Inhoudsopgave van 11 January 2017 - MCN

SPADA STAFFY WAX JACKET £179.99 With its waxed twill outer, tartan lining and brass buckle, the Staffy has all the style of a classic bike jacket. But thanks to features like the CE-approved shoulder and elbow armour, plus a removable thermal insulator, it’s ready for the rigours of modern-day riding. Available in black or brown, S-XL. www.spada.co.uk NORTON HANNIBAL BIKER BOOT BY JEFFERY WEST £395 Handmade premium-quality calf-leather boots have been created by Norton with Northants shoemakers Jeffery-West. They boast Norton detailing and a red hide interior. The Goodyear Welted sole is hardwearing and durable, and the gearchange pad has a brogue design. Ultimate retro footwear? www.nortonmotorcycles.com BUILT MAGAZINE £4.99 Built is a new magazine all about handcrafted, customised motorcycles and the lifestyle that surrounds them. It’s for riders who…

KAWASAKI AR50 Bought it new, ran it in and had it ported all in a week. Was worth it for 52mph on the clock. Nick Smith HONDA CB900F Switzerland on my 1979 CB900F, packing up and heading to the South of France, two-up with my brother. James Horne 50CC POWER PAC Passed my test on this in 1954. Note my home-built upside-down forks! John Robinson YAMAHA DT125 Me on my first bike. Cost me £600. Jon Scorah YAMAHA YZ80 Looking smug on my first bike about 33 years ago. Still have plenty of bikes, sadly I can’t say the same about my hair! Matt Love HONDA CG125 My first bike (as three step-thru’s don’t count!) with my (now) wife on the back, 27 years ago in Devon. Pete Reeves Send…

‘I bought an RGV, went road racing and won twice in my first meeting!’CHRIS WALKER ‘I had the banana swingarm one. It was the most beautiful bike I’d ever seen’ RGV250 FACT FILE 1989 to 1994 249cc two-stroke, V-twin 125mph, 128kg Contacts www.rgv250.co.uk www.rgv-workshop.co.uk Want one? £1500 (scruffy) to £5000 (immaculate resto) The last RGV250 may have officially landed in the UK way back in 1994 but the lightweight screamer still lives strong in the hearts of a generation for which the Suzuki V-twin remains the ultimate two-stroke 250 racer replica. From 1986 through to the mid-’90s this breed of lightweight, ultra-fast 250s were the closest thing to a road-going GP bike and, as such, inspired more than a few would-be racers. Chris Walker was one. “I bought an RGV…

Exmoor is the undiscovered jewel in the British landscape. That’s mainly due to the fact it is regularly shrouded in fog and rain, but when the mist lifts the true beauty of the countryside is revealed. Starting in Minehead, the best direction is anticlockwise as you head to Porlock and out towards the coast. Porlock itself has a few shops and cafés but its main attraction is Porlock Hill, one of the steepest in the UK. With gradients of 1:4 at the top, not to mention a vicious left-hand corner, it is the nemesis of many a caravan and the escape roads bear the scars of overheated brakes. Watch out for the wild ponies and elusive beast of Exmoor before you drop down into Lynton and Lynmouth, where fish and…

‘Exhibit A is the warehouse of crashed 125s’ LEARNING EXPERT Rupert Paul MCN Contributor Author of Pass the Bike Test (And be a great rider too!) available on Amazon Just over 28 years ago I bought a really sharp kitchen knife. It cut veg well, and for the first few years it also cut my fingers. But eventually I learned to apply the right amount of concentration when using it (right amount = no blood). This is exactly how almost everyone learns to ride a bike. Metaphorically speaking, you cut yourself occasionally, until you finally work out how to prepare a meal with fingers intact. Exhibit A is the warehouse of crashed bikes at MCE’s insurance repair centre. By far the commonest bikes are 125s. There is a snag with…

