Sommaire pour 23 August 2017 de MCN

‘Thousands of hours research and testing have gone into the ground-up design’PAUL JAMES, HARLEY-DAVIDSON Harley-Davidson have been on a serious offensive in recent years to protect their position in the market – most notably from the aggressive growth of Indian. And as the firm enters its 115th Anniversary year, they’ve announced a glut of new custom models combining the Dyna and Softail families under the new Softail banner – all with massive weight reductions, all-new chassis, new engines, and a leap in suspension spec. “The new Softails are the result of the most extensive research and development programme in the company’s history,” says Paul James, Manager of Harley’s Product Portfolio. “Thousands of hours of research and testing were put into the ground-up design of these new cruisers. We focused on…

Tucano Urbano summer range £33.99-£129.99 What’s good Tucano Urbano’s new Areos Jacket and Aero Touch glove are the perfect addition to your summer riding kit. The jacket uses a ventilation system on the chest and back to keep you cool and is 100% waterproof and the gloves use a 3D mesh with touchscreen capability. What’s not Only designed for use in the summer months. www.tucanourbano.com Oxford Scoot XA5 alarm disc lock £44.99 What’s good Oxford’s new scooter disc lock is not only very strong, but it also has a high power 110dB alarm fitted. It has a USB rechargeable battery, comes with a reminder cable, three keys, and should fit every type of scooter – even the awkward single fork Vespa PX! What’s not It uses a thinner pin than…

‘Over 1500 Blades had been sold – three times the sales of standard and SP models in 2017’ The year 1997 was a boom time for motorcycling. Big bike sales were growing steadily with Honda’s FireBlade and Blackbird at the top of the tree. More than 1500 FireBlades had been sold so far – three times the combined sales of standard and SP models in 2017. Triumph’s comeback looked cemented with the launch of the T595, too. Over 1100 of them had been sold in 1997 so far, pumped up by huge numbers coming back to biking, many of whom wanted to buy a British bike. Bikes were in popular culture, too. Puff Daddy’s number one video for I’ll Be Missing You had the man himself (well, a stunt double)…

‘Zero have made a big mistake in not fitting traction control to the S’ Despite making peak figures of 30.6bhp and 79.7ftlb of torque, the new Zero S ZF6.5 is A1-legal and therefore classed alongside 125s - which means it can be ridden with L-plates on a provisional licence. So how does a machine with almost as much torque as a BMW S1000RR class as a learner bike? Continuous power figures are defined as the amount of power the motor can consistently sustain over 30 minutes. With a petrol engine this is constant, but on an electric vehicle the power drops as the battery’s charge decreases, reducing the average figure. This means electric vehicles have large peak values but considerably lower continuous values, making them conform to power-restricted classes (technically,…

‘Specialist race parts simply aren’t available’ THE RULES 2017 Classic Superbike rules have changed to allow big-bore kits. They also allow the 750cc bikes to have a 2mm overbore. 1 Bog-stock road frame Yes, it’s a standard Ducati 851 road trellis chassis from 1991, not a special Corse model. 2 Road-based suspension The Öhlins forks are original SP items from a limited-edition Ducati 888. These are original road items from the early 90s, not specialist Corse items. Internals are standard with 1kg/ mm springs because a specialist aftermarket kit simply isn’t available. The rear linkage has a jack-up kit, which raises the ride height. The rear shock is an orignal Öhlins SP unit with a 1kg/mm spring. 3 Brakes by… who? The discs are original Ducati while the calipers are…

‘The atmosphere is laid back, friendly and inclusive’ Every Wednesday night, from Spring through to Autumn, bikes descend from all over East Anglia to meet up on one of the largest village greens in the country – Great Bentley in Essex. This village, on the Tendring Peninsula, has acted as a motorcycle magnet for more than 30 years and regularly sees up to a thousand bikes proudly parked on the 43-acre site. Although it appears orderly and organised - cones mark the access points and everyone seems to park in regimented rows - the meet is actually as impromptu as it always has been and it’s only down to the enthusiasm and indeed mindfulness of those who attend that it’s been so successful for so long. The atmosphere is laid…

