up the mpg on trips.

The unique layering system from Knox enables women riders to achieve a perfect fit that is comfortable whatever the weather.

There’s a base layer, an armoured shirt and an outer wax or classically styled jacket.

For details on the Knox layering system call 01900 825825 or visit planet-knox.com

Karma caught on video

You’ll laugh at this one!

Get over to MoreBikes and check out this excellent 20 seconds of video that just underlines the fact that if you’re going to be throwing the warnings about – whether on two wheels or not – then you’d better have the skills to back it up.

No matter how much you try to play the hardman, it doesn’t take much for it all to go so horribly wrong...

18

NEWS 19

Here’s Yamaha’s 2017 R6 Who says supersports are dead? This little R1 gets six-level traction control, quickshifter, D-Mode, 43mm R1 forks with radial mount calipers and 320mm discs, plus full Euro 4 compliance and ABS. There’s no price announced yet for the new 600 but the spec panel and overall stats of the latest screaming addition to the Yamaha line-up are impressive.

The little superbike also gets a newly designed aluminium fuel tank which weighs 1.2kg less than the steel equivalent (the whole bike tips the scales at a svelte 190kg wet).

Braking-wise the YZF-R6 has the same awesome radial braking system that we’ve seen on the company’s R1 superbike, using dual 320mm discs and aluminium 4-pot opposed piston calipers.

Ergonomically-wise, there’s an allnew rider seat and rear magnesium subframe for a bit more room on the bike, while the seat itself stays at 850mm high.

While the traction control set-up can be switched off entirely, Yamaha says that its intelligent software is designed to not only be virtually undetectable but to also compensate for rear tyre wear.

The bike also gets a new quickshifter. The 43mm KYB inverted forks come straight from the R1. The rear shock is an all-new KYB unit.

KEY FEATURES

★

NEforW

■ ■ ■ ■

2017

■

★

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Next generation R-series design YZF-R1 inspired face Best ever YZF-R6 aerodynamics 6-level TCS to suit changing riding conditions Quickshifter for faster full throttle clutchless upshifts 43mm YZF-R1 type fork with YZF-R6 specific settings 320mm diameter YZF-R1 type front brakes with radial 4-pot calipers Slimline magnesium rear sub frame New angled seat Lightweight aluminium fuel tank Enhanced riding position ABS Euro 4 compliant D-Mode

Okay, so this is a bit ‘out there’ for now – but this motorcycle is what BMW thinks is at least a pointer to future tech.

The bike is a self-balancing (according to BMW it’s uncrashable because it can’t fall over, even at speed) electric machine with a selfadjusting frame that actively becomes part of the motorcycle’s steering at speed. If you want to watch a video of this that explains the whole concept at length log onto: www.morebikes.co.uk and search for ‘BMW’.

■ 599cc, 67mm x 42.5mm, liquid-cooled, 4-valve, dohc, 4-stroke, 4-cylinder ■ Forged aluminium pistons, 13.1:1 compression ratio ■ Titanium intake/exhaust valves ■ Air Induction System and Yamaha Chip Controlled Intake (YCC-I) ■ Twin-injector Yamaha Chip Controlled Throttle (YCC-T) ■ Slipper clutch ■ Close-ratio 6-speed transmission ■ Magnesium head and case covers ■ EXUP valves contributing to excellent torque characteristics ■ Titanium exhaust silencer ■ Aluminium frame and swingarm ■ Colours: Race Blu or Tech Black ■ Available: April 2017

Triumph unveils its Bobber ‘authentic’ battery box and the machine’s ignition barrel has been shifted to the right of the panel so as not to get in the way of the Bobber’s looks.

It also gets bar end mirrors and you can move the clocks up or down to suit your viewing preference. Paddock stand bobbin mounts are standard kit.

No price was available from Triumph for the Bobber as MCM went to press.

Kawasaki is loading even more downforce wing-age onto the H2R hyper bike for next year. Or maybe even later on this year.

It’s difficult to say exactly when the new designs shown in the patent drawings will happen – but the changes to the aerodynamics will happen. Rumours are rife that the aero-tweak is planned because the big bike is getting even more power for 2017, but this isn’t explained in the documents or drawings.

BMW shows its wacky future

TECHNICAL 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6

Triumph has taken the wrappers off its Bobber, a version of its modern Bonneville that is styled to look like a classic bike from the 1940s.

The bike comes with the independently-sprung, aluminium solo seat that can be adjusted back or forward depending on what you want – it also gets the full-on hardtail look.

Essentially, the bike is a T120 Bonneville from the modern range that has been stripped back and lowered for the Bobber look.

The bike also had new, onepiece wide bars, a stylised

More wings on the way

TECHNICAL 2017 Triumph Bobber

■ 1200cc, 97.6mm x 80mm, liquid-cooled, 8-valve, sohc, parallel twin ■ 10.0:1 compression ■ 76bhp @ 6100rpm ■ 78lb-ft @ 4000rpm ■ Fuel consumption (claimed) 69mpg ■ 6-speed transmission

Colours: Burgundy, Green, Grey, Gloss black

BMW’s G310GS A2 Adventure bike caught in spy shots!

This is the 2017 BMW G310GS – the small Adventure bike that is going to be launched at the Milan show in early November.

The bike is powered by the same engine that is at the heart of the firm’s G310R naked roadster which was launched earlier this year, it’s an 80mm x 62.1mm, single-cylinder motor that is going to kick out around 34bhp and 21lb-ft of torque.

More details once BMW releases the bike officially in Italy, but for now here’s how it’s going to look in all its road-riding glory.

Avon’s new tyre caught out

This is the new Storm tyre replacement from British firm Avon.

The new rubber will be out next spring. Apparently it has massive wet performance, good mileage, lots of different tread cuts, racing wet-style and 3D sipes with link bars on the rear. The front has tread link bars on the big ‘S’ shaped tread cuts, too.

20

TEST RIDE 21

The Triumph Bonneville first appeared for the 1959 season, a rip snortin’, range toppin’ racer on the road. Its latest incarnation is a much softer, gentler motorcycle, despite being almost twice the cubic capacity.

0 Hugh Brown’s 1970 T12 Bonneville is a thing of exquisite manners and beautiful to ride.

W Words: James Robinson Photography: Gary Chapman P

The Silver Jub bilee version of the T140; actually, they’re lovely to ride and handle nicely indeed.

W When did the cult of the ‘modern cllassic’ start? And why did it begin?

Itt’s a question which interests me for seeveral reasons. Although retro chic iss everywhere and has always had its fo ollowers, it seems more prevalent th han ever at the moment.

Basically, it’s all about taking the old look and combining it with the modern m convenience of an up-to-date u appliance.

Triumph does have a significant edge over many others in that it has th he right name to be an immediate su uccess in the retro-chic game. And Bonneville combined with Triumph B must be the most famous motorcycle maker/name combination of all time.

So, as with Mini and Beetle on four wheels, the marque has instant kudos and gravitas, so is already at a massive advantage before anything is made.

And so to the new 1200cc paralleltwin T120 Bonneville. It’s a lovely, easy thing to ride, there’s no doubt about that. It’s friendly and civilised, has oodles of torque and linear power and is comfortable, too. It doesn’t feel any bigger than its 865cc forebear (which was the same size as the original ‘second generation’ 790cc Bonnie) and offers no sense of a threatening nature. It really doesn’t feel like it’s ever going to bite you, largely because that is not the nature it possesses. It carries its bulk in a fairly orderly manner, the weight low and planted, making for what is

physically speaking, a relatively small motorcycle.

But the reason I’ve been asked to write this piece isn’t so much about explaining what the new T120 is like, but about putting it in context with all the other Bonnevilles that have gone before. So that got me thinking about what are the best, the most memorable and (dare I say) the worst of the Bonnevilles I’ve ridden.

I’ll start with the best. I think that must be the personal 1970 US-spec job owned by Hugh Brown, a man who makes his living from restoring unit, pre-oil-in-frame Triumphs, mainly Bonnevilles. (Unit – engine and gearbox in one ‘unit’ introduced on the Bonneville in 1963; Pre-oil-inframe – Triumph introduced a new frame which carried the oil in 1971). Hugh’s own twin was something of a test-bed for his ideas and was absolutely delightful. With a dynamically balanced crank and numerous other tweaks it could shift as well, while vibration was minimal. It was taut, eager and huge fun. It really was a lovely machine.

Among aficionados, the 1968-1970 Bonneville is probably considered the best of the whole lot and Hugh’s was the best of the best. The US-spec bars are higher than UK ones, which

meant that the riding position was a little more upright, while the slim, waisted export tank meant that a glance down saw two carburettor aircleaners poking out the sides, which looked brilliant. Tellingly, it’s that paint scheme the new T120 echoes, while some attention has also been paid to making it appear to have twin carbs sticking out.

I’ve ridden pretty much every incarnation of the ‘modern’ Bonneville (launched in 2001), with the best one of them being tuning specialist Norman Hyde’s tweaked machine, which was quite superb.

The ‘new’ twin-cylinder engine seems to respond well to tuning, being tough and strong – it always sticks in my mind how I went to see a guy some years ago whose thing was BSA/ Triumph triples from the 1970s. He had several, half a dozen perhaps, mainly ‘tweaked’ and all in fabulous condition.

Plus, he had a few-years-old, tuned, circa-2005 Thruxton. At day’s end, we lined up all his bikes, next to his own personal bar alongside his swimming pool – I asked him which of all his machines he’d sell last. He turned round, pointed at the ‘new’ Thruxton and said: “That one.”

I did quite a lot of miles on the Thruxton – in fact, I was on its

140

The mileage you can get out of the Bonnie if you take it easy.

22 TEST RIDE

launch, all those years ago in 2003 – while I also had a T100 for a year, and a Scrambler for quite a long time. I’ve come close to buying one on numerous occasions – mainly as the basis for some ridiculous custom enterprise; various ideas have included copying a fabulous special seen in France a few years ago which I’m sure was something to do with French tuning firm Mototwins, a 1960s Triton (usually built in the 1960 and combining a Norton chassis with a Triumph Bonneville, or at least Bonnie ‘spec’ – it was all about the E3134 camshaft and twin carbs – engine) lookalike with alloy tank and clip-ons, while at one point I wanted a ‘flat tracker’ inspired by the Strongbow-painted bikes used in an ill-fated 70s attempt to launch flat track racing in the UK. None of these happened, for various reasons.

The ‘worst’ Bonnie

But I digress. I did say I’d mention the ‘worst’ Bonneville I’d ridden. And, really, it’s not fair because they are only ‘worse’ by being put into context of when they are made. The 1970s T140V (750cc and with a five-speed gearbox) was basically what should

TEST RIDE 23

have come out in, say, 1970, when the slightly ill-conceived (it was too high) initial oil-in-frame machine was launched. Actually, 1968 would have been better, in a double-pronged response (with the Trident) to the CB750 Honda.

