Índex per March 2017 a Performance Bikes

THE HONDA FIREBLADE has played a part in every one of our lives, even if we’ve never owned one. Along with the Suzuki GSX-R750, it has formed the blueprint for the modern four-cylinder superbike – light, fast, sweet-handling and dripping with race-bred intent. This month we’ve been immersed in Blade life. We spent time and effort getting under the skin of the new bike and even stripped an old version in the studio to compare the two. I then scratched a two-decade-old itch by thrashing the hell out of PB reader Geoff’s mint 1993 Blade on my favourite road. Sheer bloody heaven. As I write this, I’m just packing my kitbag to head off to ride the latest models (the test starts on page 26) and I’m excited to find…

IN 2008 THE first Street Triple redefined the amount of fun that was possible with a mid-capacity naked. This was because it was a proper, contemporary engine, housed in a proper frame unlike the cast-offs used by most of its competition. The 2013 update was a better bike in every way, but was so refined it lost a little of the original spirit. This, with far more grunt and lower initial gear ratios, could be a wheelie-tastic little bastard as well as a scalpel-like B-road conveyance. Which we’re all for on PB...…

Honda have showcased their first self-balancing bike – designed to stop embarrassing spills for commuting numpties. Self-bal bikes have been seen before, but have used heavy, expensive gyroscopes. This doesn’t. When you select the Honda Riding Assist, it kicks the forks out to reduce sensitivity and lengthen the wheelbase, disconnecting the handlebars from the yokes and letting the computer take over the turning movement of the front wheel to maintain balance. Sounds terrifying.…

1 FLY PRESS ‘This is an absolute monster which I bought it from Rolls Royce when I left. It weighs more than a ton but I have lugged it around everywhere with me. Once we have made the silencer’s inlet, we press the tube into the end plate using the press. The fly press ensures this goes in 100% square. Hammering it in always ends up with it slightly on the piss.’ 2 KEMPPI TIG WELDER ‘The Kemppi is a quality welder, and while it isn’t cheap, you get what you pay for. You have to TIG weld an exhaust as the quality of the weld is on display. Termignoni MIG weld their steel, but I think TIG is the only way to go. There is nothing more satisfying than…

MATT WILDEE EDITOR matt.wildee@pbmag.co.uk Riding McGuinness’s 2011 TT winner at Cadwell. Best biking day of my life! SIMON RUSSELL ART EDITOR simon.russell@bauermedia.co.uk My mate lent me his 929 for six months. Bloody brilliant bike! CHRIS NEWBIGGING FEATURES EDITOR chris@pbmag.co.uk Buying PB’s project Blade for an absolute steal. 2008 Blades are tools. JOHN McAVOY ROAD TESTER editorial@pbmag.co.uk Riding one from the PB office to Weston and back in five hours, including chips! MICHAEL RUTTER TRACK TESTER editorial@pbmag.co.uk Becoming the first person in the world to win a superbike race on a Fireblade. MARK WHITE TECHNICIAN editorial@pbmag.co.uk Seeing the Starboyz’ tiger fur-covered one vertical on the cover of PB. KAR LEE FORUM EDITOR editorial@pbmag.co.uk Riding my old Foxeye FireBlade. Some say it’s the best of the early models. JOHN McGUINNESS COLUMNIST editorial@pbmag.co.uk…

Major manufacturers moving into MotoGP’s feeder formulas could continue, with Ducati looking at going into Moto3. There are links with the two series – because of their capacity, Moto3 engines are in effect one quarter of a MotoGP unit. Race boss Paolo Ciabatti was quoted as saying, “Moto3 is something that we’re thinking about. It’s not going to happen next year because decisions have not been made yet, but eventually if everything goes right with our MotoGP project we may consider a Moto3 bike.”…

WHO IS JOHN McGUINNESS? The Morecambe Missile has 23 Isle of Man TT wins to his name. And a decent stash of Star Wars figures AT THE MOMENT I think I’m more stressed than I’ve ever been. Not because of contract negotiations or the like, but because I’m moving house tomorrow and it’s chaos. What do they say? The two most stressful things you can ever do are get divorced and move house? After this week I’m never moving again and certainly not getting divorced! Although it is all getting a bit tense in the McGuinness household. There are boxes and boxes of shit everywhere and it took me two solid days just to clear out the loft, but I’ve found some really cool stuff. Amongst all the spiders and…

THE FIREBLADE IS on the pace when it comes to electronic adjustability and each of the three main modes influences aspects of the bike from power and torque delivery, to throttle response, engine braking and suspension stiffness. All you need to do is toggle between them with the buttons on the left-hand switchgear. But you can fine-tune, too – it has two user modes, which allow you to create your own bespoke set-up – fine-tuning traction control levels and even quickshifter and auto-blipper sensitivity. The only potential downside is you can’t separate traction control and anti-wheelie levels, but it was easy to find a setting that worked for me. It’s very good. The Öhlins Smart EC system means you can also fine-tune the suspension settings, giving the bike a stiffer…