‘With show-stopping looks and 156bhp, every ride was memorable’ DUCATI XDIAVEL S PRICE £18, 395 FUEL 18 litres @ 44mpg = 173 miles WEIGHT 247kg SEAT 755mm POWER 156bhp TORQUE 95ftlb EMMA FRANKLIN 125 racer with a love of sports and performance HEIGHT 5ft 7in WEIGHT 59kg The votes have been counted and verified, and after six months of appraisal I can honestly say that the Ducati XDiavel S has that little bit extra. In 11 years of road testing, I’ve never ridden anything that grabs attention quite like this Bologna brute. It stopped traffic – literally – wherever it went, and pulled crowds whether it was parked up on a rain-soaked petrol station forecourt or at a sun-drenched summer bike meet. But the big V-twin’s beauty was more…

2001 HONDA SH125 PRICE £700 MILEAGE 34,000 ENGINE 124cc, single-cylinder four-stroke POWER 13bhp WEIGHT 134kg ALISON SILCOX Experienced rider with 12 years on the front and over 20 as pillion. HEIGHT 5ft 10in WEIGHT 63kg I’m usually a ponderer, taking weeks mulling over an idea before parting with cash, but after getting stuck in yet another traffic jam on my commute I snapped. Time to get winter wheels. I’m usually no fan of scooters following an embarrassing holiday mishap 13 years ago (the usual stupid tourist, never been on a scooter before, almost ending up in Limassol Bay) but I thought I’d give one a shot and a 15-year-old Honda SH125, with 34,000 miles on the clock, caught my eye. With topbox and claims of reliability it was the…

‘Cartridge forks offer much more consistent performance’ THE EXPERT Gareth Evans Worked in British Superbikes for many years, before starting Reactive Suspension in 2002. He now runs the Motorcycle Suspension School, at Reactive Suspension based in Sutton on the Forest near York Until the mid-1990s, most bikes featured cheap damper-rod forks with overly soft springs and damping that worked only at specific suspension speeds. Tuning in those days wa s pretty much limited to fitting progressive-rate springs and changing the fork oil to broaden the performance window. However, sportsbikes switched over to cartridge designs in the ’90s. These offer much more consistent performance, separate rebound and compression damping functions and can be tuned more precisely over a larger range. If you are serious about racing, the internals can be changed…

Fully serviced and checked All Approved Used BMWs get a rigorous tech check prior to going on sale, and have a full service history. Any servicing due within 1000 miles will be carried out, too. Two years’ emergency breakdown cover All Approved Used bikes have Europe-wide breakdown cover. BMW will either fix your bike or take it to the nearest dealer. Hotel and replacement transport included if required. Two years’ unlimited-mileage warranty However much you ride, and wherever you take your bike, BMW will cover spares and labour on any defective parts for two years. Consumables and wear-and-tear not included. Five days’ free insurance Motorrad UK offer five days’ complementary insurance on every Premium Selection used machine when you enquire about a quote for BMW Motorrad Insurance.…

‘Get yourself a new bike for less’ Personal Contract Purchase now finances 20-30% of all new bikes sold in the UK, and it’s growing fast. But it might not be right for you, so make sure you understand what it is and how it works. You can have these new bikes for less than you might have ever imagined – and what’s more you can have another new one in three years’ time, probably without increasing your monthly outlay, or having to find a fresh deposit. This is how it works… • Work out what you can afford as a deposit and in monthly repayments for the duration of the contract. • You can get PCP on any amount from £1500 upwards. • Choose your new motorcycle (or a used…

 Josh Brookes will make a surprise return to the MCE British Superbike series this year after signing a last-minute deal with Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha. ‘It’s better to be in a series where I’m going to get a fair chance’ JOSH BROOKES With all the top seats settled for 2017, it looked as though the Aussie had missed out on an opportunity to return to Britain but after late talks with TAG’s Rob Winfield, a deal was done to bring the former champion back to the UK. The move comes after Brookes suffered a dismal year in the WSB with the Milwaukee BMW squad. Despite the strong bond between Brookes and the SMR team from their days in BSB, they couldn’t make things work on the world stage with BMW’s…

