Inhaltsverzeichnis für March 2017 in RiDE

IF YOU’RE HEADING to London’s Docklands for the 2017 Carole Nash MCN London Show, make sure you allow time to visit the Adventure stage and listen to some of the speakers sharing their experiences. Throughout the three-day show, which runs from February 17 to 19, there will be opportunities to meet and listen to bikers who’ve between them done just about everything, on bikes ranging from a Suzuki GSX-R1000 to a Ural outfit. The live stage in the Adventure Zone is curated by RiDE contributor Nathan Millward, who rode from Sydney to London on a 105cc postie bike. He’ll be joined by Rhys Lawrey, who was just 22 when he set off on his ride around the globe on a Triumph Tiger 800; Melanie and Sofia Cowpland, who rode their…

YOUR NEXT GREAT RIDE THE COTSWOLDS 51.856920, -1.562610 DON’T LOOK OUT the window. It’s probably still a bit dark and wintry out there. But don’t despair – spring really is just around the corner. So stay inside and plan your first trip of the year. It doesn’t have to be a big-budget, high-mile marathon. Just a good day out in the glorious British countryside should do the trick. You’ll have your favourite local roads, of course. And they’re great for a quick shakedown, an hour or two to blow the dust away on any mostly dry weekend. But as the cow parsley appears in the verges and the skies start to clear, it’s time to treat yourself to a proper day-long ride. The trick is to pick somewhere just beyond…

The itinerary organised by GlobeBusters was superb: four relaxed days to get to Tridays; two days to enjoy both the event and ride-outs in Austria; then three days to get back to the UK - timed to get back to Dover at a sensible hour, leaving plenty of time to get home. You can find full details of their 2017 tour at www.globebusters.com. While in Austria, GlobeBusters organised ride-outs for the two days based at Tridays, for those who wanted to get more time on the bikes and spend just the evenings at the event. One ride went to Berchtesgarden, the other to the Grossglockner pass. As I needed to meet a photographer to get these pictures, I did a separate route over the Postalm road - which you can…

Before your very eyes, you could see the seeds of the next generation of adventure bike riders being sown at Motorcycle Live. New for 2016, the show at the NEC included a riding feature called Experience Adventure, which allowed licence holders to have a try on a new adventure bike on a specially constructed indoor off-road course, with some expert guidance from instructors including Dakar Rally legend Patsy Quick. Over the course of the nine days, almost 1000 people took part. They’ve been asked for their feedback since the show, but at the time it was obvious that for most of them it was a great introduction, at no cost and no risk. It was also good to see the manufacturers co-operating, resulting in a great choice of bikes including…

“Low-rate finance is not a con: we are the winners” NEW Triumph Street Cup £8600 PCP example Deposit £2053.80, 36 x £105.00, MFV £4371.00, APR 9.9%, 5000 miles a year Take a Triumph Street Twin, fit some ace drop handlebars, a racing seat and hump, taller rear shocks, a flyscreen and a sexy paint job, and you have to admit the Street Cup is transformed into a racer from yesteryear. Yet it’s still friendly, easy to ride and relatively comfy. You can have it made A2-licence friendly, and there are so many accessories available that the only limitation is your wallet. A great bike for those who want fun on Sundays above all else. NEW Alternatively... BMW Scrambler £10,450 PCP Deposit £999.00, 36 x £164.75, MFV £5762.75, APR 9.9%, 4000…

THE MOTORCYCLING WORLD seems to have caught Bobber fever, judging by the flurry of advance orders that look like resulting in Triumph’s cut-down Bonneville outselling last year’s Thruxtons to challenge the Daytona 675 and Street Triple as the firm’s most successful debut model ever. With its hardtail look and air of vintage custom cool, the Bobber seems to have caught the imagination of old and young riders alike. But is it any good? Any bike would have done well to generate much enthusiasm during the first half hour of the launch ride near Madrid. I’d been gritting my teeth on a foggy motorway, goggles misting and the near-freezing wind whipping around my open-face helmet and jeans. Then we turned off, climbed briefly and emerged from a cloud into a dreamscape…

