Table of contents for 14 September 2016 in MCN

‘The new motor idles lower giving out a more distinct, classic Harley potato-potato note’ Harley have always been among the most conservative of manufacturers and one glance at the US marque’s updates for 2017 show that little’s changed – in many cases quite literally. So, while H-D are making a song and dance about ‘new’ engines that ‘take the Harley-Davidson V-twin to a place it’s never been’, many of us may struggle to spot anything new. Harley fans, however, like it like that. When a brand’s hugely successful recipe is founded on traditional, old-school experience and classic style, radical new designs simply don’t happen. You don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Instead, when faced with ever-tightening emissions laws, Euro4, plus increasing competition from new US rival Indian,…

‘What we have is a Italian product, gift wrapped for an America market, like Pizza Hut’ Moto Guzzi has kept us waiting two years for their MGX-21 Flying Fortress – probably so they could get the catchy name just right. The concept was released at EICMA 2014 and the prototype was revealed the following year. And now, finally, we have it: an audacious, bold Italian take on an American dream… and it’s oh so good. Cruisers are typically an exercise in style – fun in straight lines but reluctant corner-carvers with marginal braking ability. But Guzzi have taken that stereotype and put an Italian twist on it with powerful Brembo bakes, decent ground clearance and a monstrous 1.4 litre V-twin (Guzzi claim it’s the biggest V-twin in Europe). They have…

The gods Julian Stevens Former British championship level enduro rider turned mechanic and manager for top enduro names. Paul Edmondson Has won four World Enduro titles and been the overall winner of the International Six Day Enduro. Jonny Walker Aged 25 he has won every major Extreme Enduro including Erzberg, Hells Gate and Redbull Romaniacs. Billy Bolt Just 18, Bolt was a front runner in Junior World Trials before turning his attention to Extreme Enduro. They say ‘every day is a school day’ and that’s 100% true for my visit to the Endurolegends E n du ro S c h o ol i n Cumbria. Although I’ve been riding since I was a kid, I’m under no illusion that I know it all – and with the level of instructors…

The BMW is the boldest and most desirable of all the scramblers, and would be even better if the tyres were swapped for rubber better suited to the road. Its only drawback is the £11,090 price – that’s nearly £2700 more than the Ducati – which is a great all-round bike. The Guzzi has the most character and feels like a classic scrambler enlivened with modern touches. However, I couldn’t live with its lack of power on trips out of town. The modified Triumph looks and sounds great, is a joy around town and has a welcome turn of speed away from the city streets, but it is uncomfortable, and more expensive than the Duke and Guzzi. All four are great bikes and your buying decision may just come down…

‘Immediately I felt I could brake later, and the bike felt much more composed’ ‘I felt like a proper racer, tweaking things for faster lap times. Chasing that extra tenth’ HUSQVARNA 701 SUPERMOTO £7999 FUEL 13 litres @ 51mpg = 146 miles WEIGHT 145kg SEAT 890mm POWER 65bhp TORQUE50ftlb LIAM MARSDEN All-weather commuter happy on any type of bike HEIGHT 6ft 1in WEIGHT 75kg If there’s one thing I’ve not done enough of over the last few years it’s track riding, and with the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto under my custodianship this year I’ve got a bike almost perfectly suited to the task of providing circuit-based fun. Supermotos are generally thoroughbred race machines, after all. It’s taken me most of the year to get the Husky to a track, but when…

BMW S1000XR £17,289 FUEL 20 litres @ 44mpg = 193 miles WEIGHT 228kgkg SEAT 840mm POWER 160bhp TORQUE 82ftlb ANDY DOWNES Experienced road rider who loves a long continental trip when time permits HEIGHT 5ft 9in WEIGHT 78kg The 6000-mile service has just been carried out at Wollaston BMW in Northampton. The service would normally consist of a change for the oil, oil filter, air filter and then a long list of general checks but as my bike only just had the oil and filter changed after the loss of an inspection bolt, the oil and filter stayed put. Getting to the air filter was tricky as it required the removal of two side panels, fuel tank cover, a couple of small filler panels and a multitude of bolts. The…

