Motorcycle Sport & Leisure March 2019 by Mortons Media Group Ltd

NEW

TRIUMPH SCRAMBLER 1200 T Off-roader that loves the Tarmac too

THE BEST BEEMERS EVER? ER R1250GSA

R1250RT

PAGES OF TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE From Birmingham to Ghana

400 MILES IN PARADISE

Touring Scotland with a TT winner

March 2019 Issue 702

PLUS: CLASSIC TEST: KAWASAKI H2 & SUZUKI GT750 ◆ BUYER’S GUIDE: BMW F700GS ◆ OFF-ROAD TEST: HONDA CRF450L ◆ ADVENTURE: RIDING THE LENGTH OF AFRICA ◆ TOURING TEST: KTM 1290 SUPER ADVENTURE

Smooth and relaxed Mikko Nieminen

’ve had an epiphany. A proper penny-dropping, fireworks-exploding, Eureka-shouting kind of thing. And before you ask; no, I haven’t been meditating at a remote mountain retreat or fasting to achieve enlightenment (perish the thought, I like my food far too much). I haven’t even dabbled in hallucinogenics. No, sir! It was a perfectly ordinary day and I was stone cold sober. But first, let me set the scene… having had a bit of a sabbatical from two wheels, I felt a little nervous when I got back to riding a few months back. Things improved pretty swiftly, and I felt that my riding was fine, but the level of confidence just wasn't there. It's not like I was making big mistakes that worried me silly. It was just small niggly things, like keeping my lines steady and manoeuvring big bikes at slow speeds. It was a case of 'close, but no cigar'. And being a bit of an obsessive type I couldn't get my mind off it. I spent a lot of time trying to pinpoint which bits of my riding needed attention, and how I could remedy the lack of confidence, but I didn't find any hard and fast rules to apply to my situation. Then I remembered something that someone much wiser told me a while ago: the key to it all is being smooth and relaxed. They were talking about tight turns and quick changes of pace, but I reckon it applies to all kinds of riding. And that was the moment when the rusty old cogs in my head jolted into action. Smooth and relaxed, eh... Thinking about pretty much all of the rider training that I have done, those two words tend to be present. Being smooth with the throttle, brakes and steering keeps the suspension steady and the tyres biting merrily into the tarmac, and being relaxed lets the

Riding a bike is easy. Being in total control is much harder. So how do you get there? bike get on with the job without you fighting it. Now, by smooth I don’t mean soft, and by relaxed I don’t mean phlegmatic – sometimes you need decisive riding inputs, but the key is to try and not upset the bike’s inherent balance by doing so. And so it is with pretty much any kind of riding – fast or slow. As long as you keep it smooth and relaxed, things tend to go well. Start to get tense and wrestle the bike, and it all goes downhill pretty rapidly. The annoying thing is that staying smooth and relaxed is much easier said than done. It's clear this is what I need to work on in my own riding – coming home from a ride with a stiff neck doesn't tell a tale of a relaxed ride. So, this is the plan: Firstly, I will try my hardest to stay relaxed on the bike (this will no doubt take some regular and repeated nagging to self). Secondly, I'm going to sign up for advanced rider training to get the smoothness back into my ride. I'm thinking a combination of road, track and maybe even off-road will do the trick. I know it will take time, but that's OK. Now I have a plan of how to improve my riding I feel much better about it already. And in the process I have lined up a few interesting training days for the months to come. This should be fun!

Mikko Nieminen, Editor

Motorcycle Sport & Leisure’s contributors... Stuart Barker

Stuart Barker has been a freelance motorcycle journalist for 17 years, writing for most of the major bike titles. He has written biographies of Barry Sheene, Steve Hislop, Niall Mackenzie and Evel Knievel, and is currently editor of the official Isle of Man TT programme.

Roland Brown

A bike journalist for more than 30 years, Roland has contributed to countless publications worldwide and authored a dozen books on bikes. He has tested machines ranging from Rossi’s YZR-M1 to a 1923 Douglas but still can’t decide which type of bike he most enjoys riding.

Chris Moss

Mossy has made a living from bikes since 1985 – ﬁrst as a motorcycle courier in London, and then as a journo from 1995. He’s raced, ridden and tinkered with hundreds of different bikes, but he’s the ﬁrst to admit there’s still loads to experience and learn.

