Table of contents for Spring 2021 in RiDE

‘A summer of riding and roadtrips looks like a reality’ Welcome to the Spring edition of RiDE. It’s been a very strange month to be a biker and, as the weather has started improving, we’ve all been gagging to get out and about again. It’s close now — a spring and summer of roadtrips and riding looks like a reality, as does buying a bike again. To help with that, we’ve put together a guide to some of the best new bikes of 2021 but the machine that stands head and shoulders above everything else is Triumph’s Trident 660. A glorious combination of nimbleness, great looks and a wonderful engine, what sets it apart is the price — just £7195. In a world where manufacturers are super-keen to make us…

Cowdray Park, West Sussex As a GP working in the NHS, I agree with the comments some of your readers have made with respect to biking being beneficial to mental health. I find it therapeutic as well as enjoyable. In fact, here is a picture of my 2001 BMW F650GS taken in and around Cowdray Park in West Sussex towards the end of last year. There are some beautiful roads in the locality with stunning views and sweeping undulating corners; just the right tonic to get away from it all for a couple of hours. I bought my 23,000-mile nine-owner F650GS in 2016 after a 38-year break, my last bike a Honda CB250 G5 back in the late seventies. I wish I’d done it sooner! It was a bit of…

THIS SPRING SEES a new breed of helmets hit the shelves. Arai’s new Quantic sports-touring lid is the first to meet tougher standards which will ensure helmets are more protective in real-world accidents. This is good news for us all but how will it change helmets we buy in the future and does it mean the lids we’re wearing are no longer any good? What is the new standard? For a helmet to be legal on UK roads currently, it must conform to UNECE Regulation 22.05. The new version, ECE 22.06, is the first major update in 20 years and is more stringent than the version it replaces. Not only does it demand helmets undergo more impact tests, at higher and lower speeds, at more points on the helmet as…

KTM has unleashed an off-road focused 1290 Super Adventure R just a month after the launch of the more road-biased S model. Priced at £15,999, the Euro5-friendly bike has a lower centre of gravity, revised chassis, fresh electronics and more. It won’t have the radar-guided Adaptive Cruise Control which comes on the S. One of the key changes is the open-lattice swingarm which is now slightly longer and the steering head has been moved back by 15mm to deliver sharper cornering. The R also gets the stock bike’s new 23-litre, three-part tank, helping to lower the CoG and improve stability. The revised 1301cc V-twin gets dual radiators, while power remains at 158bhp. A quickshifter is optional though; disappointing on a bike starting at £16k.…

Extra punch BMW has satisfied Euro5 regs without resorting to water-cooling. Instead the 1170cc flat twin has revised cylinder heads with reshaped combustion chambers. Cylinder head covers have new cooling fins and throttle valves are tweaked. Peak power is down one bhp to 108bhp but arrives 500rpm sooner. Torque stays at 86lb-ft but there’s more grunt between 4000rpm and 6000rpm. More control Little has changed in the chassis department. The R nineT continues with its tubular-steel frame, a Paralever shaftdrive system and fully adjustable S1000RR-style forks. The rear shock now has more damping towards the end of its stroke for extra control and it has a hand-wheel for quick preload adjustment. Ride and handling are still delightful and Brembos have class-leading power and feel. Refined rider aids Electronics are kept…

KAWASAKI’S VERSYS HAS always relied on a high spec and a low price, making it great value. Few bikes have its distance ability and it’s taken the hearts of bargain-savvy bikers the world over. However, for 2021 Kawasaki has upped the game – and the price. Dropping the base Versys 1000 from the range and replacing it with the higher-spec Versys 1000 S sees the price rise by £1699, moving it into the territory of more-expensive alternatives such as the BMW S1000XR, at just under £13,000. Is this a step too far and does the Versys now start to look less of a bargain? We put it up against the more powerful, more sophisticated BMW S1000XR TE, which although costing £3225 more in stock trim than the Kawasaki, boasts a…

