Table of contents for 11th December 2019 in MCN

Funny, isn’t it? The stunt revered as one of the most legendary bike jumps ever committed to the silver screen is actually a bit, well, ordinary. And when Guy Martin recreated this leap to freedom as part of his reflection on the 75th anniversary of the incredible story of the ‘Great Escape’, it also seemed slightly unspectacular. But don’t let your brain rob you of how impressive his double-fence leap to potential oblivion really was. The advent of the FMX über stunt has numbed us with impossible whips, Superman grabs, triple backflips, heel-clickers and cliffhangers – rendering a good old-fashioned ‘bit of flying through the air’ as a tad underwhelming. But it was still one hell of a stunt. That’s a near-standard Scrambler 1200 leaping over two huge fences whilst…

“We’re really happy with what we have achieved with the ‘C evolution’ (big scooter), but it is a solution for urban transport. This E-Power Roadster is a sporty bike for someone who wants to ride in the mountains and really enjoy the ride. For this person the bike needs to have 200km (124miles) of range, so we won’t be releasing a bike like this until it’s capable of 200km-300km of real riding. Right now the market and the infrastructure to support such a machine isn’t ready. “We do not want to be like Tesla, installing fast-chargers everywhere – these cost around €110,000 each. At BMW we need to earn money, not burn money.”…

The #R5K group is no stranger to experienced riders, leaning on decades of biking knowledge to achieve their annual mileage goal, but plenty of new riders on restricted A2 licences are chasing the 5000-mile target, too. This includes 19-year-old Tori Allen, from Norwich, who has covered 3000 miles on her 2006 Suzuki SV650S since passing her test in August. Having previously ridden 10,000 miles aboard a Honda CBF125, she says she’s made countless new friends on her two-wheeled travels. “I’ve got friends dotted around the country who I wouldn’t have met without motorbikes. We’re all different characters but there’s that one thing that unites us all. ‘I’ve friends dotted around the country’R5K MEMBER TORI ALLEN “Having the licensing structure work in this way is a good thing and having to…

Reader David Lilly The Ride We hired trail bikes and rode round Sri Lanka When to do it Any time, but December is probably best Time required Two weeks Don’t miss this “Riding through national parks, with elephants, crocodiles, water buffalo and other amazing wildlife.” GREAT PEOPLE Such friendly and honest people, accommodation to suit any budget and no need to book ahead either. NATURE We saw water buffalo and more and enjoyed a huge variety of riding for a relatively small island. THE ROUTE You can make up the route as you go depending on pace, your likes and the weather conditions. THE BIKES We hired Honda Baja 250s. They were very tired, but did the job. Beware of the monsoon, don't just check percentage chance of rain, but…

Yamaha’s YZF-R1M is compact, focused and intense. For every second of every ride you feel like you’re aboard a sharp-edged, single-minded, impatient race bike. It feels special, too, radiating quality and rare-breed presence. It’ll leave wrists aching, ears quivering and minds blown. Expect no compromises. But the BMW S1000RR M Sport matches the R1M’s astonishing performance while also offering so much more flexibility, civility and manners on top. It’s by far the better road bike, with tons of bottom-end grunt, flexible gearing and kinder ergonomics. It’s so easy to get on with – the mirrors work, the dash is clear, the modes simple and intuitive. Then there are its heated grips, handy cruise control and a dash that can offer sat-nav directions via a smartphone app. It has a three-year…

Cafe culture Ace food “In the vein of a transport caff but we have a Specials board, our cheese is Isle of Man cheese and we have our own prime pork sausage recipe.” Destination Ace “We have something pretty much on every night of the week. When we first opened we had clubs contacting us and they still do.” Bonneville T120 Ace “The 2019 Triumph is a nod to the heritage and it’s great to see. Back in the ’90s when we started we could never have imagined it..” All about the community spirit “When riders and clubs come together invariably there are moments when they want to do stuff for others, which we then help.” Ace Cafe Reunion Run “It’s a major event. It’s a moment when those that…

Absolute silence as Guy Martin hangs high in the air. He’s failed. That’s what enters our minds as he continues his arc. Too slow, wrong angle, weird launch. Christ that fence is a bit close. After years securing the field, months sorting the bike, hundreds of hours spent practising it seems like at the final hurdle, Guy Martin, the Sultan of Speed, has forgotten the one golden rule: there’s no substitute for pace. The real deal If you’re not familiar with the backstory, The Great Escape was a Hollywood version of a huge escape in 1944, where 76 men crawled out of a tunnel under Stalag Luft III in the hope of reaching allied territory. To honour the men who lost their lives in the escape, Guy teamed up with…