In fact, 1966-67 would have been better for the 750cc five-speeder, or 1963, in fact, when it went unit construction. Then the Trident could have followed in 1965 and there’d have perhaps never have been a CB750… anyway, you can’t change the past, and all that so back to the matter in hand. As I was saying, the T140V is not a bad bike at all, in fact it handles beautifully, but, seriously, a supposed competitor to the Honda CB750?

Let alone the Kawasaki Z1? It says a lot for some properly talented engineers and clever development that the 1970s Bonnevilles were even considered a vaguely serious proposition as a ‘sportster.’ Now, though, a T140 is actually not such a silly idea. It’s effectively a 1960s bike, built in the 1970s. And handling-wise, it is lovely, way better than the Z1s et al, which was the only reason it could ever be considered a sportster.

Other noteworthy Bonnevilles?

Well, the original 1959 machine known as the Tangerine Dream possesses a still-impressive amount of ‘go.’ Finished in striking orange and with those twin carbs sticking out, the 1959 is actually something of an anomaly as its rather staid headlamp nacelle and single downtube cradle frame was only used for one year. Reckoned to be capable of tying itself in knots, my overriding memory from my first go on a Tangerine Dream was not the handling, but the feeble performance of the brakes, the front brake especially. Particularly when doing 70mph on the bypass, with the Bonnie’s owner sat in the photographer’s car in front, looking out the back window and giving me the thumbs up as we cracked on. Unfortunately, the traffic then decided to slow (abruptly), as did the photographer’s car, while I did everything I could to haul the Bonneville up, the rearward looking owner not realising that I wasn’t performing for his amusement, I was actually really worried about crashing into the back of the car, as he watched…

24 TEST RIDE Timeline: 1956

Johnny Allen records 214mph at Bonneville Salt Flats

1959

The Tiger 120 Bonneville is launched

1960

New duplex frame introduced

1963

Unit construction, as well as TT (for American dirt track racing)

1965

Thruxton Bonneville production racer is listed

1967

Last year of the TT Bonneville

1968

Twin-leading shoe front brake added

1971

Oil-in-frame (OIF) and conical hubs appear

1972

Modified OIF (inch-and-a-half lower) introduced

1973

T140V (initially 722cc, soon 744cc, V for five-speed) version makes its bow

1975

The 1959 Bonneville was brash and aggressive, its twin-carbs and bright orange finish a break from the 1950s norm.

Switch to left-foot gearchange

1977

Silver Jubilee Bonneville made

1981

Royal Wedding Bonneville

1982

Factory custom TSX

1983

Eight-valve TSS

1985

Harris Bonneville appears

2001

790cc ‘Hinckley’ Bonneville launched

2002

Bonneville America and T100 introduced

2003

Speedmaster makes its bow

2004

New 865cc Thruxton introduced

2006

Scrambler variant appears

2007

All models go to 865cc

2008

Fuel-injection across the range

2009

Bonneville SE launched

2015

1200cc T120 Bonneville debuts

Happily, we managed to pull up, but it was a salient reminder that often on these old motorcycles, it’s not keeping up with modern traffic that’s the problem, it’s stopping with it.

There’s no such drama on the new ABS-equipped T120 – braking is a straightforward affair, the large twin discs hauling up the 224kg (494lb – the 1959 Bonnie weighed 404lb) machine in impressive time, and with no fuss at all. Just like everything on this machine, it all works really well and nicely, everything doing as it should, when it should, with no fuss, no drama, no panic, no worries.

There’s next to no vibration, it’ll pull from really low revs in a high gear with minimum fuss. No obvious quirks are discernible, no glaring weaknesses apparent, no flaws in the new Bonneville’s make-up. My only gripes were there was hardly anywhere to tie my tail-pack on the back (which is in common with lots of modern machines – why no hooks?) while the 140-mile tank range seems a bit small, also. All in all, though, sure there are plenty of modern motorcycles that do things better, but the Bonneville T120 does everything well-enough to satisfy those who are expected to buy it.

I’ve perhaps made it sound like a bland appliance – and it seems to me its makers sense that too. So the guys and gals at Hinckley have spent even more time making sure that attention to detail has reintroduced (‘engineered in’) what a focus

group would call ‘character’ to the motorcycle. There are admittedly some very neat touches – check out the Amal-lookalike ‘carburettors’, the white-script Triumph name on the back of the seat, even the lockable fuel filler is a really nicely made thing, its keyhole hidden under a little rotating piece of metal. I even think they have gone so far as to offset the exhaust slightly, with one side higher than the other; now, this could be a coincidence, but on Triumphs (like my old ’55 Thunderbird) the left pipe was a fraction lower when viewed from behind than the right one. And it is on the new T120! Neat.

In conclusion, Bonnevilles of old (actually, the majority of Triumph twins; it was why kids loved ’em) were always great fun, and they were about accelerating fast and looking great – and this one does, or can do, all those things (and would certainly leave any ‘old’ Bonnie for dust as it has 79bhp, the 1959 has 46) but it’s just a bit more grown up and sensible than some of what went before. Right from its first incarnation in 1959 – the initial single-downtube pre-unit hotrod, under-braked, under-framed – it could be argued that Bonnies have become less exciting almost year on year, gaining more manners but at the expense of sheer exuberance as time has rolled on. Maybe, but that reflects the market; the 20-year-old coffee bar cowboys of the 1960s just, quite simply, don’t exist any more

and the Bonneville buyer (nay the motorcyclist) is generally going to be at least double that age, probably nearer triple (or more) if truth be told.

As I’ve been writing this feature I’ve realised that actually none of the Bonnevilles I’ve had anything to do with could be considered ‘bad’ but the new T120 shares not only the colour scheme with the 2001 790cc Bonneville, but more of its traits than either of the newer pair do with the 1970 version, which first used the paint job (or a variation of ). And so the Bonneville has been tailored to meet that market’s demands. And what does that market demand? What does the modern Bonneville buyer require? A good name? Check. A good look? Check. Easy – and adequate – all-round performance? Check. Ease of maintenance and servicing (10,000 mile service gaps!)? Check.

Triumph has skilfully manoeuvred itself into a winning position.

Checkmate, I’d say.

25

26

THE INTERNATIONAL DIRT BIKE SHOW IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MOTUL 27

THE BIGGEST AND BEST OFF-ROAD DAY OUT OF THE YEAR

Thursday to Sunday, October 27-30 Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire dirtbikeshow.co.uk

The latest machines, the newest kit, and many of the sport’s top riders… it can only be the International Dirt Bike Show in partnership with MOTUL. It’s nearly that time of year again when the leading off-road motorcycle brands bring their newest ranges under one roof at Warwickshire’s Stoneleigh Park.

We are of course talking about the International Dirt Bike Show in partnership with MOTUL, and Europe’s biggest and best indoor off-road event is now just around the corner, taking place over four days, Thursday to Sunday, October 27-30.

There’s been a buzz building for a while now about what we’ll see from the manufacturers at the showpiece event, and they will come together to unveil a staggering number of bikes covering virtually every off-road discipline, both on display and for sale, including new 2017 models across motocross, trials and enduro.

Industry titans Honda, Husqvarna, KTM, Suzuki and Yamaha will be packing production machines into Hall 2, showcasing the advances and upgrades which have been made to next year’s ranges.

Beta, Bultaco, Gas Gas, JotaGas, Mecatecno, Rieju, Sherco and Vertigo are also all confirmed to attend showcasing their bikes and giving visitors the chance to chat with their teams of experts.

If you’ve got a machine sorted for next year, you’re going to need all the gear to go with it, and that’s where TWO huge retail and trade halls come in. The leading distributors of top-ofthe-range clothing will all be on-site offering great deals on the latest kit, along with accessories, riding gear, cleaning products and more.

And it’s not just yourself that you can treat; get a few bits for your bike as well with the leading tyre brands for sale direct from the major players and from retailers. Plus, you’ll find parts and spares in our Motojumble.

With the show taking place in late October, it’s the perfect time to stock up ahead of a new year of riding, or get your hands on a few perfect Christmas presents for your nearest and dearest.

And the four days aren’t just about getting you to part with your hard-earned. There’s plenty to get involved with and watch, including visitor favourites such as Minibike Supercross, on-stage entertainment, have-a-go electric trials and the incredible Wall of Death. There will

Trials ace Dougie Lampkin will be at the show, fresh from his successful world record attempt to wheelie a motorcycle around the Isle of Man. also be demos from trials legend Dougie Lampkin – a 12-time world champion and the 2016 Scottish Six Days Trial winner – who’ll be joined by mountain bike ace Danny Butler and friends. Younger members of the family are looked after too with a dedicated Electric Trials area for kids, Quads, remote-controlled motorcycle racing and Strider balance bikes.

After enjoying all of that, head over to the hub of activity which is the main stage for a sit down, and catch up with interviews with star riders, industry figureheads and racing legends.

Enjoy all of this with a day out at the International Dirt Bike Show in partnership with MOTUL.

Advance tickets on sale now... but you need to act fast!

There are real savings to be made by buying in advance! Admission for Friday-Sunday is just £13 per adult when bought before the end of the advance ticket deadline at 11.59pm on Monday, October 24. The same ticket for DISCOUNT THURSDAY costs just £8.

And seeing as the show falls during many

PRICES Adult Child (11-15) Senior Family (two adults/two children)

schools’ half-term holidays, why not bring the kids and make a day of it. A family ticket – two adults/ two children – is priced at just £24 for DISCOUNT THURSDAY and only £30 for the other three days.

With so much going on at one venue for such a low price, it’s easy to see why this is a must-notmiss for thousands of dirt biking fans.

DISCOUNT THURSDAY £8 (saving £8 on the gate) £8 (saving £2 on the gate) £8 (saving £2 on the gate) £24 (saving £16 on the gate)

FRIDAY-SUNDAY £13 (saving £3 on the gate) £8 (saving £2 on the gate) £8 (saving £2 on the gate) £30 (saving £10 on the gate)

To buy tickets follow the links from dirtbikeshow.co.uk or call 01507 529529

28 A MUST RIDE

KTM 690 Duke: Seriously capable.

Seriously fun.

This is life on a big single, but not as we know it.

Words: Roland Brown Photography: Marco Campelli and Sebas Romero I’m shooting along a steep, spectacularly twisty tyy mountain road in Gran Canaria. The throttle is repeatedly on its stop yet there’s an almost eerie smoothness as the 690 Duke R revs to its 9000rpm redline with the enthusiasm that you might expect of a bike that makes a healthy 75bhp and has a dry weight of less than 150kg.

On that early-morning blast the road was slightly damp and gritty ty, y but I hardly needed to worry about that because the KTM is equipped with Bosch’s brilliant cornering ABS and lean-angle dependent traction control system. The Duke R is quick, ridiculously light, remarkably sophisticated, outstandingly safe – and about as similar to a traditional lumpy big single as the Starship Enterprise is to a horse and cart.