ENGINE Type Liquid-cooled, 16v, inline four Capacity 893cc Bore x stroke 76mm x 58mm Fuelling 4 x 38mm CV carbs Power 123bhp @ 10,500rpm (claimed) Torque 65.1ftlb @ 8500rpm (claimed) DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 1405mm Rake/trail 24°/89mm Weight 185kg (dry, claimed) Seat height 800mm Fuel capacity 18 litres CHASSIS Frame Cast aluminium Front suspension 45mm forks, adjustable for preload and rebound damping Rear suspension Monoshock, adjustable for preload, rebound and compression damping Front brakes 2 x 296mm discs with four-piston calipers Rear brakes 220mm disc with twin-piston caliper BUYING Price £3000-£6000…

PESSIMISM IS RIFE when it comes to British motorcycle manufacturing. Since the 1960s, we’ve mostly made a pig’s ear of running a sustainable, world-beating manufacturer. The exception is Triumph, but without John Bloor’s long-term plan and personal fortune that could have sunk back into the swamp, too. Then, in 2009, Stuart Garner arrived, Norton name in hand and the rights to American Kenny Dreer’s half-finished Commando retro from the previous abortive attempt to revive the name. Since then, Norton have had to learn the hard way – working through someone else’s undeveloped bike and its associated problems, changing factory location, working out how to make the supply chain work, and the financial intricacies of running a bike firm. It isn’t easy. But now things are coming good and the naysayers…

NORTON’S V4 TT racer has been as divisive as the rest of the company’s operation. Some love the noise, the indiduality, the fact that a British bike is having a go at the TT. Others mocked the ‘Spondon Aprilia’ of 2012 as it struggled to match Superstock laptimes, let alone those of the Superbike/ Senior races that the prototype has special dispensation to compete in. 2016 was the year any question marks over its credibility as a racer disappeared. David ‘Davo’ Johnson rode it to seventh place in the Superbike race, notching up a best lap of 130.87mph – less than two minutes behind Michael Dunlop on lap record pace. In 2012, Ian Mackman on the first SG1 prototype was six minutes adrift, with a best lap of 116mph. But…

BENT PIPES ‘We get all our pipes pre-bent in small sections by a company called Good Fabrications, who also do F1 work. The bend is from the centre line, is really high quality and very accurate. You can always tell a cheap bend by the rippled metal on the inside of it – ours have very little rippling. Titanium is very hard to bend accurately, though.’ PILLAR DRILLS ‘The pillar drill is used to drill the rivet holes and also drill out any rivets when we rebuild a silencer. We put the silencer on a blanket to protect it and use a very short stubby cobalt drill so it doesn’t flex. Cobalt is hard enough to deal with stainless steel, which is very hard to drill. Titanium is far easier…

‘I bought a 2000 R1 because it’s the best analogue sportsbike in the world’ ORIGINAL PLASTIC Undertray and batteryox p put back to standard for £76. Stock reflector cost £30! OE screen sadly discontinued, though. RELIABILITY Little went wrong, save for an easily fixed weeping generator cover. Optimate keeps 10-year-old battery alive against constant drain of 15-year-old alarm. SERVICING Big service and valve check when I bought it,then an oil change every year. Apart from a brake fluid change after testing, it’s needed nothing. SUSPENSION Forks refreshed by MCT suspension in Stowmarket. Rear shock is a Nitron NTR3. Both are big improvements. EXHAUST OE silencer weighs 1.8kg more than road legal CE-marked Akrapovic, but makes 0.5bhp more. I’ll stick with the Akra. WHEELS DymagUP7Xs save 2.8kg of rotational inertia.…

Spark Force titanium silencer LAYOUT The standard collector and other aftermarket pipes merge into one later. That might explain the negligible performance increase FINISH The can and pipework are lovely – the hanging gbracket and fasteners aren’t quite of the same standard though. HOW LONG 2500 MILES COST £1029 CONTACT WWW.VELOXRACING.COM REDUCED HEAT, CLEANER looks and aiding some set-up were the priorities for replacing my R1 long-termer’s exhaust. I chose this half-system from Italian firm Spark –the subtle titanium finish suits the classy Yam perfectly, and the long silencer promised at least a bit of noise suppression. Substituting it for the OE silencer/collector/exhaust valve took 5kg off the bike’s weight, and it took an hour to fit, most of which was removing original parts. It was a little wobbly on…

