Table of contents for December 19th 2018 in MCN

Christmas is a time for reflection (and beer and chocolate, obviously). It’s a time for remembering the best bits of the last 12 months, for flicking through the pictures and letting the glow flow through your brain. How easy it could be to forget the glorious summer of 2018, those grippy roads and crispy brown fields flashing by on either side during a dash to the coast. For now let’s banish the bad times (a washed-out Silverstone British MotoGP for example) and revel in the good times served up over the last 50 weeks. Before the deccies come down and thoughts turn to New Year’s Resolutions (that’ll last a month if you’re lucky), immerse yourself in this super-sized paper and join the debate around Britain’s best sausage and the world’s…

Triumph’s eagerly-awaited £11,500 Scrambler 1200 XC arrives in dealers at the end of next month... and it’s a cracker. It ticks every On Any Sunday styling box, is lavished with obsessive attention to detail and is crammed with more technology, bells and whistles than most superbikes. But best of all, our first test this week in Portugal proved the new retro-styled adventure bike delivers on all of Triumph’s promises. Powered by a Thruxton motor, retuned for low-down grunt, the throbbing parallel twin cylinder machine is more than just a generic Triumph retro fitted with knobblies. It has a new frame, swingarm, suspension, extra rider aids, a next-generation TFT colour dash and top-spec cycle parts from the likes of Brembo and Öhlins. With acres of legroom and a comfortable bench seat,…

A freedom of information request to the police by the AA has revealed that 29,256 numberplates were reported stolen last year. This has gone some way to answering why so many citizens going about their lawful business have been accused of offences they did not commit in places they were nowhere near at the time (well, most of them). “Not considered in the overall problem were the stolen number plates that were not reported to the police,” says crime guru, Ken German, “those illegally obtained from unauthorised dealers, and existing registration plates that were simply altered to deceive. Added together, you could easily treble the number of ‘wrong’ plates on the road to nearly 90,000 vehicles.” An earlier request to the police asking how many cloned plates were on UK…

MotoGP newbie Miguel Oliveira blew the doors off the new 8.3km Gleinalm tunnel that connects Graz to Speilberg (where the Red Bull Ring is located) in Austria last week. The rising star was invited to ride his factory KTM RC16 MotoGP bike through the tunnel before it was opened to the public. The noise of that barely-silenced MotoGP exhaust note bouncing off the tunnel walls was just as incredible as seeing a full-factory MotoGP bike pull up at the toll booth before accelerating off into the mouth of the tunnel. See the video on motorcyclenews.com…

I usually agree with every word John McGuinness has to say but I can’t let his “can’t be arsed” jibe at Lewis Hamilton go without comment. John, did you watch the recent documentary on Billy Monger, the teenage racing driver who lost both legs in an horrific racing accident? Lewis has always supported Billy throughout his recovery with invites to F1 races etc and, just months after his accident and still unable to walk, Billy was offered a drive in a single-seater car to see if he could ever race again. At a private session on a rain-soaked Rockingham track Billy proved he could and, who ‘could be arsed' to turn up and show support? Lewis Hamilton, that’s who John. No-one appreciates his fans more than Lewis. Who else, in…

I was thinking the other day about how things can change so much in a year. Look at me, I’m in a miles better situation than I was this time last year. It’s the small things, like you take walking for granted. When you can’t walk, you can’t even take a cup of tea from the kitchen to the front room without spilling half of it. ‘I WAS TAKING PAINKILLERS LIKE THEY WERE SWEETS’ I was in a world of shite 12 months ago. I couldn’t sleep, I wouldn’t eat, I had no power, no energy, no strength and I was taking painkillers like they were sweets. I was a bit of a split personality, I was narky, nasty and shouty to those around me when I needed them most……

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. 1 Fuel cap confusion HONDA GOLDWING, MAY 15 It might have a sea of buttons dotted around its cockpit, but none seem to be the one I needed to release the fuel cap. After looking for what seems like an eternity, MCN Office Manager Alison Silcox, who’s joined us for the trip, steps in and finds it…