 WHO DO YOU think has the most impact on bike design and engineering today? Some boffin wearing regulation Honda overalls in Hamamatsu? An artistic genius scribbling away at a desk in Bologna? Or a committee of efficient technocrats in an office in Munich? “We want to still let you ride your bike like an idiot” Maybe it’s Aussie Geoff Liersch, head of two-wheeled development at Bosch. When we meet at the recent Milan show, he outlines how his firm’s electronics have changed biking in the past decade – and how they’re set to make even more changes for years to come. Bosch made their name with car fuel-injection systems in the 1970s, as well as making power tools, wiper blades, coffee machines, the works. Bikes came later, with Bosch providing…

ANEW TEXTILE SUIT can set you back a lot of money, especially when you’re after something that will serve you all year round, in all weathers. This makes it crucial to find a suit that’s comfortable, practical and well specified. There’s more stratospherically expensive kit around than ever - it’s never been easier to spend £1000 on a jacket, never mind a full suit. But what are the options when you want to invest in a quality suit without breaking the bank? We gathered 14 textile suits priced around the £600 mark to find out. Triumph Exploration £605 Jacket £365 Trousers £240 www.triumphmotorcycles.co.uk Back protector Y Shoulder and elbow armour Y Hip armour Y Knee armour Y Drop liners 2 Jacket pockets 10 Trouser pockets 4 The experience of building…

“The point was to make the Bobber that little bit more rideable” AFTER LAST MONTH’S frenzy of spanner twirling and wrench whirling, time to put a few miles on the Moto Guzzi V9 Bobber to see if it’s all been worth it. The point all along was to make the Bobber just that little bit more rideable, rather than adding or changing parts for purely cosmetic reasons. The footrests, in truth, don’t make a blind bit of difference to the bike’s functional abilities, and I’m not entirely sure they look any better. But everything else should make a distinct difference. The seat should be more comfortable. The screen should remove some of the wind pressure from my upper body. The rack and bag should make luggage carrying easier. Nothing too…

“The torque delivered by the V-twin was intoxicating” EXHAUST Not a looker, and it doesn’t sound any better. A noise tester at Cadwell Park laughed out loud at the reading on his decibel meter. Its ground clearance leaves much to be desired too – the heat shield scrapes with a good inch of unused rubber left on the rear tyre. Fitting a Yoshimura slip-on silencer improved matters infinitely. FUEL RANGE Ridden conservatively the SV returns great fuel economy, but ridden in my default style it’s considerably less impressive. Economy aside, life would be much sweeter if the tank held a few more litres. Filling the tank for around £10 sounds great, but the resulting frequency of petrol station visits grows irksome before long. ENGINE Normally 75bhp wouldn’t get me excited,…

COMFORT For me (6ft 5in and not notably svelte) this is the perfect size of bike, and its weight isn’t a problem. The screen, handguards and wide body deflect a lot of wind. There’s ample leg room and a relaxed reach to the bars. The heated grips are superbly warm, as is the heated seat – but that is fairly firm. LONG-RANGE OPTION The 30-litre tank transformed my commute, as I was filling up once rather than three times a week. On trips, I’d fill up after 270-280 miles. If I’d been riding fast, the indicated remaining range might be down to 10 miles; if I’d been riding steadily – especially using a lot of cruise control on motorways – that would be nearer 50 miles. CARE AND CLEANING Spoked…

Get a great bike without finance I’ve been moved to write to you by the Q&A item in January’s RiDE concerning Yamaha XJ6s at low prices. To me, the post-2010 XJ6/ Diversion looks ideal for your reader’s needs as it was for mine. Some of us have to make choices dictated by mundane reasons involving family and economics. There is no doubt that PCP is changing bike buying habits, just as it has with cars. I can assure you, however, that as a 76-year-old it is not always as simple as just signing up for that bike you fancy. It seems that the PCP-plan computers don’t regard me as a good risk for the term of their agreement. So low initial cost does come into play, as well as the…

