Sommaire pour December 2015 de RiDE

THANK YOU for buying this special 20th Anniversary issue of RiDE. In fact thank you for all the magazines you’ve bought over those years, the letters you’ve written, the photos you’ve sent in, the yarns you’ve shared through RiDE, the help and inspiration you’ve given us. More than any other magazine, RiDE is for and about its readers. So, in keeping with that spirit, we haven’t filled this issue with self-indulgent stuff about ourselves. Rather, we’ve done what we always do – share the information that will help you make more of your time on two wheels – but with a slightly more historic hue than usual. Here’s to the next 20 years……

SUZUKI SV650 Launched at the turn of the century, surely the SV would just take sales from the Bandit 600? No, this is a different beast. The V-twin is punchier, and it also has a narrower chassis, perfect for town. Fuel injected from 2003, and its V-Strom cousin is a great bike too. 1999-on 90¡ V-twin, 645cc, 69bhp, 169kg HONDA VFR800 Is the VFR800 really almost 20 years old? Yup. The first model appeared in ’97 and was bang on trend, with fuel injection, side-mount radiators, and an RC45-based engine. The 800 was a major hit. Not super-fast, nor particularly nimble, but just the job for high-mile jaunts. Later bikes got VTEC and ABS, but lost the gear-driven cams. 1997-2013 90¡ V4, 782cc, 110bhp, 210kg TRIUMPH T509 SPEED TRIPLE The…

Finance Cash price is £10,135. Suzuki’s PCP finance requires a deposit of £2329, 35 monthly payments of £133.44, and an optional purchase fee of £4760. That’s £11,759.40, meaning an APR of 8.9%. It assumes an annual use of 6000 miles. Traditional HP finance uses the same deposit, then 36 monthly payments of £239.26. Total is £10,942.36 for a lower APR of 6.7%. Service intervals > First service 600 miles > Minor service 7500 miles/annually > Valve clearances 15,000 miles…

2008 Honda CB1000R Like most Hondas nowadays the CB1000R looks pretty staid on paper. But it gives a corking ride, with some sweet high-quality touches. The single-sided swingarm is a treat, the Fireblade-derived engine has buckets of grunt, and the chassis is more than up to the job. Spec 998cc inline four, 123bhp, 73lb.ft, 140mph, 217kg Expect to pay £3900-£4500 2005-2006 BMW K1200R The opposite of the CB1000R, BMW’s mega-naked has enormous power, NASA-level technology, and zero style. To be fair, the functional design will grow on you, and the sheer effectiveness makes up for the looks. Beguilingly fast, amazing brakes, and massively well equipped. Spec 1157cc inline four, 163bhp, 94lb.ft, 160mph, 250kg Expect to pay £3500-£5000 2012-2014 Kawasaki ER-6n Plucky parallel twin that’s earned its place among the great…

WHAT IS IT? One hell of a six-cylinder motor - all 1649cc of it - wrapped in a chassis that somehow makes a massive 332kg kerb weight seem perfectly sensible. Both models make the same power, but the GTL has its top speed limited to avoid handling problems. WHAT TO PAY £9500-£13,000 A wide choice of 2011-13 models available, with warranties (ideally official BMW cover). You’ll find far more GTs on sale than GTLs. £13,000-£17,000 Plenty of 2013-on models, often with lots of extras. Don’t get carried away as you can get a new one for under £18k if you shop around. THERE MUST HAVE been something in the Munich water back in the late 2000s. Something that made BMW’s designers think, “Tell you what, let’s make a bike with…

A TRICKY ONE. Owners either love them or have been frustrated into hating them – and sometimes both. Steve Cade’s at the happy end of the spectrum: “The K1600 I bought was on demo and I took it for a spin while my K1200 was serviced, never thinking I would be interested in buying one. “It seemed big and I thought it would be a pig to ride, but as soon as you set off the weight is gone and I found it easier to crawl along on at low speeds than my K12. OK, so it’s not got track bike handling and can’t filter easily, but it keeps you grinning for far longer than any bike I have ridden. I can go out for a quick ride and come…