This bike and the standard 690 Duke that I rode first in the morning represent the fifth generation of KTM’s road-going single, which has sold more than 50,000 units since its launch in 1994. During that time performance and refinement have increased repeatedly, and this latest pair of 690cc models represent

another advance in both respects, notably with increased power and torque, reduced vibration and stateof-the-art electronics.

KTM 690 Duke

The first short stretch of main road was all the 690 Duke needed to demonstrate the LC4 powerplant’s main attributes. When I cracked open its throttle on exiting a roundabout the bike leapt forward, revv vving v through the gears with a touch more enthusiasm than its predecessor would have managed – and with a distinct lack of vibration as the new instrument console’s tacho needle jabbed towards the redline through the gears.

The KTM engineers’ achievement in coaxing an extra 6bhp from the sohc, four-valve powerplant is admirable, especially when they’ve had to get the Duke through Euro 4 homologation at the same time.

But the motor’s extra smoothness, courtesy of a second balancer shaft located in the cylinder head, makes more difference to how the bike feels. It’s not that previous Dukes vibrated particularly harshly when

A MUST RIDE 29

TECH SPEC KTM 690 Duke / R

Price: £7699 / £8999 Engine: 690cc, sohc liquid-cooled single Peak power: 73bhp / 75bhp (54kW / 56kW) @ 8000rpm Peak torque: 55lb-ft (74Nm) @ 6500rpm Transmission: Six-speed, chain final drive Frame: Tubular steel trellis, aluminium rear subframe Kerb weight: Approximately 163kg Dry: 148.5kg / 147.5kg Wheelbase: 1466mm Wheels: (F) 3.5 x 17in; (R) 5 x 17in Fuel capacity: 14L Seat height : 835mm / 865mm Contact: ktm.com/gb

revved hard – the original balancer in the bottom end made sure of that – but this new model is smoother, at least provided it’s kept spinning above about 6000rpm. And the ride-bywire throttle response through the midrange is strong too, reflecting the fact that torque is increased pretty much everywhere above 4500rpm even though the new motor’s more oversquare dimensions (105 x 80mm instead of 102 x 84.5mm) would tend to make it more peaky.

You do have to keep the revs up to prevent the shakes; when I got a bit lazy in town and let them drop below 4000rpm, the Duke juddered in minor irritation. And when I tried to accelerate from below 3000rpm, even in the lower gears, the bike shook through its seat and footrests in a reminder of singles from a bygone era, until I trod down a couple of gears.

In other respects the KTM felt much like the previous Duke, which was no surprise because its chassis is essentially unchanged. The onepiece handlebar remains mildly upswept, and I was impressed by the colourful new all-digital TFT (thinfilm transistor) display, which shows info including fuel consumption, remaining range and gear position.

The launch Dukes also offered a choice of three power modes, because they were all fitted with the Track Pack that is an option with the standard 690 (and included with the Duke R), and also adds traction control. There’s no difference to the maximum output but throttle response is notably changed, the additional Sport mode giving a slightly more aggressive feel that I preferred to the standard Street setting when riding hard, but which would be a touch sharp on a slippery road (although the softest Rain mode would hardly be essential).

Handling was as responsive as you’d expect of such a light, wide-barred naked roadster, though initially the KTM didn’t feel quite right when we reached the switchback roads in the mountains of central Gran Canaria.

Occasionally it seemed twitchy, perhaps due to the gusty wind’s effect on such a light bike. But the WP shock was too soft for my fairly average

(85kg) body; with its generous 135mm of travel the ride quality was fine on bumps, but it allowed the bike to squat too much at the rear.

The result, perhaps exaggerated by the additional 4mm of trail that both 690s have (due to new yokes with reduced offset), was that the KTM tended to understeer slightly, and needed a correction through the bars to prevent it running wide when exiting tighter turns. Increasing shock preload from the third to seventh of eight slots – the only suspensiontuning option – gave usefully sharper, more accurate steering, albeit with a slightly harsher feel over bumps.

One chassis feature that couldn’t be fine-tuned was the front brake, an unchanged single Brembo four-piston caliper and 320mm disc that required a firm lever action, making it clear why even most middleweights have twin front discs. The Duke did stop urgently if I squeezed hard enough, and the rear disc was useful when I took the trouble to use it (I don’t normally bother on light bikes), but more bite would have been better.

That apart, there were few drawbacks to a single that retains the simplicity that helped make KTM’s original 620 Duke a hit two decades ago, but now offers performance and practicality that riders of that old kickstart-only thumper couldn’t have dreamt of. Inevitably the 690’s upright riding position would soon feel exposed in colder weather, but its unchanged 14-litre tank was good for 150 miles at the launch average of 55mpg, and the new two-part seat seemed comfortable despite being thin.

I was surprised that the mirrors were a little blurry through some of the rev range, despite the engine’s new-found smoothness.

Controls and switches were good, and the new display worked well in conjunction with the multi-function button on the left handlebar.

Perhaps the only lasting drawback is that the Duke isn’t cheap by mid-sized roadster standards, the £7699 price (plus about £300 if you want the optional Track Pack) being

14

In litres, the amount of petrol that you can fit in the tanks

higher than that of some alternatives including Triumph’s new Street Twin and Yamaha’s MT-07. But this revamped KTM counters with high quality and a healthy dose of distinctive singlepot character.

KTM 690 Duke R

163

A couple of fellow testers didn’t like the higher footrests, which might become more of an issue on a longer ride, but I didn’t find the KTM particularly cramped, although I’ve got long legs. And I was glad of its resultant generous clearance when we had the chance of a thrash round the twisty Maspalomas circuit.

Even here the multi-adjustable WP suspension was very well controlled, despite giving a generous 150mm of travel at each end, 15mm more than the standard model’s units.

The bike was quick and very easy to ride, and well backed up by its Metzeler M7 RR tyres on a surface that was rough in a few turns.

The R model’s front brake provided useful extra stopping power too, thanks to the Brembo M50 Monobloc caliper, which chomped the 320mm disc with more effect than the standard model’s four-potter. And KTM’s flagship single also gets Bosch’s Motorcycle Stability Control package of cornering ABS and traction control, plus Motor Slip Regulation (which prevents rear-wheel lock-up if the throttle is shut abruptly) and the three riding modes that are an option on the standard Duke.

That all adds up to a bike that is seriously capable, well equipped and entertaining, with the bonus that on the road you can ride it hard enough to make good use of its engine and chassis performance without posting jail-riskingly high speeds on that fancy new instrument panel. Inevitably the Duke R is pretty expensive, costing £8999. But that’s just £100 more than the previous model – and hardly excessive for a machine that provides a stellar level of technology and safety, and takes single-cylinder motorcycling to new heights in the process.

That’s the estimated wet weight in kilos of the KTM

The standard Duke represents a big step for singles, but the specification alone of its racy relation the Duke R is enough to embarrass some famous names from the sportbike world. On that morning ride over the Gran Canaria mountains it was a new sensation to be riding a slender, 690cc roadster that not only cornered and stopped like a mini-superbike, but had more refined electronics than a Fireblade or GSX-R1000 too.

And one that was also slightly quicker than the standard Duke in a straight line, thanks to its titanium Akrapovic can, which adds a couple of horsepower and helps cut weight even further, to just 147.5kg dry (a couple of kilos down on the previous model, though that’s just because it no longer comes with crash-bars). The R rumbled rapidly to 110mph and was still pulling enthusiastically, heading for a top speed of about 125mph – and, like the standard model, encouraging plenty of throttle abuse with its improbable lack of vibes.

The R’s chassis supplies most of its advantage over the standard Duke, and immediately made it feel different. The higher, more rearset footrests were obvious as soon as I’d thrown a leg over the 30mm taller seat (at 865mm, high enough to put short riders on tip toes) and let out the light-action slipper clutch. So too was the superior rear shock whose stiffer spring ensured the R steered very accurately on standard settings.

30 PRODUCTS

Bike Seal Puncture Prevention System

RRP: £25 + P&P

Bike Seal Puncture Prevention System is a permanent puncture prevention system, which the manufacturer says is currently used by organisations from police forces, the NHS and UPS worldwide, to the US and UK military and the entire NATO forces.

The main aim of the product is to improve safety, with secondary benefits of saving money on tyres/recovery, lost time, and inconvenience, along with its ecofriendly properties.

Once installed, the puncture prevention system claims to

New Duchinni D705 Syncro helmet RRP: £59.99 // Colours: Black/neon, black/orange, black/white or black/gun // Sizes XS-XL, (and up to XXL in black/gun) Duchinni’s entry-level D705 helmet is now available in a choice of four striking graphics.

The D705 Syncro has a strong ABS/fibre composite outer shell that is certified to the latest ECE22.05 safety standard. Its aerodynamic design creates a cleaner airflow over the helmet, which keeps the head more stable and eases strain on the neck at higher speeds. UV protection shields the shell and the colours from the effects of direct sunlight.

Vents to the top and chin bar, linked to an exhaust vent at the rear by advanced channelling through the EPS liner, keep the head cool as the temperature rises. The high quality textile lining is also fully removable

and washable, so it can be kept fresh and bacteria-free.

It also has a double curvature visor with an anti-scratch coating, plus a breath-deflector to keep it fog-free.

And the Syncro is fastened by an adjustable micrometric quick-release buckle.

For further information: thekeycollection.co.uk // 0117 971 9200

permanently plug and seal up to a 15mm diameter puncture within two to three revolutions of a wheel, losing negligible tyre pressure (0.5-1.0 PSI).

Installation of the product permanently protects tyres from 95% of tread area punctures, stops most rim and bead leaks and slow punctures permanently and protects tyres for their legal life. The product is non-corrosive and suitable for both tube and tubeless tyres.

The 500ml bottle will provide protection for one motorcycle, so enough two tyres.

For further information: bikeseal.com // 01278 671900 // enquiry@bikeseal.com

Elite protection from the new Knox Defender

RRP: £249.99 // Sizes: S–3XL Colour: Classic black and grey Knox says that the Defender Elite combines track levels of protection with the comfort and convenience of an armoured shirt.

Alongside the Knox CE-approved armour in the shoulders and elbows, the new Defender Elite is fitted with a full length Aegis back protector, making it fully CE-certified to Level 2 – the highest rating of the latest back protector standard.

A lightweight CE-approved chest protector is also fitted to the Defender Elite as standard. It can be adjusted to suit the wearer, or removed altogether.

The low-profile cut of both the Aegis and the shoulder and elbow protectors means that it can fit under close-fitting jackets and suits with relative ease.

Watsonian sidecar kit for new Triumph T120

RRP: From £5995

Watsonian Squire has developed a sidecar fitting kit for Triumph’s new T120 Bonneville.

The GP700, a wide-bodied sidecar with a 70cm bench seat, is suitable for an adult and a child. Its fibreglass body retains the traditional octagonal nose shape from the 1930s, and is trimmed with polished aluminium beading. The lockable boot measures 76 x 61 x 40cm, providing plenty of secure luggage space.