Peter Henshaw

Peter is our history man – he’s written more than 60 books and is a former editor of this very publication. Now a freelance journalist, he writes about transport of all kinds, though bikes are really at the heart of it all. He’s an all-yearround rider who does not own a car.

Matt Hull

Matt is the Editor of MSL’s sister title, Classic Bike Guide. As well as being an expert on old metal, he’s spent years testing, touring and tinkering with modern machines. A highly regarded road tester, he’s happy to put any bike through its paces.

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 3

Contents

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NEWS & OPINION

ROAD TESTS

News

Latest products

Maynard Hershon

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TOURING & ADVENTURE

This is what you need to know about bikes this month.

The latest kit, accessories and biking paraphernalia from around the world.

Maynard continues the story of his favourite columnists.

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The High Sider

Your letters

The mystery man of racing speaks.

MSL readers discuss today’s burning topics.

Kawasaki 125s

Honda CRF450L

BMW R1250GS Adventure & RT

KTM 1290 Super Adventure

Triumph Scrambler 1200

106 Classic test

It’s not all about big bikes – 125s can be great fun too.

Are these the best Beemers ever? We ﬁnd out.

Triumph’s latest on/off-road weapon looks great. But how does it ride?

Touring news

Day ride

Mid ride

Richard Millington

Long ride

4 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

One of the ﬁnest green-laners tested in muddy old Blighty.

It’s big. It’s orange. It’s great for touring.

Giant strokers: Kawasaki H2 & Suzuki GT750.

Quarter of a century on roads less travelled.

If you thought that riding around Birmingham is a bore, read this.

Fulﬁlling a 40-year dream with a ride to Greece.

Conﬁdence is king – it really is!

Riding America on an Africa Twin is the way to do it.

Letters from Africa

Part two of Freddie’s journey to Cape Town.

Touring Scotland with a TT winner

Adventure Moto Scotland tour is a hidden gem.

March 2019

TEST FLEET KNOWLEDGE 79

Protect your ears

Wearing ear protection on a bike is important. Here’s why.

Watsonian sidecars

Events

You could put a sidecar on that.

This is what’s coming up in the next few weeks.

Buying guide: BMW F700GS It's got adventure feel without the bulk – but is it a good buy?

103 Tried & tested

Riding gear and gizmos tested so you know if it’s worth buying.

114 Kevin Cameron

How much of a difference can an individual make? Quite a bit it seems.

Honda Africa Twin DCT

Kawasaki H2 SX SE

The detail of the DCT system.

The H2 SX meets an altogether different kind of supercharged beast.

Yamaha Tracer 900

This is an easy bike to love. Very easy indeed.

Honda X-ADV

Suzuki GSX-S1000F

Suzuki Burgman 400

Mossy reﬂects on his time with the X-ADV.

Winter treatment is the topic of the season.

Time to say goodbye to the big scooter.

