BIKE
October 2021BIKE is packed with road tests of new bikes and inspirational riding stories, with fantastic places, amazing races and extraordinary people. Created by a passionate and expert team of motorcycle riders, Bike makes you feel part of the amazing motorcycling world. Our three main areas of content are... Road tests: We ride and test all the latest bikes, from tourers to retros. Riding: We take motorcycles to the four corners of the UK, and the four corners of the world Extraordinary travel stories: amazing races, extraordinary events and astonishing bike people.
in this issue
hello
Some years Bike of the Year is a foregone conclusion. Some years its a proper argument. This time round there have been so many compelling new models that Bike’s experienced testers couldn’t even agree what should be in the top ten, so we ended up with 13 finalists. A proper biker’s dozen. And that debate was as nothing compared with the shouting match about what should actually win. This has been the most interesting year for new bikes in ages, with established manufacturers pushing boldly into new markets, successfully reinventing existing models and adding extraordinary levels of technical sophistication. And for the first time there’s a Chinese bike among the finalists. Yet for Bike the true test of a motorcycle is measured in the size of the grin it puts on your…
team bike
1 Mat Oxley The most respected writer in the MotoGP paddock, still trying to understand what makes racers tick. And aware that more women riders would make racing better. Ana Carrasco interview on page 92 2 Jim Moore 24 years in bike journalism, ten as editor of Practical Sportsbikes, and Jim still can’t resist a used bargain. ‘Have you seen how cheap used Blades are at the moment?’ Used Bike of the Year on page 78 3 Michael Neeves Club racer and mega experienced tester, Michael’s was one of the voices that shaped the Bike of the Year features in this issue. It was a great argument. Bike of the Year on page 38 4 Ian Martin Our Team Bike make-it-happener is prepping another Honda RC30 for this year’s Classic Bol d’Or, and somehow finds time for a family and…
different strokes
There are just two Yamaha R1s in BSB, but as Bike goes to press, one is leading the championship and the other is fighting for third. Not bad for a machine based on a six year old road bike. So how does the old R1 manage to beat BMW M1000RRs and V4 Ducatis? ‘We’ve been flat-out with changes in the last year,’ says Chris Anderson, the technical director of McAMS Yamaha and crew chief to one of its riders, Tarran Mackenzie. ‘The Yamaha wants to wheelie [the Ducati and BMW S1000RR have contra-rotating cranks to help reduce this] so we built a different spec engine to bring down the torque and increase the power. We’ve got a new cylinder head spec, new cams, new air-filters with different bell-mouths and a new…
bob on for record
At the start of the first lockdown Jody Millhouse was looking for a project. Tidy up the shed? Dig a fishpond? Not exactly. ‘I thought, why not try and build the fastest Triumph Bobber in the world?’ Excellent. Though it has yet to be proved officially, Jody has almost certainly succeeded in his mission. The record stands at 147mph, which was achieved over two miles on the Bonneville salt flats. Jody recently hit 130mph in 10.5 seconds in a quarter of a mile at Santa Pod. ‘I was only in fourth gear so I’m confident it’s going to destroy that record,’ he tells Bike. There are two fundamental reasons for this outlandish performance: a Rotrex C15 supercharger and a bottle of nitrous oxide. Without nitrous, the bike makes 165bhp at the rear…
the shape of change
There’s no denying the new electric BMW CE 04’s style – it looks like it’s destined for the next Blade Runner rather than Basingstoke. But the maxi scoot’s £11,700 price could prove a powerful deterrent. ‘I can’t see it being hugely competitive at the price,’ says Alec Sharp, owner of English Electric Motor company, the UK’s biggest e-bike dealership. ‘I’d be more than happy to see it succeed because when people see the big brands bringing out their own electric vehicles, it gives electric more credibility. But can’t see them selling many.’ Price aside, the scooter looks solid. The liquid-cooled motor is derived from a BM car and makes 41.4 bhp and 45.7 lb.ft, which is good enough to zip it up to 75mph. It will charge from 20-80 percent in 45 minutes…
now you ‘c’ it, now you...
Love trackdays? Got some cash sloshing about? If so, here’s your next purchase: KTM’s new RC 8C track bike. Well, we say KTM, but although it’s powered by the 890cc parallel twin from the 890 Duke R, the rest of the machine is designed, developed and built by tiny German manufacturer Kramer. KTM have essentially just put a new fairing on Kramer’s 128bhp, 140kg GP2-R racer (see Bike, July 2020). We can see why though: the GP2-R is a jewel of a bike that’s brimming with innovation and neat touches to either make it faster or more resistant to crashes. The fuel tank, for example, doubles as the rear subframe and is made of rotomoulded plastic which Dakar bikes use – it’s tough. And by moving the fuel back and down, the…