TFT elegance Triumph’s second-generation TFT colour dash is a work of art. The display is packed with information and the detailing on a quartz display has the classy look of a Swiss watch. Twin shocks Triumph worked closely with Öhlins to create these fully adjustable shocks. Designed to work as well as a modern monoshock system, they deliver superb control and feel on and off-road. Exquisite attention to detail Seamless fuel tank is a work of art. Scalloped to take the forks at full lock, the stainless strap isn’t laid over the top,but sits in its own recess. A Monza-style filler cap completes the look.…

‘I’m falling back in love with road riding again. This is how it all started for me’ Hutchy’s front wheel rises over the crest, he’s slightly crossed up, but perfectly in control. I spot his right foot tap another gear on his modified Honda Fireblade SP, and he’s gone. Two corners later he pulls over, nods, waits for me to catch up, and promptly hoons off into the distance again. His injuries mean he may never win Strictly Come Dancing, but that riding ability is still unquestionable. Few top-level riders actually ride on the road, despite what their social media channels might say. Even fewer would be riding an 189bhp Fireblade in the cold and damp in November. Hutchy has only just junked the crutches he has relied upon so…

1 Time for a rebuild? Your front master cylinder is a basic hydraulic pump which provides many miles of maintenance-free use. But over a long period of time the internals can become worn or start to perish, resulting in fluid leaks, soft lever feel and poor brake performance. Luckily it can be fixed with a rebuild kit, which can bought from your dealer. 2 Remove from the handlebar Begin by undoing the banjo bolt that connects the hose, then disconnect the brake light switch connectors. The front brake lever also needs to be taken off, so undo the bolt and put the lever to one side. Undo the two bolts that secure the master cylinder to the handlebar and the whole assembly should come off. 3 Clean it up Put…

● ‘I’ve got nothing to prove to anyone but myself’ ● ‘It’s a big effort… I’ve been away so long’ ● ‘The team are good and the bike is fun with loads of grip’ Sete Gibernau’s Grand Prix record speaks for itself. Twice a championship runner-up to Valentino Rossi, 24 times a MotoGP podium finisher and a winner on both 500cc two-strokes and 990cc four-strokes, he prematurely retired from the sport at the end of the 2006 season after taking a series of physical and mental beatings on and off the track. And despite a short-lived comeback in 2009 which ended when Angel Nieto’s team ran out of money halfway through the season, the 46-year-old has been largely absent from the paddock. Dabbling in rider management and spotting track side…

‘Trouble is, modern riders have no skill compared to us lads from the past ’ Dean Harrison When Neil Hodgson and Chris Walker were going at it in 2000. Jake Dixon And Troy Bayliss in 1999. James Whitham No, I think we are in the golden era now. The last couple of years have been brilliant. JD Really? JW Think of the quality of the teams involved and a rulebook that makes the racing competitive. The Showdown might have been criticised but it works well now. JD But if you look back at clips from 2000 there were always at least four riders battling for the win. And the grid was full of stars. JW Ah, but Hodgson and Walker weren’t big names then. DH That’s it, it’s almost as…

He is indisputably the fastest racer on the planet but it’s what Marc Marquez can do on a motorcycle that lifts him way above the rest. His ability to habitually uncrash his Honda with his inside knee and elbow, make an impossible overtake stick or nonchalantly get his elbow down in the wet, has re-invented the art of racing a Grand Prix motorcycle. Despite his aggressive riding, Marquez is the opposite off the bike. As MCN’s MotoGP Reporter Simon Patterson says: “Despite working for three seasons with Marquez, I’ve never seen him angry. He doesn’t look for excuses or to blame others for his mistakes and he’s the great motivator in his team.” He has fans to rival Rossi Wouldn’t life be dull if every circuit on the MotoGP calendar…