Oxford Product Rain Seal£50 Made with extra reflective details they’ll be great for autumn riding. Enter until: September 30 Custom Calendar 2017 £13 We’ve got 10 of these great calendars to give away. Enter until: October 31 RST Tractech Evo Race Gloves £90 We have a pair of these gloves in white, size XXL to give away. Enter until: September 30 Sportsbikeshop Gift Voucher £50 With more than 18,000 items in stock you’ll find what you need. Enter until: September 30…

With the dust barely settled on a dramatic weekend of racing at Oulton Park, the six confirmed title fighters now head to Donington Park this weekend for the opening round of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Showdown. While Leon Haslam and Shane Byrne have battle lines drawn at the sharp end of the top six, they have now been joined by four other hungry riders determined to make their mark over the next seven races. After Donington, the championship heads east to the Dutch TT circuit at Assen on October 2 and then culminates at the season finale triple-header at Brands Hatch GP on October 14-16. Ahead of all the action, MCN takes a look at the men who have made the cut for the 2016 Showdown and are in…

‘The front was moving all over the place. I was nearly off the thing a load of times’MICHAEL LAVERTY Michael Laverty left Oulton Park with a bitter taste in his mouth after missing out the Showdown for the first time in his British Superbike career. Since the Showdown’s introduction in 2010, Laverty has been one of the six title fighters in each year he’s competed in the domestic series but his run came to an end after yet another tough round at Oulton Park. The Northern Irishman has struggled for pace since taking victory in the second race at Thruxton in July and he paid the price this weekend as he slipped out of Showdown contention. His weekend didn’t get off to the best of starts after tyre issues in…

‘If I have a bike that’s fast for the last five laps I know I can beat Shakey in a battle’LEON HASLAM Leon Haslam turned the fight for the 2016 MCE British Superbike title on its head at Oulton Park as he moved into the series lead with a dominant trio of wins at the Cheshire circuit. After losing vital points to title rival Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne mid-season, it had looked as though Haslam could struggle to take the fight to the four-time British champion. However, a remarkable turnaround for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team over the last two rounds has seen former WSB runner-up, Haslam win four of the last five races to take the championship lead for the three-round title fight. Having battled with tyre life on the…

‘At one stage we thought Shakey and the Ducati were too strong’RON HASLAM “This year has been massive for Leon. He’s never ridden a Kawasaki before, he’s come back to England after so many years in WSB and with all of that we knew it would be a big challenge as the competition here is so strong. “At one stage we maybe thought Shakey and the Ducati were a bit too strong. We thought he might have had a bit more in hand as well, but Leon and the team have been able to get to the same standard now and the battle is really on. “Leon is great at dealing with pressure and that’s important for the next three rounds as you can’t get away with making a mistake…

‘Crutchlow lost time because he shut the throttle’ Speaking to MCN after Crutchlow’s penalty was removed, race director Mike Webb admitted that officials had made the original call without sufficient information – and that once he saw the full evidence he quickly made the move to correct their error. “Timekeeping pointed out to us after the race when they’d had a chance to do a full analysis that in fact any advantage Cal had gained, he’d lost again in the next sector. “What took so long was me making sure that Cal hadn’t made a mistake or had a bad sector, so I looked at the data for deliberate intent of him slowing. “Timekeeping put the data from the bike with the timing, and it showed that Crutchlow had lost…

MotoGP have officially retired Marco Simoncelli’s race number in a ceremony at the Misano circuit named in his honour. The number will now be withdrawn from use – but will be granted to a rider who asks the permission of the Simoncelli family in the future. MotoGP will remain at the Misano circuit for the San Marino Grand Prix for the remainder of Valentino Rossi’s career in the championship, after the organisers of the race, only 13 miles from the Italian’s hometown, extended their deal with the series until at least 2020. They might not even have joined the championship yet, but newfor-2017 manufacturers KTM have become the first to sign up to the new agreement penned between teams and MotoGP organisers Dorna. The contract will see them committed to…

‘Riders can once again take a risk on tyres and realistically expect it to pay off’SIMON PATTERSON Since their return to the MotoGP championship at the start of this season, Michelin have taken a lot of flack. Starting with Loris Baz’s high-speed tyre explosion back at the Sepang tests (even though it was later discovered to have been caused by a puncture) and leading up to the tyre selection in Brno only recently, the French firm has had a lot of fire fighting to do. But what they’ve managed this season so far is really quite remarkable. Somehow, as they work to develop new-specification rubber for increasingly powerful MotoGP machinery, they’ve managed to create a tyre battle in a one-make series. How? By providing a wide selection of choices for…

