Table of contents for 6 May 2020 in MCN

The National Motorcycle Museum have opened up entries into their summer raffle while also announcing the winner of their winter competition. The winter raffle was drawn by road racer John ‘Mooneyes’ Cooper, with Andrew Winscom of Worcestershire bagging a brand-new Triumph Thruxton TFC. For the summer raffle it’s a return to classic machinery, with the winner taking home a new old stock 1977 Triumph Bonneville T140J Silver Jubilee. It’s never been run or registered and the clocks show just four push miles. Second prize is a 10 drawer retro toolkit from experts Sealey, while the third prize is a luxury weekend hotel break for two. The draw will take place on Saturday, October 31, hopefully at the National Motorcycle Museum LIVE event. Tickets are £2 each and can be purchased…

Milenco are offering MCN readers a free Milenco Padgett’s heritage T-shirt that celebrates their TT team with every Snaefell lock purchased. The Snaefell is Milenco’s most hardcore piece of bike security and has been awarded the Sold Secure Diamond rating. The chain is made from 22mm links, while the lock has a 35mm steel core that clamps it together. To claim your free T-shirt all you need to do is send a copy of your proof of purchase to sales@ milenco.com along with your address and chosen size.…

Kawasaki do frickin’ fast like no-one else. Ever since the mighty Z1 blitzed all-comers in 1972, the title of ‘World’s Fastest’ has been a matter of corporate pride for the big K and spawned a succession of legends: GPZ900R, ZZ-R1100, ZX-12R... and the ZZR1400. Launched in 2006 and enlarged and updated to its current form in 2012, the 1441cc ZZR gets to 150mph in about the time it took to read that sentence. But in 2018 Kawasaki turned the supercharged H2 into a sports-tourer with the H2 SX SE, then updated it with more technology in 2019 to create the 998cc, 197bhp SE+. Everyone thought it spelled the end for the ZZR1400. Wrong. Kawasaki didn’t just want the world’s fastest sports-tourer, they wanted the world’s two fastest sports tourers. So…

There were BMWs in the Paris-Dakar right from the beginning, including a privateer entry in 1979 on a stock R65! BMW’s first proper entry to the Paris-Dakar rally came in 1980, when BMW France entered two bikes. The star rider for the team was motocross hot shot Hubert Auriol, but he was forced to leave the race halfway through due to a gearbox failure. Cyril Neveu won for the second year in a row on his Yamaha XT500. In 1981 BMW stepped things up, handing over three machines to tuning specialists HPN. They rebuilt the bikes from the ground up adding lengthened twin shock swingarms, braced frames and huge 42l tanks that incorporated the airbox. In the process they gave it five extra horses, 70mm more suspension travel either end…

Riding in Cambodia • Paper work British citizens can get a 30-day visa on arrival for £25. It’s best to carry an International Driver’s Permit to ride in southeast Asia and you will need decent travel insurance that covers you while riding a motorcycle. • Renting Cambodia isn’t the easiest place to rent a bike, rules constantly change and big bikes (anything other than a scooter) are rare. Your best bet is to visit the Cambodia Motorcycle Riders Forum (CMRF) Facebook group for the latest. Or rent a single-cylinder big bike in Vietnam and cross the border into Cambodia and even Laos – now we’re talking!…

2020 Honda Africa Twin Now has a longer-stroke 1084cc engine, taking power up to 100bhp and torque to 78lb.ft. The electronics have also been enhanced courtesy of an IMU, and there’s a slick new TFT dash. 2017-2018 Honda Africa Twin Light update made the engine Euro4 compatible without any drop-off in performance. Honda attempted to solve the rusty wheel issue with a new treatment on the spokes. Now available in Candy Prominence Red. 2015-2016 Honda Africa Twin All-new model brought Honda back into the adventure-sport game with arguably the most iconic name in the business. Unlike the V-configuration Africa Twin of old, the new bike features a 998cc parallel-twin. 1988-2003 Honda XRV650/750 Africa Twin Big desert racer homage, the AT was a 650cc V-twin which then became 749cc in 1990.…

