Table of contents for August 15th 2018 in MCN

A quick half, a long weekend, a power nap or a short, sharp blast all scratch the itch. And yet the itch remains. There are loads of ways to abbreviate an experience to provide enough of a short-term fix to keep us from going mad. Every now and then though, only the full-blown experience will do. Riding a long way in a relatively short period of time (see Bucket List, p38) may not appeal to everyone but the fact remains that covering a lot of miles as part of a single mission reaches the parts quick fixes can’t. Stuff happens in your head after a few hundred miles in the saddle. And you have to cope with that. Whether it’s by trying to remember the lyrics to a song from…

Triumph have released a video giving hints about their all-new 1200c Scrambler and revealing that the big-bore retro will be fully unveiled on October 24. The 11-second video shows the machine riding along a trail towards a steep slope before jumping out of frame, indicating that off-road ability will be a big part of the overall package. Earlier this year we spied what looked like a production-ready 1200 testing in Spain and after looking closely at the new video it’s clear that this is the same bike. Even the perforations on the engine bash plate match the prototype. Family values The Scrambler is set to be the latest in a line of retros powered by Triumph’s 1200cc parallel-twin engine. Introduced in 2016, the twin now powers the Bonneville, Thruxton and…

BM’s new F850GS is more than a styling exercise: it’s quicker and sweeter-handling than the 800 with more kit and sounds meaner too, with a thrapping exhaust note, thanks to a new firing order and offset crank. But although a brilliant bike, there are now 10 years of used examples of the parallel twin F-GS family around to suit every budget and taste and BMW build quality means they can be a great secondhand buy. 2018 F850GS What is it? Latest F-series GS has come of age as an alternative to its 1200 brother. It’s practical, comfortable, has a great specification and is easier to ride off-road. MCN says “Who needs a big-capacity adventure bike when the new F850GS is around?” Want to buy one? £9400, £1877 deposit, £129 per…

Auto fuelling To enable the bike to keep going for more than the 2-3 hour operating window of a tank, fuel is fed to the bike. Sensors Dyno monitors engine speed, temperature, throttle position, exhaust exit temp, header temp and power. Renewable power The dyno actually powers a 200w motor, which is used to help drive the ventilation system. Umbilical cable This communicates from the control room, including the amount of ‘throw’ needed to operate controls. It might look like a terrifying vision of the future, but Akrapovic’s robot dyno allows the Slovenian exhaust specialists to test their products in a highly scientific manner. Using human testers in a real-world, long-term test, makes it difficult to continuously log information such as power, torque, air and fuel mixture ratios, back-pressure in…

YAMAHA RD350 I bought this new Yamaha RD350 and thought I was The Man. To be honest, in Guildford in 1973... I was The Man. Philip Warren MOPED Me on mum’s Moped, before the helmet law came in. I’m now 75 and ride an FZS600 Fazer. WIth a helmet, obviously. Richard Danby HONDA CB160 My lovely girlfriend Debbie in 1968 (now my lovely wife of 48 years) with our first bike together, a much-missed Honda CB160. Brian Cook TRIUMPH SPORTS CUB This late 1950s Sports Cub was my first ‘real’ bike. I got it in 1979 when I was 17. The clutch fell off in the first fortnight. Tim Hendy HONDA SS50 Me on my Honda SS50 at Cwmsychpant in 1980, before moving on to an RD250 in 1981. Alan…

Think affordable sports tourers and it’s hard to think past these two. Yamaha and Kawasaki cornered the market with these slick, do-it-all, dependable gems which sell by the bucketload. Long, low, powerful and comfortable, Kawasaki’s Z1000SX is a sports tourer in the traditional sportsbike-turned- tourer sense, but Yamaha takes a fresher, more modern approach. Just like the Multistradas, S1000XRs and Super Duke GTs of the world, the Tracer 900 sits taller than the SX, with wide bars and private jet levels of legroom. The two bikes you see bathed in British summer sunlight are special versions, but don’t worry, neither will break the bank. In the blue corner we have the £10,649 Yamaha Tracer 900GT and in the green there’s the £10,669 Kawasaki Z1000SX Tourer. Base models cost just £9999…