Dean Harrison Awesome! James Whitham The championship was over too soon but the racing has been superb. Jake Dixon I like the way the MotoGP guys haven’t been able to ride flat out in some races, so you’ve had all the factory riders in a group and it’s all about who’s the smartest and then the most aggressive at the right time? JW No-one wants to go too early. JD We’ve seen some clever racing. DH You have to be in the right place at the right time to win a MotoGP race. JD I would agree with Marquez that the Ducati was the best bike on the grid. DH Will Marquez end up on a Ducati? JD A KTM, I reckon... on silly money, but not for a couple…

Dean Harrison Everyone is starting again with the new Triumph 765 triple. It’s a clean sheet. James Whitham You couldn’t be going in at a better time. This is the year. Jake Dixon I’ve only tested the Triumph engine a little bit so far... DH You’ll find a massive difference between the Pirellis of BSB and the Dunlops of Moto2. Dunlops have less feel than Pirellis. They go grip, grip, grip, no grip! JW The new Moto2 bikes will be a little bit gruntier than last year with the Honda. The chassis will have to be a bit beefier and you’ll have to ride them a bit more like a superbike than an old-style Moto2 bike and in that respect it’s a perfect year for you. ‘Have you had Marquez’s…

When BMW unveiled their new S1000RR, one of the biggest shocks was that it had lost the asymmetrical face that came to define the old model; and that shift in styling focus wasn’t an easy decision, according to Edgar Heinrich, BMW Head of Design. “When we made the first one we didn’t know what to do so we sort of tried everything,” he told MCN. “It was simple then. We wanted to make the best bike we could, which for a race bike is the lightest. Whenever we could find a weight saving we did it, which ended in asymmetric items as the reduction in the high beam reflector saved 150g.” For the new bike, though, technology advances meant there was no need for a mix of larger and smaller…

● Escape kit £1200 This is intended for adventure tourers and includes a single-sided pannier, handguards, grab rack kit, LED fog lamps, centrestand and flyscreen. ● Extreme kit £1466 The Extreme version is far more ‘desert sled’ and includes an Arrow carbon silencer, aluminium radiator guard, machined oil filler cap, high front mudguard, black handlebar brace, LED indicator kit and rear light relocation kit, side stand base extension and a headlight grille and bezel.…

JON URRY Guest Tester  MCN250s completed 7 Best bike Honda Monkey Worst bike Triumph Speedmaster The MCN250 can be a long old day and there are points when you glance down at the trip and groan as you still have so many more miles to cover. But by the same token there are just as many times when you are reminded how much fun two wheels are as some of the roads are excellent to ride. However, what never ceases to surprise me is how much you learn about a bike during such a tough test. Things such as a chronically uncomfortable seat (Triumph Speedmaster), weird handling (Husky Vitpilen), a surprising superstar (Enfield Himalayan) and a bike that wins you friends everywhere you go (Honda Monkey) are all highlighted due…

In all my years as a road tester, one road ride really sticks out: a thrash though the Black Forest’s B500 in Germany on an Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory. The way it seemed to turn the tarmac into velvet, the excess of front grip it offered on the way into corners, the V4 engine growl, its flawless electronics and the easy speed of it all. No road bike had ever flattered so much, or delivered such walking-on-water feeling before, or since. Until now. Just like that magnificent 1077cc Aprilia the Triumph Speed Triple RS hasn’t been conceived for the track, but created to be an exceptional road bike. Heading north out of Bedford the 1050cc triple rolls from corner to corner with ease. It belts out that same Tuono-like…

1 Time for design After consulting with the client, Rich does all his helmet paint designs by hand on paper. Each usually takes a couple of days to tweak and finalise. “I’ve probably done thousands…” 2 Disassembly Vents, fittings etc are removed, openings masked. Rich is endorsed by Arai but does most. Plain white is best. 3 Preparation Shell is ‘flatted’ using 800-grade paper, rough design is sketched on and used as a guide for masking out the design. 4 Painting process begins Painting begins, usually with the lightest colours first. Rich uses Iwata airbrushes and builds up layers in House of Kolor paint, sometimes with lacquer inter-coats. There can be up to 20 coats in total. 5 Highlighting Fine details and subtle shadows are the final touch. “It’s what…

