RiDE October 2016

IT’S A SIGN of the times that the bike that came third – or last, if you’d rather – in this month’s comparison test is a machine that just five years ago I declared one of the best bikes in the world. I rode the Kawasaki ER-6n again this summer to make sure I hadn’t been dreaming, and it’s still as good as it was back in 2011. The fantastic thing is that it costs roughly the same as it did back then, and the two newer bikes that now outshine it – the Yamaha MT-07 and revised Suzuki SV650 – are both also less than six grand. Talking of great value, I’d (rather immodestly) like to draw your attention to the fantastic deal currently being offered on subscriptions to RiDE.…

Matt Hull Technical editor The Scrambler version of the R nineT has been a long time coming, but when I finally rode the new BMW on the international press launch all my jaded cynicism was blown away by just how good it is to ride. PAGE 48 Simon Weir Deputy editor I love sportsbikes but most are sized for riders built like jockeys, whereas I’m built more like a rugby player. The KTM RC8 is that rarity: a full-on sportsbike that’s big enough for grown-ups. PAGE 72 Kev Raymond Features writer At first I suspected the ban on older bikes in Paris was just another badly thought out French law that would soon be forgotten. Now I fear it might be here to stay and could spread to other cities, not just in France. PAGE 80…

WHEN A SALES rep for a kitchen-utensil firm started selling unwanted Honda bits in his spare time, he never knew that 30 years later it would be famed worldwide as a company keeping older bikes on the road. Now David Silver has taken another leap into the unknown by opening a Honda museum in Leiston on the Suffolk coast. Built from two collections he acquired, it’s the biggest museum dedicated to Honda motorcycles outside Japan. It’s not just a collection of beautiful bikes, but also tells the story of the innovation behind Honda’s rise. Former Top Gear host James May was at the opening. He owns 21 Hondas, and sold a couple to Silver for the museum: “I think I may have swapped one for an exhaust grommet.” Also present was Honda GP…

SUZUKI HAVE ALWAYS maintained that the GSX-S1000FA isn’t a sports tourer like the Kawasaki Z1000SX, with a rear end not designed for carrying panniers. But they’ve now relented a little by offering a Tour special edition, which comes with taller screen, heated grips, tankbag, tail pack and silver graphics (but still no panniers). It’s available in blue or red and black, priced at £10,436 – a modest £300 for those extras. The naked GSX-S1000 is now available as a special Carbon edition that gains a carbonfibre hugger and carbonfibre covers f r the alternator, clutch and crankcase. It’s available in blue (with blue Brembo brake calipers and yellow detailing) or red and black (with red calipers and white detailing). It’s priced at £10,136 with ABS or £9636 without; that’s £400 more…

THE F700 AND 800GS are being revised for 2017, gaining ride-by-wire throttle control, a new exhaust to help them meet Euro 4 emissions regulations, new paintwork, new instruments and – on the 800 – the option of Enduro and Enduro Pro riding modes on top of the standard Rain and Road settings. There’s also a really neat new optional crash bar/ bash plate combo. Other changes throughout the BMW range include new colour options across the board. There are new instruments for the R1200GS, which also gets a revised gear selector drum actuator and driveshaft. On the R1200RT, RS and R, cornering ABS is now an option.…

INDIAN CLAIM THE new touchscreen infotainment system fitted to 2017 versions of the Roadmaster and Chieftain is the biggest and most rider-friendly system on any bike, ever. Called Ride Command, the system is designed to be easily customised, so riders can give more prominence to the information that’s most important to them, whether that’s to do with sat nav, the audio system, their phone or other data such as temperature and time. The 7in screen has the highest resolution and brightest screen in motorcycling and the fastest response time. The pinch-to-zoom function can be operated wearing gloves. Meanwhile, the entry-level Scout Sixty can now be made A2 licence compliant thanks to a new dealer-fit kit. There are new colours for the whole range.…