TOOLS • Tools required • Sticker kit • Squeegee blade • Masking tape • Ruler • Water sprayer • Washing up liquid 1 Check the spelling Applying stickers is something everyone has done and you probably made a botch job of it first time around. Whether you’re restoring a classic or fitting bodywork to your trackday bike, there’s a chance you will be applying self-adhesive decals to finish it off. But first things first, check the spelling. It sounds daft but it’s easily overlooked and a typo in your graphics is as bad as a foolish slip in a tattoo! 2 Clean it up Identify the area where the sticker is to be applied. This area needs to be clean and free from dirt and oil. The surface also needs…

Riding Cadwell on a bike as revvy as a 2017 R6 takes a lot of concentration and constant use of the factory OE quickshiter. Keep notching gears down the start/finish straight. Either hit the limiter in fourth or hook fifth before Coppice. Back to third for Coppice and let the engine do the braking with just a brush of front brake. Accelerate up the hill, slow for Charlies one and drive over the rise into Charlies two. Brake, go back to second, get the revs singing before Park Straight. The end of Park straight sees you rev to the limiter in fourth. Heavy on the brakes in Park and back to second gear, let the slipper clutch take over and tap back the gears as fast as you can. Short-shift…

Q How can I stop my Thunderbird squeaking? I bought my Triumph Thunderbird in 2013, but since I went on a big tour in 2014, there has been an irritating squeak from the rear wheel area, which is tied into the drive belt. I can get temporary respite with silicon spray, but it soon comes back and is much worse after a tyre change. Dean Thompson, email A Answered by Adrian Clancy, Total Triumph I have always been able to fix the squeak by proper alignment of the rear wheel using the factory supplied alignment tool and proper tension of the belt, again using the factory supplied tensioning tool along with a liberal coating of the belt and pulleys with Würth silicone spray. The alignment and tension cannot be done…

THE EXPERT Hideki Fujiwara was the Project Leader for the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1. Together with Electronics Project Chief, Takashi Watanabe, he developed the most advanced R1 to date and brought MotoGP electronics technology to the road with Yamaha’s first Slide Control System. IMU senses the bike’s behaviour and feeds the data to the ECU Front wheel sensor compares data with the rear and relays it to the ECU The rear leaves a lovely black line on the tarmac... Rider’s throttle input is regulated by the bike’s ECU It’s not talent, it’s all down to electronics. And a bit of talent... It seems too good to be true, but Yamaha’s Slide Control System (SCS) goes a step beyond basic traction control by actually allowing a degree of rear wheel slide rather…

WSB bosses have denied that the Donington WSB round is under threat – even if the circuit secures a MotoGP race in the future. “It is not a risk,” said championship director Dani Carrera. “There is no problem for WSB because we would have both events there. We have a contract with Donington and we had a meeting with Jonathan Palmer and Stuart Higgs. They are optimistic and think we have a huge margin of improvement to have a better result for a WSB event at Donington. MSV already have BSB and with their experience in promoting motorsport events will give a push to WSB in the UK.”…

‘Today it was different. Today I was the hunter and came after Rea’CHAZ DAVIES Two convincing wins at the Lausitzring have shown Chaz Davies’ true pace and once again marked him out as a man who should be fighting for the WSB title. Last year’s Lausitz round marked the start of his late-season domination – though the wet race in Germany was the only contest he didn’t win in the second half of 2016. This year he went one better but the victory didn’t come easily. Qualifying put him sixth after Superpole and he started ninth for the second race due to WSB’s reverse-grid rule but that didn’t stop him moving through the pack. He passed leaders Jonathan Rea and Marco Melandri in race two, before inexorably pulling away, so…

‘I thought I had Lowes but at turn nine he came by me mid-corner’ If there were awards for over-performing, rather than just championships or race wins, Leon Camier would be a multiple champion on his Reparto Corse MV Agusta F4. A top five finish on Saturday, just half-a-second from Marco Melandri’s factory Panigale, was almost eclipsed by hunting Tom Sykes for long periods of race two as well as staying ahead of far better-funded bikes from Yamaha, Honda and BMW. Only a small self-inflicted error into the final chicane stopped Camier from going fifth again on Sunday. “My mistake!” admitted Camier. “We are struggling with starts at the moment because of the clutch, so we need a better system. When Tom came past I felt really good in the…