2011-13 K1600GT Super-fast sports tourer based on an all-new inline six-cylinder engine. Panniers come as standard, as do a fly-by-wire throttle, traction control and switchable riding modes. £8000-£11,000 2011-13 K1600GTL Mechanically the same as the GT but with a more relaxed riding position, taller screen, top box and backrest. The GTL’s top speed is limited to 136mph to avoid handling problems caused by the top box and tall screen. £10,000-£13,000 2014-15 K1600GT SPORT A GT aimed at the more performance-focused rider, with a brighter paint scheme and graphics, a shorter screen and sculpted seat. Otherwise mechanically identical to the GT. £13,000-£16,000 2013-current K1600GT Vastly improved transmission and gearbox, revised engine management for smoother power delivery, and various issues sorted. Also available in GTS spec with a few extra toys as…

2007-2012 Triumph Street Triple £3000-£5500 107bhp 140mph 187kg 675cc inline triple The Street Triple gets called a Ônaked Daytona 675’, but that shorthand dismisses the full story. Triumph didn’t streetfighter their supersports bike as an afterthought, they designed it to work as a naked from the start. As proof, the Daytona’s bodywork brackets mount from inside the frame, so the frame still looks finished without any plastic. The three-cylinder motor is detuned from Daytona-spec, but it’s still 140mph fast and offers 80 per cent of its torque from 3000rpm. The chassis is downgraded, but the suspension is set beautifully and the two-piston brakes have more power than their appearance suggests. A Street Triple can be a friendly, stylish first bike, or it can be a hard-charging headbanger. It’s smooth, it’s…

QI really like the look of the current Harley-Davidson Dyna range. I went for a test ride on the Street Bob and couldn’t believe how awkward, uncomfortable and downright weird it felt. Was I doing something wrong? Does anybody actually ride these things? A We know where you’re coming from - bikes like the Street Bob and Wide Glide feel very different from more mainstream machines. But the fact is that plenty of people do ride them, as well as other more extreme bikes with higher bars and further-forward footrests or boards. You only need to go to a big custom or Harley event to see the number of riders who’ve come from a good distance to know that you don’t need to be a misshapen masochist to enjoy riding…

FIT Heated kit needs to fit snugly and not be too baggy. It also needs to fit properly beneath your outer layers, without making them hard to do up or overly restricting movement. POWER SOURCE Ultimate heat comes from 12v power, from the bike’s battery – but if you want to use a garment off the bike, consider kit that uses a power pack or has an optional power pack. SYSTEM Can the heated gear you’re considering be expanded into a system? A heated jacket is one thing, heated gloves are another – a heated jacket that supplies power to gloves is better. If it’s really cold you might want a jacket that will also power heated trousers, socks and gloves. CONTROLLER Is the temperature controller included with the garment,…

Rev’It Dominator GTX jacket and jeans £850/£590 www.revit.eu THE NEW RANGE-TOPPING super suit from Rev’It has been designed with feedback from adventurers, professional riders and year-round bikers – and it’s interesting to see what they’ve come up with. The outer is a thick, hardwearing Gore-Tex laminate, with adjustment belts just where you need them. It also has the highest level of CE approval for the shoulder, elbow, knee, hip and back armour, and a kidney belt. The trousers have a similar outer layer and SuperFabric on the outside and suede on the inside to protect your bike. The jacket features a lot of venting and the collar is adjustable and can be held open, too. Then there are two good inside pockets, four outside, a large bum pocket, lots of…