The man from the FMI (the Italian version of the ACU) is looking unhappy. We’ve arrived at the final checkpoint of the first day early. An hour-and-a-half early – and in getting the pictures we needed for this feature, we’ve taken a shortcut and missed out some checkpoints, too. He scowls and switches on the compressor to inflate the archway over the finish line. I ride under and he adds up the penalty points. I might have finished first on the road but I’m last in the standings. The 20,000 Pieghe isn’t about going flat-out; it’s more about time-keeping, organisation and reading maps well. But that makes it sound far less exciting than it is – and to be involved in such in event, packed full of ultra-passionate Italian bikers,…

Best for Corners, lots of corners Length 150 miles Route Stava, Ponte Nova, Vigo de Fassa, Passo Pordoi, Corvara, Bolzano, Passo Pennes, Vipiteno, Innerwalten Roads SS620, SS24, SS48, SR48, SP244, SP243, SP242, SS12, SP22, SS508, S44 Love it because You’ll be very lucky if you ever experience better roads, scenery, corners, geography, geology and food in a single day’s riding. Northern Italy is riding heaven – and they love bikers. Take a picture at Anywhere – literally. But you can’t go wrong with any picture that has the Sella Towers in the background, like Passo Pordoi. Stop for a cuppa at The Hutte Panorama on the S44 is a great place to soak in the views and catch your breath part-way through the delights. ALSO TRY… The castle, the hillclimb…

THE TRIDENT CARVES through the smashed, broken tarmac of a B-road ravaged by winter and the relentless pounding of HGVs. Happy on its side and revelling in what feels like the first dry, grippy day of the year, I pick and choose my path between the holes, a willing chassis letting me change line with no fuss and the Showa-branded suspension soaking up the bumps with ability and composure. There’s feel, there’s trust and as I get back on the power, the Trident lunges forward, full of lustiness and gravelly urgency. Welcome to the world of the budget bike, Trident 660-style. In a market where manufacturers do their best to normalise buying £20k bikes and indicate that their ownership is the path for biking fulfilment, Triumph’s new Trident is a…

ROYAL ENFIELD INTERCEPTOR 650 ❯ £5699 ❯ 47bhp ❯ 38lb·ft ❯ 202kg Built in India, the Interceptor encapsulates the basic joy of two wheels and is a welcome antidote to more ‘grown-up’ bikes that come with inaccessible power, ride-diluting modern electronics and sky-high price tags. It’s just fun to ride, which is all you can ask for. One of the UK’s best-selling bikes last year, the Interceptor blends easy-going air-cooled power, cool retro looks, an impressively agile chassis and (above all else) a decent price tag. HARLEY DAVIDSON STREET ROD ❭ £6895 ❭ 69bhp ❭ 48lb·ft ❭ 238kg Not in Harley’s 2021 model line-up but still available, the Street Rod is aimed at younger riders who aren’t fussed about a traditional air-cooled motor. Or the fact the Rod is built…

BACK IN THE year 2000, us Brits bought more than 13,000 new supersport 600s. By 2010, that number had plummeted to just over 3000. In 2020, it was more like 300. No other bike has shone so bright, then burned out so fast. Today, not one four-cylinder 600 race-rep meets Euro5, meaning the supersport class as we’ve known it in the UK is, officially, dead. Into the void steps Aprilia’s new RS660. With a parallel-twin motor, relaxed ergonomics and masses of technology, it’s a re-imagining of what a middleweight sportsbike looks, feels and even sounds like. Far sportier and more sophisticated than Honda’s CBR650R or Kawasaki’s Ninja 650, but more accessible, affordable and forgiving than the recently-departed Yamaha YZF-R6 or Kawasaki ZX-6R. So, is this what’s needed to reignite our…

The claim “The world’s first pressure washer built purely for use on both bicycles and motorcycles. We’ve designed and tooled three specific lances to ensure the Muc-Off Pressure Washer won’t damage those all-important bearings and surfaces. The waterproof dry-bag carry case is designed to store the Muc-Off Pressure Washer and we’ve designed a specific low-pressure snow-foam lance that transforms your bottle of Muc-Off Bike Cleaner into snow foam.” The reality A pressure washer is a key weapon in your arsenal to keep your bike clean and protected, whatever time of year you ride. And this package from Muc-Off delivers in spades. First, the washer itself. It uses a 1200 Watt motor, so it’s powerful enough to cut through the most stubborn dirt while a decent flowrate means it will carry…