2007 Street Triple 105bhp | 50ftlb | 800mm seat | 189kg (kerb) Triumph launch the Street Triple a year after the launch of the Daytona 675. Few nakeds enjoy such a balance of power, handling and entertainment. 2008 Street Triple R 105bhp | 50ftlb | 805mm seat | 189kg (kerb) Hot on its heels is the R version of the naked nutter, with more meaty Nissin calipers, revised geometry and fully adjustable – more sporty – suspension. 2012 Street Triple 107bhp | 50ftlb | 800mm seat | 189kg (kerb) Both Street versions get minor overhauls – the most obvious difference being the move away from twin round headlamps, to the Speed’s foxeye style. 2013 Street Triple 105bhp | 50ftlb | 800mm seat | 183kg (kerb) The Street’s first big overhaul…

From the hushed tones of the person sat next to me, I could tell the phonecall he was taking was a disturbing one. Immediately I feared the worst and tried to listen in. It soon became obvious that the person on the other end was at the Dakar and struggling to cope with the stifling heat, sleepless nights and altitude sickness. And that was just from MCN’s Senior Reporter Jordan Gibbons who was covering the event! Everyone knows that the Dakar is beyond tough, but until you actually get to see the human suffering first hand, or hear from someone directly who has, it’s hard to understand just how physically and mentally draining it is. The guys who start the race are brave and talented. A bloke who finishes a…

“I owned a Suzuki RGV250R in 1999. She was my first proper bike when I was 18,” Steve Horne, from Barnsley, told MCN. “She should have been restricted to 33bhp for my licence but I was young and crackers just like the bike. I still think about that RGV although she nearly killed me twice and I still have the scars to prove it. I’ve owned plenty of bikes since but nothing compares to the sound and smell of the best ‘two-banger’ ever made – I wish I could afford one now!”…

49 MPG BEST 56mpg motorway cruising WORST 40mpg inner city commuting Servicing £100 Run-in service 600 miles (oil and filter) £748 18,000 miles and includes changing the Ducati’s cambelts Tyres Pirelli Diablo Rosso 2 120/60-17 front; 240/45-17 rear (rear squared at 3000 miles) Best PCP deal £189 A MONTH Ducati XDiavel S on PCP Deposit £4518.23 Duration 36 months Annual mileage 4000 miles Optional final payment £9660 www.ducatiuk.com Insurance Via MCNcompare.com. Quote is for a rider with five years no claims and no convictions. £184 35-year old living in Hull £500 excess £184 45-year-old in London (£500 excess)…

Alpinestars Valparaiso Drystar 2 jacket £349.99 and trousers £229.99 Tester Michael Neeves Time used Eight months/3000 miles What’s good? With the chilly weather drawing in again I’ve dug this adventure kit out of the cupboard. They’re not cheap but not stupidly expensive (you can spend up to £1500 on a pukka enduro jacket alone) and I’ve worn it in lots of different conditions, on and off-road. I’ve splashed through the rain during the Triumph Explorer launch in Portugal, sweated my way up and down Mount Etna in Sicily on a Ducati Multistrada Enduro and pummelled the A1 on cold days on my ZX-10R. Both jacket and trousers are supremely comfortable, fit nicely with boots and gloves and have a luxurious feeling of quality about them. They’re multi-layered, so they can…

Q Can I sue a solicitor? Just over four years ago I came off my bike on a large spill of cooking oil. The tin and lid were found a few yards away. The police said it looked like used oil from a takeaway, but couldn’t find the firm responsible. My insurer-designated solicitor never found out which company was to blame, so they dropped the case. I’ve now discovered I may have been able to get compensation from the Motor Insurers’ Bureau. But my solicitor’s said it wouldn’t succeed – and I’m out of time. In your view, could I be compensated for bad legal advice? JJ, Highbury A In the absence of CCTV or witnesses, tracing the business responsible would be virtually impossible. However, this is undoubtedly an accident…