The start of every year is always filled with the high expectation of rides, adventures and quality time on your bike. But life is also often so busy it’s too easy for the summer months to drift past leaving you suddenly staring down the barrel of a UK winter without having achieved the plans made so exuberantly months earlier. With over 12,000 miles covered on the 790 R since its arrival at the end of March there has undoubtedly been plenty of time in the saddle, but with many of those spent in motorway monotony they haven’t all been the ‘big smile’ miles hoped for. So, feeling that winter was edging ever nearer, I managed to engineer some time to make a trip to Wales – destination Snowdonia in a…

THE STUDENT Mark Thomson, 52, Morecambe Mark’s been riding for 30 years. After an eight year lay-off, he returned to bikes two years ago and completed his IAM test . Mark’s riding problem “I struggle when I’m in a corner and often chop the throttle halfway round. I’m never sure when I should be accelerating.” THE TUTOR Brian Glover-Smith, Rapid Training Our expert qualified as a Class 1 police motorcyclist aged just 21. Brian is also an IAM examiner and a trackday fanatic. Brian’s action plan “Mark is very stiff on the bike and needs to develop his visual skills both on the approach to and through the corners.” THE LESSON 1 Use your eyes and turn your head Your eyes should guide the bike, so you need to…

There’s a simple reason why more bikes don’t use a V4 engine configuration: cost. The bits that swallow money are the ‘five Cs’ – cylinder block, cylinder head, crankshaft, con-rods and camshaft – and its two cylinder banks make a V4 pricier to develop and make than an inline four. Thankfully there are firms who realise the sound, feel and reactions of a V4 greatly outway the few extra quid. Try one, and you’ll be forever smitten. MCN’S BEST BUY £3950 HONDA VFR1200F 1237cc |276kg |160bhp |815mm seat height • Dealer up to £9000 • Private up to £7000 • This one 2010, 30,000 miles Launched just after Kwak’s tech-laden 1400GTR journos criticised the VFR’s lack of gizmos – and missed the amazing engineering. The V4 has a 76˚…

‘I always wanted to ride a factory Honda’ Cal Crutchlow is Britain’s most successful grand prix rider since Barry Sheene and with three victories and 16 podiums he has achieved plenty. But on-going complications with the ankle injury sustained at Phillip Island in 2018 have left the 34-year-old in constant pain. He also turned down a long-term surgical solution in order to be fit for 2020, suggesting he is preparing himself for his final campaign. So, is retirement on the agenda? Next year you’ll be 35. Will you decide to call it a day? Honestly, I don’t know. Earlier this year I was saying next year might be time to stop. But later I said I don’t know because, although this season has been OK, we’ve had problems. I didn’t…

Speed-chasing granny Louisa Swaden smashed the 200mph barrier on a turbocharged Kawasaki ZX-10R recently and is now setting her sights on some new speed records for 2020. Swaden, 51, and a grandmother of three, demolished her previous personal best by nearly 60mph to clock a terminal speed of 203.224mph on the 450bhp beast loaned to her by Jack Frost of Holeshot Racing. She told MCN: “Going that fast was a completely different feeling for me. Usually I can sit up and take my time to cruise to a slowdown, but on this thing I was suddenly running out of space to stop. But I loved it and I was delirious when I found out how fast I’d gone. “I’d never ridden a turbo before and it was the last ‘Top…

While everyone has been distracted by ShiftCam this and Connected that, BMW have been quietly working on an electric motorcycle project for the last two years. The result is this: the E-Power Roadster Concept – a sort of halfway point between the DC Roadster concept we saw earlier this year and the eventual production electric bike we’ll see in the near future. However, it bears little resemblance to the DC; instead it looks like a parts bin special – which isn’t surprising, because that’s exactly what it is. The front-end has come from an S1000R, while the rear drive is from an R1200RS. The frame has been custom-made, while the drive train is borrowed from BMW’s car division: the battery pack comes from a 2-series plug-in hybrid while the motor…