Ducati Monster 1200S If you’re going naked, you might as well be bold about it. Grab one of the most refined bruisers on the market, for £149 per month after a £2903.54 deposit. Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber There are few nakeds cooler than a Guzzi, and the new V9 is the coolest of the bunch. Pictures really don’t do it justice. Get the Bobber look for £89 per month after a £2202 deposit. Yamaha XSR900 Treading the retro path, but want all the benefits of a modern bike? A £1786.28 deposit secures one of these. Triumph Street Triple R Or what about the nation’s favourite Brit? One of the most versatile nakeds you can buy, yours after a £1798 deposit. Fancy something used instead? MCN Garage…

Indian Springfield, £19,599 Launched earlier this year complete with hard panniers, screen and bags of style and class, the Springfield is Indian’s best yet and a serious rival to the updated Harley. Moto Guzzi California SE, £16,635 Fabulously-styled, all-new California was introduced in 2013 around an uprated, 1400cc V-twin. Great handling and OK performance but not quite the scale of the Americans. Triumph Thunderbird LT, £14,800 Bagger variant of new Thunderbird parallel twin impresses with its handling and performance but doesn’t quite have the detailing or authenticity of others.…

2011-2014 Ducati Diavel Colours Black, red or blue Dealer £9000 (2011) Private good £8500 Private average £8200 This one 2011 model in black comes with new tyres and has 9000 miles on the clock, £8499 2011-2014 Ducati Diavel Carbon Uprated model with forged wheels Colours Black or red/black Dealer £10,300 (2011) Private good £10,500 Private average £10,000 This one 2014 model with Remus cans. 10,637 miles, £12,495 2012-2015 DucatiDiavelStrada Touring With panniers, taller screen and more Colours Titanium or red Dealer£10,000 Private good £10,000 Private average £9800 Thisone 2013 model with panniers. 11,250 miles, £9900 2015-2016 Ducati Diavel Uprated engine, new exhausts, LED lights and bodywork mods Colours Black, red or white Dealer £12,500 Private good £12,600 Private average £12,300 This one 2016 model with just 706 miles, £12,700 Insurance…

‘A lad with his Citroen Saxo and godawful six-inch tail pipe raises my hackles every time’ TRIUMPH STREET TWIN £7350 FUEL 12 litres @ 63mpg = 166 miles WEIGHT 198kg SEAT 750mm POWER 54bhp TORQUE 59ftlb RIDER Ped Baker Enjoys tinkering nearly as much as riding. HEIGHT 6ft 4in WEIGHT 90kg As I get older I’m becoming increasingly sensitive to noise pollution. I live on a very quiet housing estate with some very good neighbours so I’m keen that my “noisy motorbikes” don’t upset the status quo. A lad with his Citroen Saxo and godawful six-inch tail pipe raises my hackles every time he drives past the house and I don’t want my neighbours to feel the same way about me with my Vance & Hines two-into-one pipe on…

2016 marked the most competitive year yet for Showdown spaces with 12 riders mathematically able to secure a top six spot until last weekend at Oulton Park. Here’s a quick look at who’ll be fighting to be best of the rest… Michael Laverty 7th – 168 points After winning two races this season, Laverty not being in the Showdown is perhaps the biggest shock. Nevertheless, he’ll be keen to prove what he could have done if he’d earned a top six spot. Peter Hickman 8th – 162 points With both his team-mates in the Showdown, Hickman will be gutted to have missed out, but he’s shown he can beat them already this season with his remarkable round one win. Richard Cooper 9th – 157 points Another race winner not to…

‘I can’t say what those issues are, but it’s a s**t situation’SAM LOWES Sam Lowes has now all but lost the fight for the 2016 Moto2 world championship, after yet another disastrous weekend that saw him crash out of fourth place halfway through the race. The mistake means that the Federal Oil Gresini rider has now dropped to fourth in the standings, trailing title rivals Alex Rins and Johann Zarco by over 50 points. Struggling all weekend to find grip from his Kalex machine, the Brit was nonetheless able to up his game for qualifying, taking a second row start and looking like being in with a chance of fighting for the podium. He backed that up with a strong start to the race, getting stuck into the battle for…