Unlike the standard Tracer the GT gets colour TFT clocks. Changing from white to black depending on ambient light they’re clear, easy to read and contain all the information you need, but not so much it’s overwhelming. Kawasaki updated its clocks for the latest SX, but they’re more conventional with an analogue rev counter flanked by warning lights on the left and LCD display on the right. A small, fussy layout, white on black digits are hard to read at a glance, especially in direct sunlight. KAWASAKI KAWASAKI SWITCHGEAR Clear and easy to understand, the buttons don’t take much thought and all the dash functions are controlled by grey toggle button on the left bar. FUNCTIONALITY YAMAHA YAMAHA SWITCHGEAR Left switchgear has separate buttons for TC and cruise control as…

For some reason people have realised how specialist we are, that we do what no-one else in the world does,” says Rich Austin, founder and boss of Austin Racing. He is talking about making exhaust systems from inconel, a strong, heat resistant nickel-chrome alloy. It’s heavier than titanium but more durable – so an inconel exhaust can have thinner walls than an equivalent titanium system, but be much stronger. Inconel is awkward to work – it’s hard to bend and tough to weld. Few can do it, it’s Formula One and aerospace territory, but Austin Racing can. “I hired welders from the F1 belt,” he says. “I make sure my staff are right: not just skills, but attitude too – we believe in what we’re doing, and have a shared…

‘You’ll never really be the same again’ Riding 1000 miles starts with a motive. The history of human endeavour is littered with tales of men and women who challenged adversity simply because it was there, not because success lead to enlightenment or glory. And so it is with riding 1000 miles in one hit; there’s no medal, no winner’s trophy, no cash prize and no memorial, just pride at exceeding an arbitrary distance within an arbitrary time frame, and the incredible rush it delivers. Humans are a weird bunch. A thousand miles is long way; further than the distance for the quickest road route north to south on the UK mainland; 837 miles in 14-and-a-half hours from John O’ Groats to Land’s End. To make the run nearer 1000 miles,…

‘It’s stunning, and you’ll barely see a soul’ Reader James Cravens reckons this is the best route MCN has ever featured in the One Gallon Challenge, although the 70-mile route might be pushing your fuel economy to the max. He said: “It’s a stunning start up the Welsh coast and you’ll barely see a soul. “The view at Llanfair is simply stunning and then you have a sweeping ride up to Pant-y-Pistyll where the reservoir offers more jaw-dropping views. There’s a café on the banks and a garage a little further on. “As you ride towards Bala, you’ll border another two reservoirs before heading back into heavily wooded roads. You need to have your wits about you if you’re pushing on as it’s a demanding ride. The final stretch puts…

SORT ME OUT PLEASE! THE STUDENT Gemma’s riding problem “I came off on a roundabout once and I’ve had a problem ever since. I get nervous and tense and that makes me go too slow and shaky.” THE TUTOR Mark’s action plan “I’ll sort out Gemma’s approach line and give her a system to appraise the best path, taking the stress out of mini-roundabouts.”…

PASSING POINTS “Most passing is done at the end of the Park straight, but even there it’s difficult as the track is narrow. Everyone says it’s the only place to pass so that makes moves at other corners unexpected and that makes them better because they have a better chance of sticking.” THE MOUNTAIN “I learned the mountain the hard way when I jumped it in Superstock 600 and broke my wrist. I don’t think jumping is the fastest way. Brookes is quick, but if you look back to Tommy Hill he was rapid and he barely got the front wheel up.” TWO HALVES “Cadwell is a circuit of two halves. The first bit is fast and flowing and then after the Gooseneck things get tight and technical. Hall bends…

French racer Fabrice Miguet has died after a crash in the Superstock race at Saturday’s Ulster Grand Prix. The 49-year-old was involved in an incident at Joey’s Windmill and was on life support in Belfast’s Royal Victoria Hospital, before an official statement was released on Monday that confirmed the tragic news. Miguet competed regularly at the North West 200, TT and Ulster and made his TT debut in 1999 aboard a Voxan that he had ridden to the event before racing.…