It’s fitted with a 15-inch wheel with stainless spokes. Prices start at £5995 in plain black, and the T120 fitting kit costs £350.

Watsonian builds sidecars in its

Oxford Rota Force ground anchor RRP: £84.99 The ground anchor bolts down with four security bolts. The unique rotating head allows easier fitment and better bike positioning, and the 26mm diameter case hardened steel head resists all forms of attack.

The 59mm internal diameter allows all Oxford chains to be fitted.

The ground anchor is sold with all necessary fittings included.

For further information: oxfordproducts.com

factory in the North Cotswolds and is the UK’s biggest and longest-established manufacturer, founded in 1912.

For further information: watsoniansquire.com // 01386 700907

TomTom V10 RRP: £149.99 TomTom has created the world’s first scooter smart phoneconnected sat nav called TomTom VIO. The circular glove-friendly touch screen device acts as an extension to a connected smart phone, which uses the welldeveloped app as the brains.

The weatherproof display unit offers turn-by-turn navigation both visually and audibly via a Bluetooth helmet audio system. When a call comes in, the display will show a photo of who it is so the rider can take it via the headset while directions remain on the TomTom VIO display. TomTom’s famous speed camera warning system is built-in.

Design detailing continues as the snap-on silicon covers are available in six different colours and the maps can be set to the same colour using one simple touch in the app.

For further information: tomtom.com

All the armour in the Defender Elite can be removed for washing but, unlike any other garment of this type, the wearer simply zips the shirt off the back protector – no fiddly pockets or fasteners to wrestle with – making it very easy to keep it fresh and clean throughout the riding season.

For further information: planetknox.com // 01900 825825

Furygan Jean D30 RRP: £149.99 // Sizes: 36-50 Colours: Denim blue or slate grey The CE-approved D3O Kevlar jeans may look like a normal pair of jeans, but Furygan assures us the stylish denim exterior hides a multitude of protective features. There is D3O protection and an Aramid fibre lining in the hips and knees, and areas exposed to abrasion in a crash situation are reinforced with triple or quadruple stitching.

The knee protectors are adjustable to three heights and the slightly wider, yet straight, cut provides increased comfort on the bike.

For further information: nevis.uk.com // 01425 478936

Absaar mini jump starter and power pack RRP: £59.95 The new Absaar mini jump starter and power pack provides enough power to jump start your bike or to charge your phone and other gizmos several times over. There’s even a built-in torch, which is particularly handy if you’re camping.

The device is only the size of a smart phone (138 x 78 x 18mm) and weighs 230g, making it easy to take with you on your travels. It comes with a micro-USB charging cable and crocodile clips for jump starting your bike.

Capacity: 6000mAh (22,2 Wh). Rated input voltage: 5V/2A. Rated current: 150A. Peak current 300A. For further information: absaar.co.uk

PRODUCTS 31

Cable tie and accessory kit from Gunson RRP: £19.06

Suitable for all automotive applications, this new cable tie and accessory kit from Gunson Tools (part number 77140), offers a versatile selection of cable ties and mounting tabs that ensures neat and professional looking cable and harness installation.

The selection includes 50 of each size of cable tie: 2.5mm x 100mm, 3.6mm x 150mm and 4.8mm x 230mm; 10 each of panel fixing cable ties: 3.5mm x 150mm and 4.8mm x 200mm (these are simply plugged into a suitable hole in the panel); 10 each of the 4.8mm x 200mm mounting head cable ties (attached to the panel with a bolt or self-tapping screw); 10 halfinch R-clips (useful for wiring spurs but also for washer fluid pipes, etc.); and 10 each of the self-adhesive cable tie mounting tabs, in two sizes, 22mm x 22mm and 28mm x 28mm (cable ties are simply looped into the mounting tabs, ensuring neat, tidy and secure cable runs).

It’s supplied in a handy case that will fit neatly in your toolbox.

For further information: gunson.co.uk

Tucano Urbano Pol jacket RRP: £134.99 // Sizes: s: S-3XL S 3XL / Colours: Black, brown, reed or grey

Available from Tucano Urban no, Pol is a classic biker-style waist-length fabric jacket, designed to be both breatha able and windproof. It features waterproof zips and Tucano Urbano’s smart hidable reflective panels.

The shell is made from waxed cotton canvas, with a polyester lining. CEapproved armour is fitted at the elbows and shoulders, and there are fit-adjusters at the sides, hem and wrists.

For further information: tucanourbano.com

KTech Razor twin shocks RRP: £594 (Razor), £958 (Razor Lite)

The Piggyback Razor shocks feature compression and rebound damping, spring preload and length adjustment to allow owners of twin-shock motorcycles to customise their ride. It has an anodised black finish. Meanwhile, the Razor Lite is a more affordable shock that features rebound damping, spring preload and length adjustment – similarly, replacing OE equipment.

For further information: ktechsuspension.com // 01283 559000

HJC Marvel superhero helmets

Vespa 70th Anniversary Gift Collection

RRP: TBC

RRP: From £9.99

If you like your superheroes, you’re in for a treat! HJC is launching a series of Marvel inspired helmets. The first helmet line-up to be launched will feature the Iron Man graphic on the IS-17, the Punisher graphic on the FG-ST, a Spider-Man graphic and a Venom graphic on HJC’s most advanced model, the RPHA11.

The graphics are designed to appeal to everyday motorcycle riders as well as Marvel fans. In particular, the Spider-Man and Venom graphics on the RPHA11 are designed with a super-strong, yet super-light shell for comfort and protection.

For further information: oxfordproducts.com // 01993 862300 // info@oxprod.com oxfordproducts.com

It was in 1946 that the very first Vespa rolled off the Pontadera production line. Its simple, economical 98cc engine, enclosed pressed steel body and easy handling instantly struck a chord with post-war commuters.

To mark the 70th year of production, Vespa has added an Anniversary Collection to its genuine accessories and lifestyle ranges, so Vespa fans can join in the celebrations both on and off their scooters.

The 70th Anniversary collection includes a helmet, t-shirt, key ring, mug, baseball cap and top boxes.

For further information: uk.vespa.com // 01179 725552

Biker F Friendly Guide

To advertise in the December issue give Lee a call on 01507 529453

32 LONG-TERM TEST

Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin DCT Our man Mikko has been to South Wales in search of some off-road fun on the big twin...

Words: Mikko Nieminen Photography: Honda The Africa Twin is not just a pretty bike. According to Honda it’s a true adventurer with real off-road capability. The trouble is, I have next to no off-road capability myself. So, there was only one thing for it: point the big twin towards Wales and the new Honda Adventure Centre on the edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. This was my best bet of finding out how the bike handles on dirt, while also having the chance to pick up some off-roading skills myself.

The centre has a fleet of brand-new Africa Twins (they use the geared model, not DCT), so you don’t need to put your own bike through the test,

TECH SPEC Honda CRF1000L Africa Twin DCT

Engine: 998cc liquid-cooled parallel twin, Maximum power: 94bhp Maximum torque: 72ft-lb Kerb weight: 242kg Tank capacity: 18.8L Wheels: Front 21in, rear 18in spoked Seat height: 870/850mm Price: Manual £10,499, DCT version £11,299

which made me slightly less nervous about the whole thing. However, the thought of riding the 94bhp, 232kg, 1000cc bike off-road was a little daunting. Luckily, Honda has teamed up with Dave Thorpe, three times world motocross champion, to ensure the training is top-notch. I figured that if there was anyone who could get me up to speed with trail riding, this was the man for the job.

Honda Adventure Centre owns a huge bit of land, with an off-road training area, and a seemingly endless maze of trails. The setting is ideal for getting to grips with the bikes.

Steady start

The training started at the Honda Adventure Centre HQ in Merthyr Tydfil, with the basics of how to get on the bike (yes, it turns out there’s a right and wrong way to do it), riding standing up on the pegs, and how to lift the bike up after a fall. “You will drop it at some point, so better we show you how to pick it up now,” Pat, one of our trainers, merrily explained. Gulp!

Once the whole group was happy with the basics, it was time to hit the dirt.

The training ground and trails are a few miles from the HQ, which meant a little ride to get familiar with the bike.

I had already noticed how easy it was to ride the Africa Twin at crawling speed in city centres, and it turns out that the same easy handling and balance are evident off the Tarmac too. As long as you get the controls right and don’t upset the balance by your own movements, the big bike is very happy to turn in small circles, slide and skid without losing control, and plough through big puddles as if it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Heavy stuff

One of my worries before the training had been the size of the Africa Twin.

It’s a long way down from the lofty 850mm seat, and once that 232kg starts to go, there’s no stopping it. As it happened, I did indeed drop the bike a few times during the day, but aside from picking the bike up, it felt incredibly nimble and light bouncing around the Welsh trails. In the right hands it’s a very capable off-roader.

On roads I have felt that the factory set-up for the suspension is slightly too soft, so I’ve tweaked it a bit to suit me better, but on the dirt the initial softness of the standard setting, in the forks in particular, translates into steadier handlebars and easier control. Long suspension travel means that you're unlikely to bottom out the suspension unless you hit a massive crater. Overall, the bike seems surprisingly accommodating, and a pleasure to ride around the trails.

Experimental off-roading

I’ve never really appreciated the benefit of switchable ABS because I tend to do all my riding on roads, and there’s very little benefit in switching the ABS off on Tarmac. Get on the dirt and it’s a different story: being able to switch the rear ABS off gives more control, especially for experienced riders on steep declines, but I still felt more comfortable with the ABS firmly on. However, away from the hills in the safety of the training ground, I did find locking the brakes enormous fun and I tried to convince myself there were important lessons to be learnt from skidding around.

Experimenting with traction control (or torque control as Honda calls it) was also interesting. The Africa Twin offers three levels of control and the option to switch it off altogether. It was impressive how you actually gained more control going uphill by reducing the level of interference and letting the torquey engine do the work for you. Again, on the training ground, letting the rear wheel spin freely was not only a good opportunity to get a feel for grip, but also fantastic fun.

DCT vs manual

After spending the two days on the geared Africa Twins, we had a chance to try the DCT version (like our longterm loan bike), which turned out to be very pleasant in this environment too. The fact that you don't have to worry about the clutch made riding a lot simpler. For a novice like me, the DCT was a simpler tool for the trails, although not having the clutch lever there to take the drive from the wheel felt a little daunting.

Since I did the training, Honda has announced that the X-ADV adventure bike/scooter concept will become a production machine, with a DCT transmission system, so maybe the future of off-roading is unravelling in front of our eyes here.

Real off-road capability

At the end of the course I felt like my off-road riding had come on in leaps and bounds. From a very tentative start I had progressed to a level where I felt much more comfortable on dirt in general, and on the massive Africa Twin in particular.