After pushing Leon Haslam all the way to the line in Sunday’s opening race, Jake Dixon looked set to strengthen his position as an MCE BSB title fighter, but a crash from the lead in the second race leaves him with work to do at the Silverstone showdown decider. Despite having clinched two victories and three further rostrums, Dixon remains outside the all-important top six despite having closed the gap to the injured Luke Mossey in sixth ahead of a crucial three races at Silverstone. “It certainly wasn’t the way I wanted to end the weekend after being so close to the win in race one,” a frustrated Dixon told MCN after the race. “That said, we’re now just five points behind Mossey so we’ve closed the gap. “The other…

‘With the two-strokes you always seemed to be on edge, risking the unthinkable’ Valentino Rossi has spent most of his career rewriting the record books. The 38-year-old Italian has won more races than anyone in the class of kings and he also has the longest winning career in the class. In fact, Rossi’s 17-year winning career on 500s and MotoGP bikes even succeeds the Formula 1 record, held by Michael Schumacher at 14 years. For a man whose bones are no stronger than yours or mine, that’s an astonishing feat, physically, psychologically and everything else. His secret is his ability to never stop evolving. Rossi’s riding technique: it’s a matter of ‘adapt or die’ Rossi has changed in every way since 2000. He was 21-years-old back then, now he’s knocking…

With 18 of the fastest corners on the MotoGP calendar, flat-out straights and a massive 3.666-mile lap it takes a lot of skill to nail a flying lap of the Northamptonshire circuit. It also gives plenty of opportunity to make a mistake and over the years Silverstone has shown itself to be a venue that favours the underdog, with fast corners requiring nerves of steel as well as aiding the satellite bikes that don’t quite have the acceleration of the factory machines. So intense is a lap of Silverstone that its the only track that Marquez admits frightens him. MCN takes a look at the track from a rider’s point of view. But not just MotoGP, we investigate how the Moto2 and Moto3 men put it on the ideal line…

There’s always talk within MotoGP about the relative strengths of each manufacturer. Ducati are famed for their stonking engine power, Yamaha have sweet handling in their DNA while Honda are the demon brakers and reigning champions. To truly understand the best attributes of each bike on the grid we asked current BSB contender and former MotoGP rider Michael Laverty to piece together the ultimate MotoGP bike. KTM AERO - NOSE CONE “Although winglets were banned for 2017, the wording of the rule change was certainly open for interpretation. For good or for ill, once technology has been unlocked it is impossible to consign it to history. Now is the era of the aero fairing! “Development has switched to incorporate downforce via the bodywork, and we have seen some fairly outlandish…

‘The one best able to manage tyre degradation finishes top’ If there’s one factor more than any other that’s played a deciding role in this year’s MotoGP championship, it’s the tyres. It’s fair to say that Michelin have embarked on a very different strategy from predecessor Bridgestone – with consequences that haven’t been to everyone’s liking. In the past, Bridgestone brought excellent tyres with incredible front feeling that heralded a totally new riding style in the premier class – perhaps best exemplified by stunning shots of Marc Marquez trailing his elbow on the ground through corners with lean angles approaching 70 degrees. But while the Bridgestone rubber was very good indeed, it played only a cameo role in deciding the race results. Any given Sunday saw nearly every single rider…

‘I bugged dad about what it’s like to ride in your home GP’ For Tarran Mackenzie the experience of lining up on the grid for his home GP will be completely new - and he’s only a little but excited! But while it might be a first for the 21-year-old, he’s reliving some family history by walking in the footsteps of father Niall – a man certainly not short on British Grand Prix experience. In 1993 his dad had one of the best results of his career at his home race when he finished third behind Luca Cadalora and Wayne Rainey at Donington. It’s going to be a much tougher ask for his son come Sunday, as he continues the difficult task of adapting from production supersport to prototype Moto2…

BARRY SHEENE SPECIAL TRIBUTE See MCN Sport’s tribute to the genius that was racing legend Barry Sheene is on sale NOW. See incredible never-seen-before pictures and hear from the people who knew him best. The 132-page, standard edition is priced £5.99, or choose one of the numbered, 500 limited-edition Collector’s Specials which also contains a huge glossy poster of Barry and is signed by former team-mate and best friend Steve Parrish who has also written the foreword. Available at most good newsagents or order online now at greatmagazines.co.uk HOME HEROES Then: Barry Sheene The first race on the mainland, after the TT lost its Brit GP status, saw thousands of fans flock to Silverstone with high hopes of a home win. Barry Sheene had won the ’76 world title and…