When winter blows, and Jack Frost nips at one’s toes, the sensible motorcyclist’s thoughts turn to the Winter Project. In our mind’s eye we see ourselves unearthing some unknown treasure, invariably called a ‘barn find’ by the seller, even if it’s in the city centre and the nearest so-called barn is a shed at the local kids’ petting zoo. You’d think London was the American Prairie, there seem to be so many barns in it. And we dream of what our project will look like when it’s finished, in the spring. The cynosure of all eyes; the envy of our friends. Of course, it rarely works out like that. I have a brace of Suzuki TS250ERs (one complete and running, the other neither of these things), and the project’s been…

JEFF TURNER Marketing Manager, Yamaha Motors UK 2000 YAMAHA YZF-R1 “With £3000 in my pocket and a little searching I should be able to find a good, standard early model R1. Probably a 1999 or 2000 year model as the very first ones seem to be appreciating and are out of the price bracket. More than any other bike the R1 changed the sportsbike game and set a new standard. The UK went mad for them!” MARTIN LAMBERT, European PR Manager, Kawasaki Motors Europe 1976 OSSA YANKEE “I have several Kawasaki projects on the go so I’d dig around my contacts in Spain for an Ossa Yankee, a twin-cylinder, two-stroke 500 from the mid to late 70s. Nigh on 60 horsepower and motocross-style power delivery, they are not common in…

2001-2004 GSX1400 K1-K4 Colours Blue/white, silver, black, blue, black/red Dealer £5200 Private good £4600 Private average £4200 This one 2002 model with flyscreen fitted. 16,000 miles, £4499 2005-2007 GSX1400 K5-K6 Updates include 4-2-1 pipes and revised fuel-injection Colours Blue/white, silver, black, blue, black/red Dealer £5400 Private good £4995 Private average £4600 This one 2005, 14,906 miles, £4995 2006-2007 GSX1400 K6 Final Edition with special badging and Yoshimura can Colours Blue/ white Dealer £6100 Private good £5795 Private average £5650 This one 2008-reg with 16,000 miles, £5995 Insurance…

Last week we looked at the simple, but clever, two-stroke engine, and this week we’re doubling the complexity. In four-stroke engines there are four cycles between each combustion sequence, splitting the two-stroke’s multitasking pair of strokes into their four component functions, and resulting in the innuendo-laden process of suck, squeeze, bang, blow. On the first stroke the piston draws air/fuel mixture into the engine via the intake valves on its downward stroke (suck) before the valve closes and the piston rises to compress the mixture (squeeze). This compressed gas is then ignited by the sparkplug firing, causing a massive explosion (bang), which then forces the piston back down. As it rises again, the exhaust valve opens and the rising piston expels the burnt gases via the exhaust (blow), and the…

McQueen’s Harley Steve McQueen’s 1912 Harley X8E Big Twin is up for grabs at auction later this month in Las Vegas. But be warned, Bonhams have given it a guide price of £81,000 to £98,000. Better empty the piggy bank. This machine comes in running condition with matching numbers and a signed certificate of authenticity. The Bonhams sale will take place on January 26 at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. For more info head to bonhams.com. Bonkers Bobber When Triumph unveiled the new Bonneville Bobber in London back in October last year the response was bonkers – and that furore has spilled over into dealers. Over the same period, the firm have sold double the number of Bobbers as they did Thruxtons a year ago – that’s…

• Engine The most obvious change is the transition from air to water-cooling. The new Bonnie also has a single overhead cam compared to the older model’s double cam set-up and a 270-degree crank angle where the old one had a 360-degree angle. Capacity is up to 900cc from 865cc, with a smaller bore but longer stroke. • Frame The new model has a sharper rake angle of 25.5¡ compared to 28¡ and a shorter 104mm trail as opposed to the 110mm on the older bike. The new wheelbase is 50mm shorter at 1450mm. • Wheels The front wheel on the 2017 Bonnie has reduced in size from a 19in item to an 18in item. The 2017 bike has Pirelli Phantom tyres while the 2016 bike had Metzeler Lasertec rubber.…