Cal Crutchlow was surprised to finish fourth in Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix at a track that doesn’t normally suit him or his bike. His previous best finish at the Red Bull Ring was 15th and he was not expecting much this time round. But the Brit showed just how much his LCR Honda RC213V has improved by performing well at the stop-and-go track with its slow corners and long straights. Unable to run at the pace of the podium contenders, Crutchlow nonetheless helped cement his position as Honda’s number two rider in the championship by finishing three places and five seconds ahead of factory rider Dani Pedrosa. But while this year’s bike is undeniably easier to ride and faster (as proven by both Crutchlow and Marc Marquez being able to…

While the factory riders were again struggling, Monster Yamaha Tech3 rider Johann Zarco was able to pull together a decent race to come home in the top ten and ahead of Viñales. Admitting that it had been a tough race for him, he put the problems down in part to tyre choices. Given that both Zarco and Tech3 will be switching to KTM in 2019, they have been exiled from the M1’s development plans, leaving Rosssi and Viñales to shoulder the entire ongoing development alone.…

‘It has the potential to be a great business’ ENTREPRENEUR PETER STRUTTON Famous biker meeting spot, the Cat & Fiddle pub, could be set for a makeover and revival if bold new plans get the go-ahead. Situated on the A537 between Buxton and Macclesfield, it closed in December 2015 after a series of unsuccessful tenancies. But now, serial entrepreneur and lifelong biker Peter Strutton has produced a detailed plan for the inn, which first opened in 1813, to be redeveloped as a motorcyclist and cyclist destination. “My plan is for a ‘two-wheeled adventure hub’, aimed at not just bikers but also cyclists and hikers,” said Peter, 51. It would ultimately comprise not just a café, although this would come first, but also a workshop, storage area and event destination.…

‘2018 will be the last racing season’ LANDLORD LESLIE WOOTTEN Next weekend’s DirtQuake at Arena Essex will be the last at the track after landlords announced the track will close at the end of the season, after 34 years of hosting speedway. The well-known venue is set to be redeveloped for housing, as part of a new town to be built around the Lakeside shopping centre. Arena Essex, which is home to the Championship League speedway team Lakeside Hammers, first hosted speedway in 1984 and the Hammers are currently battling at the top of the league. But unfortunately the arena’s prime real estate location next to one of the country’s busiest shopping centres has meant it has been under development pressure for years. Current landlord Leslie Wootten cites poor weather…

‘It’s the best. I’d recommend any biker to join’ R5K MEMBER SALLY WEIGHILL Seven thousand MCN readers have now signed up to MCN’s 5000-mile challenge and they have revealed how our campaign has inspired them to enjoy their best biking summer yet. At the heart of the R5K campaign is a very active Facebook group where members share routes, tips, experiences and arrange meet-ups. It’s been a boon for members like James Jones, who wanted to improve his riding. “I think that #ride5000miles has pushed me to ride my bike further than ever,” he said. “I lack confidence so joined up and the members are friendly and always up for a ride. They took me on my biggest ride to date from Wrexham to the Triumph experience in Hinckley.…

Ron's got your back I have just read your article about Ron Haslam’s pillion laps at the Honda Race School. I was fortunate enough to sit behind Ron for four laps last Wednesday. For my youngest son’s birthday we organised an On Track experience at the Honda Race School. He thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a huge amount. There was also an opportunity to put your name down for pillion laps in the afternoon. I spend a lot of my life being anxious and scared, but Ron Haslam is a racing legend and a hero to me. I used to watch him race in the 70s and 80s, so I put my name down and immediately went into meltdown! When I had a phone call to say, “Mr Haslam is…

Have you heard all these people moaning about it being too hot recently? Seriously? What on earth is that all about? I even saw someone the other day saying it was too hot to ride a motorbike at a trackday. Too hot to ride a motorbike? Don’t be so bloody daft. it’s perfect weather for riding a motorbike, isn’t it? As long as you make sure that you hydrate yourself and get plenty of water through your system it’s absolutely fine. The weather has been absolutely lovely so far this summer (and long may it continue). I really can’t think of a better reason to get out there on a bike and revel in the simple pleasures of man and machine. It’s a good excuse to drag your mates out,…