I DIDN’T BELIEVE anything could make the Pyrenees look more dramatic. What could be better than a towering grey mountain framed by a cloudless blue sky and a curl of inviting tarmac? Then I rounded a corner to see the castle, perched atop a peak, seemingly growing out of the living rock like something from a particularly dark fantasy tale. Amazing… I had to find out more. I turned off the route I was following, glancing up and over my shoulder, turning this way and that as I tried to get to the castle. I had no idea how anyone had managed to build it up there, when every angle I could see from the road had it erupting from a sheer cliff face. Finally, I saw a sign bearing…

IT’S EASY TO imagine d’Artagnan and the other Musketeers swashbuckling their way though the Loire Valley in a flurry of flashing swords, clattering hooves and swooning maidens. My first visit was less auspicious, wheezing into the castle car park at Sully-sur-Loire on an ailing two-stroke, swathed in smoke that prompted protests from pensioners getting off a nearby tour bus. As the blue haze cleared and I stared slack-jawed at the monumental chateau, I knew I’d found a special place. I just wasn’t sure then what to do with it. I’m ashamed to confess it took me years to work out that a perfect pillion tour needs more than just miles of great roads (usually it’s too many miles that cause any problems). Eventually I realised that a good two-up trip…

IF YOU’RE LOOKING for castles, you’ve come to the right place. Wales has the highest concentration of medieval fortifications of any country in Europe. Sizes and states of repair may vary, but the best of them are some of the finest in the world. I grew up with Welsh castles - a trip to Carreg Cennen in South Wales was a regular highlight of summer holidays spent with my grandparents. But it wasn’t until I started riding and exploring the amazing roads of Wales for myself that I began discovering the more substantial castles to the north. The most impressive of the fortresses were built by Edward I - an Iron Ring to keep North Wales securely under English rule. Conwy and Caernarfon tower above walled towns, Harlech and Criccieth…

THE SPORTS TOURER used to be a simple animal: an old sportsbike with its engine retuned and higher bars. Then came the hyperbikes, like the Honda Blackbird and the Suzuki Hayabusa, where a hugely powerful inline four was fitted into a long, low, streamlined chassis for extremely fast touring. KTM’s sports tourer is different. The 1290 Super Duke GT is the bike they called The Beast - the naked 1290 Super Duke - plus a screen and a bigger rear subframe, to take pillions and panniers. No change to the 170bhp, 1301cc V-twin - this is a muscle bike built for touring. But does it work? I’m in Austria to pick one up from the factory, crossing the shop floor past the line where serious-looking men in KTM overalls are…

IT’S A MARRIAGE made in hipster heaven: Motolegends, suppliers of serious but stylish biking gear, have teamed up with Trickers, one of Britain’s longest established boot makers, to create a special shoe that looks perfect for retro Triumph riders. It’s based on the seven-eyelet Malton from Trickers, who have been in Northampton since 1904. To make it more suitable for biking, a gearchange reinforcement is added to both feet and the fitting is slightly narrower than the regular Malton, which is often worn by farmers sporting thick winter socks. Yours from www. motolegends.com for £390.…

GLOBEBUSTERS ARE BRILLIANT at leading international expeditions across Asia and through South America. MCi Tours are past masters at rides into Europe and fly-ride trips to the US, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. Put them together and you have a formidable new force in two-wheeled travel, helping riders get more from their time on two wheels, whatever their experience and aspirations. From now on, the full range of trips offered by the two companies can be viewed and booked through either website, www.globebusters.com and www.mcitours.com. MCi tour leader Paul Myers said: “Today’s more experienced rider wants options, and that’s where the link up with GlobeBusters is significant to MCi Tours’ clientele. We have in the past been asked for tours in the Fast East and South America, but recognise…

PERFECT BLUE SKY. Grey tarmac. A green grass verge dotted with flowers. Distant white-capped mountains getting closer, as the road curls up a sister peak. This is touring heaven, especially on a bike that’s built for it. I’m in Austria with the Triumph Tiger Explorer – but understanding the bike isn’t just about the destination. It is also about the journey, as getting here put it to the test. It’s a misty Lincolnshire dawn when I set off, powering down to Folkestone to catch up with the GlobeBusters tour that had taken an early Eurotunnel, bound for the Triumph owners’ festival Tridays. As I pull onto the A1, I’m momentarily stumped: the screen is in its low position. How do you adjust it again? Ah yes, use one rocker button…