‘The softly-padded seat is comfy for an hour but it will eventually give you bum-ache’ Take a minute to think about how far BMW have come in the past decade. Known for years as purveyors of class-leading touring and adventure bikes, you’d never have predicted how the German firm would go on to crush the superbike world with its S1000RR. Go on to tell someone that one day you’d see that famous white, black and blue badge on the tank of an A2 licence-friendly bike and they’d think you were mad. But that’s what BMW has done and here it is: the new £4290, 313cc, 34bhp G310R – and it’s arguably their most important bike to date. The German firm wants to tempt new riders into motorcycling across the globe…

Paying penalty for poor parking My son and I visited Silverstone for all three days of the MotoGP. It was a great event and we enjoyed it – all except the parking. I paid £160 for two adult tickets via the Silverstone booking office. All was well on the Friday but on the Saturday we were directed by the stewards to a different car park. When we returned to our car I was dismayed to find a parking ticket on the windscreen. It said I had to pay a fine for not displaying a parking permit. When I ordered the tickets I was not told anything about permits. Chris Winwood, Daventry What a waste of time Three hours and 15 minutes to get out of Silverstone. To make it worse…

Suzuki are doing some brilliant stuff on the race track but now they need that success to transcend to its road bikes. Running a two-rider, factory MotoGP team does not come cheap and if UK sales are anything to go by, the car side of the firm must be footing a large portion of the once-great bike builder’s racing costs. While new bike sales in the UK continue to rise in 2016 with nearly six per cent more bikes sold so far this year compared to last, you’d think all manufacturers would be reaping the rewards, but Suzuki aren’t. Monthly sales are in the low hundreds, while Yamaha and Honda consistently shift nearly 2000 bikes. Suzuki usually languish just inside the top 10, with Lexmoto, Piaggio, KTM, and Harley regularly…

Buying pre-registered and ex-demo bikes is a good idea. I’m looking at an ad for a pre-reg Honda CBR500, at £800 off list. What’s the catch with things like this? None, really. Sometimes a dealer preregisters a bike simply to hit a sales target, which will net him a bonus or a rebate. You, the buyer, get what is technically a used bike with zero miles, one extra owner listed on the V5 and maybe a month or two off the warranty. Essentially, you’re losing the initial depreciation. In two or three years, the bike won’t really be worth any less than a one-owner machine. Remember, also, that you won’t be paying any PDI or delivery charges as those have already been accounted for. Ex-demo bikes are slightly trickier, because…

‘The only thing to note is that it has a bit of an appetite for tyres’ ‘It’s an absolutely fantastic package. Everything’s been good, bulletproof really, they’re a good bike. ‘Recalls-wise, there was one on the numberplate hanger so they were brought in and swapped. Not that we had any problems in the UK, I think it was more abroad, just with the very first ones. ‘As regards reports of faulty key fobs, I always say this: you bring you bike in for a service, and if you keep in the loop with your Ducati dealer you receive the necessary upgrades – that one was quickly resolved with a software update. The Diavel key fob is the same unit as the Multistrada’s and, yes, early doors there were a few…

£4295 Honda NC700X Excellent condition late 2013 model for sale at a dealer with just 8738 miles on the clock. Has a hugger fitted and comes with new tyres and full service history. £3450 BMW R100 Original and unrestored R100 with 99,000 miles on the clock and a condition that looks very appealing considering it goes back to 1978. Comes with a large file detailing its 38-year history. £2799 SUZUKI BANDIT 1200 Unmodified oil/air-cooled Bandits are rare – and this one has only a hugger, heated grips and a Scorpion exhaust. It’s a 2005 model that’s covered 17,697 miles. £795 YAMAHA DIVERSION 900 Private seller is looking to shift this 2002 model with a stainless steel exhaust, topbox, panniers and a tankbag all thrown in. It’s only covered 30,000 miles.…