Heritage Classic H-D say: “Design cues evoke the blacked-out styling of vintage 1950s Harley-Davidson models, updated with a modern edge.” • New detachable windscreen and cruise control as standard • New rigid, lockable, sealed, water-resistant saddlebags • 17kg weight reduction to old model • Optional: Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine • Prices start from £17,995 Low Rider H-D say: “Inspired by the 70s custom era that birthed the original, it’s lighter and faster with handling unimaginable back in the day.” • Throwback-style dual tank-mount speedo and tachometer gauges, headlight visor and fuel tank graphics • 19in front and 16in rear Radiate cast wheels • 2-into-2 Shotgun exhaust • Prices start from £13,645 Softail Slim H-D say: “Pays homage to post-war custom bobbers with a narrow rear end, trimmed front fender, solo seat…

‘As well as the engine, there are big changes in the frame’ Electronics The new entry-level GS spied here has a full-colour TFT dash and there will also be a socket to power mobiles or other accessories, All-new engine Power is expected to be in the region of 85bhp and there’s an accessory performance exhaust that should add a little more. Shock move The two top-end models will come with BMW’s ESA suspension which adjusts automatically on the move. A few months ago we saw spy shots of a new BMW F850GS, swiftly followed by others of a new 750, too. And now our spy snappers have captured undisguised bikes on location. The two bikes have always stood together (the F700 has a detuned 800cc engine from the F800) and…

Anyone who completes a desert rally is a bit of a hero in our eyes but the style in which Pablo Quintanilla won the Atacama Rally beggars belief. After having spent a week in the dunes of Chile, Quintanilla took victory on stage five and took the overall lead in the process. Despite having a poor fourth stage, Quintanilla took advantage of his good starting position to complete the special stage, including the descent of this terrifying dune, in one hour and 35 minutes, giving him a two-minute lead. With this victory, Quintanilla now sits just six points behind Sam Sunderland, leader of the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.…

‘The winner will be chosen by show visitors’ Motorcycle Live, the UK’s biggest bike show, have launched a search to find the best hand-built and customised motorcycles in the country. The four finalists, shortlisted by an expert panel then voted for by the public, will be displayed at the 2017 show at Birmingham’s NEC, from November 18-26. Ace Builds is open to all exhibiting manufacturer brands and models – the only criteria being that the bike is road legal, has been built in the UK, is owned by the entrant and that the machine is a one-off creation. To submit an Ace Build, bike owners must upload a selection of high-resolution images of their machine to the relevant manufacturer category at acebuilds.motorcyclelive.co.uk, with up to 200 words describing the build…

‘Even before the apocalypse happens it’s still a fun bike’ When zombies take over the world, the law-abiding A1-licence holding riders will be turning to the like of this fantastic-looking 125cc scrambler from Bullit to escape the hordes of undead. However, even before the apocalypse happens, it is still a tidy looking option for urban riders. Using the same SOHC two-valve air-cooled engine as the firm’s Spirit, the Hero wraps it up in a tough-looking urban enduro, which is stacked full of attitude and is surprisingly good fun to ride. While the wide, chunky, Kingstone tyres make the handling a bit lazy, the upright stance and motocross bars give you a real sense of dominating the road – despite the fact you are only travelling at 50mph. Unlike the café…

Get it off the deck Raise the wheel off the ground with a front paddock stand and remove the brake calipers (usually held in place with two bolts). Support the calipers and don’t just let them dangle on their hoses. Chock it up Place a block of wood under the tyre as support as you undo the spindle nut. Next, slacken both sets of pinch bolts on the fork legs. Roll the wheel off, making note of the side that any spacers belong. Back it goes To re-fit, get the wheel back on the wood and get the spacers in order. Refit the spindle and tighten the pinch bolts. Next, make sure the brake pads have enough space to clear the disc, and refit the calipers. Pump the front Part…

Q Can I change the fluro panels on my jacket? I have two Hi-Viz fluorescent jackets, for summer and winter riding. Over three years of constant use the fluro panels are getting dull and dowdy. Is there a jacket where you can change the fluro element of the jacket, perhaps every one to two years, and keep it as bright as it can be? David Smith, email A Answered by Keith Roissetter, Infinity Motorcycles Dutch company Macna did a system a few years ago where you could clip reflective striping on and off, but I’ve seen nothing like that for many years. I think your best bet is to invest in an easily replaceable over vest, such as the simple Oxford Bright Vest, the yellow and orange Respro Basic Vest…