When can I ride on the pavement? Q I RECENTLY saw a video on social media of a scooterist riding along a pavement, and I was told that the rider wasn’t prosecuted. Is it ever actually legal to ride on the pavement? There must be some grey areas. A IN THE case you mention, for reasons which are not clear the prosecution for dangerous driving was abandoned. But it poses the question of when it’s OK to ride a powered two-wheeler on a pavement and, more broadly, where can a motorcycle be ridden? The law on riding on pavements is clear: it is illegal, with one exception. You may ride (or drive) a motor vehicle on the pavement for a maximum of 15 yards to get to a place of…

RIDING MY HONDA CRF250L is becoming increasingly miserable as winter arrives here in Canada. I needed to try a more appropriate sport to take on the winter in style. With my only skiing holiday ending in a desire never to repeat the experience, what could I do? Enter the Yeti SnowMX. Snow bikes are fairly new, with Timbersled bringing the first dirt-bike conversion kits to the market in 2011. Their bulky design was quickly superseded by this lighter, and apparently more versatile, master of the snow. I needed to try one for myself. After meeting Kevin Forsythe, one of the Yeti SnowMX designers, at a petrol station we were soon driving up the tracks towards Hunters Ridge in the Monashee mountains. I grew nervous as we neared the snowline. From…

FACT FILE: BRUGES How to get there: From the north of the UK, the overnight ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge (www.poferries.com) is a winner. From Calais, it’s just over an hour away on the A16/A18 autoroute. How long for: A weekend is ideal. When to go: Any time of year, though it’s busiest with tourists in high summer. How much: Budget £100-£150 a night for a double room in a nice hotel; £45-£60 in a more basic one. Allow £30-£40 a head to eat in a smart restaurant. Food is cheaper in bars, but it’s easy to spend a similar amount if you’re sampling the beers. So, where is Bruges again? It’s in Belgium, about 10 miles from the North Sea. The cloest port is Zeebrugge. It’s not too far…

NEW Honda Fireblade and Suzuki GSX-R1000 The Honda Fireblade has always been the epitome of a sportsbike for the road. Its lack of electronics didn’t affect the experience because the power was so well delivered. But the 2017 bike has it all. Three models will be available: standard; SP (with traction control and cornering ABS, Öhlins suspension, titanium fuel tank and Brembo brakes); and the SP2 (which adds forged wheels and a race cylinder head). Expect the basic bike to cost around £13,000 The wait for Suzuki’s much-anticipated new GSX-R1000 has been long and frustrating for Gixxer loyalists. Former British Superbike champion John Reynolds has had much to do with the development, testing it on both road and track in Europe as well as Japan. Spec is similar to all…

NEW Ducati Multistrada 950 £11,132 The Ministrada mixes big brother’s chassis with a smaller sibling’s engine to bring us an easier Multistrada equation. Its 111bhp will be plenty for most, its comfort, handling and ergonomics suit touring and town in equal measure, while looking to all the world like the 1200. Equipment is lacking when compared to the Multistrada 1200, but there’s still everything you need, just not necessarily everything you want. Then there’s the price, which at £11,132 is close enough to Honda’s Africa Twin at £10,849 and Crossrunner at £10,399, but a little rich compared with BMW’s F800GS Adventure, from £9800. NEW Suzuki V-Strom 1000 XT The Suzuki V-Strom 1000 is one of those forgotten bikes in the adventure bike segment. Which is a shame because the engine…

“Plenty of notes have been taken from the MT-10” WHEN THE MT-09 appeared at the end of 2013, good things began to happen for Yamaha. The all-new machine, with its engaging three-cylinder engine and lightweight chassis, was an instant hit and was rapidly joined by the two-cylinder MT-07. Smaller MT-03 and MT-125 variants followed, with the range crowned in 2016 by the sportsbike-engined MT-10. By the end of that year MT models made up more than 40 per cent of Yamaha’s sales in Europe (and that’s without counting the half-faired Tracer variants). Now Yamaha have revisited the original machine, to see if lessons learned from the other bikes can sharpen it up – and the quickest of glances shows that plenty of notes have been taken from the MT-10. The…