EDITOR: Mikko Nieminen: mnieminen@mortons.co.uk ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Tony Carter: tcarter@mortons.co.uk SENIOR DESIGNER: Justin Blackamore DESIGNERS: Fran Lovely, Charlotte Turnbull PRODUCTION EDITOR: Dan Sharp PICTURE DESK: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schoﬁeld PUBLISHING DIRECTOR: Dan Savage PUBLISHER: Tim Hartley GROUP KEY ACCOUNTS MANAGER: Steff Woodhouse: swoodhouse@mortons.co.uk 01507 529452 / 07786 334330 GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sue Keily DIVISIONAL ADVERTISING MANAGER: Zoe Thurling zthurling@mortons.co.uk 01507 529412 ADVERTISING SALES: Charlotte Mountain: cmountain@mortons.co.uk 01507 529538 SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER: Paul Deacon: pdeacon@mortons.co.uk CIRCULATION MANAGER: Steve O’Hara: sohara@mortons.co.uk MARKETING MANAGER: Charlotte Park: cpark@mortons.co.uk COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR: Nigel Hole EDITORIAL ADDRESS: MSL Magazine, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR WEBSITE: www.mslmagazine.co.uk GENERAL QUERIES AND BACK ISSUES: 01507 529529 24 hr answerphone help@classicmagazines.co.uk www.classicmagazines.co.uk ARCHIVE ENQUIRIES: Jane Skayman jskayman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529423 SUBSCRIPTION: Full subscription rates (but see page 28 for offer): (12 months 12 issues, inc post and packing) – UK £51.60. Export rates are also available – see page 28 for more details. UK subscriptions are zero-rated for the purposes of Value Added Tax. SUBSCRIPTION AGENTS: Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR CUSTOMER SERVICES NUMBER: 01507 529529 TELEPHONE LINES ARE OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8.30AM-6PM SATURDAY 8.30AM-12.30PM DISTRIBUTION: Marketforce UK Ltd, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London E14 5HU. 0203 787 9001. PRINTED: William Gibbons & Sons, Wolverhampton The publisher accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts or photographs. If you are sending material to us for publication, you are strongly advised to make copies and to include a stamped addressed envelope. Original material must be submitted and will be accepted solely on the basis that the author accepts the assessment of the publisher as to its commercial value. © Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher. ISSN: 1478-8390 MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURE (USPS:001-522) is published monthly by Mortons Media Group Ltd, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6LZ UK. USA subscriptions are $66 per year from Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. Periodical Postage is paid at Bancroft WI and additional entries. Postmaster: Send address changes to MOTORCYCLE SPORT & LEISURE, c/o Motorsport Publications LLC, 7164 Cty Rd N #441, Bancroft WI 54921. 715-572-4595 chris@ classicbikebooks.com

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6 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; established 1962

NEW Need to know ◆ Your letters ◆ First rides

Watch your speed New smart motorways that never switch off.

new set of permanent speed cameras have been introduced to smart motorways across the UK’s major road network – and motorists could now be handed fines at any time of the day or night, even if there isn’t a visible speed limit displayed overhead. The new cameras are in operation on a stretch of motorway near East Midlands Airport. But the M1 is just one of a number of stretches being converted into smart motorways alongside the M6, M25, M3, M20 and M5. The smart motorways use overhead gantries to control traffic flow by changing speed

from the national speed limit right down to 30mph if there’s traffic ahead. The hard shoulder can also be made into a live lane at peak hours – and you can even be fined £100 if you ignore the Red Xs overhead, too. It’s up to local forces to decide whether the smart motorway cameras in their area operate 24/7, and how strict they want to

be about the speed limits. Derbyshire has enforced a strict 70mph rule – and other forces may adopt the same rules, too. A spokesman for Highways England said: “If no special speed limit is displayed then the national speed limit applies. “A speed limit displayed inside a red circle is legally enforceable. If you don’t keep to this speed limit, you are breaking the law. “Speed cameras are in operation on smart motorways. If you don’t keep to the speed limit, you may receive a fine.” The standard fine for being caught speeding is £100 and three points – but for more serious offences the punishment can skyrocket up to £2,500 if your case is taken to court.

New police camera with a mile range A new speed camera capable of spotting speeding drivers from nearly a mile away is currently undergoing in-ﬁeld use by police in Gloucester. In addition to monitoring speeding and tailgating it could also be used to provide proof of mobile phone use while driving. If successful, the pilot could be applied to any road in the UK.

Top Stories

Norton lands major £20m Japanese export contract Legendary British ﬁrm opens the door to the land of the rising sun with an impressive ﬁve-year deal. Iconic British brand Norton Motorcycles has signed a new £20million export deal with Japan, which will support 200 jobs in the UK and see around 1000 new motorbikes sold to Japanese customers over the next five years. The contract was announced in mid-January as Japanese PM Shinzo Abe met with his British counterpart Theresa May in London – the deal being part of a series of new business for British and Japanese firms and farmers worth more than £200m. Kay Johnson, head of global sales and marketing at Norton

Motorcycles, said: “Norton has an agreement with our distributor PCI Limited in Japan which will run over a five-year term to manufacture more than 1000 bikes, and will achieve an estimated value of £5million. “We very much look forward to growing our workforce to support the demand for motorbikes in this territory and, in doing so, continue to build a strong trading business with Japan.” International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: “The UK and Japan are among the strongest champions of free trade, and an

even closer relationship as we leave the European Union will help us to rally against the protectionist measures around the world that risk making us all poorer.