MY FAVOURITE TOOLS FOR FORK SEALS 3/8 ratchet/sockets & 12-14mm spanners A 3/8 socket set with single hex sockets 8mm-19mm is ideal for bike maintenance, a set of metric combination spanners in the same sizes will allow you take on multiple tasks. Torque wrenches Almost every nut and bolt has a specific torque value to make sure it is tight and secure. For most bikes you will need a range from around 10Nm to 200Nm, a 3/8 and 1/2in drive should cover all tasks. Fork oil level tool and steel rule The fork oil measuring tool makes easy work of getting the air gap spot on, simply syringe out the excess with the pre-set depth gauge. Or a simple steel rule will perform the same job, but take a little…

RATINGS POOR ★ AVERAGE ★★ GOOD ★★★ VERY GOOD ★★★★ EXCEPTIONAL ★★★★★ BMW GS Carbon Helmet £515 Tested by Jordan Gibbons for two months, 3000 miles BMW have made the adventure GS helmet for years and this is their latest ‘Carbon’ model, so named because the shell is made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic. The result is a lid that weighs 1450g (about 10% lighter than the competition) and I really noticed that on the long days of the GS Trophy. It’s reasonably quiet for an adventure helmet, probably because the peak doesn’t catch the air. Where it really impresses is with the venting: with the chin vent removed and the visor off, it flows air as well as a dedicated off-road helmet. The visor opening is also especially large, to…

Despite road racing being cancelled, 16-time TT winner Ian Hutchinson has re-joined TAS Racing in a bid to continue his assault on the road race scene. Hutchy, who spent the last two years riding for the official Honda squad, will be re-united with the proven TAS-run Synetiq BMW S1000RR – a bike and team with whom he has enjoyed great success. Hutchinson said: “Putting this deal together with team boss Philip Neill to do the International Road Races is perfect for me really. To be honest, I was secretly hoping that would be the case all winter. I had great success and a lot of fun the last time I rode the S1000RR for TAS Racing, and having prepared so well in January and February I’m ready to race when…

Adventure bike rally organisers RallyMoto are planning a long-distance road event in Wales for August. Called the Tour of Wales, it will challenge road riders to cover 500km of idyllic Welsh backroads in under 12 hours, with plans to start near Chester and finish in Abergavenny. Entry costs £85 with a portion of that going towards NHS charities. Including the money already raised through the desktop rally series, they’re aiming to donate over £3000. Visit www.rallymoto.co.uk for more.…

MOVIES Easy Rider is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime THURSDAY 5.30pm, EUR2, Motorcycling: Ulster GP from 2019 FRIDAY 6.50am, TVL, World’s Greatest Motorcycle Rides with Henry Cole – New Zealand, Part 1 TUESDAY 12pm, BTS2, MotoGP Films: Great Moments KEY TO CHANNELS: DRT - DISCOVERY REAL TIME DSC - DISCOVERY CHANNEL DHD - DISCOVERY CHANNEL HD EXS - EXTREME SPORTS CHANNEL EUR1 (2, HD) - EUROSPORT 1 (2, HD) MOT - MOTORSPORT.TV CH4 - CHANNEL 4 CH5 - CHANNEL FIVE BBC BBCI – BBC INTERACTIVE ESPN – ESPN CLASSIC CHANNEL IT V DST – DISCOVERY TURBO SHED – DISCOVERY SHED INST – INSIGHT SS1 (2, 3 OR X) - SKY SPORTS 1 (2, 3 OR EXTRA) QUEST BTS1 – BT SPORT 1 BTS2 – BT SPORT 2…

Royal Enfield have revealed big plans for the future and say even the current Coronavirus crisis won’t stop their long-term strive for success. Siddhartha Lal, Enfield’s managing Director, said: “We’ve had zero debt for most of the time that I’ve been the CEO of Eicher Motors, which is 14 years now. It helps us in times of crisis and means we do not need to react in a knee-jerk way or in a manner which will affect our long-term success. “If we have a few months of zero revenue, which is possibly the case right now; it’s okay, we will survive. We’re not hand to mouth anymore, like we were a decade ago, so we can invest tremendously in the future.” And with sales up – until the current crisis…