Your helmet is the most important piece of kit in your biking armoury but according to recent research, a worrying 41% of us are wearing lids that might not be up to the job. A survey of more than 1000 riders by insurance giant Carole Nash revealed that four out of every ten are using a lid that’s five years old or older, which exceeds the recommended service life. The study also indicated that 63% wouldn’t consider buying a new lid unless the old one had been in a crash. In response, MCN have launched a Helmet Amnesty. If your lid is more than five years old, scuffed, damaged, ill-fitting or maybe even a little dubious in terms of legality, register online at www.helmetamnesty.comandsurrender your the offending item at the…

Get out on that Blade! I’ve just read your star letter (MCN Letters, December 4). Who could fail to be impressed by a guy who bought a ’92 FireBlade, has cherished every ride, and would not be able to part with it? Right up to the final sentence, when he regrets only putting 4000 miles on it. Fair enough, each to their own etc, etc, but that works out at 150 miles/year! Where’s it been, to the MoT station every year? No wonder he can recall every ride. As a Christmas gesture, I’ll volunteer to put a few miles on it and get it up to operating temperature for a bit. It’ll do it good. Rob Bellingham, email The original and best I agree with Tim Wrathall (MCN Letters, December…

HONDA CB400 SUPERDREAM This is me on my Superdream in 1990, my first big bike. It was brilliant and we did many miles together. Stephen Bird YAMAHA TY80 Aged 10 on my first bike, a Yamaha TY80. I loved it. 21 years on I’m still riding. But something a bit bigger: a CBR600F! Al Williams YAMAHA PW50 My son Sean when he was five-years-old on his Yamaha PW50 back in July 1986. He now has a Kawasaki Ninja 600. John O’Connor HONDA MINIBIKE Me (front) on my first bike with my dad. 30 years later I managed to get that #1 back on my bike racing Thundersport. Steve Taylor TRIUMPH BONNEVILLE T140 V Not strictly my first bike – but my first proper bike. This was taken in 1979 at…

Motorcycling has always been defined by bikes that break boundaries, the performance pioneers that re-set where limits lie. So forget today’s brown-seated café-racers, 1980s-inspired adventurers and faux flat-trackers. If you really want to carry on biking’s proudest and longest tradition, look instead to land of ultra-elite superbikes. Yamaha’s YZF-R1M is the latest. A limited-edition, online-order-only version of their MotoGP-inspired sportsbike, this ‘M’ version adds carbon-fibre bodywork and semi-active Öhlins suspension. For 2020 it has new engine internals, sharper styling and posher suspension. It’s the fastest road-going superbike Yamaha have ever built. But the current superbike standard is set by BMW’s S1000RR. MCN’s 2019 Bike Of The Year brings together power and practicality in a way never previously imagined possible. Like the R1, there’s a fancy ‘M’ version, too – the…

Two colour TFT dashes but there are big differences in size, clarity and sophistication. In isolation the R1M’s impresses, with a digital speedo and a colour-changing rev counter but numbers and acronyms showing settings at top and bottom make no sense at first. BMW is larger, clearer, and shoves less detail at you. Those after more info can find it, with the top ‘tray’ cycling through trip info, range and more. Then there are extra screens, Sport display, Bluetooth connectivity… It’s astonishingly effective. FUNCTIONALITY…

‘We’d ride past regularly and bemoan we had nowhere to go’ Biking ‘caffs’ and motorcycling meeting spots don’t get more famous, influential or celebrated than London’s Ace Cafe, which first rose to prominence with the Ton-Up boys of the 1950s, and then the rockers of the 1960s. And the one person most responsible for its rebirth in 2001 and subsequent resurgence into a must-visit destination, TV location and model for replicas around the globe, is bequiffed ex-cop, Mark Wilsmore. The Ace’s story is one of as many contrasts as its famous chequered logo. Opening in 1938 as a service stop on the recently-opened North Circular near Wembley, it was destroyed by German bombing in 1940 then operated from a temporary building until being officially reopened in 1949. But it was…

Kawasaki’s mid-sized Zed has come of age over the years. Starting life as the Z1000’s understudy in 2005, the Z750 was decidedly ordinary, but sold in droves across mainland Europe. A slightly funkier Z750R came along in 2011, followed by the bigger and much better Z800 two years later. In 2017 it flowered into the current Z900 and was so capable it almost rendered its bigger super naked sister redundant at a stroke. It also spawned the brilliant, MCN Award-winning Z1-styled Z900RS. For 2020 the £8899 Z900 gets a light refresh, but has it moved the game on all that much? 1 Help is at hand Riding modes get their first airing on the Z900. ‘Sport’ uses full power and the least traction control intervention, ‘Rain’ has reduced power with…