MATT SAYS... It’s worth re-reading last month’s story about painting panels with spray cans before starting work on your wheels, because the advice we gave there about careful prep applies just as much here. WHAT YOU’LL NEED EQUIPMENT Front and rear paddock stand, sockets and Allen keys – also a friendly tyre-fitter for removing tyres. A tap set, wet and dry rubbing paper, brake cleaner, a Stanley blade, one can of etch primer, two cans of top coat and one of lacquer. Threadlock. TIME 3.5 HOURS MONEY FROM £40 DIFFICULTY RATING Steady the bike then take the wheels off Paddock stands make it easier to remove front and rear wheels. Rear stands have either cups that hold under the swingarm (pictured), or forks that locate on the bobbins some bikes…

WHAT YOU NEED You don’t need to bring anything more than a spirit of fun and sense of adventure. THE BIKE With a range of Yamaha WR and TT machinery, all looked after by an ex-Armed Forces motorcycle spannerman, you know you’re on quality kit. THE TERRAIN The varied Welsh landscape means you start off on the simple stuff and build up to some fairly gnarly tracks towards the end of the day. THE YAMAHA OFF-ROAD Experience is the name of both a mid-Wales training school and the basic course it offers those new to off-roading. It offers a fine mix of technique and tuition, and you can use one of the very best enduro machines – much smaller and lighter than the big adventure bikes used on some other…

Width, not height Many of us fit tall screens to improve airflow over our helmet but I’m not so sure that it does anything to improve wind noise. Obviously, the size of your torso, riding position and other factors that you can’t change make a lot of difference. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that a lot of the noise is caused by the air flowing off the side of the screen and rushing under the sides of the helmet. This would mean that a lower screen that directs the air from the side onto the shoulders might create less noise. A naked bike with a wider handlebar-mounted screen might be better than one with a half fairing, going against the current trend with adventure bike styling. I’d be interested…

Terminator series www.amazon.co.uk With the latest film in the Terminator series due for DVD release, it’s a good time to catch up on the predecessors. As films, the first two are true classics. T2 in particular has epic production values, warmly human acting, and both Arnie on his Harley Fat Boy (“I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle”) and John Connor on a Honda XR80 that sounds suspiciously like a two-stroke. Rise of the Machines is pretty dreadful, while Salvation is an awkward fit with the rest, but uses a Ducati Hypermotard to good effect. We review Terminator…

Simon Weir Deputy editor As someone who likes to plan my trips in great detail, I was intrigued to see how Kev’s more relaxed approach would work out for him. As ever with Kev, the resulting story is a superb read. PAGE 22 Matt Hull Technical editor We could argue all day – and often do – about the pros and cons of bikes we’ve owned or ridden over the years. Fascinating to see the debate this feature has sparked on Facebook. PAGE 44 Kev Raymond Features writer It didn’t take much searching to locate the kit I used in the early days of RiDE, because some of it’s still in regular use. There’s been progress, but some things were great (colours aside) back then. PAGE 74…

While it’s true that a sportsbike can’t match a tourer or adventure bike for long-distance comfort, add some soft luggage, heated grips and a double-bubble screen, and you’re set for pacey yet luxuriant miles. You could enjoy a post-MotoGP trackday at Valencia or Jerez, or a weekend scratching the Pyrenees. There is one worry though - tyres. If you slip on a set of road-legal track rubber, like Avon’s 3D Ultra Xtreme, you risk wearing them out before you get to the good bits. A thousand high-speed motorway miles will take the top off the centre profile, certainly on the rear, affecting feel and turn-in, and wiping out the extra performance these high-end tyres offer. If you’re very track focused, you could Fed-Ex your track rubber to your hotel, and…

XT version £7735, 645cc 90º V-twin, 68bhp, 215kg Based on the engine from the SV650, the V-Strom isn’t just a great middleweight adventure bike, it’s a great adventure bike full stop. It’s got enough power to be interesting, enough handling to be exciting and enough reliability to ride round the world on or off road. It’s comfortable (Jimmy reckoned it must have an aftermarket comfy seat, but it hasn’t) and relatively frugal, averaging 57.4mpg against the BMW’s 54.2mpg (although the mileages didn’t agree, with the V-Strom consistently recording about six per cent more miles than the BMW, which pretty much evens it out). Fitted with chunky aluminium SW-Motech panniers, the Suzuki would be able to carry two people and a load of kit pretty much anywhere they wanted to go,…