The Super Duke R retains the previous model’s price of £13,999, and now adds to its three riding modes (Street, Sport and Rain) keyless ignition, cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring and cornering ABS. The Track Pack, costing £282.24, adds an extra Track riding mode with three-way adjustable throttle response. It also allows anti-wheelie to be disabled without also turning off traction control, which, frustratingly, the standard bike still doesn’t allow. And it includes launch control and MTC spin adjuster - basically an Aprilia-style adjustable traction control, via the left bar. For £445.50, the Performance Pack adds the two-way quickshifter, motor slip regulation (which prevents rear-wheel lock-up under braking), and a Bluetoothenabled smartphone integration system called KTM My Ride.…

Few Bobber buyers will escape by paying £10,500 for a basic gloss-black Bobber; there are too many tempting add-ons for that. Many will start by upping the price to £10,650 for deep red or matt grey paint, or £10,800 for two-tone green and silver in classic ’70s style. Then there’s the catalogue of 150 options and accessories, ranging from apehanger bars, LED headlight and cruise control to a Fox rear shock and Vance & Hines exhaust pipes. There are also a couple of ‘inspiration’ kits. The laid-back Old School Bobber incorporates apehangers, ribbed badges, brown leather seat and leather swingarm bag. The Quarter Mile Bobber gets clip-on bars, short front fender, black pipes and leather seat. Either adds around £1500 plus fitting to the price.…

#19 Laverda Jota Where did it come from? Building on the success of their 750 twins, Laverda cobbled together some three-cylinder prototypes. The first version with the Jota look was the 3C, launched in 1973. British importers Slater Brothers created the sportier 3CE, and in turn the factory made 1976’s 3CL, complete with cast wheels, triple disc brakes and tail fairing. The Slaters then upped the ante with the Jota – the name was theirs, not the factory’s – which had a different cam profile, pistons and exhaust. What changed? There was a rolling programme of upgrades, including a silver frame and orange tank, new forks, a different seat, a half fairing and more. By the early ’80s, the Jota was no longer part of the line-up. Why do people…

“It somehow fails to spark any curiosity” SCRUBS UP NICELY Cleaning bikes is one of my least favourite occupations, but the F800 is easy to keep clean. It’s all about simple lines, flat surfaces and an absence of nooks and crannies. You can get to everything easily with your preferred combination of sponge, hose, brush and cloth. There’s very little that’s meant to be shiny, but everything seems to be made from good-quality materials that haven’t shown any inclination to discolour or corrode, aside from the exhaust downpipes. Seat There’s a choice of seats and heights. As it comes it’s higher than the R1200GS, the Triumph TIger 800 XC, and the Honda Africa Twin’s standard setting. This gives you a good view over traffic, but makes it difficult to get…

IN AN ISSUE themed around the subject of speed, one of the standout stories was an unlikely comparison: the Kawasaki ZX-10R and the Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster Low. One’s a red-blooded road-legal race bike. The other is built for chugging around and soaking up the vibes. Steve Rose and Ben Wilkins rode from Peterborough to Scarborough and back, 154 miles each way, aiming to see what sort of fun the bikes could offer. Rose noted that it took a few miles to get used to the extremely rapid Kawasaki, but it all started to fall in place on the B-roads between Boston and Brigg. “It lets me concentrate on getting it right. Fully focused on the lines, the traffic and the side roads. Riding a ZX-10R fast is a challenge. It’s…

THE KTM MUSEUM KTM’s museum in Mattighofen will open in late 2017. Keep an eye on www.ktm.com for details I’VE REVERSED THE route I took from Austria and removed most of the motorway to create the journey I would have preferred to do on the Super Duke GT. The catch: it’s three days, not one and a half. It takes in all the great roads I discovered in Austria and the Vosges, plus loads more brilliant riding in France and Germany. CALAIS TO KTM Day one Calais to Pontà-Mousson Distance 275 miles Riding time 6 hours Day two Pont-à-Mousson to Biberach an der Riss Distance 290 miles Riding time 7.5 hours Day three Biberach an der Riss to Mattighofen Distance 270 miles Riding time 6.5 hours…