It’s Britain’s best road test route. A tough 250-mile mix of A and B-roads, a stretch of busy 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, and Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground and the dyno for hard and fast data when needed. You want answers? We’ve got ’em. WEATHER WATCH 1 Fumbling for the key As we all know, the Tracer 900GT is an MT-09 with a fairing and wide bars. Tall, bolt-on bar risers make it tricky to access the ignition barrel, buried on the top yoke. You need the skill and dexterity of James Herriot to get your hand, wrist and some of…

Both bikes are remarkably good value. They’ll handle short blasts, commuting, long-distance touring, they’re fast, roomy and well equipped. Yamaha’s Tracer has come of age in this luxury GT guise. It’s easy to manage, characterful and practical, but seat comfort, high-speed stability and tyre performance could all be better. You won’t find as many toys on the Kawasaki and it too is fitted with typically cheap and cheerful Japanese-spec tyres, but those small niggles aside it’s hard to fault. The SX oozes grunt, is smooth, stable, quiet, comfortable and rapid. It’s one of the few bikes we’ve ridden on the MCN250 that’s left us feeling so fresh at the end, we were tempted to fuel up and do it all over again. All this for just 20 quid more than…

‘Rev it. Don’t worry about it, it’s not a museum piece’ The Manx is Norton’s most successful TT race bike ever, while the SG7 is the reborn firm’s fastest. Seventy years ago, the late Geoff Duke made his debut at the Manx GP and went on to give Norton unprecedented success, on both the 350 and 500 Manx. And a couple of months ago Josh Brookes lapped the 37 ¾-mile Isle of Man circuit at an astonishing 131.75mph average on his way to fifth place in the Senior TT. MCN decided it was time for a family reunion to see what makes both of these Nortons so special. In garage 34 at a baking hot Donington Park, the Norton technicians prepare the current TT bike. The stunning silver 230bhp Norton…

• ‘I know how Guy Fawkes effigies feel’ Q It’s a road-legal racer. Is it useless at normal speeds? Nigel Short A It’s ballistic on track, but the V4 S is no more compromised on the road than any other superbike. The extra 100cc the Ducati has over its rivals gives you instant thrust, the throttle response is perfect, wind protection is decent and there’s a selection of electronic safety nets making it one of the most controlled and controllable superbikes on the road. Q Have you adjusted the suspension settings? Lucky O’Leary A Standard semi-active damping settings suit most situations. In ‘Street’ mode the Öhlins suspension is supple for everyday riding, ‘Sport’ is that bit firmer for fast, smooth roads and ‘Race’ has lots of support for the track.…

1 Taking the tight line Gemma panics when she approaches tight mini-roundabouts and consistently goes in too tight, forcing her to make an slow and abrupt turn in order to make the exit. This reduces stability, and control. 2 Getting the approach right I give Gemma some pointers on appraising the approach, sussing the best path through the roundabout and ensuring her entry point gives her the easiest, shallowest arc through the turn for the ideal exit. 3 The straightest path to the exit We’re turning right here but rather than being positioned to the right on the entry, I’ve moved Gemma further left so that the turn is better sighted and less aggressive. This allows Gemma to maintain speed, straighten her line significantly, spot the exit sooner and pick…

1 Make the diagnosis The lifespan of a wheel bearing depends on how the bike is used. Symptoms of worn bearings include poor handling, instability and an MoT fail. You can check them by raising the wheel off the ground and then attempting to move it from side to side. A worn bearing will allow movement between the hub and spacer, and will feel notchy when you spin the wheel. 2 Access the worn parts Remove the wheel and inspect the area around the hub, placing the wheel on a suitable surface so it can be worked on. Clean the bearing or seal area well. If you have removed the back wheel, inspect the bearing in the sprocket carrier if it has one. This bearing can be mounted in the…

LEON HASLAM Until Lee Jackson stole it last year, Haslam had held the lap record at Cadwell Park for over ten years, so you can never count the series leader out in Lincolnshire. PETER HICKMAN Hickman has always been strong at his local track and after kick-starting his season with two podiums at Thruxton, he should be up there fighting at the front this weekend. DANNY BUCHAN Buchan finished fourth at Cadwell in his third ever BSB race in 2012 and given 2018 has been his best season yet, he’ll be looking for a strong result. JOSH BROOKES Cadwell is a favourite for Brookes, but he struggled there last year. Even if it’s not coming together for the Aussie he’s well worth a watch over the mountain. JAKE DIXON Having…