‘KYB suspension’s execution falls short when you get stuck into a few trackdays’ 2016 YAMAHA YZF-R1 CHRIS NEWBIGGING THERE’S NEVER A DULL MOMENT Some bikes engage you in a passive way. You get on them, and go quick in a very mechanical fashion. It’s a process – usually an effective one, in the case of Hondas, which makes fast riding an easy, efficient process. But the R1 manages the same trick as Ducatis, Aprilias and other loveable but quirky machines: it sucks you in. Even a simple blat to work in the morning feels like a little event. I don’t just get to the office: I arrive, having enjoyed the crossplane wail through the midrange. The throttle blips as I change down into the car park are one last chance…

2016 TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE S MATT WILDEE YOUR NEED TIME TO APPRECIATE ITS CHARMS The latest Speed Triple is by far the most accomplished version Triumph have produced. But the first few miles are a little disappointing – some of the character, the noise and vibes that made the older machine such an exciting experience are missing, thanks to Euro 4 regulations. But the harder you ride, the better it gets. The engine has the flattest torque curve of any production bike and delivers thrust at any rpm – perfect for ducking and weaving on your favourite A and B-roads, but get it singing and it still has that wonderful baritone that only a triple can produce. It has enough power to feel fast – some would say 127bhp at…

NEW McGUINNESS VIDEO Everyone’s favourite TT racer and part-time northern comedian, John McGuinness, is starring in a series of documentaries on his life and racing. They’re full of swearing, modesty, cock jokes and general mucking about. A bit like his column, on page 20. HUNGARY AND SPA TARGET GPs F1 tracks in Hungary and Belgium are on the lookout to host MotoGP in 2018. As F1’s popularity wanes and series owners ask more ludicrous amounts to host a race, MotoGP becomes increasingly attractive. We’d love to see Marquez through Eau Rouge. BRIT WINS DAKAR RALLY We don’t normally talk about dirtbikes, but hats off to Sam Sunderland, winner of the 2017 Dakar, and the first Brit ever to win it. The gruelling South American event may well be the toughest…

WHITE | BLACK | COSTLY CERACARBON FORK TUBES For the man who has every type of carbon imaginable: carbon fork stanchions! The carbon tube is claimed to cut 1.5kg of unsprung weight, is coated in low-friction ceramic, and comes as part of an Öhlins R&T fork assembled with TTX25 closed-bath cartridges and top-notch oil and seals. But the price... Price: £6140 Contact: www.brssuspensionworks.nl SIMPLE | ITALIAN | COOL ALPINESTARS SMX-S The SMX-S boot puts your tootsies in Astars kit at an (as-yet unrevealed) entry-level price. They’ve a microfibre upper with a shin deflector, ankle protectors and removable toesliders. They’re CE certified, too, so the protection standard is reasonable despite the lower-spec build. Price: £TBC Contact: www.alpinestars.com SLOVENIAN | LIGHT | LOUD AKRAPOVIC Z900 SLIP-ON Kawasaki’s new Z900 isn’t in dealers…

YAMAHA R3 VS KR-1S? When I was still reasonably young (and self-preservation hadn’t come into play), I had a Kawasaki KR-1 and then after that a KR-1S. My friends also had various two-strokes (before we all eventually moved on to bigger four-strokes) including RGV250s, RD350s, TDR250s, etc. This was the time when we’d head down to Chelsea Bridge (pre-cameras) and then on to Heston Services, or would take rides down to Box Hill. Anyway, I was thinking about the modern smaller sportsbikes that are in manufacturers’ line-ups. My thoughts were that it would be a great article to gather up say, four old-style two-strokes and compare them to three modern small-engined bikes. Maybe a Yamaha R3, Honda CBR300 and KTM RC390? I believe it would be a really fun article…

WHO IS CHRIS WALKER? Stalker has raced MX, BSB, WSB, World Endurance, GPs and sidecars. He owns a Kawasaki dealership in Grantham IT’S GOOD TO see WSB is trying to address its problems with big changes (page 44). I made the effort to go to Misano as a fan last year. It’s a track dear to my heart as my old PSG team are only half an hour away, and I hadn’t been back for years. I came to the conclusion that having a Saturday and Sunday race doesn’t work. You get smaller crowds for both days – qualifying is rushed and you only get one race on the Saturday, then on Sunday there’s only really a Supersport and Superbike race, because Superstock is over before you get through the…