“That’s why today we have committed to reduce global trade tensions, reform global trading rules and bring a new UK-Japan free trade agreement into force as soon as possible.”

More new bikes registered in 2018 According to the MCIA, in a year that has seen turbulence across several retail sectors, the Powered Two Wheeler (that's motorcycles, scooters, mopeds and trikes in plain English) market bucked the trend by finishing 2018 slightly ahead of 2017. The strongest growth was seen in the 51-500cc segments, which comprises among others, space efficient, zero- and

low-emission machines, ideal for medium-distance commuting and congestion-busting local deliveries. The most popular style of newly registered bikes in 2018 was naked, followed by scooters in second place, and adventure sports machines in third. The overall PTW market topped-out at 105,816 registrations, made up of 81,263 motorcycles and 24,553 scooters.

2018 was a good year for the sales of naked bikes.

8 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

Café racer kit for Yamaha’s YZF-R3 GG Retrofitz of California has just revealed its latest conversion kit, which turns a standard Yamaha YZF-R3 into a retro-styled café racer – and we love it. Called the ‘Rocket Street’, the super cool kit is compatible with Yamaha’s YZF-R3 models from 2015 to 2018. The kit consists of a windshield, individual trim parts, and a tank cover – in addition to all the tools you’ll need to fit it. Sadly, the headlight isn’t included – so you’ll have to buy that separately. In addition to the standard white version of the kit, there are also three unique graphics sets. The standard version will set you back $1198, which works out just shy of £1000 (the graphics cost a further £250) – but at this stage, we’re not sure if you can get one in Europe just yet. At the minute, delivery is only available in the USA, Australia and Japan – but we’re keeping our fingers crossed that it’s going to change in the not too distant future. For more information: www.ggretrofitz.com

www.mslmagazine.co.uk 9

Test Ride

Kawasaki Ninja 125 and Z125

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA HURTLES Kawasaki is the last Japanese factory to debut a contemporary 125cc sports road bike – so they’ve launched two instead. WORDS: Simon Hargreaves PHOTOGRAPHY: James Wright and Double Red

t’s been a long time since the 125cc new bike market has looked so buoyant, if the sheer number of models on sale is anything to go by. Of all the big manufacturers, only Ducati, BMW and Triumph are missing an A1 licence-compliant machine. And, of course, there’s a wealth of budgetfriendly Chinese 125s machines. Frankly, teenagers (or, at least, 19-year-olds) have never had the learner 125 game so good. According to Kawasaki, research among potential customers for the fully-faired Ninja 125 and naked Z125 shows 37% of buyers will purchase based on looks and only 7% based on price. And sure enough, both 125s are at the upper end of the

125 price bracket, at between £4099 for the base Z125 and £4499 for the special edition Ninja 125. There are more expensive 125s, but an awful lot are cheaper.

LOOKS MATTER

First impressions count, they say. And, as I approach the Ninja 125, first impressions are very good. It’s a handsome bike, especially in its Special Edition Lime Green and Ebony colours. There’s more than a hint of KR1-S, which will probably be completely meaningless to customers under the age of 40 but it warms this old man’s heart. Another fear is quickly dispelled; some 125s are physically small – for most riders, old or young, it’s

10 Motorcycle Sport & Leisure – established 1962

important (7% say it’s their main reason for buying, according to Kawasaki) that their bike looks adult-sized, even if the engine output isn’t. So as the Ninja 125 takes up the slack of a 15-stone, 6ft monster, it’s refreshing that the springs don’t collapse and go coil-bound under the strain, and that my limbs and various body parts fit comfortably on board. I’ve ridden bigger bikes with less spacious riding positions. In particular, my knees slot neatly into the deep tank recesses, and the clip-ons are set with a familiar sports-touring tilt. Radical it is not. The engine is based on the Z250SL; it’s a bit more than just sleeved-down; bore and stroke are shorter, suggesting different crank, rods and

ABOVE: Research says that looks trump price, and the little Ninja is certainly a looker.