2007-2012 | £3700-5750 | 165mph | 118bhp HONDA’S FIRST MOTOGP-INSPIRED CBR600RR in 2003 redefined the supersports class, and it became better still when it was updated with inverted forks and radial brakes in 2005. But for most riders, it’s the more powerful, lighter, more refined and fully updated second-generation version from 2007 that’s reharded as the definitive RR. Distinguished by its central ram-air intake and with a lighter, more compact engine, it now produced 118bhp (up by 3bhp) and boasted additional midrange. A new die-cast frame cut weight and gave more compact dimensions, and class and quality were improved throughout. No longer was the CBR6 the poor relation to its bigger-brother Fireblade – it was its equal in specification yet more nimble in size. The RR was subtly updated again…

THERE’S A THEORY I like that says the best roads can often become victims of their own brilliance. They become overrun, over-policed and, unless you hit them painfully early or in the middle of the week, a mere shadow of their former selves. Especially if they get slapped with the dreaded 50mph blanket speed limit. Therefore, the theory goes, the most enjoyable roads in the UK are often the tier twos and tier threes: stretches that lack the breath-stealing vistas and rhythmic flow of the tier-one classics but, instead, fly wickedly below the radar. No tourists, fewer speed limits, and still open for business on weekends and bank holidays. Which brings me to Corby. Yes, Corby, Northamptonshire’s once-mighty steel town — and home to the now-defunct Rockingham Motor Speedway —…

MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) is an extra layer that sits between a helmet’s hard shell and EPS lining (Expanded Polystyrene) and the comfort lining. While EPS is very good at absorbing energy, most accidents don’t happen straight on. When the impact is at an angle, rotational forces come into play as the head is shaken (a major cause of concussion) and it is these forces that the brain is very sensitive to — it can tear tissue — and is what MIPS aims to reduce. MIPS is a thin yellow polycarbonate plastic slip-layer with a very low friction co-efficient. It allows 10-15mm of movement in all directions, allowing the head to move within the helmet and reducing harmful rotational motion by making it more linear and spreading the force…

Triumph has updated its modern classics range for 2021. The biggest changes are to the Bonneville T120 and T120 Black. The 1200cc engine is now Euro5-friendly but power and torque remain the same and there’s now a 7kg weight saving. The Bobber has also had a raft of updates, including gaining the 16in front wheel and twin discs from the outgoing Black model and the tank has grown to 12 litres, from nine. The Speedmaster also gets the Euro5 engine, new cartridge forks and improved seats. The 900cc T100 has an updated Euro5 engine with a 10bhp boost in power, to 63bhp. It too comes with better brakes, improved suspension and it’s lost 4kg.…

I might have had too much time to think during lockdown but, if we motorcyclists want to be treated as responsible adults, we need to act like it. It now alarms me that we still think its OK, nay cool, to fit decats and loud pipes. All this does is declare to one and all that we are selfish and juvenile, as it’s all about what we want. We live in a small, crowded island and we all have to rub together, so shattering the peace with an illegal pipe is just mad. What’s wrong with a legal but nice-sounding pipe? I did fall into the trap — I had a Triumph-accessory set of pipes fitted to my America at its first service. They were sooo loud that the noise…

DUCATI’S NEW MULTISTRADA has changed tack. A new V4 engine sits where a V-twin once lived and it’s tuned less for revs and more for grunt and long service intervals. Its superbike-sized 17in front wheel has been replaced with a 19in, shod with dual-purpose rubber, so it’s now as much an off-roader as the old Multi was a track tool. It’s become Ducati’s answer to the BMW R1250GS - an adventure bike in slick clothes. But how do they compare? The Ducati costs more… The standard Multistrada V4 costs £15,495 but this is the £18,395 V4 S with electronic suspension, bigger brakes, racier Brembos, a larger 6.5in TFT dash, an up/down quickshifter, cornering headlights, hill-hold, anti-weave control and keyless ignition. Our test bike is also fitted with the ‘Full’ pack,…