But the two days of training were not only a great introduction to trail riding, they were also a demonstration of the off-road capabilities of the big brute. Considering its size, weight and power, I was amazed how agile and responsive it felt on the Welsh trails. I also discovered that riding on dirt can be as much fun as riding on roads, so I will definitely be doing some more trail riding on the Africa Twin in the coming months. Wish me luck – I reckon I might need it!

Honda Adventure Centre Honda Adventure Centre offers two-day off-road courses for Levels 1 (beginner), 2 and 3. Prices start from £499 including two days of training on the centre’s bikes, three meals and loads of off-roading fun. For more details, see hondaadventurecentre.com

LONG-TERM TEST 33

The Scotland trip Words and pictures: Tony Carter

menace. The Arrows are quiet enough to not draw attention in built up areas and fun enough to deliver the audible fun by the race can-shaped bucketload.

In terms of upping performance, that’s been it. I did want to put a quick shifter on the bike but parts are still being waited for as far as that goes.

Touring on a bike.

Touring on a superbike.

Touring on a naked superbike.

Up to Scotland to do some touring on a naked superbike.

Let’s be honest, that doesn’t sound like something that most people would want to do. But standing by Upping the comfort my mantra that you really can tour on On the everyday comfort front – and anything – and that touring is nothing the long trip like this front, too – I’ve more than a state of mind – I figured gone for the comfort rider’s seat, the that a round trip of 800-miles or so up moulded tank pad, the grab rail, a to that there Scotland for a bit of wild camping on the Triumph Speed Triple power-outlet point and fly-screen extender visor. On the longevity front 1050R was the perfect way to put my I’ve also added engine protectors mantra where my mouth is. from the Triumph catalogue. Serious And it’s a firm test for seeing how bits of metal that I hope I don’t have the bits that I’ve been tweaking on to use, but they’re reassuring to have the Speed work in the real world. on the bike all the same.

So let’s roll through what’s gone It’s obvious why I took the more where. And yes, the picture of the comfy seat. Thicker and more plush bike is it all kitted up in Scotland materials and a much more luxurious after a few hundred miles of testing feel is a no-brainer in the form I’m talking THIS MONTH on a bike like this. about here.

Oh sure, the standard On the more raucous Triumph Speed Triple seat is pretty good front, I’ve had the Rider: Tony Carter and you can certainly firm’s Arrow race cans Cost new: £11,500 do some miles on it fitted along with the Spec: 138bhp/82lb-ft Dry weight: 192kg before anything like new engine fuelling Tank: 15.5 litres numb-bum syndrome map to make the most Seat: 825mm sets in, but the extra of the free-barking Miles this month: 1012 Miles on clock: 2642 plushness you can behaviour. And it Average mpg: 45mpg have makes it very really is barking. Roll Current tyres: Pirelli Diablo Corsa worthwhile. It’s a the throttle off from Modifications: As outlined above straight swap with the a bit of full-chat fun original, as you’d expect. No fancy and what sounds like a Spitfire on a extra fitting bits needed. roll turns into a barking and popping If I’m being completely honest the joy machine as you barrel into a grab-rail does somewhat spoil one turn. Plod along on a motorway and of the finest back-ends in biking. the sound isn’t intrusive but there’s As a grab-rail it does the job really still a comforting burble of potential

Assessing the assets

well. It’s strong, sturdy, easy to get a hand around with thick gloves on… everything you could want. But I’ve not fixed this on the bike for any pillion purposes – this is on the Speed so that I can carry luggage.

To be precise I’m carrying the Enduristan tail bag which in itself is excellent and I highly recommend it, I’ve not found better in the bike world yet. Anyway, without the grab-rail you can see how the sides of

the bag would droop onto the cans. The grab-rail serves as solid ‘shoulders’ to mount the bag on and makes life easy and secure.

Double thumbs up.

The tank pad is a tank pad. It’s a thick rubber with the typical selfadhesive backing and looks the part, it does the job and stops me worrying that a jacket zip or metal popper is gouging a channel out of the pearlescent white as the miles roll by.

How the bits I’ve added price up Arrow slip-on underseat cans with factory fuelling map Grab rail Comfort rider seat – red stitching Frame protector kit Flyscreen visor kit Auxiliary power socket Rubber tank pad

£976.13 £105.00 £160.00 £135.00 £50.00 £25.00 £25.00

So out of everything that’s bolted on to the Triple it’s easy to see where the benefits are with the exception of one bit – and that’s the flyscreen extender. It’s a bolt on few inches of black, smoked plastic that fits directly behind the standard-equipment flyscreen and it meant to just give the mini-fairing a bit of extra ‘flick’ to get more air out of the way.

Does it work? Dunno. I’ll be honest and say that I’ve not noticed any difference with it on. But it looks pretty good on the bike so I know that will be enough for a lot of people, all I’m saying is don’t go bolting this thing on your Speed and expect the weather protection of an old Polarisstyle fairing. Ain’t going to happen.

So if we’re talking about how you turn a genuine superbike without a fairing into a bike that you can cover 400 miles+ a day on and still be fresh then this is my recipe for you to follow. Get the soft seat, get the flyscreen (who knows, it might work) and get the grab rail with Enduristan luggage. Secure your Pack Sack with Rok Straps and secure your Kreiga R20 rucksack to the Pack Sack for added comfort away from your back.

Bingo. Touring on a superbike. It is, after all, only a state of mind. And choice bolt-ons in all the right places.

www.classicmagazines.co.uk/MCM

The Power of Dreams

34 TRIED & TESTED

Spada Pilgrim boots

Nano waterproofs from Tucano Urbano

The Pilgrim motorcycle boots were introduced as part of Spada’s new ‘everywhere’ range. They are a classicstyled lace-up boot with a leather outer construction which is set-off by a cross-stitched inset around the ankles, giving the boots a slightly twotone effect, which I think makes them good-looking and easy on the eye with their slightly retro urban styling.

Other features include an authenticlooking wooden and leather sole construction, plus reinforced fitments to both the toe and the heel – there’s also a reinforced gear pad.

As with most new boots, they were a little stiff at first. Putting them on is a relatively simple affair – just undo the laces to expand the ankle gap, then

Tucano Urbano offers a good choice of rainwear, and there’s one particular range that I like above all others: the Nano collection. The jacket and trousers in the Nano range are super lightweight and thin, making them ideal for touring as they take up very little space and weigh next to nothing.

The Milanese brand says the Nano collection is positioned midway between performance and comfort, and designed for those who hate being caught out by bad d weather. Well, that’s me then. I find the jacket and trouserrs a lot easier to live with than one-piece waterproofs. I can even make my peace with the fact that one-piece suits offer better performance. If it gets that rainy you’ll find me e in the nearest tea shop, thank you very much.

Both the jacket and trousers can be packed away in the e small carry pouches provided and take very little room in the panniers or back pack, so I have started to carry these around with me wherever I go on the bike. They’re ideal fo or changing weather conditions.

Reviewer: Mau Spencer // RRP: £99.99 // Sizes: EUR 41-47 // Colours: Brown or black // Info: spadaclothing.co.uk

simply slide them on using the ‘pullon’ tab; then it’s just a case of doing them up. Being ankle length, they grip comfortably around the contour of your ankles, providing a firm, but gentle and flexible fit.

Admittedly the boots are more about style than protection – and from that point of view, they certainly look the part.

Reviewer: Mikko Nieminen // RRP: Jacket, £42.99; Trousers £39.99 // Sizes: Jacket, S-4XL; Trousers, XS-3XL // Colours: Black or fluo yellow // Info: tucanourbano.com

Richa Daytona ladies jacket

Reviewer: Julie Robinson // RRP: £249.99 // Sizes: Ladies 6-24 // Colours: Black, cognac or red // Info: nevis.uk.com I was very excited about getting my hands on my first leather jacket – and the Richa Daytona did not disappoint; it really is a head-turner. It has a real classic, fitted look, with subtle quilting detail on the shoulders and elbows, a centre zip and two zipped hand pockets. It has press studs to change the waist band and cuff width – although I found them quite stiff to adjust – but to be fair no adjustments were really necessary. Inside, the jacket features a

zip-out removable thermo liner with pockets suitable for a wallet and mobile phone. The jacket itself is cotton-lined, and has a separate chest pocket.

In terms of protection, the jacket has D30 back, shoulder and elbow protection, all removable if required, and CE-certified to level one.

Comfort-wise, my initial thought was that it wasn’t as easy to wear as textile jackets I’d used previously. However, after a ride on the bike I no longer

noticed this, so I assume it just takes a while to adjust to your body shape.

In terms of warmth, the jacket has been perfect for summer days, even the slightly cooler ones, and there is a removable thermal lining, but the short cut makes it more suitable for warmer rides than winter touring. But then, that was inevitable with a jacket of this style. If you like classic leather jackets, then you’ll struggle to find one more stylish than this.

TRIED & TESTED 35

Caberg Drift helmet

Spidi H2OUT Thunder WP Trousers Reviewed by: Mikko Nieminen // RRP: £179.99 // Size: M-7XL // Colour: Black // Info: spidi.com

Reviewer: Mikko Nieminen // RRP: From £199.99 // Sizes: XS-XL // Colours: Solid matt black or white, with flux, tour and shadow designs // Info: cabergcares.co.uk The Caberg Drift is the new full face helmet from the Italian manufacturer, and it oozes style. The big visor, simple air vents and the aerodynamic shape combine to make this a really great-looking helmet.

It’s made of tri-composite fibre (carbon, Kevlar and fibreglass), and there’s also a full carbon option, with a weight reduction compared to the tri-composite version.

The Drift comes equipped with a quick-release visor, making it easy to remove for a good clean or replacement. There’s also an

integrated sun-visor: a great feature that surprisingly many helmets are still lacking. Flicking the sun-visor down is easy with the switch on the left-hand side.

The helmet is fastened with a DD ring as standard, and as you’d expect the lining is completely removable and washable, made with hypoallergenic and transpiring fabrics. There’s also a removable chin guard which is handy as it helps to increase or decrease the amount of air coming through.

And speaking of air, the vents are

easy to use with gloves on, and with them all open there’s plenty of air circulating in the helmet.

The helmet looks stylish, feels light and comes packed full of great features. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a lid around the £200 price point.

Bikers Dream mini footpump Reviewer: Mikko Nieminen // RRP: £39 // Info: nippynormans.com The Bikers Dream mini footpump has been designed as a roadside repair kit, but I’ve been using it at home as well as packing it to take with me on long journeys.

Measuring just 19cm x 10cm x 8cm when packed up, and weighing just 550 grams, the mini footpump takes up minimal space on the bike or in the garage.

The pump is super-easy to use: just release the foot plate, stand on it with one foot and pump with the other. There’s also a ‘high volume’ mode, which allows for faster inflation.

The long hose allows for easy access to tricky tyre valves (it’s always a pain to get those petrol station pump nozzles in the right place, isn’t it?), and the built-in digital gauge helps ensure an accurate pressure is achieved.