I lost my wife five weeks ago but using my motorcycle has kept me going. I have volunteered to deliver prescriptions for my son's pharmacy as they are rushed off their feet delivering to all elderly or at risk patients so they don't have to leave their homes. The K1600 panniers swallow up most bulky prescriptions and thank goodness for satnav as I've been to parts of Sunderland I didn't know existed. I even manage to have an occasional quick blast down an empty A19, all legally of course. Dave Vaughan, email So sorry to hear of your loss. It is wonderful to hear you are putting your bike to use helping others. You are an example to us all, sir! MCN Star letter Write something that spikes our…

Q ‘My solicitor messed up, can I sue them?’ Just over three years ago I came off on a paint spill on a roundabout. The tin and lid were found a few yards away, so it must have come off a tipper or something. My insurer gave me a solicitor but because they never found out which company was to blame they dropped the case. I have done some research and came across the Motor Insurance Bureau. I called my solicitor to ask about this but she said it wouldn’t succeed and anyway I am out of time. Do I have grounds for compensation for wrong legal advice? Ruth, Padstow ‘Your solicitor was wrong to say that the MIB wouldn’t have paid out’ A In the absence of cctv or…

MARK HULANDS Age 59 Height 6ft Current bike 2012 Kawasaki ZZR1400 Been riding for 43 years “When I first rode my ZZR away from the dealer it felt big, bulky, long and low. But the engine was like, ‘Wow!’ Handling and ride-wise, I’m no trackday hero so for what I do it’s fine. It keeps up with my mates on sportsbikes, but it’s more comfy with nicer suspension and a 22-litre, 200-mile tank... if you’re sensible. “The SX is very easy to ride – engine is effortless, it’s twist and go. The throttle hunts a bit and it’s shorter action than the ZZR. Ride quality is good but if I didn’t know it was semi-active I couldn’t tell. It’s not a huge difference over the ZZR1400, and neither is the…

EARLY DAYS Frame builder Jim Lee spotted that Mick had talent but was held back by his bike. With decent machinery under him, Mick was instantly at national-standard pace and was destined for glory. WINS HIS FIRST GP This shot shows Mick flying over Ballaugh Bridge on his KR750 in the 1975 TT. It was possibly Mick’s most famous year as he beat the TT lap record and won the Senior – his first GP win. FACTORY KAWASAKI In 1977 Mick won the 250 Dutch GP (above) and won the Swedish GP that year too. It was both heartening and deeply frustrating – Mick missed a shot at the world title because his team manager only let him ride half the season. TT WINS WITH SUZUKI After being dropped by…

Detail upgrades don’t add up to a big difference in the riding department, but the new Dragster 800 RR is still a thing of decadent beauty. Build quality and paint are stunning, its gravelly, mechanical soundtrack is to die for and it has one of the most addictive auto-blippers around. It’s quick, has superb brakes and oozes character, but fuelling and handling are fussy and the old-school LCD dash and tyres leave you feeling shortchanged. As a visual and aural treat it is hard to beat, but as a riding experience some of its rivals do it better. Tech spec…

THE OWNER Richard Newland, Editor Age 46 Been riding 35 years First bike Suzuki RM80 There’s something exceptionally pleasing about big V-twins. The flatness of their delivery, their deceptive speed and gluttonous dollops of torque. The way they build power with a surging tide that isn’t dulled by gradients or caught out by being a gear too low for that quickly stolen B-road overtake. They’re addictive. There are those who love the buzzing hedonism of a screaming inline-four at its crank-spinning climax – but I’m not one of them. I’d already owned a ‘fake 900SS’ (Yamaha’s parallel twin TRX850) and a real 900SS (god, I love the sound 2-valve Ducatis make) so there was only one logical choice for my next purchase: I needed a 916. The search began with…