BMW F800GS £10,055 FUEL 16 litres @ 48.52mpg = 171 miles WEIGHT 214kg SEAT 880mm POWER 84bhp TORQUE 61ftlb JAMES ARCHIBALD Long-distance commuter with four years of riding experience. HEIGHT 5ft 11in WEIGHT 84kg With a trip to the Pure & Crafted bike festival in Berlin ahead I decided the F800GS would take me on my first solo ride to mainland Europe. After all, these bikes are made to conquer the world, right? So it should have been a doddle... Le Shuttle delays, big hold-ups and endless traffic through Belgium meant a couple of hideously long days in the saddle – with relentless driving rain accompanying my journey through three countries. It might sound like a trainwreck of a trip, but it wasn’t. And that’s largely down to the GS.…

IF YOU LIKE THIS… Givi EA104 expandable rucksack £53.49 “Nicely made, durable, comfortable and secure to wear. It has a fold-out waterproof cover, too.” MCN product review | September 9, 2015 Main compartment 25-litre space is enough for daily essentials and a light shop on the way home from work. Back to school Satchel-type chrome buckles give a cool retro look. Strap in Sturdy shoulder, chest and waist straps make the rucksack comfy to wear. Knox Studio Rucksack £59.99 Tester Michael Neeves Time used Six months/7000 miles What’s good? This is easily the nicest quality rucksack I’ve owned and at just 60 quid, it’s one of the best value, too. The main body of the bag is constructed from sturdy 600-denier polyester with a leather base, a fully waterproof 25-litre…

This year’s Motofoto competition is hotting up, with the hundreds of entries now whittled down to the top 100 – ready for your votes. The annual amateur photography competition is held in association with Carole Nash Insurance, and boasts some fantastic prizes from competition partner TomTom. The winner will also get a great opportunity to be part of the Carole Nash 2016 Motorcycle Live stand at the NEC, while the images from the top 100 will also form part of the stand. For the 100 on the shortlist it’s a chance for a little bit of fame – and the final three chosen will benefit from a bit of fortune, too. The MCN/Carole Nash panel of judges selected the best 100 images – and now it’s your turn to pick…

‘I can look forward to the next rounds even more as my daughter will be there!’LUKE MOSSEY Luke Mossey became the sixth and final rider to bag a spot in the 2016 MCE British Superbike Showdown at Oulton Park this weekend with his best-ever result in the Superbike class. While his Showdown chances didn’t look great after a tough opening race on Saturday, Mossey was able to capitalise on mistakes from Tyco BMW’s Michael Laverty with a fifth and second place finish on Sunday enough to secure him a crucial top six spot. The result marked another page in what would be a fairy-tale 24 hours for the Quattro Plant Tec-Care Kawasaki rider after partner Susie gave birth to his first child at 5.30am on Sunday morning. The 23-year-old had…

Briggs Equipment BMW rider Jake Dixon left Oulton Park with hip injuries following a nasty crash at Britten’s chicane in Sunday’s final race. The incident brought an unfortunate end to what had been another strong weekend for Shane Byrne’s BSB protégé. Ryuichi Kiyonari showed promise as he made his debut for the Smiths BMW team this weekend. A tenth place in the second race marked the three-time champion’s second best result of the season Gearlink Kawasaki’s Mason Law took his debut British Supersport victory as the championship heated up in Saturday’s sprint race. Series leaders Tarran Mackenzie and James Westmoreland were equal on points before Sunday’s feature outing, which was won by Bradley Ray. The Pirelli National Superstock 1000 race ended in drama when series leader Taylor Mackenzie pulled a…

Danny Kent Qualified: 15th Finished: DNF Another disastrous weekend for the reigning Moto3 champ, Kent crashed out of this weekend’s Moto2 race while running outside the points. Suffering from lack of rear grip, he looks to have once again lost the improving form that he was able to bring to the last few rounds of the championship. Rory Skinner Qualified: 5th Finished: 6th The Scottish teenager had another strong result in the Red Bull Rookies Cup, even if sixth in the final order didn’t reflect his weekend’s pace. Looking for his second podium of the season, he was unlucky to get caught out of position on the final hectic run to the line. He now sits sixth in the championship with two races remaining at Aragon.…

