RiDE December 2016

IF IN DOUBT, supersize it. A recurring theme of the conversations I have with readers and other riders who I meet on my travels is their liking for bigger engines. Many are lucky enough to have more than one bike, but the difference is often in style rather than capacity: a Suzuki Bandit 1250 and a Ducati Multistrada, or a Harley Forty-Eight (a 1202cc cruiser) and a Yamaha FJ1200, to take two recent real-life examples. My own buying history shows a disproportionate number of 650s and smaller, but there’s no fighting the glories of capacity, power and torque. This issue celebrates big-bore bikes in all their variety, while managing to slip a couple of smaller machines in there too. I hope you enjoy the issue.…

AS THIS ISSUE of RiDE went to press the wraps were starting to come off 2017’s new motorcycles in the cavernous halls of the Cologne show. These events are all hype-driven, but amid all the over-selling of familiar models that have had a mild facelift and some engine tweaks to get them through new emissions regulations, there were also some highly intriguing all-new models and significant upgrades. Some of those bikes are here and, over the coming months, we will continue to bring you more of 2017’s new bikes – adding prices, on-sale dates and detailed specifications when we have them. We’ll also be looking at some of the outgoing models that aren’t being updated to meet Euro 4 standards – so you’ll need to be quick if you want one…

Hampshire Alan Johnson and I thought we would have a day out, so we headed from Newbury to the New Forest. We had an awesome time at the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum. Well worth a visit – it’s massive, with lots of exhibits. My first ride on my Ducati Multistrada was excellent fun –David Blake Scottish Lowlands My two big Suzukis on decent ride-outs. The Hayabusa around Fife on the day I bought it, and the big GSX at a wee secret stop in Kilsyth after exercising its considerable muscles around the Campsies. People ask me, why the two? Just because, I reply… –Mark Hampson Switzerland I have just returned from a trip through France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy on my trusty Triumph Explorer, riding some of the best mountain passes in the world. This…

The Speed Triple R takes the standard S model - updated this year with a ride-by-wire throttle, slipper clutch, traction control and engine modes, plus LED daytime running lights - and adds carbonfibre panels and Öhlins suspension. Unfortunately, you can’t see any of those bits from the saddle. There are lots of nice touches, from the effective bar-end mirrors to the red-stitched seat. It’s fairly economical: 42mpg ridden hard; 48mpg otherwise. SPEC Price £11,500 Engine 1050cc dohc inline triple, 4v per cyl, l/c Power 138bhp @ 9500rpm Torque 83lb.ft @ 7850rpm Transmission 6-speed, chain Chassis aluminium twin spar Front suspension 43mm forks, 120mm travel, adj preload, rebound and compression Rear suspension monoshock, adj preload, rebound and compression Front brakes 320mm discs, 4-piston calipers Rear brake 255mm disc, 2-piston caliper Front tyre 120/70…

“Join 100,000 other spectators enjoying the MotoGP finale” Valencia MotoGP November 11-13, Spain THE VALENCIA GP is a must-see for race fans. It’s a great excuse for some winter riding under the warm Spanish sun, and you’ll be joining well over 100,000 other spectators enjoying the finale of what’s been a fantastic season. The track, built in 1999, can almost all be seen from most of the grandstands. With the championships so close, the racing will be electric. Remember Marquez’s astonishing last-place-to-win race in Moto2, or Rossi coming through to sixth from the back last year? The bike to watch: KTM RC16 THE AUSTRIAN FIRM enjoy huge success in most sports they enter, and after a small foray into MotoGP in 2005 that didn’t go according to plan, KTM are back to do it properly.…

THE WORD ‘UNIQUE’ gets tossed around rather lightly, but it’s absolutely the right word to describe Lydon Poskett’s Races To Places project. Nobody has ever done what he is currently doing. And it’s a fairly safe bet that nobody ever will again. The 38-year-old Yorkshireman is riding around the world and, when the opportunity arises, he’s interrupting his progress to compete in off-road races, usually on the bike that’s his daily ride. These are not small-beer local club events - they’re world-class competitions, including this coming January the toughest of the lot, the Dakar Rally. That will be two weeks of tough terrain in Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, involving more than 5000 miles of riding. And because he likes a challenge, Poskett will be competing in the “malle moto” class. That means…