Want to buy a Triumph but don’t want to pay new-bike prices? Triumph have just launched an approved-used scheme that aims to offer peace of mind at lower prices. All the bikes in the scheme are less than five years old and have no more than 25,000 miles on the clock. They come with a full service history, a year’s MoT, roadside assistance and warranty, and the promise that they’ve been checked top to toe by a proper Triumph-trained technician. Triumph UK general manager Paul Lilly said: “After undertaking considerable market research, we found that the majority of riders looking to purchase a used model were often put off by the perceived risk of hidden mechanical issues.” As well as involving Triumph dealers, the scheme also includes direct sales via…

STAR PICTURE Highlands Just needed to do it. Solo trip around Scotland from Hertfordshire: 1500 miles on a 2009 Yamaha Diversion XJ6. Baldock, Tyneside, Dunblane, Fort William, Inverness, Durness, Glencoe then home. The further north I rode, the worse the weather became. This picture was taken north of Fort William on the A82 with snow still on the mountains. Highlight: riding the A836 on the north coast of Scotland. Lowlight: riding in a stormy cascade through Glencoe on the way back. Thank goodness for the Green Welly Café at Tyndrum, where the bike park surface has been upgraded – Alan Stobbs Essex This is my Ducati Hypermotard SP pictured in front of Audley End House. I came across this lovely place on a return trip from Cambridge and thought they…

There are eight versions of the Triumph Explorer. The base model is split between XC and XR versions - the XC (here in white) has spoked wheels and a dual-sport inclination, the XR (in red) has cast wheels and an entirely tarmac-focused brief. All bikes have ABS, traction control and an electronically adjusted screen. In the middle of the range are the XR X and XC X models that gain, among other extras, lean-angle-sensitive versions of the ABS and traction control systems, electronically adjusted semi-active suspension, cruise control and heated grips. There are also Low versions of the XR X and XR C , with adapted suspension. The XR side of the family is topped by the XR T (above), the bike in the main story. It gains crash bars,…

The big idea Steve: Where shall we go this year? The weather forecast is looking promising. Yvonne: Not the Ukraine again. I can’t be bothered with the border crossing. S: OK. How about Albania? I don’t know anyone who’s been there so it must be undiscovered. Y: Let’s Google it; see what it’s like. (Ten minutes later) Y: You cannot be serious. S OK, maybe not. Croatia? That’s in the EU. And it has laws and everything. Preparation Precisely nothing. We simply booked the Eurotunnel and the first hotel, on the France/Belgium border, and set off from Lincoln the next day. Our Honda CBF1000 had recently been serviced and the tyres were good, so what else is there to do? We always carry a puncture repair kit and spare bulbs…

We take the freedom to cross borders for granted, but outside the EU comfort zone traversing a frontier with your bike can become a long and unfathomable process. If you don’t prepare yourself for it, physically and mentally, it can turn your trip sour, or halt it altogether. Passing between two countries comprises four basic steps. First, you enter yourself into the country at the immigration post. Secondly, you enter your bike with customs. Thirdly, on leaving you get yourself stamped out. Finally, you exit your bike. Simple in theory, but in practice every border will be different, and faced with masses of locals, being jostled for money, and a random collection of anonymous buildings to trawl through, you could forget it all instantly. Pocket Guides #12: Border crossing essentials…

NEW Ducati SuperSport £11,632 We’re all excited about this bike: 111bhp, 210kg, an optional up-and-down quickshifter and an 810mm seat height, adding up to a nimble, rapid road bike. A pretty Ducati is always pleasing and a comfortable, road-biased one should be a winner. Adjustable screen, high clip-ons and more leg room should add to the pleasure without compromising the ride. But £11,632 is a lot of money, so let’s hope it’s all we think it should be. EURO 3 OUTGOING MODEL Triumph Daytona 675 £9600 PCP example Deposit £2331.57, 36 x £105, MFV £4732, APR 6.9%, 5000 miles For many this is the perfect sportsbike on both road and track. Ample, seamless power in a lithe frame and very light, the Daytona in either standard or R variants handles…