BMW owners are generally considered to be more mature than the other tribes, but one F800 owner still made a schoolboy error with his bike which GP Motorcycles in Pontypridd had to sort out. “He rang me and said ‘there’s a clattering sound every time I change gear. I think the chain needs adjusting’, so I told him to bring it in,” said GP’s owner Simon Harris. ‘I’ll adjust the chain to show the right technique’ The bike was a 2013-model and in good nick at first sight, but the chain was doing a good impression of a hammock, so at least he was aware that it was an issue. Simon specialises in restoring classic two-strokes, with a row of pristine Yamaha RD350LCs that would make anyone who was a…

The Classic TT has suffered the same fate as the TT with the Isle of Man Government confirming the cancellation of the 2020 event. It was due to take place from August 22 to September 4, but is now off the calendar until 2021. The decision to cancel was made between the Department for Enterprise and race organisers in response to Covid-19. “Unfortunately when all the factors and advice are considered we felt that it was important to make an early decision to provide clarity and certainty to race officials, fans and sponsors, as well as competitors themselves,” explained Laurence Skelly MHK, Minister for Enterprise. “There is sufficient uncertainty about the future and therefore making an early decision is the only responsible thing to do.”…

Now three weeks into our search for the greatest TT races of the last 25 years and it’s time for the prestigious Supersport category. So far we’ve taken a look at the Superbike and the Superstock classes. This week it’s all about Supersport, then we’ll be turning our attention to Lightweight, Sidecar and finally the Senior TT. Our panel of experts comprises the greatest living TT racer John McGuinness, esteemed team boss Clive Padgett, 11-time winner Phillip McCallen, TT Businness Development Manager Paul Phillips, renowned TT photographer and writer Stephen Davison and 2019 Senior TT winner Dean Harrison. Then it’s your turn to get involved because you’ll be able to vote on what you think is the greatest Supersport TT of the last quarter century with the winning race being…

‘We have factory engines from BMW’ ‘I’m not ready to start going slower!’ It’s fair to say that Peter Hickman has absolutely no plans of resting on his laurels. Yes, he may be the world’s best roads racer and serial BSB showdown contender, but put simply that’s not enough for the popular star. Now 33 years old, he’s arguably at the height of his powers and he and his Smiths Racing team are not only focused on continuing their roads domination but also a step up in form in British Superbikes. When it comes to the roads, expectations are high – although he will have to wait until next year – and why wouldn’t they be, given his winning form at all the international events. While his big bike form…

Indian have unveiled a new model of the FTR1200 to celebrate their racing success with the FTR750. Since returning to professional flat track racing, the Indian Factory team have won three championships on the bounce. While the racing season may be on hold, Indian are still keen to shout about their successes with the FTR Carbon. Mechanically nothing has changed, so it’s still powered by the 1203cc v-twin from the standard FTR, which puts out an impressive 124bhp. More importantly it’s got 88.5lb.ft of torque available from down low and having run one for a year as a long-term test bike, MCN can confirm it’s not lacking in firepower. Where it does step away from the standard model is in the finish. The headlight surround, tank covers, front mudguard and…

MV Agusta have extended all of their warranties by three months due to the coronavirus crisis. Any bike that is currently under warranty will benefit. MV are gradually returning to full production at their Italian factory and Claudio Quintarelli, MV’s aftersales boss, said: “We want to make sure owners don’t lose out because of the crisis. This warranty extension is free and applies to all bikes covered by our standard three-year warranty and registered before April 30, 2020.”…

Lockdown is getting to me. I’ve serviced my 400 Four, cleaned it and my Honda CD200 until they gleam, run up my Ninja H2 until it’s nice and hot – haven’t ridden that for three months – and fitted an as-new rear rack to my Guzzi Le Mans while making ‘brrmm-brrmm’ noises. And now I want to buy an old Triumph. I can’t explain why. I suppose it’s because I want something I can tinker with pointlessly and swear at. I know nothing of the Ancient Lore of Meriden (though I have friends who do). I briefly owned a TR65 Thunderbird, the rare last-gasp 650 and I tested a Les Harris 750 Bonnie in the late 1980s. Museum pieces even then, but I loved them. Even so, I wound up…

