Practical Sportsbikes

Damian Smith Art Editor damian.smith@pspb.co.uk I went to the British Grand Prix in 2002, and stuck around to watch the classic race while the traffic cleared. Sheene won it – the only chance I ever got to see him ride. And he still had it, right at the end. Mark Graham Production Editor mark.graham@pspb.co.uk Him stopping to help John Williams when he crashed in practice for the ’76 Swedish Grand Prix. Sheene abandoned his RG on track and rushed to clear Williams’ airways when no one else had a clue what to do. Alan Seeley Technical Editor alan.seeley@pspb.co.uk Surely the Brut 33 ads and his invitation to Henry Cooper to “Splash it on all over.” Or the time I answered the work phone to him requesting somewhere to “laaahnd” his…

“You cannot get the most out of life if you are not aware of the possibility of death. This is not a morbid thing. I love life. I like to see the sun coming up in the morning. But if I abandon the thing I do best and start to take things easier, I feel the edge might go out of the enjoyyment I take in things.” As the Barry Sheene features and tributes came in for us to mark the 20th anniversary of his passing... it made me wonder. As a 36-year-old (albeit one with great interest in, and affection for bikes right across the PS era, not just my own), Barry had made his impact, won his World Championships, and retired before I came to be. But that…

This is the latest ‘fashion’ offering from The PS – alimited-run Tee featuring Gary Hurd, with all profits going to Mental Health Motorbike. The idea came from PS reader and friend of Gary (yes, really), Lee Selway. Lee drew on his experience and knowledge from the catwalks of New York, Paris, Milan and King’s Lynn to create this cheeky number for himself using a pic taken by fellow PS reader, Phil Le Brocq. But after being inundated with literally plenty of demand from others wishing to show their affection for the big man (or contempt for the world around them), Lee got in touch and prompted us to offer it through official channels. They will be produced to order to ensure no waste – if you want one, email us with…

Every year, 1000s of 10mm sockets and spanners go missing, rolling under workbenches, or lifted by morally-corrupt ‘mates’. Protect yourself from the heartache of 10mm socket loss with one of Clarke’s new HD Plus toolbox range. The CBB205C HD Plus 5 Drawer Tool Chest (shown) features four drawers measuring 575×261×49mm, plus a fifth deeper drawer at 575×261×64mm. All drawers can take 35kg. It costs £200. There’s a wider range of top cases, rolling cabinets, side lockers: all with locks to keep sticky fingers off critical items… See machinemart.co.uk/c/ new-tool-chests-and-cabinets/…

WIN! What better way to bang straight into 2023 than with another super-soaraway PS reader competition. Yes, truly the reader of The PS is blessed. Why? Because this unrepeatably awesome WIN A MEGA CANVAS competition – will be repeated. Again, yes, to repeat: this first WIN A MEGA CANVAS competition will go again next month – but with a different poster. Then the month after that. And then the month after that. Truly incredible. But truly true. We have four to WIN: this month’s epic Barry Sheene framed edition (number 15 of 100 by Colin Carter) then a Foggy in March, a Rossi for April, and a Neil Hodgson during the merry month of May. But not necessarily in that order. The running list might well be subject to change.…

★ NITRON BULL DOCK KAWASAKI 1230R GT-M If trick forks and shocks are on your radar (and why wouldn’t they be?) you’ll be familiar with this Z1-R’s deep turquoise hue. British suspension experts Nitron have made the striking shade their own and this much modified big Zed is the embodiment of the firm’s high-end engineering nous. Nitron products are big in Japan, so when the UK company’s far eastern subsidiary came up with the idea of building a special to showcase its latest forks, shocks and components the guys and gals in turquoise reached out to renowned Japanese customisers Bull Dock to assist with the project. Both Nitron and Bull Dock chose a Z1-R to form the basis of the build on account of the Kawasaki’s distinctive looks and reputation…