“If you have trouble paying, talk to your finance company immediately” NEW Suzuki GSX-S750 £7736 Inheriting a GSX-R750 engine retuned for 113bhp, the GSX-S750 should give Suzuki a foothold on the everyman naked bike market that the GSR750 never managed. Aggressive looks, radial brakes, adjustable traction control and Suzuki’s newbie-friendly RPM Assist, which increases the revs as you pull away, and cracking looks to boot. And all for a surprisingly modest £7736 on the road. NEW Kawasaki Z900 £8386 It may be an historic name, but there’s nothing old about the looks of the new Z900. Compared with the similar GSX-S750 it looks more cutting edge. Its sleeved-down Z1000 engine is now 948cc and makes 124bhp, the trellis frame is new, forks are fully adjustable, there’s a slipper clutch and…

“Effortlessly storming through the midrange” “The Super Duke earns its R for Racer designation by getting more sporty” I’M CROUCHED OVER the Super Duke R’s tank, at a standstill on the start-finish straight at the Losail circuit in Qatar. Right wrist is wound back, left hand half-squeezing the clutch lever, V-twin thunder in my ears, and eyes fixed on a trio of red lights. Alongside me, South African journalist and former drag-racer Bill Hunter is poised for battle on an identical KTM. FLICK: the lights go out and I dump the clutch. The Super Duke doesn’t so much leap forward as accelerate at what seems like an underwhelming rate, its front tyre barely leaving the track. But I must’ve got the jump on Bill, and there’s no repeat of my…

“The ER’s bulbous looks have gone, replaced by a more aggressive appeal” OVER THE PAST decade, thousands learned to ride and passed their test on Kawasaki’s easygoing ER-6n. Countless more commuted on one, enjoying its frugality and reliability, couriered with one, or simply enjoyed its no-frills, do-it-all nature. And if you were budding road racer you could a forget about winning a Supertwins race unless you were on an ER-6. But, despite updates in 2009 and 2012, the bike needed a redesign that met the latest Euro 4 emissions standards. And so it’s farewell ER-6n, hello Z650. (The ER-6f is replaced by the new Ninja 650.) Making the 649cc parallel twin run cleaner and quieter has cost a little top-end power – last year’s ER-6n made a claimed 71bhp, the…

“The family has been broadened, deepened and upgraded” IN THE TORRENT of new and updated models for 2017, it would be easy to underestimate the extent of the changes to BMW’s GS bikes. The family has been broadened, deepened and upgraded. The dual-purpose range now includes the smallest ever GS, as well as a GS that isn’t really a GS. And, most intriguingly, the core product, the R1200GS, has spawned two extra versions that empahsise different aspects of its considerable breadth of talents: a more luxurious road-orientated version and another for off-road enthusiasts who don’t want the extra bulk of the Adventure. The quoted prices came into effect on January 1. The 1200s: the same, but more so The advanced party of the 2017 GS range actually arrived in August…

Indian Thug What’s the big idea? This is the winner of the first Project Scout UK contest. That’s a competition for Indian dealers to show off their customising skills by taking a Scout or Scout Sixty and making it unique in a build taking no longer than 90 days. The only restrictions were that they had to use at least three Scout extras from the Indian accessories list, and at least one part from one of Indian’s favoured aftermarket suppliers, Custom Chrome Europe, MAG Europe or Harrison Billet. The winner was chosen by a public vote at Motorcycle Live at the NEC. Who made it? The team at Thor Motorcycles in Bodmin, Cornwall. Dealer principal Colin Treleaven explains how they went about it: “We didn’t want to build a ‘handbag’…

“I’m yet to find a pursuit that the Africa Twin can’t do” SLIPPER CLUTCH Comes as standard and helps to minimise jerky downchanges. But on slimy, cold, wet roads you can feel the clutch catch up with itself as you slow for roundabouts or junctions. It gives a slight pulse from the rear – you get used to it. CARRYING CAPACITY Rear luggage rack sits in line with pillion seat, giving massive area for multiple bags, with numerous places to attach straps. COMFORT Seat offers two heights: 850mm or 870mm. Comfort is never thought about – I’ve ridden 600-mile days without a single bum-wobbler. CENTRESTAND If you’re not going to spend your life off-road then begrudgingly pay £195 for a centrestand, or fit a chain oiler. Using a paddock stand…