Power 189bhp @ 13,000rpm Torque 84ftlb @11,000rpm Weight 195kg (wet) Price £19,125 ENGINE Type Liquid-cooled, 16v, inline four Capacity 999cc Bore x stroke 76mm x 55mm Fuelling Fuel injection Power 189bhp @ 13,000rpm Torque 84ftlb @11,000rpm CHASSIS Frame Aluminium twin-spar Front suspension 43mm Öhlins NiX30 upside-down forks, fully adjustable Rear suspension Öhlins TTX36 monoshock, fully adjustable Front brakes 2 x 320mm discs, four-piston Brembo M4 monoblock calipers Rear brakes 220mm disc, single-piston caliper DIMENSIONS Wheelbase 1404mm Rake/trail 23.3°/96mm Weight 195kg (wet) Seat height 820mm Fuel capacity 16 litres TECHNOLOGY Rider aids Three engine modes, semi-active suspension, traction control, anti-wheelie, cornering ABS, quickshifter, auto-blipper BUYING Price £19,125 Contact www.honda.co.uk…

I DON’T REALLY CARE for the Commando 961. As a concept, it’s not ‘me’, and while it’s reputedly nice on an afternoon’s road test, the design Norton inherited hasn’t been without problems. But it was only ever meant to be a starting point and what that bike has done is keep the company going. They ’ ve sold steadily all over the world and the premium price tag has given Garner and former Triumph employee, now engineering boss, Simon Skinner the readies to expand the operation and run a TT team. That in turn gave them enough credibility to convince chancellor George Osborne to open his wallet to the tune of £4m – money spent on a new production facility, an apprentice academy to train engineers, and finally the development…

MARK’S EXHAUST TIPS REPACK THE SILENCER On a racebike you should repack the silencer once a year, probably more on a twin or single as their engine pulses destroy the packing. Roadbikes can go two or three years easily between repacks. KEEP YOUR HEAD! Standard headers are brilliant and often not even worth changing. My advice would be to get rid of the catalytic converter with a new link pipe and then change the silencer in order to get the best value for money performance gains. BEWARE OF BAFFLES If the silencer isn’t designed to run a baffle, putting one in could overheat the silencer and cause the packing inside to get damaged. And once the packing is damaged the silencer will be even louder and fail noise tests. CHECK…

2008 HONDA FIREBLADE CHRIS NEWBIGGING YOU CAN’T BEAT a good parts department for making a project more satisfying. Trying to order important parts from a disinterested dunderhead makes the job harder, but get a knowledgeable parts desk and you’re laughing. Like Pete Aitkenhead at Fowlers in Bristol. Not our local Honda dealer, but between the online parts shop and his experience, getting the bits to sort our Blade out wasn’t just easy, it was interesting. The order itself was fairly dull – plugs, filters, a bearing, the missing engine spacer... But what it led to grabbed our attention. When Pete tried to order a set of 2008-spec clutch plates, they came up as discontinued – unusual for a bike not even a decade old. I’d supplied the frame number and…

2016 KAWASAKI ZX-10R MATT WILDEE IT’S PROBABLY THE MOST EXCITING LITRE BIKE Despite the changes that Kawasaki carried out on the ZX-10R for the 2016 model upgrade, it remains the most focussed, most racy of all the litre bikes. There have been slight frustrations during my tenure as the bike’s custodian, but plenty of highs, too. When a ZX-10R is on song on the road, it dances in your hands, alive and light-steering. It’s far better for fast road riding than the model it replaced. The engine, with more midrange and better gear ratios, is a decent step forward and you end up with a really effective, exciting motorcycle that sucks in the middle-distance as a litre bike should and has a top-end that challenges your comprehension. Chasing that top-end,…

2016 DUCATI 959 PANIGALE JOHN McAVOY IT’S NOT A BABY The 959 has 26% less capacity than a 1299 Panigale, but is nowhere near 26% less of a bike. With 144bhp, it’s packing equivalent peak power to a 1098, but is blessed with a much more manageable yet still potent midrange. In more than 3000 miles of ownership, a sizeable number of which were completed on track, I didn’t once find myself wishing for more power. I certainly can’t say the same about many of its predecessors. At some point, a 748, 749, 848 and even the 899 have left me wanting more. The increase in stroke of just 3.6mm over the 899’s is a small amount, but combined with new pistons, crankshaft, conrods, and a 1299-equalling 60mm exhaust diameter,…

2016 BMW S1000XR MARK WHITE THE JOKE’S NOT ON ME (FOR ONCE) My time with the S1000XR was not how I expected it to be. I also doubt it was what the rest of the team expected it to be, too. I think I said in my first write-up that Matt’s plan to partner the smallest member of the team with the biggest bike on the fleet would provide the comedy for the year. Even I had prepared myself for quite a struggle getting on with it. BMW WERE LISTENING... I’ll be honest, one of the bikes very near the top of my ‘Hope I never have to ride one of those again’ list is BMW’s own R1200GS. I just don’t get it, or anyone who does. Actually, I take…