Dan Miles from DMP in Surrey has worked on plenty of naked bikes. “For that budget, I’d think about an Aprilia Tuono. They’re a lot of bike for the money, and if you’re looking for something with a bit of hooligan appeal there’s nothing better. Things to watch for on those are mainly electrics: the stators can burn out, and the starter solenoids give up too. Also, the clocks can go crazy, and zero the odometer suddenly. Look for the mileage on MoT certificates to check that. A Honda CB900 Hornet is also a good, underrated buy. And if you want something with more classic styling the CB750 is a proper solid bike, and cheap now. Not super-exciting, but good looking. The Street Triple is awesome, you can’t fault it.…

A rocket-powered sofa, basically. Owner Steve Hammond sums up the motor as “epic”, and he’s not wrong. The GTL is limited to 139mph, with a view to avoiding high-speed wobbles due to the top box that’s part of the GTL package, but it still accelerates like a mad thing, and the GT is plain fast as well. It’s not so much the power - 160bhp is comparatively small change these days - it’s the torque: a great, crashing wave of the stuff that’s delivered so smoothly you just can’t help rolling on and off the throttle to get another fix. A lot of owners find the full-fat Dynamic mode gives a jerky throttle response, enough to be seriously intrusive when carrying a pillion. The solution is to save that for…

Metzeler Z8 Interact £213 a pair Original equipment, and most owners are very happy with both their wet and dry grip and mileage, getting 4000-6000 miles from a pair. www.metzeler.com Michelin Pilot Road 4 GT £231 a pair Opinion is divided on these - some love them for their great wet-weather grip, but others say they give a weird ‘floaty’ feel, at the rear especially. www.michelin.co.uk Bridgestone BT-021 £207 a pair Another OE fitment, but not so popular or hard-wearing as the Metzelers. Very sensitive to correct tyre pressures, according to owners. www.conti-bike.co.uk Prices are mail order. Add £6 per pair for p&p. Source SMD Tyres: 01942 604511…

Service schedule A relatively simple schedule based on oil and filter changes every 6000 miles, air filters and transmission oil every 12,000 miles and valve clearances every 18,000 miles along with new sparkplugs. Very few owners will admit to working on their own bikes - they’re too paranoid about affecting the warranty, for one thing. Some, like Kevin White, add in extra oil and filter changes that they do themselves. A minor service shouldn’t be more than £150-£200, but the 18k service can easily creep up over £500 as a set of spark plugs alone is nearly a hundred quid. New and used parts prices New parts can be pricey, especially from main dealers, but Motorworks have a decent range of original-equipment and aftermarket service and consumables which are reasonably…

EXO2 StormShield heated glove (£120), Heatsole heated innersoles (£90), StormWalker2 heated gilet (£89) and StormWalker2 jacket (both have heated panels only in the lower back and inside the pockets), Heatwave heated back support (£70) and Heatband neck warmer (£60). Power packs are available for most garments (15v, with three-stage remote controller; or 12v with remote for EXOGlo). Gerbing 12v heated trouser liner (£170), heated socks (£85), glove liners (£85) plus other glove options: T-5 (£99) and TEX12 using bike power only; T12 (£150) and W12 women’s glove (£143) using bike power or power packs. The B12-800 battery and charger kit (£160) comes with a three-step remote heat controller and a bumbag to carry the large power pack; the 1.4A battery kit (£85) consists of two 12v power packs for gloves.…

Wind chill can strip warmth away as soon as it’s generated. On a day when the ambient temperature is 0¡C, the wind chill at 60mph will feel like -19¡C. Even when it’s a mild early winter 5¡C outside, doing 60mph will feel like -11¡C. This makes a windproof outer crucial, but may also give heated garments that have their own windproof facing an advantage, as a second line of defence. Keeping the wind out makes being able to fasten the outer jacket securely very important. It also makes being able to retain the outer jacket’s thermal liner helpful as this offers another layer to disrupt with wind chill and trap warm air against the body.…