LAUNCH Speciﬁcation 2019 KAWASAKI NINJA 125 AND Z125 (in brackets)

Price: £4399 or SE £4499 (£4099 or SE £4199) Engine: 4v single, liquid cooled, DOHC, 125cc Power: 14.8bhp @ 10,000rpm Torque: 8.6lb-ft @ 7700rpm Transmission: 6-speed, chain drive Frame: Steel tube trellis Suspension: (F) 37mm tele forks; (R) monoshock, preload adjustment Brakes: (F) Single 290mm wavy disc, two-piston caliper; (R) 220mm disc, single-piston caliper, ABS

The Kawasaki’s suspension is better than you might expect.

Wheels/tyres: Aluminium/Dunlop TT900, (F) 100/80-17; (R) 130/70-17 Wheelbase: 1330mm Seat height: 785mm (815mm) Wet weight: 148kg (146kg)

What of the Z125?

Fuel capacity: 11 litres Contact: www.kawasaki.co.uk

piston – but valvetrain, crankcases and gearbox are the same, albeit with different internal and final drive ratios. It’s a revvy, slightly harsh and buzzy motor; well over-square and producing its peak power at a heady 10,000rpm. A rev limiter intervenes at 10,500rpm and it doesn’t take long to realise the Ninja’s effective powerband is narrow. Combined with an indicated top speed of 73mph, the Ninja requires a portion of brain space dedicated to planning progress based on a finite quantity of legal performance – a familiar feeling for riders of smallbore bikes and scooters. Like all limitations, it’s a lot of fun working out how to extract the most from them. Stretching the throttle cables like piano wires is a start.

HANDLE THE SHOCKS

The Ninja’s chassis, like its motor, is also borrowed from the Z250SL, only with fewer changes. The 125’s steel tube frame is all but identical, its single 290mm wavy disc and two-pot sliding caliper brakes, lattice-spoked cast ally wheels and 37mm nonadjustable tele forks and preload-only rear shock pretty much are (the shock has less travel than the 250), and rake, trail and wheelbase are also the same. And it all works very well. Light bikes always depend on superior suspension quality because they respond more severely to shocks fed into them. Unfortunately, light bikes are also usually the ones least likely to have money spent on the springs, and so a harsh, chattering ride is usually guaranteed. The Ninja is better than most; it’ll still make your eyeballs

wobble over significant corrugations, and under harsh interrogation on the strong brakes the forks will chatter in complaint – but, taken at an average, the Ninja tracks the road evenly and with the feel of a much bigger bike. If you’re of a sporting bent, knee down lean angles on the Dunlop TT900 tyres is a permissible consequence of a spirited ride. Agility is, of course, outstanding – the Ninja will whip around traffic like it’s a set of playground cones.

The Z shares the same engine, gearing and chassis as the Ninja, so it’s almost the same bike – and all comments apply to both. It has a thicker seat, so seat height is a few mm higher – which might make a difference to less confident riders. But it has a more upright riding position courtesy of its flat bars. The lack of fairing allows engine noise to dissipate more easily, so it sounds less mechanical on the road, but the ride somehow feels less significant to me – I feel less comfortable and more self-conscious on the Z125.

GADGET-FREE ZONE

Liking gadgets is something no-one grows out of, but the Ninja 125 is sorely lacking in the cool toy department – and that must surely count against it. It’s at this point, staring at an uninspiring LCD dash (again, poached from the Z250SL), a young person would consider the iPhone-style TFT of a KTM 125 Duke, the keyless ignition of the GSX-R125, the YZF-R125’s slipper clutch or the connectivity of an

BELOW: The dash is not the bike’s best feature.

Aprilia RS125 and its optional quickshifter, and then maybe pass on the Ninja. It desperately needs a whizz-bang gizmo to focus on, and there isn’t one.

AND FINALLY

Kawasaki’s entries into the 125 race, judged by Kawasaki’s own criteria, are a success; they look great, so that’s 37% sold already. They feel like proper motorbikes too, at least to sit on, and handle with dignity. The only downside is the lack of technical sophistication – something really cool to excite all our inner teenagers. But then, maybe a supercharged 125 is pushing things a bit too far. www.mslmagazine.co.uk 11