Readers Joe and Sophia Dempsey The Ride Pilgrimage to Tavullia Miles 3300 Time required Three weeks Best bit? “Meeting Valentino was amazing but also when you get home you really can't comprehend the distance you've covered and the time it's taken and it fills you with pride when your trusty steed hasn't missed a beat the whole way.” THE TRIKE In 2010 my now wife Sophia had a stroke. We wanted to ride together so a trike was the answer. THE PLAN We're huge Rossi fans, so we decided we were going big with a pilgrimage to his hometown. THE RIDE Our trip wasn't just about meeting Rossi, so we had plenty of other places to visit and things to do. THE LEGEND Our last chance and all our patience…

The ZZR represents what must be the last of the long, low and fast philosophy of hypersports bikes. Heavy and stable, it’s a bulked-up and stretched-out sportsbike; more brute force battle-axe than rapier. The SX SE+ has a more compact, nimble chassis and a more expansive, sports-touring riding position; it’s lighter, sharper, spec’d up and decked out with tech. And, while in terms of sheer performance there’s barely anything between them, the experience of using the supercharged SX SE+ is more intoxicating because it feels so unconventional. It’s the better, more exciting, bike. But if you want a 197bhp Kawasaki and don’t care about all the bells and whistling supercharger, then £5000 for a 2012-on ZZR next to over £23k for the new bike makes most people’s choice fairly simple.…

“It’s the first bike that I’ve ever bought new. I’ll confess I was completely taken in by all the photos that came out of the press launch back at the start of 2016. All that riding around in the desert made it look so good and it manufacturers don’t do it. Oddly, when it came to MoT time the tester tried to fail my bike for the tubeless tyre conversion on the grounds that it was a non-standard modification – he eventually conceded, but it’s something you need to definitely sold the dream to me. At the time I had a Yamaha XJR1300 and Honda Deauville and I thought that the Africa Twin would be able to do the job of both of them combined, so I traded them in…

At first glance, it may seem like the most difficult part of this task is stripping down the fork itself, refilling the oil level and then rebuilding the stanchion. With that in mind, it’s natural that you focus your brain power on this part of the task. However, it’s the parts of the process either side of stripping and rebuilding each leg that will trip you up if you let it. When removing the fork from the bike, be sure you make a note of the fork protrusion in the top yoke, and the position of the handlebars if your bike has adjustable clip ons. You also need to pay attention to how brake lines and the wiring are routed. There is a very specific route that everything has to…

Don’t limit your search to the obvious... Buying an A2 bike is a bit of a funny one. On the one hand you’ve got well-loved, crashed, bashed and abused examples that have been enjoyed by new riders (or even used by training schools) – and, based on what we see, they’re probably the average offering. On the other hand, you’ve got bikes that have been bought new, tried once or twice on glorious days, then put back in the garage when the owner was distracted by their next ‘bucket list’ activity. This is the reason you shouldn’t discount older bikes when you’re searching. An A2 bike from when the licensing scheme was introduced in 2013 that’s barely been used and sat in a dehumidified garage will be a better buy…

Lockdown continues. No cure available. And now the cancellation of three GPs – Germany, Finland and the Netherlands – means abandonment of the determination to run a full season. It’s not just us. All sports are in jeopardy. Even chess. Wimbledon’s off; the Olympics postponed. Can bike racing do better? It’s not often MotoGP follows F1, but now may be the time. While their engineering shops make ventilators, F1 chiefs plan GPs in private. Skeleton pit staff. No fans. Silverstone is a candidate for a double-header. They will race in a bubble both literally and figuratively sterile. So who needs spectators? The riders don’t. With a few notable exceptions, they’re barely aware of them, and some (like Casey Stoner) actually think them something of an impediment. The racing goes on…

Ducati and their Panigale is one of the biggest challenges standing in the way of Hickman and BSB success. So what can he do to stop the V4 in its tracks? “That’s a good question!” he says. “There were only three of them in the championship and they finished first, second and third. It doesn’t take a scientist to work out the best bike on the grid. That is not saying the riders weren’t good, of course they were. They were all riding out of their skin like we all are. “Plus they are only going to get better so it’s up to us to improve what we’re doing to beat them. It’s not their fault they are the strongest. A lot of people say that they should be penalised…