HJC Smart HJC 20B £299.99 www.oxfordproducts.com After 2000 miles in HJC’s RPHA 90S flip-front, I’ve missed having a Bluetooth widget for listening to music. So I’ve now added a Smart HJC 20B — an intercom based on Sena’s 20S but customised to fit certain HJCs. Fitting took me half an hour: speakers and battery slot into ready-made spaces in the lid, but removing cheekpads and trim, routing wires and reassembling proved a bit fiddly. I’ve not used half its features yet, but the sound is great and it’s extremely intuitive. That said, £300 seems salty given a 20S Evo is £229. MARTIN FITZ-GIBBONS AGV AX9 £399.99 www.agv.co.uk Supremely comfortable and well-vented beaky lid with an enormous visor that gives a huge, Pinlocked view of what’s ahead. I’ve worn this for…

IF THERE’S ONE thing I regret over the time I’ve been using Yamaha’s 2020 Tracer 700, it’s that I wasn’t able to ride it as much as I wanted. And that, in itself, is an endorsement of its attraction. Joining the fleet after the first lockdown, I was able to use it through much of the summer and autumn but two more lockdowns robbed me of the chance to rack-up any more miles. However, in the 3900 miles the Tracer and I shared, I feel I came to know it fairly well and while it’s a very good motorcycle that is refreshingly free of complicated electronic modes, systems and anti-this and anti-that, it does have its foibles. This is what I learned. 1 It’s a great all-rounder That pretty much…

Celebrating the people and bikes that go the distance Bike 2008 BMW K1200S Total miles 100,478 Rider Martin Sanders Age 61 Miles per year 15,000 “BEFORE THE BMW I had an FJ1200 for 25 years, which was very solid but had reached the end of the road. I didn’t go out to buy a BMW but after a lot of research, the K1200S fitted the bill as a big-mile commuter that was reasonable money too. I bought mine at the end of 2014 with 18,000 miles on its clocks. “At that time I was commuting from Cornwall to London and the first thing I noticed was the comfort. Mine has heated grips, cruise control, ESA and lots of modern comforts the FJ lacked. “My first commute was in January and…

Loch Glendhu, Scottish Highlands Just before the second lockdown, we picked up my new R1250GS Adventure from BMW Motorrad in Aberdeen and headed to Inverness. We continued west, stopping briefly for this photo at Loch Glendhu which is just up the road from Kylesku Bridge, before carrying on. What possible better way is there to put the first 600 miles on your bike? Simon Ovenden and Phyllis Garden Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire Loading up at Stonehaven before a great week in the Cairngorms — apart from three punctures... John Bray St. Cleer, Cornwall Here I am, looking for the local wildlife in Cornwall! The brilliant single track (St. Cleer) ride down the side of the River Fowey is worth a visit but I’ve not seen an otter yet. David Robinson Long Mynd,…

AFTER MONTHS OF derision and doubt on social media, Harley has released figures for the Pan America and it is claimed to be more powerful and more advanced than a BMW R1250GS. Sitting at its heart is the completely-new 1250cc Revolution Max V-twin, which produces 148bhp @ 9000rpm and 94lb·ft @ 6500rpm. Harley has ditched its usual long-stroke (undersquare) design in favour of a shortstroke (oversquare) set-up and the engine acts as a stressed member, helping reduce the overall weight of the standard model to 242kg (the S variant is 254kg). The frame is standard steel-tubed, with the front, mid and subframes bolting directly to the engine. So if the subframe gets bent in a spill, it can be changed. There are other touches that’ll help when things get dirty.…

‘Can I ride for mental-health reasons during a lockdown?’ Q AN INTERESTING COUPLE of articles in the April edition of RiDE on mental health and on the legalities of riding in the lockdown. As mental health is clearly a massive issue during lockdown, I am wondering what Andrew Dalton’s view is on using mental health as a reasonable excuse to leave the home to ride your bike? Specifically, exception 4 in the section on exceptions for leaving home; ‘To avoid and manage illness.’ If riding one’s bike helps avoid mental illness or manage mental-health issues, then surely it’s okay? If not, then it seems that the regulations have better provisions for the care of pets (exception 10) than they do for people. Mike Evans A IN ORDER TO get out…

BMW’S TOP-SPEC R nineT has never been cheap. It was over 11 grand when it first arrived in 2014 and the latest, updated 2021 incarnation is a hefty £13,150. You can, of course, spend even more and shower it with BMW goodies, if your wallet wants to play ball. The bike you see here has 3kg lighter ‘Option 719’ spoked wheels, adding an extra £400 and adaptive headlights that swivel as you corner, rinsing you for £180. It also has a comfort package with an extra riding mode, cruise control and heated grips that costs another £650. If that’s still not enough, there’s a list as long as your checked shirt sleeves, of even more performance, touring and cosmetic goodies on BMW’s website. That makes Triumph’s similarly swanky, sit-up-and-beg Speed…