WheredidSCSoriginate? Yamaha’s Slide Control System (SCS) was first used on the Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bike in 2012, just three years before it was released to road riders on the 2015 Yamaha YZF-R1 and YZF-R1M. It works together with traction control to allow the rear to slide on corner exit under power. How does the SCS detect the bike is sliding? The SCS uses data from the IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) to detect the R1’s behaviour. The IMU senses the acceleration of the bike in three directions (up/ down, forward/backwards and left/right) as well as the angular velocity in three directions (pitching forwards and back, rotating left and right and rolling left and right) and then gathers this with data taken from its front and rear wheelspeed sensors, crank sensor and…

The make-up of the entire WSB paddock could be in for a change, especially if the manufacturers agree to make the WSB tech rules more stock, suggesting no room for STK1000 if the WSB class has almost completely standard engines. However, WSB boss Carrera confirmed that the big stock class would be back, for next season at least. “Next year we will continue with STK1000, but depending on the final conclusions of the proposals of the regulations we will see if in 2019 we continue or change the fourth category,” stated Carrera. If the manufacturers reject the moves for more stock parts and common ECUs in WSB, it has a greater chance of survival.…

Tom Sykes does not often have his KRT team-mate Jonathan Rea worried, but Sykes’ pace was blistering through practice and Superpole. On Friday, Rea was mystified how Sykes could go so fast while he struggled. Sykes’ astonishing pace included a 1’m 36.121s Superpole rampage but it couldn’t be translated into winning pace on Saturday or Sunday. More than podium places will be needed to stop Rea marching off with the title, as Sykes lost 11 points to Rea. Sykes was in most trouble in race two: “It was such an awkward fight for nearly all the race. I was really disappointed that I could not find the confidence in the bike to pass. I definitely do not feel we got what we truly deserved. There is still time to improve…

After his first win of the year at Thruxton and a dominant performance at the Ulster Grand Prix, big things were expected of Peter Hickman at Cadwell Park this weekend. While he didn’t quite clinch the dream home win as he finished fourth and third in Sunday’s two races, those consistent points finishes were enough for him to take a further step towards booking a place in the 2017 season Showdown. Admitting that was on his mind, Hickman used his head in both races to bring it home with decent points ahead of next month’s Showdown decider at Silverstone. He now sits just 16 points shy of second-placed Leon Haslam. “I’m not disappointed with the result,” he said. “Fourth in race one was pretty good after running on to the…

‘It’s not very often we have to retire with technical issues so it’s hard to be angry’SHAKEY BYRNE At the season mid-point, it looked as though things were starting to go in favour of five-time British Superbike Champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, but since Thruxton the Be Wiser Ducati star has faced an uphill challenge. Struggling to find feeling with his Panigale R at both the Hampshire circuit and Cadwell this weekend, things have been tough for Byrne – but a breakthrough in morning warm-up saw him take a strong third place in the opening race. He then looked set to repeat if not better his podium performance in race two, until he was forced to retire for the second time in as many rounds. After his tyre chunked up at…

It was a better weekend all-round for the McAMS Yamaha team with Ellison’s team-mate Michael Laverty also putting in a stronger performance after a torrid season so far had seen questions raised about his future. He finished seventh in race one and eighth in race two. “I was quite happy with the first race but struggled for grip at the end. For race two we made a change but still struggled, so that’s frustrating. But we’ve taken a good step forward and can keep building for Silverstone,” he said.…

Electronics Control systems like traction control don’t make riding easier for someone like Rossi, who only uses technology to go faster. Traction control, wheelie control and engine-braking control allowed him to dramatically improve his overall race-distance performance. Rossi said: “We made the first season of MotoGP without traction control. I tried the first system with Honda at the end of 2002. What they had then is one per cent of what we have now.” Tyres Rossi switched from Michelin to Bridgestone tyres in 2008 and had to reinvent his technique once again. The Japanese tyres allowed a much more aggressive corner entry – elbows on the asphalt – but this came at a price... Rossi said: “You needed to put load on the tyres all the time in the corner…

Three British riders go into the British GP this year in three very different situations. Scott Redding is on the back foot, but determined he can turn his season around at a track he loves. Sam Lowes wants to make another big step forward as he learns the Aprilia in his rookie season, while Bradley Smith continues his KTM’s development path. But despite these differences in strategies, the trio have one thing in common; a cast-iron will to put on as strong a show as they possibly can for the home fans! PRAMAC DUCATI SCOTT REDDING ‘It’s not pressure that I feel at Silverstone – it’s motivation’ It’s been a difficult start to the season for Scott, fighting to get the best out of the Ducati while experiencing persistent…