In 2010 Hutchy suffered a badly broken tibia and fibula on his left leg after being hit by other riders during a start-line pile up in horrendous conditions at Silverstone BSB. After multiple operations and skin grafts he returned to racing at the end of 2011, finishing third at Macau. Hutchy then broke the same leg again during rehearsals for the Carole Nash MCN London Show at the start of 2012. His leg had become infected and was weak. An external cage was fitted once again and he competed on the roads but was still injured. More operations followed at the end of the year and into 2013. Hutchy had his final operation in September 2013 (his 30th) and was declared fit to race at Macau. The sensational story was…

The tiny switchback roads in southern Spain just north of Malaga are the ideal playground for Kawasaki’s Ninja 125. There’s virtually no traffic, just dry roads, with never-ending corners; it’s perfect for this new four-stroke 125. The all-new Ninja is making light work of endless hairpins. The sporty chassis is allowing me to flow between corners with ease. And while I may have less than 15bhp on tap, it’s more than enough to have fun with on these challenging roads. The last time I had this much fun on a 125 was when Nirvana were in the charts. Power to move you The Ninja is powered by a water-cooled, four-stroke 14.7bhp single-cylinder engine which is very loosely based on the old Ninja 250/300 engine. Peak power comes in at 10,000rpm,…

‘Enjoy pure escapism before the turkey onslaught’ Christmas Day delivers a roller coaster of emotions that, let’s be honest, can get a little infuriating by about 10am. If you have young children, your lie-in will be ruined by the eagerness of the little monsters to start ripping open presents before it is even light and then proceeding to play with them at full volume. On your bed. It’s no surprise that Santa clears off back to the North Pole well before the little sods have awoken. And it doesn’t stop there. ‘Enjoy the quietest day of the year on the UK’s roads’ Fired-up by enough sugary treats to power the north of England (why does Christmas day make it ok to have chocolate for breakfast?), the kids will need to…

One of the real benefits of adventure bikes is that you can lug stuff around easily, whether that’s a load of camping gear to Africa, or getting the panic-buying haul back from the local service station on Christmas Eve. Like most manufacturers these days, Triumph have a few luggage options to choose from. The set most befitting the XCA model, in looks at least, are the Expedition panniers. Made for Triumph by Givi, they’re in 1.5mm aluminium so are reasonably light. I actually smashed up a set on my old GS, so I can confirm they’re also fairly strong and can be straightened out if needs be. And as they’re official kit, they can be configured to work with your ignition key, which is one less thing to lose, plus…

Back in the 90s Triumph discovered that competing with the Japanese in the transverse four-cylinder market is a tough gig. Bluntly, the Japanese have more experience than anyone in building this type of bike. Four-cylinder 1000s and 1200s were dropped from the range and Triumph focused on triples (admittedly via a detour into the four-cylinder TT600) and there are plenty of good ones to be had without breaking the bank. YOUR EXPERT MCN’s resident used bike guru, Neil Murray has been buying and selling bikes for decades and can sniff out a bargain or a dog of a bike at 50 paces. £3000 DAYTONA 675 675cc | 126bhp | 825mm seat height ● Dealer £3100-£5000 ● Private £2550-£4500 ● This one 26,000 miles, £3000 This gem cemented Triumph’s reputation as…

Races are won and lost on the brakes. Without the optimum set-up riders can’t overtake, so countless hours and budget are spent on development. Italian specialists Brembo remain the benchmark throughout racing whether that’s providing the incredible stopping power of carbon disks in MotoGP or the steel disks on the roads or in World Superbikes and Bennetts British Superbikes. While the hardware is important, the riders play a critical part too, but they’re all achieving that in very different ways. To find out who are the latest or hardest brakers on the WSB grid, MCN sat down with Franco Zonnedda, Brembo’s braking guru who been working within WSB since way back when Carl Fogarty ruled the roost. With the benefit of datalogging it’s possible to see exactly who is pulling…