‘All I can do is go out and get some good results’ MOTO 2 RIDER DANNY KENT Despite losing his 2019 ride, former world champion Danny Kent left Austria bouyed having matched his best result of the season in 12th. And the 24-year-old ex-Moto3 champ hopes the result will help him secure a seat for next year after his Speed Up team told him they won’t be honouring the second year of their deal. Struggling since his return to Moto2 at the beginning of 2018, Kent is optimistic that Sunday’s result will help him find some form. Aware that other riders (including MotoGP-bound team-mate Fabio Quartararo) have manged to use strong mid-season results to secure their future, Kent says that all he can do now is try to maintain…

‘ With Michelins at one point in the race you always have to save them ’ While he looked like he had the pace early in Sunday’s race to repeat last year’s performance and take the fight to Marc Marquez at the Red Bull Ring, Andrea Dovizioso admitted afterwards that his seemingly safe decision on tyres backfired. Opting to go with Michelin’s medium option front and rear while Marquez gambled with a hard rear and Lorenzo stuck with soft, Dovi never found the pace to pass his team-mate. He put his poor choice down to lack of dry track time, but after watching then-team-mate Iannone win in 2016 on softs and using them himself last year, some questioned Dovisioso’s decision to not follow Lorenzo’s lead. Afterwards, the Italian admitted he’d…

‘We have given Honda a great gift’ Jorge Lorenzo stamped his authority on the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday by becoming the third Ducati rider in three years to stand on top of the podium at the Red Bull Ring. The five-time world champion showed that, even at 31, he is capable of learning new techniques with a change of riding style to take an unlikely win after a frenetic last lap battle with series leader Marc Marquez. Showing the sort of aggression usually associated with the hard-charging Marquez, Lorenzo was able to take the fight to his fellow Spaniard and 2019 team-mate until the final laps, eventually coming out on top after going bar to bar with his Repsol Honda rival. Although looking in the early stages as if…

• Biggest power gain MCN has seen • Rideability boosted with parts from SX Kawasaki have released details of the 2019 H2 and it is set to become the lairiest, most outrageous road bike ever seen. Introduced in 2015, this is the first major evolution for the supercharged weapon of distance destruction and Kawasaki have worked hard to make it cleverer, stop faster and, despite the power increase, not use any more fuel. Engineering overhaul The boost in power is huge; up from 197bhp to 228bhp at the crank, the biggest single gain we’ve seen in the evolution of any bike. Kawasaki aren’t revealing full details of the changes yet, but with huge power gains on the current model available just by remapping the ECU, it’s obvious the base engine…

British firm CCM are to launch a new Spitfire model, with the aim of raising £100,000 for RAF veterans. A £1000 chunk of the Spitfire’s £18,000 price will go to the RAF Benevolent fund. Based on the 600cc, 55bhp single-cylinder Bobber, the colour of the tank mimics the prototype Spitfire K5054 built in 1936 and each bike will have a piece of Spitfire fuselage welded into the frame. The bike also features hand-stitched leather panniers and an RAF100 front numberplate. Production starts next year.…

With new tactics, the Met’s detection rate has improved Over 97% of London’s moped criminals escaped justice in 2017-18, according to the latest figures. New statistics reveal that only a tiny fraction of over 24,000 moped-related incidents in London resulted in a prosecution. To be exact, the Metropolitan Police solved just 2.6% of all moped crimes; 643 of the 24,294 reported in the 12 months to April, compared to 3.1% the previous year. However, since the introduction of some new police tactics late last year, the Met says its detection rate for these crimes has started to improve significantly. Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick introduced new measures last October in response to the growing use of scooters and mopeds in robberies, both from stores and members of the public. One…