Ducati Anti-wheelie “Ducati seem to be the team who really have their anti-wheelie strategies sorted despite having the most BHP to deal with. When electronics were completely open, the Honda’s front wheel would literally hover a couple of inches off the ground. Once they were faced with the control ECU, manufacturers turned to aerodynamics, leading to the arrival of the ‘wings’ which helped keep the front wheel on the ground whilst optimising acceleration.” Yamaha Corner entry “HRC developed the first seamless shift gearbox for back changes and back torque was rumoured to have been controlled via a torductor which meant that HRC stayed ahead of the curve with these engineering marvels for a number of years – until rule changes hit. In 2017 Yamaha have now got the upper hand…

This weekend’s British MotoGP at Silverstone is your one chance in 2017 to stand on home soil and watch the best racers in the world battle for the top step of the podium. And it’s your one chance to feel the noise rattling your ribcage, smell the exhaust gas, and feed off the electricity of 80,000 other GP devotees willing their personal heroes to the front of the pack. This year’s Octo British Grand Prix promises some of the tightest racing, in one of the tightest title battles for years, as Rossi, Marquez, Dovizioso, Pedrosa and Viñales vie for the championship lead. Get in for less And MCN can get you through Silverstone’s iconic arched entrance with the cheapest ticket prices you can get – saving up to 30% on…

‘This year we’re going to Silverstone to win. We need to get the first win of the season.’ JOHN MCPHEE Moto3 rider John McPhee is going into this year’s British Grand prix in a very different position from where he was only 12 months ago. In 2016 he went from debut win in Brno to serious injury only a few rounds later before bouncing back with an incredible start to the 2017 season on a British Talent factory Honda in a team built around him by series bosses Dorna. Now a genuine title contender for the first time in his career, he’s going into this year’s British GP in a position that’s also a new one for him – one of the many riders with a very real chance of…

Fat Bob H-D say: “Tarmac-eating traction, pothole-devouring suspension, agile cornering and a blacked-out take-no-prisoners look make the Fat Bob ground-breaking.” • 2-1-2 upswept performance exhaust with a custom finish • Dual disc front brakes • 13.2 litre fuel tank • 15kg weight reduction to previous model • Inverted 43mm cartridge style forks • Optional: Milwaukee-Eight 114 Engine • Prices start from £14,295 Fat Boy H-D say: “Ripped and refined satin-chrome finishes deliver a bold, muscular styling statement showing off its powerful engine and new and improved ride and handling.” • Aggressive, steamroller stance and front end design • A 160 front tyre (240 rear), the widest-ever on a production H-D • 16kg weight reduction over previous model • Optional: Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine available • Prices start from: £17,545…

‘The engines have new intake came profiles that MV say improves acceleration by 7% You can’t hide from Euro4 homologation, no matter how small, passionate or Italian you are, so MV have announced that their entire three-cylinder range has now been brought bang up to date. Until now they’ve been getting away with it a little by selling bikes under the EU’s derogation rules, but MV have used the mandatory changes make technical improvements to their bikes, most of which relates to the engine. A big deal is made of noise for Euro4 (and not just out the back end), so the triples have had all new balance shafts, water pumps and primary gearing to reduce engine noise by 30%. To counter the changes the emissions make to the power…

‘It has Italian style and a name that after a few ciders, sounds Italian’ There was a time when every teenager’s bedroom had an Italian 125 on the wall and the very lucky ones even had one in the garage. These days the options are slim and the new Aprilia RS125 is a cool £4700 – even the Rieju RS3 125 is now £3499 – so there’s an obvious gap in the market. Enter the Motorini MT125RRi: a new sports 125 from the Italian inspired brand. Now hold onto your cavallos; the Motorini isn’t actually built in Italy but it does have Italian style and a name that after a few ciders, sounds a little bit Italian. It is in fact built in the Far East but that doesn’t mean…