A GOLDEN ERA OF 250 PRODDIE RACING The early-mid ’90s saw club racing dominated by RGVs (and a few KR-1s) launching the careers of the likes of Shakey, Walker etc. GP DREAMS No other bike satisfied ‘GP replica’ dreams so fully. And if you wanted more, a Kocinski-style TYGA bodykit could get you closer still. ‘SCHWANTZ’ LOOKALIKES Whether it be in Pepsi or later Lucky Strike livery, no machine was more race replica than the Suzuki stroker. THE APRILIA RS250 Glorious last hurrah for the GP250 rep would never have existed were it not for the RGV250 (which powered it).…

‘Trees disappear as the road uncurls across moorland hillsides’ Not many 80-mile rides will change your life, but this two-hour run around the eastern side of the Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands just might – no-one would blame you for selling-up and moving to the region (and not just for the roads, scenery and clear air; plenty of distilleries nearby to savour, too). It’s an unmissable north/south alternative to the busy, speed camera-tastic A9 trunk road to Inverness. And for box-tickers, the route also takes in the highest road in the UK. The route starts, north to south, just outside Grantown-on-Spey on the A95. After crossing the Spey, turn left following the A393 for Tomintoul. The road climbs past shimmering silver birch, inching towards low hills and fir…

1 Bike Night + Bandit O.C. Ace Cafe, Stonebridge, London. Wednesday night meet, 6pm. 020-8961-1000 or www.acecafe-london.com 2 Italian Bikes n’ Cars, Ace Cafe, Stonebridge, London. Thursday meet 6pm. 020-8961-1000 or www.ace-cafe-london.com 3 East Coast Motorycle World, Cranswick Industrial Estate, Hutton Cranswick, Driffield, East Yorks. Thursday meet. 01377 271200 4 Cafe Manhattan The Diner ( formerly Porkys), Basildon, Esses. Thursday night meet 6pm-10pm. 01268-728809 or www.phoenixriders.co.uk 5. Retro Meet, Cottage Loaf, A540, Thurstaston, Wirral, Cheshire. Sunday meet 7pm. 07801 597447 GET YOUR MEET ON THE MAP If you have a bike-friendly venue and want to get your meet on the map, email: sam.williams@motorcyclenews.com…

‘Now the throttle response is flawless and the motor smooth’ KAWASAKI ZX-10R PRICE £13, 799 FUEL 17ltr @ 45mpg = 168 miles WEIGHT 197kg SEAT 813mm POWER 197bhp TORQUE 84ftlb MICHAEL NEEVES Long-time sportsbike lover who also races in the white-hot Thundersport GP1 championship HEIGHT 6ft WEIGHT 72kg For the past six months I’ve been running a Rapid Bike fuel unit in my ZX-10R. The idea is it takes a reading from the exhaust’s lambda sensor and tells the ECU what fuel/air mixture to deliver. The £414 system constantly self-learns, so after all these months and over 8000 miles, it’s had plenty of time to bed-in. I’ve been using it with a stainless Akrapovic exhaust system (with a carbon can) with the baffle in and out, all from Performance…

Q How can I make my chain last longer? I’m running a 2014 Honda CB125F as my first bike on an urban commute, and I’m having to adjust the chain every week when I lube it. I don’t think I’ll get much more than 3000 miles out of it the way I am going. Is this normal chain life? George Sturgeon, Merton A Answered by Chaz Ing, B&C Express How long is a piece of chain? There are many variables when it comes to chain life, most of which are down to you. Many 125s like yours have a 428, non-O-ring chain. O-ring ones cost almost twice as much, so maybe the previous owner got a cheap copy? Also, fitting a new chain to used sprockets will dramatically reduce chain…