• ‘Underseat cans allow space for a larger cat’ 1 Pipes of pleasure Underseat pipes allow silencing and emissions kit to be separated, giving more space to both. 2 Middle-class hero What looks like a 5.5in rear wheel and low seat show the bike will retain its midweight credentials. 3 Two trim levels This bike retains the base Hyper’s Marzocchi/ Sachs suspension. Expect an Öhlinsequipped S . 4 New chassis A steel tubular trellis rear subframe replaces the cast unit that was used before. 5 Open and shut case The clutch cover and right-hand crankcase cover are likely to have been beefed up for more silencing. This spy shot suggests Ducati will release a revamped Hypermotard for 2019, with a new engine that paves the way for a major makeover…

Every August something very special happens at Brackley, Northants, when, for one day, it transforms from bustling market town into petrolhead paradise. The Brackley Festival of Motorcycling is a celebration of every aspect of bike culture. This year marks its 10th anniversary and MCN joined the fun. The focus is the High Street which is closed to make way for historic race bikes. From 10am on Sunday small groups of every type of two and four-stroke racer thrill the crowds. Sadly, this year’s weather wasn’t too kind but the sometimes wet track didn’t stop the riders from putting on a show. “It’s a great event because you can not only see the bikes up close, you can hear them up close too,” says owner Des Lindsey. “You can’t replicate the…

When Jon Urry, in his recent article about North Wales Police, writes about villagers being “annoyed” by the noise of motorcycles, I fear he grossly underplays the situation. When, every Sunday, one is woken at 6am by the scream of motorbikes, it’s not annoyance we villagers feel, it is rage; and when it goes on until 10pm, we are not annoyed, we are furious. Our local police say they get more complaints about motorbike noise than about any other issue. Think on it. The Times recently said "Deafening motorbikes will have to be tamed if they don't tame themselves" and I believe the ball is now in the bikers' court. If they can’t themselves take steps to stop this anti-social behaviour by some bikers, the law will have to be…

Riding the Tracer 900GT from Oundle to the Warwick services on the M40 has surprised me. For a ‘Grand Tourer’ it isn’t the last word in comfort. For short, low speed rides it’s fine and your weight is spread evenly, so it’s kind on limbs. There’s room to move about, the cruise control is brilliant, there’s lots of luggage space in the hard panniers and if it were cold, like it usually is in the UK, I’d be purring over the heated grips. But things change doing distance at higher, sustained speeds. The seat becomes a pain in the rear, my left big toe is feeling the effects of the stiff gear lever action and the only way to stop the thunderous ear-assaulting windblast is to slow right down. By…

1 Design for life This is where the initial design happens, by Rich himself using CAD. His experience helps shape the lengths, diameters, balance points and tapers of the prototype, all of which are dyno tested. 2 Welding up The only automated technology in Austin Racing is the welding turntable, when Ben TIG welds an end can. 3 Tube bending Billy operates the most expensive machine at Austin Racing – a semi-CNC tube bender. 4 Polishing off Jay and Ava are Austin Racing’s polishing specialists, working in a separate cutting and polishing room to bring up the systems to a fine finish. 5 Assembly line Matt puts together baffling and wadding. Some components are put together with a special glue. 6 Despatching Jim takes the final assemblies, checks them for…

The first few rides on an electric bike are all about what it hasn’t got. There’s no clutch, no gear lever, no heat and no noise. Initial contact is about trying to remember you can’t just open the throttle after turning the key. If you do, you’re likely to end up in a hedge. But it’s surprising how quickly you stop reaching for the left-hand lever or prodding your left boot down to a nonexistent gear-change. Thirty-odd years of conditioning can be unlearnt pretty quickly. And once able to trust your reprogrammed instincts, there’s a lot to enjoy. The wide bars and tall seat (835mm) offer a commanding view and comfortable seating position, the Zero handles well, and the thrust from standstill is impressive, too. The three riding modes deliver…

BSB ROUND 8, CADWELL PARK CIRCUIT, LOUTH, LINCOLNSHIRE LN11 9SE AUGUST 17-19 Ride all around the Wolds Bennetts British Superbikes heads to Cadwell Park this weekend and it’s nearly always the best attended round of the year. The Route From the circuit, turn left onto the A153 to Horncastle. Take the A158 towards Skegness until you reach the right turn for Spilsby/B1195, then look for the right turn to Old Bolingbroke. At the A155 turn right and pass the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. At Revesby, turn right onto the B1183 then take the A158 towards Lincoln. Just before Baumber turn right for Caister and follow it to the A631. Then turn left for about three miles and you’ll find the Willy Woods snack bar. Back-track until the left turn for…