1 Up for a challenge? Dawn to Dusk Enduro Where Walters Arena, Neath When Saturday-Sunday, August 26-27 Entry From £100 Info www.dawntoduskenduro.co.uk The headline event of the Dawn to Dusk enduro is a 24-hour enduro but if that’s a bit much, and let’s be honest it will be hard, then there’s also a six-hour race and a 12-hour option. To keep things sensible, the route is kept sportsman-level friendly with some extreme sections for those who fancy a challenge. We say Sleep deprivation aside, the highlight of the Dawn to Dusk is the course. Fifteen miles of flowing singletrack in the grounds of Walters Arena (the site of a former coal mine) makes for fun and challenging riding. The course is shortened to six miles at night, but it’s…

Thought you might like to see these pics from our three generations tour, including my son’s first bike – a Yamaha XT125R. We don’t have a picture of my dad’s first bike, a 1928 Raleigh 350 sidevalve which he got in 1946 aged 13, for £1 and 10 Shillings! Day one was Stirling to Aberdeen via Crieff and some backroads. Day two: Aberdeen to Ballater, then over the Lecht via Cockbridge. Day three: up Cairngorm back down and across to Spean Bridge. It was my boy’s first tour with no problems to report other than the noise his 125 made when coming up and over the Cockbridge road and doing 9500 revs! My dad definitely had the bike with most character, an old XBR500 single thumper that he rode up…

MCN has teamed up with Carole Nash to uncover the motorcycling’s great and good. We might not know it, but we all know a biking hero. These are people who lend a helping hand, put the time to aid other people’s enjoyment, pass on their wisdom or do something truly heroic on two wheels. Carole Nash’s Biking Heroes is about rewarding these people. All you need to do is visit the Carole Nash website to nominate your hero and in 50-250 words explain why they deserve the accolade. The prize is worth the effort – £2000 for the top-three heroes and their nominators. The nomination judged to be the overall winner will be presented with the Carole Nash Biking Hero at Motorcycle Live bike show at the NEC and you…

‘The riders and teams are more approachable’ Not quite. The Manx GP is now a part of a larger Classic TT event featuring modern classics as well as older bikes, with many bearing only a visual resemblance to the originals, and ridden by superstars like James Hillier and Michael Dunlop. In some ways the Classic TT is a greater spectacle than the actual TT. For a start, the atmosphere is more relaxed. Without the pressure of chasing lap times and pushing 100% on every corner in every practice, the riders are more approachable and the teams more accommodating. Everyone’s working hard, though, possibly harder than at the TT in June because these older bikes take more looking after than their modern equivalents. And the riders are still trying – the…

You could take some dull old motorways to the British MotoGP this weekend… alternatively you could tackle one of our carefully picked twisty spectaculars Ride via the home of the pork pie Love it because The M1 is a miserable stretch of road at the best of times – so why not take a huge chunk out of it and enjoy some great riding instead? Turning off the motorway at Loughborough leads to a lovely stretch from Melton Mowbray to Northampton that is full of superb bends and beautiful countryside. The B6047 is a biker haunt and you are sure to meet a few more riders on their way to Silverstone. If you are in no rush, this route also has loads of places to stop for a bite to…

Styling Despite being six years old and receiving updates in 2013, this bike, complete with under-seat Arrow exhaust, still looks modern and aggressive. Engine The 675cc engine produces plenty of torque and a lovely induction note. Fuelling is smooth throughout the rev range and a quickshifter is standard fitment. Crash damage These bikes are popular with trackday riders, so watch out for crash damage. The bike we tested came with a few tell-tale signs that it had been up the road. Exhaust valve These can play up with only seasonal bike use. The fault will be highlighted by a warning light on the dash and can be a pricey fix if the parts are badly seized. What we said then “Triumph labelled the 675R as a track day weapon/fast road…

‘For me limiting the revs is a tiny step – because it is easy to apply’SCOTT SMART While it’s unlikely that the introduction of the control ECU will be as drastic as in BSB where traction control was banned, WSB is looking at one existing BSB rule idea: rev limits between manufacturers based on homologated maximum rpm, not just between engine configurations. Dorna intend a combination of reducing the extra revs available for the best performing, and increasing the revs for the slowest – within limits of reliability. The ultimate intention is also to use a stock conrod just like in British Superbikes. “For me limiting the revs is a tiny step because it is easy to apply and it should change the gap – I think even more than…

