Motorcycle Sport & Leisure

small blessings

have never known anything like this. The roads are practically empty. The sun is out. It's like God created the perfect day for all motorcyclists to head out and enjoy themselves. But no. Riding is not going to happen. We're all in this lockdown together. No matter how much you want to get on that bike. Sigh . . . As I write this, we are only allowed to leave the house for work (if it's essential), daily exercise, essential shopping or medical reasons. Even though a large part of my job involves riding motorcycles, it's not something I can justify as essential. And I doubt that riding a motorcycle counts as a form of exercise in the eyes of the law, so the only remaining options for riding are shopping and…

motorcycle sport & leisure's contributors ...

Ross Mowbray Ross works across several motorcycling magazines. That means he gets to ride all manner of two-wheelers, from Monkey bikes to trikes. Don't let his youthful appearance fool you, he's a seasoned petrol-head, respected test rider and a handy off-reader, too. Dave Manning As a self-confessed motorcycle anorak, Dave's particular two-wheeled penchant is for customised bikes - in each and every modified form they come. He's a strong believer that every single bike ever made is worth trying, whether they have been customised or not. Peter Henshaw Peter is our history man - he's written more than 60 books and is a former editor of this very publication. Now a freelance journalist, he writes about transport of all kinds, though bikes are really at the heart of it all . He's an all -year-round…

ktm unveils the super scalpel

The KTM 890 Duke R is effectively a high-performance version of the existing 790 Duke, with a fresh engine platform, a revised chassis and a number of other refinements. KTM states that the new bike 'intends to exploit the best virtues of the Duke platform with more torque, more rpm, more speed, more stopping power and more aggression to make for an extreme experience receptive to open mountain roads and the expanses of the racetrack'. The parallel twin engine is based on the 790 Duke, with the motor's lliilil! output increased to 119bhp (89kW) and 73lb-ft (99Nm) of torque, sprung from lower in the powerband. This represents a rise of almost lONm over the 790 Duke. In terms of engine 'architecture' the bore has been increased from 88 to 90.7 and…

bmw rlb: the big boxer is here

BMW has been teasing us with concepts, custom house specials, and even the new engine itself, but the Bavarians have finally pulled the covers off the new R18 - the 1800cc big twin created to secure BMW a place in the cruiser market. Visually, the new bike borrows from BMW's past, and the RS model in particular - this looks like a back-to-basics, no-nonsense, purist bike with that humongous boxer twin impossible to miss. THE BIG BOXER The centrepiece of the BMW R18 is a newly developed 2-cylinder boxer engine - the 'Big Boxer: It's a clear nod to the traditional air-cooled boxer engines that have become synonymous with the marque since BMW Motorrad began production in 1923. This is the most powerful 2-cylinder boxer engine ever used in motorcycle series production, and has…

bmw patents front wheel 'catcher'

In a head-on collision, a motorcyclist will usually come off far worse than in any other type of crash. That's largely due to the forces of the impact having nowhere to go and nowhere to dissipate, so the full impact gets transmitted straight back into the bike and rider. BMW thinks it has worked out a way to cut the amount of force in these type of crashes and thanks to a patent filed on January 23, we can see what the German factory is thinking. The idea is based around a very specific 'V' module that comes off the bottom of the frame ( or front of the engine if it's being used as a stressed member of the chassis design). The 'V' sits at the same height as the front…

bikes back on the box

The Motorbike Show returns to ITV4 this Spring, with six brand new hour -long episodes. Now in its ninth season, the popular motorcycle magazine programme, presented by Henry Cole, has proved to be a ratings success since it first aired in 2011. Viewers can look forward to a mix of features in each episode, including rides along some of the best biking roads in the UK and Europe, the stories of iconic motorcycles and manufacturers, and a restoration. Henry will be giving a classic bike a new lease of life, with a lot of help from his regular restoration buddies Sam Lovegrove and Allen Millyard. Episode 1 is scheduled to be shown on ITV4 in mid-April. For more information on all programmes produced by Henry Cole visit henrycole.tv…