1 The first step to warmth Heated clothing is a great way to keep warm on long-distance winter rides. The kit works best when it’s connected via a harness to the bike’s battery where it can use excess power generated by the alternator. Simply connect the harness to the battery terminals making sure the polarity is correct – but you also need to be sure your bike is up to the challenge. 2 Get the score about the draw If you plan to fit numerous items of heated kit, for example gloves, jacket and trousers, you need to make sure that the combined current draw will be within the limits of your bike’s electrical capacity or you could be heading for trouble. The heated kit owners’ manuals should…

Certain noises usually mean imminent issues, but the owner of this Honda CRF250X wouldn’t listen to what his bike was saying. ‘When he split the cases there were bits everywhere’ Mechanic Kev Hollingsworth, of Doncaster Motorcycles, was called out to pick it up as it wouldn’t start. He said: “When I drained the oil it was like I was panning for gold, there was that much brass-coloured metal swilling around, which told me that the big-end bearing had gone, probably through lack of oil.” And when he split the cases there was shrapnel everywhere; it looked like the owner had continued to run the bike until it gave up the ghost. Kev added: “It must have sounded like someone was throwing a spanner around in the engine, but when a…

The Ducati was strong once again in 2019, retaining its title as fastest MotoGP machine, but its top speed advantage has shrunk. The GP19 achieved the highest top speed of the season in Mugello but Honda’s RCV made a big step up in power, so much so that it was able to top the speed charts occasionally. The Ducati also excelled in braking and acceleration but, in what must feel like groundhog day for the Italian engineers, its riders continued to complain about turning and mid-corner speed. Ducati’s riders brake late, it’s a strength of the machine each tries to exploit. As a result they tend to spend less time at maximum lean, requiring a little patience with the throttle and focusing on strong acceleration, making use of their wings…

With one clutchless flick of the wrist, the E-Power roadster shoves its back tyre into the ground and hurls you forward with an almighty hum. 0 becomes 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80… As proof of just how nifty this thing is, BMW put one of their test riders on an S1000R – no slouch itself with 162bhp on tap. But even the pro, saving absolutely no horses or clutch plates, couldn’t even come close to keeping muster with the relentless electric drive of the E-Power Roadster. Within moments he is behind and by the end of the drag strip, even after hitting the roadster’s 100mph limiter, the bike is a spec in the rearview mirror.…

Kawasaki’s cute, bevel-drive twin W650/800 retro has come and gone repeatedly since the original’s launch in 49bhp form in 1999. Beating Triumph’s revived Bonneville to the punch it paid homage to the Japanese firm’s first bike, 1966’s 650cc W1 (as based on BSA’s old A7). The W-range’s retro detailing has long been among the best, and if 2020’s chrome-fest doesn’t fire you up there’s plenty of choice from years gone by. 2020 W800 What is it? Added to the existing line-up of Street and Café models for 2020, but with a 19in front wheel and extra chrome features for the full retro image. MCN says “Stunning chrome and detailing gives the latest incarnation a classy, traditional look.” Want to buy one? Expected to be around the same price as…

Bike theft is undoubtedly a big problem – but selling on stolen machines to unsuspecting buyers has become big business, too. Latest police figures show that 55% of the 24,000 motorcycles expected to be stolen in the UK this year will never be recovered. But have you ever wondered where these bikes go and how they remain undetected? The answer is that a criminal industry has developed where stolen bikes and parts are turned into saleable machines that are sold on to unwitting buyers. And the problem’s so prevalent that 80% of motorcycle dealers have been fooled into buying these ‘fake’ motorbikes as part-exchanges against new bikes. The process of building one of these fakes starts as soon as a bike is stolen. First, it’s stripped down into its component…

Herald have been around for a few years now producing cool urban commuters for sensible money. The latest machine to join their range is the Brat 125, which was first unveiled as a concept machine in 2018. Designed in-house, the Brat is a rugged-looking urban commuter – almost like a mini adventure bike. As such it ditches some of the classic looks Herald are known for, so the twin shocks are gone in favour of a monoshock, while up front is a chunky USD fork. The dash has an analogue rev counter mated to a digital speedo, fuel gauge and gear indicator. Not bad for a 125. “We wanted to create something unique to Herald,” says Gareth Williamson, Lead Design Engineer at the Cambridgeshire firm. “In the past we have…