New Honda riders Xavi Forés and Andrew Irwin got their first taste of the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 in a private test at Monteblanco in Spain last week. The duo replace Dan Linfoot and Jason O’Halloran in BSB’s sole manufacturer-run effort as the Louth-based squad look to re-establish themselves as regular front-runners in the series after a number of difficult seasons. It was a big test for the duo as they both move from Ducati’s V-twin to Honda’s in-line four. Forés, who has been competing in World Superbikes since 2015, hadn’t ridden a four since 2012 while Irwin made his BSB debut on the Be Wiser Ducati last year. Moving to BSB is a step into the unknown for Spaniard Forés, but after finishing as the highest-ranked independent rider in the…

Grand Prix racing’s newest class, the inaugural electric world series will join the championship for five rounds next season. Headlined by Gibernau, British racer Bradley Smith and former MotoGP podium finisher Randy De Puniet, the series will be a single-make championship using highly-modified versions of Italian firm Energica’s Ego superbike. The bikes weigh 250kg (100kg more than a MotoGP bike) and require a completely different riding style thanks to their unconventional powerplant, but Gibernau says that they’re surprisingly fun machines to ride fast around a track. He said: “It’s actually closer to riding a two-stroke than a four-stroke, because of the lack of engine braking, the high corner speed and the initial touch of the throttle. I spent some time trying to get it sideways but it’s so heavy, while…

Brookes takes a trip to the kitty litter at Brands Hatch. Will Redding do the same when he makes his first appearance at the Kent track? Don’t look Scott… it’s Christian Iddon getting himself into a tangle at Thruxton. It’s a far cry from the exotic tracks of the MotoGP world Laverty gets some air (and not in a good way) at Brands. All that Armco will be new for a rider who’s spent his days in the GP paddock Haslam does his best to dodge the tyre wall. Will Redding be able to keep himself shiny side up when the season starts in earnest?…

Marc Marquez’s Honda RC213V looks the same every year but HRC have worked hard over the last three seasons to make it work better with the Michelin tyres and lower-tech unified software. Its best-known weakness is its need for a hard front tyre but with Marquez on board that doesn’t seem to matter... Wins Marquez took five poles and nine wins on the RCV in 2018. Cal Crutchlow scored the other first place for Honda Carbon swingarm New for 2018, it allows Honda’s engineers to fine tune flex ratios more accurately than with aluminium Big power The big-bang 90-degree V4 makes 270bhp, enough to keep it in touch with Dovi’s Ducati on long straights Top speed Marc’s RCV hit 217.5mph on Mugello’s start/finish straight, 2.5mph slower than the Ducatis Wings…

Ultimate riding style Kevin Schwantz “It was gangly, laid-back, awkward, and loose; he didn’t grip on anything. Genius. “Worst? Mick Doohan. If he’d turned up at one of my trackdays riding like he did I would have pulled him aside and said: ‘No, no, no!’” Coolest leathers Kevin Schwantz “These days you have to have Italian leather suits with airbags but when I was racing it was all Japanese. There was nowt wrong with Brit stuff like Scott or Crowtree. They were lovely club racer suits that you could crash in every weekend. But when we saw our first Japanese leathers – Kushitanis and especially Kevin Schwantz’ RS Taichis – they were flippin’ awesome! You could move in them. You didn’t have to break them in for six months. They…

Dean Harrison The biggest excitement for me is seeing how Jorge Lorenzo gets on as Marquez’s team-mate at Honda. Jake Dixon He’ll take to the RCV like a duck to water because the Honda turns, while the Ducati didn’t, and that will suit his riding style. JW Did you know that Casey Stoner has left Ducati and rejoined Honda as a sort of helper? JD And the rider he’ll benefit the most is Lorenzo because he knows what Lorenzo likes. ‘Ducati has less inertia than Honda because it’s a smaller company’James Whitham DH But Lorenzo’s used to getting the things he wants at Ducati. Ducati move so fast and adapt quickly. But, like Cal Crutchlow says, if Jorge wants, say, a new tank like he did at Ducati, Honda will…