UK enjoys strong 2016 for new bikes New UK registrations rose by 8.5% in the first 11 months of 2016; 109,715 were sold from January to November. Spain and Italy saw the largest gains, with respective sales increases of 12.2% and 11.4%. The end-of-year figures may reflect a spike caused by dealers pre-registering non-Euro4 bikes ahead of the New Year regulation change. Bright idea French firm Cosmo Connected have unveiled what they say is the world’s first connected brake light for bikers at CES 2017. The Cosmo consists of 12 LEDs, and attaches to the back of any helmet. It can be configured to act as an extra brake light, illuminating when the built-in accelerometer detects deceleration, or it can be programmed to blink via a mobile app. It will…

The TL came from an era when the Japanese still sometimes shamelessly copied European machines (like Honda’s similar FireStorm and Yamaha’s TRX850, the TL was a rip off of Ducati’s 900SS). It came from a time when big power was left untamed by traction control. And a period when firms still got things wrong. Its oddball rotary rear damper, for example, was plain wrong, overheating too easily; while the lack of steering damper to tame its ‘slapper-prone’ front was, arguably, also a mistake. And for these reasons the twin got an early reputation as something of a widow-maker which, despite later fixes, consigned it to ultimate failure. Suzuki withdrew the S and its sister R model after four years. But after a few more years in the doldrums used examples…

‘If extras aren’t wired in properly you could have problems’ “They’re quite a big, heavy bike. Obviously they’ve got a 1400 lump in them so they’re not just a heavy bike, they’re quite tall and the seat’s fairly wide so you’ve got to be quite a large person to get on with them. “Mechanically, though, the engine’s typical Suzuki muscle bike – absolutely bulletproof. The only work we ever used to do on them was lower fork legs under warranty. The lacquer, when it has a few stone chips, gets that white spidery effect underneath. Rocker covers used to go the same way. So it was mainly corrosion issues we used to have rather than anything mechanical. “There was one issue with leaking shocks on early bikes but that’s been…

Irish road racer Lee Johnston will line up for this year’s Superbike TT aboard Nicky Hayden’s 2016 World Superbike spec Fireblade. The 27-year-old will ride the Ten Kate-prepared CBR1000RR that carried the former MotoGP world champion to a WSB race win, alongside 2017 spec Superstock and Supersport Hondas in Jackson Racing livery at the North West 200, TT, Ulster Grand Prix and Macau. “I want to be back at the front again, winning races and I think this is the bike that can help me to do that,” Johnston said. The diminutive Irishman scored his first TT podium in 2015 in the Superstock race to add to a North West 200 win and three victories at the Ulster Grand Prix in his best year between the hedges. Last season was…

‘Senior staff were reportedly smuggled into a track by Dorna’ Triumph look set to take over from Honda as engine supplier of MotoGP’s intermediate Moto2 class from the 2019 season onwards, in a dramatic deal that has stunned the Grand Prix paddock. Britain’s biggest bike firm are believed to have done a deal to supply 765cc engines from the new Street Triple unveiled by MCN this week (see page 4) as a replacement for the Honda CBR600RR powerplants that have been exclusively used by the championship since its inauguration in 2011. The move would be the perfect entry into top-class sport for the notoriously anti-racing Triumph, by giving them an opportunity for exposure at the highest level in return for minimal risk. It would mark the first British engine manufacturer…

It’s fair to say Anvil Hire Yamaha are underdogs in BSB. In 2016, their highest ranked rider was James Rispoli in 27th having finished just one race in the points. However, team boss Rob Winfield is confident that having signed a recent British Champion, they’ll easily be able to turn things around. “Josh is a huge opportunity,” he told MCN. “Last year was difficult, but I think a lot of the improvement will come with the rider. We knew the bike was there last year and we’re doing more development now ready for the season. “We’ve always had good power from the bike – more than we had with the Kawasaki – but we’d like a little more and then we want to work on being able to calm that…