SURVIVOR Impressive that the suit is still going strong, and impressive that Matt can still fit into it. Scott race replica two-piece suit | Bought: 1997 | Cost now: from £820 SEE AN R-REG car or bike nowadays and it’s fair to say it’s old. It was 18 years ago – Major gets booted out by Blair, JK Rowling finally finds a publisher for her children’s novel about a schoolboy wizard... and I get my first made-to-measure leathers. I was a motorcycle instructor at the time and had started doing trackdays in some borrowed Crowtree leathers. They didn’t fit properly, but I could feel the quality. A local shop then became an agent for Scott Leathers, who at the time seemed to be the only leathers TT racers – my…

Here’s one Ian prepared earlier. Why doesn’t ours look this neat? Well, partly because we needed a bigger kit and partly because I think we needed to heat it more in the first place - stopping to take pics probably didn’t help as it allowed it to cool and gel too quickly. Another reason is that I’d had the kit on the shelf for over a year, so it’s possible that some solvent in the sealant had evaporated, making it thicker than it should have been. Mostly though, it’s just that Ian does this every day, so he’s very good at it...…

#1 Winterproof your helmet At this time of year your visor and helmet will get dirty on every ride. Even when it’s not raining, there will be overnight moisture that creates a top layer of easily flung road filth that is irresistibly drawn to your lid. You can’t fight it, but you can be ready for it. Clean your helmet at the end of the day so you’re not rushing the job in the morning, and store it somewhere warm and well ventilated or the padding will retain the previous day’s sweat, drool, dead skin etc. Nice. As well as being clean, your visor needs to be braced for warm breath on a cold day. Whether it’s hardware, such as a Pinlock or a breath deflector, or an anti-mist potion…

In September’s issue Andrew Dalton was discussing what to all intents and purposes are people playing at being police officers, for whatever reason they might have. Today I have been at Aysgarth Falls in the glorious Yorkshire Dales - sun shining and great biking. There were two immaculate Honda Pans parked in the car park, so we walked into the cafe thinking there may be someone to chat to. There, sat with their backs to us, were our fluorescent-clad Ôheroes’ with the word POLITE in white on blue emblazoned across their shoulders in an exact copy of the way POLICE is usually displayed. I couldn’t bring myself to go up to them, but my pal took one look and said: ÒSad *******s.Ó Why do people do it? It doesn’t make…

ABERLOUR SPEYSIDE IF WHISKY has a spiritual home, it’s Speyside. There are more famous malts distilled here than anywhere else in Scotland – all within easy reach of the A95 and most with visitor centres and distillery tours. There’s a lot of choice, but for the first-time visitor we’d start at Aberlour, which makes a fine malt and has won awards for its distillery tour. BEST ROADS TO GET THERE… The A95 can be reached from the A9, but the A93 winds its way through the proper hills. Take the A939 past Cock Bridge for an amazing ride. DON’T MISS… Aviemore is a ski place in winter, whisky-tourism nexus in summer. Kingussie is smaller and even nicer. If you’re a fan of the golf, pop into Gleneagles on the way…

Exclusive version £13,100, 1170cc boxer twin, 123bhp, 231kg The latest incarnation of BMW’s naked big twin is a belter. Intuitive handling meets plenty of power, and in this case enough toys to stock a decent sub-branch of Hamley’s - integrated sat nav (although we left the unit at home), extra riding modes and semi-active electronic suspension. None of those toys gets in the way of the pure riding experience, though - it’s still basically just a fine handling bike with a great engine, which is just the way I like it. This is RiDE’s long termer and it’s fitted with a rather fiddly but very useful Wunderlich tankbag and an excellent BMW tail pack that easily swallowed enough clothes and gadgets for a long weekend. Neither leaked, although the map…