DANGER ZONE Entering roundabouts too tightly meant Gemma was having to turn harder at low speed, which she wasn’t confident with. 1. APPROACH As with any junction, pick your braking point based on all available info (weather, surface, temperature and hazards). 2. SET SPEED Move to the ideal road position and adjust your speed using brakes and gears. Select the right gear to allow you to proceed. 3. SET A PATH Spot the perfect path through the roundabout, taking the smoothest and straightest arc possible to help keep the bike stable. 4. POSITIONING Make a clean positive turn early enough to give you the straightest exit path, helping your sight of other road users’ paths. 5. EXIT POINT Spot your exit point and, if it’s clear, start picking up the…

Scaled-down versions of their litre bike brothers, sports 125s give CBT holders a taste of race-rep ownership. Yamaha’s class-leading YZF-R125 was launched in 2008 and wooed riders with its superbike looks. It’s joined by Aprilia’s jewel-like RS4, KTM’s futuristic RC125 and Honda’s trusty CBR125. Although rather pricey new, you can pick up low-mileage, two-year-old examples at huge savings. £2700 2017 YAMAHA YZF-R125 124cc | 14.6bhp | 818mm seat height • Dealer price: £3500-£3800• Private price: £2600-£3250• This one: 1250 miles, light scratches This stylish 125 is designed to appeal to every red-blooded teenager and it hits the mark. Wring precisely as much power out of an engine as the law permits, drop it in a chassis with R6-style bodywork, save cash on a steel frame and basic unadjustable suspension, add…

It’s just over a week until MotoGP returns to Silverstone for the GoPro British Grand Prix on August 24-26, and this year there’s a whole new fanstand available dedicated to our British riders. Cal Crutchlow has been showing his fiery spirit all season, winning a race in Argentina at the start of the season and mixing it up with the best of the MotoGP rivals with KTM’s Bradley Smith, Aprilia’s Scott Redding battling hard and Sam Lowes and Danny Kent still working hard in Moto2. John McPhee has enjoyed his season-best result at the recent German Grand Prix round. The new Go Brits! fanstand will celebrate all things great about the British Grand Prix, first hosted at Silverstone in 1977, and the venue for some truly epic battles, including the…

‘The weather reminded me how good I can be’ Scott Redding launched an incredible attack on his Aprilia squad, after yet another difficult weekend was enough to break the upbeat mood he’s been enjoying since being told that the factory would not be retaining him for 2019. Admitting that he was out to enjoy what may be his final year in MotoGP, Sunday’s race was a return to reality as he slumped to a lowly 20th position. “It’s been a f**king horrible weekend, because when the wet conditions bring the machines closer I can see my potential and it reminded me of how good I can be. I’ve accepted the situation all season because I haven’t had a wet session, but this weekend reminded me that I can still mix…

• Team issue grovelling apology • Still no end in sight for Yamaha woes A senior member of the Movistar Yamaha has described the situation in the team as being ‘at the bottom of their crisis,’ after a disastrous weekend at the Red Bull Ring saw Valentino Rossi and Maverick Viñales slump to new lows in their struggle with the 2018 M1 machine. In fact, so bad was the situation at the Austrian Grand Prix that senior management from the Japanese manufacturer took the unprecedented step on Saturday evening of standing up in front of the assembled media at an impromptu press conference and issuing an apology to their riders. Addressing both riders and journalists, M1 project leader Kouji Tsuya said: “We are struggling with the acceleration performance of the…

Bradley Smith’s chances of a decent result at his Red Bull KTM team’s home race were denied when rising temperatures prevented the British rider from converting strong weekend performances into anything better than 14th place. Smith enjoyed his best-ever weekend on the Austrian bike until hotter Sunday temperatures brought a return of difficulties on a greasy track. Ready to make the jump onto the newer-spec machine designed in part to solve this issue, it remained a case of damage limitation in front of KTM’s senior bosses to come home in the points.…