‘WHEN A RIDER SPEAKS ON THE GRID IT’S FROM THE HEART’ Irate the TV coverage we get for MotoGP, but the one thing that does my head in is the grid walk because the riders just ignore the microphones. We pay our subs to BT Sport etc and it’s only right that the riders do the courtesy of chatting. In fact, they should be told they have to speak. It should be Mir and Viñales one week, Rossi and Bagnaia the next etc, etc. The riders are sitting there like gods (and don’t get me wrong they are gods) but bloody hell there are millions of fans watching, wondering what’s going on, what they’re thinking – so it should be in each rider’s contract that they have to talk. They…

‘Just 35 miles after setting off the R1M’s caused my right wrist to tingle’ It’s Britain’s best road test route. A tough 250-mile mix of A and B- roads, a stretch of motorway, plus plenty of towns, villages, blind corners, ballistic straights, and a huge range of grippy to slippy tarmac. There are two cafés, an off-road section for adventure and trail bikes, track time for sportsbikes when needed, and Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and the dyno for hard and fast data when needed. You want answers? We’ve got ’em. 1 Let’s hit the modes A dank December morning leaves the roads colder, dirtier and slimier than a 1980s city trader. Wanting relaxed throttles, plush suspension and cautious rider aids, Simon sets the BMW to ‘Rain’ mode – it takes…

This five-mile, largely straight route into Stow-on-the-Wold is rarely a standout moment on the MCN250, but today the poor conditions play to its strengths. The road’s wide, the surface is good and there are tons of overtaking opportunities. In stark contrast to the sketchy, steady climb up the twisting Fish Hill just a few miles previously, the A424 still allows us tantalising glimpses of the bikes’ potential – albeit in a straight line, rather than cranked over. The R1M screams past slower traffic on a wave of wailing, pent-up aggression. Its quick-revving, throaty motor is at its very best when fed plenty of revs and let off the leash to run riot. Speed isn’t so much built up as unleashed from the hair-trigger throttle, that sharp, sudden snap of instant…

‘We found it in a shed’ Dick Shepherd, Triumph collector “There were three bikes – two that Bud built plus this one. When they were filming, they were just down the road from Garmisch, which was where that year’s ISDT was taking place. So Bud contacted Ken Heanes, who was also an ISDT rider, and asked if he could get a trials bike to do a jump with. Unfortunately Bud forgot to tell Ken it was supposed to be grey so he had it painted in British Army Green. However, that’s how we know this was the one that did the jump. “Compared to a stock machine, it’s got stiffer springs front and rear (including the front end off a sidecar rig). The seat is a Dunlop saddle, with a…

One of the cool things about niche bikes like the Café Racer is that owners tend to be real enthusiasts and there are a couple of really active Facebook groups where the Scrambleristi show off mods, share tips and discuss plans. Membership is global, but now and then you come across riders who are local. And so it is that I am sitting down over a cheese sarnie at a country pub with Café Racer owner, Gary Davies. We’ve ridden over from the MCN offices; it’s the first time I’ve seen another CR in my mirrors and I have to say that Gary’s bike looks damn fine. Gary’s fairly new to the Scrambler but not to biking, having started off in motocross as a kid, passing his test in 2002…

1. ROLL OFF SMOOTHLY As you approach the corner, smoothly close the throttle – it’s better be a bit too slow going in than too fast. 2. TURN YOUR HEAD Maximising your vision is key to smoothness through corners. Turn your head into the corner and pick your line. 3.STEER POSITIVELY Use a positive steering action – momentarily push the inside bar to steer the bike onto your chosen line. 4. RELAX Once you’ve steered, remember to relax your grip on the bars and let the bike carve through the bend. 5. ROLL ON TH E TH ROTTLE As soon as the bike is settled on its line, use the throttle to gently wind on the power and pick it up. 6. DRIVE OUT SMOOTHLY As the corner continues to…

Peter Hickman will bid to win the Lightweight TT in 2020 onboard a Smiths Racing-prepared Norton Superlight. The Louth based team, who have a proven pedigree of building bikes to the highest level for the Roads and in BSB, will pick up development of the Norton Superlight Hicky rode this year. “To make a bike a race winner it needs a lot of experience behind it. They’ve got great guys at Norton, but they’re there building road bikes, not race bikes,” Hickman said. “It’s a different type of expertise that’s needed to push the bike forwards. We can still use their knowledge, because at the end of the day nobody knows their bike more than them. But what we need to do from a racing perspective is slightly different.” The…