Dean Harrison We had extra bike fitness... Jake Dixon It’s down to the high level of BSB. DH Peter Hickman’s been riding in BSB for at least 10 years. He’s brought that experience to the TT. JD I think Hickman bringing his BSB speed to the TT has brought the likes of you on, Dean. DH Well, we are riding the TT course much more like a BSB race these days. JD You mad, mad b*****d. DH All that stuff about how you have to ride the TT at 90% is rubbish. We are flat out all of the time. JD I can see that. You are on the nines! JW Yeah, but I think it’s always been like that really. When I did the TT in the 80s I…

It feels like the world is suddenly full of custom bike builders, each trying to out-do each other. But undoubtedly one of the best are Walt Siegl Motorcycles (WSM); the eponymous business formed by an Austrian in New Hampshire, with a fascination for engineering and an eye for detail mainstream manufacturers (and most buyers) can’t afford. His latest creation, this Ducatipowered retro ‘Superbike’, makes MV Agusta’s recent, similar looking Superveloce 800 look like an unfinished afterthought. And while MV’s version won’t be available until late 2019, you can order one of WSM’s creations now. Siegl’s bikes are all based around Ducati or MV Agusta engines and the new Superbike is no exception. Uniquely, though, it has been developed to accommodate both the air-cooled two-valve engines, and the later water-cooled 4-valve…

The first-ever motorcycle Santa run has taken place on the Isle of Man, raising thousands of pounds for the children’s wing of the Isle of Man Hospice, Rebecca House. Starting at the TT Grandstand and after a quick tour of Douglas Promenade an estimated 200 bikes rode to Castletown around the Southern 100 course, before convoying to the grounds of Noble’s Hospital and heading back to the Grandstand for tea and mince pies. The event was organised by island resident Oli Allen, and raised over £4000 for the respite, palliative and end-of-life care for children up to the age of 18. The event was part of a larger group of processions known collectively as Santa’s on a Bike which include rideouts in Devon, Bristol, Essex and Plymouth. Last year, a…

● 689cc parallel-twin ● 74bhp ●196kg (kerb) MCN has teamed up with Yamaha to give you the chance to win a brilliant Tracer 700GT. Last year saw the arrival of the Tracer 700, adding a bigger nose cowl and revised rider ergonomics to the MT-07 to create one of the most genuinely pleasing everyday do-it-alls on the market. And for 2019 the game of evolutionary kiss-chase has moved on again, with the Tracer 700 now getting the GT upgrades the 900 led with in 2018,. Good wind protection, a plush seat for long days in the saddle, and the 17-litre fuel tank deliver a very usable range – and the addition of a pair of 20-litre colour-matched panniers means even more flexibility. Thanks to the position of the exhaust, there’s…

‘BMW S1000RR’ My grandson Thomas Scott (aged two-and-a-half) making some adjustments to his S1000RR. John O’Connor  My Yamaha was bought from Queens Park Motors in Manchester for £535 and thrashed to within an inch of its poor life. Kerry Green YAMAHA RD250 TRIUMPH SPEED TWIN Here I am in 1976. Belstaffs were £25 back then! Derek Cowell  Me on my TS125 in Doncaster back in 1984. What a machine! John Collinson SUZUKI TS125 SUZUKI TS50X My daughter Lottie has just turned 16 and this is her Suzuki TS50X. Mark Barton FRANCIS BARNETT AND JAMES My brother Michael and me on our Francis Barnet 150 and Villiers James 200. It was 1973 and in the days before crash helmets. Kevin Bradbury TRIUMPH TIGER It’s 1965 and here I am as the…