The handy bit of kit also features a dual valve head, which is suitable for bicycle valves, and comes with adaptors for air beds and footballs too. This mini footpump is great, whether you use it at home or out on your adventures.

These Spidi Thunder trousers were a bit of a surprise. They are quite thin, with no thermal lining, but I have been perfectly warm for the last eight months I’ve been riding in them.

These are classed as waterproof sport-touring trousers by Spidi. They have been designed with a slimline, no-nonsense approach, with the only visible features on the outside being the two pockets (no zip), two air vents (with zip) and finally zips and buttons to help get boots under the trousers. Comfort levels are great, with nothing pulling, pushing or riding up where it shouldn’t go. And for waterproofness, there’s a thin removable H2OUT waterproof layer that covers the base.

The outer fabric is made from double-layer Tenax Polyamide, which is light and soft, and allows good movement on and off the bike. There are waist adjusters, which I tightened a bit to make sure the trousers stayed securely in place.

Making sure that the most vulnerable areas are protected, Spidi has added CE-approved Forcetech protectors on the hips and knees. These are soft to the touch and help make these a very comfortable pair of trousers.

There are not many features, but the ones that are there do

their jobs brilliantly. The zips, Velcro adjusters and buttons all work well. The removable waterproof lining doesn’t get in the way even with boots, as is the case with some trousers.

There are small reflective panels in the legs to help other road users to see the rider, which is a nice and stylish addition – and also a pro in favour of using these in winter.

The trousers are also very comfortable off the bike. They don’t have the bulkiness of many biking trousers and they are very light: only 1.4kg according to Spidi.

36 NEW RIDER

Get your knee down Forget about circling the local roundabout for hours, desperately stretching your body towards the Tarmac. There’s a far better way to get your knee down for the first time...

C Course ddetails t il The Knee Down courses are run at various locations in the UK, with prices starting from £199 per day.

It’s a full day of theory and exercises, with plenty of time for riding. Group size is limited to six learners to allow enough personal coaching for everyone. The aim is to grow the learners’ confidence and ability in cornering safely, controlling the bike, and ultimately getting the knee down.

The bikes are provided by i2i, so you just need to bring your own riding gear (preferably leathers with knee sliders).

For further information: i2imca.com Words: Mikko Nieminen Photography: Gary Chapman Here’s a confession: in my many years of riding motorcycles I have never once got my knee down. Nor have I understood how it’s even possible without extreme contortionist skills or the complete abandon of your self-preservation instincts. And so far I have been perfectly happy with that. But recently, something has been telling me that I should give it a go, just to see if I could do it. Maybe it’s a brewing midlife crisis, maybe it’s just curiosity. Either way, after years of happily riding with my knees distinctly scrape-free, it was time to scratch that itch, so I signed up for a Knee Down course.

Tom Killeen from i2i explains the art of getting your knee down.

One-to-one support gets results.

On course for Knee Down

The one-day course was organised by the i2i Motorcycle Academy. I had

already been to its Machine Control course so I knew I was in good hands, but I wasn’t convinced they’d get me dragging my knee in just one day.

For me, the real draws of the course were that the riding is done on the trainer’s bike, the exercises are set away from public roads and you’re well away from the beady eyes of onlookers. Not having to worry about crashing my own bike or colliding with other vehicles certainly relaxed me, and the secluded environment meant there was no public scrutiny.

Start with the difficult bit

There were five of us knee-down virgins on this course, each looking quite uncertain about what the day might bring. Luckily our trainer Tom Killeen was a man with a plan, and quickly put us at ease: “Getting your knee down is easy. It’s all the other stuff that we’ll do before the knee

Perfecting the body position.

down that will be more difficult. round in circles with no hands on Once you get through that, getting the handlebars. Doing something your knee down is no problem.” like this would have seemed like So, what exactly did he mean by ‘all sheer madness at the start of the day, that other stuff’? Well, we started nice but now it made perfect sense. And, and easy, just doing some circles and what’s more, it wasn’t even that hard! figures of eight to get used to the bike.

Getting your knee down is easy Then we moved on to experimenting As I was taking a breather and sipping how different steering inputs made a cup of coffee by the training ground, the bike handle and how stable we I couldn’t quite believe how far we could make it through the corners. had already come in such a short Each exercise was preceded with a bit space of time – and we hadn’t even of theory about why the bike handles ventured into the knee-down bit how it does, and how we can yet. At the start of the day keep it stable – or rather, we had all been visibly how we should nervous and unsteady, not disturb the but looking at the guys inherent stability now, circling around of the bike. with no hands on The exercises the bars, it was like a developed i2i knee down courses start different group had gradually and, again in March 2017, and make taken over. before I knew a great Christmas present for Before I was able it, I was going any budding knee-scrapers. to congratulate myself too much, it Book now at was time for the day’s i2imca.com main event: the kneedown practice. Tom started by talking us through the correct body positioning we needed to adopt to get our knees down safely and in a controlled manner. We were each going to move our body sideways to the inside corner, make sure that our spine lined up with the bike, put the balls of our feet on the pegs, anchor the outside knee to the tank, turn the inside knee out, and… well... that was it! No twisting around or desperately stretching to reach the ground, just a slight adjustment to our riding position, while still in full control of the machine. It all sounded simple.

Jumping on the bike, my first couple of circles felt okay, but my knee was nowhere near the ground and I knew I could push for a bigger lean angle.

Xmas shopping

NEW RIDER 37 Who thought riding round in circles could be so much fun!

Look, look, look... no hands!

Tipping the bike further, I felt that I was getting closer with each attempt.

Then, after half a dozen approaches it happened, I heard the scraping sound of plastic meeting the asphalt, and I felt the knee slider make contact. The sensation was surprisingly gentle, the sound unexpectedly loud.

100% success rate

I felt great having got my knee down.

And in the process I had learnt a whole lot about how to steer a bike efficiently and effectively and, most importantly, how to keep the machine stable mid-corner.

I wasn’t the only one who came out

of the experience with a big smile on my face. Everyone in the group got their knee down by the end of the day.

We had a 100% success rate, which is apparently quite normal.

Is this course for you?

I felt like I learnt loads on the day, not just about getting my knee down, but also about general bike control. It was a bit of a revelation!

If you want to improve your cornering, machine control and confidence, then this course will be perfect for you.

And you’ll likely get your knee down in the process!

The bike The bike that i2i Motorcycle Academy uses for the exercises is a Kawasaki ER-6n with big crash protectors to make sure that you can drop it several times without the bike suffering.

Not having to use your own bike for the Knee Down course means that you can be a little bit more relaxed about the whole thing. However, if you want to, there’s an opportunity at the end of the day to test your newly acquired skills on your own bike.

BACK TO THE FUTURE 39

A stroke(r) of genius

Just when you thought two-strokes were dead, ex-Grand Prix racer Eskil Suter’s unleashed a batch of 99 V4powered beauties, each with 195bhp on tap and weighing just 127kg. They call it the ‘Beast’, we call it genius.

Words: Bruce Wilson I tasted the blood on my tongue before having chance to realise what had just happened. In essence, I’d just been chinned by the screen of the Suter MMX 500. One minute the V4 motor felt like a lame duck, coughing and spluttering as if set to embarrassingly conk out along Lausitzring’s back straight. The next, the front wheel was launching skywards faster than a bullet. There was no thinking time. There was no avoidance. There was plenty of pain.

In the weeks building up to this once-in-a-lifetime test to ride the exact motorcycle on which Ian Lougher clocked a 125mph average at the 2016 Isle of Man TT, people had warned about the viciousness of twostrokes; about their temperamental, all-or-nothing nature. Their words had just been proven to quite emphatically true. It was a lesson learned.

Weighing just 127kg and packing a potent 195bhp, I expected the MMX would prove to be one of the liveliest bikes I’d ever ridden; the clue was in the figures and hammered home further by the Suter team’s ‘Beast’ nickname, despite its lack of fur or inch-long nails. What had started off just a handful of years previously as ex-Grand Prix rider Eskil Suter’s wildest dream was now very much alive, and certainly kicking. It was a simple desire to build an exotic, high-performing two-stroke machine, powered by a V4 motor because, in his words, “it was always the most fun

configuration”. But the road to fruition hadn’t been straightforward or easy.

“We had a few crankcases kicking around from a 500cc V4 design”, explained Suter. “It was enough to get the ball rolling, so before long we had an engine. Frames are just what we do, so making a lightweight CNCmilled GP-spec frame for the bike was no problem. Things were starting to come together.”

Kitted out with OZ wheels, high spec Öhlins suspension and custom made Akrapovic ˇ exhaust pipes, Suter’s creation was ready to sample. “The first engine was good, but the power was too peaky. It was a crossroads in the project which saw us completely scrap all our hard work and start again to build a 576cc V4”, said Suter.

By any manufacturer’s standards it was a mammoth task to undertake, necessitating all-new cylinders, combustion chambers, exhausts and much more. Fast forward to 2015 and the 576cc motor was born, by the start of 2016 it was perfected and just three months later Suter decided it was time to go racing; at the Isle of Man TT, no less. The week after its inaugural race meeting’s conclusion, we met the Suter team at Germany’s fast and technical Lausitzring circuit.

Two-stroke fumes filled my nostrils as crew chief Didier Langouet confidently warmed the number one bike’s motor, sending a cacophony of noise echoing around the towering garages and stadium seating. It was a raw, harsh and tingy note which seemed alien to my ears.

40 BACK TO THE FUTURE

TECH SPEC Suter MMX500

The excitement was building, especially so after Suter himself hopped onto the readied motorcycle and took off down the pit lane with a wrist full of revs, leaving a hazy, blue cloud of smoke in his wake. Out of sight it might have been, but the bike was never out of earshot, reappearing onto the start straight with the most piercing of sounds. My appetite needed no more whetting.

When I was 17 I once rode a Kawasaki KR-1S. More than a decade later and my second ever two-stroke ride was to be on a full-factory Grand Prix machine, with more performance than any of its predecessors. I swung a leg over the bike’s narrow and tall carbon fibre seat unit, raised a foot onto a towering rearset and took a moment to digest my surroundings.

Sunken below the thick billet aluminium headstock and swept back clip-ons sat the MMX’s large dotmatrix 2D dash. Rammed with info, my eyes darted to every corner before scanning the cluster of buttons on the left bar. I hadn’t a clue what any of them did, but a warning from the team highlighted the lack of traction, ABS or wheelie control – electronics are for girls, apparently.

With the rear paddock stand removed, a quick shove from behind saw me rolling down the

Engine: 576cc, liquid cooled, V4 two-stroke Peak power: 195bhp (145.4kw) @ 13,000rpm Transmission: Six-speed cassette gearbox Clutch: SuterClutch dry multi-disc Aspiration: Direct port injection / carbon reed valve Frame: Aluminium twin-spar with adjustable steering / wheelbase / height Suspension: Fully adjustable Öhlins FGR forks TTX rear shock absorber Wheels: OZ rims: (F) 125/75/17; (R) 205/75/17 Brakes: (F) Dual Brembo 320mm steel discs with radial M50 calipers; (R) a single 218mm disc with a dual piston caliper.