‘It’s a shame it had to be a big one, the bike was a real mess’CHRIS WALKER Fans’ Favourite Chris Walker was an unfortunate casualty from the weekend’s action after a nasty crash in Friday’s Sidecar session. The former British Superbike star crashed his Santander Salt outfit at Mansfield and was taken to hospital with suspected back injuries. It has since been confirmed that Walker sustained a break to his T4 vertebra, which is thought to be stable, as well as a broken nose. The star remains in hospital where he is undergoing further treatment. “I’ve been racing sidecars for 18 months now and this is my first crash,” Walker said. “It’s a shame it had to be a big one, the bike was a real mess but I’m glad…

Shane Byrne 5 wins Withfourwinsonthe bounceatBrandsand Snetterton, Shakey looked to be heading for a bout of dominance but a difficult two rounds and two DNFs since have knocked him back. Leon Haslam 4 wins Strong at the start of the season, it was a surprise that Haslam had to wait almost three months to return to the top step after his third win of the year at Oulton Park. Jake Dixon 2 wins Came out of nowhere for the win at Knockhill, but has since showed potential for the top step at Thruxton and Cadwell. Will be desperate to taste more champagne. Peter Hickman 1 win Consistent all year, Hickmanisnowthirdin the standings but a win at Thruxton showed signs of his true potential ahead of the Showdown fight. Luke Mossey…

For 11 races now, the MotoGP world has been waiting for what promises to be a battle royale – the on-track fight between reigning champion and championship leader Marc Marquez and Yamaha’s Maverick Viñales. Yet, despite the anticipation and the fact that we were sure that it would have happened by now, the pair have remarkably only shared a podium once. That took place for the first time at Brno – ten races into the season where they finished 18 seconds apart in the bizarre flag-to-flag race. And while we’ve been waiting for the pair to come together and the fireworks that it could bring, we’ve seen just about every combination of other racer at the front, as Rossi took on Zarco, Viñales fought with Lorenzo, and Marquez battled with…

DUCATI GP17 ANDREA DOVIZIOSO It’s been a remarkable season for Andrea Dovizioso, with three stunning wins launching him into title contention for the first time in his career and triggering something of a renaissance for Ducati in the premier class. But while the Ducati might be improving week-by-week under the guidance of engineer Gigi Dall’Igna, the change seems to be more rider than machine, as a newly fired-up Dovi filled with confidence shows the desire to fight. Dovi said: “It’s all about managing the situation in a better way this year. When you’re already fast, a small change can make a big difference. Everything adds to that; training, mentality, everything helps in this sport. You have to try always to improve in every area, and I think that’s why,…

PRAMAC DUCATI DANILO PETRUCCI Danilo Petrucci’s start to the 2017 MotoGP season has been nothing short of astounding, with the Pramac Ducati rider showing just how correct Ducati’s decision was to reward him with a GP17 machine of the same specification as Dovi and Jorge Lorenzo. Podiums, pole positions and leading races, the Italian has seriously impressed, perhaps most importantly with his home podium position in front of 100,000 screaming Ducatisi at Mugello. 2017 75 POINTS MONSTER YAMAHA TECH 3 JOHANN ZARCO Few people could have imagined the flying start that double Moto2 world champion Johann Zarco has had in 2017. He’s blasted his way to a podium finish and led races with an unconventional and often aggressive riding style that’s made him few friends so far on…

While Taz will be looking for progress at Silverstone, it’s fair to admit that he’s unlikely to get involved in the battle for podium success just yet. But after an exciting start to the season in the middleweight class, Moto2 has never been more enthralling. Franco Morbidelli has proven recently that he’s not as infallible as his start to the season suggested – and that means that the British Grand Prix is wide open. Franco Morbidelli It’s been a whirlwind season so far for Franco, taking his first win at the opening round in Qatar before immediately backing it up with three more in the opening five rounds. Despite that run of form, he’s recently shown chinks in his armour. Alex Marquez It’s been a turnaround year so far for…

The biggest Brand new for 2017 and proof once again that there’s no one in sport sponsorship who does it quite like Red Bull, the Roadhaus is without doubt the biggest and best hospitality unit ever to grace the MotoGP paddock. A huge wooden construction that you could easily mistake for a permanent building, it’s become the envy of other teams. But despite the size of it – and the sheer logistics of the project – boss Christian Kolleritsch says that it’s a necessary tool for them considering that they now run teams in MotoGP, Moto2, and Moto3 – as well as the Red Bull Rookies. “We’ve been working in this field since the first Energy Station hospitality back in 2003, and back then the feedback from the first race…