In a leafy suburb of Sutton Coldfield, in a converted garage complete with venting systems, and stocked with boxes of brand new Arais, lies one of Britain’s most respected helmet painters. Rich-Art is the trading name of Richard Stevens, whose work has been seen on the heads of Troy Bayliss, Neil Hodgson, Cal Crutchlow and most recently Josh Brookes, but it all began, quite literally, by accident. In the late ’90s, Rich was a national-level MX racer before a broken leg changed everything. Laid up with time to fill, an interest in custom helmets and a connection to then BSB-contender Troy Bayliss, life took a major turn. “I’d always been fascinated by helmet designs, Troy Lee and so on, and it seemed like a cool job to do,” Rich tells…

Triumph’s new Scrambler 1200 isn’t just another ’60s-inspired retro. Sure, it has enough style to look cool lounging outside a café, but it also has the guts to be ridden hard, especially on the loose stuff. After a day slip-sliding on fast gravel roads, rocky climbs and Mars-red dirt tracks at its world launch in Portugal, it’s clear the new Triumph more than lives up to its scrambling pretentions. It comes in two forms. The £11,500 Scrambler 1200 XC (see page 6), will happily cruise, scratch and get mud in its turn-ups. But the £12,300 XE (available in late February) with its beefier, longer-travel suspension, stretched wheelbase, wider bars and more sophisticated electronics, is blessed with an extra layer of off-road ability and is more than capable of rivalling all…

It’s a long way from Malaga to the Sierra Nevada, especially when you’re riding 100 miles of the journey on off-road trails, but the new F850GS Adventure takes it all in its stride. With a bigger fuel tank, improved weather protection and revised ergonomics it’s capable of taking you wherever you want in comfort whether that’s on or off-road. While the base model starts at just £10,600 the options to upgrade ergonomics, electronics, rider aids and gadgets are almost endless and turn it into a very accomplished adventure bike which begs the question; do you actually need BMW’s flagship 1250GS? 1 Off-road credentials One of the Adventure’s biggest achievements is that it’s retained its off-road abilities despite the extra weight over the standard GS. While the tank is bigger it…

The naked Z125 shares the same four-stroke engine and rolling chassis as Ninja 125 but benefits from a taller riding position thanks to its 815mm seat height and more upright bars, and it weighs 2kg less. The baby Zed is even more user-friendly thanks to that more upright and relaxed riding position, the wider-spread mirrors are more effective and the riding position is roomier. Its naked styling mimics the bigger bikes in the Zed range and you really can expect to cause some capacity confusion outside the chip shop with this gem. Tech spec ● Price £4099 (base colour), £4173 blue, £4272 black/white ● Seat height 815mm ● Weight 146kg (kerb)…

‘They sell the biggest ice creams I’ve ever seen’ With the Brecon Beacons in easy reach, Rob Williams loves nothing more than a spin on his Honda CBF1000. This loop crosses from Wales to England and with mountains and valleys it combines stunning scenery on both sides of the border. Rob says: “After breakfast at Mynydd Ddu Tea Rooms in Cwmdu, there’s spectacular scenery, as the road twists towards Talgarth. Fast, sweeping bends on the A438 lead into Hereford and as you head back to Abergavenny stop off at Locks Garage. They sell the biggest ice cream I’ve ever seen for a pound.” TAKE OUR ONE-GALLON CHALLENGE Tell us about your favourite ride. Bikers can vote for their favourite routes and whoever gets the most votes by December 31, 2018,…

The Tracer 900’s been a big hit for Yamaha with over 30,000 sold since it arrived in 2015. And the three-cylinder sports-tourer was enough to tempt Simon Grieves back to road bikes. “I had a Yamaha Fazer 600 which I bought new back in 1999 and I loved it. Despite me having it for a few years, I always said I’d never buy another new bike just because of the instant depreciation, but there was something about the Tracer 900 that tempted me back in.” After finishing with dirt bikes, Simon found his way over to Yamaha dealer Keith Dixon Motorcycles in Accrington, where he took a test ride on a 2017 Tracer. “The model really appealed to me: it had that Fazer look but it was just more modern...…