Bodywork: Carbon fibre Price: £85,000 Contact: suter500.com

pit lane; I dropped the clutch and the engine barked into life. Revs climbed effortlessly with the addition of throttle, causing the motor to burble and gurgle beneath. Steering onto the track, the lithe-handling lightweight dropped razor sharp into the pit lane exit bend, and lined me up for a slalom of corners.

This was it, the moment had finally arrived. I wound the throttle back, but not much happened. Maybe I’d flooded it? Maybe the plugs were fouled? Who knows, but the ride was jerky and hard work. I tried the bike a gear lower, banging down the slick six-speed ’box into first

ahead of the long back straight. The power simply wasn’t there; the bike was continually slowing and I was visioning a long push back to the pits. What to do next? Then, from nowhere, the bike burst into life as the front wheel launched boltupright as if to signal the end of its triumphant ruse. Game on.

That first lap was something else, rammed with unknowns, fear and an equal dollop of pure excitement. The Suter is as unconventional as bikes come, highlighted best by the braking at the end of that long back straight. The motor wasn’t entirely

devoid of engine braking but, assisted by the fitted Suter dry slipper clutch, the bike felt pretty unadulterated as I worked my way down from fifth to second, lining up for a left-right flick.

The pressure was almost entirely on the bike’s powerful Brembo brakes to get the thing stopped, which didn’t prove too much of a challenge. A few corners in and I was still struggling to find the right gear, lines and throttle positions. The Suter was making me work harder than any bike I’d ever ridden before it. With every lap came a greater appreciation for the MMX, which blew me away with its handling skills.

It would turn so sharp, hold a line rock solid and still be open to tweaks even at mid-corner. The

85

Thousand. Pounds.

That’s how much it’s going to cost you for a MMX.

lean angle on tap was also impressive, as was the level of feel through the Suter’s stiff frame and Öhlins suspension. The bike felt so planted, even over the bumpiest sections of track, which provided the confidence to power faster into bends and trust the bike would be able to deal with whatever was thrown at thrown at it.

And it did.

As my cornering competence grew, so did my relationship with the motor. It had taken a while to grasp just how important it was to keep the V4 singing in its narrow-banded sweet spot; marked on the dash by a couple of coloured bits of gaffer tape.

Keep the revs there and the V4 motor would drive like an animal, desperate to unleash all 195 of its ponies at every given opportunity. There were times when the oomph felt too much, causing the front wheel to rise uncontrollably and demanding the

BACK TO THE FUTURE 41

throttle to be weaned off before more revs could be asked for. The solution was to carry higher entry speeds, which reduced the initial peakiness of motor and meant the drive could be more consistently demanded. But to carry the extra corner speed meant taking completely different lines to those that you’d typically run on a four-stroke bike. Everything had to be more sweeping, aiming for later apexes while moderating the throttle’s drive to keep the motor on the boil before asking it to go bonkers as the bike’s lean angle

reduced on corner exit. It was an art form, which I most certainly didn’t master, but I began to acknowledge what was needed and it felt awesome on the few occasions I got my exits spot-on. It became customary for the rear of the bike to squat as the super-grippy 17-inch Dunlop slicks did their best to keep traction, but that wasn’t always possible.

Even they had a limit and breaking traction was the sweetest sensation of all, even if it was only by the slightest of margins.

Apparently, just five laps of testing

195

That’s how much bhp the 576cc bike kicks out @ 13,000rpm!

were stipulated for the MMX, but I must have missed that part in the morning’s briefing. By the ninth lap I was in my element, well and truly at home on the tiny and focused race bike, lapping up every second of the experience. Lines learned, apexes became a doddle to nail and the wheelies out of corners had become predictable and manageable. Even

the track’s downhill first corner, which is approached from nearly 170mph, didn’t prove a challenge to slow the bike down for and pitch into – quite unlike the story at the beginning of the test, at which point the rear end was wagging like a dog’s tail and causing me to overshoot the crucial tip-in point. But that was now a distant memory; I’d reached

motorcycling nirvana. Never before had a motorcycle made me feel so alive, or sounded so good. The MMX was as much a sensual experience as a physical one, which ended far too soon for my liking. Twelve laps completed, I couldn’t pretend to not see the hi-viz wearing, clip-board waving, angry looking technician for another three laps.

42

THE INSIDE LINE TO CLASSIC JAPANESE IRON WITH STEVE COOPER FROM THE VJMC 43

Inside the restoration business Words and images: Steve Cooper

Chances are if you’re reading this wonderful newspaper then you’re into motorcycles. If not you’ve probably picked up it up by mistake... although I do suggest giving it a chance anyway. On the assumption you do have a passion for all things two-wheeled, and based on the fact you’re reading the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club’s musings, hopefully we’ve caught your eye regarding old bikes. Simply put, it’s what we do… and rather well, to be honest.

We like to think we have a pragmatic approach to the scene and will happily advise anyone who asks for help or assistance. There’s no charge for most of what we do other than membership fees and age related DVLA-approved machine dating. In fact, you probably can’t put a value on some of the stuff we can offer and here’s perhaps one of the best pieces of advice you’ll ever get free of charge from a bike club: do not look at old motorcycles as a serious way of generating an income. Unless you know the market inside out, have a track record in vehicle repairs, an innate knowledge as to what will turn a profit versus what won’t, plus a very large wedge of cash you’re prepared

to gamble with, walk away now! Buy old bikes because they are fun to ride, enjoy the mechanical maintenance side of ownership, rise to the challenge of restoring at least one, but do not expect to get rich.

Even if you are supremely skilled with spanners and can repair almost anything, the chances of making a long-term career are slim.

Countless business ventures have risen and collapsed within a few years simply because the money is not there. Granted, there are a few notable exceptions; businesses that have been built on reputation and a loyal customer base. These same companies charge a decent wedge for a decent job and their clients are happy to pay that rate.

Where most classic motorcycle restoration and repairers fail is customer expectation management.

Old hands who have owned classic bikes and know their foibles accept that nothing is likely to be cheap or easy. Sadly, newbies and returnees don’t or won’t grasp this elementary fact. It’s relatively simple to give a customer an outline appraisal of what might be needed to restore a motorcycle, but that figure rapidly escalates and almost always without exception. No one can see inside an engine, no one can foresee what damage might lurk beneath

apparently sound paintwork and few can predict how long it may take to find the parts necessary to finish the job.

Given an outline evaluation, many customers believe this is the end figure but it’s not; it’s only an estimate, not a firm quote. And only a fool would give a written quote without either factoring in a worst case scenario or adding a contingency fund. Of course customers want and expect to know how much a job is going to cost and this is where many a client/restorer relationship has been dashed on the rocks. Quote for just a top-end engine overhaul and then find the engine needs a total rebuild… who’s not going to miffed if this one comes around to bite you on the behind? And of course we’ve only touched on money so far not time. How long does it actually take to restore a bike? Err… how long have you got? Parts availability is a massive issue and when you’re waiting for components to come in from around the globe, time is a huge factor. Oh, and who’s hunting and tracking down those parts? Of course it’s the man on the spanners, or one of his team, and someone (the customer) will be paying for that time. If you can manage expectations, work to deadlines, balance budgets and turn a profit then you might, just might,

“The home of the Japanese classic”

make a go of it. And this may go a long way to explain just why the VJMC has so many members out there willing to help and assist others in running, servicing, maintaining and restoring old Japanese motorcycles. As ‘the man’ said: “It ain’t always about the money son!”

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USED BIKE GUIDE 45

Yamaha's Diversion F Solid, decent and competent. Okay, these aren’t superlatives but don’t underestimate this ideal commuter. It’s one of the best you’ll ride...

Words and photography: Bob Pickett In 2009, Yamaha revived the XJ6 name with a naked ‘N’ and half-faired ‘Diversion’. A year later, in a real nobrainer, the fully frocked Diversion F arrived. We took out a 2012 version, fitted with Oxford Hot-Grips.

Give me some spec

The F is essentially the same bike as the other two in the range: a 600cc four-stroke borrowed (in retuned state) from the 2003 R6 which puts out 78hp/57kW @ 10,000rpm with 59.7Nm/44.03lb-ft @ 8500rpm. It is housed in an aluminium die-cast, diamond-shaped frame. Braking is via two 298mm two-piston front discs

and a single 245mm single-piston rear, with ABS as standard. It also has centre-stand as standard (unusual these days, but very practical).

So what’s it like to ride?

The ergonomics are spot on. I swung a leg over and felt instantly at home.

Despite the sporty look, you sit quite upright, although there is space on the saddle to slide back when cracking on. The pegs are centrally located and the bars rise gently, making for a comfortable riding position.

At low revs, the Divvy feels ‘fluffy’, for lack of a better word. Remember the engine (albeit in retuned state) was donated from an R6 and when you get it decently into the midrange it is more rewarding. The power delivery feels linear; open the throttle and speed builds at a rapid rate with no fuss. The clutch is a little heavier than I’m used to from a Yamaha, but the box is slick.

There is plenty of ground clearance, aided by the tiny under-slung exhaust.

Leaning over, I looked down, saw lots of room and nudged it a bit more.

Over it tipped, happy to go that bit further. It holds an accurate line once over and is happy to flick from one side to the other.

I very much liked the brakes. They have more than enough power to stop the Diversion, but with bags of feel.

The fairing and screen also did a good job of deflecting wind.

The Diversion F likes smooth

tarmac. I took it over some poorer surfaces and it wasn’t happy. Nothing major, but the suspension shows its budget nature on the rougher stuff.

There are niggles caused by the Hot-Grips. The throttle grip lacks sensitivity (though you soon get used to it) and the cables prevent easy access to the horn and make indicating left-turns awkward.

Someone who has a longer commute on major A roads would appreciate what the F has to offer.

What nick is it in?

The previous three owners clearly took care of this bike. The tyres will need changing at some point but there is still plenty of life yet, otherwise nothing of note to report.

What’s it worth?

The dealer wants £3999 for a 2012 bike with just 9732 miles recorded (pre-test). This price looks about right.

There are a reasonable smattering of Diversion Fs available at dealers, ranging from a 2010 model with 38,000 miles recorded for sale at £2675, up to a 2014 example with 13,915 miles available for £4995. There’s also a 2013 one with just under 500 miles on the clock available at £4699.

Thanks to East London Kawasaki/ Bacons Motorcycles 737-741 Eastern Avenue, Ilford, Essex IG2 7RT Tel: 020 8252 6020 Web: baconsmotorcyles.co.uk

WHITE DALTON 47 Th he MCM legal column is compiled byy managing artner pa Andrew ‘Chef’ Prendergast and P his bike-riding barristers and ssolicitors at White Dalton W Motorcycle M Solicitors.