‘I ran across turn one five times, because there was sweat on the inside of my visor’CAL CRUTCHLOW Brit GP podium hero Cal Crutchlow became embroiled in a row following his eighth place finish in Sunday’s race with MotoGP race chiefs, after the LCR Honda rider was demoted one place for exceeding track limits, before a race control u-turn saw him re-instated to eighth. Crutchlow crossed the line in eighth place, but was moved back after race control deemed that he had cut the first corner five times during the course of the race. And although Crutchlow put his hand up and admitted that he had made the illegal move, the savvy Brit demonstrated to race control through his data that not only was it not deliberate but also that…

Eugene Laverty Qualified: 16th Finished: 14th The Irishman had a disappointing weekend after failing to find the pace he believed he could achieve. With five rounds remaining, Laverty has now set his eyes firmly on what he needs to achieve for the remainder of the 2016 season. He said: “I need to gain the points I need to finish top 10 in the championship. I’m a few behind where I need to be to keep it, and I need to be a minimum of tenth and able to get a little higher on the good days.” Scott Redding Qualified: 17th Finished: 15th Scott Redding was exasperated after a poor result on the Pramac Ducati. Struggling all weekend with a lack of feeling from the GP15 machine, he was once again…

‘In the last few races there have been many winners, I am glad that finally it was my chance’DANI PEDROSA Dani Pedrosa stunned his rivals by taking an emphatic MotoGP victory at the San Marino Grand Prix. The 30-year-old Spaniard scythed his way through the field from a third row start to incredibly become the eighth successive different rider to win in 2016. While it’s been an incredibly difficult season so far for the Repsol Honda rider, Pedrosa, a 29-time MotoGP race winner, never put a foot wrong during Sunday’s epic performance, making the most of a brave decision to run Michelin’s softest front tyre option and then utilising the rubber to stunning effect. Starting slowly in the race after a poor qualifying, Pedrosa set lap record after lap record…

2016’s eight different consecutive winners Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Jack Miller, Andrea Iannone, Cal Crutchlow, Maverick Viñales, Dani Pedrosa (Previous record – seven in 1999/2000 – Alex Criville, Regis Laconi, Taddy Okada, Max Biaggi, Norick Abe, Kenny Roberts Junior, Garry McCoy) Eight winners in a season Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Jack Miller, Andrea Iannone, Cal Crutchlow, Maverick Viñales, Dani Pedrosa (Previous record – seven in 2006 – Loris Capirossi, Valentino Rossi, Marco Melandri, Dani Pedrosa, Nicky Hayden, Toni Elias, Troy Bayliss) Four first-time winners Crutchlow, Miller, Iannone and Viñales (Previous record – four in 1982 – Franco Uncini, Freddie Spencer, Takazumi Katayama and Michel Frautschi) Four manufacturers winning in a season – Yamaha, Honda, Ducati, Suzuki (Previous record – four in 2006 – Yamaha, Honda, Ducati,…

‘You always overtake aggressively, so why do you just say that it is me?’VALENTINO ROSSI ‘He didn’t need to make that overtake, but that’s his style. Other riders overtake more cleanly’JORGE LORENZO Jorge Lorenzo has accused Valentino Rossi of making an overly-agressive pass which could have led to the pair crashing out of the nine-times world champion’s home race – sparking a furious exchange between the Yamaha team-mates. Pole man Lorenzo was the early leader in the race after making his typical flying start, but Rossi was quick to hunt him down and made a move at the end of the second lap that forced the Spaniard to take evasive action to avoid contact between them. But, after the pair sat down in front of the world’s media in the…

‘Sunday was the Day of Dani. He rode unbelievably for the victory’JORGE LORENZO Reigning champion Jorge Lorenzo frankly admitted in the aftermath of Sunday’s San Marino Grand Prix that he that he simply did not have the pace to challenge team-mate Valentino Rossi and race-winner Dani Pedrosa. Showing stunning pace during Saturday’s qualifying to obliterate the Misano circuit’s best lap not once but twice en route to pole position, Lorenzo started the race as one of the clear favourites – with a win seemingly crucial to helping him find his mojo for the remaining races of the season. However, with rising track temperatures for the race, the Spaniard simply did not have the pace on the day to stay in touch with the leaders as they pulled away from him.…