Dean Harrison He’d win. Jake Dixon No he wouldn’t. DH He’d win. JD He would not. DH He’s that good he’d just win. JD Nah. His problem would be that he goes straight to the limit and then crashes, but in BSB he’d have no second bike like he does in MotoGP with HRC. He’d have no time on track. ‘I’d love to see Marquez ride at Cadwell’James Whitham James Whitham He’d also be in Louth General Hospital. British circuits don’t generally have the runoff space of the MotoGP tracks. JD It’s cold and you hurt yourself when you crash in BSB. JW I’d love to see Marquez ride at Cadwell though. JD But even he would need a top team. JW If Johnny Rea came in from WSB he…

“I should have won it!,” says Whit. “In 1991 we were kinda the rising stars in British racing. Foggy was on a V4 VFR400R NC30 and I was on a two-stroke Suzuki RGV250K. And what started off as a bit of a knockabout, quickly escalated into one of those battles. “I’m convinced I’d have won it but my RGV nipped a ring – they all did it – so I lost 150rpm, just enough to make a difference… “I knew I could get past Foggy at Lodge on the penultimate lap then I tried to put a really clean lap together on the last lap. I thought he would pass me on the straight so I did a load of jinks that worked in his favour and he came past.…

1 BEST TWO-STROKE YAMAHA RD350LC When I walked to school I tried to go a bit early on a Wednesday so I could pick up my MCN and have a quick 20 minutes flicking through before the bell. And there was this page showing Barry Sheene in his loafers and no socks standing with a white and blue machine and I thought: bikes aren’t ever going to get better looking than that. Before the LC, bikes had square tanks and metal mudguards… this was the best looking bike ever. I started racing soon after and the paddocks were full of them. They were dead reliable, you could throw them into a tree and they’d still work. Everything about them was perfect with none of the complicated stuff they put on…

Jake Dixon Top three? Rossi, Doohan, Schwantz And Marquez. And Stoner... James Whitham Schwantz was brilliant but you can’t put him on the all-time list. You’ve got to put Eddie Lawson ahead because he won four titles, Schwantz only one. JD If you’re measuring by world titles, it’s easy: Ago, Rossi, Doohan. JW Yeah, but Lawson won on every bike he rode over a long period. Unlike Freddie Spencer, who burnt brightly for a short time. He never really got injured either. And when he got beat by someone on equal terms he was always willing to admit it rather than blame his bike or tyres. JD Too many riders blame the bike rather than putting their hands up. Dean Harrison Jake would have won BSB on my bike; it’s…

JW The best GP bikes ever were the last two-stroke V4 500s: 135 kilos, barely any electronics, brilliant. JD You would say that. JW That’s because I’m right. JD I’d have loved to have ridden a 500 in GPs, I’d have stuffed you on-track. JW You couldn’t have ridden a two-stroke, Jake. JD Oh? JW You lack the required finesse. JD It can’t have been that difficult... you rode one! JW And you don’t have enough mechanical sympathy. DH Ooooh!…

“I spend virtually every summer weekend commentating on a race for Europsort so most of my riding has to be in winter. “I really enjoy an annual two or three-day road trip to Ireland or Scotland with old racing mates like Ian Duffus and Brian Morrison. “But absolute perfection is a two-day trial in Yorkshire. They’re normally laid back with no-one overly bothered. You book yourself into a local pub, have a couple of days of relaxed riding plus a couple of jars with mates – just the job.”…

1 Worry about yourself, not everyone else When it’s busy on track, resist the urge to look in your mirrors and feel the pressure of bikes coming up behind. Don’t worry about them. Concentrate instead on looking forward and on your line. It’s not always easy but it’s the best way. 2 Check your bike over, especially the tyres So many people don’t even check their tyre pressures before a trackday. In fact, plenty turn up with a rear tyre that’s done 20,000 miles and a European holiday and is totally flat in the middle. “Oh, will that make a difference?” 3 Beware of buying a ‘track bike’ Dedicated track bikes are popular these days. It’s all very nice, they come with spare wheels and stands, but basically you’ve inherited…