‘Below me, a dream road is mapped out’ ALL AROUND ME is beauty. The shattered peaks of the Sella Towers are silhouetted against a perfect sky. Climbing to over 8000 feet, before the irresistible force of tectonic shifting shunted them towards the sky they were once a coral reef at the bottom of a primordial ocean. But now they reach to meet the clouds from foothills so lush, so green, they are almost fluorescent. Below me, a dream road is mapped out. It snakes and switches as it descends to a valley rich with vineyards and dotted with wild flowers. Right now, the SS48 that wends its way to the dormant Canazei Ski Resort doesn’t just feel like the best road in the world; it feels like the best place…

BEST FOR HIKING The Tre Cime di Lavaredo Epic views can be found at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo; in English, The Three Peaks of Lavaredo. The range features a loop hike that takes a few hours and provides iconic Dolomites views. If you only have time for one hike in summer, this is a great choice. Admission Free BEST FOR BREATHING Lago di Misurina A great stop-off on our route, Lago di Misurina is known for its clean air, which is meant to be among the clearest and cleanest in Europe. It was also host to the 1956 Winter Olympics, where the speed skating events were held on its frozen waters. Admission Free BEST FOR GONDOLAS Venice One of the world’s most iconic cities is just a few hours…

ENGINE IS 90% NEW KTM claims that ‘90% of the 2021 bike is new’. The engine has had plenty of attention, with thinner-walled cases cutting 1kg from the motor’s mass, along with a completely new exhaust, new coils, revised al oil passages and a new clutch. On top at, there’s a new airbox and a reworked gearbox with a lighter shift drum to make for smoother changes. Power (160bhp) and torque (102lb·ft) are pretty much identical to the old bike. EASY TO RIDE The 2021 KTM 1290 Super Adventure is a hulk of an adventure bike, but it glided and swept around rain-sodden roads on its launch in Fuerteventura like one of the smaller, nimble Dukes the firm is so proud of. It’s 849mm seat height (in its lowest setting)…

YOUR TESTERS JON URRY RiDE contributor Height 6’2” Jon has been road testing professionally for 20 years and covers over 10,000 miles a year on a huge variety of bikes. STEVE HERBERT-MATTICK RiDE Art editor Height 5’9” Steve’s been touring for 15 years, likes big adventure bikes and thinks most standard screens are good for his size. ADVENTURE BIKES, BY their very nature, tend to be used by riders to cover long distances. The problem is, however, that many manufacturers give them a deliberately low screen to enhance the perception that they are ready to take to the trails. Off-road, a tall screen has the potential to hit you in the throat if you encounter an unexpected bump while stood up on the pegs. To counteract this, many bikes come…

I’M SURE WE all remember the “Two bottles in the shower?” advert from years ago. The thinking was that an all-in-one combination product is more convenient than two separate products, each concentrating on a specific task. You only need to look at modern bike kit to see that principle in action; waterproof yet breathable; protective yet comfortable; warm yet cool. There are many seemingly-contradictory qualities successfully built in to almost every element of clothing that we wear. And with summer approaching, thoughts turn to clothing and, in particular, gloves. As far as we’re concerned, there are two main elements that make up an all-round summer glove; comfort and weatherproofing. Comfort means feel for the bike, the fit and feel of the glove on and how hot or sweaty your hands…

A static inspection is your best opportunity to check the spec, condition and originality of any prospective bike purchase and also ideally enables you to quiz the vendor about the bike’s history and previous usage. A test ride though is your chance to satisfy yourself how well it all works. Before the off, check the kill switch (an occasional problem area) and that any accessories are fitted and work correctly. On the move, slightly rough fuelling low down and a notchy gearchange when cold is normal, but should smooth out. If a quickshifter is fitted, be ultra-critical of its action — it can cause excessive wear. Be sure that everything is straight, there are no signs of crash damage and all the controls work as they should. Fuelling and power…