KTM’s 690 Enduro R isn’t ideally suited to long-distance trips, but taking things easy saw an unexpected 70mpg, for 170 miles from its 12-litre tank. Also surprising was the level of comfort from its tall and narrow seat (though Pete did need a sheepskin cover). A KTM-supplied rack and Giant Loop MoJave luggage turned the 690 into a pretty competent tourer; as long as you adjust your route and pace, riding as far as Greece would be realistic. Off-road it proved very capable. The Suzuki was really tested off-road. Bulky and heavy, with more limited suspension travel, hanging on to it was quite tricky at times. However, there’s no doubt the V-Strom is perfectly able to cover hundreds of miles of less extreme trails, its XT-spec extras all adding ruggedness…

“I’m going to...” COLIN OVERLAND Ignore the rich kids booking their gap year trips, and the Adventure Travel Show is a great way to spend a weekend in London. ONE MONTH AHEAD... British Superbikes October 16-18, Brands Hatch Final round of the series, held on the full grand prix circuit. The Showdown format pretty much guarantees lively action, as there will still be a lot to play for even right at the end of the season. With three races for the headline class, and plenty of support series excitement as well, there’s no shortage of action. www.britishsuperbike.com Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Show October 17-18, Stafford The emphasis is on the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, but there’s always plenty for all lovers of motorcycles; the bike park can be almost as interesting…

Q I’m having a nightmare trying to plan a route in Garmin’s BaseCamp software. Even when I drag the route to add the “shaping points” to try to include a stretch of motorway, it just goes on for one junction, then goes off at random. How do I stop it doing this? A Easily fixed. Our guess is you have the activity set to Motorcycling. For some reason, when the icon in the corner is a motorbike, BaseCamp abandons any common sense and makes bad choices. If you set the activity to Driving (the car icon) it becomes much more controllable, allowing you to combine roads in a sensible way when planning routes. Q What’s going on with the borders in Europe? I’m planning to ride to Greece next spring,…

CONTROLS Grey up-and-down rocker switch on left bar is from the V-Strom 1000. Labelled “Mode”, it actually adjusts the trip and fuel info on the dash, and changes traction control level. PRICE It costs £10,135 on the road. That’s £1000 less than the ABS-equipped GSX-R1000, £500 more than the naked GSX-S1000 ABS, and £300 more than Kawasaki’s Z1000SX. ELECTRONICS Three-level traction control, which can be turned off. Setting is remembered when you turn the ignition off and on again. No engine modes or lean-angle sensor. FRAME Cast aluminium twin-spar main frame claims to be lighter than the current GSX-R1000’s, while the impressively chunky swingarm is identical to the superbike’s. SUSPENSION Fully adjustable KYB upside-down forks are like those on the naked GSX-S, with a little more oil. Rear shock comes…

1 CORROSION Naked bikes aren’t necessarily worse rotters than faired bikes, but of course it’s all on show. Sins that would be hidden by a sportsbike or tourer’s extra Tupperware stand out more on a naked. It’ll seldom be serious, but is useful for haggling on price. 2 ADD-ONS Useful extras like heated grips and crash protectors are worth having. With a naked bike, a good set of crash bungs can prevent most damage in low-speed drops. 3 ELECTRICS As with corrosion, naked bikes have fewer protected places for electronics, so can be more susceptible to problems from water ingress. Check everything works as it should, from main lights to indicators to starter motors to horns. 4 GEARING Folk often change the final drive ratio, the thinking being that you…

Lots and lots. But then again, you’ll have paid lots and lots, so that’s only fair.... You get a big fuel tank (24 litres on the GT, 26.5 on the GTL) for serious range, luggage (panniers on GT, top box and back- and armrests as well on GTL) and lots of toys (including BMW’s excellent cruise control, basic traction control, switchable riding modes, and swivelling headlight to light the inside of bends), and the option to really load it up further from BMW’s catalogue. Few buyers of new bikes can resist that option (the joys of low-interest finance), and you’re far more likely to find any used bike is fully loaded with toys than to find a plain vanilla version. The most popular addition is BMW’s integrated sat nav mounting,…