BRAKES The Scout’s front brake is not to be relied on solely. On bikes like this, which carry their weight long and low, you need to use the rear brake a lot more – no problem as it’s very effective and easy to control. TYRES The Avon Cobras I have fitted have been excellent. I’ve had no issues with grip, they’re lasting very well and the white sidewalls set the bike off perfectly. They are a chore to keep clean, but worth the effort. AFTER SITTING ON a plethora of shiny new bikes at Motorcycle Live back in 2015, it was the Scout Sixty that stood out for me. Funny really, seeing how I’ve grown up with so many other biking influences. Sportsbikes have formed the backbone of my riding…

Q I noticed in the December issue’s boot test that the Infinity Evo boots from TCX were not among the triangle winners. Aren’t they as good as the boots they replaced? A They’re very good boots, and very similar to the old Infinity, a long-time RiDE favourite. They were only just off the podium - beaten by a handful of alternatives that our testers scored slightly higher, reflecting the fact that boots are generally getting better and more versatile, usually at good prices too. It’s a trend prompted in part, we believe, by RiDE’s praise over the years for the Infinity. By the way, some pre-Evo Infinity boots are, at the time of writing, available from www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk at just £170. Q Overboots haven’t featured very prominently in RiDE’s kit coverage…

Harley-Davidson Street Scrambler The work of Shaw Speed & Custom in Sussex, this Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster special draws its inspiration from two Steve McQueen race bikes: his 1964 Triumph TR6 and his 1971 Husqvarna 400. The main Husky element is the paint/ chrome combination on the fuel tank, while the chief Triumph contribution is the race number, given to McQueen at the International Six Days Trial. There are other influences too, including Honda-replica drum brakes. The donor bike is a 2010 Sportster with fuel injection. It’s legal for daytime on-road use, having a stoplight and number plate but no indicators. The bars are vintage motocross with Magura levers. The exhaust is stainless steel, and the shocks are from Öhlins. Tron Lightcycle One of the stars of the Principal Insurance stand…

IF THE FRENCH chateaux in the Loire and the Pyrenees don’t fit with your touring plans, don’t worry - Europe’s crammed full of amazing castles that make great stops on any trip. Some can be appreciated in an hour or two, but most of the major ones can keep you entertained for an afternoon or even a whole day. Which ones are worth working into your next tour? We’d start with these ones - which we’ve ranked in order of the quality of the riding surrounding them, with a ride planned around each of them. 19 Pena Palace, Sintra Portugal Spectacular palace just outside Lisbon. Be sure to visit the nearby Castelo dos Mouros as well. 20 Mont Saint-Michel, Brittany France A fortified citadel built on an island, crowned by…

AFTER THE BIKE and the kit, buying a sat nav can be one of the most expensive purchases a touring rider can make. Both TomTom and Garmin updated their flagship models in 2016, the Rider 400 becoming the Rider 410 and the Zumo 590 becoming the Zumo 595. We spent the summer using both models, side by side, on trips from Scotland to Switzerland, to find their strengths and weaknesses. We used them to follow pre-planned routes and to find routes for us. We used them on bright, sunny days and in torrential downpours, fitting them to all manner of different motorcycles. How do they stack up? Like this… VERDICT BOTH OF THESE sat navs work extremely well for touring. The TomTom Rider 410 is easier to fit to any…

“I missed the turn and sailed on happily” SOMETIMES IT’S LUCK that delivers the most memorable rides - luck and bad planning. Well, no planning. I’d headed to Spain aiming to play it by ear, as for once there was no schedule to follow. I had three days to ride to Seville after the ferry docked in Santander. I’d just follow my nose, stop where I fancied, see the sights, take it easy, no rush… Arriving late in Plymouth, I’d been one of the last to board the Brittany Ferry. That had been a bit stressful as I was convinced I was going to miss the boat. But then the panic paid off, because when we arrived in Spain, I was one of the first to disembark. I breezed down…