S The firm deals with personal w injury claims and its sister a company, Motor Defenc Defence Solicitors, company deals with all the motoring offences.

White Dalton lawyers have a vast knowledge of bike law – and they have full bike licences too. They don’t act for insurance companies or the prosecution. White Dalton is Britain’s premier specialist motorcycle law practice, and if its professionals don’t know the answer to your question there probably isn’t one. Don’t rely on the advice from your insuranceappointed solicitor, get proper independent advice.

For road traffic offences call the Motor Defence solicitors on 0800 280 0912 For non-offence cases call White Dalton motorcycle solicitors on 0800 783 6191

Need advice If you need advice on a biking-related legal question or query, email mail@whitedalton.co.uk The best Q&A will be published in MCM, in confidence, of course.

Q&A

Our specialist motoring solicitor Andrew Prendergast guides readers through their legal trials and troubles...

Q

I have a Hornet 600 worth about a grand. I got spanked off by some young kid in a Corsa. While I have fully comprehensive cover, my insurer told me not to claim off my insurance and get the money from the kid’s instead. They put me in touch with a bike hire/repair company who said I wouldn’t have to pay anything. I signed some paperwork and they took my bike away and gave me a hire bike (even though I have another two bikes). All was well, I thought. However, the kid has denied liability and now the bike hire/repair company say I owe £6,000 for storage and hire charges, and my bike will not be repaired until liability is admitted and I must go to court and sue the kid if I don’t want to pay their bill.

Do I really owe £6000?

A

I hate hearing these stories and your insurer is out of order in my view. You had fully comprehensive insurance and you could have claimed off that. After all, that’s why you pay insurance. While your no-claims bonus may have been affected you would have avoided all this grief.

On the face of it you may well owe £6000 but I would need to see the paperwork first to confirm. However, if you did sign to say you are liable you could have some problems. If liability is in issue you may have no alternative but to issue court proceedings against the kid but you need to be aware that a judge will unlikely accept the kid/his insurer should pay you £6000 for a hire bike and storage etc. when your Hornet was only worth a grand in the first place.

In short, the judge will likely find you ‘failed to mitigate’ your loss especially as you didn’t need a hire bike as you had two other bikes. My advice for all bikers is there is no such thing as a free lunch, so only hire a bike if you need one. The costs are reasonable and you can afford to pay it if the other side is not liable.

Q

Me and my mate both got stopped by the police for speeding at 40mph in a 30mph. As soon as I got off I apologised to the female officer and basically put my hands up. However, my mate gave her a load of verbal, called her ‘sweetheart’ and asked why she wasn’t out catching burglars.

I told him to stop being a dipstick, but she was unimpressed to say the least. The result: I got told to slow down by the officer and asked to leave while she dealt with my mate. He then got nicked. He is not a happy bunny and reckons he is going to court to defend the case on the basis I got off. Can he do that? And why didn’t I get nicked?

A new best-sseller

We’ve just been sent the latest registration figures for September 2016. Most of the stats are pretty predictable: Honda’s PCX 125 and CB 125 F dominate the scooter and 125cc categories, and BMW’s G 1200 GS has the lead in the 1000cc-plus and Adventure sections. But the top bike in the 601-1000cc bracket was a bit of a surprise to us. No, it’s not the Honda Fireblade or the Suzuki GSX-R – it’s the 900cc Triumph Street Twin.

A

In England and Wales your friend has a right to go to court and ‘put the prosecution to proof’ i.e. to be convicted the CPS need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt he was speeding. However, your mate attempting to defend the speeding allegation on the sole basis that you got off will not work. As for why you didn’t get nicked, it’s because of ‘the attitude test’. It’s as simple as that. You weren’t out of order to the police officer and she used her discretion to not take any further action.

For more info, go to:

SOLICITORS

www.whitedalton.co.uk

Three limited Streets

Triumph has unveiled three limitededition models of its Street Triple roadster to celebrate a decade since the bike’s launch. Both Street Triple Gold and Grey editions feature handpainted wheels colour matched to the machine livery, housing Triumph’s 10-year anniversary logo. Like the DARK option, both these versions include half Alcantara seats with colour matched hand stitching.

48 SPORT

WIN WIN WIN

Doohan says Oz GP favours Miller

Mick Doohan said he expects Jack Miller, who has missed recent Grands Prix in Austria, the Czech Republic, San Marino and Aragón with multiple injuries, to race with the frontrunners on home soil at Phillip Island.

“The way the weather has been in Victoria over the past few weeks and with the Grand Prix not too far away, it could actually open it up to being a Miller event,” said the five times world champion.

“I’m sure he’s going to dig deep and try to give his best performance here in Australia at the Island. The circuit’s layout might actually fall into his hands, and might actually show that he’s capable of running in the dry with these guys.”

Get hold of this great Kiddimoto Rossi bike and riding kit for the little Valentino fan in your life.

Valentino Rossi has won nine world titles including four successive MotoGP titles between 2002 and 2005, making him arguably the best motorcycle racer of all time. And at the start of July this year Kiddimoto was able to join forces with the Italian legend and add his name to their hero range of bikes.

With a selection of bold and bright colours all inspired by Rossi’s famous sun and moon design, the collection includes the classic Kiddimoto superbike, Super Junior Max metal balance bike, helmet, gloves, and matching accessories.

Kiddimoto is offering one lucky reader a Rossi hero superbike with matching helmet, matching gloves and a matching bell which is worth nearly £200!

To be in with a chance of winning this amazing bundle of prizes, answer the following question correctly:

What date did Kiddimoto join forces with Rossi?

A) February 25, 2016 B) June 8, 2016 C) July 1, 2016 Head to morebikes.co.uk to enter, where you’ll also find the competition terms and conditions. It’s FREE to take part, just get to the site and search ‘Rossi’.

Binder: Moto 3 world champ!

The South African is crowned as the Moto3 world champion – here’s how he got there.

Jorge goes all F1 in private test

Reigning MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo made his Formula One test debut in Mercedes’ 2014 world championship-winning W05 at Silverstone on October 6.

Lorenzo, who has three MotoGP titles to his name, got behind the wheel of the same F1 car that Lewis Hamilton used to secure his second world championship in 2014, around the British Grand Prix circuit’s International layout.

The event was supported by Monster Energy, which sponsors both the Spaniard and the German team.

Having only had a small amount of previous four-wheel motorsport experience, Lorenzo drove a number of less-powerful cars at Silverstone in preparation for the test. No times were released from Lorenzo’s outing in the F1 car.

“It’s been an amazing day,” said the factory Yamaha man.

“I’m very satisfied with the lap time in the last run. From what the engineers were saying, my times were really competitive.”

Mercedes track engineer Richard Lane said working with Lorenzo had

been a “great” experience: “From the moment he arrived he’s been full of enthusiasm and keen to get stuck in.

Between each run he’s been poring over the data, and looking to find areas for improvement. You can see why he’s a multiple world champion on two wheels.

“His interest in the detail of his performance has been impressive.

He’s taken feedback on board and improved with every run.”

Lorenzo added: “The car is so smooth, I expected a more twitchy and difficult car but in the end everything was so good: the steering wheel, the engine, everything. It was quite easy to drive and the car in the corners is really, really fast and the grip of the car... it’s unreal. In the first lap you feel the power but when you get used to it, it’s similar to a MotoGP bike but in the corners, you are in a different world, about 40km/h faster when in the middle of the corners.

“It also surprised me how late you can brake, and the amount of grip the car can support in full throttle in the fast corners is insane.”

His first full time entry onto the world stage was with RW Racing GP in 2012, and he took 24 points in a solid rookie season, using that as a foundation for the year after.

The South African moved to Ambrogio Racing for 2013 and started to make inroads in the top 10 on a regular basis, including a fourth-place finish in Jerez from fourth on the grid.

Binder first made the podium on the world championship stage in 2014; he bagged a total of 109 points during the season.

More fastest laps and more podiums followed in 2015 with his new home at KTM, and he finished sixth overall in the championship.

Beginning the year with three podiums in a row and a pole position in Argentina, it was at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez where he took his maiden win. Starting from the back of the grid after a technical infringement, the South African fought his way back, soon heading the second group on the way to catching the front freight train in the Moto3 battle.

Arriving with laps to spare, the 2016 Moto3 world champion then passed his rivals and tucked back in – taking the victory by a comfortable margin.

Four more wins, three more pole positions and a 106-point margin on arrival to the Aragón race in September saw Binder with his first

mathematical shot at the title.

With only 100 points left to play for after MotorLand, the South African only had to see the flag on Sunday with an advantage of the same points total or more – with the pressure on rivals Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing Moto3) and Jorge Navarro (Estrella Galicia 0,0) to push for the victory for a chance to take the title fight to the flyway races which see out the calendar year.

With Bastianini and Navarro initially breaking away at the front, the South African kept himself in it and laid it on the line into the final corner – not quite enough for the victory, but more than enough for the championship as he crossed the line only 0.030s behind winner Navarro.

Binder is the first man ever to be crowned at MotorLand Aragón, becoming the third South African champion.

World 300 championship on the way... and it’s not limited to 300cc machines In a bid to attract the lost fans of WSB, organisers of the dwindling championship have announced that a Supersport 300 World Championship is being added to the series for next year.

It’s going to be a proddiebased class that will allow

riders to compete on a Honda CBR500R (so, not a 300), a Kawasaki Ninja 300, a Yamaha YZF-R3 and a KTM RC390 (and that’s not a 300, either).

With two of the four models listed as usable machinery in the class not being a 300, we’re not overly keen on the name of the

championship. Yes, we’re just being pedantic. But it’s not a 300 class. It just isn’t.

We reckon it won’t be too long until we see a CBR300RR in the class. And a GSX-R250/300.

That’d be a couple of 300s that’d tie in with the name a bit better – donchathink?

Zarco rides the Moto2 KTM

Moto2 followed up the Aragón GP last month with a one-day test at MotorLand Aragón.

In addition to set up and further data gathering following the race weekend, Öhlins did bring some new suspension forks and a harder compound front tyre from Dunlop.

Dynavolt Intact GP riders Sandro Cortese and Jonas Folger spent some of their track time testing Nissin brakes, after Cortese also tried them out at the post-race test in Brno following teammate Folger’s victory.

Reigning Moto2 champion Johann Zarco (Ajo Motorsport) got out on track on the new KTM Moto2 chassis with a black livery ahead of their future entry.

Dani not a happy chap

Dani Pedrosa’s was pretty miffed with Michelin after finishing sixth at the Aragón MotoGP round.

The Spaniard was so angry that his people posted these pictures of his Honda’s front tyre and the rider’s ground-away boot after the race. And to be fair to Pedrosa, both do look knackered. That sixth-place finish looks pretty heroic, given the state of the rubber.

49

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