1 OIL CONSUMPTION AND ENGINE WEAR Many early models had a serious drink problem, getting through litres of oil not just between services, but sometimes between fuel stops. Many bikes had new engines fitted under warranty, but there may still be some low-mileage bikes out there that have a potential problem waiting to show itself; 2013-onwards bikes seem to be OKÉ touch wood. The biggest danger to the engine is crash damage. Most owners fit crash bars - they also mean you can let the bike fall over at a standstill if needed (and most owners have needed to at least once) and they also give a handy mounting for supplementary spotlights. 2 SWITCHGEAR Early Ks were plagued by switchgear problems; leave the bike out in the sun and the…

THE STORY OF Knox is the story of motorcycle clothing in the last 20 years. Starting on the racetrack, moving on to embrace road riders of every hue, and how freshly energised by the retro movement, they have been ahead of the curve all the way. In the face of indifference, hostility and confusion, founder Geoff Travell and his team have stuck to their central mission of making motorcycling less painful and more comfortable. They didn’t settle for inventing the back protector as we know it – they’ve continued to improve it. They helped base layers become mainstream and they’ve also revolutionised the humble glove. So, Geoff, how did it all begin? “My first job was making furniture. I was taught to do it properly: cutting and sewing fabric, patterning.…

Oxford 12v Hot Vest £149.99 Sizes XS-XXXL Controller included? Y Power pack option? N Powers gloves? N Powers other accessories? N www.oxprod.com A tight fit is essential to get the large heating panels in contact with the body, after which the Hot Vest heats up quickly and evenly - it’s not the best here but it is really warm, with the low collar adding just a hint of luxury. The advantage of waistcoats is the lack of bulk and, even with that collar, there are no problems fastening the outer jacket properly. The Hot Vest fits comfortably inside our outer jacket when its thermal liner is in. The controller is included in the asking price and a simple push-button affair cycles through the four heat settings simply. It’s compact and…

YOU DON’T NEED to be a scientist or an engineer to understand that an engine will have a speed at which it’s happiest: at its smoothest, most responsive and most economical. In fact, this also tends to apply to whole bikes, not just engines – at some point all the different forces involved will come into alignment to make you feel at one with your machine. After 4000 miles with the Bandit 1250, I think I’ve found it. It’s the range from around 60 to 90mph in fourth gear, at 4000 to 6000rpm. There’s a lively turn of acceleration available, a nicely supportive amount of wind hitting your chest from the half fairing, and the feeling that the tall, big Suzuki is eager to go where you want it to.…

Q My dad used to ride bikes and swears that he used to wear nothing but leather all year round. He pokes fun at my bulky, greasy textiles and says I should get some decent (non-perforated) leathers and slap on a layer of proofing solution. Is he right? A Who are we to doubt his word… but the fact that he used to ride may be significant. His memory may be playing tricks. Yes, a lot of people over the years have worn just leather, and they’ve got wet. Gore-Tex-backed leather can work, and there are various proofing solutions that can add a degree of water resistance to regular bike leathers. But if you want to stay dry you need something designed for the purpose. Q I’m fed up with…

Where BSAs Dare! Author: Norman Vanhouse Price: £14.95 www.panther-publishing.com A cracking read, this is the astonishing story of the stunt BSA pulled in 1952 when - to promote the new Star Twin - they got three trusted racers to ride three standard bikes to compete in the super-tough International Six Days Trial in Austria, carry on to Norway for high-speed testing, and then ride home. Author Norman Vanhouse (who died in 2011) was one of the three riders. He uses simple, elegant prose to convey the excitement and anxiety as the intrepid team pulled off what, at the time, barely seemed possible, given the unreliability of 1950s bikes. Filled with drama and a wealth of excellent photos, his portraits of the main protagonists are vivid, with some sly digs along…